Everything has been arranged according to how threatened you feel by foreign film. And it has been made to match the US Homeland security threat level system.
Red or Orange: Severely threatened or Highly threatened by foreign film.
Perhaps you had a bad experience with a mime as a kid, maybe you were traumatized by having to sit through something like "Tout Va Bien", maybe you have never been exposed to foreign film before. Yet the case is clear you are shaking in your boots expecting a dreadful artsy-fartsy movie that drags on forever and makes you bored to tears. Your afraid that if your friends find out you have seen a foreign film they may think your not manly anymore.
Here is the solution, start out small and travel over to an English speaking country.
Guy Ritchie is a great director who has created some awesome action packed manly films set in England. Check out "Lock stock and Two Smocking Barrels" about a bunch of guys who get into trouble when they put their money into a high stakes card game. "Snatch" is my favorite Guy Ritchie movie to date (I haven't seen RockenRolla yet) it's about a diamond heist and how everything goes horribly and hilariously wrong afterwords. "Snatch" also deals with underground boxing, Pikies, and why you should never trust a man who owns a pig farm.
Some other great manly action films from England: La4er Cake, Trainspotting, and need I remind you that James Bond is English
Australia isn't a bad place to go for film either. Check out the Mad Max series. It was filmed in the 80's before Mel Gibson went insane.
Yellow: Elevated
Lets face it you tried to watch a foreign film once and it sucked. You have no real desire to see people opening up doors going "Oh, um oh" and shutting and opening more doors. Maybe you have found that you can stand certain foreign films. Perhaps ones that don't require the reading of subtitles, or ones that are so action oriented and cheesy that you don't find them threatening at all.
The man you have to see is Akira Kurosawa. Now this does require a small leap of faith. The movies I am suggesting are in black and white and they require the reading of subtitles. Yet Kurosawa is arguably the best director of all times, his story telling ability is legendary, the cinematography is great, and he has a way of incorporating humor into serious movies.
"Yojimbo": It's almost like Japans answer to a western. Yojimbo is a ronin who has wondered into a town controlled and terrorized by two rival gangs, and the drama just builds from there. The movie has action, a great storyline, and decent amount of dark humor.
"Rashomon": Three strangers stand trapped beneath an overhang waiting for a storm to pass. To entertain themselves they begin talking about a murder which recently occurred near town. The movie then shows the crime from different perspectives, as the men beneath the overhang slowly piece together what happened.
Blue and Green: Gaurded or low
Your not that threatened by foreign film, maybe you have even seen a forign movie that you really liked. All the same you haven't exactly been going out of your way to broaden your horizons and seek out new foreign cinema.
To you I offer French Film, the final frontier
"13 Tzameti": This is a psychological thriller which kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire duration of the film. I don't want to give it all away, but it's about a man who follows instructions left for someone else towards a money making opportunity.
"La Haine" or "Hate" as it is called in English: Often when we think of french film we only think of white actors, artists, and the rich. This movie isn't about any of those things. "La Haine" takes places in the ghettos of France. It's centered on three friends of varying ethnic backgrounds as they try to survive and stay out of trouble. the movie has a lot of artistic merit, but it also has a story that will keep your interest.
So go out there, and try to watch a few foreign films off the list. You may be surprised to find that not all films are boring, or overly artsy, and that they are still accessible to Americans. although we generally only get to see artistic (aka depressing as hell) Oscar worthy foreign films in the US, trust me other countries make plenty of horror films, action films, and screwball comedies.
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2 comments:
i love godard, but tout va bien is one of the worst experiences i have ever had in my life.
I know, seriously. I have enjoyed everything else I have ever seen him make. But that movie was torture to sit through. I think it was purposely done to a certain point, but that didn't make it any less torturous.
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