*** BEST (Non-US) MOVIES ***

[chuckywang]

Les Diaboliques

\thread

 

[Mucho]

La Strada, Italian
La Dolce Vita, Italian

Das Boot, German
The Tin Drum, German

City of God, Brazilian

Belle de Jour, French
Diabolique, French
The Wages of Fear, French

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: Laminator
Ong Bak. Ong Bak, Ong Bak, Ong Bak.

You could always check out the sequel, Tom Yoong Gung (I believe that's the name.. I ain't no expert).

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Shaolin Soccer
Kung Fu Hustle
God of Cookery

Stephen Chow ftw.

Originally posted by: AnthroAndStargate
Kromartie High

You mean the live action based on the anime/manga Shikon Cromartie High?

Flash Point wasn't too bad, I watched it a couple days ago. I think it's Chinese. It's a fairly decent action movie but the subtitling was poor which kind of detracted from it a bit. Based on the scenes during the credits, it looked like all the actors do their own stunts too. Crazy!

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Aikouka

Originally posted by: Laminator
Ong Bak. Ong Bak, Ong Bak, Ong Bak.

You could always check out the sequel, Tom Yoong Gung (I believe that's the name.. I ain't no expert).

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Shaolin Soccer
Kung Fu Hustle
God of Cookery

Stephen Chow ftw.

Originally posted by: AnthroAndStargate
Kromartie High

You mean the live action based on the anime/manga Shikon Cromartie High?

Flash Point wasn't too bad, I watched it a couple days ago. I think it's Chinese. It's a fairly decent action movie but the subtitling was poor which kind of detracted from it a bit. Based on the scenes during the credits, it looked like all the actors do their own stunts too. Crazy!

Ong Bak is 100x better than the sequel.

Stalker (Russian) - It's a bit strange and kind of hard to follow, but the imagery in the movie is really great.

 

[daweeze02]

Twin Warriors
Twilight Samurai
Legend of the Red Dragon
House of Flying Daggers
Enter the Dragon
Fearless
Ong Bak & The Protector
Unleashed
Hero
Game of Death
The Banquet
Battle Royale 1 & 2
Azumi 1 & 2
Kung Fu Hustle
The Promise
Infernal Affairs all 3
The Killer and Hardboiled
Versus
Death Note 1 & 2
Shinobi
Sword in Moon
Shaolin Master Killer
2009: Lost Memories

 

[nageov3t]

I loved Ran, but a lot of the old school samurai movies just bore me to tears a lot of times.

 

[Steve]

Rare Birds (I think this is Canadian?)
Ridicule

 

[torpid]

Avoid Barry Lyndon like the plague. Worst movie from a great director ever, and I'm including jurassic puke here.

 

[StevenYoo]

Europa Europa (germany)
Tampopo (japan)

 

[Nerva]

here are my two bits:
infernal affairs - very cool, really depicts the whole psychological aspects of all the characters.
a world without thieves - surprisingly well done with two singers/actors

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: pontifex
Ong Bak is 100x better than the sequel.

Wouldn't really know... I have Tom Yung Goong, but Ong Bak was a little boring at points, so I didn't watch the sequel. Flash Point kind of reminded me of Ong Bak... very, very boring plot but good action scenes. Unfortunately with actually story in there, the action line looked like a sine wave.

Originally posted by: daweeze02
Unleashed

I've always been a bit confused as to what country this film is from. I know it's also called Danny the Dog and I ended up buying it on HD-DVD (only $20 at Amazon, not a bad deal). But I didn't think it was foreign.

Originally posted by: daweeze02
Death Note 1 & 2

That reminds me, I never watched the second Live Action Death Note movie.

Originally posted by: daweeze02
Shinobi

I liked Shinobi, but I also like ninjas. A friend of mine found it boring though, so I guess "results may vary." There were some sweet ninja moves going down .

 

[StevenYoo]

Originally posted by: Aikouka

Originally posted by: daweeze02
Shinobi

I liked Shinobi, but I also like ninjas. A friend of mine found it boring though, so I guess "results may vary." There were some sweet ninja moves going down .

ugh i could not STAND that movie.

the anime (Basilisk) was a lot better, though the ending sucked.

though in retrospect, I hated the movie mostly because I kept comparing it to Basilisk.

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: torpid
Avoid Barry Lyndon like the plague. Worst movie from a great director ever, and I'm including jurassic puke here.

I'm a sucker for almost any element of Kubrick, period piece, war and epic so while Ryan O'Neal was crap I didn't let that ruin it for me.

