Last great Foreign Film you saw

I knew to expect something different going into Leos Carax's new film Holy Motors, but I doubt anyone could expect this. Still unsure of its "greatness" but thought I'd mention it here regardless. I can't stop thinking about it the day after and that's usually a good thing. It was the final showing for the Vancouver International Film Festival last night and the predominantly young audience loved it. I predict this film will generate a serious following in the future. Anyone else a fan of Carax's films? He makes far too few but those that I have seen by him have this love of the cinema deeply ingrained in them. Did a film festival day with this girl I know yesterday, also took in Kiarostami's Japan shot Like Someone in Love and Haneke's Palm d'Or winner Amour, and they were fine, but Holy Motors was the one that really got us talking.

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

I've heard a lot of great things about Les Amants du Pont-Neuf. Have seen nothing by Leo Carax but both of these films intrigue me.

Great film, check it out if you get the chance.

Looks cool, Lime. I will check this out as soon as I can "track it down".

Is this the same director who did Let The Bullets Fly? This film is so much more sensual and impactful than any other movie I've seen in the past few months.

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I watched Ozu's film late autumn:


Rate it as 8.5/10

Have seen Przesłuchanie (Interrogation) few days ago. Really great movie with a good performance from Krystyna Janda. I'd rate it 9,5/10.

Imaginaerum.

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no one else is dealing with your demons friend - tyler joseph.

Ten by Abbas Kiarostami

You stole mine! Leos Carax's "Holy Motors" is a brilliant distillation of film. It can create moments out of nothing except emotion. There's no plot necessary.

Other than that, "The Turin Horse" by Bela Tarr was particularly exceptional. It's slow and filled with long takes (only 30 shots in this 150 minute film!), but Tarr's "thinking" camera is excellent. His direction is the best I've seen this year. Also the score is phenomenal, one of the most evocative I've herd recently. Perfect for the film just like Karas's zither in "The Third Man," eh, Harry Lime?

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Mubi

Yeah. Finally somebody saw The Turin Horse. The best of 2011 imho.

Ohikkoshi (Moving) - 1993


Hidden gem of Japanese cinema. -

The Secret in their Eyes

There's 2 pieces of camera work which can only be described as impossible

Good element of surprise in the story

Expert use of makeup (they use the same actors to play characters with a 15 year age difference, using makeup and the same actors, and the age difference is convincing)

Mondays In The Sun.

Watched Gertrud, excellent, rate it as 8.5/10.0, not more because I found it a bit too subtle to be realistic:

Alphaville - 10/10

I NEED to watch the old classic film of Strindberg's Miss Julie, it is a must for me.

Over the holidays i watched:-
Confessions
Dumplings
Dark Water
Shutter
Joint Security Area
The Diving bell and the butterfly
Hard Boiled
Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Spring
Im a cyborg
Waltz with Bashir

To be honest, i loved them all

A delightful and charming film from Korea. Set during the Korean War it sees two groups of soldiers, one from the North and one from the South, lost in the mountains when they come across the remote and almost magical village of Dongmakgol. A village completely oblivious to the war, and weaponary in general. Was just quite a delightful little movie; funny, sweet, touching and moving.

For my full thoughts on it see my review - Welcome to Dongmakgol review

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