Support NeoGAF

[pjberri]

Some of my favourites out of what I've seen over the last year:

Sympathy For Mr Vengeance

It had some problematic aspects, like pacing, but I really like the characters and found it to be quite a visceral experience, especially the excellent use of sound.

The Magician

Australian mockumentary about a hitman. A film student follows around a hitman in Melbourne, Australia, filming his hits and having casual conversation with him, with an agreement that the film can't be released until the death of said hitman.

Osoi Hito (Late Bloomer)

Story about a disabled Japanese man who goes on a homicidal rampage when his female university student helper refuses to have sex with him after he sends her a fax saying "can I have just one fuck?". Fascinating portrayal of Sumida, the disabled man, the director (Shibata Go) made the film with him and tried to make something that depict disabled people realistically and in a non-patronizing manner. Shibata came to the screening I saw, told us about how he was homeless for a period of time, and claims his next movie is sci-fi porn. :lol

3-Iron/Bin Jip (Empty House)

I don't know why I like this, I just found it really enjoyable to watch. It's about a guy who breaks into peoples' houses while they are on holiday, but instead of looting he resides in them, and fixes and cleans their stuff. In one of the houses he meets a victim of domestic abuse, who joins him and whose husband antagonises the main character.

 

[Nostrildamus]

Unfortunately, neither have R1 releases as far as I know.

 

[Peru]

Bin-Jip / 3-iron is beautiful. It's a very sweet, calm tale of breaking free from the prison of everyday chores and monotonous daily life. Fantastic photography, sublte performances from the actors.

 

[En-ou]

Life is Beautiful

if you haven't seen this yet, shame on you!!

 

[karasu]

Since the classics have been reccomended already, here's are a few recent ones.

Once Upon A Time in High School

A Bittersweet Life

 

[enjoy bell woods]

See, now I can get this movie without worrying that I didn't do enough research about to satisfy enjoy bell woods.

I don't really think my post was that objectionable. It's a pretty braindead thing to just spend tons of money on things you know nothing about.

 

[VALIS]

Yeah, Sexy Beast was a lot of fun. Ben Kingsley fucking owns everything he's in.

 

[ForzaItalia]

Not to be confused with the horrible American remake starring Bridget Fonda

 

[ghibli99]

I really liked this film... sure, it was derivative, but it was executed extremely well.

 

[sefskillz]

Yeah, Sexy Beast was a lot of fun. Ben Kingsley fucking owns everything he's in.

bloodrayne ftw

 

[Chittagong]

Not exactly a movie, but awesome nevetheless

 

[Triumph]

ending still shocked me although i saw it a couple of times. very nicely shot and excellent actors.

I saw that years ago in the theatre, but is there a region one dvd release?

 

[sefskillz]

Not exactly a movie, but awesome nevetheless

Is there any word on a release date for part 2 region 1? I picked up part 1 and I'm having a tough time waiting for 2.

 

[Chittagong]

Is there any word on a release date for part 2 region 1? I picked up part 1 and I'm having a tough time waiting for 2.

That box is I+II and has been out for quite a while. Not sure if II will be out separately, though.

EDIT: Sorry, noticed you were talking R1. No idea

 

[MadraptorMan]

Nobody Knows was such a sad film.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

sweet i saw a trailer for Nobody Knows on IFC and then forgot the name now I can pick it up thanks GAF .

 

[HyperZone<3]

Holy crap! There's a lot more good taste floating around here then I originally expected. A big pat on the back to pretty much everyone in this thread. Since I don't want to be redundant to the many great films already posted, I'll chip in one of the finest film triology's of all time(seriously).

The 90's Gamera Trilogy are easily the best films ever made involving dudes in rubber suits beating the crap out of each other. The first film is a genuinely charming homage to the giant monster epics of the 60's and 70's, only done with shockingly compentent special effects and direction. Despite being about something as inherently cheesy as giant monsters, the films don't shy away from the social and collateral damage that would result from behomethos battling each other within a major city. The sequels rachet it up several notches, culminating in Gamera 3, which would have easily scored an R-rating if it ever saw theatrical release in the states.
Maybe not great art, but they are great fun.
And another one for people who can't bring themselves to rent a film that involves Steven Seagal's daughter in a principal role(not joking).

