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One of foreign language films that I really admire is Fritz Lang's "M." Even if I'm just flipping channels, I get completely mesmerized by how Lang captures the total despair of Berlin during the Depression. It really makes you appreciate the depths to which the country had sunk when the Nazis came to power.

It's a movie to watch again (and again). The scene with Peter Lorre finally cornered is terrifying, and he is unforgettable.

The Last Mistress was one of the most interesting movies I saw this year.

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Definitely Resnais' 'Muriel', which follows 'Last Year at Marienbad', both with magnificent use of the superb and luminous Delphine Seyrig. Alain Robbe-Grillet wrote the script for the high-fashion super-sexy 'Marienbad', focussing on his famous surfaces and serialism. In 'Muriel', you can see the influence of R-G still, but also that he's gone. It requires a good number of viewings, and is a strange movie by any measure. If not for my adoration of Delphine, I wouldn't have kept at it. She's dressed dowdily in this one, but gets to go back to gorgeousness in 'Les Baiser Volees', one of Truffaut's Antoine Doinel movies, and which some consider his best.

A little later,I'm going to write a brief note about Resnais's magnificent lavish filmed operetta 'Pas Sur ls Bouche' on my old 'scores for musical shows, which was never released theatrically in the U.S. as far as I know. I saw it at the French Film Festival at the Walter Reade Theater. It's stunning, from 2003, and is finally on DVD, I'll put a link to Amazon, where you can get it. I plan to watch it again in a week or two now that there is access to it finally.

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Almost anything by Pedro Almodovar

Definitely his "Law of Desire" (1987), for which Mr. almodovar said:

" It's the key film in my life and career. It deals with my vision of desire, something that's both very hard and very human. By this I mean the absolute necessity of being desired and the fact that in the interplay of desires it's rare that two desires meet and correspond"

and of course, "High Heels" (1991), an interpretative tour de force for two essential actresses of the "Almodovarian universe": Marisa Paredes and Victoria Abril.

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I saw Andrzej Wajda's "Katyn", Wajda's depiction and rumination on the mass murder of Polish army officers by the Soviet secret police in 1940. It is remarkable in many ways, including in the great performances and Krzysztof Penderecki's superb, searing score, but mostly in that it doesn't tie up every story.

David Denby's review in The New Yorker is here:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cine...ci_cinema_denby

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Definitely his "Law of Desire" (1987), for which Mr. almodovar said:

" It's the key film in my life and career. It deals with my vision of desire, something that's both very hard and very human. By this I mean the absolute necessity of being desired and the fact that in the interplay of desires it's rare that two desires meet and correspond"

Thanks for that quote. Law of Desire is a great movie. It’s my favorite Almodovar, and it’s nice to know that its creator thinks as highly of it as I do. :innocent:

I saw Andrzej Wajda's "Katyn", Wajda's depiction and rumination on the mass murder of Polish army officers by the Soviet secret police in 1940.

Couldn’t quite steel myself for that one, but I do intend to see it one of these days. I did see Gomorrah recently, a good picture about the contemporary Italian mafia in the multiple-story form a la Traffic that seems to be so popular these days, but it didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had from some of the glowing reviews.

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I just recently watched the Japanese movie THE LAST PRINCESS which is a big budget, summer blockbuster-esque remake of the classic Kurosawa film HIDDEN FORTRESS. While it's not great and has notable problems (or at least definciencies) it's surprisingly watchable for a Kurosawa remake. At its heart, it's a different movie with the same plot.

Somewhat recent other movies: THE CHASER (Korea) is my favorite movie of the past several years. Unbelievable and not surprisng that Leonardo DiCaprio has picked up the remake rights.

SECRET SUNSHINE was an absolute masterpiece by master director Lee Chang-dong. At first blush, it's a child kidnapping movie, but it very quickly grows past that and becomes much much more.

DACHIMAWA LEE is from CRYING FIST Director Ryo Seung-wan and while not as amazing as CRYING FIST (one of my favorites) it's quite enjoyable.

RED CLIFF 1 and 2 is interesting and far above John WOo's output in the US but not nearly a return to form.

