I did not care for "POLA X" at all.  While the other Carax films that I had seen, "Mauvais Sang" and "Lovers on the Bridge" had a thematic reason for its characteristic rawness, "POLA X" seems to be schizophrenic and indecisive.

"Time Regained" can be best described as lush, surreal, very fluid, and in my opinion, very true to the spirit of Marcel Proust.  Very beautiful film.  The way that the time visually weaves from present to past, and from event to event is quite amazing. 

"The Flowers of Shanghai" feels very insular and hermetic – the characters have little or no interaction with the outside world.  In that sense, it is markedly different from his earlier films like "City of Sadness", "A Time to Live and a Time to Die", or "Goodbye South Goodbye".  Hou's command of ellipsis is exquisitely showcased.  This film reminds me a little of Kenji Mizoguchi's "Street of Shame", as one of the "flower girls" schemes to buy her freedom.  An excellent film.

"Eternity and a Day" is a languidly paced film that is very contemplative.  As in "Time Regained", the flashbacks are seamless and fluid, although the main character, Alexandre, remains old.  I preferred this film to Angelopoulos' "Ulysses' Gaze", but does not reach the levels of his masterpieces, "Landscape in the Midst" or "The Travelling Players".  This one reminds me a little of Andrei Tarkovsky's "Nostalghia", in which the protagonist's spiritual journey is symbolically depicted as a physical wandering. 

In case you're interested, "POLA X" is available on UK Region 2 DVD; "Time Regained" is available on UK Region 2 DVD and coming soon to Region 1 (3/27); "The Flowers of Shanghai" is on Hong Kong DVD with non-removeable Chinese and English subtitles; "Eternity and a Day" is available on UK-PAL VHS.

If you any questions on the quality of these films on DVD and PAL VHS, feel free to post or email me.  I have most of them (except "POLA X", which I only saw once at the NYFF) in my collection.

acquarello
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