Foreign films

I know there are a few fans of foreign films here, notably Azrael, who seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of non-American movies.

I have some free time later this summer, and would like to check out a few. Obviously there are a million places on the Internet to get lists, reviews, and so forth, and I've already thrown "La Dolce Vita," "8 1/2," and "The Seven Samurai" onto my queue.

Wondering what others think or suggest? What do you get out of them, in comparison to domestic films, either studio or independent? Also interested to hear from people who hate them.

 

I took a foreign films class -- Culture Through Cinema -- a couple years ago when I was finishing up my 12-year college Tour de Force. Figured it was an easy way to sleep through a few movies and earn an easy A.

Actually, I enjoyed several of the films.

 

Working up a list.

 

I enjoy them. I've seen Incendies, and Of Gods And Men recently. Both were outstanding.

 

District B13 is one of the greatest action films ever made. Also, typically for a French movie, it contains a heavy political message. Skip the sequel.

Swimming Pool (while a lot of it is in English is French) is a trippy eye-opener.

John Woo's Hardboiled is his finest film.

If you like Paz Vega (and who doesn't?) Sex and Lucia is pretty impressive.

Funny, we never consider films from the UK to be foreign and yet they clearly are.

 

No time to go on tilt about this, now, but loved 8 1/2.

Don't miss Shoot The Piano Player.

 

. . . and Breathless is an obvious must-see.

 

These three are fairly recent, if you don't just mean classics:

Let The Right One In
Y Tu Mama Tambien
City of God

 

These are a few favourites. And please do NOT watch the dubbed version of any of these!

Quebecois
Jesus de Montreal (Arcand)

French
Cyrano de Bergerac (Rappeneau)
Le Dernier Metro (Truffaut)
Jean de Florette (Berri)
Uranus (Berri)

Italian
Cinema Paradiso (Tornatore)

German
Männer... (Dörrie)

 

Excellent choices.

 

My cinematic preferences can trend toward the grim, but I would suggest "After Life" by Hirokazu Koreeda, "All About Lily Chou-Chou" by Shunji Iwai, "Perfect Blue" by Satoshi Kon and "Come and See" by Elem Klimov.

 

Here's just some off the top of my that I have seen and liked.

French
Anything by Jean Pierre Melville, but I prefer Army of Shadows, The Samurai and Leon Morin, Priest.

Australian
Wake in Fright (1971)
Walkabout

Austrian
Revanche (2008)

China
City of Life and Death (2009)

Congo
Viva Riva! (2010)

Denmark
The Pusher (1996)

Finland
Winter War (1989)

Iran
Persepolis (2007)
Offside (2006)

Japan
Grave of Fireflies (1988)

Netherlands
Soldier of Orange (1977)

Poland
The Decalogue (1989)

Russia
The Russian Ark (2002)
The Ascent (1977)

Turkey
The Man Who Saved the World (Turkish Star Wars) (1982)