Classic & Foreign Films

[Harrald]

OK, I’m a movie geek. My bride and I went to an old (renovated) movie palace to see this fantastic 1948 classic comedy. This theater shows newly released films on most nights, but on some afternoons and some mornings they show old films. I’ve seen “Citizen Kane” there, “March of the wooden soldiers” (babes in Toyland) and many others. There is a Wurlitzer organ that is in fantastic shape and there is always someone there playing music as you enter the theater. It is definitely a throwback to a 1940’s movie experience.

Today was the Abbot and Costello film. What made this even more special was the display of the cape that Bela Lugosi wore for the film. Here’s the best picture I could get of it. This piece of wardrobe is 59 years old and in fantastic shape.

Next week we’re going to see the “The seventh voyage of Sinbad” and on December 15th we’ll see “It’s a wonderful life”. Along with the organ that day there will also be a 4 piece horn section playing Christmas Carrols. If you are in the New York/New Jersey area I highly recommend looking into this. If you aren’t in this area Maybe you could find a similar program in your own area. It’s a great way t spend some time with friends and seeing these movies in a theater is better than at home on DVD.

That’s all. I just needed a place to glow.

http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/500/Bela.jpg

[BlakeMP]

This is hands-down my favorite Abbott and Costello film, and I pretty much love 'em all. It's just not Halloween until I've watched it for the umpteenth time. :)

[Brice]

I haven't seen any of these Abbot And Costello movies in years. I miss them. I wish we had a theater like that. I need that cape.

[Darkthoughts]

Just moved this to Fedic being movie related, also added to the title as this is a great thread idea :thumbsup:

That sounds so cool Harrald, we don't even have a regular theatre in my nearest town :(

[Harrald]

I am a film geek. Creating an oldie movie thread is asking me to be obnoxious. Oh wel, you started it!!!!!!!!!!:excited:


<SNIP>>

That sounds so cool Harrald, we don't even have a regular theatre in my nearest town :(

[BlakeMP]

Hit me. :)

Besides Bud and Lou, I also worship at the altar of the Marx Brothers.

[Daghain]

I LOVE Abbot and Costello! It's been YEARS since I've seen those movies! Good times, good times. :lol:

I also love all those old Vincent Price horror movies L O O S E L Y based on Poe classics. Man, I miss those. Amazon, here I come! :D

[Jean]

I love all old black-and-white movies. I watch tons of them. Only yesterday watched Capra's Arsenic and Old Lace for the 15,000th time

[Darkthoughts]

I used to be obsessed with black and white movies as a little kid (and old b&w series). There was a rule in my parent's house that at 6pm, if we (my sisters and I) got to the tv first we could watch our programmes - but if my folks got there we had to watch the news. It just so happened that at 6pm BBC2 used to show reruns of shows like Charlie Chan, Tarzan, Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd - so I made it my mission to beat my parents to the tv. I also loved Champion The Wonder Horse which was shown on Saturday mornings :D

In the daytime I'd watch the matinee movies, I loved stuff like Brief Encounter, A Hasty Heart, Calamity Jane, The Ladykillers (the original - I won't go near that dreadful Tom Hanks remake!!) and of course the St Trinian's films. I'll be back with more - Harrald, you're not alone :D...

[Jean]

The Ladykillers! With Sir Alec Guinness, right? and Cecil Parker, Peter Sellers and that terrific Katie Johnson? I love that movie, I have it on tape (along with about 300 others of approximately the same kind).

[Darkthoughts]

The very same Jean - its marvellous isn't it :D

[Heather19]

I love March of the Wooden Soldiers. I put that one in every christmas morning. It just doesn't feel like christmas otherwise.

[Harrald]

Yesterday was great. The "Sinbad" movie was great to see in a theater filled with people. Listening to the kids laugh at the jokes or "Ohhhh and Ahhhh" at the monsters makes these kinds of events loads of fun.


Next week the 1949 classic "ALL THE KING’S MEN". A great old film. The new one on the other hand....not so good. And no It wasn't all Sean Penn... I didn't think Jude Law tried very hard.

[fernandito]

I have recently developed an interest in asian movies. As of this moment, I have an extremely limited repertoire, with only Yojimbo and Seven Samurai under my belt. I'm hoping to remedy this quickly, with your help!

I know that there are a couple of asian movie buffs around here, so I'm looking to you guys for help - which movies should I start off with? The two movies that have caught my eye right now are Old Boy and Lady Vengeance. I plan to watch Battle Royale somewhere down the line, as I'm a fan of the book.

What other recommendations can you guys give me?

[jayson]

What other recommendations can you guys give me?

If you liked Kill Bill, check out Lady Snowblood. It should look somewhat familiar in places. ;)

And DEFINITELY check out Yojimbo to see where Sergio Leone got an idea or two.

[fernandito]

And DEFINITELY check out Yojimbo to see where Sergio Leone got an idea or two.

I've seen Yojimbo already. And while it's true that Leone's westerns waere influenced by Yojimbo, did you know that Yojimbo was influenced by westerns? :cyclops:

And thank you, I will definitely check out Lady Snowblood.

[Darkthoughts]

Have you seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?

[fernandito]

I only saw it once, when it was released here in theaters. I don't remember much of it, but I do remember being severely impressed with the cinematogrophy and choreography (sp?) of the action sequeinces.

[Heather19]

Definitely check out Battle Royale. I thought you had already seen it for some reason.
My Asian film viewing has pretty much just been limited to the horror genre. But if you do like horror, a few of my favorites would be Infection, and The Eye.

[stone, rose, unfound door]

I have recently developed an interest in asian movies. As of this moment, I have an extremely limited repertoire, with only Yojimbo and Seven Samurai under my belt. I'm hoping to remedy this quickly, with your help!

I know that there are a couple of asian movie buffs around here, so I'm looking to you guys for help - which movies should I start off with? The two movies that have caught my eye right now are Old Boy and Lady Vengeance. I plan to watch Battle Royale somewhere down the line, as I'm a fan of the book.

What other recommendations can you guys give me?

First thing, Old boy and Lady Vengeance belong to a trilogy starting with Sympathy for Mister Vengeance so if you'd like to see them, try and see them in that order. I'd recommend Battle Royale but never the second one coz it was crap. Then, you can go on and watch some samurai films (Gohatto is a good choice, in my opinion, if you're familiar with the subject) or Kim Jee-Hoon's films (A tale of 2 sisters...) or even Takashi Miike if you like strange movies (The box is a magnificent film although kind of creepy). Any Park Chan-Wook as well or any film starring Maggie Cheung, just because she's gorgeous !
For a start, I'd recommend Korean films since there are so many and most of them aren't too complicated, even though you might find them kinda slow.
That's it for me !

[stone, rose, unfound door]

Have you seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?

I'd forgotten about this one ! If you liked it, check Hero. It's another beautiful more or less kung-fu film.

[Brice]

I generally don't like most asian movies that I've seen. The one exception I've seen is that I love everything I've seen by Takashi Miike.

[Jean]

And DEFINITELY check out Yojimbo to see where Sergio Leone got an idea or two.
er... do we put Kurosawa under "Asian"? Looks like he is his own category...

[jayson]

And DEFINITELY check out Yojimbo to see where Sergio Leone got an idea or two.
er... do we put Kurosawa under "Asian"? Looks like he is his own category...

He could definitely be his own category and I would recommend almost all of his films to anyone. I just know Feev likes Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" so I figured he'd want to see where a good deal of Fistful of Dollars came from.

[jayson]

If you liked it, check Hero. It's another beautiful more or less kung-fu film.

Indeed, Hero is an excellent film, and visually spectacular. Another stunning film by its director, Zhang Yimou, is House of Flying Daggers. This is a powerful film and it looks more like moving paintings than it does a film. Yimou has made several other excellent films as well as these two.

[fernandito]

Ah! I've seen Hero, but I haven't seen House of Flying Daggers, although I've heard very good things about it.


What about that new Jackie Chan and Jet Li movie? Yay or nay?

[jayson]

What about that new Jackie Chan and Jet Li movie? Yay or nay?

I believe you are talking about Forbidden Kingdom? I have yet to see that one. I typically enjoy Li, though not so much Chan (though I do like some of his work). I am sure I'll get around to seeing it via Netflix at some point.

House of Flying Daggers I can highly recommend to you. If you don't like it, I'd be kind of surprised.

[Sam]

Here are a few of the better ones from the last decade.
Hero
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Fearless
Spirited Away

Here are a few of the best ever.
Ran
Dersu Uzala (It is in Russian, but it was made by Akira Kurosawa. Watch it)
High and Low
ANYTHING by Akira Kurosawa (the last three are all his works and even his worst is often better than many directors' best)
The Samurai series starring Toshiro Mifune
Gojira (the REAL Godzilla film, very different from the American version)
The works of Kenji Mizoguchi, specifically The Life of Oharu

That should keep you busy for a while. Enjoy.

[Darkthoughts]

For horror, I've never seen Audition, but all my Asian horror freak friends rave about it...in a "it's soooo sick you have to see it!" way :lol:

[Heather19]

That's one that I didn't really care for. I just thought it was kinda slow. And I really didn't find it to be sickening at all, unlike some of his other films. Some are so graphic that I have a hard time sitting thru them.

[Jean]

The works of Kenji Mizoguchi, specifically The Life of Oharu
bears are happy to know they are not alone

I also love his Tales of the Pale and Silvery Moon After the Rain... and, of course, anything by Kurosawa.

[fernandito]

Has anyone here seen Lady Vengeance? According to certain articles, it's the Japanese counterpart to Kill Bill.

[Sam]

Jean, if you are a Kurosawa fan I would assume you have seen Dersu Uzala. However, incase you haven't, you should get a copy of it.

[theBeamisHome]

Audition and all Miike is generally disturbing, but really good... Visitor Q being an extreme example.

I saw Forbidden Kingdom and it was ok. it's sort of a never-ending story, growing up kind of movie... the kid from it is in the Dragonball movie... you can watch it to see it, but it isn't a must-see..

i like all of Li's Chinese saga movies, Hero, Fearless, etc. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is good. I haven't seen much else... oh! go on Netflix and watch Three Extremes... then see if you can find the full films... crazy stuff.

[Jean]

Jean, if you are a Kurosawa fan I would assume you have seen Dersu Uzala. However, incase you haven't, you should get a copy of it.
it's probably the only Kurosawa I haven't seen! Luckily, Ms.Finkelstein has a DVD with it now, I'll watch it next time I'm in London - or before if I come across it

[stone, rose, unfound door]

If you liked it, check Hero. It's another beautiful more or less kung-fu film.

