I've seen several threads criticizing the quality of Hollywood movies. Instead of chiming in, I would like to see what others consider some of the better foreign films. Even if movie studios from other countries produce mostly bad and only a few good films, a few good films times the number of countries making them times the last 20-40 years, = lots of good movies to watch. So how about it? What are your favorite foreign films?

I agree, there are alot of very good foreign movies out there. The thing i like about some of these movies is that they have a whole different tone and direction than hollywood films. Here are some of my favorites:

Twilight samurai - JP - Drama with a little samurai sword fighting but the fighting is not the focus of the movie. Main character was in the Last Samurai (not Ken W.).

City of God - BR - Poverish kids growing up in Brazil have no choice but to steal and kill to survive. based on a true story.

The Motorcycle Diaries - About Che Guevara, pre revolutionist. Great adventure movie

Zatoichi - JP

Once were warriors - NZ?

I'd like to hear of any others worth watching.

Some personal favorites include:

1) Most all films by Ingmar Bergman (Sweden) including Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, Persona, Hour of the Wolf, The Magician.
2) Most all films by Akira Kurosawa (Japan) including Seven Samurai, Ikiru, Rashomon, Yojimbo, The Hidden Fortress, High and Low and many many others.
3) Robert Bresson (France) A Man Escaped, Pickpocket.
4) Many films by Luis Bunuel (Spain) including Phantom of Liberty, Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Belle de Jour, Simon of the Desert, El This Strange Desire, Exterminating Angel

Roughly in the order I enjoyed them:

Best:

Amelie
The Road Home

Pretty Good:

Behind the Sun
Chocolat
City of God
The Dish (I think this is Foreign)
The Emperor and the Assassin
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
Life is Beautiful
Twilight Samurai
Shanghai Triad
Shower

Good:

A Very Long Engagement
Branded to Kill (and the remake Pistol Opera)
Brother
The Cuckoo
Divided We Fall
Farewell my Concubine
Foyle's War (TV)
Gorgeous (and not for Jackie Chan!)
Happenstance
Happy Times
House of Fools
The Housekeeper
Ran
Run Lola Run
Shadow Magic
So Close
To Live
The Way Home
Y To Mama Tambien

Gawd. Where to begin??

Just a few off the top of my old head.

Turtles Can Fly
Goodbye Lenin!
Kitchen Stories
Muriel's Wedding
Downfall
Oldboy
Spirited Away
Queen Margot
Fanny and Alexander
The Devil's Backbone
Enigma
Dirty Pretty Things
Whale Rider
Talk to Her

Oldboy
Infernal Affairs
Hana-Bi
Cinema Paradiso
To Live
Ran

not mentioned yet...

Jean de Fleurette
Raise the Red Lantern
Red Sorghum (one of my very favorites)
Horseman on the Roof
Red
Blue
Journey of Hope
Scent of Green Papaya
Walkabout

My favorites are:

Das Boot (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082096/)
Jean de Florette/Manon de Sources (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091288/)
City of God (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317248/)
Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/)

DAS Boot ( directors cut in German with english sub titles and DD 5.1 )
RAN
The Seven Samurai
Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon
Aguirre: The Wrath of God
Fitzcarraldo
Wings of desire
Paris, Texas
Cinema Paradiso ( extended version )
Rules of the Game
Hero
House of flying Daggers
Raise the Red Lantern
The Killer ( John Woo )
Run Lola Run
Underground ( Yugoslavia )
La Dolce Vita
Life is Beautiful ( Roberto Benigni )
Once Upon a Time in the West
Insomnia ( Norwegian version )
Three Colors trilogy ( Blue/White/Red )
Wild Strawberries
Walkabout ( Auz )

Roughly in the order I enjoyed them:

Best:

Amelie
The Road Home

Pretty Good:

Behind the Sun
Chocolat
City of God
The Dish (I think this is Foreign)
The Emperor and the Assassin
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
Life is Beautiful
Twilight Samurai
Shanghai Triad
Shower

Good:

A Very Long Engagement
Branded to Kill (and the remake Pistol Opera)
Brother
The Cuckoo
Divided We Fall
Farewell my Concubine
Foyle's War (TV)
Gorgeous (and not for Jackie Chan!)
Happenstance
Happy Times
House of Fools
The Housekeeper
Ran
Run Lola Run
Shadow Magic
So Close
To Live
The Way Home
Y To Mama Tambien

GREAT LIST Karyk
I agree on the ones I have seen :)

Amelie is the best Foreign movie I have seen ...

Well I only have a few foreign films but they are among my favorites.

La Vita E Bella (Life is Beautiful) mentioned here many times, I have the Region 0 I bought in Rome, Italy.
And I can't believe no one mentioned these two:
Malena (Italian-one of the best stories ever!)
La Femme Nikita (French- Point of No Return was US remake, Leon was introduced in this movie!)

Movies like this make American blockbusters seem silly sometimes.

I can see this thread will keep my Netflix list full for some time! ;)

Of the movies mentioned that I've seen, the only one I'd disagree with is Kitchen Stories. A bit too offbeat for me. (Also, I don't really care for Crouching Tiger, but I realize others disagree.)

As to my list, I checked The Dish, and not only is is really foreign, but the same director had another film not quite as good, called The Castle. Both stories are apprarently not only based on true events, but also somewhat humorous.

And one final thing. If you have a new set (or maybe new tweak to your HTPC) of my entire list I'd recommend watching Pistol Opera. Great PQ, colors and visuals.

Edit: Also, Pistol Opera has an interesting history. As mentioned, it's a remake of Branded to Kill, but the remake was done by the same director. He made the remake even though he was fired after making Branded to Kill (apparently too offbeat for his studio).

More:

In July
Metropolis (the original silent one)
Pygmalion
Rififi
The Ruling Class
The Thief of Bagdad
Traffik (the original BBC miniseries, okay, it's TV, but still . . .)
Babette's Feast

Movies I have not seen yet but have heard marvelous things about:

Small Change
Prisoner of the Mountains
The Night of the Shooting Stars
Grand Illusion
L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)
The Bicycle Thief
The Lavender Hill Mob
Together
Open City
Butterfly
Our Lady of the Assassins
M
Europa Europa
Like Water for Chocolate
The Visitors
Farewell My Concubine
The Sorrow and the Pity
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Goodbye Lenin
The Price of Milk

Here are some good ones that I really enjoyed:

Italy - Cinema Paradiso
Spain - Talk To Her
Canada - Jesus of Montreal
Japan - Tampopo/ Sanjuro
China - Jou Do
France - A Very Long Engagement/ Umbrellas of Cherbourg

I was mesmerized by the art direction and cinematography from some of these, like Jou Do and A Very Long Engagement.

Most of these are mentioned in the "Best film no one has ever heard of" thread, plus others, so you might want to see that thread.

Red
White
Blue
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000083C5F.01._PE24_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg are some good movies ! Really enjoyed watching them.

I even liked Malena (original Unrated DVD) for that matter


EDIT: just noticed that they are already mentioned above by REWJR - so i will just second (or third :p) that !

Morte a Venezia (Death in Venice) - You'll either think it is a lyrical and evocative story of an aging composer dealing with his own mortality and quest for beauty in an unexpected form ---- or else better than a sleeping pill to put you to sleep.

I like Amarcord, and El Norte. I'll try to think of others.

For those that mentioned City of God; have you seen "City of Men"? It is a TV series that follows the same story but with different characters. One of the actors is the boy who played Lil Dice. Worth a watch if your region free.

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0002HSDUK.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

A great, albeit fairly out there film was "Bad Education". This one was one of my favorite foreign flicks recently. Always enjoy stuff by Takashi Miike as well but some of that stuff is way out there so brace yourself.

