what are the best non american films you have seen?

[Darth Yan]

Mine are:

1.) City of God: Hard hitting film about life in Brazillian favelas and the fall of the supposed "City of God" into just another favela. Extremely well acted, written and directed. Also home to the most horrible villain in all of cinema: Little Ze

2.) Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: An adaption of the classic Stieg Larrson book Men Who Hate Women (GWTDT in america and england) this catches the spirit of the original, making a painful but accurate point about the evil that goes on beneath the surface of sweedish society

3.) El Orfanato: A spanish horror film produced by Guillermo Del Toro, this film is one of the few horror films I've seen that truly made me terrified (Haloween and Friday the 13th were extremely ridiculous and thus nullified any chance they had).

4.) Castle in the Sky: In my honest opinion, I enjoyed this far more then spirited away. It's just relentless fun, and the english dubbing is actually pretty good (with veterans such as mark hamil and even other high class actors such as anna paquin.

5.) The Hidden fortress: Known as the basis of star wars, it manages to be a solid film on it's own. Although I still fail to see the direct connection with the OT.

[eion]

Any of Juzo Itami's movies: The Funeral, Tampopo, A Taxing Woman. All are a great insight into japanese culture and entertaining to boot.

I'm sure I could think of more, but that's a good start.

[Hawkwings]

For some French flavor now, I very much enjoyed Bon Voyage.

[Zor]

Hot Fuzz: An excelent action/comedy police movie.

Zor

[HeadCreeps]

A Wind Named Amnesia

The Apocalypse didn't come with a bang, but with a whimper. Silently, the amnesia wind swept away all of mankind's knowledge. Thousands of years of human civilization vanished overnight as people forgot how to use the tools of modern civilization - who they were - how to speak - everything. Technology decayed as mankind was reduced to level of cavemen.

Two years later, a young man miraculously re-educated after the cataclysm, explores this barbaric world while pursued by a relentless killing machine. He is accompanied by a young mysterious woman who somehow is spared the obliterating effects of the amnesia wind.

It wasn't even a particularly great movie to most people, but for my then 14 year old self, it completely shattered my naive faith in humanity and affected how I view things like the source of human morality for the rest of my life. That night, I went to sleep with a sick feeling in my stomach from nothing more than seeing a movie.

Wouldn't have the same effect on an adult, though.

I didn't really think about it until now, but anime is depressingly lacking in good movies. Short OVAs, sure, but not so much on the movies. I say this from the perspective of someone who pretty much only watches anime. Stuff like Ghost in the Shell were ok, but didn't really appeal to me as much as it did to others.

[Eternal_Freedom]

I'll second Hot Fuzz, and I'll add Four Lions, a comedy about something that really shouldnt be funny, but in fact is very amusing indeed.

[starslayer]

The Hidden fortress: Known as the basis of star wars, it manages to be a solid film on it's own. Although I still fail to see the direct connection with the OT.

There are many elements common to both films that should be pretty obvious. Rescuing the hotheaded princess and the two bumbling sidekicks are the two off the top of my head, but there are others.

My list is:

Britain: Hot Fuzz. God this movie was fucking hilarious.

Russia: Several here. I greatly enjoyed The Return, Stalker, and Ivan Ilyich Changes His Profession, as well as 12, a remake of Twelve Angry Men.

Japan: Seven Samurai and Yojimbo of Kurosawa's films were the ones I most enjoyed. I still need to see Rashomon and Ran.

China/Hong Kong: Just about anything by either Jackie Chan or John Woo is a fantastic action piece.

[spaceviking]

I'm sure there are a ton that I can't think of but,..

German: Stalingrad

[asdfzxc]

Disregarding the obvious ones (Mad Max, Monty Python, and so on) I feel the need to mention a film by the name of Doomsday.

[Darth Tedious]

For very powerful French cine, check out Irreversible and Bais moi. I thought very highly of both (although, the latter got banned here in Australia).

I'd also put Once Were Warriors (New Zealand) in the list of most powerful movies ever.

Maybe not the most fun-filled movies, but very intense.