Indeed, Hero is an excellent film, and visually spectacular. Another stunning film by its director, Zhang Yimou, is House of Flying Daggers. This is a powerful film and it looks more like moving paintings than it does a film. Yimou has made several other excellent films as well as these two.
I didn't care much for House of Flying Daggers. I thought it was beautiful at first, but it's kinda slow and I got bored after some time.

Ah! I've seen Hero, but I haven't seen House of Flying Daggers, although I've heard very good things about it.

What about that new Jackie Chan and Jet Li movie? Yay or nay?
I wouldn't recommend it mainly because I don't like much any of these two actors and it seemed to be totally worthless. I usually go for kung-fu movies, but this one didn't look any great at all.

Has anyone here seen Lady Vengeance? According to certain articles, it's the Japanese counterpart to Kill Bill.
First thing is Lady Vengeance is a Korean film so it doesn't have the same kind of rhythm Japanese films usually have and I wouldn't say it's actually like Kill Bill. Tarantino has used everything you can find in Asian films in general and made a must-see out of it. Lady Vengeance is not so gore and so crude as Kill Bill, though it's a very good movie.

Another director I'd recommend is Wong Kar-wai, especially because he's made quite a few films starring my two favourite Chinese actors, that is to say Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. If you like slow films without too much dialogue or action scenes (and if you like reconstructions of a certain period of the Chinese history), go for In the Mood for Love. It's certainly his best film.
Now you have quite a long list to watch, don't you ? :)

[fernandito]

/takes notes

[jayson]

Lady Vengeance is ok. I think the story itself is a little better than the story-telling, meaning it could have been done better. I'm not particularly a fan of Park Chan-wook's direction. The two previous movies in this "trilogy" Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy are ok as well, but none of them really stunned me like some of the Chinese films I mentioned.

As far as a comparison between Kill Bill and Lady Vengeance, there are some vague connections that can be made between elements of the story (ie. a mother out for revenge and wanting to reunite with her daughter) but nothing that would make me call it the "Korean Kill Bill".

Like I said, if you want to see a film from which Tarantino borrowed heavily for the first half of Kill Bill, check out Lady Snowblood. Kill Bill is not quite as close to Lady Snowblood as Fistful of Dollars is to Yojimbo, but there is much in common.

Also, and I think this will interest you Feev, Lady Snowblood is adapted from manga. I know you are a fan of graphic novels, so I thought this might appeal to you.

[Sam]

Jean, try to get it through Amazon or maybe over ebay if you can afford it. It's one of his better stories. I would put it up there with High and Low.

[Sam]

Like I said, if you want to see a film from which Tarantino borrowed heavily for the first half of Kill Bill, check out Lady Snowblood. Kill Bill is not quite as close to Lady Snowblood as Fistful of Dollars is to Yojimbo, but there is much in common.

Also, and I think this will interest you Feev, Lady Snowblood is adapted from manga. I know you are a fan of graphic novels, so I thought this might appeal to you.

Lady Snowblood is the one to watch for the inspiration for Kill Bill. It is also available in manga format and the manga is the original format not the other way around (four volumes as far as I know). Also good in manga is Lone Wolf and Cub. The movie adaptation Shogun Assassin can be heard toward the end of Kill Bill Vol. 2, but beware, Lone Wolf is addictive reading (28 volumes at about $10 each and worth every penny if you enjoy stories from Tokugawa Japan).

Also check out Hidden Fortress for the inspiration behind Star Wars. A Fistfull of Dollars was not inspired by Yojimbo so much as ripped off from it. There was enough similarity that Kurosawa successfully sued for royalties due him for the adaptation of his film by Leone and received 15% of the films worldwide gross. I'm not saying it's a bad movie, it's a great film. I'm just saying that Kurosawa made it first.

[jayson]

Also good in manga is Lone Wolf and Cub. The movie adaptation Shogun Assassin can be heard toward the end of Kill Bill Vol. 2, but beware, Lone Wolf is addictive reading (28 volumes at about $10 each and worth every penny if you enjoy stories from Tokugawa Japan).

Absolutely worth it. :thumbsup:

Shogun Assassin, which is good, is the dubbed-to-eEnglish language movie adaptation, which was cobbled together from the first two films in a Japanese series of Lone Wolf and Cub films (also known as the "Sword of Vengeance" series and the "Baby Cart" series). I have only ever seen the first two of the Japanese movies, but would love to get a hold of the other ones to watch.

[Jean]

Jean, try to get it through Amazon or maybe over ebay if you can afford it. It's one of his better stories. I would put it up there with High and Low.
don't rub it in! I would buy everything through ebay, like all civilized world does... but they do not work for Russia! neither does Amazon, or anyfuckingbody else

::bangs head against wall::

I know, though, of a way to get it, but it will take some time... I do so much want to watch it now that we spoke about Kurosawa

::stops banging::

[Sam]

R of G, take a look at the manga series of Lone Wolf and Cub. The films are just some highlights of the series, and poor substitutes at that imo.

Jean, I have an idea, but will PM it to you.

[jayson]

Sam, I have read the manga. The same friend who first showed me the first two Japanese films in the series has all 20-something issues of the manga. He let be borrow and read them.

I agree with you, they are much better than the films. Books usually are. I intend to buy the manga for myself at some point when I have some disposable income.

[Still Servant]

Feev, check out a film that just came out by Takashi Miike. It's called Suikiaki Western Django. It shares some major themes with A Fistful of Dollars and Yojimbo of course. The cinematography is great, although I was hoping for a few more gun battles. The final fight scene is pretty sweet. Try to find a trailer and see what you think.

I think I would have enjoyed the film more if it had English subtitles opposed to the actors trying to speak English. Most of the actors had what I would say was a pretty limited grasp on the language. It kind of took away from the film for me.

You may remember that I'm always talking about Oldboy on these forums. I even had an Oldboy avatar for a while. I just love that film. I'm always interested to hear what people think of it after watching it.

Most people have mentioned Crouching Tiger, House of Flying Dagger and Hero. Of the three, I prefer Hero. Another good film that deserves mention is Curse of the Golden Flower. I thought it was very underrated.

Most people mentioned all the Kurosawa films, I will add Rashomon to the list.

[Sam]

R of G, you should also try the series Samurai Executioner and Crying Freeman. When I read the final volume of Lone Wolf and Cub, I actually held my breath through much of it and didn't know it until I finished it.

Other excellent Kurosawa films are Ikiru, Red Beard, Throne of Blood, Sanjuro, Kagemusha, Dreams, oh believe me I CAN go on.

[Jean]

Jean, I have an idea, but will PM it to you.
PM received and answered, thank you my friend! http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif

[jayson]

R of G, you should also try the series Samurai Executioner and Crying Freeman.

I was actually just reading some reviews of Crying Freeman a few days ago. It sounds like it is pretty interesting, and obviously you have good taste in these things, so on my list it goes. Thanks. :)

[Still Servant]

I can't believe I forgot about two of the best Asian films out there: John Woo's Hard Boiled and The Killer starring Chow Yun Fat.

Two great action movies. Both films really had an impact on western action movies of the 90's. Any dude who flies through the air guns blazing was probably influenced by John Woo's Hard Boiled.

Check these two out.

[fernandito]

I now have : Old Boy, Lady Vengeance, Lady Snowblood, and Ichi The Killer in my Netflix Queue :D

[Sam]

Once you have seen those you need to become acquainted with sensei Kurosawa. Oh, and check out Zatoichi. Trust me.

[Ruthful]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320193/

[Hornet of Death]

My fav chinese fantasy movie are the first two parts of A CHINESE GHOST STORY. Classic and just awesome. Cult!

[fernandito]

I got Ichi The Killer in the mail today! :dance:

[jayson]

Very cool Feev. Enjoy it! (I'm sure you will)

[fernandito]

I wanted to make a thread about classic cinema. I also wanted to make a thread for foreign films. The two constantly intertwine, so I figured I'd make one, all encompassing thread ! There are a lot of films out there that unfortunately will forever remain hidden gems to us, especially for young whipper snappers like me who are bombarded with nothing but advertisements for American Pop culture films and are sorrowfully unaware of some of the finer films that the last millennium had to offer.

As stated, I have taken a covetous interest to both of these sub-genres in these past few months , and have been actively seeking out both type of films through numerous forums/websites. The vast majority of my netflix queue is now comprised mainly of films by Andrei Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Robert Bresson, Jean Pierre, Melville, Roman Polanksi etc, etc.

So, what are some of your favorite classic / foreign films ?


-Edit- Wanted to add that www.criterion.com is an excellent source for those looking to find films in both sub-genres.

[turtlex]

Bravo, Feev....

....and it's no surprise that as I look down here... Heather is also reading this thread. :couple:

Some of my Favorite Classics :
Philadelphia Story
Gone With The Wind
Grapes of Wrath
Rebel Without A Cause
Bridge On The River Kwai
To Kill A Mockingbird

Some of my Favorite Foreign Films :
Akira ( I know it's Anime, but it's awesome )
Howard's End ( UK is foreign, yes? )
Ran
Maria Full Of Grace
Entre Nous
Trainspotting
8 Femmes ( 8 Women )

I'm sure I'll have a bunch more very soon. :D

[Tito_Villa]

Errrr i don't watch many foreign films to be honest but 2 of my favourite's are "Downfall" and "House of Flying Daggers" :)

[turtlex]

Actually, I'm sitting here and just a million more movies are popping into my head.....

[Heather19]

I love this thread :wub:
I don't even know where to begin. I absolutely adore classic cinema. I have so many favorites. It's hard for me to narrow it down to just a few. It really is a shame that they don't get more recognition nowadays.


Feev, what Hitchcock films have you seen? And have you seen any of Federico Fellini's films? I've just started watching some of his. La Strada and 8 1/2 were both excellent.




....and it's no surprise that as I look down here... Heather is also reading this thread. :couple:

:huglove:

[fernandito]

8 1/2 is an excellent film ! I actually have 2 or 3 more of ole' Federico's films in my queue.

The only Hitchcock I've seen is Vertigo, The Birds, and Psycho - am looking forward to watching Rebecca and Murder She Wrote in the days/weeks to come :)

[DoctorDodge]

Pam, why is neither the excellent Pan's Labyrinth or the truly British cult classic Withnail and I on that list of favourite foreign films? :orely:

I can't include the Withnail and I on my list of favourite foreign films of course, as I'm British anyway, but Pan's Labyrinth would easily go on there! Along with:

Ghost in the Shell (love both films, true total mindfucks!)
The Infernal Affairs trilogy
Oldboy
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (hey, it was made in Italy!)

