Tom Tykwer

German guy who lucked up.

Run Lola Run (1998) -- The Groundhog Day of German techno-thrillers, this movie takes a simple premise and makes more or less the best of it, adding unforgettable red hair and cool techno music to keep everyone hooked in. There's nothing mind-blowing about the movie (not sure if it was meant to be or not), but it's pretty fun to watch and listen to.

Paris, Je T'aime (2006) -- Directed with Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Gérard Depardieu, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Jr., Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Daniela Thomas, Gus Van Sant. Eighteen five-minute shorts set in (and named after) different areas of Paris, all created by different directors. Most of directors apparently don't know how to deal with the short form and use the same pacing as a feature-length movie, not telling any real story in the process or setting us up for a story that we'll never get to see. The ones that stand out to me are the films by the Coen Brothers (which actually use some kinetic camerawork to wake us up), Christopher Doyle (another wake up), Alexander Payne (which is a mix of offensive and almost-touching), and Sylvain Chomet (with a mime). The rest are either average or make you say "Well, at least it was short." (See individual directors for a review of their short.)

Faubourg Saint-Denis (2006) -- Directed with Walter Salles, Jr. From Paris, Je T'aime, starring the annoying Natalie Portman and a blind dude. Collapses on itself by the end, unable to sustain the five minutes of film time it was given.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) -- Overlong and laboring its one point (whatever that is), it's still got enough weird and entertaining bits to keep you watching for two and a half hours. It has the feel of an old novel (though it's based on a new one), with interesting conceits (such as all of the lead character's keepers and mentors dying the moment he is finished with them) and a ridiculous orgy at the end.