Re: Foreign movies! - Edit 1
Before modification by The_Muted_Grimaud at 27/09/2009 05:47:00 PM
Do you enjoy watching foreign movies? Animated or live-action?
I enjoy both animated and live action.
What are your all time favorites?
A Very Long Engagement (French), Mondays in the Sun (Spanish), Millennium Actress (Japanese anime) and 3-Iron (Korean). There are several others I have that I really enjoy too.
Which cultures (nations) films do you find yourself most interested in?
Korean/Japanese/Chinese, far east Asia in general, though I am always on the look out for interesting stuffs from other areas too.
Do you prefer dubs over original language, in live-action and/or animated?
I find I prefer original language in both live action and animated, I feel in Japanese animation that the actions of the animated people are better reflected in Japanese language than American English. (An example is greetings, in Japanese it is customary to clasp hands, bow heads, and say "Tadakoro-sen" for instance, if watching a Jap Anime with English dubs, the English greeting "Mr. Tadakoro" looks out of place with the Japanese physical action. [I'm using an example from Perfect Blue specifically{I like Satoshi Kon}]).
How did you find yourself becoming interested in foreign films, (i.e. Audrey Tautou obsession, Asian horror obsession, general interest in foreign culture)?
A friend of mine who had an Asian girlfriend kept bringing over Asian movies. The aforementioned Perfect Blue was one, Shiri (Korean thriller) was another, and also The House of Flying Daggers (However silly it's plot and action, the visual beauty of it is beyond stunning).
What 'hyped' foreign film has let you down upon viewing it (if any)?
Pan's Labyrinth, actually. I read the back of the box before renting it, that and many reviews had led me to believe it was an "Epic Fantasy", "Like Lord of the Rings", and I sort of grew this crazy epic idea of what the movie was going to be, and then I watched it and it simply isn't remotely epic. It's a simple fairy-tale with a dark side plot, very beautifully told and rendered, though the side-plot gets too much of the spotlight I feel, I was left begging for more of the fantasy world.
How do you feel about remakes, are there any that have been pulled off successfully?
I don't watch them enough that I know of, then again, it seems like so many hollywood films are remakes, and they don't always advertise the fact. I watched Insomnia a long time ago, ran across it again today on HBO, read the box description, apparently Insomnia is a remake of a Norwegian film, didn't know that.
I don't remember thinking Insomnia was far above mediocre as a film ... long time since I watched it though.
That's all
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