And there's probably a whole bunch that I just can't think of right now. Sure, there's a ton of American films I've loved from the past ten years that I can think of, and America is foreign to me (seriously guys: wtf a "twinkie"?), but that's not really the point of this thread, is it? :P

[Heather19]

The only Hitchcock I've seen is Vertigo, The Birds, and Psycho - am looking forward to watching Rebecca and Murder She Wrote in the days/weeks to come :)

How'd you like them? Rebecca is one of my all-time favorite films :wub:
All of his films are wonderful but a few of my favorites are Rear Window, Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, Lifeboat, Suspicion, Dial M for Murder.

And here's just a few other favorites of mine:
Rebel Without a Cause
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
It's a Wonderful Life
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte
Sunset Boulevard
Citizen Kane
East of Eden
Night of the Hunter
Nosferatu

I feel like there are some obvious ones I'm missing :orely:


Edit - Just came back in here to post that I also love all those musicals from the 40's and 50's. Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, etc. :thumbsup:

[turtlex]

Oh, well, I wasn't sure if we were counting films from the UK as foreign or not. You know - foreign language film or from any other country than the US. If we are counting the UK ... I have about a million of those!

Heather - If you liked Citizen Kane... find a copy of The Magnificent Ambersons. It's incredible. Just so beautifully shot and really a classic in every sense of the word.

Rebecca is wonderful !!!

[Heather19]

Heather - If you liked Citizen Kane... find a copy of The Magnificent Ambersons. It's incredible. Just so beautifully shot and really a classic in every sense of the word.

Thanks Pam. Do you know if it's available on dvd? So far I've only been able to find it in a Welles box set that's pretty expensive.

[Jean]

bears have such a lot of favorite classics they don't even know where to start!!!

[turtlex]

Heather - If you liked Citizen Kane... find a copy of The Magnificent Ambersons. It's incredible. Just so beautifully shot and really a classic in every sense of the word.

Thanks Pam. Do you know if it's available on dvd? So far I've only been able to find it in a Welles box set that's pretty expensive.

Gosh, now that I'm thinking of it - I recall seeing it years and years ago on VHS. It might not be available on DVD yet, except for that boxed set ( and yes, that's pricey! ).

[Sam]

Favorite classics and foreign?? Wow, ok. Here's a list.

Seven Samurai (the best film ever made by any director)
Sanjuro
Yojimbo
Ran
Throne of Blood
The Hidden Fortress
Rhapsody in August
High and Low
Sanjuro Sugata (I LIKE Kurosawa's work, can't you tell?)
Amelie
Hero (starring Jet Li)
Fearless (also Jet Li)
Shall We Dance? (1996 Japanese release)
Spirited Away

Operation Petticoat
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
I was a Male War Bride
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
The Sons of Katie Elder
No Time For Sergeants
The Longest Day
Arsenic and Old Lace
The Wizard of Oz
Miracle on 34th Street

and I think I'll stop there. That's just a little list though.

[turtlex]

Sam!! :couple:

I love, love, love the original Operation Petticoat!! Which, of course reminded me of Houseboat. Which also reminds me of Gunga Din.

Cary Grant. :sigh: So iconic, so smooth, so suave.

Let's not forget Mister Roberts!! I love that one, too. Singin' In The Rain, and yes, bravo on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!

Oh, an of course - Cinema Paradiso!

[fernandito]

I want to watch The Holy Mountain by Jorodowsky but I'm literally afraid to. El Topo almost shattered my sanity , and I've heard that HM is even more relentless with it's surreal imagery.

[Still Servant]

I really like Kurosawa's stuff. I just watched Stray Dog, which is a Kurosawa film that I had never heard of.

It's really interesting. If you get the chance, give it a shot.

[mystima]

here are my favorite classics

Bell, Book, and Candle
The Wizard of Oz
Miracle on 34th Street
It's a Wonderful Life
12 angry men
To Kill a Mockingbird

[Heather19]

So I was finally able to track down a copy of The Magnificent Amerbersons. What a wonderful film. Welles is really a marvelous director. Not only the performances that he is able to draw out of his actors, but also his visual style is hard to beat. And I personally think he's one of the best when it comes to cinematography. His films are just so rich in texture, and shadowing. And some of the elaborate shots he sets up are very creative. And this film had all of them.

It really is a shame that the studio got their hands on this one and felt the need to completely re-edit the whole thing without the permission of Welles. And then to destroy all the remaining footage so that it could never be remastered :o What were they thinking! What was left was still a beautifully shot and acted story, but I can only imagine the greatness of what it could have been.

[turtlex]

Heather!! :couple: Amazing, right? So incredibly visual and textured. Anytime someone mentions to me how much they enjoyed Citizen Kane and the cinematography, etc. I always, always, recommend they watch The Magnificant Ambersons. I just love that movie.

Welles has always had a love/hate relationship with the studios, unbelievable the power the Studios had "back in the day".

Feev - I'm waiting on you to post about finally seeing Lawrence of Arabia.

[fernandito]

Next up, The Hidden Fortress by Kurosawa :D

[Sam]

GREAT film. I just watched it a few days ago. :thumbsup:

[Sickrose]

Fav classic cinema - the first thing which pops into my head is film noir movies like Double indemity which I love. Vetigo and The Birds are my favourite Hitchcock films.

Foriegn cinema:

Volver
Le dîner de cons, AKA The Idiot's Dinner
Ils
Switchblade Romance
The Grudge because it's so damn scary
pan's labyrinth
Run Lola Run
The Vanishing
13 Tzameti
and of course Mesrine

Thats all that comes to mind just now

[fernandito]

Has anyone else seen Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries ? I just saw it last night and I have to say that it's ... beautiful. No other word to describe it really.

[turtlex]

I saw it years ago, Feev, on VHS. Bergman's stuff is .... amazing.

[Sam]

I have to say that I've born witness to two of Bergman's films and was... unimpressed.
Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal. I know they're supposed to be great films, but I was so bored I just didn't care. Btw, I saw them between 10 & 15 years ago, so I wasn't a kid when watching them. I thought The Wages of Fear was a very interesting film though. Not on the level of Kurosawa, but still well made and well filmed.

[fernandito]

It is. It has very powerful philosophical undercurrents , and open invitations to introspective sessions. I loved it. I want to seek out all of his films asap.

[turtlex]

Sam - I would find it really hard to compare Kurosawa and Bergman. They make very different kinds of films.

Feev - I think Fanny and Alexander is probably the most well known of Bergman's films, at least in the US. It was very good. Scenes from a Marriage is outstanding as well. Very character driven ( it put Liv Ullmann on the map, and honestly, she's not been topped it, IMHO ).

[fernandito]

Actually , I believe The Seventh Seal is his most recognizable and sought after film, but I have read that F & A is an exceptional film as well.

[Darkthoughts]

Thanks Feev, I added it to my lovefilm.com list :thumbsup:

I should have asked my dad really, Fanny And Alexander is one of his favourite ever films - I bought him the book/screenplay for Christmas, which was very hard to come by oddly enough.

For classic films I would recommend the original The Ladykillers (not the Tom Hanks travesty) it's an absolute classic Ealing black comedy with a fantastic cast including the likes of Alec Guiness, Herbert Lom and Peter Sellers. A Brief Encounter, Whistle Down The Wind, The Hasty Heart - I know it's cheesy but I love it :lol: I'll have to think more about this one...

Foreign films - I love lots that have been mentioned like Seven Samurai, Pan's Labyrinth, Run Lola Run, Let The Right One In, Cinema Paradiso and also recommend: The Hairdressers Husband, Etre Et Avoir (documentary), Delicatessen, Abre Los Ojos, Y Tu Mama Tambien...

...there's an old black and white French film that I loved that I can't remember the name of - it's set during the war and this boy finds a little girl who's family have been killed and sort of rescues her. She either goes to live with his family, or he hides her in the church...can't remember...and he brings her all these pets to keep her company, which all keep mysteriously dying so that she then has to have funerals for them, as shes sort of obsessed with death after seeing her family get killed. Does that sound familiar to anyone?

[Heather19]

Has anyone else seen Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries ? I just saw it last night and I have to say that it's ... beautiful. No other word to describe it really.

I've had that in my netflix queue forever! Maybe I'll try to watch it this weekend. The only Bergman film that I've actually seen is The Seventh Seal. I've really been wanting to see more.

[Sam]

Sam - I would find it really hard to compare Kurosawa and Bergman. They make very different kinds of films.


Pam, I can compare Kurosawa to ANY director. Not only can I, but I invariably do. I just can't help it. True they make different films, but Bergman just never could seem to capture my emotions the way Kurosawa could, even with his dramatic pieces. Don't take from this that I loved anything Kurosaw put out, far from it. I though that his product after Red Beard (which was just ok) was greatly lacking with the exceptions of Ran and Dersu Uzala.

Even so, the same as I compare other writers to King, I find myself comparing other directors to Kurosawa.

[turtlex]

Sam - I would find it really hard to compare Kurosawa and Bergman. They make very different kinds of films.


Pam, I can compare Kurosawa to ANY director. Not only can I, but I invariably do. I just can't help it. True they make different films, but Bergman just never could seem to capture my emotions the way Kurosawa could, even with his dramatic pieces. Don't take from this that I loved anything Kurosaw put out, far from it. I though that his product after Red Beard (which was just ok) was greatly lacking with the exceptions of Ran and Dersu Uzala.

Even so, the same as I compare other writers to King, I find myself comparing other directors to Kurosawa.

Sam - :couple: - I love Kurosawa ( and especially Ran ), but honestly - I just don't see how he could have made the intimate kind of movie that Bergman captures ( Scenes From A Marriage. for instance ). They're just such different perspectives.

For instance, I can't see Scorsese doing ET, any more than I can see Spielberg doing Taxi Driver.

[Sam]

Sam - :couple: - I love Kurosawa ( and especially Ran ), but honestly - I just don't see how he could have made the intimate kind of movie that Bergman captures ( Scenes From A Marriage. for instance ). They're just such different perspectives.

For instance, I can't see Scorsese doing ET, any more than I can see Spielberg doing Taxi Driver.

I understand that, but have you seen The Quiet Duel or Drunken Angel? The first is his best of the two, or rather my favorite of them, but both are great examples of the intimate type of film you are referring to. The Bad Sleep Well was another interesting one, but not my favorite. It comes from a very foreign (no pun intended) perspective, but it's very illuminating at the same time. Kurosawa is mostly known for his samurai stories here in the states and many of his other works were not available until very recently in the last decade. I had to go to great lengths to watch The Quiet Duel and worked even harder to find Drunken Angel as neither one was available through Criterion. They were worth the work and are among his best work, but because of the lack of samurai they are often forgotten. Check 'em out if you haven't and then we'll talk some more.