Really awesome crime flick. Ignore the awful cover and enjoy the great story about a deeply embedded undercover cop and police mole, both of whom are trying to avoid detection and root the other out.

Head scratching mystery/character study with lots of hot naked french lady. Odd, but pretty good.

Italian productions, all of em. And Ennio Morricone has NEVER won an Oscar, can you believe that crap! The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly by itself is so freaking awesome that it makes its predecessors look crappy, which they aren't even close to, but its awesomeness can't be understated.

The very best horror/period piece/mystery/kickboxing/costume drama ever made, and really mean that.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

Just a classic.

I've got a copy of that downloaded from the Internet Archive, I really need to carve out a little time to watch it. I'm dying to see the baby carriage scene. M is another one I have high on my list to watch too.

 

[Timbuktu]

Out of what i've seen last year (there would be too many choices otherwise):

Only WKW's 'The Hand' is worth watching out of the three

 

[HyperZone<3]

Crap, now I'm really jealous at Timbuktu's ability to see a bunch of neat HK films. Johnnie To is gol-dern-amazing.

 

[speedpop]

Uh, the cover makes it look kind of schlocky, but it's actually a really sharp thriller / police procedural type film. It's pretty funny at times too. Very smart, very entertaining.

The cover we got (Australia) fucking rocks, with both detectives looking very tired and weary at the camera.

 

[monkeymagic]

Great fucking thread.

My little contribution

A tale of two sisters:

Koroshiya 1:

 

[Solo]

There is no way in hell Im wasting the time to post cover art.

Anyways, heres just a few of my favorites:


Brazil:

Meirelles, Fernando: City Of God (2002), The Constant Gardener (2005)


China:

Woo, John: The Killer (1989), Hard-Boiled (1992)
Yimou, Zhang: Raise The Red Lantern (1991), Hero (2002)


France:

Kieslowski, Kryzysztof: Three Colors: Red (1994)
Melville, Jean Pierre: Le Samourai (1967), The Red Circle (1970)


Germany:

Hirschbiegel, Oliver: Downfall (2004)
Lang, Fritz: M (1931), The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse (1933)


Japan:

Kurosawa, Akira: Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne Of Blood (1957), Ran (1985)
Okamoto, Kihachi: Sword Of Doom (1966)


Korea:

Ji-Woon, Kim: A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003), A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Ki-Duk, Kim: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring (2003), 3-Iron (2004)
Park, Chan-Wook: Joint Security Area (2000), Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), Sympathy For Lady Vengeance (2005) (favorite director working today, his next two pictures sound... interesting, to say the least)

 

[shuri]

The sequel to City of God. It's actually a mini series. Season 4 is airing. 4 episodes of 35 minutes each seasons. It's awesome.

 

[silvon]

 

[Star Power]

 

[broadwayrock]

 

[Raiden]

Belgium powah!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374345/

 

[Forsete]

The only really good movies made in Sweden.

Two movies.

Utvandrarna (1971) - The Emigrants
Nybyggarna (1972) - The New Land

Based on the 4 novels written by the kick arse author and historian Vilhelm Moberg, directed by Jan Troell.

Just recently released on DVD in Sweden.
Now please release Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

The sequel to City of God. It's actually a mini series. Season 4 is airing. 4 episodes of 35 minutes each seasons. It's awesome.

oh SHIZ whats the series about? Just goes into their younger days in more detail or something?

 

[Outdoor Miner]

This is thread of the year so far in 2006. Very very awesome! My netflix queue probably will double in size when all is said and done. I've been wanting to see alot of the Asian selections mentioned here, but couldn't recall alot of the names. Yay!

I've just started getting seriously into foreign films over the past year or so, and the ones that stood out the most were The Seventh Seal (Bergman), Ran (Kurosawa), and Amarcord (Fellini) for me.

