The best foreign movies I've seen...
In alphabetical order...not all the movies in this list have been scored, as I viewed them before I got in the habit of reviewing films at sites such as this.
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- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsEduardo NoriegaPenélope CruzChete LeraA very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured."Abre los ojos " (Spanish title)
Good enough to have an inferior Hollywood remake made...with Tom Cruise (and Penélope Cruz reprising her role). That remake did have an awful line added which wasn't in the original...the line said by Cameron Diaz' character to Tom Cruise's. Hmm. Enough to leave you with a bad taste in your mouth! - DirectorJean-Jacques BeineixStarsJean-Hugues AngladeBéatrice DalleGérard DarmonA lackadaisical handyman and aspiring novelist tries to support his younger girlfriend as she slowly succumbs to madness.It's been a very long time since I've seen this movie. Pretty sure I quite liked it though. I still remember that I found the actions of the main character inexplicable...as in I couldn't see how/why she did what she did in the end which is just so shocking. Maybe I should view it again and see if that seems more explicable now.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsChow Yun-FatMichelle YeohZiyi ZhangA young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation."臥虎藏龍" (Chinese title)
Didn't mind this movie but I found the stunts buggered belief...so I marked it down for that. - DirectorJean-Paul RappeneauStarsGérard DepardieuAnne BrochetVincent PerezFamed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.Even though Gérard Depardieu (pronounced "Jerry Dippy-Doo") is contractually obliged to appear in every French movie, this one is great.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIvana BaqueroAriadna GilSergi LópezIn the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world."El laberinto del fauno" (Mexican title)
10/10
A creepy fairytale...of sorts...for adults. - DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsBertil GuvePernilla AllwinKristina AdolphsonTwo young Swedish children in the 1900s experience the many comedies and tragedies of their lively and affectionate theatrical family, the Ekdahls.Pretty sure that I really liked this film but I've forgotten it all these years later. Really should watch again sometime.
- DirectorRobert ClouseBruce LeeStarsBruce LeeGig YoungDean JaggerA martial arts movie star must fake his death to find the people who are trying to kill him."死亡的遊戲" (Chinese title)
Saw this film as a child, I think, on VHS tape. I remember liking it. Maybe I've liked other movies by Bruce Lee...although I do remember not being a fan of "The big boss" and did find one scene in that rather horrific...which I wasn't really expecting. Don't remember the definite article being in the title...not sure what that is about. - DirectorClaude BerriStarsYves MontandGérard DepardieuDaniel AuteuilA greedy landowner and his backward nephew conspire to block the only water source for an adjoining property in order to bankrupt the owner and force him to sell.I remember seeing this movie and its sequel ("Manon des sources") some years ago on SBS TV. Unfortunately I don't remember it too well...apart from the fact that I liked it well enough...not sure if I preferred the sequel to it or not.
- DirectorStephen ChowStarsStephen ChowWah YuenQiu YuenIn Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.90+%
A wonderfully cartoon like martial arts comedy. Might be known as "Kung Fu" in some countries. - DirectorChris MarkerStarsÉtienne BeckerJean NégroniHélène ChatelainThe story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.It took me ages to track down this short many years ago, on VHS. Had seen "12 monkeys" and thought that a great (feature length) movie and since it cited this movie as a source for its material, I wanted to catch it. Have to say that this is a weak recommendation for the short in any case...but it is a great example of a sort of hypnotic quality in film.
I didn't know that this was a German language film (I think). My prejudice was that even a German reciting a love poem would make it sound like an order to invade Poland. So, it was surprising to be soothed by the German voices and language in this movie...very mellifluous.
I'm not sure if "hypnotic" is the adjective I am looking for in my comment above...but "soothing" is definitely an attribute of this short film.
Hopefully this short is more readily available nowadays. - DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsKåre HedebrantLina LeanderssonPer RagnarOskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl."Låt den rätte komma in" (Swedish title)
85%
A delightful gothic thriller...not for the squeamish though! - DirectorJean-Loup HubertStarsAnémoneRichard BohringerAntoine HubertLouis, a nine-year-old boy from Paris, spends his summer vacation in a small town in Brittany. His mother Claire has lodged him with her girlfriend Marcelle and her husband Pelo while she's having her second baby. There Louis makes friends with Martine, the ten-year-old girl next door, and learns from her about life.A charming coming of age story...but not exactly suitable for the very young...it has some scenes of the realities of farm life. English title is "The great highway"...or "The grand highway".
- DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.85+%
Hard to know what list to put this movie in as many countries were involved in its production. Since it stars Indian actors as the titular character, I'll put it in this list. - DirectorEnzo BarboniStarsTerence HillBud SpencerSteffen ZachariasA lazy, unorthodox gunfighter and his portly, horse-thieving brother defend a Mormon settlement from a land-grabbing Major, a Mexican bandit, and their henchmen."Lo chiamavano Trinità" (Italian title)
It's been too long since I've seen a Terrence Hill & Bud Spencer movie to say which ones I've really liked and which I found pretty forgettable. Might help to be a child when watching their work...I was pre-teen when I saw these guys' on VHS rentals, probably.