While still on Kurosawa, I have yet to see Record of a Living Being (I Live in Fear) which is supposed to be a very good one. The Idiot on the other hand was a HUGE disappointment.

[Sickrose]

-Edit- Wanted to add that www.criterion.com is an excellent source for those looking to find films in both sub-genres.

I have just been checking out this website and it's pretty immense :thumbsup:

I haven't watched an Ingmar Bergman film but I was wondering what you guys would recommend to watch first?

Also, I forgot to add L'argent to my previous post it's a quality film it's so sparse yet powerful it made me think that that seems to be somehting common in a lot of the world cinema films i have seen (from my limited experience) that they are not afraid of silence rather than filling up every second of the film with music or dialogue which makes you feellike you are watching a film whereas somehting like L'Argent makes you feel like you are observing real life. I think that's why I like seeking out these kind of films.

[Heather19]

This thread really shouldn't be on the second page.

Pam, I finally got around to watching The Snake Pit. I loved it. Olivia de Havilland was wonderful. :couple:

[turtlex]

This thread really shouldn't be on the second page.

Pam, I finally got around to watching The Snake Pit. I loved it. Olivia de Havilland was wonderful. :couple:


Oh, you can't go wrong with Livvy, Heather. She's a real talent. Very under-rated as an actress. Really, she lifts everything she's in.

[Heather19]

I really need to watch more of her films. I can only think of one other film that I've seen her in off the top of my head.

[turtlex]

I really need to watch more of her films. I can only think of one other film that I've seen her in off the top of my head.

Gone With The Wind? :couple:

Really, she's wonderful and worth the watch, always. Even when the movie isn't that great ... she brings a dignity and grace to the film.

[Heather19]

Surprisingly I've never seen that one :o
It was Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. I love Bette Davis, she's always amazing. So I have to watch Robin Hood, but what are your other favorites with her?

[turtlex]

Well... you have to see Gone With The Wind ... it's a classic.

And I absolutely love Captain Blood with Errol Flynn.

[Heather19]

I forgot about that one. I know you've mentioned it before. And I promise to see Gone With the Wind at some point :)

[Sam]

I've seen Gone With the Wind, and my opinion is that I would like my four hours back please. I know I;m a southerner, and that we're all supposed to love this film (it's in the manual southerners receive the first day of Kindergarten), but I really did not care for it at all. But that's just me. The rest of the world seems to enjoy it, so have fun watching.

[turtlex]

I've seen Gone With the Wind, and my opinion is that I would like my four hours back please. I know I;m a southerner, and that we're all supposed to love this film (it's in the manual southerners receive the first day of Kindergarten), but I really did not care for it at all. But that's just me. The rest of the world seems to enjoy it, so have fun watching.

:lol:

Sam, I understand some folks can't get into it, and the three hour length can be daunting .. but you have to admit it's a classic. I happen to think it's gangbusters great, but that's me. I didn't really feel the three hours. I was sucked in from the get go.

For me - the story is engaging, the characters ( while not all likable ) are strong and defined, the music is outstanding and the cinematography is beautiful. Great performances by all involved, and that adds up to a great movie for me.

( I also happen to like the background history of the making of the movie - the story of the casting of the film and the back and forth over who would play Scarlett ... I love all that old Hollywood stuff .... can you imagine? Bette Davis as Scarlett?!?? )

[Sam]

For me it was partly the length (I was about 12 when I was first forced, yes I actually forced and threatened with punishment, to watch the film) but also I didn't get into the story. I tried watching it later in my life and just couldn't get into it.

HOWEVER, I will readily admit that it's a classic. After all, it has sold more tickets than any other film in history. The cinematography is truly stunning for any film, not just for films of the period.

[Jean]

I didn't like Gone with the Wind in the least. I love the book a lot, and although everybody was portrayed kinda right... well, they did look like I imagined them in the book... but that was all. All the spirit was gone, all the subtlety, the depth, the controversy, whatever. It was just another corny American costume movie, very - you know - magnificent, costly, heavy like a margarine rose on a cake, solemnly proud of itself; the worst kind the USA produces.

[turtlex]

I didn't like Gone with the Wind in the least. I love the book a lot, and although everybody was portrayed kinda right... well, they did look like I imagined them in the book... but that was all. All the spirit was gone, all the subtlety, the depth, the controversy, whatever. It was just another corny American costume movie, very - you know - magnificent, costly, heavy like a margarine rose on a cake, solemnly proud of itself; the worst kind the USA produces.

Gosh, this is so interesting to me.

Jean, did you read the book first? And then see the movie? I saw the movie first and then read the book and didn't like the book all that much. Obviously, there are lots of differences between the book and the movie.

I guess I'm most surprised at the "spirit" comment. I found Scarlett ( not always likable ) but extremely well portrayed and full of spirit.

[pathoftheturtle]

I didn't like Gone with the Wind in the least. I love the book a lot, and although everybody was portrayed kinda right... well, they did look like I imagined them in the book... but that was all. All the spirit was gone, all the subtlety, the depth, the controversy, whatever. It was just another corny American costume movie, very - you know - magnificent, costly, heavy like a margarine rose on a cake, solemnly proud of itself; the worst kind the USA produces.

Gosh, this is so interesting to me.

Jean, did you read the book first? And then see the movie? I saw the movie first and then read the book and didn't like the book all that much. Obviously, there are lots of differences between the book and the movie.

I guess I'm most surprised at the "spirit" comment. I found Scarlett ( not always likable ) but extremely well portrayed and full of spirit.Oddly enough, I think you're both right. It's a great film, if you can get the style.

[fernandito]

I watched GWTW in the early years of high school , perhaps too young to truly enjoy it's beauty or appreciate it on an artistic level. I should give it another watch soon.

[turtlex]

My girlfriend and I have started a tradition that we watch GWTW on Thanksgiving after dinner. It's a once a year watch for us. She'd never seen it before and really enjoyed it the first time ( complete with turtlex commentary ... which was probably much more annoying than informative!! ).

[Jean]

I didn't like Gone with the Wind in the least. I love the book a lot, and although everybody was portrayed kinda right... well, they did look like I imagined them in the book... but that was all. All the spirit was gone, all the subtlety, the depth, the controversy, whatever. It was just another corny American costume movie, very - you know - magnificent, costly, heavy like a margarine rose on a cake, solemnly proud of itself; the worst kind the USA produces.

Gosh, this is so interesting to me.

Jean, did you read the book first? And then see the movie? I saw the movie first and then read the book and didn't like the book all that much. Obviously, there are lots of differences between the book and the movie.

I guess I'm most surprised at the "spirit" comment. I found Scarlett ( not always likable ) but extremely well portrayed and full of spirit.

Yes, I saw the movie after I read the book many times, and loved it - the book, of course, not the movie - a lot. As far as spirit is concerned... well, Vivien Leigh was full of spirit... boisterous, charming, adventurous, witty... totally one-dimensional comparing with the real Scarlett, one of the most controversial characters of all times. I know that people tended to lean towards this one-dimensional interpretation even before the movie, and Margaret Mitchell was deeply shocked when she learned that Scarlett is perceived as a protagonist, an embodiment of a true American character, the good girl of the story.

That's one of the reasons why I so fear to see a Dark Tower movie... I can easily imagine a colorful costume thing with Roland the Good Guy moving steadily forth, overcoming obstacles, helping people, saving the world!

Shit.

[turtlex]

I totally admit to loving Vivian Leigh in this part ( and in most of her roles ) but I found her to really capture the evolution of Scarlett and the fact that she did so without trying to "soften" Scarlett, I really liked that.

I completely didn't perceive Scarlett as a "good girl" ... she's kind of a jerk, at least in the beginning. She's the embodiment of soulless, self-centered beauty in the beginning. But - she shows a great growth of character and personality.

I've talked to people who are completely surprised when they see the movie and realize that Scarlett isn't a completely lovable character. She's not a sweet person, not at all. She starts the movie as a spoiled brat and I think they truly showed the growth of the character within the time-limit of the film.

Without a doubt, the book is much more in-depth and detailed ( Scarlett having more than one child being a huge point ). I guess I just sort of fell in love with the movie version of the character, so the book didn't hit me as strongly.

[Heather19]

Well you guys have definitely prompted me to watch Gone With the Wind sooner than later :D (Honestly it had never really intrigued me, but now I'm quite curious about it.)

[turtlex]

Heather - I look forward to your thoughts on it, since you'll be looking at it with "fresh" eyes.

( Also, I assume you've never read the book, right? )

[Heather19]

Nope, I haven't :)

[Brice]

After you watch the film you should definitely read the book. :)

[Heather19]

Speaking of books have you by chance read Lolita? I just watched Kubrick's film last night and absolutely loved it. I was wondering how it compared to the story.

[Brice]

I've never seen the film. You should definitely read it though.

[pathoftheturtle]

Speaking of books have you by chance read Lolita? I just watched Kubrick's film last night and absolutely loved it. I was wondering how it compared to the story.Well, the story is not all that there is to that book. There's much to recommend about Kubrick's film, but it's really not the same. Not easy to explain... just read it.

[turtlex]

:waiting on Heather's review of Gone With The Wind:

http://www.costumzee.com/view/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/1500-1251gone-with-the-wind-posters.jpg

[Emily]

Wow, I didn't even know this thread existed! I'm a little late here, but I love classic films. A few bunch of my favorites are:

Nosferatu
Citizen Kane
The Count of Monte Cristo
Wuthering Heights
Bridge on the River Kwai
Rebecca
Dial M For Murder
Rear Window
Wait Until Dark
Spellbound
Charade
It's A Wonderful Life
Sabrina
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Quiet man
12 Angry Men
Rebel Without A Cause
The Bells Of St. Mary's
Now, Voyager

I know that's kind of excessive but I really do watch them all a lot :lol: Also, I love Westerns but wasn't sure if they fall into the classic category or are their own category entirely :orely:. And I loved Wild Strawberries.

Man, I love this thread! This is awesome.

[fernandito]

I strongly recommend Haneke's The Seventh Continent for you foreign/arthouse-film lovers. One of the most powerful films I've ever seen.

[fernandito]

And I loved Wild Strawberries.


Mmmmhmmm ! My favorite Bergman film by far :)

[Jean]

And I loved Wild Strawberries.