I've seen three films by Fellini, and Amarcord was the first, so maybe that's why it's remained my favorite. Such a joy to watch, and from what I've seen, the easiest film of this director's to digest. You can tell from viewing the film that it was made with a real fondness/love for the town and it's characters. So many memorable things in this one. I think it'll remain my fav Fellini film for some time.

I saw Aguirre: Wrath of God and loved it. Kinski absolutely overpowers that film, my god what a character! I really need to check some more Herzog/Kinski out.

 

[sefskillz]

speaking of netflix, i'd like to get more people on my friend list with similar interests... sefskillz at gmail dot com for friend requests.

 

[Dan]

Hmm... so much has been mentioned... so for something different:

If you haven't seen this yet, get on it. Very cool.

speaking of netflix, i'd like to get more people on my friend list with similar interests... sefskillz at gmail dot com for friend requests.

Not sure about similar interests, but I added you. I'll let you determine my taste's relevance.

 

[madara]

Glad to see alot of my choices in here I like also give nod to Wild Reeds and Come Undone.( A Beautiful Thing and Get Real in same gay genre I enjoyed as well)
I loved Swimming Pool, a quiet little movie with an incredibly hot blonde. and film that messes with your head. Crimson Rivers,apparently a very B foreign movie, yet if this is otherside's B movies I'll taken them any day over ours. I found it to be eerie, creepy, and abit shocking, everything todays scary games and movies is not without much use of gore or blood.
I liked HK action flick So Close. Yes again abit on B side but two leads were just fantastic in every way and some scenes were filmed in ways I never seen before. If anyone knows more HK films like this tell me! Special nod to Humanite`, nothing I could ever watch again it just unnerved me too much but brillant acting.

 

[Dan]

I liked HK action flick So Close. Yes again abit on B side but two leads were just fantastic in every way and some scenes were filmed in ways I never seen before. If anyone knows more HK films like this tell me!

A bit? It's like Hong Kong's Charlie's Angels. I saw a midnight showing of it though, and it was somewhat entertaining in that atmosphere.

 

[shuri]

oh SHIZ whats the series about? Just goes into their younger days in more detail or something?

No the two guys on the cover play two different characters, and it happens in a different neiberhood of the City of God. There's a few characters from the movie that have extended cameos or have actual parts in certain episodes, which is really damn cool.

It's exactly shot in the same way that the movie was done; it's not a cheap cash in at all, it feels like an extended middle part of the movie that follows the story of two kids. It's really good because it goes more into the social aspects of living there without getting preachy. It's really.

I watched the first episode while having dinner, paused to clean up and watched both seasons in a single shot :lol It's that good!

It's out in R2, so you will have to import it at amazon.co.uk , link, and it's really worth it

 

[enjoy bell woods]

I watched Les Paraplouies de Cherbourg in my French class last year. It was so awesome.

 

[Flynn]

Speaking of Amelie, where's the Region One release of this movie? It's disgusting and sad and hilarious all at once. It also has, hands down, the best opening credit sequence I've ever seen.

It comes out in May!

Thank Miramax's shitty buy and lose acquisition philosophy for that one.

Some of my favorite foreign flicks:

Gozilla (original cut): I know it's trashy, but man is the first movie great when seen in its original language. There's a heartbreaking scene with an old lady on a train who basically says, "I survived Nagasaki and now this!" I can see why they didn't think that bit of commentary wouldn't play with U.S. audiences.

The Passenger: I know it barely counts because its in English and stars American actors, but it's a foreign flick at heart. A must see if only for the final shot.

Blackmail is My Life: Like many heathens I discovered Kinji Fukasaku through Battle Royal, but his early Yakuza flicks are so damn lively and tragic.

Dirty Ho: Okay, more lowbrow fare, but Dirty Ho is such a delightful kung fu farce, that it's got to be seen. Gordon Liu is a riot as a kung fu master whose style is to appear as not to be fighting at all. I've been on a Shaw Bros. kick lately, and this is easily one of the best I've seen so far.

Swept Away: Giancarlo Gianinni is spot on as a hang-dog loser who gets his revenge on a headstrong woman when they're stranded on an island. Almost everything I've seen starring Giancarlo has been great (at least his foreign stuff).

