***** 1953. Written and directed by Samuel Fuller. One nomination for the Academy awards (Thelma Ritter). A pickpocket steals a microfilm without knowing it. Cops, F.B.I. and communists are soon after him. Masterpiece.

***** 1958. Directed by Nicholas Ray. Chicago in the early 30's. A dancer, Cyd Charisse, falls in love with Robert Taylor, the lawyer of the local mob. She persuades him to start a new life. Last masterpiece of Nicholas Ray who pays tribute to all precedent gangsters movies. The dance acts of Cyd Charisse are sublime and Robert Taylor's performance beyond comparison. Indispensable.

****1/2 2007. Written and directed by Tony Gilroy. Academy award for Tilda Swinton and 6 other nominations. A powerful law firm gets rid of a lawyer who's about to tell the truth about a multibillion case. Highly recommended.

**** 1957. Directed by Nicholas Ray. After the failed bank heist of Northfield, Minn., Jesse and Frank James try to come back home. Flashbacks show us the important moments of Jesse's life. Even if the Fox producers carved up the movie, Nicholas Ray's hand is visible in numerous scenes. Highly recommended.

**** 1960. Written and directed by Nicholas Ray. Inuk, an Eskimo, accidentally kills a priest ignorant of the ancient traditions. Some years later, Inuk is arrested by a policeman but soon saves his life. A movie I saw some 35 years ago and that I never forgot. Highly recommended.

**** 1963. Directed by Nicholas Ray. Two nominations for the Oscars (Dimitri Tiomkin). Peking, 1900. The empress's counselor persuades her to help the Boxers attack the 400 international soldiers trapped in a fortified compound in the middle of the city. Recommended.

**** 1980. Written and directed by Samuel Fuller. The story of a sergeant and his squad through the different battles of WWII. The reconstruction of the movie (49 minutes more) by film critic Richard Schickel is a tremendous achievement. Highly recommended.

**** 2006. Directed by John Curran. Golden Globe in the Best Musical score category. A British doctor, cheated by his wife, brings her to a farther region of China where she'll finally help him fight a cholera outbreak. Recommended.

**** 2007. Written and directed by Paul Haggis. One nomination for the Oscars (Tommy Lee Jones). The father of a young soldier who is reported missing at his U.S. base decides to start his own investigation to find him. A movie about the effects of war on unprepared young soldiers.

***1/2 1955. Directed by Samuel Fuller. Tokyo. A military police officer investigates the murder of an American soldier killed by Robert Ryan's gang. Shot on location in Japan, HOUSE OF BAMBOO is a fascinating study of a civilization's clash. Recommended.

***1/2 1962. Written and directed by Samuel Fuller. 1942. Led by Brig. Gen. Frank D. Merrill, 3000 soldiers head to a Japanese commanding post in Burma through jungle, swamps and mountains. Recommended.

*** 1948. Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. A blind pianist tries to find his place in the society but loses little by little his social rank by accepting cheap jobs. A former peasant girl who managed to get educated through hard work will help him to give up the idea of suicide. One of Bergman's first efforts.

*** 1955. Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Two women in search for happiness. Susanne is still in love with the married man she left seven months before and Doris meets an old and wealthy man who offers her whatever she wants. For Bergman completists.

*** 2007. Written and directed by Scott Frank. A student who had a terrible car accident four years before, suffers from loss of memory. A gang wants to use him when they learn he works in a bank as might watch. Original script but average result. Already forgotten.

** 1969. Written and directed by Samuel Fuller. Sudan. Two treasure hunters hire Burt Reynolds to help them find a treasure lying at the bottom of the Red Sea. Completely reedited by its producers, SHARK! was disavowed by Samuel Fuller. We understand him.