The MoFo Top 100 Foreign Language Film Countdown

Close tie here. Both 91 points, both on 7 ballots. Memories of Murder got a first place, though, while the highest place for Les Enfants du Paradis was #4.

Excellent films, did not vote for either (though Memories of Murder was a close one).

__________________
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Yay, yet another from my list in Children Of Paradise
Sadly I don't yet own Memories Of Murder and it's been a number of years since I last watched it, otherwise it's very likely it would have made my list as well.

Seen: 31/44 (Own: 20/44)


Faildictions ((バージョン 1.01):
56. Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution [Alphaville] (1965)
55. Nora inu [Stray Dog] (1949)

edit: increased my 'seen' count by one as I watched Roma the other day

I had A Man Escaped at #23, and I just realized I had two Bresson films on my list. But they both deserved to be on it. I love Memories of Murder a lot but it is now no longer my favorite Bong Joon Ho film.

My List:
12. The Wages of Fear (#67)
14. Diabolique (#69)
23. A Man Escaped (#60)
24. Le Trou (#81)

__________________
I may go back to hating you. It was more fun.

I have both films on my Watchlist and very happy to see them here.




Movies Seen: 21 of 44 (47.72%)
3. Shoplifters (2018) #72
4. Rome, Open City (1945) #93
5. Rififi (1955) #76
6. Army of Shadows (1969) #90
13. Samurai Rebellion (1967) #79
19. Paprika (2006) #100
25. In This Corner of the World (2016) One Pointer

__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

Nice! Another one I've seen, liked, and yet didn't make my list Memories of Murder is pretty great but it's not one of my top Bong films. But definitely worthy of being here.

I haven't seen Children of Paradise, but considering how much I loved another Carné film, I should probably check it out.


My Summary:

Seen: 13/44
My list: 2/25

__________________

Anybody wanna guess how many more Bong films will make it?

Children of Paradise was my #6. I was blown away by it first watch and that didn’t change on my second. I think Baptiste is one of the greatest characters ever. I think it’s a masterpiece, which is a word I only use for a few films. It’s one of the few movies that when people don’t respond to it the way I did I am genuinely shocked. Wish it was higher but glad it’s here.

Memories Of A Murder was my #23. I watched it for the first time last year and it was immediately my favorite Bong. I love the atmosphere and energy. It makes me laugh. I just love the style and characterizations. I need to see it again this cement it as a favorite but I couldn’t leave it off my list.

Yes, a pair of high quality films but neither made my list. They could have.

I was actually thinking of rewatching Memories of Murder...

No votes.

Marcel Carné's Children of Paradise is an epic tale of the theatre, unrequited love and the irony of not knowing the truth. The technical credits are impeccable even though it was filmed under extreme conditions. The acting is also very good with Barrault's mime taking the honors. Another irony of the film, at least for me, is that often the dialogue comes so fast that I have to rewind scenes more often than usual to get it all. I certainly recommend it.

Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder is basically a police procedural, but it comes across as a Hardy Boys/Korean version of a police procedural. The whole thing seems so ridiculous as the implication is that Korea is a backwards country with little technology and a bunch of incompetent, immature, violent cops who live their professional lives based on how American cops beat the crap out of everybody in 1940s movies. Anyway, at 130 minutes, it seems extremely long but I can accept it as mostly OK. The fact that the ending is a bit open-ended is good, and I have warmed to it a little over the years. The part which makes no sense to me is that this is listed as a BFI film noir, and that's why I first watched it, but if this is film noir, I'm an even bigger idiot than you may have ever thought.

__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

I saw Children of Paradise a while ago, but my memory of it isn't the best. I'd have to rewatch it again to say more about it. I remember enjoying it though.

I haven't seen Memories of Murder yet.

__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd

Memories of Murder is among the Korean films I'm most interested in trying to see.

Haven't heard of Children in Paradise.