movies

12 Most Watchable Foreign Flicks

POSTED BY Benji C. | THURSDAY JUNE 10 AT 8:33 PDT 
General - Movies

It's hard for most American moviegoers to get into reading subtitles, so here are 13 movies that make reading the subtitle cards worth it. This way the masses can enjoy a film from another part of the world and feel superior to their friends. Plus, Gael Garcia Bernal deserves more recognition from people who only speak English. 
 
 

 

CITY OF GOD

Imagine Goodfellas in Brazil. The rapid fire editing, music, and action sequences make this almost 2 and half hour movie in the streets of Rio de Janero a sensational piece of cinema. You'll never turn your attention toward the clock while watching it. Portuguese hasn't been this engaging since your housekeeper got in a fight over the phone with her brother.


PUSHER

A raw, down and dirty exploration into the Danish underworld. This 1996 underground hit from filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn gives a fly on the wall perspective of a day in the life of drug dealer Frank (Kim Bodina, Denmark's answer to Tom Sizemore). We are also introduced to several colorful characters like Tonny and Milo, who end up having their own Pusher storysequels in 2005.

 

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

This Swedish vampire movie is one of the most interesting explorations into growing up and never growing at all movies. For those who are sick and tired of all the Twilight hype, this a movie that will make you remember how great a vampire story can be, full of good scares and gore in the ice cold terrain of Sweden.

 

Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN

The ultimate road trip movie from Alfonso Cuaron. A lot of skin, sex, pot, and sun supply this Mexican drama. The road trip movie is a genre that stateside audiences always enjoy, plus the political undercurrent from the movie's unknown narrator suggests a movie that isn't just about skin deep interactions, but a country and a time fading away.

 

THE KILLER

The movie that inspired the last 20 years of action movies. Director John Woo stages some of the most electrifying gun battles on screen. With each action sequence topping the next, you'll never see a church or a dove fly during your next Mexican standoff the same way again.

 

GOMORRAH

The dystopia of the modern Italian gangster movie. From the wannabe teenage gangsters to the low wage bag men and fashion industry, we see the city of Naples, Italy torn inside out by corruption and startling acts of violence. A must see for fans of the gangster and crime genre.

 

OLDBOY

A total wild and crazy ride on the streets and alleys of Seoul, Korea. The revenge movie to end all revenge movies, as a man played by Korean bad ass actor Min-sik Choi has three days to find out who has imprisoned him for over 10 years. He bites, fights, and slices his way through the Korean underground as the film delivers one of the most shocking climaxes ever put on celluloid. It will literally leave you speechless. I tongue you not.

 

AMORES PERROS

Three interconnecting stories centered around Mexico City and the pets that each character loves. A blistering amount of energy and heart is put together by director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and writer Guillermo Arriga, as they take us through the lower class and upper class lifestyles of each character and their broken dreams. (Gael Garcia Bernal's second appearance as the down on his luck teenager Octavio.)

 

8 1/2

This Italian cinema classic from Federico Fellini may not have a linear story like all of the other movies on here, but the visuals and the kinetic chaos of a movie about making a movie keeps the audience glued to their seats. Fast, sexy, and fun for a black and white foreign film made in the 60s. Whatever you do, don't watch the musical remake Nine before you watch this original. I wouldn't recommend watching Nine after either.

 

THE LIVES OF OTHERS

Though I personally don't care for this film, The Lives of Others has been one of the most acclaimed German movies ever made, and I'm sure I'd get b*tched at if I didn't include it.  It's one of the warmest movies to come out of German cinema, when ironically it's about the Cold War and the disconnection between people. It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2006 over the well-favored Pan's Labyrinth.

 

HIGH TENSION

France's answer to the popular torturer porn genre. A fast and bloody movie with plenty  of gory money shots, and surprisingly very little dialogue, which lazy (illiterate) stateside audiences will appreciate. This also started the career of filmmaker Alexander Aja, who will be directing the remake Piranha 3D this summer.