One of my all-time favorite films (foreign or otherwise) is "No Man's Land" by (I think he's Bosnian) Danis Tanovic. Set mostly in a trench during the Bosnian-Serbian war, but don't let the seemingly bleak subject matter deter you from renting this jewel! There are some very funny scenes despite the very harrowing situation depicted. A "must-rent".

Spring Summer Fall Winter Spring

Korean. Great moral story.

Didn't notice any mention, but I really liked Sex & Lucia.

Some of my favorites are

Europa Europa
Chicken Run
Muriel's Wedding
Run Lola Run
Amelie
A Room With a View
Hero
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

I really like most of the films mentioned already, but I just don't get "Red, white, blue" and "Babette's Feast". Those films were more boring than watching paint dry IMHO.

Most Wong Kar Wai films - Days of being wild, In the mood for love, 2046.
And yes to Sex and Lucia.

"Shall We Dance?"- Japanese comedy*
"Babette's Feast" - Danish drama*
"Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" - Chinese comedy-drama*
"Jean de Florette" - French drama
"Manon of the Spring" - French drama
"The Way Home" - Korean drama
"The Road Home " - Chinese drama
"My Sassy Girl" - Korean comedy*
"Seven Samurai" - Japanese drama
"Samurai" Trilogy - Japanese drama
"Yojimbo" - Japanese drama
"Sanjuro" - Japanese drama
"Ringu" - Japanese horror
"Cinema Paradiso" - Italian drama
"Mostly Martha" - German drama

* my favorites

Well it seems I have a lot to watch. I only know the more well-known ones, including the renowned Amelie and My Life As A Dog and the Asian martial/visual arts films.

Grave of the Fireflies from Japan. Love mos of AK's stuff from Japan also.

I second Spring, Summar, Fall & Winter from Korea.

Ditto for Infernal Affairs I from Hong Kong (2 and 3 are similar to Godfather). Wong Kr Wai is too artistic for me.

Ditto for Cinema Paradiso.

Ditto for Hero from China.

Need to check out City of God.

"Shall We Dance?"- Japanese comedy*
"Babette's Feast" - Belgian drama*
"Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" - Chinese comedy-drama*
"Jean de Florette" - French drama
"Manon of the Spring" - French drama
"The Way Home" - Korean drama
"The Road Home " - Chinese drama
"My Sassy Girl" - Korean comedy*
"Seven Samurai" - Japanese drama
"Samurai" Trilogy - Japanese drama
"Yojimbo" - Japanese drama
"Sanjuro" - Japanese drama
"Ringu" - Japanese horror
"Cinema Paradiso" - Italian drama
"Mostly Martha" - German drama

* my favorites
Sorry but "Babette's Feast" is not Belgian it is Danish. :)

Another vote for "Cinema Paradiso" - the original theatrical release, NOT the expanded version contained on the reverse side of the new dvd. The latter was painfully long....

htomei

Here are some asian films

Ran (japan)
ikiru (japan)
killer (hong kong)
bullet in the head (hong kong)
lost in time (hong kong)
turn left turn right (hong kong/Taiwan)
infernal affairs, II, III (hong Kong)
City on fire (hong kong)
A better tomorrow (hong kong)
Hard Boiled (hong kong)
In the mood for love (hong kong)
Il mare (korea)
taegukgi (korea)
failan (korea)
joint security area (korea)

I can't remember if I posted this title on the other thread but The Big Blue is good. About free divers trying to set world records. Also a love story.

GREAT SUSPENSE:
Rififi
A Man Escaped
The Wages of Fear
Le Boucher
Le Trou

GREAT HORRIFYING SHOCKS:
Irreversible
I Stand Alone
Audition

PURELY GREAT:
Ordet
Really, truly anything by Ingmar Bergman, except possibly The Serpent's Egg. My current favorites are The Silence, Winter Light, and The Passion of Anna. I could easily name ten more that are worth your time--just get a list of them and start watching. (Also there's a new one just released in theaters . . .)
The Tree of Wooden Clogs
Nights of Cabiria
Aguirre, Wrath of God
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Fanny and Alexander (Bergman again, because you'll just keep going back to him)
The Apu Trilogy (Pather Panchali, Aparajito, World of Apu)
Los Olvidados
Woman in the Dunes

GREAT FUN AND ALSO SCARY (and dubbed if you want):
Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People
Lisa and the Devil
Suspiria
Santa Sangre
Vij (the least exciting on this list, but sort of charming)

NOT REALLY A MEDITATION ON REALITY, JUST A DECENT STORY WITH A SAPPY ENDING THAT COMES COMPLETELY OUT OF LEFT FIELD (anyway, really worth a look:)
Rashomon

MADE ME RESTLESS BUT SEEMED GREAT ONCE THEY WERE OVER:
Le Cercle Rouge
Zero de Conduit (only 49 minutes but my legs never stopped shifting)
L'Atalante
In the Mood for Love (my legs were all over the place)
Casque D'or (don't expect it to be like Le Trou)

GREAT BEYOND MY CAPACITY TO APPRECIATE IT:
I Fidanzati

GREAT FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE VIEWINGS:
L'avventura

WOULDN'T MISS IT BUT DOES ANYONE ELSE FIND THIS WOMAN REALLY SILLY?:
Red Desert

GREAT TO HAVE NOTICED ON SOME OTHER PEOPLE'S LISTS:
Babette's Feast (I too think this movie came from France, although Isak Dinesen was Danish)

FAVORITES TO WATCH ALONE SOBBING LIKE A SEAL:
Ikiru
The Bicycle Thief

FAVORITES TO DOZE OFF TO, either dubbed or sub-titled:
Nosferatu, the Vampire/Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht
The Amphibian Man

HAVE HEARD THEY'RE GREAT, BUT WHEN WILL THEY BE RELEASED ON DVD?:
The Exterminating Angel
Viridiana
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

GREAT IN A ONE-OF-A-KIND WAY, AND POSSIBLY BEAUTIFUL (I think it's a sure bet you'll be dreamlike-sad for a couple days after seeing it):
Salo

GREAT AND CAN BE PURCHASED CHEAPLY IN CRAPPY-TO-ACCEPTABLE DVD TRANSFERS:
Madame Bovary
My Life to Live
My Night at Maud's
Lola Montez (its greatness escapes me but it's highly regarded)

NOT FOREIGN BUT BELONGS ON ANY GREAT-MOVIE LIST:
Mullholland Drive

GREAT IF GREAT BRITAIN COUNTS AS FOREIGN:
Little Dorritt

MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE FOREIGN FILM ON DVD (it's a tie:)
La Dolce Vita
Andre Rublev

An incredible performance by a child (4) can be seen in Ponette.

Baran is a very good, fairly recent, Iranian film.

2ND MOST INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE BY A CHILD IN A FOREIGN MOVIE:
The five-year-old in KOLYA

MOST MOVING END CREDITS IN A FOREIGN MOVIE:
The five-year-old singing The Lord's Prayer over the credits at the end of KOLYA. (Really you should rent this right away, just for the end credits, plus you'll enjoy the rest of the movie as a warm-up.)

I just watched Amores Perros (Love's a Bitch) tonight. It's one of those films that's three interrelated stories. I didn't really care for the first third, liked the middle and was really drawn in by the final third. But it is sort of in the Resevoir Dogs/Pulp Fiction area. Stuff you really don't want to see, but fortunately they don't show it long.

i'll second the recommendation for "failan"
just saw this yesterday and it blew me away.
the cover looks like a love story, and it is, but it's so much more.

korea is really pumping out a lot of good material. :)



another one i'd recommend to those that want to try something different is
a japanese movie called "a snake in(of?) june. a character study of a husband and wife with elements of voyerism but doen't sink to the "typical" level of those kinds of films, with a touch of the weird ala cronenberg. very stylishly shot and a good role by the director himself as the "twisted" villian.

