Best Foreign Films.

[ROC]

What is the best foreign (in this case, non US) films in your personal opinion? I suppose I'll take Open Your Eyes with Penelope Cruz. Open Your Eyes just did so much with the storyline it had and made me see Cruz as a legit actress, a lot more so than most of the American films she was in ever did. This film did also turn into Cameron Crowe's much disputed Vanilla Sky, but I'll lean towards the original here because I thought Cruz's character was weaker in VS.

[Liam]

I quite liked Vanilla Sky, but I've not seen the original.

For me.....Audition. I haven't seen a lot of foreign films, but I did an essay on it, thats how much I loved the film. Just really good.

I really liked Spirited Away when I saw that the other day as well.

Since you say Non-US, I'll add how much I like UK cinema, and pimp Love, Honour & Obey, which seems to get lost in the obvious Lock Stock and Snatch pimpages.

[Buford Ripley]

I watched Seven Samurai for the first time the other day and I completely fell in love with it.

[ROC]

I really liked Spirited Away when I saw that the other day as well.

[Buford Ripley]

I really liked Spirited Away when I saw that the other day as well.

I remember being huge on Spirited Away, but I wanted to pick Open Your Eyes moreso because not as many people heard of that than Spirited Away and OYE was pretty badass, too.

Now that I think of it, the obvious pick of y tu mama tambien comes to mind now...

[ROC]

I really liked Spirited Away when I saw that the other day as well.

I remember being huge on Spirited Away, but I wanted to pick Open Your Eyes moreso because not as many people heard of that than Spirited Away and OYE was pretty badass, too.

Now that I think of it, the obvious pick of y tu mama tambien comes to mind now...

[stokeriño]

The one I've watched most recently that's stuck out in my mind is Oldboy (Korean). Just awesome.

[NobBe Nobbs]

I watched Seven Samurai for the first time the other day and I completely fell in love with it.

[TMM]

The one I've watched most recently that's stuck out in my mind is Oldboy (Korean). Just awesome.

Agreed. that film is brilliant. Didn't know what to expect going in, and now it's one of my favourite films.

[stokeriño]

That part in Oldboy where he's fighting his way down the corridor against like 100 goons? I got about 3 minutes into the sequence before I realised "fuck...this is all done in one shot". That astounded me.

Plus the plot is, you know, great too. Certainly not predictable to say the least.

Edited August 16, 2006 by stokeriño

[Guest Chasing Ringy]

I can't pick just one, so I'll go with The Third Man, Le Samourai, The Bicycle Thief, Cria Cuervos, La Haine, Insomnia (the original Swedish version), Mephisto, Smalla Sussie, Roma Cita Aperta and I'll toss in Amelie for good measure.

[TMM]

That part in Oldboy where he's fighting his way down the corridor against like 100 goons? I got about 3 minutes into the sequence before I realised "fuck...this is all done in one shot". That astounded me.

Plus the plot is, you know, great too. Certainly not predictable to say the least.

I was sitting there and literally went "holy shit", which I haven't done for a film in...well, ever I think.

That corridor sequence was awesome. The director apparently wanted it to be "the most boring fight scene ever", but it comes off as really funny and brilliantly done.

[Guest muddatrucker]

I actually wanna see Oldboy, its £7 on CDWOW, I might buy it.

[TMM]

I actually wanna see Oldboy, its £7 on CDWOW, I might buy it.

It's cheaper in Virgin or HMV. They had it for £5 when I bought it. Do get it, it's a really good film.

[VerbalPuke]

I can't pick just one, so I'll go with The Third Man, Le Samourai, The Bicycle Thief, Cria Cuervos, La Haine, Insomnia (the original Swedish version), Mephisto, Smalla Sussie, Roma Cita Aperta and I'll toss in Amelie for good measure.

This is the french black and white flick isn't it? If it's the movie I'm thinking of then it's also been called Hate in the states. This is absolutely brilliant film that I'd love to get my hands on. I just haven't been able to find a place that sells it. I've only seen it once but I thought it was a brilliant film.

Run Lola Run is a lot of fun as well.

[Guest Chasing Ringy]

I can't pick just one, so I'll go with The Third Man, Le Samourai, The Bicycle Thief, Cria Cuervos, La Haine, Insomnia (the original Swedish version), Mephisto, Smalla Sussie, Roma Cita Aperta and I'll toss in Amelie for good measure.

