Non-BW, Non-HW, Non-Asian Films

[Gori_Ireth]

I had to force myself to watch it. I might have missed some parts but I hated the violence, I hated the whole concept of breaking the law, stealing, hurting people (even her own father) for some idiot boyfriend. It felt completely foreign to me. I could not "feel" what she feels. I could not relate at all.

[Chirpy_Sabz]

any fans of Italian movies? I loooove Fellini!

I have been wanting to see his work. 8 1/2 is the next film to watch on my list or do you think I should watch a different film first?

[Prem Rogue]

Finished up Scenes from a Marriage (TV version) yesterday.  Its a probing yet objective look into a crumbling marriage. 

[annkittenplan]

I was a little intrigued by Japanese Story, since it looked two separate movies, of separate genres, if you compare the first and second half. the first half was like a romantic comedy - I kept wanting them to fall in love, and totally didn't see what was coming. After that the movie totally went in a different direction.

It still worked, which is rare.

agree, except the disconnect between the two halves bugged me, although it was still worth watching.

I just caught Mediterraneo -- a ragtag bunch of Italian soldiers stuck on an idyllic Greek Island for part of World War II.  Beautiful location, shirtless men cavorting, and subtle humor.  Won the 1991 Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

I would recommend Erleuchtung garantiert (Enlightenment Guaranteed), a low-budget (shot on digital video) German film about two brothers who go to Japan and spend time in a Buddhist monastery.  Verry funny, but thought-provoking about holding on/letting go, gaining/losing. 

[veracious]

I would recommend Erleuchtung garantiert (Enlightenment Guaranteed), a low-budget (shot on digital video) German film about two brothers who go to Japan and spend time in a Buddhist monastery.  Verry funny, but thought-provoking about holding on/letting go, gaining/losing. 

That sounds really interesting!

Usually German films can be a bit ..weird, mostly because Germans have such a weird sense of humor but that sounds interesting.

[Dil Bert]

How about TV shows?  The Public Television station in my area (WUNC) played lots of British TV shows when I was growing up, permanently warping my sense of "humour." 

Let's see:
Monty Python -- surreal comedy sketches
The Dave Allen Show -- standup and sketch comedy
Good Neighbors/The Good Life -- a couple goes off the grid in the suburbs
Are You Being Served -- comedy set in department store; check out their teeth!
Faulty Towers -- John Cleese stars as a very bad hotel owner.
The Avengers -- Stylish crime fighters
Dr. Who -- Time travelling adventures
The Prisoner -- Spy trapped on an bizarre island tries to escape.

Edited to add:
a) The Sandbaggers -- tough, taunt espionage in the late 1970's
b) The Tripods -- low-budget SF about an alien-occupied earth which was still enjoyable

even World Cup Soccer/Football

Plus innumerable mini-series, mystery, and gardening shows I hardly ever watched.

I think MTV was showing The Young Ones and other British shows around this time (Red Dwarf?  Black Adder?  Blakes 7?).  I don't know; we didn't get cable.

Currently I'm watching Ripping Yarns, parodies of turn of the century adventure, mystery, etc. stories by some of the people behind Monty Python.

Most of these shows are available on DVD/Netflix if you want to give them a try.

[Prem Rogue]

I like Father Ted.

[Sunny]

I had to force myself to watch it. I might have missed some parts but I hated the violence, I hated the whole concept of breaking the law, stealing, hurting people (even her own father) for some idiot boyfriend. It felt completely foreign to me. I could not "feel" what she feels. I could not relate at all.

For me it was just tedious. It tried to do a groundhog day, but failed. The script was awful and the production values smacked of low budget. I also did not lilke the characters(as you) and the whole Lola screaming antic. I see it as a failed and poor imitation of Groundhog day.

[LolaRuns]

I had to force myself to watch it. I might have missed some parts but I hated the violence, I hated the whole concept of breaking the law, stealing, hurting people (even her own father) for some idiot boyfriend. It felt completely foreign to me. I could not "feel" what she feels. I could not relate at all.