SAYONARA ANATA is a curious little film. FUndamentally it's yet another body-switch movie and the first half of the movie is pretty much what you'd expect, elevated by the wonderful performacnes by the two young leads. It grows into a much more fervent and powerful film in the second half and ther was a moment that did send a chill down my spine (in pathos not fear).

I JUST DIDN'T DO IT is from SHALL WE DANSU director Suo Masayuki and is a very interesting film pointedly taking a jab at the Japanese judicial system. Really interesting and very frustrating!

MAY 18TH is about the Kwangju massacre. I didn't know veyr much about the incident (except that it happened) prior to the movie. Afterwards, those days are etched into my mind. DIps a bit far into the melodrama/heartstring-puling at times, but for the most part works quite well.

BRONSON: Wow. Watching it, i felt almost physically reaction; the film is really that powerful. Hopefully this will get a US release.

A MAN WHO WAS SUPERMAN is an ok film that wins because it has its heart so firmly in place. The two leads are so charismatic and so perfectly in tuen with the roles that you can't help but be won over. Feels like the US film MICHAEL or K_PAX. Very touching and appropos ending.

THE VALET is pretty obvious comedy but works so well b/c it doesn't dissolve into the same old cliches and the principals are likable! This is in contrast to US comedies (seemingly) where the main characters are just dislikable jerks. Gad Elmaleh is just tone-perfect.

PRICELESS with Audrey Tautou is one of the better rom-coms of the year (well of the year it was made which was a cuple of years ago)! When it begins, you have a very good sense of how this is going to work out: golddigging girl with the heart of gold, poor bartender at the hotel, girl mistakes guy for a rich guy, comedy ensues! Well, yes, but no, b/c the writers are ahead of you; it begins with that, reveals the truth very early and the proceeds to become a very sharp, humorous film. Gad Elmaleh and Audrey Tautou can charm even the most hardened hearts,i think.

MON MEILLEURE AMI - I'll watch anything that Patrice Leconte directs and if it stars Daniel AUteuil, all thebetter. While the US trailers made it seem like it's a comedy, it certainly is not and is very effective in exploring friendships and particularly man-man friendship (dare we even say, "Love"?).

Some legacy titles that you might not have seen:

Lee Chang-dong ouevre: (must see)

PEPPERMINT CANDY

GREEN FISH

OASIS

Iwai Shunji ouevre:

Love Letter

Swallowtail Butterfly

Hana and Alice (which has perhaps one of the most beautiful ballet moments in film)

April Story

Fireworks

Picnic

All About Lily CHou-Chou

Undo

Kitano:

Hana-bi

Sontatine

Kikujiro no Natsu

Kids Return

A Scene at the Sea (where the principals are mute and deaf!)

Kim Ki-duk

SPring Summer Fall Winter SPring Again

3-Iron

Samaritan Girl (aka Samaria)

Time

Breath

Dream

My Sassy Girl (Korean not the US Remake)

My Little Bride

...ING (which includes clips from Ferri's Giselle b/c it's the lead girls FAVORITE ballet)

Be With You - one of the most beautiful, tender love stories i've ever seen, based on the book of the same name.

The Last Present - Made me think of Gift of the Magi

well, that's all for now.

-goro-

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From the Seattle International Film Festival:

Still Walking -- Japan, Kore-eda Hirokazu, director. The description in the official SIFF guide is "[A] Yokohama family reunion to commemorate the death of a son sparks an intergeneration conflict that threatens to erupt." That I'd add "but doesn't" in a rather casual, often funny and wry, food-filled atmosphere that depicts the everyday annoyances of family life and blending families, makes it as gut-wrenching as a Bergman family drama. And people say that Jewish mothers are rough.

While waiting in line for the ballet yesterday, I heard one women tell another about her son's upcoming marriage, and from what she left out, I could discern her lack of enthusiasm. I felt like I was right back in the movie.

Sugisball -- Estonia, Veiko Ounpuu, director. The transition to post-Berlin Wall society in the guise of Yuppie existentialist crisis, contrasting with a working class guy. The director does not have sympathy.