2ND MOST INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE BY A CHILD IN A FOREIGN MOVIE:
The five-year-old in KOLYA

MOST MOVING END CREDITS IN A FOREIGN MOVIE:
The five-year-old singing The Lord's Prayer over the credits at the end of KOLYA. (Really you should rent this right away, just for the end credits, plus you'll enjoy the rest of the movie as a warm-up.)

Thanks for reminding me about this film. I picked it up at a used laser disc store about 6 months ago, and never watched it. Plan to do so this coming week.

htomei

The Killer
Hard Boiled
Although I enjoy watching foreign movies, I hardly buy them.
So many movies...so little time...and far less money.

10 FOREIGN MOVIES SERIOUSLY WORTH BUYING ON DVD:
Seven Samurai
8 1/2
Hiroshima, Mon Amour
Jules and Jim
Wild Strawberries
Persona
The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (can be got on eBay, All Regions)
Vengeance is Mine (coming eventually, I hope)
Rocco and His Brothers
Rules of the Game (despite the stuffy audio commentary)

Bus 174 (documentary about a bus hijacking that goes wrong).

Last Life in the Universe (Lonely Japanese man on the run falls for a Thai Woman)

My wife and I just finished watching "The Son's Room", an Italian/French film. It was excellent. Made in 2001, there was a naturalness and linear quality that made it very easy to watch. Very good film.

IMO:

Best Foreign Sci-fi Film: Tarkovsky's "Solaris"

Best Foreign Horror Film: Ji-Woon Kim "A Tale of Two Sisters"

Best Foreign Symbolic Film: Tarkovsky's "Stalker"

Best Foreign Coming of Age Film: Andrei Zvyagintsev's "The Return"

Best Foreign Dark Comedy: Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Delicatessen"

Best Foreign CGI Film: Enki Bilal's "Immortel (ad vitam)"

Best Foreign Action Film: Chan-wook Park's "Oldboy"

Best Foreign Samurai Film: Kurosawa's "Kagemusha"

IMO:

Best Foreign Sci-fi Film: Tarkovsky's "Solaris"

Best Foreign Horror Film: Ji-Woon Kim "A Tale of Two Sisters"

Best Foreign Symbolic Film: Tarkovsky's "Stalker"

Best Foreign Coming of Age Film: Andrei Zvyagintsev's "The Return"

Best Foreign Dark Comedy: Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Delicatessen"

Best Foreign CGI Film: Enki Bilal's "Immortel (ad vitam)"

Best Foreign Action Film: Chan-wook Park's "Oldboy"

Best Foreign Samurai Film: Kurosawa's "Kagemusha"

You've got great lists both here and under "Best Films No One Has Ever Heard Of." There are some on this list that I haven't seen and will be sure to check out. Thanks for posting them! Scott.

Once were warriors - NZ?


I watched this last night. Very interesting portrail of a dysfunctional family, in a differnet culture (and mix of cultures).

The DVD's PQ wasn't that great though. There were a number of scenes where improved PQ would have been very welcome.

Surprised no one has mentioned The Sea Inside, a wonderful film by Alejandro Amenabar.

Hero, by Zhang Yimou (China)

Anything by Hayao Miyazaki (Japan)...even if you aren't into anime. Specifically Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away (which, IMO, is one of the best films of the past few decades).

THE DREAMERS, half-price at Amazon. whıle not the best ıs stıll very good. İt ıs however one of the very best examples of why one must also watch fılms that are made outsıde of the US ıf one is to have a full fılm experıence.

Some not mentioned and worth a view--
The City of Lost Children-- wonderful film from the same people who made Delicatessen
The Tin Drum-- real creepy WWII film
Man Bites Dog-- film crew follows serial killer
Baxter-- French version of Old Yeller, but with a sociopathic kid and fascist dog, told from the dog's point of view
Babe— Pig in the City-- no, really

Picnic at Hanging Rock- Directed by Peter Weir. Great Movie

I have seen 120 movies in the last year through Netflix. (Yeah I have no life :rolleyes: ). These are some of the foreign films I have seen in the last year.

City of God
Triplets of Belleville
Osama
Amelie
Nowhere in Africa
Celebration
Hotel Rwanda
The story of the Weeping Camel
The Sea Inside
The Chorus

All *very* good in their own respects.

T

Triplets was very disappointing to me, but perhaps it was because I was really looking forward to it.

One of my all time favorites is Bagdad Cafe. This little film has a cult following in EU. There are still French & German tourists visiting the small cafe on Rt66 in Newberry Springs, CA where it was filmed.

Some great lists. I just want to add a few:

1. Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu)
2. The Vanishing (George Sluizer)
3. Ran (Akira Kurosawa -- has been mentioned but I love it)
4. Dersu Uzala (another Kurosawa movie)
5. Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan -- I think this is a Canadian movie)
6. Trainspotting (Danny Boyle)
7. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright)
8. The Hit (Stephen Frears)
9. A Passage to India (is David Lean considered foreign? If so, you could add quite a few)
10. The Official Story (Luis Puenzo)

Seeing Trainspotting I keep thinking it's The Transporter. Assuming that's foreign, I'd put that up in my top group of foreign films, but it's a foreign action film.

To each his own....but I thought "Shaun of the Dead" was extremely boring and dumb. Not funny...

But "The Sweet Hereafter" was an exceptional movie....

T

To each his own....but I thought "Shaun of the Dead" was extremely boring and dumb. Not funny...

But "The Sweet Hereafter" was an exceptional movie....

T

I passed on Shaun in the theaters but saw it on satellite. I thought it was pretty funny and well done. Perhaps better as a home video than a theatrical release.

Finally in the mood for City of God, obviously it's not done in Hollywood and I found it thought provoking. Whether it's best or not, I can't say, but highly recommended for getting a glimpse of slums in Rio and how children turned into hoods. Is there an American version or with similar storylines and backgrounds?

Thanks.

A couple of older films I like and haven't noticed being mentioned are La Strada (Felini) and Beauty and the Beast (Cocteau).

Chris

Maybe I missed someone esle posting this...

You need to check out DVD Beaver (http://www.dvdbeaver.com)

I'm lucky to have a friend who is also into foreign film. That way I don't have to buy all the movies I want to see, and get exposed to a lot of stuff I woudn't normally buy.

I like Samurai movies so:
Ran, Kagemusha, Lone Wolf and Cub, Zatoichi (old and new), Sanjaro, Yohimbo, Seven Samurai, Sword of Doom, and many more.

Do not over look Red Beard, I don't see many people talk about this film but it is one of my all time favorites. BTW it is not a samurai movie, it's about a doctor.

All of the above are Asian films and I'm trying to find some other stuff I like, I just picked up a couple Ingmar Bergman films to see if I like them. I just haven't had a chance to watch them yet.

Good luck and have fun.

Brotherhood Of The Wolf

One of my favorite movies. Surprised no one has mentioned it.

Some of my other foreign favorites...
City Of God
Cinema Paradiso
Y Tu' Mama Tambien
Life Is Beautiful
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Hero

"Layer Cake" just started to show in my home town. The DVD is being released on Tuesday.

It's an English movie about dealings and double-crosses among drug dealers. Really good movie. Worthwhile to see in the theater or on home video.

Just watched Saving Face, which I guess is sort of foreign (set in NY but lots of subtitles). Very good movie--I'd give it 4 out of 5. It's serious and funny at the same time.

2 comedies not mentioned are "la cage aux foilles" and "king of hearts".

Immediate ones that come to mind:
La Femme Nikita (the original by Luc Besson)
City of God
House of Flying daggers
Hero
I'll add more as I recall

1. Amelie
2. The Killer (Chow Yun-Fat)
3. A Very Long Engagement
4. The Eye

What can I say, I don't care for most of the foreign films I've seen.