Technically that's the whole point of the movie. Everytime she tries to solve her problem with violence and crime somebody dies/she fails/she has to repeat it. Only when she does it without crime there is a happy ending.

[nijusjaanu]

well, i enjoyed run lola run .. could be for various reasons.  i'm quite partial to german cinema anyway because my ancesters are from germany and i actually took the time and effort to learn the language!  jawohl!
a much better one would be "Im Juli"  (in states the title is changed to "In July").  it stars the same boyfriend actor as lola rennt.  it's about that guy, who meets a girl one night, but she has to leave the next day for turkey.  feeling he can't live without her, he follows her by car.  another girl who has a crush on him decides to hitchike with him, saying she has the same destination.  .... so he's chasing one girl, and a different girl is chasing him!  interesting.

i love audrey tautou ... "he loves me, he loves me not" is pretty good.
and of course, "life is beautiful" ... oh, such a good movie

[alexaha]

well, i enjoyed run lola run .. could be for various reasons.  i'm quite partial to german cinema anyway because my ancesters are from germany and i actually took the time and effort to learn the language!  jawohl!
a much better one would be "Im Juli"  (in states the title is changed to "In July").  it stars the same boyfriend actor as lola rennt.  it's about that guy, who meets a girl one night, but she has to leave the next day for turkey.  feeling he can't live without her, he follows her by car.  another girl who has a crush on him decides to hitchike with him, saying she has the same destination.  .... so he's chasing one girl, and a different girl is chasing him!  interesting.

i love audrey tautou ... "he loves me, he loves me not" is pretty good.
and of course, "life is beautiful" ... oh, such a good movie

I completely forgot about "Im Juli". Great, great movie. Moritz Bleibtreu, the actor who also starred in "Lola rennt" is pretty good, actually. Lately he was in "Agnes und seine Brüder" (Agnes and his brothers), which was a weird, yet interesting film. And I liked him in "Lammbock" which might not be everyone's taste in movies, but I think it's hilarious.

[kaiji]

I forgot the Red, White, and Blue Trilogy!

It's French, and it's actually the Bleu, Blanc, and Rouge trilogy (after the French flag), and I loved them. They can be viewed individually, but they're all loosely connected (the heroines of one film make an appearance in the other, an old woman) and there's a scene in the last film that ties up the trilogy.

Red ("Rouge") was especially good...I've been meaning to buy it. Wonderful.

[Prem Rogue]

I forgot the Red, White, and Blue Trilogy!

It's French, and it's actually the Bleu, Blanc, and Rouge trilogy (after the French flag), and I loved them. They can be viewed individually, but they're all loosely connected (the heroines of one film make an appearance in the other, an old woman) and there's a scene in the last film that ties up the trilogy.

Red ("Rouge") was especially good...I've been meaning to buy it. Wonderful.

I still haven't seen Blanc, but the other two are good.

[NeuroticSurgeon]

The only European film I've seen recently is Das Experiment(German) I'll repost my review here:

I just watched this on DVD and it has to be one of the best prison drama movies ever made. It's horrifying, brutal and very disturbuing because of it's realism and the fact that this really does happen. The film is based on a roleplaying experiment, where volunteers are separated in to two groups; prisoners and prison guards, with a reward of 4000 marks for everyone who stays the experience. As the experience begins, the rules are cited by the selected prison guards:

1. Prisoners must not refer to each other with names, but by their assigned cell number.
2. Prisoners must completely finish all their food in the alloted time
3. Prisoners must obey all instructions by the prison guards immediately

Meanwhile the prison guards are briefed that they have to completely act their roles, keep law and order and punish any transgressions against the rules with appropriate means. While the prisoners are told they have no civil rights at all. Violence is strictly prohibited by either and would lead to cancellation of the experiment.

