Foreign Films: Love 'em or Hate 'em?

[tomdkat]

I'm talking about region 1 releases of foreign films. I've been watching a lot of them in the past few months, mainly recommendations from friends.

I'm finding I like them a lot. I like some equally as much as I like some quality Hollywood movies. Yes, I'm reading subtitles all the time but I find that not to be an issue given how good the movie is.

Do you like foreign films too?

Peace...

[raptors661]

so far, the only foriegn movie to hold my attention is High Tension. anything you guys can recommend?

[Brikar99]

I have nothing against foreign films, but I usually only see the ones that really pique my interest. I don't really often go out of my way to find them.

[Nikonian]

Foreign films? Anything made outside the US? Seems like a broad category to me. I like film, US made or not. There's a world of cinema outside the border of the lower 48.

[El Lancito]

I don't like or dislike something based on whether it's foreign or not. However, I do find that a greater ratio of foreign movies are enjoyable versus mainstream, Hollywood fare. I think that this is because foreign movies are outside the Hollywood system and therefore are more likely to be unique, artistic visions. I'd say the same for independent movies. Being independent doesn't automatically make them better, but it does seem to bring some advantages to the art form.

[Al Pacino]

I love foreign films. Some of my favorites are Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. Remember Me, My Love. 3- Iron. Ichi the Killer (very gruesome but it should keep your attention). I also enjoy a lot of the asian horror films. But, you could almost buy any Criterion Collection foreign film and it will be awesome. Any film by Akira Kurosawa is amazing, Ugetsu is really good. Man Bites Dog is one of my personal favorites but it is also really gory and sadistic. Onibaba is pretty good, but anyways, I could write for a long time about this for a while, so I'll close it up with saying that I am a person who hates to read, but don't let that get in the way of enjoying some great films.

[LeChuck]

While I agree that foreign stuff is entirely different based on differing customs and cultures, to ask whether you enjoy foreign more than USA films is an unanswerable question for so many reasons. There are great films made in both and horrible films made in both. Keep in mind, the stuff that you are seeing are the stuff that makes it over to the states for the most part, thus are deemed worthy to be sold here to make money. You miss a lot of the clunkers that I am sure foreign audiences miss from the states. You can not claim one to be better. you can only claim them as different, which is certainly true.

[SilentBob]

Well i guess if we consider that most movies are N. American based then yes i do like my foreign films. I loved Amelie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Run Lola Run, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle and i still have OldBoy, City of God, Downfall and A Very Long Engagement to see in my collection. So yes i like the foreign films a lot and word of mouth helps me to decide what i see and i haven't been disappointed yet really.

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by El Lancito

However, I do find that a greater ratio of foreign movies are enjoyable versus mainstream, Hollywood fare. I think that this is because foreign movies are outside the Hollywood system and therefore are more likely to be unique, artistic visions.

There may be some truth to that statement, as well as a the filmmakers simply being from a different culture will cause a different artistic vision.

That said, you also have to keep in mind what people in North America have access to in terms of foreign movies, versus what is actually being made.

Generally, only the cream of the crop and the critically acclaimed stuff will reach our borders. Because of this, it's easy to come to the conclusion that foreign film is of a certain style or quality.

I watch a lot of Swedish import films myself, and when I say "Swedish film," what do you think of? Ingmar Bergman's stuff probably. Or maybe My Life as a Dog or Evil. Or perhaps even Lukas Moodysson's Fucking Åmål and Together, which both saw North American theatrical releases.

These all have a pretty distinctly unique flavour to them. Not that they're all similar, but they're certainly not comparable to your average Hollywood fare.

But there's also a TON of Hollywood-style movies also being made in Sweden. The Johan Falk trilogy comes to mind.

The first movie in that series is called Zero Tolerance and is about a no-nonsense, take-charge cop who gets framed for a crime he didn't commit and have to take matters into his own hands while evading the law. Sounds familiar? Yep, very Hollywood. But that stuff won't ever be released here. Because Hollywood is filling that niche quite nicely already, and the Swedish stuff simply wouldn't be able to compete.

This is not to say that the Swedish Hollywood-style movies can't be good and a little different (mostly because of culture) than the Hollywood stuff, but I just wanted to point out that the movies most people think of when they hear "foreign film" are not representative of what is actually being produced.

KM

[Phreak]

For the most part foreign movies are all I watch anymore, but then again I don't watch movies nearly as much as I used to. Mostly South Korean, Japanese, French, and the occasional English comedy (especially TV shows like Spaced).

[El Lancito]

Originally Posted by Astrakan

That said, you also have to keep in mind what people in North America have access to in terms of foreign movies, versus what is actually being made.

That makes sense, and I even thought to write that as well, but I really don't know much about what's being made overseas aside from what I've seen. Apparently, what I've seen is just a taste!

[Pirate]

Love em!

We have a small art theatre that I spend a great deal of time in watching new foreign films.

[limacharliewhiskey]

Love them.

Japanese anime has been a longtime favorite for me, from Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers to Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/Robotech to Cowboy Bebop to Ghost in the Shell. Hayao Miyazaki is like the Walt Disney/Steven Spielberg of Japan, with hits like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke.

Martial arts films, such as the Bruce Lee films like Chinese Connection or Fists of Fury, Zhang Yimou's Hero and House of Flying Daggers, shoot-em-up action flicks like John Woo's Hard Boiled and the Killer.

French films like La Femme Nikita, Amelie, Brotherhood of the Wolf.

I know I'm forgetting to mention lots of other great foreign films, but if you deny yourself the opportunity to see some of this stuff, you're missing out on a lot.