 

[imported_Tango]

Originally posted by: torpid
Avoid Barry Lyndon like the plague. Worst movie from a great director ever, and I'm including jurassic puke here.

Are you crazy?? :Q

Barry Lyndon was Kubrick's masterpiece...

 

[RayH]

Miyamoto Musashi Trilogy

 

[ViviTheMage]

district b13

 

[imported_Tango]

Originally posted by: Rip the Jacker
Hopefully someone name drops a good oldschool chinese/japanese movie. I've seen Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and that other movie where Mifune plays the bodyguard but hopefully someone will name drop some other good Japanese movies... or any international movies.

I'll help you with Italian and French cinema...

Italy:

Anything Fellini's:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000019/

in particular:

Amarcord
8 1/2
La dolce vita
I vitelloni
La strada

Anything De Sica's

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001120/

in particular:

I Bambini ci guardano
Sciuscia'
Ladri di Biciclette
Umberto D.
La ciociara
Boccaccio '70
Matrimonio all'italiana

Luchino Visconti:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0899581/

Il Gattopardo
La caduta degli dei
Lo straniero
Rocco e i suoi fratelli
Le notti bianche
Ossesione

Giuseppe Tornatore:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868153/

Nuovo cinema Paradiso
La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano
Il camorrista

Gabriele Salvatores:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0759368/

Io non ho paura
Denti
Mediterraneo

Emanuele Crialese:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0187740/

Respiro

Matteo Garrone:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0308520/

Primo amore
L'imbalsamatore

Paolo Sorrentino:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0815204/

Le conseguenze dell'amore
L'amico di famiglia

Mimmo Calopresti:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0130691/

La parola amore esiste

Ferzan Ozpetek: (Turkish director, but always worked in Italy)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0654858/

Le fate ignoranti
La finestra di fronte

Bernardo Bertolucci:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000934/

The dreamers
L'assedio
Te' nel deserto (the sheltering sky)
Novecento
Ultimo tango a parigi
L'ultimo imperatore (the last emperor)
Il conformista
La strategia del ragno

Mario Monicelli:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0598102/

Amici miei
Lagrande guerra
Vita da cani

Everything by Roberto Rossellini:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0744023/

Viaggio in Italia
Francesco giullare di Dio
Stromboli
Germania anno zero
Paisa'
Desiderio
Roma citta' aperta

Pier Paolo Pasolini:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001596/

Il Decameron
Teorema
Uccellacci e uccellini
Accattone
Mamma Roma
Il vangelo secondo Matteo
Edipo Re
Medea
Capriccio all'italiana
Salo' o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (extremely graphic, you might love it or hate it)




Michelangelo Antonioni:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000774/

Al di la delle nuvole
12 registi per 12 citta'
Professione:reporter
Zebriskie point
Blowup
L'eclisse
La notte
L'avventura
La signora delle camelie
Il grido

France:

Everything Truffault's:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000076/

In particular:

La femme d'a cote
Le dernier metro
L'homme qui aimait les femmes
L'histoire d'adele H.
Fahrenheit 451
Baisers voles
Jules et Jim
A bout de souffle
Les 400 coups

Everything by Louis Malle:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001501/

Everything by Jean-Luc Godard:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000419/

Everything by Eric Rohmer:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006445/

Mathieu Kassovitz:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0440913/

La Haine

Jean-Pierre Jeunet:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/

Delicatessen
Le Menage
La cite des enfants perdus
Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain

Everything by Jean Renoir:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0719756/

 

[Akhen]

La Vita è bella has got to be among my favorites but others off the top of my head would be Amelie and Cinema Paradiso.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: Tango

Originally posted by: torpid
Avoid Barry Lyndon like the plague. Worst movie from a great director ever, and I'm including jurassic puke here.

Are you crazy?? :Q

Barry Lyndon was Kubrick's masterpiece...

The only part of the movie that was interesting to me was watching the lesions on the characters' faces move around and grow in numbers. The movie was otherwise really unenjoyable. It didn't have the panache of something like talented mr ripley and instead expected us to actually care about a 3.5 hour movie following a jerkwad's conquests. No thanks. His cold style just did not work in this movie.

 

[Molondo]

Motorcycle diaries
Good bye lenin
No man's land.

 

[Hyperlite]

ong-bak and The Protector, district B:13..none are all that much for acting, but Tony Jaa and whatever that guys name is from District B:13 are very talented martial artists.

 

[imported_Tango]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Tango

Originally posted by: torpid
Avoid Barry Lyndon like the plague. Worst movie from a great director ever, and I'm including jurassic puke here.

Are you crazy?? :Q

Barry Lyndon was Kubrick's masterpiece...

