[JoshK]

Nice alliteration in the thread title eh?

Just wondered how many of you guys are fans of foreign films? I am.  Or atleast I am a fan of the ones we get in the BB, etc. 

I have a theory.  I think we only get the best movies, most often, of the foreign films, so there is a pre-screening for the best ones. 

I recently saw Roda Y Cursi, a Mexican soccer movie, sort of, as it really isn't all that much about soccer (football).  I liked it.  The main actor has been in a number of Mexican films, including Y Tu Mama Tambien?    I am about to finish another Mexican film I start last night, called Sin Nombre.  So far so good.

Any good recommendations?

P.S. its purely coincidence that the three movies mentioned above are Mexican.  I've liked some chinese, french, german, japanese films recently to think of a few other languages.

[jimdgoulding]

The last one I saw is Volver (Espana).  Charmed the shite outta me.  Recommend it.

[Cacophonix]

I am a huge foreign movie fan. Netflix got me hooked me onto these movies ...

Right of the top of my head, see if you can get your hands on these -

The Spanish apartment (French)
Dirty Pretty Things (UK)
Audition (Japanese)
Mostly Martha (German)
Maria full of grace (Columbia)
Death at a funeral (UK)
Many of Pedro Almodovar movies ...

[TRADERXFAN]

What kind? 
I am a fan, but some I like because I find them a bit "strange" to me.

I dont think any of these are classics, but I liked them and remembered...

talk to her
run lola run
amelie
city of lost children
das boot
il postino
crouching tiger hidden dragon
cinema paradiso
city of god


-Tony

[jqp]

We have a great video rental store in Charlotte called Vis-Art video (A few more in NC I think). They have films organized by country as well as director. For British they have British Comedy, film and TV, as well as British Drama. Also have a documentary(Indie and "regular'), travel, Sci Fi, Horror, etc and a Criterion section!

One I can recommend that I saw recently is a French film Cache! (Hidden) I also have to recommend the original British version of The Office

[jimdgoulding]

Oh, I forgot about The Dancer Upstairs.  That reel good.  Saw Maria Full of Grace, too.  Gutsy girl.  Bout how it works, I imagine.  Liked Lantana from Australia, also.

[ZLS]

    Re: Pedro  Almodovar Movies;

    Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
    Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down
   
    Are two of his movies I especially enjoyed. 

    One movie I always wanted to see is the Spanish Language version of the original Dracula. 
    The English version starring Bela Lugosi was filmed during the day, and the Spanish Language version was filmed at night using the same sets but different actors.  Just to see how the two cultures approached the material using the same exact backdrop would be an educational experience. 
    BTW, I heard that the Spanish Language version is a lot sexier, not that would have any effect on my interest. 

[jimdgoulding]

ZLS, I'm gonna peep Women on the Verge . . , for sure.  Let's not forget ye olde English flicks.  A fave of ours is The Wrong Box*, innit.  I go back to Man in the White Suit and stuff.  The Spanish Dracula does sound tempting.  Somebody is sure to mention Kurosawa's Ran, so I'll steal their thunder.  It was a trifle ponderous.  It just, I swear, occurred to me that The Thin Red Line may have been inspired by that.  Oh, but that's an American flick.  Nevermind.   

*very recently released on DVD, ya'll, and it's a treasure.   

[lonewolfny42]

The problem with foreign films....you have to read the sub titles....which sometimes fly bye....and your paying more attention to the words than the scenes in the movie...

[Tyson]

The problem with foreign films....you have to read the sub titles....which sometimes fly bye....and your paying more attention to the words than the scenes in the movie...

Tru dat, which is why you should watch them twice (as a general rule).  My faves are Blow Up (British films count, don't they?), which merely OK the first time you see it, but it really sucks you in the second and third time.  L'Aventura and 8 1/2 round out my top 3. 









The cool thing about them - all part of the criterion collection, so there's great extras, including really good quality commentary tracks by film historians or critics.

[PhilNYC]

Pan's Labyrinth

(produced by the producer of Rodo Y Cursi, btw...)

[launche]

What kind? 
I am a fan, but some I like because I find them a bit "strange" to me.