Although "best" is in the subject title, I'll offer my favorites instead:

2LDK
Amelie (Fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain, Le)
Audition (Oodishon)
Bad Guy
Battle of Algiers
Branded To Kill (Koroshi no rakuin)
Brazil
City of God (Cidade de Deus)
City of Lost Children, The (Cite des enfants perdus, la)
City of Men - although, this is not a film, but a TV series
Cyclo (Xich lo)
Fall Guy, The
Female Prisoner #701 - Scorpion (Joshuu 701-gô: Sasori )
Hidden Fortress, The (Kakushi toride no san akunin)
Innocence: Ghost in the Shell II
Insomnia
Isle, The
Kagemusha
Le Dernier Combat (The Last Battle)
Memories of Murder (Salinui Chueok)
Oldboy
Rainy Dog (Gokudô kuroshakai)
Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai)
Sonatine
Tokyo Story
Twilight Samurai
Yakuza Papers: Battle Without Honor and Humanity

:) Hero (Jet Li)
Code 3
DTS ES

Best surround sound, lots of tight bass and in DTS ES driving your 7.1 setup to its limit!! (5 out of 5)

Reasonably good picture resolution (4 out of 5)

Best swordplay as seen from all the Chinese movies with Jet Li (supreme martial art champion from China displaying breathtaking swordmanship talent!)
(5 out of 5)

Indepth storyline protraying denying oneself for the greater good of mankind. (5 out of 5)

Schultze Gets the Blues, very good movie from Germany.

I picked that up a couple weeks ago and was almost to the counter then bailed out. I should have went for it.

I saw Schultze Gets the Blues at the theaters. Good, but like so many German films, extremely slowly paced. I wonder what is left of the American locations after Katrita?

Some of the foreign DVDs I can recall which I liked:

Motorcycle Diaries
Oldboy
Downfall
Sex and Lucia
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Shiri
Hero
Das Boot
Layer Cake
Kung Fu Hustle

1. Amelie
2. The Killer (Chow Yun-Fat)
3. A Very Long Engagement
4. The Eye

What can I say, I don't care for most of the foreign films I've seen.

Hey n2blu gibe Amelie a try. IMHO one of the best foreign films I have ever seen. What about the Krystof Kyslowski (sp) series of Red, White and Blue???? Also good.

I tried Layer Cake the other night and I couldn't get through it. :( I think I will try it again another time.

T

I'm originally from Korea, so I thought I would list the Korean movie dvds (with English subtitles) I bought to lend to my American friends...

Oasis - you will see physically challenged people differently...
Joint Security Area (JSA) - ideology is not something that is important...
The Way Home - you will write to your grandma...
Shiri - first korean action blockbuster
Tube - asian moviemakers now have enough budget to make this kind of action movie...
Tae Guk Gi - probably the best korean war film ever
My Sassy Girl - it will make you laugh rolling on the floor
Mr. Vengence, Old Boy, Lovely Gumja (not yet released on dvd) - Chan Wook Park's bloody revenge series. if you are into Tarantino films, you will love them.
Crying Fist (not sure if it is released on dvd in the US) - two boxers lives cross path...

The Tres Colours set are not only all good movies, particularly Red which I think is far and away the best, but they have a lot of very good extras.

My personal favorites...

Trois Couleurs (Red, Blue, White)
The Tin Drum (Oscar winning German drama)
Il Postino
Melana
La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)
Man Bites Dog
Swimming Pool
Funny Games (German Thriller - highly recommend)
I Stand Alone
Ju-On
Ringu (1&2)
Kwaidan (Classic 1965 Japanese horror - absolutely fantastic)
Tale of Two Sisters (Korean horror)
Irreversible
Farinelli
...And God Created Woman (aaaah... Brigitte Bardot!)
Andrei Rublev (Russian classic, originally banned in the late 60's available via The Criterion Collection)
Murderous Maids (French Crime Drama)
Time Out
Sex and Lucia
Merci pour le Chocolat
Last Tango in Paris
Manon of the Spring
Celebrations

Here's one I saw years ago-- Leningrad Cowboys Go America

You guys should check out 1967 French film noir "Le Samourai", directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and played by Alain Delon. It's one of John Woo's favorite films and he said the movie is "The closest thing to a perfect movie that I have ever seen".

I remember watching this movie several times in the theatre during the 70's and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has just come out on DVD so give it a try.

While not a foreign movie, "Topkapi" really deserves to be on this list. Most of the people associated with it were foreign and it really feels like a foreign movie. By the same director as "Rififi" but more fun and light-hearted.

Another very good Peter Ustinov movie that is at least partially foreign, being a joint UK/US production, is "Hot Millions." Unfortunately it is not yet out on DVD.

Also check out www.foreignfilms.com for some good movies. They used to offer a foreign movie of the month club where you paid something like $140 a year and they send you a different foreign movie each month. I wish they did that again as it really opened my eyes to some movies I would otherwise not have seen.

Pandora's Box, with Louise Brooks and directed by G.W. Pabst.

Yes, it's a silent film and black & white - but for those of you scared off by that, it does have some elements that might hold your attention - lesbianism, murder, Jack the Ripper, etc.

And Louise Brooks has to be one of the most seductive, alluring, beautiful (and gifted) actresses of all time...

Pandora's Box, with Louise Brooks and directed by G.W. Pabst.

Here here!

Saw it recently at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, and though it didn't blow me away as much as it did on PBS in the seventies (back when they showed most of Janus Films' catalogue on Saturday nights- in direct competion with the original Saturday Night Live), it was still quite a ride.

When it comes to DVD with English Subtitles, Haneke's "CACHE" was probobly my favorite film in 2005. I saw it the same week I saw Sympathy for Lady Vengence, and it blew SFLV out of the water IMO. For those who don't know, SFLV is the next up after OLDBOY.

There are so many good international films IMO it's hard to list a few.

I see a lot of people mention City of God and City of Men, there is also "Palace II" which is the short shot by Fernando Meirelles based on the same book. Granted the two versions of this film I found don't have English, it's still a great piece to own. It's not that long, and using babelfish is was somewhat easy to translate.

Also I'll mention "Saint Matry Des Damnes", only because I doubt anyone will ever hear that name again. Small run French Canadian film that premiered at the TIFF this year, and I was one of 50 or so people in the theatre to see it. Fans of David Lynch will want to pursue this one on DVD when it drops. I liked it a lot, much more than "C.R.A.Z.Y" (anoher French Canadian film) which is up for an Oscar this year.

You guys should check out 1967 French film noir "Le Samourai", directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and played by Alain Delon. It's one of John Woo's favorite films and he said the movie is "The closest thing to a perfect movie that I have ever seen".

I remember watching this movie several times in the theatre during the 70's and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has just come out on DVD so give it a try.

If I'm not mistaken, I could have sworn I read in a Chinese paper that Woo plans on remaking Le Samourai in the next year or so out in HK

Mr. Vengence, Old Boy, Lovely Gumja (not yet released on dvd) - Chan Wook Park's bloody revenge series. if you are into Tarantino films, you will love them.


I'm sorry to say the final part of the trilogy let me down big time. People expecting another OLDBOY or SFMV are going to be let down. It's a comedy for one, and the violence is more implied than onscreen ala Funny Games. Don't get me wrong, I don't see to see the violence, I just became used to Park's films. I thought the movie had a similar theme to Lady Snowblood, so the Kill Bill fans may notice it also. IMO it's pretty apparent Park attempted to gain a strong Western audience with SFLV, most likely a result of the success of OLDBOY. I dont' blame him mind you, I was just let down.