Mmmmhmmm ! My favorite Bergman film by far :)
Sure.

[Heather19]

:waiting on Heather's review of Gone With The Wind:

http://www.costumzee.com/view/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/1500-1251gone-with-the-wind-posters.jpg

Sorry to keep you waiting :couple:

Well I had put off watching this movie for so long because I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it. But after all the talk awhile back, I just had to see it.

Unfortunately I didn't really care for it :( I'm sorry. Production wise, I thought it was really well done. Acting was fine. But the story just kinda bored me. And it didn't help that it was sooooo long. I swear it took me the entire day to watch it. I kept zoning out for the last half, that I had to go back and rewatch bits and pieces. Oh well. I am glad I did watch it though.

[turtlex]

Wow. I'm very surprised. To me, it's the last half that really makes the film, that's where Scarlett begins to grow as a person, finds her strength, that's where I truly get into the nuance of it!

Oh well, to each their own. :grouphug: Thanks for giving it a try!

[Jean]

bears' feelings are very much the same as Heather's... :rose:

[fernandito]

Has anyone else heard of Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu's newest film, Biutiful ? It's garnering rave reviews across various intraweb venues, and is apparently a strong contender for the Foreign Film of the Year crown.

Here's the IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1164999/

[Heather19]

Thanks Feev. I hadn't heard of it, but it does look really good.

[Darkthoughts]

This looks awesome:

http://www.nipponcinema.com/trailers/map-of-the-sounds-of-tokyo-jp

I loved her in Babel, can't find this to reserve anywhere online for UK viewers yet though.

[divemaster]

I am a huge afficianado of Asian film. Some of my favorites:

Korean
A Tale of Two Sisters
The Classic
The Big Swindle
Volcano High
Bichunmoo
Il Mare
You Are My Sunshine
All for Love
Guns & Talks
The Good, the Bad, and the Weird
A Moment to Remember
No Blood, No Tears
A Romance of Their Own
Secret Sunshine
Stairway to Heaven (TV drama series)
My Lovely Sam-Soon (TV drama series)
The Harmonium in My Memory
Oldboy

Chinese/Hong Kong
The Bride with White Hair
A Chinese Torture Chamber Story
Butterfly & Sword
Comrades, Almost a Love Story
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Drunken Master II
Erotic Ghost Story III
Fist of Legend
Hard-Boiled
Hero
House of Flying Daggers
Infernal Affairs
Iron Monkey
The Killer
Naked Killer
Police Story
Police Story III
Royal Warriors
Sex & Zen
Sex & Zen II
Wing Chun
C'est la Vie, Mon Cheri
Hidden Passion
Iceman Cometh
Men Suddenly in Black
Mr. Vampire
A Better Tomorrow




Japanese
Angel Dust
Battle Royale
Ikiru
The Mystery of Rampo
Spirited Away
Harakiri
Seven Samurai
Floating Weeds
Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl
Red Beard



Non-Asian; non-English
Cinema Paradiso (director's cut)
[REC]
Allegro non Troppo
Amélie
Let the Right One In

[turtlex]

Heather ???

I saw that you watched Gaslight?

Your thoughts?!?

[Brice]

Has anyone else heard of Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu's newest film, Biutiful ? It's garnering rave reviews across various intraweb venues, and is apparently a strong contender for the Foreign Film of the Year crown.

Here's the IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1164999/

That would be nice, but really we all know no foreign film has made it until there is an American remake.

[Jean]

Heather ???

I saw that you watched Gaslight?

Your thoughts?!?

yes, yes, please!

[turtlex]

<-- Loved Gaslight.

[Jean]

ditto

[fernandito]

That would be nice, but really we all know no foreign film has made it until there is an American remake.

:lol:

Of course, how naive of me. :blush:

[fernandito]

Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s ‘Biutiful’ Opens Wide on January 28
Posted on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010 by Germain Lussier

The holiday season release date shuffle continues. First Gulliver’s Travels was moved, then Blue Valentine, and next is the Golden Globe nominated Best Foreign Language film Biutiful, written and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Javier Bardem. Originally scheduled for limited release December 29, it’ll now bow on January 28, right after the Oscar nominations are announced. (EDIT: The limited release date remains the same, so if you’re in LA/NYC you can see the film this month. Everyone else gets the movie in January.) Bardem won best actor at Cannes this year and the film is the Mexican entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.


And here’s the official plot description.

Biutiful is a love story between a father and his children. This is the journey of Uxbal, a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona. His livelihood is earned out of bounds, his sacrifices for his children know no bounds. Like life itself, this is a circular tale that ends where it begins. As fate encircles him and thresholds are crossed, a dim, redemptive road brightens, illuminating the inheritances bestowed from father to child, and the paternal guiding hand that navigates life’s corridors, whether bright, bad – or biutiful.

Source. (http://www.slashfilm.com/alejandro-gonzlez-irritus-biutiful-moved-january-28/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+slashfilm+%28%2FFilm%29)

I can't wait to watch this. :)

[pathoftheturtle]

Me neither. The trailer blew me away.

[Mattrick]

I got some classics to watch but have mostly been rewatching movies lately. Got Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, The Passenger, Shane and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[Stockerlone]

Just found this thread:

My fav. classic Movies:

The Wizard of Oz
Citizen Kane
It's a Wonderful Life
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Ladykillers

My fav. foreign Movies: (NOT US:idea:)

M: A Town Is Looking for a Murderer
Malpertuis
Seven Samurai
Ran
It Happened In Broad Daylight
La Strada

[Mattrick]

Got lent All About Eve. Will get to it in a few weeks I'm sure.

[Roland of Gilead 33]

i LOVE old movies & Mickey Rooney is my favorite actor of all time. though from what i've read about the guy he isn't always the nicest guy in the world. but he's still a great actor when he's got the right director. & the right script. i've seen him do films where his performances are lousy.

case in point on how good is he is. has anyone seen his 'Boys Town' films? those are classic films that they don't make em like that anymore unfortunally. i'm not really a big fan of foreign films to be honest. i see them every once in awhile but only if someone i like is in it to be honest.

[fernandito]

For my arthouse film crowd :

Dogtooth (2009) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1379182/)

It's a very procative and very disturbing Greek film. Read the premise, I promise you'll want to check it out asafp.

[Jean]

yes, bears think they might want to have a look

[fernandito]

:thumbsup:

[Heather19]

yes, bears think they might want to have a look

as do Heathers

[Jean]

yes, normally, as far as movies are concerned, bears and Heather stick together.

[Jean]

a very, very good movie indeed. I think it's time to watch it once again, it gets better with time. I mean, now I won't be so bored with the compulsory post-Trier post-Haneke genitals close ups, and some other things directly inherited and/or borrowed and will be able to concentrate on what is unique. Wish I spoke, or at least understood, Greek; but one good movie isn't a good reason to learn another language. Maybe if he makes a couple more...

[Jean]

has anyone else watched Dogtooth by now?

[fernandito]

I fucking adore that film. I want to watch it again now.

[DoctorDodge]

Been meaning to watch that for a while now, ever since I started hearing such great things about it on here. Saw it cheap in the shop earlier today. Hmmm. May get it later on in the week.

[Jean]

Been meaning to watch that for a while now, ever since I started hearing such great things about it on here. Saw it cheap in the shop earlier today. Hmmm. May get it later on in the week. any updates?

[DoctorDodge]

Not yet, I'm afraid. Instead, I bought a box set of shows by satire legend Armando Iannucci (and bears should know how much I love my satire by now) and spent the weekend laughing my arse off at backstabbing politicians and (borderline) ridiculous news reports. I'll keep you posted when I do get round to watching it, though.

[Jean]

don't procrastinate (it's what bears love doing, have to say), I hope you'll like it... In any case, it is twisted, insane, beautifully made, very intelligent and very European.

[DoctorDodge]

I've heard nothing but great things about it on this board, so it has been something I've wanted to check out. I just only remember about it when I read about it on this board after I've been to the shops! :lol: I've got a little money to spend and a little extra time to kill now that i've finished college for a month or so, so I may even get round to buying it today. I'll also have a good look round for any other dvds that I should've watched by now!

[divemaster]

For my arthouse film crowd :

Dogtooth (2009) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1379182/)

It's a very procative and very disturbing Greek film. Read the premise, I promise you'll want to check it out asafp.

Didn't really notice this recommendation until today. In the Netflix queue--near the top! (Though I don't get as many films in during baseball season.)

[fernandito]

One of my favorite foreign films of the past decade, dive. Let me know what you think as soon as you watch it !

[DoctorDodge]

I actually did buy Dogtooth yesterday feev, but haven't watched it yet. I'll let you know when I get round to watching it, though.

[fernandito]

:thumbsup:

[Jean]

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/awake.gif

[fernandito]

This film is making a lot of noise amongst art house crowds. Has anyone heard of it / seen it / plan on seeing it ?

Take Shelter. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675192/)

http://filmmusicreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/takesheltersoundtrack.jpg

[Heather19]

I just watched the trailer, looks really good! Is it in theaters now?

[fernandito]

I'm not sure ... the European release date was November 11th, and when I look at showtimes for L.A only one theater comes up ... that's either because it's been in theaters for a while, or it's about to become a wide release. Either way, I really want to see it.

[Stockerlone]

Think one of the biggest surprise successes was ´The Artist´.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Artist_%28film%29

[pathoftheturtle]

This film is making a lot of noise amongst art house crowds. Has anyone heard of it / seen it / plan on seeing it ?

Take Shelter. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675192/)Uh, but that's a new, American movie... :unsure: Why here?

[DoctorDodge]

Think one of the biggest surprise successes was ´The Artist´.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Artist_%28film%29

I'm really keen on checking that out. Looks to be really refreshingly different.

[Mattrick]

Take shelter is.one I really want to.see.

[fernandito]

I'm in the mood for some Alfred Hitchcock films.

I've seen Vertigo, North by Northwest, The Birds, Rear Window and Psycho. What's his next best after these ?

[Heather19]

Rebecca!!!! My favorite film of his. And one of my favorite films ever. And if I remember correctly this was one of the three I gave you to watch years ago! :)
I'd also highly recommend Strangers on a Train.
And after those some of my other favorites are Shadow of a Doubt, Suspicion, Saboteur, Lifeboat, and Dial M for Murder.

Also out of the ones you've seen (with the exception of Rear Window), I personally would never rank those as my favorites. They're really good, but he's got far better films.

[Jean]

what Heather :rose: said, and also Spellbound!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fernandito]

I'll follow your suggestion(s), Heather !

