Foreign films

[dnte42]

Lately I have been on a bit of a foreign film kick. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for some great movies, new or old.

While on the topic, I would have to recommend two films (two of the greatest ever) to anyone who has not seen them: Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai and Ingemar Bergan's The Seventh Seal. Although both are black and white and subtitles (for anyone who truly appreciates the cinema this shouldn't be an issue :p ). The first is one of the best action movies ever made. It clocks in at around 3:30, but the charters are delightful and the exploration of class structure in 17th century Japan is very interesting (and the fights are great too, for those who need reassurance). The second is a story about the search for God and meaning in the face of death, and is also a wonderful story while being very thought provoking. All right, advertisement over...anyone have anything to say 'bout this?

[scem0]

I know this doesn't go along too much w/ the thread, but it
seemed like an OK place to put it. Go to Muffinfilms (http://www.muffinfilms.com/)
and click on 11, it is hillarious. Same with #4. I love muffin films.

Foreign films...... hmmmmm.......... The best on in the world is
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but there are a bunch of good
ones. Iron Monkey, snake in Eagles Shadow, but I am going off
track, because I don't think you are looking for kung fu movies :D.

[SPG]

It still might be in theatres near you, or if not it'll be out on DVD soon, Das Experiment. Good psychological thriller based on the Stanford Prison Experiment.
My other foreign film recomendations:
"Run Lola Run" and "Princess and the Warrior" both directed by Tom Tykwer.

[dnte42]

Heh, Crouching Tiger weasn't a bad movie. It was also more of a co-production between America and Hong Kong. Not purely foreign, but it doesn't matter.

As for the muffins...very interesting.

[dnte42]

Originally posted by SPG
It still might be in theatres near you, or if not it'll be out on DVD soon, Das Experiment. Good psychological thriller based on the Stanford Prison Experiment.
My other foreign film recomendations:
"Run Lola Run" and "Princess and the Warrior" both directed by Tom Tykwer.

Yeah, Run, Lola, Run was a fun movie. MTV-style direction at its finest. Babett's Feast is also an excellent movie that just came to mind. I can't remember who directed it, but it was very well made. Haven't heard about Das Experiment, but I am intrigued.

[scem0]

Run Lola Run was interesting. I have seen it twice. Amelie was
OK but im not into those kind of movies. Muffin films is definitely
interesting. Going from 1 to 12 is the best. Then the finale makes
a lot more sense. :D .

[crassusad44]

I Kina spiser de hunde (In China they eat dogs <- directly translated, do not know the official english name) is a really great danish movie. In the same alley as Snatch and Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels.

[3rdpath]

cinema paradiso and amelie are my two foreign faves.

[job]

Das Boot.

[scem0]

Originally posted by crassusad44
I Kina spiser de hunde (In China they eat dogs <- directly translated, do not know the official english name) is a really great danish movie. In the same alley as Snatch and Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels.

Snatch was a really good movie. I wonder what dog tastes like......

[dnte42]

Heh, I suppose that the Monty Pyhtons movies have been left out until now. All the same, British movies are quite similar to American (or we just steal their good directors, like Hitchcock).

[Stike]

Good foreign films... hmm...

Knockin´on heavens door (Germany)
Action/Comedy
Ringu (Japan) Original of remake "The Ring"
Horror
Akira (Japan) Possibly greatest animated movie of all time.
M (Germany)
Thriller from 1930´s
Serial Lover (France/UK)
Comedy "noir" ;)

and there are still many others... hmm!

[dnte42]

Oh yeah, forgot about M. Definately one of the better early German films that I have seen. As far as animated/anime goes, probably the best I have seen is Grave of the Fireflies, ever tho it was so depressing it made me want to kill myself...:p :(

[Stike]

Originally posted by dnte42
Oh yeah, forgot about M. Definately one of the better early German films that I have seen. As far as animated/anime goes, probably the best I have seen is Grave of the Fireflies, ever tho it was so depressing it made me want to kill myself...:p :(

Fireflies, yeah, already heard of and it is very tragic AFAIK but sadly ;) I wasn´t able to watch it by now. Will do very soon.

[macktheknife]

Some comedies:

Amelie (French)
Shall We Dance? (Japanese)
Any films staring Michael Hui (All Cantonese)

Wong Kar Wai films:
In the Mood for Love (Cantonese)
Chungking Express (Cantonese)
Days of Being Wild (Cantonese)

[SPG]

It's funny that when you realize the huge number of movies that are made every year throughout the world how few of them ever reach our shores, yet most of the crap that Hollywood turns out winds up in every country of the world.

Yes, Hollywood is responsible for occasionally making some wonderful films, but c'mon...most of it is mediocre at best.

[macktheknife]

Originally posted by SPG
It's funny that when you realize the huge number of movies that are made every year throughout the world how few of them ever reach our shores, yet most of the crap that Hollywood turns out winds up in every country of the world.

Yes, Hollywood is responsible for occasionally making some wonderful films, but c'mon...most of it is mediocre at best.
My other general impression is that many Americans seem to think foreign films are for art houses only. That is, if it ain't from Hollywood, it's too "artsy" to be viewed.