I know that most people have seen and like Life is Beautiful. But on a more humorous note, everyone should see Johnny Stecchino. If you like to laugh, Roberto Benigni will kill you in this one.

La Belle Noiseuse. This is a good "cut" film. It seperates those who like this sort of thing from those who don't. If you like this one it opens up a new world of film - just follow the director and cast to their other films. Most won't like it, it is 4 hours long and slow. I think it's great! One of my very favorites.

The Third Man. My all time favorite.

From Amzon DVd Review:

The fractured Europe post-World War II is perfectly captured in Carol Reed's masterpiece thriller, set in a Vienna still shell-shocked from battle. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) is an alcoholic pulp writer come to visit his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But when Cotton first arrives in Vienna, Lime's funeral is under way. From Lime's girlfriend and an occupying British officer, Martins learns of allegations of Lime's involvement in racketeering, which Martins vows to clear from his friend's reputation. As he is drawn deeper into postwar intrigue, Martins finds layer under layer of deception, which he desperately tries to sort out. Welles's long-delayed entrance in the film has become one of the hallmarks of modern cinematography, and it is just one of dozens of cockeyed camera angles that seem to mirror the off-kilter postwar society. Cotten and Welles give career-making performances, and the Anton Karas zither theme will haunt you. --Anne Hurley --This text refers to the DVD edition.

The Story of O

The Fruits of Passion- an oldie

I picked up The Crime of Padre Amaro as a blind buy recently. It is very good movie and Ana Claudia Talancón is beautiful, and a great actress, a movie star in the making. Although I haven't read anything about the film, I suspect it was quite controversial. The DVD is surprisingly good quality as well. I picked up about a dozen other foreign films, unheard of by me as well, all used rentals so I have a bunch of promising films to watch. If the others are as good as this one, I will be be stunned.

Chris

My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle are two movies that fit together to define the makings of a life. Based on Novels by Marcel Pagnol which drew on his childhood for inspiration.

Here's a link to Ebert's review:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19910809/REVIEWS/108090303/1023

I see that "Raise the Red Lantern" is being released on February 14th.
this is the great Gong Li movie from many years ago.

Y Tu Mama Tambien

If only for track 29!!!!! (try watching it in slow motion!).

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet but Le Paques Des Loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf) is a very good movie from France.

Delicatessen

"Getting It Right" (English, 1989) - starring Jesse Birdsall, Jane Horrocks ("Bubble" on "Absolutely Fabulous"), Helena Bonham Carter, Lynn Redgrave, Sir John Gielgud and Peter Cook. I've never had anyone I've shown it to not enjoy it (male or female).

"Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." Spanish sex farce. How could you go wrong? Very funny. I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet.

Some of my other favorites:

"Tampopo" Food, food, food. All about food. Also very funny, especially if you know anything about wine.

"Like Water for Chocolate" Very romantic. Watch with your SO. Also about food, hmmm.

"Chocolat" (sp?). Not the Johnny Depp one. Racial tension in colonial Africa.

"I love Maria" Early Hong Kong crime/martial arts. I only saw this once back in the 1980's. I would like to see it again. My wife loved it, but I can't say it's a great movie, only that I remember it fondly.

Doug

Shallow Grave – Either Ewan McGregor’s first or second film. This movie is awesome.

Oldboy
City of God
Anything Kurosawa

Just watched Oldboy recently. Very good and worthwhile if you need a pick.

Downfall' i really loved that film, i liked it from start to finish. A real serious movie about the fall of Hitler.

Downfall' i really loved that film, i liked it from start to finish. A real serious movie about the fall of Hitler.

I really thought Bruno Ganz (sp) performance was mesmerizing. For a foreign film and subtitles it kept my interest very well.

T

Battle of Algiers, Criterion edition - in case no one mentioned it.

Saw it when I was in high school; still remembered the colonel till this day. Movie was made 4 years after Algeria became independent.

I agree thumperxr69, Bruno played the part so well and was so intense. When he raised his voice it was enough to make you jump. The shaking of the hand, the stress,the excitement and the hopelessness of knowing that it was all over, was all there.I will definately be looking at more movies from this guy.

Stalingrad and Come and See are two solid flicks.

Richard gecko- Never seen them, but i will. I'll do a search on the net and possibly get those. I'm getting into world war 2 at the moment. I am reading Albert Speers book also.

Scent of Green Papaya
Motorcycle Diaries
Spirited Away
House of Flying Daggers
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
The Fast Runner
Eat, Drink, Man, Woman

Top honours goes to: .............Color of Paradise

#2 goes to........Dark Blue World

Central Station - made by Motorcycle Dairies director (also a good one)

Wages of Fear

Devils Backbone

Nine Queens

As compeltely un-foreign as it may be to me, this classic Australian movie will be quite foreign to those non-Australians amongst us (EG: almost everyone else).

Malcolm (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091464/)

I don't know how possible it would be for those in the US to get this, it is available on DVD here in Australia and it's orderable via Amazon (PAL Reg. 4).

It's one of the most original and one of the few really good Australian movies around, one that just has to be seen to be believed.

It won 8 awards at the AFIs (Australian Film Industry awards).

I just watched Memory of a Killer, and I enjoyed it, but I don't really know why. To describe it would make the movie seem very ordinary. But anyway, it's the story of an ancient hit man and the cop hunting him down while he's committing more crimes. A few twists, so not terribly predictable for a film of this type. It is subtitled. Sorry I can't put into words why I enjoyed it. Maybe it's the casting. Very good casting.

Funny you should mention that film. My video store put it in the previously viewed sell case for 10 bucks today and I was thinking I need to check it out and see if it's worth grabbing!!

I just watched Memory of a Killer, and I enjoyed it, but I don't really know why. To describe it would make the movie seem very ordinary. But anyway, it's the story of an ancient hit man and the cop hunting him down while he's committing more crimes. A few twists, so not terribly predictable for a film of this type. It is subtitled. Sorry I can't put into words why I enjoyed it. Maybe it's the casting. Very good casting.

I caught this on Comcast On Demand a few months back; I enjoyed it, too. I found it oddly funny. Your right about describing it. It would make it seem normal. It was supposedly based on a true story.

Tony Takitani is one movie people should definitely see if given the chance. It's a meditation on loneliness, and while a cursory glance would bring to mind adjectives like slow, boring, dull etc., the director does such a masterful job that it's utterly compelling; surreally captivating. After examining the effect the movie had on me after watching it, I was really floored by the proficiency with which the director used relatively simple techniques to induce a very powerful connection between the main character and the audience. For much of the film, the director uses wide sweeping shots, narrations and fade out/ins to distance us from the main characters story, to keep us from being able to get emotionally involved with his situation. But over the course of the movie, those techniques are quietly stripped away until a very conventional final scene leaves us right in Tonys shoes, and the accompanying wave of emotion is nearly overpowering. I've never seen any other movie like it. Every bit of empathy and emotion is saved up for that final, painfully mundane scene when it hits you like a ton of bricks and leaves you breathless.

This is what movies should be. Selfpossessed and unapologetic in the telling of their story.

The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray is amazing (like most of his other work), especially if you can understand Bengali and don't need the subtitles. Highly recommend checking it out if you haven't seen them already.

I just watched "A Very Long Engagement", with Adrey Toutou (sp?), the same actress who played in Amelie (also the same director I think). Outstanding movie. Highly recommended.