La Cienaga ("The Swamp") -- Argentina, Lucrecia Martel, director. A depiction of internal class rot that makes you feel the sweltering heat through the screen.

Snow -- Bosnia/Herzegovina/Germany/France/Iran, Aida Begic, director. The story of the mainly female survivors in a Bosnian village, where of all of the men, only a village elder and a young boy survive the war in the mid-90's. While it's not a light movie, it's also not a holocaust movie.

We started to see what looked like a very fine movie from Iran called "About Elly" from director Asghar Farhadi, but somewhere around the second reel, a few audience members managed to convince the powers that be that the movie was being shown in the wrong sequence, having been spliced together incorrectly between its first showing at a different theater and the Wednesday night screening. After 20 minutes, we were told that they couldn't fix it, but could continue where they left off -- my friend and I thought that the director was perhaps experimenting with narrative sequences -- and we decided to bail. I hope this gets a release.

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Attention Flamenco fans: In addition to his Flamenco Trilogy, Carlos Saura made a film called Flamenco, which is a documentary with some of the most fantastic singers and dancers on film.

Also, Los Taratos, directed by Francisco Rovira Beleta. It is a Gipsy setting of Romeo and Juliet, with a powerful performance by Carmen Amaya, and a very young Antonio Gades.

Some of my favorites have already been mentioned here...Pan's Laybrinth, everything by Kurosawa. I'll add Jean de Florette, and especially the sequel, Manon of the Spring, dr. Claude Berri, Whale Rider, Niki Caro, Angels and Insects, Philip Haas Camille Claudel, Bruno Nuytten.

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Attention Flamenco fans: In addition to his Flamenco Trilogy, Carlos Saura made a film called Flamenco, which is a documentary with some of the most fantastic singers and dancers on film,

According to the Amazon website, the Flamenco DVD "...has been discontinued by the manufacturer." "New and used" copies are available from $79.99. Darn... :D

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Deaths in the family, existential crises, internal class rot, the Bosnian war....now I remember why I don’t go to that many film festivals any more. :)

Attention Flamenco fans: In addition to his Flamenco Trilogy, Carlos Saura made a film called Flamenco, which is a documentary with some of the most fantastic singers and dancers on film.

Thanks for mentioning it, LiLing. I haven’t seen that one for years but I remember it as a terrific movie. Too bad it’s hard to purchase these days.

Quite a list, EvilNinjaX. A lot of intriguing titles. Mon Meilleure Ami sounds good – I’m a big fan of Auteuil.

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Deaths in the family, existential crises, internal class rot, the Bosnian war....now I remember why I don’t go to that many film festivals any more. :)
Attention Flamenco fans: In addition to his Flamenco Trilogy, Carlos Saura made a film called Flamenco, which is a documentary with some of the most fantastic singers and dancers on film.

Thanks for mentioning it, LiLing. I haven’t seen that one for years but I remember it as a terrific movie. Too bad it’s hard to purchase these days.

Quite a list, EvilNinjaX. A lot of intriguing titles. Mon Meilleure Ami sounds good – I’m a big fan of Auteuil.

Apparently Mon Meilleure Ami is going to be remade in the US. I weep. Also OLD BOY is being remade in the US by Spielberg/Will Smith. And the My Sassy Girl and A Tale of Two Sisters remakes were absolutely terrible. best to seek out the originals.

I just watched THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE WEIRD last night. Very... interesting. What's with the Asian westerns these days? Sukiyaki Western Django being the other notable one. They're both good and fun and TGTBatW was very enjoyable with a killer cast, but it doesn't actually have that "western" vibe... although, maybe that's why it was so cool.

-goro-

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Deaths in the family, existential crises, internal class rot, the Bosnian war....now I remember why I don’t go to that many film festivals any more. :)
Attention Flamenco fans: In addition to his Flamenco Trilogy, Carlos Saura made a film called Flamenco, which is a documentary with some of the most fantastic singers and dancers on film.

Thanks for mentioning it, LiLing. I haven’t seen that one for years but I remember it as a terrific movie. Too bad it’s hard to purchase these days.

