Top foreign films

splashthecash

Really getting into these foreign films now...my favourites I've seen so far are:

• [Rec] - Horror
• [Rec] 2 - Horror
• Battle Royale - Action
• Red Cliff - Historical Action
• Mesrine - Biography\Action
• Hero - Jet Li Historical Action
• Ong Bak - Martial Arts
• Martyrs - Horror
• City of God - Drama
• Let the right one in - Horror

Any other suggestions???

Twin-go

splashthecash wrote: »

Really getting into these foreign films now...my favourites I've seen so far are:

• [Rec] - Horror
• [Rec] 2 - Horror
• Battle Royale - Action
• Red Cliff - Historical Action
• Mesrine - Biography\Action
• Hero - Jet Li Historical Action
• Ong Bak - Martial Arts
• Martyrs - Horror
• City of God - Drama
• Let the right one in - Horror

Any other suggestions???

I found the following foreign movies were good:

• Terminator 2 - Sci-fi/action
• Batman - The Dark Knight - Action
• The Shawshank Redemption - drama
• The Matrix - Sci-fi/Martial Arts
• Casino Royale - Action
• The Hangover - Comedy

:D:D:D

splashthecash

Ah, I see what you did there....very good, yeah with the whole...yeah, good one...you spun my innocent question right on its head.

Ok, any suggestions for good foreign language films???

Twin-go

splashthecash wrote: »

Ah, I see what you did there....very good, yeah with the whole...yeah, good one...you spun my innocent question right on its head.

Ok, any suggestions for good foreign language films???

found the following foreign language movies were good:

• Terminator 2 - Sci-fi/action
• Batman - The Dark Knight - Action
• The Shawshank Redemption - drama
• The Matrix - Sci-fi/Martial Arts
• Casino Royale - Action
• The Hangover - Comedy

Is maith liom iad a scannain!!!

Renn

Although I don't really get the desire to seek just subtitled movies or whatever, I'll try and keep this alive with a few.

Goodbye Lenin! (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301357/) - Funny, and a half decent history lesson at times. Really does feel like you're back living in those times, which helps make the film work.

Terribly Happy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1087890/) - Danish drama. Cinematography, acting, pace, setting, all great. Probably not for everyone but had a sort of Wicker Man/Old Lynch/Coen Brothers vibe to it.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426578/) - Solid movie and if you're interested in learning about this period/topic then it's a decent place to start. Still feel that a book is probably a better way to learn about this, but like I said, a good way to start.

Villmark (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356176/) - A Norweigan Blair Witch Project. If I was more of a horror fan I'd probably love this. But it is good regardless.

Revanche (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1173745/) - Great Austrian movie that I only caught at the Irish film festival but has been about for ages.

À l'intérieur (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856288/) - One of the best recent horrors for me and if you enjoyed Martyrs, you'll likely love this. It's really f*cking violent too.


I'll come back with more later.

splashthecash

Well aren't you on a roll today, though I don't quite get your witty reply this time...surely a foreign language film would be a film in a language other than my native one (which is obviously English)....but....and heres the confusing bit, the movies you listed were all originally filmed in English?? Can you please explain?

bigfeller

La Haine - Action

Les rivières pourpres / Crimson Rivers - Murder mystery...ish.

glanman

cinema paradiso
Let the right one in
L'orphange (??)
Pans Labrynth

Renn

Judging by Twin-Go's posts, it's hardly surprising he's listed The Hangover as a comedy he enjoyed. Here's another btw:

Lilja 4-ever (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300140/) - This is pretty brilliant stuff from Lukas Moodysson. Bleak, depressing and real. Own this myself, must put it down for a re-watch soon.

Twin-go

splashthecash wrote: »

Well aren't you on a roll today, though I don't quite get your witty reply this time...surely a foreign language film would be a film in a language other than my native one (which is obviously English)....but....and heres the confusing bit, the movies you listed were all originally filmed in English?? Can you please explain?

I jest OP, I jest. But if you are Irish (don't know if you are or not) English is not you native language.

But back to you original intentions:

I found the follow movies great:

Matador & Volver - Pedro Almodivar

Three Colours: Trilogy - Krzysztof Kieslowski

HalloweenJack

Pan's Labyrinth
Downfall
Rashomon
Kagemusha
Cinema Paradiso
Open Your Eyes
Death of a Cyclist
Amores perros
Cyrano de Bergerac
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Spirit of the Beehive

tonc76

Old Boy - brilliant movie

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/

AnonoBoy

bigfeller wrote: »

La Haine - Action Drama/Social Commentary

FYP.

But great movie regardless of what genre we put it in.


District 13 - Great French out-and-out over-the-top action movie. Shows that it's not just the Americans that can do balls-to-the-wall over the top action for the sake of it.

Doberman - Crazy out-there violent French movie. (possibly banned in Ireland) Vincent Cassell + uber violence = Great entertainment.

I think it's a good idea to get a wide range of foreign language movies in this thread as some people believe that if something's in French/German, it's going to be "arty" or "prentenious". European cinema can produce excellent chewing-gum for the eyes too and it often does it way better than Hollywood.

