My favorite movies from all over the world

Original Title: 'Rashômon'

Country: Japan

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

With: Toshiro Mifune

Plot: A crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view.

Note: This is my favorite Kurosawa movie. It is so old but at the same time very modern. I usually don't think that modern thrillers are great because they always put an over-the-top twist(s) at the end. This movie doesn't have this issue. It is at the same time much more pure and interesting. A great achievement.




- check the list: My favorite Asian movies

Original Title: 'De Lift'

Directed by: Dick Maas

With: Huub Stapel

Plot: A lift begins displaying some erratic behavior, like trapping some party goers and nearly suffocating them, and decapitating a security guard. Felix, the technician from the lift company, can't find anything wrong with the circuitry...




- check the list: My favorite Dutch movies

Original Title: 'À bout de souffle'

Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard

With: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg

Plot: A young car thief kills a policeman and tries to persuade a girl to hide in Italy with him.

Note: It used to be a 5 star but and was probably my favorite but I watched it again and it dropped 1 spot because there were a few dull moments. But still it remains a great movie and one of my favorites.




- check the list: My favorite French movies

Original Title: 'Der Untergang'

Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel

With: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara

Plot: Traudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.

Note: I believe it is the last great war movie. It is that good. A fascinating story, a very good directing and, of course, an impressive perfomance by Bruno Ganz. An great achievement and a must see.




- check the list: My favorite German movies

Original Title: 'Ladri di biciclette'

Directed by: Vittorio De Sica

Plot: A man and his son search for a stolen bicycle vital for his job.

Note: Probably the most famous neo-realist movie. The story is pretty simple but damned efficient. The combination of realism and symbolism is just great. An awesome classic.




- check the list: My favorite Italian movies

Original Title: 'Mar adentro'

Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar

With: Javier Bardem

Plot: The real-life story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die.

Note: I know Javier Bardem got his oscar for "No country for Old men" but I think this movie and his perfomance in this movie was actually much better. Of course, you can't really compare a banana and an apple... Anyway, it is a riveting story and Bardem gives his best perfomance (until now).




- check the list: My favorite Spanish movies

Original Title: 'Festen'

Country: Denmark

Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg

With: Ulrich Thomsen

Plot: At Helge's 60th birthday party, some unpleasant family truths are revealed.

Note: Dogme #1. In my opinion, the first movie following the Dogme rules was just great. No special effects, no big stars just a simple and pure movie. It was also the first time I felt nauseous after watching a movie. Not because It was bad but because it was so heavy and emotional. I think it is a great movie and it is one of my all time favorite movies.




- check the list: My favorite Scandinavian movies

Directed by: Shane Meadows

Plot: A story about a troubled boy growing up in England, set in 1983. He comes across a few skinheads on his way home from school, after a fight. They become his new best friends even like family.

Note: Shane Meadows managed to set his movie in a specific historical time and place (England in the 80’s) but still creating some fascinating characters to watch. Basically, it shows how dreary the life was for some people in England during that time and how slowly some of them moved towards the National Front and their extreme right wing ideas. However, this flick is not just about history and it also deals with some very interesting 3 dimensional characters.



- check the list: My favorite British movies

Original Title: 'The Proposition'

Directed by: John Hillcoat

With: Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Emily Watson, John Hurt, David Wenham

Plot: A lawman apprehends a notorious outlaw and gives him 9 days to kill his older brother, or else they'll execute his younger brother.

Note: It is a really gorgeous "Western"(this term actually doesn't fit since it takes place in Australia but whatever...) and all the actors involved give amazing perfomances. I must say it is a really raw and bleak movie filled with hopelessness but it didn't bother me, in the contrary.



- check the list: My favorite movies from the rest of the world