Twilight Samurai: I'm seconding the suggestion, but I think the description of the flick as a good example of realistic swordplay is a bit of a disservice. It's true, but it's more than that. It redefines the samurai genre the same way Unforgiven changed the western. The protagonist is sad, but still the samurai hero we've all come to love.

High and Low: It's both a procedural cop drama and a stern criticism of men who call themselves leaders. Man did Ron Howard miss the point of this flick when he made Ransom.

Day of the Beast: If you haven't seen anything by Alex De Iglesias he's worth checking out. Sadly, there's not a DVD out yet (in any region) with subtitles. The flick is an antichrist movie with a haggard priest and a death metal fan as the protagonists. Funny and creepy. Skip 800 Balas. Not his best work.

Il Posto: Solid Italian neo-realism about a poor kid who takes a job at a local office. No real plot, but an amazing slice of life -- the kind of thing you rarely see accomplished in film any more. Also see Umberto D.

 

[ghibli99]

To Live - Overwhelmingly crushing at times, yet manages to shine with a sense of optimism against incredible odds. One of my favorites from the '90s.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Has Battle Royale been released in North America? I'm assuming it has since the boxart was in English. I've looked all over for a copy but haven't had any luck. Any suggestions?

 

[Wafflecopter]

Out of what i've seen last year (there would be too many choices otherwise):

Only WKW's 'The Hand' is worth watching out of the three

Could you put the names under the Japanese/Chinese ones? Thanks.

 

[RobotChant]

The Return

Maborosi

Ratcatcher

Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Josee, The Tiger And The Fish

 

[Wollan]

Buddy. My favorite Norwegian film and among my all time favorites(it has won several European awards).
It's basically just a romantic drama with comedic elements but it's insanely heartwarm honest movie. The plot relies around 3 young-men sharing apartement and then they get a 4th person, a young lady(already in a relationship.). The boys keep taping video-diaries of their day to day happenings and soon enough they get a deal with a tv-channel to have a segment in a popular show. Of course the main character falls in love with their new room-mate and things complicate.
It perfectly catches the atmosphere of living in Oslo(Norways capital) and just makes your day. Highly, highly recommended.

 

[Flynn]

Has Battle Royale been released in North America? I'm assuming it has since the boxart was in English. I've looked all over for a copy but haven't had any luck. Any suggestions?

Tartan released an all-region, NTSC version in the UK.

 

[tree fiddy]

Beautiful cinematography by the legendary Christopher Doyle. One of my favorite movies ever.

The definitive Tarkovsky film. Really, really gorgeous.

Great taste.

Starts off slow but gets really, really good.

Hakuchi: The Innocent
My favorite Japanese film of all time. Unfortunately, I don't think it's ever been released outside of Asia(or possibly even Japan).

Kekexili.
Not sure if this one will ever reach North America. It just has to be seen.

 

[nitewulf]

off the top of my head, plenty more classics i love but cant recall them at the moment:

 

[COCKLES]

Good little French film I stumbled across on a bored sunday afternoon at the Prince Charles in London a few years ago:-

The Spanish Apartment. About a group of Erusamus (exchange program) students studying in Barcolona. Very funny and charming movie. The English girl and her boozy stereotypical brother who comes to visit and hilarious.

So you can imagine I how delighted I was when I got talking to a French girl a few weeks ago and she revealed that there was actually a sequel made. WTF?! I didn't know there was a sequel ?!?! Set in Russia called the Russian Dolls featuring the same cast and characters. Thank god for Amazon france!

 

[Morts]

Awesome suspense with one of the best fight scenes I've ever seen:

Directed by the producer of "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels"; doesn't try to be as funny but really thrilling with British drug dealers:

 

[Dan]

Ah. I saw Company a couple years ago and was really pleased. It was really cool to see the main guy's rise and fall in lengthy detail. It had a certain epic yet personal quality that was great.

 

[Prince]

very well made film, modern romance touching racism in japan.

beautifully shot drama.

a must see !