Boom_Bap

• Rec ......havent seen the second one yet, great horror/suspense movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.
• La Heine- French movie about a few guys growing up in the rougher parts of Paris. It follows a few guys around and shows the type of obstacles they face
• Downfall - Hitler Hitler Hitler
• The Counterfietters - Excellent German movie about the Counterfietting that went on during the World War, the Nazi's where one of the biggest organised counterfietting groups ever.
• Goodbye Lenin - German movie about a family trying to hide the fact from their mother that the wall had come down and the country was unified again. Some great things about this are trying to find products from the east that no longer became available as they where the 'poor' peoples foods.
• Old Boy - there are 2 others in this series as well, excellent revenge movie
• Ong Bak - Tony Jaa goes from his small town to the big city to recover a stolen head, kicks some serious aS$ along the way
• Der Baader Mainhof Komplex - Tense movie about a group of activists/terrosrists plotting bombings and robbing banks
• Herr Lehmann - One of the best comedies i've ever seen, follows a chap called Herr Lehmann and his friends just basically living thier life.
• The Edukators - Three activists end up kidnapping a business man by accident and end up trying to deal with the consequences.

johnny_ultimate

I'll leave this open for the time being, but please don't let this become another list thread! If you want to recommend films to the OP, at least give a line or two explaining why

Renn

Yeah, tried to rescue it a bit but looks like failing

I'll try and think of another few that might not be that well known.

HalloweenJack

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Pan's Labyrinth

Fascinating film which blurs the lines of fantasy and reality. I particularly enjoyed the dark but also childlike feel to it.

Downfall

It's great to see such a personal representation of Hitler in such a convincing way. Put politics aisde for a few hours and tell me you weren't somewhat sympathetic towards him at the end.

Rashomon

Brilliant telling of a Chinese whispers story.

Kagemusha

Epic Japanese war film set in the Middle ages. There's not much action in it though, it's more drama.

Cinema Paradiso

A really touching film about films.

Open Your Eyes

It's a great look into technology and the future and, to me, it's screaming: "Don't rely on technology!". Vanilla Sky is a remake of this.

Death of a Cyclist

A couple having an affair find their relationship unwinding in a Hitchcock-style thriller.

Amores perros

It's an interesting look at relationships between humans and each other and humans and animals.

Cyrano de Bergerac

Hilarious and poignant film about a guy who has it all in his professional life but nothing in his personal life.

The Motorcycle Diaries

More of a documentary really, it's a great look at Che Guevara's trip around South America.

The Spirit of the Beehive

A very creepy drama which takes some horror cliches and puts them in a dramatic setting.

Smokin_Aces

Taegukgi (The Brotherhood of War) - A drama about the fate of brothers forced to fight in the Korean War. The battle scenes are amazing. A lot of emotion goes through the film. Really well acted out.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386064/plotsummary


Mou gaan dou (Infernal Affairs) - A cop goes undercover as a gangster while, simultaneously, a gangster infiltrates the police force, pretending to be a cop. These two sleeper agents live underground for a decade before a series of mistakes clues in all the wrong people as to what's going on and each mole is ordered to root out the double agent which in both cases happens to be themselves. Torn between conflicting father figures, an avuncular, paranoid gang boss and a morally comprised police superintendent. An american version was made, titled The Departed.

Barna77

HalloweenJack wrote: »

It's a great look into technology and the future and, to me, it's screaming: "Don't rely on technology!". Vanilla Sky is a remake of this.

And a crap remake tbh

Caprica

Lovers of the Arctic Circle http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133363/ (one of my favourite movies would really recommend it)
The Orphanage http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464141/
All about my mother http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185125/
Talk to Her http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287467/
Y tu mama tambien http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245574/
The Sea Inside http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369702/
Downfall http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/
Goodbye Lenin http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301357/
The Wave http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1063669/ (Found this a really powerfull movie, it makes you think, well worth a watch)
Oldboy http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/
Hero http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299977/
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190332/
L'Appartment http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115561/
Mesrine - Killer Instinct http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259014/
Adams Apple http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418455/ (seen this a few years back in the Dublin Film Festival, really enjoyed it, it's in Danish)

Ridley

Since Infernal Affairs and Oldboy have already been said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tk80iXCspM

Race for a treasure across 1930's Manchuria.

nowuckenfurries

9th Company http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417397/ a great Russian/Ukranian film, based on the Russian Afghanistan war.

FruitLover

Okuribito / Departures

Oscar-winning Japanese drama and black comedy about a guy who unwittingly takes on a job as an undertaker. Interesting insight into the importance of an industry sometimes thought of as distasteful. I particularly liked the understated style of drama (much like the profession itself).

L'Antenna..its quality...unlike any other movie you'll see...

Oh_Noes

The Son's Room http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208990/

Saddest movie I've ever seen, but that doesn't take away from it's beauty, it's really an amazing piece of work.

