God Krissy, thank you! I spent ages trying to google Chocolate and only got Chocolat.
God Krissy, thank you! I spent ages trying to google Chocolate and only got Chocolat.
I've seen lots of great films, old and new-ish. Here's a sampling of some that I can remember. I won't include anime because there's so much good stuff out there that it'd make this list quite lengthy.
- Battleship Potemkin - A cinematic masterpiece definitely worth the watch for any film buff or anyone interested in films in general. The first (or at the very least first effective) use of montage. The Odessa stairs sequence is still thrilling in this day and age.
- The Bicycle Thief - I love the interaction between the father and the son, and the story's such a heartbreaking journey where we learn so much about these characters, which is why the events turn out having such a bif effect on us when we see the lengths the father's going through for his son's sake.
- City of God - An interesting, one could almost say hip depiction of Brazil's slums told in a very entertaining yet somewhat gritty way. The characters are memorable, the cinematography is exquisite, and the story has some nice sequences with interesting dialogue.
- Infernal Affairs - The film The Departed is based on, more or less. In some ways it's still superior to Scorcese's version; I just love the character interaction, the twists and turns and the way it's shot. Lots of cool stuff going on.
- Pan's Labyrinth - This is one of those great dark fantasy films. Such distinctive look, the breathtakingly beautiful and complex music score by Javier Navarrete, fine performances and many memorable sequences which all serve what matters the most: the bittersweet story.
- Persepolis - An interesting, surprisingly comical yet intelligent look at the Iranian revolution and its effect on the main character while still having darker elements. It's a pretty balanced coming of age film with a clear story arc, and the animation will linger in your mind after you've watched it.
- Tuntematon Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier) (1955 version) - This is one of THE Finnish films which most foreigners likely won't ever watch, but its historic signifance to us Finns is unmistakable. It and the novel that spawned it were much needed after WW2, its sayings, scenes and characters live on in everyday Finnish life, and even if we leave all of that out, it's still a very interesting look at people from different areas in Finland growing into a cohesive military unit and winning victories and ultimately suffering losses in the war against Soviets. You won't understand a Finn until you've seen this film; it and the novel have shaped the nation, and it's still an enjoyable film to watch with lots of memorable performances from A list Finnish actors of the time.
How I met your mother, Donald Duck's parents style! Love at first temper tantrum!
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Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec
Utterly delightful Luc Besson film, really surprised at how much I enjoyed it, and hope for a sequel since it's based on a series of old French comics.
The Raid
Best martial arts film since Ong-bak, and honestly, I thought it was overall actually a better film, though it's hard to beat some of Ong-bak's sheer insane stunts. Really looking forwards to the sequel that's being shot right now.
Hard Boiled
Probably the definitive John Woo film, this is what every gunfight-laden action movie ever made wishes it was, though his earlier film The Killer gives it a damn good run.
The Young Master
Not the most popular of Jackie Chan's HK movies, but this is the one that always sticks with me, from the impressive Lion Dance opening, to the climactic 15 minute long fight. Other nearly-rans are Drunken Master 2, Police Story, Project A, and Armour of God.
Delicatessen
For a film about cannibalism in post-apocalyptic France, Delicatessen is utterly hilarious, but also has some truly excellent cinematography, as one might expect from Darius Khondji along with Jean-Pierre Jeunet's directorial vision
Nothing else is immediately springing to mind, but I'm sure I'll think of at least three more when I try to go to sleep tonight!
Does Bon Cop Bad Cop count? It's in both English and French.
I also enjoyed Oles Yanchuk's Neskorenyy (in Ukrainian)
The Raid was aight. Definitely wrong to say it's the best since Ong-Bak. Hells no. I need to see this Delicatessen movie.
If you're after demented, The Happiness of the Katakuri's is pretty well up there, and I'd probably toss in The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, which is less insane than scarily accurate.
Ong-Bak had awesome fight scenes, no doubting it, but the rest of the film was balls, especially that ending. The Raid's fight scenes weren't as good (though still very, very good), but the rest of the film was a whole lot better than Ong-Bak, hence me saying it's better =P
Oh Takeshi Miike...that reminds me of another one of my favorites, Ichi the Killer.
Oh man, I heard that was a great film!
Holy balls, I've actually seen that one.
everything is wrapped in gray
i'm focusing on your image
can you hear me in the void?
Do movies that were made in a non-English-language country but then dubbed into English count?
Because I've seen some great cartoons, like Katy the Caterpillar and Peter No-Tail.