I dont think any of these are classics, but I liked them and remembered...

talk to her
run lola run
amelie
city of lost children
das boot
il postino
crouching tiger hidden dragon
cinema paradiso
city of god


-Tony

I also recommend this short list, all good films.
 
I saw one a few weeks ago called "Menage."  If you like them a little strange this may work.  I must say I didn't initially get into this film but once it got rolling I was pretty entertained.

[ajzepp]

Two amazing films to add to the list:

The Lives of Others
Let the Right One In

[Browntrout]

Hello, this website lists in detail European and especially Eastern European and Russian films. It also gives other interesting information. One thing I like about some of these films is that they were made under a government that controlled the arts so where some were allowed others were not.

  http://www.kinoeye.org/archive/director.php

 If you scroll down the left column you can search under country, which is really cool as there are details of films, directors etc from each. Enjoy your explorations....

[Cacophonix]

Two amazing films to add to the list:

The Lives of Others
Let the Right One In

Agreed.

Both brilliant ... i was especially taken by "Let the right one in".

[ajzepp]

Two amazing films to add to the list:

The Lives of Others
Let the Right One In

Agreed.

Both brilliant ... i was especially taken by "Let the right one in".

Absolutely....the last 20 mins composed one of the best endings I've seen in a while. Loved this film!

[Mike Nomad]

~

[launche]

Two amazing films to add to the list:

The Lives of Others
Let the Right One In

Agreed.

Both brilliant ... i was especially taken by "Let the right one in".

Absolutely....the last 20 mins composed one of the best endings I've seen in a while. Loved this film!

Let The Right One In.

Now that one I was looking forward too.  I tried to watch it and just didn't get into it at all.  I remember thinking this is just boring and cheesy, cut it off half way through.  I will have to try to watch it again, the buzz on it is good but maybe I just wasn't in the right place.

[jazzcourier]

Some good suggestions...especially "the lives of others" and "let the right one in" don't hesitate to see either of those.I guess since we are discussing "foreign" films we should eliminate U.K. films, in fact there is a good idea for a separate thread. I watch many different foreign films,i watch a lot of films...maybe five a week,sometimes as many as seven,many of those from outside the U.S. Two great directors-anything by the French master Patrice Leconte-anything! Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki-"the man without a past" "the match factory girl" "ariel" "shadows in paradise" These films are akin to Jim Jarmusch's work (stranger than paradise) and capture the imagination via their working class characters and losers who wend  their  way through plots of boredom and petty aspirations in a downbeat way that is filled with tragic humor and nihilistic goofiness.These films are original and addictive.You will see a bit of yourself in these films,whether you like it or not.
   Here are a few other foreign flix all from netflix,pretty much 5 stars in my little world.................
 "Sin Nombre" Recent film,spanish language,amazing,scary,tribal! One of the best of this year......
  "the house of sand" Portuguese...."13 Tzameti"-French   "La Promese"-Belgian  'hairdressers husband" French
  "cave of the yellow dog" and 'mongol" both in Mongolian! These are all by lesser known directors,of course we have all seen every Kurosawa,Fellini,Bergman and all the big guys.Almost time to re-watch those classics.
 Enjoy,experiment and share your favorites!

[ajzepp]

Two amazing films to add to the list:

The Lives of Others
Let the Right One In

Agreed.

Both brilliant ... i was especially taken by "Let the right one in".

Absolutely....the last 20 mins composed one of the best endings I've seen in a while. Loved this film!

Let The Right One In.

Now that one I was looking forward too.  I tried to watch it and just didn't get into it at all.  I remember thinking this is just boring and cheesy, cut it off half way through.  I will have to try to watch it again, the buzz on it is good but maybe I just wasn't in the right place.

IMO, it's usually the pacing of the film that people dont care for. It's not like an Americanized vampire film with lots of action/horror type scenes. It's more deliberately paced, more subtle, etc. The example I usually give is The Assassination of Jesse James. That movie had a fancy cast with intriguing subject matter, but it's pacing was very mapped out and relatively slow. Whereas I absolutely loved it, I know a few friends who didn't care for it at all. Might be that they just weren't in the mood for something put together in this manner at the time they watched it, who knows.

If you ever decide to give it another go, though, the ending is very rewarding.