 

PAN'S LABYRINTH

Guillermo Del Toro's epic children fantasy war flick, combining historical events and a Brothers Grimm-style. As we follow the story of a young girl Ofilia and her journey into a bizarre forest of monsters and fascist soldiers, the storytelling blend of fantasy and reality creates a world that is both frightening and beautiful. Plus the dude with eyeballs in the palms of his hands freaks me the f*ck out. How does it not constantly have an eye infection?

What other foreign films do you not mind sitting through? 

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  1. Anonymous Says:
    June 10th, 2010 at 11:25 am

    La Haine - so powerful, well-written, superb acting...

  2. Anonymous Says:
    June 10th, 2010 at 02:10 pm

    Most watchable? How about 'Most common' or 'Most Heard Of/Seen'? This list looks like something someone compiled by going to the IMDB Top Movies tab and selecting anything that has a non-English title on it.

    What's that Pacific Island nation just off of the coast of China that seems to be missing from this list? Oh yeah, JAPAN! No Kurosawa (only arguably the greatest filmmaker who ever)? Sure, this is targeted at contemporary folk men. So no Beat Takashi? No Miike?

    There are two movies on this list made PRIOR to 1990 and one of them was just adapted as a musical by Rob Marshal.

    High Tension has one of the most blatantly cliche endings ever. You don't have to include it just because Quentin Tarantino said he liked it.

    Glad to see Lives of Others, even though it's won an Academy Award and is 4 years old.

    Pan's, Y Tu, and Amores are by Del Torro, Cuaron, and Inaritu who have all done English-language flicks and have been recognized by the AMPAS.

    This really is just about the most obvious list you could have possibly compiled.

  3. Anonymous Says:
    June 10th, 2010 at 09:26 pm

    Hey, Snobby McSnobberson, take your head out of your ass and realize that not everyone, most people in fact, are not familiar at all with foreign cinema. Hence, the title "most watchable" foreign films. These are obvious because they are among the best and most accessible foreign films. If people watch and like these, they'll bother to find other stuff.

  4. lutwenks Says:
    June 10th, 2010 at 08:42 pm

    what about 'downfall' MAN
    !

  5. Anonymous Says:
    June 10th, 2010 at 10:52 pm

    The most obvious choice: Amelie, and assuming you are American, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are foreign.

  6. Anonymous Says:
    July 2nd, 2010 at 05:57 am

    I'm pretty sure from the subtitle comment he meant foreign language, those two movies are english!

  7. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 08:57 am

    Youre forgeting pretty much of Alex De la Iglesia's filmography, hes kinda the spanish tarantino, but with a much more overdose of extreme black humor. The Day of the beast and Dying of laughter are probably his best.

  8. Zero Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:01 am

    Survive Style 5 +

    Watch and enjoy

  9. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:05 am

    Seven Samurai

  10. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:09 am

    Where's Dead Snow?

  11. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:30 am

    good flick

  12. Anonymous Says:
    July 17th, 2010 at 05:31 pm

    Not on the list, get the fuck over it.

  13. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:10 am

    Just a helpful reminder:

    Before you do a post raving about how good foreign films are, check some facts first.
    In Old Boy, Odaisu was locked away for 15 years. Not 10.

  14. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 11:20 am

    His name was Oh Dae-su, you totally fail at being at a dick, plus it says "over 10 years" I think 15 is covered under that

  15. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 11:36 pm

    hahah owned

  16. Anonymous Says:
    July 9th, 2010 at 05:43 pm

    Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than seeing a prick-thinks-he-knows-it-all getting owned.

  17. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:10 am

    C'est aC'est arrivé près de chez vous ("Man Bites Dog: It Happened in Your Neighborhood" - International (English title)

  18. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:11 am

    run lola Run

  19. Anonymous Says:
    July 17th, 2010 at 09:48 am

    You beat me to it. Yes, I second Run Lola Run.

  20. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:11 am

    C'est arrivé près de chez vous ("Man Bites Dog: It Happened in Your Neighborhood" - International (English title)

  21. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:16 am

    My top 10 most watchable foreign films are all porn. Oh, wait I see what you did there... "film". NVRMND.