The rest of film is narrated in episodic fasion by days i.e. day 1, day 2. What initially begins as a simple power struggle betweeen and prisoners(lead by the protagonist: prisoner no 77) and the guards(lead by Nazi-like Belarus) quickly turns ugly by the day. The first stages of the experiment tests submission to power, dehumanization and subliminal violence but the experiment spins of out control leading too all kinds of psychological and physical trauma and eventually cardinal rule of no violence is broken. From this point on the prison is no different from a Nazi concentration camp and the volunteers are so completely immersed into their roles that they've almost forgotten who they are and what they are! What ensues is psychological horror!

This is a very grim and depressing film and I don't recommend it for the faint hearted. There is a lot of violence, obscene language and nudiity(be warned) but this film should be seen by those who want to see human behaviour at it's most ugly. The most horrifying existence I can imagine is living in a concentration camp or in a police state!

The prison setting itself is very realistic and the lighting gives a claustrophobic feeling. The cast give briliant performances, particularly the prison guards. Alas, the film is not perfect and there is a very annoying and unnecessary romantic subplot  that repeats in segments at intervals in the film. It's very not very believable and the actress who plays the love interest does not interest! Otherwise, a terrific psychological drama.

This is definitely an excellent film. I'm not sure whether you know this or not, but it is based on an actual experiment by the psychologist Philip Zimbardo at Stanford (known as the Zimbardo or Stanford Experiment). As you yourself say, the fact that it is apparently quite real is horrific.

More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Prison_Experiment

[Sunny]

Just watched A Very Long Engagement last night(french) from the director, cast and crew of Amelie. It's a big budget period epic and very commercial, very polished and glossy and has some brilliant visuals and effects, which sometimes seem to be excessive, but I'm afraid as a film it didn't engage me at all. It's a very confusing film and to make matters worse it's very slowly paced. The story is simply of a woman who is trying to find out about her fiance who may have died in WW1 from different characters, invariably leading to many unnecessary subplots, flashbacks and  other scenes, and I really didn't follow any of them. There is also a few unnecessary sex scenes that if anything are gratituous and vulgar and some of the beautiful CG and editing effects interspersed throughout the film seem pretentious. The film lacks a proper structure because of all of this excess footage and flashbacks haphazardly put together.

It is very similar to Shyam Benegal's Zubedia, but Zubedia was a much tighter, cohesive and meaningful film. However, on the positive side A Very Long Engagement is a finely crafted piece of work and the cinematography, art direction and effects work are delightful,  but sadly very much disconnected from the film. I couldn't sit through it.

[Sunny]

This is definitely an excellent film. I'm not sure whether you know this or not, but it is based on an actual experiment by the psychologist Philip Zimbardo at Stanford (known as the Zimbardo or Stanford Experiment). As you yourself say, the fact that it is apparently quite real is horrific.

More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Prison_Experiment

Yeah, I read about it in psychology. It really goes to show just how much our surroundings and circumstances can affect us, our personality and our emotions. However, more importantly, it shows what power does to humans.

[alexaha]

There's another German movie I'd like to mention. It was released last year and is called "Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei" (sort of like "good times are over"). It's one of my favorites because it has a very political topic and I sort of expected to see some heavy German drama ("It's all our fault anyway...life is depressing, better get used to it"), since German movies with a message are not exactly known for their lightheartedness. But here we go!!! I was really proud when I left the cinema because for the first time I had seen a German film which handled a very serious topic in a light way without going silly. There were tons of moments when I thought "Oh no, now it's going to get all serious and things are going to become horrible" and every time I was surprised at how they worked it out. So if you happen to come across this film starring Daniel Brühl, give it a try.

Talking about Daniel Brühl, has anybody mentioned "Good-bye Lenin" yet? Since it was pretty successful people might know about it around this forum as well. Also definitely worth a watch.

[maxqnz]

Talking about Daniel Brühl, has anybody mentioned "Good-bye Lenin" yet? Since it was pretty successful people might know about it around this forum as well. Also definitely worth a watch.