[The Yosemite Bear]

favorites in no particular order.

Das Boot-German
Soldier of Orange-Dutch (Rutgar Huer as a good guy terrorist)
Get Carter-English (Micheal 'Fuckin' Caine version)
Apartment Zero- Argentine (though it stars americans/irish)
Seven Samurai- Japan
Yojimbo/Sanjero- Japan
Ran-Japan
Zaitochi-Japan
Cerano De Bergerac-France
Babbet's Feast-(forgot which country)
Darkness-Spanish
Sexy Beast-English
The Long Good Friday-English
The Krays-English (Does someone suspect that the Bear likes London Gangsters?)
Circle of Iron-Italian (based on a Bruce Lee screenplay adapting Journey to the West)
Snatch-English
L4yer Cake-English
RockanRolla-English
Game of Death-Chinese/Italian
Enter the Dragon-Chinese
Bangkok Dangerous-Chinese
Ong Bak-Thai
The Brotherhood of the Wolf-French
LaFemme Nikita-French
The Discrete Charm of the Boigogies-French
Tess-French

oh and others:
Studio Ghilbi Anime
anything directed by Akira Kurosawa, Sergio Leon, Luc Beasant

[The Yosemite Bear]

Also Check out the original Dutch The Vanishing
Also I can't remember the title but I think it's "Underground" which is a strange movie about a subway and some killings.... also filmed in Denmark

[Omeros]

I would nominate:

L'armée des ombres (Army of Shadows) by Jean-Pierre Melville

Audition

Downfall

and I second Stalker and Irréversible

[Sarevok]

The Professional was an amazing film. It was an intense action movie yet refreshingly different from how such films go in hollywood.

[TC Pilot]

I'm surprised Metropolis hasn't been mentioned yet.

[The Yosemite Bear]

thanks for mentioning that golden oldie, also "M" and "Blue Angel" are kick ass submissions from early german cienima.

Another good bit is Klaus Kinski in "Mephisto" a story of an apolitical actor who likes to play Dr. Faust, and ends up becomming a Nazi.

[Agent Sorchus]

Hmm. Let the Right One in was good and is within recent memory. Throne of Blood was interesting as a Japanese adaptation of Macbeth.

[thejester]

Man I could really go on but:

Memories of Murder
Un Prophete
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (no shit)
Gettin' Square
Red Hill

All pretty rad.

[Jade Falcon]

Downfall
Das Boot
Brotherhood

[Patrick Degan]

The list I can spin forth:

Metropolis

M

The Blue Angel

Das Boot

Triumph Of The Will

Nosferatu

La Cage Aux Folles

Seven Samurai

Yojimbo

Throne Of Blood

Rashomon

Ran

Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior

Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters

Spirited Away

Howl's Moving Castle

Porco Rosso

Nosferatu The Vampyre

Solaris

Alexander Nevsky

The Seventh Seal

Things To Come

A Night To Remember

2001: A Space Odyssey

Dr. Zhivago

Lawrence Of Arabia

Zulu

The Wicker Man

Breaker Morant

[Zed Snardbody]

Dirty Pretty Things & Let the Right One In are two of my favorites. I was mildly annoyed at the desire to remake the latter, though I've heard it didn't completely suck.

[salm]

Bang Boom Bang was awesome.

[Jaepheth]

A few not yet mentioned:

France:
La Haine (Hate)
Amélie

Italy:
Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves)

[TC Pilot]

I remember many years ago seeing an Italian film taking place in WW1, called "The General and the Lady" or "The Lady and the General" about a soldier who captures an Austrian commander and tries to get him back behind Italian lines to claim the reward. I found it to be rather poignant.

And while on the subject of Italian films, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" is up there for me.

Triumph Of The Will

...what?

[Magellan]

I'll second Hot Fuzz, and I'll add Four Lions, a comedy about something that really shouldnt be funny, but in fact is very amusing indeed.

Even with Four Lions' "downer" ending, I was still laughing once the credits hit.

But yeah, for me I'll say

Four Lions (its funny BECAUSE its offensive), insert your own Potter film, and Layer Cake.