I like the more sinister elements of his films, to be honest. Vertigo and Rear Window were pretty much cinematic perfection for me. Do your recommendations share the same vein ?

[Heather19]

Definitely Strangers on a Train! Just wait till you see some of the shots in that film. And Rebecca is just a beautiful film to watch. All the ones I recommended definitely have a darker side to them. I really think you'll enjoy them. Let me know when you watch them! :)

[Jean]

Definitely Strangers on a Train! Just wait till you see some of the shots in that film. hear, hear

[needfulthings]

ROPE 1948 This film was shoot with no cuts between reel changes.
http://imageshack.us/a/img13/2938/img775.jpg

[needfulthings]

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN 1951 2 VERSIONS.


http://imageshack.us/a/img818/9937/img781.jpg

[Brice]

A bad Hitchcock movie is better than most other movies. One can never go wrong with any of them.

[needfulthings]

http://imageshack.us/a/img266/7595/img790y.jpg

[needfulthings]

http://imageshack.us/a/img403/4456/img791r.jpg

[fernandito]

Definitely Strangers on a Train! Just wait till you see some of the shots in that film. And Rebecca is just a beautiful film to watch. All the ones I recommended definitely have a darker side to them. I really think you'll enjoy them. Let me know when you watch them! :)

Will scope out Rebecca first, then Strangers on a Train. :)

[Heather19]

Definitely Strangers on a Train! Just wait till you see some of the shots in that film. And Rebecca is just a beautiful film to watch. All the ones I recommended definitely have a darker side to them. I really think you'll enjoy them. Let me know when you watch them! :)

Will scope out Rebecca first, then Strangers on a Train. :)

I am so, so, sooooo excited for you to watch them! :D

[Brice]

Both are fantastic!

[needfulthings]

WOW! A BLU-RAY MUST.
http://imageshack.us/a/img692/416/img793hw.jpg

[needfulthings]

http://imageshack.us/a/img198/6960/img829g.jpg

[Stockerlone]

M one of the best movies EVER !!! :thumbsup:

[fernandito]

Oldboy director Chan-wook Park to direct Black List western 'The Brigands of Battleborge'

http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2012/08/30/oldboy-director-chan-wook-park-in-talks-for-black-list-western-the-brigands-of-rattleborge/

DAY ONE.

[fernandito]

A co worker of mine let me borrow Jean Luc Godard's "Breathless". Looking to watch that soon.

[Jean]

good luck with this. Bears hate la nouvelle vague...

[Heather19]

Yeah I remember watching it in one of my film classes but not overly enjoying it. Jean did you see the remake with Richard Gere?

[Jean]

no, I didn't even know there was one

: surprised :

[fernandito]

Oh bloody hell ... if you guys didn't like it, what chance do I possibly have? :lol:

[Jean]

well, it's all classic, historical and all that...

then, I personally love Jean-Paul Belmondo, and can look at him anywhere. Then, the finale is really really good.

[mae]

I'm a very big fan of foreign movies, because, for one, they allow you to see different cultures and countries and understand them better - perhaps - without having to leave your home. A poor substitute for travel maybe, but definitely cheaper. And with more and more countries putting our high quality films, often rivaling or bettering domestic output, the variety is nearly endless. And with the latest advents in streaming and so on, watching an obscure foreign film is easier than ever. And there are lots of gems to be found.

I know a lot of us are Oscar fans and on Oscar Night one of my favorite categories has always been Best Foreign Film. Years ago 15-20 counties entered the competition, but the race has exploded in recent years. A record 76 countries submitted their films for Oscar consideration last year, and this tear that number was upped to a staggering 83!

It would be impossible to see all of these nominees, but most of them have trailers available. I've watched most of them, and a lot of these movies look great:

http://www.oscars.org/news/83-countries-competition-2014-foreign-language-film-oscarr


Afghanistan, "A Few Cubic Meters of Love," Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;
Argentina, "Wild Tales," Damián Szifrón, director;
Australia, "Charlie's Country," Rolf de Heer, director;
Austria, "The Dark Valley," Andreas Prochaska, director;
Azerbaijan, "Nabat," Elchin Musaoglu, director;
Bangladesh, "Glow of the Firefly," Khalid Mahmood Mithu, director;
Belgium, "Two Days, One Night," Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, directors;
Bolivia, "Forgotten," Carlos Bolado, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, "With Mom," Faruk Loncarevic, director;
Brazil, "The Way He Looks," Daniel Ribeiro, director;
Bulgaria, "Bulgarian Rhapsody," Ivan Nitchev, director;
Canada, "Mommy," Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, "To Kill a Man," Alejandro Fernández Almendras, director;
China, "The Nightingale," Philippe Muyl, director;
Colombia, "Mateo," María Gamboa, director;
Costa Rica, "Red Princesses," Laura Astorga Carrera, director;
Croatia, "Cowboys," Tomislav Mršic, director;
Cuba, "Conducta," Ernesto Daranas Serrano, director;
Czech Republic, "Fair Play," Andrea Sedlácková, director;
Denmark, "Sorrow and Joy," Nils Malmros, director;
Dominican Republic, "Cristo Rey," Leticia Tonos, director;
Ecuador, "Silence in Dreamland," Tito Molina, director;
Egypt, "Factory Girl," Mohamed Khan, director;
Estonia, "Tangerines," Zaza Urushadze, director;
Ethiopia, "Difret," Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, director;
Finland, "Concrete Night," Pirjo Honkasalo, director;
France, "Saint Laurent," Bertrand Bonello, director;
Georgia, "Corn Island," George Ovashvili, director;
Germany, "Beloved Sisters," Dominik Graf, director;
Greece, "Little England," Pantelis Voulgaris, director;
Hong Kong, "The Golden Era," Ann Hui, director;
Hungary, "White God," Kornél Mundruczó, director;
Iceland, "Life in a Fishbowl," Baldvin Zophoníasson, director;
India, "Liar's Dice," Geetu Mohandas, director;
Indonesia, "Soekarno," Hanung Bramantyo, director;
Iran, "Today," Reza Mirkarimi, director;
Iraq, "Mardan," Batin Ghobadi, director;
Ireland, "The Gift," Tom Collins, director;
Israel, "Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem," Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz, directors;
Italy, "Human Capital," Paolo Virzì, director;
Japan, "The Light Shines Only There," Mipo O, director;
Kosovo, "Three Windows and a Hanging," Isa Qosja, director;
Kyrgyzstan, "Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains," Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, director;
Latvia, "Rocks in My Pockets," Signe Baumane, director;
Lebanon, "Ghadi," Amin Dora, director;
Lithuania, "The Gambler," Ignas Jonynas, director;
Luxembourg, "Never Die Young," Pol Cruchten, director;
Macedonia, "To the Hilt," Stole Popov, director;
Malta, "Simshar," Rebecca Cremona, director;
Mauritania, "Timbuktu," Abderrahmane Sissako, director;
Mexico, "Cantinflas," Sebastián del Amo, director;
Moldova, "The Unsaved," Igor Cobileanski, director;
Montenegro, "The Kids from the Marx and Engels Street," Nikola Vukcevic, director;
Morocco, "The Red Moon," Hassan Benjelloun, director;
Nepal, "Jhola," Yadav Kumar Bhattarai, director;
Netherlands, "Accused," Paula van der Oest, director;
New Zealand, "The Dead Lands," Toa Fraser, director;
Norway, "1001 Grams," Bent Hamer, director;
Pakistan, "Dukhtar," Afia Nathaniel, director;
Palestine, "Eyes of a Thief," Najwa Najjar, director;
Panama, "Invasion," Abner Benaim, director;
Peru, "The Gospel of the Flesh," Eduardo Mendoza, director;
Philippines, "Norte, the End of History," Lav Diaz, director;
Poland, "Ida," Pawel Pawlikowski, director;
Portugal, "What Now? Remind Me," Joaquim Pinto, director;
Romania, "The Japanese Dog," Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, director;
Russia, "Leviathan," Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Serbia, "See You in Montevideo," Dragan Bjelogrlic, director;
Singapore, "Sayang Disayang," Sanif Olek, director;
Slovakia, "A Step into the Dark," Miloslav Luther, director;
Slovenia, "Seduce Me," Marko Šantic, director;
South Africa, "Elelwani," Ntshavheni Wa Luruli, director;
South Korea, "Haemoo," Shim Sung-bo, director;
Spain, "Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed," David Trueba, director;
Sweden, "Force Majeure," Ruben Östlund, director;
Switzerland, "The Circle," Stefan Haupt, director;
Taiwan, "Ice Poison," Midi Z, director;
Thailand, "The Teacher’s Diary," Nithiwat Tharathorn, director;
Turkey, "Winter Sleep," Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;
Ukraine, "The Guide," Oles Sanin, director;
United Kingdom, "Little Happiness," Nihat Seven, director;
Uruguay, "Mr. Kaplan," Álvaro Brechner, director;
Venezuela, "The Liberator," Alberto Arvelo, director.



If I had to pick the nine-title shortlist, I'd probably at this point go with these (and the five nominees in bold):


Mommy (Canada)
Fair Play (Czech Republic)
Tangerines (Estonia)
White God (Hungary)
Timbuktu (Mauritania)
Norte, the End of History (Philippines)
Ida (Poland)
Leviathan (Russia)
Winter Sleep (Turkey)


Honorable mentions include: Wild Tales (Argentina), Two Days, One Night (Belgium), Dukhtar (Pakistan), Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed (Spain), and Force Majeure (Sweden).

Not sure yet which film gets the Oscar. What are your thoughts, guys and gals?

[mae]

Here's a page with links to almost all 83 trailers: http://www.thewrap.com/50-countries-enter-oscar-foreign-language-race-the-complete-list-so-far/

[Still Servant]

I read that article too and I thought that was amazing. I think it's a true testament to how global Hollywood and cinema in general has become. It also proves how far we've come from a technological standpoint. There are some serious high-tech cameras that output amazing quality for relatively cheap prices. Also, editing programs are really cheap and most laptop computers can handle the heavy lifting that is required for editing.

It's quite amazing and I honestly think it's beautiful. There are some countries that are now making films where it is illegal to do so. Some of those countries frown upon their population even watching movies, especially American movies.

[mae]

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/393893-9-movies-shortlisted-for-oscar-foreign-language-category

There were a number of obvious choices and a number of surprising omissions as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nine feature film that have been shortlisted for the Foreign Language category at the 87th Academy Awards.

