[redlion]

Who likes it?

I'm studying French this semester and my comprehension skills didn't match par until I got into the culture a bit. Watching French movies or American movies in French helps with dialogue, or what I need to know to speak to someone. After all, the point of studying a language is to be able to understand others, and to make oneself understood.

Some of my favorite French films are:

Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain IMDB
Which is about a girl isolated by circumstance. Its done in a really cool style, very chotchky. Great character arcs. Plot couldn't be more archetypal.

L'armée des ombres IMDB
This one is about the French Resistance during WWII. Sort of existential, but a good drama. Dialogue that is easy to catch, but with complex subtext that makes things more interesting.

Anyway, is anyone a fan of foreign media? List a few of your favorite foreign flicks if you've got the time.

[Mr. Hobo]

Assuming by foreign media you don't mean American films .

Die Welle - Germany (wish I knew about the book before I saw the movie). Movie about a teacher who starts a project emulating the nazi movement
Some french movie about a kid at an orphanage (good movie but the name escapes me . great ending)
Che Part One - france spain and usa (still having gotten around to seeing the second part. I keep missing the first like 20 minutes on the documentary channel, bleh name should be enough of a description)
Trainspotting (or by foreign do you mean non-english?, hmm)

[Salamanda]

OOH.
Joyeux Noel and Les Choristes are really good french movies.

[redlion]

Mr. Hobo, on 10 March 2010 - 07:25 PM, said:

Assuming by foreign media you don't mean American films .

Die Welle - Germany (wish I knew about the book before I saw the movie). Movie about a teacher who starts a project emulating the nazi movement
Some french movie about a kid at an orphanage (good movie but the name escapes me . great ending)
Che Part One - france spain and usa (still having gotten around to seeing the second part. I keep missing the first like 20 minutes on the documentary channel, bleh name should be enough of a description)
Trainspotting (or by foreign do you mean non-english?, hmm)

Let me clarify by saying non-English films. This board is primarily an English language board, even though we have members from at least 15 nations. By foreign, I meant not the language I'm speaking right now

I've seen the Che documentary you're talking about. At least I think I have There are probably a dozen of them, but I saw one on netflicks that had two parts. Really good. Long, but thats because of the detail they included.

Twink, on 10 March 2010 - 08:54 PM, said:

OOH.
Joyeux Noel and Les Choristes are really good french movies.

And they were just added to my download queue

[punkrockbigmouth]

Amelie is a FABULOUS MOVIE. I actually read somewhere that it's kinda sorta kinda an adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma", which is why I saw it. It's beautiful story-wise and visually.

My personal fav is Chinese director/actor Stephen Chow's "Shaolin Soccer". It's a Kung-Fu movie about soccer, done in a Bugs Bunny sort of way, with a touching story as well.

ETA: My least favorite foreign film: The Tin Drum. Because midgets are creepy enough WITHOUT the glass shattering screaming.

'Run Lola Run' and 'Persepolis' are amazing too.

This post has been edited by punkrockbigmouth: 10 March 2010 - 10:20 PM

[Salamanda]

I've heard rave reviews about Un Prophete, but I havent watched it yet.
As with Persepolis, but I'm not a fan of animated movies. Who knew?
And if you like funny movies, Les Beaux Gosses was funny and so is Les Boys 1 & 2.
Au Revoir Les Enfants and Les Miserables are also very good older movies.

are you only looking for French movies? Or foreign movies in general?

This post has been edited by Twink: 10 March 2010 - 10:26 PM

[punkrockbigmouth]

Twink, on 10 March 2010 - 10:23 PM, said:

are you only looking for French movies? Or foreign movies in general?

Well, the title says French Cinema, but the post asks for any foreign films. Amelie is the only french languge movie I can recall seeing...

[Salamanda]

punkrockbigmouth, on 10 March 2010 - 10:27 PM, said:

Well, the title says French Cinema, but the post asks for any foreign films. Amelie is the only french languge movie I can recall seeing...

Amelie was very good though.
I remember when her fish tried to kill its self, lol.
Haha and I just remembered the sex scene in the coffee shop. With all the rattling cups, lolololol. I have to go rewatch that movie!

My favorite foreign movie of all time is Kontroll. It's in hungarian and I watched it when I was alone and high which made it that much better. Shit was triiiiippy.

[Mr. Hobo]

Oh damn how'd I forget Battle Royale. I think Frizzle suggested them? Or maybe Red. Or maybe Simon. Hmm. Awesome movies nonetheless

Quote

I've seen the Che documentary you're talking about. At least I think I have There are probably a dozen of them, but I saw one on netflicks that had two parts. Really good. Long, but thats because of the detail they included.

Ya, there are so many. But this is the only one divided into 2 parts. I'm really amazed that he didn't live out his days as a god in Cuba. Speaks alot about his character

[wetfartificial]

Can't say I particularly enjoy French films. Though, I watched Banlieue 13 the other day, does that count? Chocolat was quite good, I guess.

[Sweeney]

As far as French film goes, I haven't seen very much, but Manon de Source, and Jean de Floret were both very good.

Otherwise, I love Chinese horror, and Japanese to a lesser extent.

And Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) is one of my favourite films of all time.

[sircomflix]

I've only seen about a dozen or two French films, but my absolute favorites are Amelie, Pan's Labyrinth and Monsieur Hire.

I'm sure you've already seen the first two so no need to explain them. I had seen Monsieur Hire one day on a gloomy Saturday and ended up studying it in class coincidentally, and made me appreciate it so much more.

[Sweeney]

Pan's is Spanish, not French
But hey, foreign is foreign.

[Waser Lave]

Haute Tension and Calvaire are both in French if you like 'horror'. Calvaire is also probably the strangest film I've ever seen...

[Warriors]

French movies...probably Martyrs, Battle of Algeries, if you can call it French..

But other good foreign movies.. Internal Affairs, Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengenace. Let the Right One In.

[Joanna]

Hors de Prix, Chocolat, Cirano de Bargerac, Jean de Flourette.
All french films.

Im a french Major- so if you have any questions PM me.

[sircomflix]

Sweeney, on 11 March 2010 - 10:46 AM, said:

Pan's is Spanish, not French
But hey, foreign is foreign.

Had the foreign in mindset, typed French hahah. That reminds me, I watched Paris, Je T'aime last week, loved it.

[Reddevil]

so,

i'm a big fan of french movies, i live in belgium and my mother is french.

i would recon you, to watch ALL french movies of luc besson. and look up for all the actors who play in it, and watch their movies !

[jcrboy]

Waser Lave, on 11 March 2010 - 10:51 AM, said:

Haute Tension and Calvaire are both in French if you like 'horror'. Calvaire is also probably the strangest film I've ever seen...

Oh shit. "High Tension" as it was released in the States was pretty nuts. I rather enjoyed it.

[ZaCkDiZzLe]

City Of God is an amazing movie, rented it from the library for Spanish class, ended up being in Portuguese but it was so good I just kept it