I have been checking out the recommendations on some of the forums and decided to join in on the fun. I watch quite a few foreign films as I find they usually have better plots and character development that what comes out of Hollywood. There are lots of great recommedations here and I especially agree with these:

Malena, Sex and Lucia, Central Station, Cinema Paridiso, City of God, The Motorcyle Diaries,
Whale Rider, In July, Downfall, Amelie and many others. Some really great movies that I do not believe have been mentioned are:

The Barbarian Invasions
Il Postino
Rabbit Proof Fence
Monsoon Wedding (My Big Fat Greek Wedding copied this great film from India)
Open Your Eyes (Vanilla Sky was a ripoff of this and this is ten times better)
Jet Lag - Juliette Binoche
Lovers On The Bridge - Juliette Binoche
Damage - Juliette Binoche and Jeremy Irons
Facing Windows - Giovanna Mezzoqiorno
The Last Kiss - Giovanna Mezzoquiorno
The Star Maker - same director as Cineman Paridiso
Pantaleon Y Las Visitadores (Captain Pantoja and the Special Services) - Angie Cepeda
Strayed - Emmanuelle Beart
Maria Full of Grace
Respiro
Remember Me, My Love
Zelary
Delta of Venus
Venus Beauty Institute - Audrey Tatou
Belle Epoque
Live Flesh
Lantana

I am sure I will think of some more and will post when I do. Great thread...keep em coming.

I have been checking out the recommendations on some of the forums and decided to join in on the fun. I watch quite a few foreign films as I find they usually have better plots and character development that what comes out of Hollywood. There are lots of great recommedations here and I especially agree with these:

Malena, Sex and Lucia, Central Station, Cinema Paridiso, City of God, The Motorcyle Diaries,
Whale Rider, In July, Downfall, Amelie and many others. Some really great movies that I do not believe have been mentioned are:

The Barbarian Invasions
Il Postino
Rabbit Proof Fence
Monsoon Wedding (My Big Fat Greek Wedding copied this great film from India)
Open Your Eyes (Vanilla Sky was a ripoff of this and this is ten times better)
Jet Lag - Juliette Binoche
Lovers On The Bridge - Juliette Binoche
Damage - Juliette Binoche and Jeremy Irons
Facing Windows - Giovanna Mezzoqiorno
The Last Kiss - Giovanna Mezzoquiorno
The Star Maker - same director as Cineman Paridiso
Pantaleon Y Las Visitadores (Captain Pantoja and the Special Services) - Angie Cepeda
Strayed - Emmanuelle Beart
Maria Full of Grace
Respiro
Remember Me, My Love
Zelary
Delta of Venus
Venus Beauty Institute - Audrey Tatou
Belle Epoque
Live Flesh
Lantana

I am sure I will think of some more and will post when I do. Great thread...keep em coming.

Hey Zebu...No Red. White or Blue??? With such an extensive list I would figure one would show up...IMHO Very Long Engagement by Audrey Tatou ranks right up there

T

You are right, all of the Three Colors Trilogy are good. My personal favorite is Red.
Just couldn't list all of the great recommendations in the thread that I have seen and agree with. You are also right on A Very Long Engagement, very good movie with one of my favorites, Audrey Tatou, starring and a very good story.

A couple more really good movies I just thought of are The Red Violin which is from Canada I believe, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being which has a young
Juliette Binoche and several other actors and actresses that you will recognize.

Ohhh and how could I forget "Amelie". Totally engrossing movie.....

T

The Best of Youth..an Italian film/mini-series ( 2 discs) Great film!!

I agree, there are alot of very good foreign movies out there. The thing i like about some of these movies is that they have a whole different tone and direction than hollywood films. Here are some of my favorites:


Once were warriors - NZ?

I'd like to hear of any others worth watching.


I finally saw this movie last weekend and it knocked my socks off! Just 5 minutes into this movie and I was hooked. Even my wife (who prefers Horror) was engaged in the story. I can't say enough good things about it. Only sad thing is to think the lead character talents where lost in EP II and III.

I LOVED IT!

I finally saw this movie last weekend and it knocked my socks off! Just 5 minutes into this movie and I was hooked. Even my wife (who prefers Horror) was engaged in the story. I can't say enough good things about it. Only sad think is to think the lead character talents where lost in EP II and III.

I LOVED IT!



If you happen to come across it's sequel "What Happen's to the Broken Hearted?"; it is hard to recommend because it just doesn't hold up to the original. It's basically the story of what happens to Jake after his family leaves him.

No one's posted anything here in awhile so I thought I'd try to bring this thread back to life. Just watched a wonderful Japanese movie last night titled "Ima, ai ni yukimasu (Be With You (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0442268/))

Watch it before it gets "Hollywood-ized".............

Warner Bros. has acquired remake rights to the 2004 Japanese hit Be With You, with Jennifer Garner starring and producing via her newly formed Vandalia Films banner, reports Variety. Garner and partner Juliana Janes will produce with the American Beauty team of Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen.

The original was directed by Nobuhiro Doi from a novel by Takuji Ichikawa. On her deathbed, a dying young woman tells her husband and young son that she will return to them. A year later, father and son happen upon a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to the dead woman.

Alias star Garner recently wrapped Catch and Release, a romantic comedy for Columbia written and directed by Erin Brockovich scribe Susannah Grant.

Source: www.comingsoon.net

Randy

OK...I'll keep it going. :o I saw "The Tunnel" over the weekend. Excellent movie set in 1961 German subtitled about a German athlete that refuses to conform at the time the Berlin Wall is being built to separate West/East Germany. A great ending albeit a little long.

T

color of paradise
dark blue world

"9 queens" (original argentine one - not the american re-make)

"wages of fair" (classic)

they say "battle for Algiers" is also one of the best - have yet to see that one.

"9 queens" (original argentine one - not the american re-make)

"wages of fair" (classic)

they say "battle for Algiers" is also one of the best - have yet to see that one.

Agree "9 Queens" is excellent, so is "Wages of Fear". Actually though, I think the "Wages of Fear" re-make "Sorcerer" is better than the original, especially the soundtrack by "Tangerine Dream."

I also enjoyed "Dark Blue World", but have not yet seen "The Color of Paradise" or "Battle for Algiers".


A great, recent French thriller is "13 (Tzameti)".

Battle for Algiers" is one of the best foreign films. I have watched it a few times this past year.

KURTLAR VADISI IRAK. Turkish with English subs. Only available in R2 right now. See tomorrows news today!

OK...I'll keep it going. :o I saw "The Tunnel" over the weekend. Excellent movie set in 1961 German subtitled about a German athlete that refuses to conform at the time the Berlin Wall is being built to separate West/East Germany.
I'll second the vote for "The Tunnel".

I've seen several other German movies from Netflix and have liked them all. In no particular order:
Downfall (how did they manage to get Hitler back to play himself?)
Blind Spot
Run Lola Run
Mostly Martha
In July (Europe has "road" movies too).
Goodbye Lenin!

I'll second the vote for "The Tunnel".

I've seen several other German movies from Netflix and have liked them all. In no particular order:
Downfall (how did they manage to get Hitler back to play himself?)
Blind Spot
Run Lola Run
Mostly Martha
In July (Europe has "road" movies too).
Goodbye Lenin!

Great list oxothuk, I've seen all but Mostly Martha and In July which I've now added to my Netflix queue along with The Tunnel.

A couple more:

Appartamento, L' and Auberge espagnole, L'

Easy- all the Criterion Foreign films (i.e. most Criterion DVDs ;) )

www.criterionco.com

Also, one of the best war movies ever made, Stalingrad:
http://www.netflix.com/MovieDisplay?movieid=994629&trkid=189530&strkid=1293569306_0_0

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108211/

Let me add a couple more I don't think have been mentioned:

Seven Beauties
Wifemistress

From earlier in the thread mentioning great performance by a child:
Shogun Assassin

Kamikazie Girls is a strange little movie to wrap your head around.

Ushpizin, an Israeli film about a religious couple and a couple of decidely un-religious guests, is a real delight.