The nine films that will be culled down to five before the January 15, 2015 announcement of the Oscar nominations are (in alphabetical order by country):


Wild Tales, directed by Damian Szifron – Argentina
Tangerines, directed by Zaza Urushadze – Estonia
Corn Island, directed by George Ovashvili – Georgia
Timbuktu, directed by Abderrahmane Sissako – Mauritania
Accused, directed by Paula van der Oest – Netherlands
Ida, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski – Poland
Leviathan, directed by Andrey Zyvagintsev – Russia
Force Majeure, directed by Ruben Östlund – Sweden
The Liberator, directed by Alberto Arvelo – Venezuela


The nine films will be watched by a special committee of Academy members in New York, Los Angeles and London, which will watch three movies a day before casting their ballots to get it down to five.

Ida, Force Majeure and Leviathan have already received Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations, while Tangerines was also among the Golden Globe nominations and Wild Tales was nominated for the Critics Choice Movie Awards.

Belgian filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne were once again snubbed by the Academy for their latest film Two Days, One Night, starring Marion Cotillard, which has been receiving rave reviews and critical awards since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival. In fact, the brothers’ last six movies have received awards from that prestigious film festival in conjunction with their premieres, yet none of their films have ever been nominated for an Oscar. Other acclaimed Cannes films that didn’t get into the shortlist include French-Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan’s Mommy and the Hungarian film White God.

The Academy Awards winners will be announced on Sundance, February 22, 2015, at a live ceremony from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, broadcast on ABC.

I guessed four out of nine....

[mae]

I'll pick the following five to be nominated:


Wild Tales – Argentina
Tangerines – Estonia
Timbuktu – Mauritania
Ida – Poland
Leviathan – Russia


Ida will win.

[Still Servant]

Ida is on Netflix right now. I've been meaning to watch it.

[Mattrick]

The foreign film category is the one category that's a complete crapshoot every year for me. I am extremely fortunate if I am able to watch any of them before the awards and still fortunate if I can watch them after. I finally got to see A Separation this year. I stil haven't been able to see Incendies, either. I just wish they were more accessible :/ Usually unless it's horror/action distributors don't give enough of a shit to bother distributing them.

[mae]

A lot of foreign films are available on Netflix, actually. Most are also available on Bluray, and if you have a region-free player, then you're set!

[Mattrick]

I don't have a Blu-Ray lol. Once Netflix clued in I was getting it for free for seven months they cut me off haha. The only foreign film from last years oscars that was on there around the awards was Hunted from Denmark, though I didn't watch it.

[mae]

By the way, here are the trailers for the nine shortlisted films:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUnXv6R2HI8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMXjmYmwp-o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4ruvOB1e7E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs2dYAlbINY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcib-3-bags

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXhCaVqB0x0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oo7H25kirk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZZhB6AUo9k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT-BIFRP6ac

[mae]

I don't have a Blu-Ray lol. Once Netflix clued in I was getting it for free for seven months they cut me off haha. The only foreign film from last years oscars that was on there around the awards was Hunted from Denmark, though I didn't watch it.

Netflix is just $7.99 a month. Well worth it.

[Mattrick]

The price doesn't cover obscene overages on my Internet because streaming HD movies and TV is ridiculous from a data perspective. So not worth it all all.

[Still Servant]

The price doesn't cover obscene overages on my Internet because streaming HD movies and TV is ridiculous from a data perspective. So not worth it all all.

Yeah, Canada is different with all that over there.

[Mattrick]

We're kind of forced to pay a lot more for unlimited data because it's cheaper haha

Pablo if you've never seen Tomboy, I watched that a bit ago on Netflix. It was a solid film.

[mae]

Yup I have that on my very long to-watch list :)

[mae]

I'll pick the following five to be nominated:


Wild Tales – Argentina
Tangerines – Estonia
Timbuktu – Mauritania
Ida – Poland
Leviathan – Russia


Ida will win.

Looks like I was right:

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/399453-the-full-list-of-nominations-for-the-87th-academy-awards

[Still Servant]

I'll pick the following five to be nominated:


Wild Tales – Argentina
Tangerines – Estonia
Timbuktu – Mauritania
Ida – Poland
Leviathan – Russia


Ida will win.

Looks like I was right:

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/399453-the-full-list-of-nominations-for-the-87th-academy-awards

Nice job, you'd know more than most regarding that category. That's kind of your area of expertise. Of the films nominated, Ida is the one I want to watch the most. I heard good things about Force Majeure, but it didn't get nominated. Leviathan looks good too,.

[mae]

I'm sticking to my pick to win, but very much looking forward to checking out Timbuktu. The trailer is fantastic and the film looks great. All of these look very interesting, including Tangerines, and those that were shortlisted but weren't nominated. Not to mention some great ones that were left off the Academy's short list entirely but I'm still eager to check them out.

The only way Ida loses is if the Academy goes for an ongoing political message, in which case the Oscar could go to either Leviathan (Russia under Putin) or Timbuktu (ISIS and such).

[fernandito]

I want to watch Leviathan. Sounds awesome.

[mae]

Not sure if it'll get a somewhat wide release but it's playing at the Film Forum in NYC right now. I may go check it out.

[fernandito]

Why aren't we talking about this movie

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumiko,_the_Treasure_Hunter)



The story is based around the urban legend surrounding the death of Takako Konishi. It was reported in the media that she had died trying to find the treasure depicted in the 1996 film Fargo. In actuality, she committed suicide.

https://moviebuddy.me/images/kumiko-the-treasure-hunter_banner1_1418967064.jpg

[Mattrick]

This is a truly great film


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Onuy5USTc

[pathoftheturtle]

This is a truly great film


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Onuy5USTc

It's one of the advantages of watching foreign films that you can maybe get more perspective on your own culture. I hope that nobody watching A Separation just dismisses the legal system of Iran, but instead also reflects upon how other codes of law may try to deal with the complexities of our lives.

[mae]

I posted the trailer for Kumiko in the trailer thread a while back.

[Tommy]

Oh bloody hell ... if you guys didn't like it, what chance do I possibly have? :lol:

I know this was posted three years ago but did you ever watch Breathless and what did you think of it if you did? I dig it myself.

[fernandito]

I don't remember specifics, but I do remember having an all around enjoyment of it.

[fernandito]

It's one of the advantages of watching foreign films that you can maybe get more perspective on your own culture.
Absolutely, that's one of the things I most enjoy about watching foreign films. Some things that are taboo in the U.S simply aren't for other countries, which shines through in their art.

[fernandito]

So Cannes Film Festival is going on right now.

One of the films that is now on my radar is the latest offering by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (whom directed Dogtooth, which as you guys know I absolutely adore) The Lobster. Check out this synopsis, "A near-future-set tale about a world where citizens must choose a mate or be turned into animals".

'The Lobster' Cannes Review (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/lobster-cannes-review-795869)

[mae]

Can't wait to see the trailer!

[Heather19]

Sounds interesting.

[Still Servant]

So Cannes Film Festival is going on right now.

One of the films that is now on my radar is the latest offering by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (whom directed Dogtooth, which as you guys know I absolutely adore) The Lobster. Check out this synopsis, "A near-future-set tale about a world where citizens must choose a mate or be turned into animals".

'The Lobster' Cannes Review (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/lobster-cannes-review-795869)

Anything coming from the guy who directed Dogtooth is bound to be interesting.

[Theli]

Just watch Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal for the first time Sunday night. It's a truly fantastic film, probably the best yet from what I've seen of Bergman. Very strong cinematography and themes. Also amazing contrast in styles, some great comedic parts juxtaposed with incredibly dark imagery. The characters and themes (mortality, faith, acting) tend to make for some interesting scenes that borderline break the fourth wall.

[mae]

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/06/the-100-best-silent-films-of-all-time.html?a=1

The era of silent cinema was one of the most creative periods in human history. In not much more than 30 years, a new visual vocabulary was invented, explored to the fullest and even deconstructed. Genres formed as the medium was used for entertainment, politics, education, propaganda and experimentation. The challenge of visual storytelling without sound pushed filmmakers to find new ways to tell stories and communicate ideas.

This list is an attempt to highlight the best silent films, not the most historically significant ones. That’s not to say there’s not overlap, or that historical context can’t play a part in greatness, just that it wasn’t a sole qualifying factor. There are plenty of gems and highly influential titles not on this list, and you never know what will rise up from an archive somewhere, so don’t be afraid to explore. And if you have a chance to see a silent film in the theater with live accompaniment, take it.

[needfulthings]

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/1358/9E9rsU.jpg

[divemaster]

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/06/the-100-best-silent-films-of-all-time.html?a=1

This list is an attempt to highlight the best silent films, not the most historically significant ones....

Silent Films, huh? Haven't seen all that many; from memory, here's what I've seen:

Battleship Potemkin
The Birth of a Nation
Robin Hood
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Phantom of the Opera
Nosferatu
Metropolis
Diary of a Lost Girl
Pandora’s Box
The General
and several of Ozu's silent films; A Story of Floating Weeds and I Was Born, But... being my favorites

All of these I would rate as 4 or 5 stars; these are great films!

So recently (like within the last 2 months), I've been on a Cecil B. de Mille silent film kick. I've seen:

Don't Change Your Husband
The Golden Chance
Male and Female
Old Wives for New
The Whispering Chorus
Why Change Your Wife?
Miss Lulu Bett (I believe Cecil produced this for his brother)

I very much enjoyed all of these.

Recommendations welcome.

[mae]

Definitely see some of the Top 30 in the list above: The Big Parade, Greed, Sunrise, The Passion of Joan of Arc, The Crowd, Faust, The Man Who Laughs...

[needfulthings]

Anything with Lon Chaney!
http://imageshack.com/a/img661/7844/LOiBMj.jpg
and if you find LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT...LET ME KNOW.

[Theli]

Anything with Lon Chaney!
http://imageshack.com/a/img661/7844/LOiBMj.jpg
and if you find LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT...LET ME KNOW.

And let Ted Turner know so he can finally actually share it with the world on TCM!

[needfulthings]

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/4550/vxQOTH.jpg

[Theli]

Fantastic! Browning also re-adapted the film later (so far as I understand) as Mark of the Vampire starring Lugosi and Lionel Barrymore. A fun little flick.

[needfulthings]

http://imageshack.com/a/img911/9123/YiTtNn.jpg

[Theli]

You somehow always manage to exceed my expectations!

[mae]

If anyone is paying attention, countries have started announcing their submissions for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. A full list will be announced in October (a record 83 countries submitted last year), and a nine-title shortlist will be announced in December.

There are already some strong contenders, I think, at least on paper as far as reviews and trailers. I would highlight five at this point: Goodnight Mommy (Austria), Wolf Totem (China), Son of Saul (Hungary), Arabian Nights (Portugal), and A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden).