Subtitling was another issue I found annoying. When "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was released, theaters had to post signs warning prospective viewers that the film was subtitled--as if this was an issue to begin with. :rolleyes:

Not every foreign film is good, but when you have the garbage that Hollywood puts out on a continual basis, someone somewhere has to be making better films. Anyhow, until more Americans open their minds and build their literary skills to watch subtitled films, Hollywood will continue to rule.

[irmongoose]

Monsoon Wedding.. it's an Indian flick which really shows the typical Indian wedding... with a touch of western culture...

It's going to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival... you should watch it.. it's quite interesting, and plus, it's in English.




irmongoose

[diorio]

Life is Beautiful, a great Italian movie about the Holocaust. Roberto Beningi won an academy award for something in it, and it was well deserved.

[mymemory]

Originally posted by diorio
Life is Beautiful, a great Italian movie about the Holocaust. Roberto Beningi won an academy award for something in it, and it was well deserved.

I was about to mention it, it is one of the greates movies ever. Is one of those movies that no mater when you start it to see it you will keep going. Remind me the teate of ... that movie with the 8 kids in the Swis Alps... Well, it is a movie worth 100% the time.

[jrv3034]

City of Lost Children

Delicatessen

Il Postino

You know what's funny? If you go to Puerto Rico and go to a Blockbuster, all the Puerto Rican films are in the "foreign" section!

Just FYI:D

[jrv3034]

Originally posted by dnte42
Although both are black and white and subtitles (for anyone who truly appreciates the cinema this shouldn't be an issue :p ).

I agree completely. There's nothing worse IMO than a dubbed movie. Sure, the ideal would be that we all spoke ALL languages, but the next best thing are subtitles. Dubbing completely ruins the performances, no matter how good the voice-overs are.

[SPG]

I haven't seen it in years, but I remember that the original Mad Max was dubbed. Apparently they thought that Mel Gibson's australian accent would be too much for audiences to handle.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by jrv3034


I agree completely. There's nothing worse IMO than a dubbed movie. Sure, the ideal would be that we all spoke ALL languages, but the next best thing are subtitles. Dubbing completely ruins the performances, no matter how good the voice-overs are.

That is unless you're watching martial arts movies with bad dubbing - it sort of goes with the film and its part of the viewing experience. There are others that are absoulely terrible (some even from America), but in general, I prefer dubbing in martial arts films as opposed to subtitles. Maybe its more fun/campy when you don't take the film that seriously.

D

[jelloshotsrule]

the recent animation "spirited away" was brilliant.

i kinda see the director as a later, animation form of kurasawa in that the colors in it remind me a great deal of the colors in ran.... not so much the specific colors, just the fact that they are totally bright and vivid and unlike most of what i've ever seen...

quite amazing.

seven samurai rules....

[irmongoose]

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
the recent animation "spirited away" was brilliant.

i kinda see the director as a later, animation form of kurasawa in that the colors in it remind me a great deal of the colors in ran.... not so much the specific colors, just the fact that they are totally bright and vivid and unlike most of what i've ever seen...

That's 'Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi' :p .. If you liked that you should also see Princess Mononoke, and not the dubbed version. Also, 'Laputa: The Castle in the Sky' is one of my favorites. All are directed by the same Miyazaki Hayao.




irmongoose

[ibjoshua]

Cold Fever [Iceland/Japan]
Mediteraneo [Greece/Italy]
Europa Europa [Germany - I think]
Raise The Red Lantern [China]
Three Colours: Red
Three Colours: White
Three Colours: Blue [Switzerland/Poland/France]
Killing Zoe [France and US I think]
(La Femme) Nikita [France]
The Double Life of Veronique [Poland/France]

All Kitano 'Beat' Takeshi films:
Bad Cop [Japan]
Sonatine [Japan]
Hana Bi [Japan]
Brother [Japan/USA]
... and more

I could wax lyrical about many more films but these are just some of my favourites.

i_b_joshua

[wwworry]

Originally posted by dnte42
Oh yeah, forgot about M. Definately one of the better early German films that I have seen. As far as animated/anime goes, probably the best I have seen is Grave of the Fireflies, ever tho it was so depressing it made me want to kill myself...:p :(
Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai
Ingemar Bergan's The Seventh Seal

You have good taste.

Rafifi is also a great one.
Les Samurai is a great French movie.
You'd probably like The Third Man (British, maybe and definitly one of the best Movies ever)
A newer movie is Uzumaki (Spiral)
Have you seen Kurosawa's Ran?

An interesting site is to find movies is http://movielens.umn.edu
"MovieLens is a research site run by the GroupLens Research group at the University of Minnesota. MovieLens uses "collaborative filtering" technology to make recommendations of movies/videos that you might enjoy, and to help you avoid the ones that you won't. The predictions you get are personalized to your tastes, which are learned by asking you to rate movies that you have seen before."

Kind of like what we are doing now.