Empire of the Wolves (L'Empire des Loups)
Don't Move (Non ti muovere)

Watched 'Der Tunnel' last night, very good movie. Just checked my Netfilx queue; 'The Battle of Algiers', 'Stalingrad' and 'Mostly Martha' shipped today so I should be able to check those out this weekend.

Another great one, 'Siworae' (il Mare), the American remake of this is 'The Lake House".

Lot of great films mentioned, just adding a few that I haven't seen listed previously:

Snatch and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels --- (UK) Gangster/caper films

After Life --- (Japan) How do we get to spend eternity?

Nochnoy Dozor (Night Watch) --- (Russia) The armies of light & dark live under a truce

Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke & My Neighbor Totoro --- (Japan) More Miyazaki goodness

Ikiru --- (Japan) Kurosawa's brilliant non-Samurai piece

Whale Rider --- (New Zealand) Modern Maori family film

Tsotsi --- (South Africa) Redemption in the Johannesburg slums?

Children of Heaven --- (Iran) A brother and sister share a pair of shoes

The Killer --- (Hong Kong) Chow-Yun Fat is an assassin in John Woo's best film

Ogniem i Mieczem (With Fire & Sword) --- (Poland) 17th Century Polish Epic

Shaolin Soccer --- (Hong Kong) Stephen Chow, nuff said :D

Der Untergang (The Downfall) --- (Germany) Hitler's last days

I just watched "Tsotsi" in HDTV 16:9 with DD5.1 on my Bell ExpressVu PVR ... recorded from VuHD4 Channel 833

HD PQ ... Excellent .... Sound Quality ... very good. While most of the sound is from the center channel all channels are used effectively when appropriate.

Tsotsi won the Oscar for Foreign Film

I highly recommend this powerful film. It does not sentimentalize poverty or make Tsotsi more colorful or sympathetic than he should be. The performances of 2 main characters are excellent and strike the right balance. Definitely a 4 star movie!

Bob, I enjoyed Tsotsi too. Makes me feel very fortunate to be here in America, watching the movie in my hoem theater.

Last life in the universe... is not bad. funny at times, poignant.

Edit: i forgot to mention this film's cinematographer was chris doyle. same dude responsible for hero.

That reminds me: I've got to see Hero again. Very good movie, all the way through to the end.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070842/

Turks Fruit. A quirky film by a director who went on to bigger, but not better, things. Some parts are a bit hard to watch. Not for everyone - Do I really need to say that for every film I post?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070842/

Turks Fruit. A quirky film by a director who went on to bigger, but not better, things. Some parts are a bit hard to watch. Not for everyone - Do I really need to say that for every film I post?


In 2000, the Dutch people voted this groundbreaking movie to be the best national movie of the past century.

Thanks Psych1, can't wait to check this one out.

Personally, my "Dutch" vote would have been cast for George Sluizer's 1988 'The Vanishing.' Try to find the Criterion disc, and don't even bother with his Hollywood remake.

GLOOMY SUNDAY - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155722/

This just came out in R1 NTSC with English subs & is in many rental places. So, no excuse for not seeing this one. This is on my short list of my favorite films ever. Something for everyone. Love story(s), mildly kinky sex, beautiful women, handsome men, evil Nazis, and, music to die for - really!

GLOOMY SUNDAY - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155722/

This just came out in R1 NTSC with English subs & is in many rental places. So, no excuse for not seeing this one. This is on my short list of my favorite films ever. Something for everyone. Love story(s), mildly kinky sex, beautiful women, handsome men, evil Nazis, and, music to die for - really!

I'll second that! What a wonderful film, one not to be missed.

"On March 17, 2005 this movie closed in Boston after the longest run for any single film in the city's history, 70 weeks at the West Newton Cinema. (The previous record holder was _Cinema Paradiso (1989)_ , at 68 weeks.)"

Tidbits re. the song...

"Gloomy Sunday" is the first song played in the movie "Schindler's List", it's playing on the radio as Oscar Schindler is getting ready to go out.

- the notorious 'Hungarian Suicide Song' - was written in 1933. Its melody and original lyrics were the creation of Rezsô Seress, a self-taught pianist and composer born in Hungary in 1899.

The crushing hopelessness and bitter despair which characterised the two stanza penned by Seress were superseded by the more mournful, melancholic verses of Hungarian poet László Jávor.

When the song came to public attention it quickly earned its reputation as a 'suicide song'. Reports from Hungary alleged individuals had taken their lives after listening to the haunting melody, or that the lyrics had been left with their last letters.

The lyricists Sam M. Lewis and Desmond Carter each penned an English translatation of the song. It was Lewis's version, first recorded by Hal Kemp and his Orchestra, with Bob Allen on vocals (1936), that was to become the most widely covered.

The popularity of Gloomy Sunday increased greatly through its interpretation by Billie Holiday (1941). In an attempt to alleviate the pessemistic tone a third stanza was added to this version, giving the song a dreamy twist, yet still the suicide reputation remained. Gloomy Sunday was banned from the playlists of major radio broadcasters around the world. The B.B.C. deemed it too depressing for the airwaves.

Despite all such bans, Gloomy Sunday continued to be recorded and sold.

People continued to buy the recordings; some committed suicide.

Rezsô Seress jumped to his death from his flat in 1968.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070842/

Turks Fruit. A quirky film by a director who went on to bigger, but not better, things. Some parts are a bit hard to watch. Not for everyone - Do I really need to say that for every film I post?

Watched this tonight, GREAT movie, thanks Psych1.

While watching Rutger in this I was reminded of another great Ducth movie staring Rutger Hauer, Soldaat van Oranje (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076734/) (Soldier of Orange). If you haven't seen it you should check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Yeah, all the pre-Hollywood Paul Verhoeven stuff is in pretty good shape on dvd, with good commentary tracks, and worth a rental--besides Soldier of Orange and Turkish Delight, try Katie Tippel, The 4th Man and Spetters as well.

Glad you liked it Airboss. As chefklc says - there are more where that one came from.

Ma Mere - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381392/

Not for everyone. Actually, not for anyone not into graphic depiction of twisted taboo sexual relationship. But, for what it is, it's pretty good. Very French but now out in R1 rental. Good extras on the DVD including alternate ending.

After watching this with a friend she said, "Please don't give this film to any of our friends, I don't want them to know I liked it" I think that may be true for the reviewers too - it sure did get bad reviews.

Ma Mere - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381392/

Not for everyone. Actually, not for anyone not into graphic depiction of twisted taboo sexual relationship. But, for what it is, it's pretty good. Very French but now out in R1 rental. Good extras on the DVD including alternate ending.


"Graphic depiction of twisted taboo sexual relationship", yep, that pretty much pegs it, I saw this one couple of months ago and like it also.

Psych1, if you haven't seen it already check out Calvaire: The Ordeal (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407621/) , the R1 version is being released today, NFE... but I think you will like it.

Thqnks Airboss - I've ordered it. We seem to like many of the same films.

Thqnks Airboss - I've ordered it. We seem to like many of the same films.

Yea we do, post your thoughts on Calvaire, once viewed, and keep the movie recommendations coming.

Everybody must watch The Celebration (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154420/). PQ and AQ suck, but the story is concise and phenomenal. Basically the story goes that every year this wealthy family olds a party for the father, and every year the eldest son reads a speech. This year (the year following the suicide of one of the sisters) the son holds out two envelopes, and asks the father which one to read. He reads the speech and forever changes the family.

Everybody must watch The Celebration (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154420/). PQ and AQ suck, but the story is concise and phenomenal. Basically the story goes that every year this wealthy family olds a party for the father, and every year the eldest son reads a speech. This year (the year following the suicide of one of the sisters) the son holds out two envelopes, and asks the father which one to read. He reads the speech and forever changes the family.