Yes, I really enjoyed "Goodbye Lenin". It had a very well-balanced mix of humour, pathos and social commentary. Entertaining and stimulating, imo.

[annkittenplan]

There's another German movie I'd like to mention. It was released last year and is called "Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei" (sort of like "good times are over"). It's one of my favorites because it has a very political topic and I sort of expected to see some heavy German drama ("It's all our fault anyway...life is depressing, better get used to it"), since German movies with a message are not exactly known for their lightheartedness. But here we go!!! I was really proud when I left the cinema because for the first time I had seen a German film which handled a very serious topic in a light way without going silly. There were tons of moments when I thought "Oh no, now it's going to get all serious and things are going to become horrible" and every time I was surprised at how they worked it out. So if you happen to come across this film starring Daniel Brühl, give it a try.

Talking about Daniel Brühl, has anybody mentioned "Good-bye Lenin" yet? Since it was pretty successful people might know about it around this forum as well. Also definitely worth a watch.

It looks like Die fetten Jahre sind vorbe is The Edukators in the US.  Netflix will have it November 15, so I put it and Good-bye Lenin in my queueueueueueueue.

[Arwen]

any fans of Italian movies? I loooove Fellini!

I have been wanting to see his work. 8 1/2 is the next film to watch on my list or do you think I should watch a different film first?

La Dolce Vita is worth watching, though a bit outdated. I recommend you La Strada.

[maxqnz]

any fans of Italian movies? I loooove Fellini!

I mostly like the smaller, low-key Italian films like Il ciclone and Il cuore altrove, which was a very sweet movie imo.

[alexaha]

There's another German movie I'd like to mention. It was released last year and is called "Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei" (sort of like "good times are over"). It's one of my favorites because it has a very political topic and I sort of expected to see some heavy German drama ("It's all our fault anyway...life is depressing, better get used to it"), since German movies with a message are not exactly known for their lightheartedness. But here we go!!! I was really proud when I left the cinema because for the first time I had seen a German film which handled a very serious topic in a light way without going silly. There were tons of moments when I thought "Oh no, now it's going to get all serious and things are going to become horrible" and every time I was surprised at how they worked it out. So if you happen to come across this film starring Daniel Brühl, give it a try.

Talking about Daniel Brühl, has anybody mentioned "Good-bye Lenin" yet? Since it was pretty successful people might know about it around this forum as well. Also definitely worth a watch.

It looks like Die fetten Jahre sind vorbe is The Edukators in the US.  Netflix will have it November 15, so I put it and Good-bye Lenin in my queueueueueueueue.

You do that! And tell me if you liked them...

[Gori_Ireth]

I just saw that this is out on DVD with subtitles. This is a perfect example of how German movies used to be in the 50's - colorful, kitschy, sugary and soooooo cool.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?I2A012BDB
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N2B032BDB

It is the - very idealized - story of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria. It is one of those guilty pleasure movies. Odd that they have part 1 and 2 on DVD, but the trilogy only dubbed in French. Weird.

if a documentary works, too, try Nico - Icon
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A5C023BDB
about Christa Paeffgen who grew up to be best known for singing with the "Velvet Underground". Hers was a tragic life,  someone who could not find happiness in spite of being born with all the assets, someone who was always at the right place at the wrong time and who threw it all away.

[Zosia]

Here are just a few of my favourites,(I dont know the original title as they are translated in Polish pver here)
The othe side of the lake(Spanish,oscar nominated film)
Dance in the dark with Bjork
Amelie
City of God (Brazil)
Wilbur wants to die
the Lars von Trier last film I forgot the title....

[Prem Rogue]

General Idi Amin Dada:  A Self Portrait is not an objective documentary, since some of it is staged for the camera, and it shows what Idi Amin wants to see, but nonetheless it is interesting to hear his delusions of grandeur and his grandstanding and to see one of the world's most notorious dictators playing the concertina.