Foreign Films

I have to say that aside from books, I love watching movies. Growing up, both my older sister and brother worked at video stores. That meant I got to watch a TON of free movies. And I've always loved old movies. I have to watch White Christmas every holiday season and I've even swooned with a elderly lady over Tyrone Power while her husband just rolled his eyes.

That said...I also love foreign films. I used to watch them a lot more when I was in college and had a roommate who shared my love. Today, I usually watch them alone only sometimes getting the husband to watch along with me. Apparently reading subtitles is too much work sometimes :)

Today I found an article from Paste Magazine listing it's opinion of The Decade's Top 25 Foreign Films. Go check it out...there's video clips for each pick.

Paste's List of The Decade's Top 25 Foreign Films:
*One's I've seen are in bold

1. Pan's Labyrinth - amazing cinematography. A must-see.
2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - love the music.
3. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - finally saw this and it's very moving.
4. City of God - wow. Scary wow. Kids with guns wow.
5. Talk to Her - my personal favorite. Here's a past post with a great clip to a song.
6. Spirited Away
7. In the Mood for Love
8. The Lives of Others - can't believe people were watched like that. Very moving.
9. Amores Perros - LOVE this one. But some parts are not for the weak of stomach.
10. Cache
11. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days - just saw this one; great film but very scary to me
12. Amelie - so sweet. Another personal favorite. Who doesn't fall in love with Amelie.
13. Y Tu Mama Tambien - can't believe I haven't watched this one yet.
14. The Best of Youth
15. Nobody Knows
16. The Class
17. Yesterday
18. Paradise Now
19. Downfall
20. Gomorrah
21. Oldboy
22. Let the Right One In (really want to see this as well as read the book)
23. Volver
24. Persepolis
25. Maria Full of Grace

I'd probably add Motorcycle Diaries and The Host as well.

Have you seen any of these movies? Loved or hated them? Would you recommend one I haven't watched?

Indiana Who?

I don't know about you, but I love the Indiana Jones movies. So when I heard that my husband had never seen ANY of them....I was shocked....so I have to tell everyone this fascinating news. This Easter we went over to a friend's house, ordered Indian food (yeah...we go camping on Thanksgiving and have Indian on Easter...don't ask), and watched two of the three Indiana Jones. Tonight we are all three meeting up at Grand Central's Market to get dinner stuff and watching the third (my favorite) movie. Then he'll be all caught up for the new one this summer. Yay!!!

Talk to Her

A while ago a friend recommended a great movie called Hable Con Ella or Talk to Her. Check it out if you haven't seen it...here's the synopsis from Imdb:

"Marco, a journalist grieving for a love affair that ended ten years' ago, falls in love with Lydia, a bullfighter also on the rebound. Benigno, a nurse, dedicates his life to his only patient, a young dancer in a coma as a result of an accident four years' before; he talks to her, reads to her, holds photographs in front of her closed eyes. When Lydia is brought comatose to the hospital where Benigno works, he and Marco become friendly, and the nurse encourages the journalist to talk to her and hope for a miracle. Marco is Sancho to Benigno's Quixote, and as Benigno's hopes for his patient become fantasies, Marco tries to inject reality. Does a miracle await?"

As I sit here doing homework, I keep listening to a song from that movie by Caetano Veloso called Cucurrucucu Paloma. It's one of those melancholy lovely songs that like poems by Pablo Neruda, makes me wish I was fluent in Spanish. Enjoy the excerpt of the song from the movie: