fantastic planet

Rene Laloux cult 1973 animation that has the cannes grand prix was a bit too symbolic for my taste, but the drawings were spectacular almost like hieronymus bosch's paintings and a great psychedelic soundtrack.

woman in the dunes

my favorite teshigahara, although it is more predictable, a bit more cliche than others. again a study on identity, freedom and society like pitfall and face of another, but this time it incorporates the two other films gists in it.

face of another

teshigahara is amazing. there cannot be a better exploration of identity. it is not only the author kobo abe's genius but teshigahara's imagery that recalls surrealist paintings and even francis bacon. beautiful.

good morning

ozu's 1959 film about new appliances, TV and changing traditions. a fell good film, especially when the little kid yells "i love you" every time he walks out.

paprika

satoshi kon's 2006 animation. wild exploration of dreams and capital (i might be reading too much into it but it seems as if he read D & G).

raise the red lantern

beautiful gong li in zhang yimou's film about the maddening patriarchy.

buffalo '66

strange sense of humor under the direction of vincent gallo...

this sporting life

1963 lindsay anderson film, at last on dvd. i thought this might have been a disappointment like if but it was excellent. the angry young man, getting wealth and fame and still not one of the upper class (i guess in 1963 the sports celebrities were not like today's tiger woods) and his troubled relationship to the woman who does not let herself be fooled by his success.

red road

2006 film by andrea arnold, winner of 2006 cannes jury prize. intriguing and disturbing film about revenge. what was brilliant is that the audience does not know how the culprit had actually killed the innocents. and even before then you start sympathizing with him, yet right at the end the perspective changes...

fear of fear

fassbinder's "safe" so to speak. as usual it was great...

grbavica: the land of my dreams

2006 winner of berlin golden bear, a film by jasmila zbanic. it was a very strong film about war, between nations, between mothers and daughters and the aftermath. but the real reason i love this film is that at the last scene the kids are portrayed as kids, ready to move on and reconstruct, rather than guilt-bearing, short grownups as they are portrayed in most films.

kicking and screaming

this is a film baumbach made, perhaps before reading salinger or meeting wes anderson, you cannot even tell it is baumbach.