Quite a list, EvilNinjaX. A lot of intriguing titles. Mon Meilleure Ami sounds good – I’m a big fan of Auteuil.

btw, i notice that the HANA AND ALICE ballet scene clip is on youtube. If you search for "hana and alice the solo dance" you should get it. It's the pinnacle of that plot line and is quite beautiful. The entire movie really touches your heart (as Iwai Shunji is wont to do). Based on a series of COMMERCIALS, of all things.

Now i want to pull out my DVD and watch it again...

-goro-

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I’m a big fan of Auteuil.

Oh, me too, and there are so many good ones, La Separation with Huppert, Un Coeur en Hiver with Emanuelle Beart (to whom he was married), Lucie Aubrac with the stunning Carole Bouquet, Ma Saison Preferee with Deneuve, La Fille Sur le Pont with Vanessa Paradis, and that funny gay thing with him and Depardieu. Le Placard. Lots more than just those--he's stupendous, the son of 2 opera singers, and looks like an opera character with that great nose.

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Anything by Jaques Tati, but especially Traffic (though hard to find)

You remind me that I haven't seen any of Tati's pictures in years. Must rent one or two. I'm surprised Traffic isn't available??

It may be easier than I'm led to think -- a local film group did a small festival a couple summers ago, and I remember some comments about the fuss they went through.

Whatever the trouble, it was wonderful to see those films on a screen (rather than a television) and I was struck again with what a wonderful mover Tati was. It was fascinating to see his character develop over the course of several films.

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Anything by Jaques Tati, but especially Traffic (though hard to find)

You remind me that I haven't seen any of Tati's pictures in years. Must rent one or two. I'm surprised Traffic isn't available??

Mr. Hulot's Holiday was run on one of the old-film channels last week. It was marvellous to see after so many years. I Googled a bit and found the following in a review by Roger Ebert:
When I saw the film a second time, the wonderful thing was, it was like returning to the hotel. It wasn't like I was seeing the film again; it was like I was recognizing the people from last year. There's the old couple again (good, they made it through another year). The waiter (where does he work in the winter?). And the blond girl (still no man in her life; maybe this is the summer that ...)
Wish I'd said that!

I always loved and admired the film. But now that I'm on the old side, I could not believe how wonderful it was to see again. Next on my list: Mon Oncle. Both are more obviously comic and satiric than Tati's first film. But they're not so gentle, serenely paced, and downright lovely as Mr. Hulot's Holiday.

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Yes, Mr. Hulot's Holiday is marvelous; it is like being there, and you just wait for the next 'event' which makes you chuckle contentedly. An English friend of mine and his wife and child stayed in the hotel in 2005, and had the usual halcyon perfect vacation, replete with much summer reading... :P They ate a dessert from the region called Far Pruneaux, sent me the recipe and I made it--delicieux.

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Oh yeah, I forgot my favourite Truffaut film, 'Baisers Volees', one ot the Antoine Doinel films by Truffaut and Godard. Saw it again a few weeks ago, also with my favourite Delphine Seyrig, glorious as ever, and Claude Jade. Also, you get to get to hear Charles Trenet singing during the titles 'Que reste-t-il de nos amours, que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours...' this is usually called 'I Wish You Love' when sung in English, but sounds wonderful here. I'm sure this should remind people of other great Truffaut films, I'm also fond of 'The Last Metro'.

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(...)

Also, Los Taratos, directed by Francisco Rovira Beleta. It is a Gipsy setting of Romeo and Juliet, with a powerful performance by Carmen Amaya, and a very young Antonio Gades.

(...)

Nitpick: it's Los Tarantos, actually. See: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056555/

I suppose Saura's Carmen has already been mentioned.

A good Russian movie would be the mammoth version of War and Peace directed by Sergei Bondarchuk. See http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063794/ Not all the DVD versions are the same, however.

There are battlefield coreographies even, but with battallions of extras on TDY from the Soviet Army, instead of dancers. The ball sections in the Natasha Rostova part are beautiful.

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