I'm a huge foreign film fan so this period of the awards season is always exciting!

[fernandito]

The Lobster will probably be Greece's submission.

90% sure.

[mae]

Isn't it in English?

[Heather19]

I've been super curious about Goodnight Mommy for awhile. I'm hoping it gets released in a theater nearby.

[Still Servant]

I'm most familiar with Goodnight Mommy. I've heard some good things.

[Mattrick]

I only care about Best Foreign Film when Canada loses in the category! RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE

[mae]

I'm most familiar with Goodnight Mommy. I've heard some good things.

I posted a trailer which is amazing in the Trailers thread not too long ago.

[Still Servant]

I'm most familiar with Goodnight Mommy. I've heard some good things.

I posted a trailer which is amazing in the Trailers thread not too long ago.

Yeah, that's where I first heard about it.

:lol:

[mae]

Brazil just nominated The Second Mother (a trailer was also posted in the Trailers thread), and that looks great as well and has been receiving good buzz, including from Leonard Maltin.

[mae]

So the official Foreign Language Oscar list just came out:

http://www.oscars.org/news/81-countries-competition-2015-foreign-language-film-oscar

Eighty-one countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 88th Academy Awards®. Paraguay is a first-time entrant.

The 2015 submissions are:

Afghanistan, "Utopia," Hassan Nazer, director;

Albania, "Bota," Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci, directors;

Algeria, "Twilight of Shadows," Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina, director;

Argentina, "The Clan," Pablo Trapero, director;

Australia, "Arrows of the Thunder Dragon," Greg Sneddon, director;

Austria, "Goodnight Mommy," Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, directors;

Bangladesh, "Jalal’s Story," Abu Shahed Emon, director;

Belgium, "The Brand New Testament," Jaco Van Dormael, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, "Our Everyday Story," Ines Tanović, director;

Brazil, "The Second Mother," Anna Muylaert, director;

Bulgaria, "The Judgment," Stephan Komandarev, director;

Cambodia, "The Last Reel," Sotho Kulikar, director;

Canada, "Félix and Meira," Maxime Giroux, director;

Chile, "The Club," Pablo Larraín, director;

China, "Go Away Mr. Tumor," Han Yan, director;

Colombia, "Embrace of the Serpent," Ciro Guerra, director;

Costa Rica, "Imprisoned," Esteban Ramírez, director;

Croatia, "The High Sun," Dalibor Matanić, director;

Czech Republic, "Home Care," Slavek Horak, director;

Denmark, "A War," Tobias Lindholm, director;

Dominican Republic, "Sand Dollars," Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas, directors;

Estonia, "1944," Elmo Nüganen, director;

Ethiopia, "Lamb," Yared Zeleke, director;

Finland, "The Fencer," Klaus Härö, director;

France, "Mustang," Deniz Gamze Ergüven, director;

Georgia, "Moira," Levan Tutberidze, director;

Germany, "Labyrinth of Lies," Giulio Ricciarelli, director;

Greece, "Xenia," Panos H. Koutras, director;

Guatemala, "Ixcanul," Jayro Bustamante, director;

Hong Kong, "To the Fore," Dante Lam, director;

Hungary, "Son of Saul," László Nemes, director;

Iceland, "Rams," Grímur Hákonarson, director;

India, "Court," Chaitanya Tamhane, director;

Iran, "Muhammad: The Messenger of God," Majid Majidi, director;

Iraq, "Memories on Stone," Shawkat Amin Korki, director;

Ireland, "Viva," Paddy Breathnach, director;

Israel, "Baba Joon," Yuval Delshad, director;

Italy, "Don't Be Bad," Claudio Caligari, director;

Ivory Coast, "Run," Philippe Lacôte, director;

Japan, "100 Yen Love," Masaharu Take, director;

Jordan, "Theeb," Naji Abu Nowar, director;

Kazakhstan, "Stranger," Yermek Tursunov, director;

Kosovo, "Babai," Visar Morina, director;

Kyrgyzstan, "Heavenly Nomadic," Mirlan Abdykalykov, director;

Latvia, "Modris," Juris Kursietis, director;

Lebanon, "Void," Naji Bechara, Jad Beyrouthy, Zeina Makki, Tarek Korkomaz, Christelle

Ighniades, Maria Abdel Karim, Salim Haber, directors;

Lithuania, "The Summer of Sangaile," Alanté Kavaïté, director;

Luxembourg, "Baby (A)lone," Donato Rotunno, director;

Macedonia, "Honey Night," Ivo Trajkov, director;

Malaysia, "Men Who Save the World," Liew Seng Tat, director;

Mexico, "600 Miles," Gabriel Ripstein, director;

Montenegro, "You Carry Me," Ivona Juka, director;

Morocco, "Aida," Driss Mrini, director;

Nepal, "Talakjung vs Tulke," Basnet Nischal, director;

Netherlands, "The Paradise Suite," Joost van Ginkel, director;

Norway, "The Wave," Roar Uthaug, director;

Pakistan, "Moor," Jami, director;

Palestine, "The Wanted 18," Amer Shomali, Paul Cowan, directors;

Paraguay, "Cloudy Times," Arami Ullón, director;

Peru, "NN," Héctor Gálvez, director;

Philippines, "Heneral Luna," Jerrold Tarog, director;

Poland, "11 Minutes," Jerzy Skolimowski, director;

Portugal, "Arabian Nights – Volume 2, The Desolate One," Miguel Gomes, director;

Romania, "Aferim!" Radu Jude, director;

Russia, "Sunstroke," Nikita Mikhalkov, director;

Serbia, "Enclave," Goran Radovanović, director;

Singapore, "7 Letters," Royston Tan, Kelvin Tong, Eric Khoo, Jack Neo, Tan Pin Pin,

Boo Junfeng, K. Rajagopal, directors;

Slovakia, "Goat," Ivan Ostrochovský, director;

Slovenia, "The Tree," Sonja Prosenc, director;

South Africa, "The Two of Us," Ernest Nkosi, director;

South Korea, "The Throne," Lee Joon-ik, director;

Spain, "Flowers," Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga, directors;

Sweden, "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence," Roy Andersson, director;

Switzerland, "Iraqi Odyssey," Samir, director;

Taiwan, "The Assassin," Hou Hsiao-hsien, director;

Thailand, "How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)," Josh Kim, director;

Turkey, "Sivas," Kaan Müjdeci, director;

United Kingdom, "Under Milk Wood," Kevin Allen, director;

Uruguay, "A Moonless Night," Germán Tejeira, director;

Venezuela, "Gone with the River," Mario Crespo, director;

Vietnam, "Jackpot," Dustin Nguyen, director.


The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

[mae]

Looks like China dropped Wolf Totem in favor of some obscure romcom with no chance... Weird.

I still need to do more research but at this point I'd single out these as my picks for the January shortlist:

Goodnight Mommy (Austria)
The Second Mother (Brazil)
Mustang (France)
Son of Saul (Hungary)
Rams (Iceland)
Court (India)
Arabian Nights (Portugal)
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden)
The Assassin (Taiwan)


With the following other possibilities: The Clan (Argentina), The Summer of Sangailė (Lithuania), and Aferim! (Romania).

Son of Saul is a lock to win.

[mae]

And every trailer is here: http://thefilmstage.com/features/your-guide-to-the-81-best-foreign-language-film-2016-oscar-contenders/

[mae]

One of the most epic films ever made is coming back in a new restoration in theaters and on blu-ray:

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=19532

The British Film Institute has confirmed the release date for the upcoing Blu-ray release of Abel Gance's epic silent film Napoléon (1927), newly digitally restored by Photoplay Productions and the BFI National Archive, as November 21.

The film will have its premiere screening, with a live performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra of Carl Davis' score (the longest ever composed for a silent film), on 6 November at the Royal Festival Hall. It will be released in cinemas by the BFI from November 11.

Abel Gance's heroic depiction of the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte has long been hailed as a landmark in cinema history. Reconstructed after decades of painstaking work by film historian Kevin Brownlow, the film has developed a legendary status. Featuring ground-breaking technical innovations – including its famous triptych finale – and an epic running time of 5 ½ hours, the film's exclusive availability on 35mm has limited it to a rare number of (highly popular) screenings.

This definitive restoration (with music recorded in 7.1) presents Gance's masterpiece in all its glory and is a must-see on either the big screen or small screen this autumn.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgyLwF_i5oY

[zelig]

I don't know how I missed this thread. Just noticed it now with pablo's last post bumping it. I've been a fan of foreign movies for a long time. Some of the best films I've seen.

It made be go back and check my list and come up with some of my favorites. I'm sure there's more but this is what I came up with. I've included movies that may be in the English language, but were not made in the USA. Loved them all, but the starred ones are my absolute favorites.

Anything by Pedro Almodovar.
Amélie
Amores Perros (**)
Babette's Feast
Battle Royale
Black Orpheus
Cinema Paradiso
City of God (**)
Contempt
Dead Mans Shoes (**)
Grave of the Fireflies
IP Man I & II
Jean de Florette
Manon of the Spring (**)
La Belle Noiseuse
Les Destines
Let the Right one In (**)
Leon: The Professional
Life is Beautiful
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Monsoon Wedding
Muriel's Wedding (**)
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Il Postino
Rabbit Proof Fence
Salaam Bombay!
Sex and Lucia
Walkabout (**)
Y Tu Mama Tambien

[Jean]

wow, there are some on that list that bears haven't watched http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_thumb.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bear_thumb.gif.html)http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_thumb.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bear_thumb.gif.html)http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_thumb.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bear_thumb.gif.html)

[zelig]

Which ones?

[Jean]

Many, almost half the list.
I anticipate a feast (if I can find the films, that is) http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif.html)

[zelig]

Oh man, you're in for a treat. Hope you enjoy them, I know we can all have different tastes. If you watch any, post back what you thought.

[Jean]

I will!! http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearheart.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bearheart.gif.html)
(now that bears got back to posting, there's no stopping them...)

and - I see Amélie on the list, but no Delicatessen or La cité des enfants perdus
is it that you didn't see them or didn't like them?

[zelig]

I have a vague memory of watching both of those, but just can't remember how I felt about them. I have a feeling I didn't much care for La cité des enfants perdus. Might have to watch them again some time to refresh my memory.

[Jean]

do it! do it!!! http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/awake.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/awake.gif.html)

[killjoy72]

Nice list Paul. Have you seen any of Guillermo Del Toro's Spanish films (Cronos, Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth)? The latter two are excellent and are personal fave's of mine.