Il Postino http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110877/

Very light but sweet one. it's about a young postman who aspires to be a poet.

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

Kinda a classic, beautifully shot. It's always on the tv, I think no one wore Doc Martins with dresses until she did. Absolute must see.

Birneybau

"The Lives of Others" is one of the best films I ever saw, profoundly moving.

Paddy Samurai

Great film,last see it 10+ years ago,but its still stuck in my head.I have been after a copy of it for years ,but prices were mad 35-55 euro and higher.

After reading this thread earlier ,decided to have another look around.
Could not believe my luck ,decided today to splashthecash and placed my order for the bargain price of €15.00(must be a new edition).

Director Gillo Pontecorvo's 1966 movie The Battle of Algiers concerns the violent struggle in the late 1950s for Algerian independence from France, where the film was banned on its release for fear of creating civil disturbances. Certainly, the heady, insurrectionary mood of the film, enhanced by a relentlessly pulsating Ennio Morricone soundtrack, makes for an emotionally high temperature throughout. Decades later, the advent of the "war against terror" has only intensified the film's relevance.

Shot in a gripping, quasi-documentary style, The Battle of Algiers uses a cast of untrained actors coupled with a stern voiceover. Initially, the film focuses on the conversion of young hoodlum Ali La Pointe (Brahim Haggiag) to F.L.N. (the Algerian Liberation Front). However, as a sequence of outrages and violent counter-terrorist measures ensue, it becomes clear that, as in Eisenstein's October, it is the Revolution itself that is the true star of the film.

Pontecorvo balances cinematic tension with grimly acute political insight. He also manages an evenhandedness in depicting the adversaries. He doesn't flinch from demonstrating the civilian consequences of the F.L.N.'s bombings, while Colonel Mathieu, the French office brought in to quell the nationalists, is played by Jean Martin as a determined, shrewd, and, in his own way, honorable man. However, the closing scenes of the movie--a welter of smoke, teeming street demonstrations, and the pealing white noise of ululations--leaves the viewer both intellectually and emotionally convinced of the rightfulness of the liberation struggle. This is surely among a handful of the finest movies ever made.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=battle+for+algiers&x=0&y=0


http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/6-/Search.html?searchstring=+algiers&searchtype=r2alldvd&searchsource=0

ricero

city of god best foreign film ive ever seen pure epic and so real and intense

blue_steel

Baader Meinhof Komplex. Epic.

spurious

'Pora umierac' (Time to die)
Polish film starring an actress in her 90s (Danuta Szaflarska) - about a lady fighting to keep her old home from developers - slow-moving, not one for the 'Die Hard' brigade but a lovely piece of film-making and acting.

fillefatale

Birneybau wrote: »

"The Lives of Others" is one of the best films I ever saw, profoundly moving.

The first time I saw this (when it was first released on dvd) I liked it well enough, thought nothing much of it. Went to see it again in the ifi before Christmas again and it really shook me up. Absolutely fantastic. My friend who's usually not into those sorts of films either adored it!

My favourites...
Krzysztof Kieslowski's Trois couleurs trilogy
Absolutely stunning trilogy dealing with contemporary French society. Blue, Blanc and Rouge. Each based around a central character and a play on the french sologn of liberté, égalité, fraternité. Absolute must see!

La double vie de Véronique
Krzysztof Kieslowski again. Haunting and lyrical film. About two women whose lives are connected, but they don't know each other. Véronique lives in Paris and her doppelganger Weronika lives in Warsaw. After the death of one, the others life takes a turn. Completely captivating and suspenseful drama. The music in this is haunting, composed by Zbigniew Preisner, the same goes for the Trois couleurs trilogy.

The Page Turner is a compelling french thriller about a young piano protegee who waits ten years to exact a cunning vengeance on her employer, a piano star. Déborah François is a star on the rise, I've also seen her in L'enfant, another film well worth watching.

Innocence, Marion Cotillard has a role in this. A boarding school in the woods for young girls, parents never visit, the girls are encouraged to find happiness in obedience. Parents never visit. New girls arrive in coffins and those who disobey and wander beyond the boundaries are never seen again. The girls are on the boundaries of adolescence. A surreal and wierd coming of age story.

Vivre sa vie.
A nouveau vague classic. Stars Anna Karina, directed by Godard. A young woman's descent into prostitution on the streets of Paris, spurred after she sees Joan of Arc in the cinema. A commentary of sorts on the banality of contemporary life.

Others worth a mention...
60s
À bout de souffle / Breathless, another Godard classic
Les demoiselles de Rochefort / The Young Girls of Rochefort, musical, Deneuvue and her sister Solange, sadly killed in a car accident before this was released.
70s
Valerie a týden divu / Valerie and her week of wonders - Czech new wave, wierd cinderella like fairytale.
00s
Naissance des pieuvres / Water Lilies. Coming of age tale. Set in a new Parisian suburb. One young girl develops a fixation with an older girl in her swimming class. A exploration of budding sexuality.

They're the ones that spring to mind at the moment. I am a big fan of European cinema and welcome any recommendations!