These epic length Indians films keep disappointing even as I keep giving them a chance since I’m reluctant to completely shut out the output of a huge part of the global film industry. This one is said to be one of the best examples of Indian cinema and is particularly influential in its gangster genre. Unfortunately it is once again a disappointment.

Here’s yet another film by Woody Allen and though his career may be over, his back catalogue is so extensive that there is still plenty of interesting work to be explored. The director himself does appear in this one and as the character he plays is himself a director, it isn’t surprising that most people see this film as being autobiographical. Allen however has always denied this.

Pretty much all of the Japanese films we’ve watched recently has been by Hirokazu Kore-eda and no wonder all of his recent output have been at least decent. After The Third Murder which experimented with a different type of genre, this one can be seen as a return to form featuring all of the director’s favorite themes and types of characters. Yet it’s different enough from his other works to feel fresh and to hit you hard with its emotions.

This would be the first of the DC films I’ve watched since Wonder Woman. I’d considered watching Aquaman but it seems to be all about the spectacle and special effects. I might have skipped this one as well but I rather like the idea of encouraging DC to go for more humor and ease up on the grimdark. Hopefully their whole stable of films will continue to improve now that Zach Snyder is firmly out of the picture.

This one percolated to the top of my lists due to its many rave reviews and the awards it won. But after only recently watching Sixteen Candles, it also makes for a fantastic counter-example of how get a film about an adolescent girl right, a claim made by no less an authority than Molly Ringwald herself. This director Bo Burnham’s directorial debut and it seems apropos to our times and this film that he first made his name as a YouTubber himself.

After two films directed by Jia Zhangke that stars his wife and muse Zhao Tao we already know what to expect and indeed this newest film is more of the same. Indeed the director even indulges in his usual obsessions with the Three Gorges Dam and UFOs even as he experiments with the theme of the well known underworld honor among thieves.

This has been on my to watch list ever since I saw A Quiet Passion which I continue to love. A documentary, essentially a love letter, made up of old newsreel footage about the city of Liverpool where director Terence Davies grew up, sounds very appealing. However documentaries are especially difficult to track down and it took me a long time to find an acceptable copy.