ROCKSTAR

Our old thread inexplicably disappeared, so here's a new one.

We realize that the concept of "foreign movies" is relative. Feel free to discuss and recommend movies from all around the globe.

Before it disappeared, mukooh recommended the wonderful The Secret in Their Eyes ("El Secreto de Sus Ojos") from Argentina/Spain. I loved this movie so, so much. The story was engaging and the characters were fascinating. Of course Spanish is my first/primary language, so the beautiful use of the Spanish language is dear to my heart. Well, except for the constant cursing.

I recently watched A Prophet ("Un Prophète") and liked it. I don't think I'll watch it again because it's so somber and raw. This is not a happy movie, or a hopeful movie. It's very grim and dark, but the performances are excellent and the subject matter is gripping. According to IMDB, three different languages are spoken in the movie: French, Italian, and Corsican.

~Adema~

If we are talking about foreign film then I have to ask if anyone has seen 1814? It's a Russian movie and I really want to see it and I wonder if it's really that good.

Che The two parts thing. I thought it was horrible boring. I fell asleep twice and if my friends hadn't noticed, I would have slept till the end. The only thing I liked was the language because it reminds me of my childhood. It's a bit annoying when Che's actions are excused that he did all those things for a better cause...

~Adema~

Sorry DP. Computer was acting stupid...

zazie87

I was like. Where is the Foreign Movies thread? Thanks for making a new one.


I watched 2 Almodovar movies and I already love him.

mukooh

......and they were?.....

i'm a fan of pedro almodóvar as well....his muse is penélope cruz......last year or the year before i watched his last film that was released here in the united states.....it's called 'broken embraces' and it also stars penélope.....i saw this film about the same time i saw her in a film called 'nine'.........she's one of those actresses that's so much better when she appears in a film speaking her native language....and she's breathtaking beautiful in 'broken embraces'.....oh and the clothes...

one of my favorites films of all times is another pedro almodóvar film from 2002 it's called 'habla con ella' (talk to her).....many years ago their was a thread on this board called "the movie board club" where we talked about this film extensively.......unfortunately that thread......and all of the posters that use to post in it are gone....save me..............so it's nice to see another thread where others are posting about films outside of the so called "box" and are embracing worldwide cinema....

Noctambule

For those who love black humour and don't mind disturbing scenes, I recommend the Belgium movie C'est arrivé près de chez vous (Man bites dog). It's a mockumentary about a serial killer. One of the most hilarious movie I've ever seen.

zazie87

Volver and Todo Sobre Mi Madre. And I just finished watching La Flor de Mi Secreto.

I have a friend who adores Almodovar, but didn't like Habla con Ella, because she said it doesn't look like an Almodovar movie. I don't know. I'll probably see it one day.

And I agree with you about Penelope. She's better in his movies.

ROCKSTAR

You're welcome zazie!

Oh, I loved Hable Con Ella. I loved the quietness of the movie combined with the unusual story.

Never heard of 1814. Yeah, I heard Che was not a great movie. I'm a big Benicio del Toro fan but after all the lukewarm reviews I decided to skip it.

mukooh

those are both great movies....i was lucky enough to have seen both of them in a theater when they first came out....

Adema......i really didn't care for 'che' parts 1 & 2 when i saw them either....a much better film about che....imo is 'diarios de motocicleta' starring gael garcía bernal....

has anyone else seen 'biutiful'?....javier bardem was nominated for a best performance by a leading actor at last year's academy awards....while the film was nominated in the best foreign film category......that movie too is worth a watch as far as i'm concerned.....

ROCKSTAR

I haven't seen Biutiful yet but I'm looking forward to it.

Diarios de Motocicleta was such a good movie. When it came out I was still finishing my undergraduate degree and I remember it was all the rage.

zazie87

I watched Diarios de Motocicleta in high school and remember liking it. I should watch it again.


Has anyone here seen Das Leben der Anderen? I always read how good it is.

mukooh

yes....i have....once again in a theater (i see 99.9% of the films that i see that way).....right after it was awarded the academy award for best foreign film of 2007........in the united states it was released under it's english title...'the lives of others'......i was really surprised how much i liked this film...considering i was hoping that another movie i had watched prior to this would have won the academy award that year......what's particulary poignant about this film....the actor who played the "stasi" policeman and made the film as good as it is....ulrich mühe....died of stomach cancer....shortly before or after the movie was awarded the academy award.....so it's one of his last performances...but what a legacy to leave behind......

in the last day or so.....i've watched a korean film called 'poetry' which clocks in at over 2 hours and 20 minutes......and probably on wednesday i'll watch a italian film called 'the double hour' which is getting extremely good reviews......

i could probably talk all day long about foreign films or independent films because that's what i exclusively watch......while i'd probably be at a real loss to talk or post about a bigger current american film like 'water for elephants'...except to name it's 2 main performers.....not too many years ago i would have watched anything...but now i limit myself to the above two categories....

zazie87

mukooh - That's good to hear. I saw how high it is on IMBD top 250 and even if I don't agree with many movies on the list, I thought it must be really good if a foreign movie made it so high.


I understand what you mean. 80% of the movies I watch are from 30s-70s. I haven't seen so many movies from different countries yet, but I saw many French ones and I absolutely love French cinema.

donnawhite

I am also a lover of French cinema but a bit because of lack of time.

~Adema~

I think I'm alone here but I really don't like French cinema. Maybe it's because I had to see so many French movies but there is only one French movie I like and that's Bienvenue chez les ch'tis. It is funny and the actors are decent. And there is another one but it's from the French part of Switzerland so I don't think it belongs to the French section.
Anyway, there is one rule in French cinema: Someone has to be naked. Even if it doesn't make sense! That's driving me crazy! I haven't seen one French movie with zero naked people.