I saw it about 2 years ago. I still remember the son's speech. This is definitely a movie that is hard to put into words.

T

I'm still trying to decide how much I like this one, but I'm going to mention it anyway:

_Fear and Trembling_

It's about a girl (from Belgium IIRC) who gets a job with a company in Japan and is given more and more degrading tasks to do and the comedic results of her failure to perform the tasks.

Yea we do, post your thoughts on Calvaire, once viewed, and keep the movie recommendations coming.

OK. I didn't really care for CALVAIRE - couldn't get into it.

I loved TE DOY MIS OJOS. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0350193/

LAS EDADES DE LULU has all the twisted stuff - but is way too rough for most, not for you. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099484/

Agree about CELEBRATION - great film.

Les Pacte Des Loupes (Brotherhood of the wolf)
Das Boot
Of course much of the classic Hong Kong Kung fu movies with a young Jackie chan, Jet li, Donnie Yen and others.

OK. I didn't really care for CALVAIRE - couldn't get into it.

I loved TE DOY MIS OJOS. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0350193/

LAS EDADES DE LULU has all the twisted stuff - but is way too rough for most, not for you. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099484/

Agree about CELEBRATION - great film.

Psych1, I really enjoyed Calvaire, sorry you did not like it. I agree, Te Doy Mis Ojos is excellent, haven't seen Las Edades de Lulu yet but I just ordered it from Amazon.com, sounds very interesting.

Here are a some of my recent favorites:

Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod - Gloomy Sunday (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155722/)

La Fille sur le pont (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144201/)

Wang-ui namja (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492835/)

Casa de Areia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456875/)

and the French Horror/Thriller Ils (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465203/), although I would consider it more Mystery/Thriller.

Nightwatch is the best foreign film Ive ever seen. The camera work is outstanding and the whole dark atmosphere throughout the film.

Another gooden is Little Otik thats outstanding. A film about a wooden root that comes to life as a baby lol

Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod - and La Fille sur le pont are 2 of my very favorite films. Glad you liked them too. Anyone following this thread should check them out.

I'll definately order the other ones. May even give Calviere another go

I'm kind of limiting myself to this tread but I was very tempted to say something nasty to a few on the new Clint Eastwood film thread - good thing it was closed before I did.

Anyway, for those interested in a great Japanese antiwar classic try: Aki tenshi. It's out in R1 and available through the rental places.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139820/

A couple not mentioned:

Wender's "Wings of Desire"
Truffaut's "Fahrenheit 451"

Both films have stayed in my head a long time. Of course I'm also apparently the only person who liked "Solaris" -- both versions.

LAS EDADES DE LULU has all the twisted stuff - but is way too rough for most, not for you. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099484/


Psych1, 'Las Edades de Lulu' arrived today and I've just finished watching it. What a great movie, thanks for the recommendation! Francesca Neri is extremely hot in this! I'm going to have to watch the last 15 min. again, it was pretty intense and I'm not sure I caught everything that was going on.

It was obvious what was happening to the guy that was being held down but I'm not sure what 'Pig' mask was doing, if anything, to Lulu doing this sequence, or what was planned for Lulu, or what was up with the dog.

I'm sure anyone reading the spoiler who has not seen the movie will be thinking "What the f***?"

Also arriving today were "Severance (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464196/)" and the 3 disc Limited Edition of La Bête (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072752/).

Ordered and shipped but have not arrived are:

"Biyeolhan geori (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0821442/)" Special Limited Edition (A Dirty Carnival)
"Jjakpae (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0821470/)" Limited Special Edition DTS (The City of Violence)
"Daisy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468704/)": Director's Cut Limited Edition DTS
"Yu-wol-ui il-gi (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475557/)" DTS (Bystanders aka: Diary of June)
"Yeonpung yeonga (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0297472/)" (Love Wind Love Song)
"Ye yan (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465676/)" (The Banquet)
"Volver (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441909/)" (To Return)
"Huo Yuan Jia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446059/)" The Director's Cut (Jet Li's Fearless)

la vita e bella - hands down, one of the best foreign films i have ever seen in my life

Airboss - Glad you liked - Lulu- another "not for everyone" but a classic. I'm sure you are going to love -Volvar- and let us know about the new edition of -La Bete- I've had the old one for a long time and it's had a lot of play, didn't know if I should spring for the new one.

I'd recommend -Guardami- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172518/ to you but I don't know if there is an edition with English subs. It's an Italian classic that some consider porn but it got some attention at Cannes and really has some very redeeming quality to it - kind of another Boogie Nights - based on a true story

I'm also curious about the new La Bete set. I have a book on "erotic horror" movies (for lack of a better term) that has still shots from La Bete that don't appear in the old DVD, so I'm wondering if the new set will have any deleted scenes.

I'm kind of limiting myself to this tread but I was very tempted to say something nasty to a few on the new Clint Eastwood film thread - good thing it was closed before I did.

Anyway, for those interested in a great Japanese antiwar classic try: Aki tenshi. It's out in R1 and available through the rental places.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139820/

Another good one Psych1! I found this film very impressive, especially since it was made in 1966. Great effects, even compared to some of today's films, content is still applicable today.

Watching this made me think about something that has confounded me for quite some time. It baffles me how there seems to be no problem, in many cultures, with showing gruesome images of mutilated bodies, severed arms, legs etc in films but nudity is considered obscene. Why is it OK to show a severed arm dripping blood but not a women's breast, especially in the U.S.?

Because of our repressed Puritan heritage. We are descended from the incredibly sexually repressed people who founded this country, who were in turn descended from equally repressed English people. They were some seriously sick puppies, and we inherited that sickness.

Another good Japanese erotic (sort of) classic is SUNA NO ONNA

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058625/

It's nice to see Dean hanging around here - I've always liked his take on films, and other stuff

Another good Japanese erotic (sort of) classic is SUNA NO ONNA

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058625/



Thanks Psych1, just ordered "Suna No Onna". I have been unable to find "Guardami" with English subs or any information indicating if that one is available.

Gyorgy Palfi's Taxidermia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410730/):

"A triptych that moves through stages of sex, life and death the film is filled with genital nudity, bestiality, a flaming penis, a pig graphically butchered on screen, competitive eating, extreme obesity, self mutilation, gallons of vomit, and taxidermy." quoted from Twitch

This film is definitely NOT FOR EVERYONE. If you have a weak stomach or a closed mind stay away from this movie. On the other hand, if you like a unique, bizarre, at time disgusting and violent movie with a large amount of humor then this is the movie for you. I was continuously amazed at the images appearing before my eyes and found myself muttering "WTF" and "No frigging way" throughout the entire movie. After the movie ended all I could do was shake my head and repeat over and over "Unbelievable, Un..frigging..believable..." then I watched it again!

The 'Twitch' review by Todd (http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/007468.html) says it much better than I can...

"Graphic, bizarre, absurdly funny, and yet graced with a strangely human heart Taxidermia will challenge, infuriate, entertain, and send you away question the largest questions of life. It is a vicious satire of Hungary's recent history that also finds universal themes and couches them in a language so strange, so visually arresting that it simply cannot be ignored. Do not bring any members of PETA to this film unless you wish to be lectured for hours on its conclusion. Do not go if you have a weak stomach. But by all means, if you are even remotely interested in unorthodox, experimental film, mark this one down. Only two films into his career Pálfi has very clearly established himself as a true auteur, possessor of one of the most unique cinematic voices in the world."

Psych1, you've got to see this one (btw, thanks for the recommendation of "Suna No Onna", great movie).

I found this little gem over the weekend Azumi http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384819/

Japanese epic which I found was based of a Manga (sp?). That extra's on the producer/Director meeting was funny to.

Much better chick action flick in the led then some of the fare we get out of Hollywood these days.