There are only a finite number of good US films to watch. When you've seen them all, the foreign films are the best place to find others. Otherwise, all you can do is to find older movies in the past that are considered great.

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by limacharliewhiskey

Japanese anime has been a longtime favorite for me, from Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers

I used to watch Star Blazers on TV when I was a kid. I used to tease my brother that the main guy in Star Blazers was also "Speed", from Speed Racer.

Peace...

[Pirate]

We should throw out some recommendations.

I'll start.


Korea:
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring
3-Iron


Hong Kong:
Infernal Affairs
In the Mood for Love
2046


China:
House of Flying Daggers
Hero
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon


French:
The 400 Blows
Amelie
Venus Beauty Institute
L'Auberge Espagnole
City of Lost Children
Strays
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
The Colors Trilogy
Irreversible
Happenstance
Swimming Pool
Ma Vie En Rose


Israel:
Broken Wings


Germany:
Run, Lola, Run
Princess and the Warrior


Italy:
La Dolce Vita
8 ½
Malèna


Japan:
Anything Akira Kurosawa


Spanish:
Maria Full of Grace
Y Tu Mama Tambien
The Motorcycle Diaries
Open Your Eyes


Brazil:
City of God

I missing a bunch, but this is what I could think of off hand.

[plissken99]

Foreign is indeed a broad term. I don't care much for European films, though there are several examples of Euro films I like. High Tension was good, Brotherhood of the Wolf, also Crimson Rivers 1-2 with Jean Reno are very entertaining. Mostly I like Asian films, Japanese particularly. Chinese movies are fun, and can on occasion be serious, but I find them a little too manic, as they try to mix in serious drama with slapstick comedy and awesome kung fu, often within 2 minutes of each other. Japanese films are more centered and more eloquently shot, can't get enough of the old Samurai movies. The films of Ryuhei Kitamura alone are enough to get one interested in Asian films.

[igno-boy]

Kieslowski is great. The Double Life of Veronique is one of my favorite films. Still waiting for the DVD...

[Phreak]

Here are a couple recommendations from me:

S. Korea
A Bittersweet Life
The President's Last Bang
Save the Green Planet
Oldboy
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Crying Fist
Taegukgi
JSA
Memories of Murder

Japan
Survive Style 5+
Zatoichi (2003)
Tetsuo
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade
Electric Dragon 80,000 Volts

France
Amelie
La Haine
Haute Tension
Irreversible
I Stand Alone
City of Lost Children
A Very Long Engagement
Dobermann

Brazil
City of God
City of Men (TV Series much like City of God but more in depth. Lot of the same actors)


My favorites are in italics.

[187ontheVHS]

S. Korea
A Bittersweet Life
The President's Last Bang
Save the Green Planet
Oldboy
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Crying Fist
Taegukgi
JSA
Memories of Murder



You, my friend, have great taste indeed!

[Phreak]

Thank you, sir. I try.

[Pirate]

I forgot about Save the Green Planet. Awesome film!

[aedavela]

Under Japan, I'd throw in some Ozu films like Floating Weeds.

[igno-boy]

Kieslowski's The Double Life of Veronique is coming out this fall!

Restored!

BY CRITERION!!!

[DavidCantu]

Pasolini's "Salo" is one of my favorite films, for many reasons.

One of them being the absolute horror that the movie shows.

This is one of those movies that just looks like it's real, and that you have to keep reminding yourself that it's only a movie! I've shown this movie to people who have literally barfed ...not many movies can do that

I also enjoy watching "Nekromantik" because of its extreme gore and violence.

There might not be much of a plot in these movies, but their extreme horror more than make up for it.

I also enjoy watching most Argento & Fulci movies and some Japanese horror such as "Ichi The Killer".

[interfxrence]

Originally Posted by tomdkat

I'm finding I like them a lot. I like some equally as much as I like some quality Hollywood movies. Yes, I'm reading subtitles all the time but I find that not to be an issue given how good the movie is.

whatever the language is, translated, the subject matter would be the same... a good film is a good film!

[tomdkat]

I most recently watched Evil, which is a Scandinavian film, and liked it a lot

Originally Posted by interfxrence

whatever the language is, translated, the subject matter would be the same... a good film is a good film!

You've got that right.

Peace...

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by tomdkat

I most recently watched Evil, which is a Scandinavian film, and liked it a lot

Pet peeve alert! Pet peeve alert!

Scandinavia isn't a country. Sweden is. Denmark is. Norway is. Finland is. Iceland is. Scandinavia isn't.

Most Swedes, Danes, Norwegians, Finns, and Icelandians hate being lumped together as Scandiavians. Same goes for films and everything else from those countries.

Doesn't mean you're necessarily incorrect. Movies from the states are North American movies. But it's still more accurate to call them American movies.

End rant.

Oh, and yeah, Evil is awesome. One of my favourite Swedish films of all time. The book, a pseudo-autobiography written in a fictional style, is quite good too.

KM

[cherno]

Can't believe you mention french movies without mentioning Au Revoir Les Enfants (Goodbye Children)

In general I like foreign movies, but not for the fact of being foreign, that is pretentious. I am not afraid of them.

Japan:
Battle Royale
Many many by Kurosawa

Mexico or Spanish Language:
Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate)
Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberries and Chocolate)
El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Backbone)

Brazil:
City of God

Chinese:
Various Kung Fu

French:
Le pack des loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf)
Reign Margot (Queen Margot)
Manon des Sources (Manon of the Spring)
Jean de Florette
Ma Vie en Rose
The Triplettes of Belleville

German:
Das Boot
Downfall

Sure there are many others I am forgetting. Just some of my favorites