Anyway - as I remember it - they were hilariously slapstick movies...just those two guys beating up other guys in fights in a ludicrous - but entertaining - fashion.
Hopefully "They call me trinity" is one of their best. If not, I apologise! They made quite a few movies together in any case. I probably would have seen a dubbed version of their movies...perhaps. - DirectorTom TykwerStarsFranka PotenteMoritz BleibtreuHerbert KnaupAfter a botched money delivery, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks."Lola rennt" (German title)
A marvellous exploration of parallel worlds and "What if...?" scenarios. A variation on this was done with "Sliding doors", an American film of a different genre. This German movie is full of action and thrilling. - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenViggo MortensenWhile Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.10/10
Shot in New Zealand and directed and partially written by the New Zealand director Peter Jackson. Magnificent battle scenes in this movie where you can actually see the strategy play out...sure, there's countless people fighting, but its strategy engages...unlike in other movies where there's lot of people fighting, but it just looks a mess...e.g. "The phantom menace" and...one of those "Planet of the apes" sequels. - DirectorLuc BessonStarsScarlett JohanssonMorgan FreemanChoi Min-sikA woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.70+%
Interesting movie which is well worth watching, but doesn't soar as either a sci-fi, revenge flick or trippy movie. - DirectorClaude BerriStarsYves MontandEmmanuelle BéartDaniel AuteuilA beautiful but shy shepherdess plots vengeance on the men whose greedy conspiracy to acquire her father's land caused his death years earlier.I remember seeing this movie and its prequel ("Jean de Florette") some years ago on SBS TV. Unfortunately I don't remember it too well...apart from the fact that I liked it well enough...not sure if I preferred it to the prequel or not.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsAnton GlanzeliusTomas von BrömssenAnki LidénIn the late '50s, young Ingemar learns a lot about life and himself when he is sent away from his sick mother to live with his aunt and uncle in a town full of eccentrics."Mitt liv som hund" (Swedish title).
I remember liking this movie. Seem to remember hearing that Steven Spielberg was a fan of it. Perhaps I saw this movie in spite of that titbit of information. - DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsPeter WellerJudy DavisIan HolmAfter developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally kills his wife and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in a port town in North Africa.See my entry for "Rabid" for general comments on the work of David Cronenberg. This is a 'weak' inclusion in my list proper. It's pretty weird. I'll include it because I remember something about...watching it, the poetry was washing over me, then at some point I was more aware of the words, and that gave rise to the thought "EWWW!!".
From memory, the dreamy (nightmare?) movie has factual elements to it. - DirectorLee TamahoriStarsRena OwenTemuera MorrisonMamaengaroa Kerr-BellA family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.10/10
An intense and harrowing look at the lives of a working class Maori family in New Zealand, where Temuera Morrison as Jake "The muss" Heke (the father) is scarier than most horror movie monsters. Superior to the didactic book on which it was based. - DirectorPrachya PinkaewStarsTony JaaPhetthai VongkumlaoPumwaree YodkamolWhen the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.90%
A kinetic Thai martial arts movie. - DirectorJane CampionStarsHolly HunterHarvey KeitelSam NeillIn the mid-19th century a mute woman is sent to New Zealand along with her young daughter and prized piano for an arranged marriage to a farmer, but is soon lusted after by a farm worker.I remember liking this enough, I suppose. Memorable score. Just didn't think it a masterpiece like some do. I do remember scenes from this movie though, which speaks in favour of it on some level.
- DirectorGeoff MurphyStarsBruno LawrenceAlison RoutledgePete SmithA scientist awakens to find himself alone in the world. In a desperate attempt to search for others, he finds only two who have their own agenda.Not On List.
Had to ask the name of this movie at this site, by just providing what little detail I could remember of it. Wasn't sure if it was a short or feature length movie. Just seemed to remember it being a New Zealand movie. Even when I looked at the entry for this movie at this site the memories didn't come flooding back! That's why it's not part of my main list. - DirectorGeorge SluizerStarsBernard-Pierre DonnadieuGene BervoetsJohanna ter SteegeRex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor."Spoorloos" (Dutch title)
A disturbing movie which got an idiotic sounding Hollywood remake (which I've not seen myself but have read how it changes a story element of the original...hence making it just another stupid Hollywood remake, probably). Only recently remembered this movie. I do remember having its impact diminished because I saw a tv mini-series (I think) called "I know my first name is Steven", which was based on a true story and which I found very affecting. It just somehow made the fiction of The Vanishing (which I had seen some weeks before, at most, from memory) seem less important. That's probably an unfortunate accident.