The only part of the movie that was interesting to me was watching the lesions on the characters' faces move around and grow in numbers. The movie was otherwise really unenjoyable. It didn't have the panache of something like talented mr ripley and instead expected us to actually care about a 3.5 hour movie following a jerkwad's conquests. No thanks. His cold style just did not work in this movie.

It's a technical masterpiece, the only movie in cinema history to be filmed completely with available light. This alone makes it a wonder.

You didn't like the script. I found it extremely intense, but from your comments I understand you were looking for more action, and Barry Lyndon is indeed a slow movie.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: Tango

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Tango

Originally posted by: torpid
Avoid Barry Lyndon like the plague. Worst movie from a great director ever, and I'm including jurassic puke here.

Are you crazy?? :Q

Barry Lyndon was Kubrick's masterpiece...

The only part of the movie that was interesting to me was watching the lesions on the characters' faces move around and grow in numbers. The movie was otherwise really unenjoyable. It didn't have the panache of something like talented mr ripley and instead expected us to actually care about a 3.5 hour movie following a jerkwad's conquests. No thanks. His cold style just did not work in this movie.

It's a technical masterpiece, the only movie in cinema history to be filmed completely with available light. This alone makes it a wonder.

You didn't like the script. I found it extremely intense, but from your comments I understand you were looking for more action, and Barry Lyndon is indeed a slow movie.

I didn't know it was an available light film, that makes me want to watch it again. I don't need action, but I need to be invested in the characters. It didn't go far enough so that I was relishing in the evil like In The Company of Men or House of Cards, but it went too far for me to actually like the protagonist. It was a long time ago, though, maybe 10 years, back when I was trying to watch every kubrick film. It's the only one I disliked.

Note: I think Von Trier's movies might be filmed with available light. Isn't that part of his whole spiel? That, and chalk outlines on the ground.

 

[imported_Imp]

Das Boots
Der Undertung
Run Lola Run

Ok, I know I spelled those wrong, but hopefully you know which movies I'm talking about. Think those are all German. Other than those, there's a few British movies I like, but nothing comes to mind right now.

 

[imported_Tango]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Tango

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Tango

Originally posted by: torpid
Avoid Barry Lyndon like the plague. Worst movie from a great director ever, and I'm including jurassic puke here.

Are you crazy?? :Q

Barry Lyndon was Kubrick's masterpiece...

The only part of the movie that was interesting to me was watching the lesions on the characters' faces move around and grow in numbers. The movie was otherwise really unenjoyable. It didn't have the panache of something like talented mr ripley and instead expected us to actually care about a 3.5 hour movie following a jerkwad's conquests. No thanks. His cold style just did not work in this movie.

It's a technical masterpiece, the only movie in cinema history to be filmed completely with available light. This alone makes it a wonder.

You didn't like the script. I found it extremely intense, but from your comments I understand you were looking for more action, and Barry Lyndon is indeed a slow movie.

I didn't know it was an available light film, that makes me want to watch it again. I don't need action, but I need to be invested in the characters. It didn't go far enough so that I was relishing in the evil like In The Company of Men or House of Cards, but it went too far for me to actually like the protagonist. It was a long time ago, though, maybe 10 years, back when I was trying to watch every kubrick film. It's the only one I disliked.

Note: I think Von Trier's movies might be filmed with available light. Isn't that part of his whole spiel? That, and chalk outlines on the ground.

You are correct, part of the Dogma manifesto is using available light. Barry Lyndon was the first at his time, now not anymore. But the way Kubrick used available light is so incredible you can actually not realize it is an available light movie, while for the Dogma directors it is an element of style, and it's always quite evident.

The script is quite slow but in my opinion very dense. I found very captivating the fresco of a society where social mobility was basically impossible, and how the character is condemned to become an anti-hero in order to challenge the status-quo and achieve his obsessive target of becoming a noble.

I usually dislike history movies where they portray characters with a 21st century morality (most gross example Scott's Kingdom of Heaven), while Kubrick here didn't change the original novel (inspirited by a real story, as far as I know) to make it more politically correct. Kubrick believed a lot in this movie, investing a lot of his money in this project an risking bankruptcy while trying to recreate the ambients of the time using real historic objects. Every costume and scene decor is more than perfect, it's the real thing.

Of course, after all this, you could still hate the movie and find it boring. But I would say it is at least interesting from a cinematography history perspective. That's why your advise to stay away from it at all cost seemed a little bit overkill to me. There is so much crap in movie theaters today I think one can afford to lose some time with any of Kubrick's movie.