If you guys want some extremely good movie-making by a German director, watch out for Tom Tykwer. Some of his movies are amongst the most beautiful I have ever seen.
Maybe "Run, Lola, run" is his most well-lknown, but despite some technical originality in the plot, i think it is not amongst his best.
These three, however, are very dear to me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wintersleepers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pri...nd_the_Warrior
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_%282002_film%29
I agree with those Germans saying that Tykwer probably is the most artistic and orginal movie-maker germany has ever had since WWII. His movies are pieces of beauty and art, not action, but are not so tiresome dialogue-oriented and abstract-philosophic like many modern French or Eastern movies. If you look for bright lights and loiud sounds, look somewhere else. Despite the artistic handling of colours, cuts and camera perspectives, the highly original, surprising, unexpected and confusing and yet sense-making twists in his plots are noticable (see Wintersleeper).