This is the french black and white flick isn't it? If it's the movie I'm thinking of then it's also been called Hate in the states. This is absolutely brilliant film that I'd love to get my hands on. I just haven't been able to find a place that sells it. I've only seen it once but I thought it was a brilliant film. .

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Well for me US films ARE foreign while English films aren't.

However following your US rules I would state the following:

ASIA:

SEVEN SAMURAI - Best film ever made by one of the greatest two directors (alongside Kubrick) Akira Kurosawa and starring one of the best actors of his generation Toshiro Mifune.

ZATOICHI - Takeshi Kitano (Takeshi's Castle, teacher in Battle Royale, Brother, Sonatine, Hana-Bi...) tells and acts in the classic Japanese tale of the blind swordsman (who's a masseuse by trade) which has great humour, bloody violence, clever storytelling, great music, cinematography and A DANCE FINALE! A great entry film for those interested in Japanese cinema.

RAN - Another Kurosawa, based on Shakespeare's King Lear. Anyone who's played Shogun: Total War, the clips from the intro scene are from Ran. Huge numbers of troops, incredible surroundings, great acting, a classic.

OLDBOY - Yeah it's worth the hype.

ONG-BAK - I love my martial arts brainless, and brutal, and funny, and cutting egde.

BATTLE ROYALE - Yeah, clearly. No surprises there.

SHOGUN ASSASSIN - Ronin pushing small child around in babycart while being attacked by would-be assassins from all sides? Fantastic.

INFERNAL AFFAIRS - Tony Leung is, in my mind, one of the top half dozen actors alive today. In this he's sensational alongside Andy Lau in a very tense Hong Kong crime thriller which is being remade by Scorsese with DiCaprio and Matt Damon....Hmph.

BRITAIN:

We're not all 'gritty northern dramas with comedy (Kes, Brassed Off, Full Monty) or foppish Hugh Grant Rom-Coms (About A Boy (Which IS good), Notting Hill, Four Weddings). We're not even all Jane Austin adaptations...

TRAINSPOTTING - Now I don't know many Scots (outside of Kaney, Kraigy and some bloke here in Birmingham) but for me this screams 'actual Scotland'. It's bleak and depressing (heroin kinda does that to you) but interspersed with the beauty of the environment, real friendships and a love of football and booze...And Begbie, who's a headjob. It gives the lows AND the highs of a drug like heroin and includes VERY famous scenes (McGregor going cold turkey, crawling into the toilet, Choose Life etc....)

GOSFORD PARK - Bah gawd! Hamster loves period drama! It's a great film that shows upper class and servant life from ye olde days with a SERIOUSLY fantastic cast. It's shot incredibly, the script is slick, tight and enjoyable and Richard E Grant nearly steals the film with the minimum of lines.

DOG SOLDIERS - THIS is how a good tongue-in-cheek horror should be done. Screw CGI, get Sean Pertwee and a bunch of soldiers out into the forest with some werewolves. Job done.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD - Excellent comedy. The team have thankfully turned down huge Hollywood offers to stay in Blighty and make HOT FUZZ!

28 DAYS LATER - Proper concept, great horror, fantastic action. NOT cliched, people DON'T go rushing back to save dogs and the musclebound hero isn't, erm, particularly wonderful.

FRANCE:

Let's go Jeunet here - Amelie, City of Lost Children and Delicatessen...

DELICATESSEN: Black comedy about a post apocalypic France where the owner of a block of flats hires handymen to do jobs before killing them and selling the meat to his tenants. Add in the Vegetarian freedom fighters and Jeunet/Caro's quirky style and it's a very strange winner.

CITY OF LOST CHILDREN: Odd. Very odd. Unnerving, uncomfortable and just plaiun weird. But ALSO genius. No film looks like it.

AMELIE: Yeah you all know about it. Best romantic film for me.

SPAIN:

OPEN YOUR EYES: It's like, Vanilla Sky n sturff. And I LOVE Vanilla Sky. More than this in fact.

INTACTO: Brilliant premise - what if luck could be taken, won and lost? People take part in "luck" competitions, gambling cars, houses and even the luck of other people in order to win the right to face the luckiest man on earth in a Russian Roulette competition. Hollywood don't make films like this.

There's a few...

[Buford Ripley]

Hamster is officially the sex.

[Ananas]

8 1/2 and The Bicycle Thief > *. Italian cinema is so awesome.

[gunnar hendershow]

Seven Samurai. Not only the best foreign film ever made. It is, hands down, the best film ever made.