  22. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:17 am

    Tetsuo? Ok, not at all watchable.

  23. Boscoe Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 08:47 pm

    Whatchu talkin' 'bout 'nonymous? Tetsuo is totally classic and completely watchable! ...Maybe not by "NORMAL" people, but screw them anyway... :P

  24. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:30 am

    You forgot Goodbye Lenin and The Downfall, both great German flicks

  25. Anonymous Says:
    July 16th, 2010 at 03:59 pm

    The Downfall spawned one of the best memes EVER. Look it up on youtube.

  26. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:32 am

    Yojimbo or The Seven Samurai are excellent and engrossing Japanese movies by Kurosawa and will look very familiar to anyone who is a fan of Westerns, particularly the 1960s spaghetti western genre.

  27. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:35 am

    French movie, Enlish name: He loves me, he loves me not
    Life is Beautiful

  28. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:37 am

    Run Lola Run
    La Femme Nikita

  29. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:44 am

    Banlieue 13

  30. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:54 am

    How could you not have included Gaspar's "Irreversible"?

  31. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 05:27 pm

    How could you consider a movie prided by being the "most walked out of movie of the year" as one of the "most watchable"?

  32. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 09:59 am

    La Tourneuse de Pages - (The Page Turner) a thousand words in just a glance!!!

  33. Oscar caceres Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:00 am

    "el secreto de tus ojos" , the argentinian film that won the oscar this year is such a wonderful movie, god you guys should see it

  34. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:05 am

    Good list. As promised, these are all extremely watchable films. I'd definitely add "Un Prophète" to this list--easily one of the best films of last year, and the fastest two and a half hours in recent memory.

  35. Dude Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:12 am

    "Dogtooth" is an amazing film. and "The Quiet Earth" from New Zealand is quite good, too.

  36. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:13 am

    As mentioned by someone else, "Amelie" is great. But I'd also like to say that you left out "Cinema Paradiso".

  37. Anonymous Says:
    July 17th, 2010 at 07:13 pm

    I second Cinema Paradiso.

  38. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:13 am

    Nightwatch...

    Vampires, Witches and Old Russia...all combine to make a very unique Fantasy / Horror movie. And now the directorr, Timur Bekmambetov is becoming famous in American. He has been working with Tim Burton on several productions, including working on the History turned into Horror genre, like Abraham Lincoln; Vampire Hunter and a remake of the old Vincent Price movie, The Last Witch Hunter.

    Cheers

  39. Anonymous Says:
    June 14th, 2010 at 11:51 am

    Yes, dude. YES.

  40. Guido182 Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:15 am

    Crappy post is crappy...

  41. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:17 am

    lol, pwned down there.

  42. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:19 am

    No "Enter the Dragon?"

    "Board, not hit back." Awesome.

  43. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:29 am

    Hopeless - you dont even mention Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001) what are you trying to say with this list?

  44. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:30 am

    Hopeless - you dont even mention Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001) what are you trying to say with this list?

  45. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:42 am

    the edukators - german
    fun and thought provoking (if you feel like it)
    doberman - french (violence and laughter)
    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - chinese (fantasy and martial arts)
    Hero - chinese (fantasy and martial arts)
    infernal affairs - chinese (inspired the departed)
    taxi 1 and 2 - french (action and comedy)

    If you don't mind reading a little more
    los amantes del circulo polar - spanish (to watch with your significant other)
    amelie - french (interesting story, light comedy)
    Le dinner de cons - french (good comedy)
    tesis - spanish (thriller)
    Infernal Affairs

  46. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 10:48 am

    Kung Fu Hustle (non-dubbed) much better than the dubbed version

  47. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 11:00 am

    Kung Fu Hustle is always a riot, and Amelie is a classic.

  48. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 11:11 am

    Wasabi and La Femme Nikita by Luc Besson.

  49. Anonymous Says:
    June 11th, 2010 at 11:35 am

    The Orphanage

  50. Anonymous Says:
    June 12th, 2010 at 10:03 pm

    THANK you!
    I'm glad someone finally said it!

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