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Top Five Foreign Films of the 1990sMar 09 '07 (Updated Jan 07 '09) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The best the 90s had to offer -- The Worldly version I discovered foreign film and cinema in the nineties and have never looked back since. Actually I have! I have gone back in time to see foreign masterpieces from around the world. I quickly found that getting adjusted to the some times different themes, cultural realities and pacing and not been phased by subtitles has opened my mind and my artistic viewpoint a great deal. Note: Being French-speaking, Foreign Language does not really include French for me, so I decided to additionally divide this category between French and non-French Films. Please see the sister review for the full story of the 1990s: Top Ten American Films of the 1990s Part 1: Best Foreign Language Films of the 90s 5. La vita e bella (1997) a.k.a Life Is Beautiful Robert Benigni’s charisma as an actor, paired with strong writing and directing of this off-beat, original portrayal of Nazi occupation, was able to charm the world and show that laughter and optimism is possible in even the grimmest situations. An ode to life. 4. Idioterne (1998) a.k.a The Idiots Independent film giant, Lars Von Trier gives us this intimate, engrossing work with a hard look out our society’s values and catalyses our search for identity and happiness. Daring and controversial, this film examines human nature at its purest form and is sure to make you think. 3. Kuya (1997) a.k.a. Cure – Best Horror Son of legendary Japanese director, Akiro Kurosawa, Kiyoshi Kurosawa has become a voice of modern Japanese horror and shows us his craft writing and directing this eerie thriller with a Kubrick-like precision. 2. F*cking Amal (1998) a.k.a. Show Me Love Exploring the depth of teenage confusion even better than Larry Clark, Lukas Moodysson writes and directs this poignant portrayal of adolescent desires and discovery. 1. Abre los ojos (1997) a.k.a Open Your Eyes Alejandro Amenabar’s craft in full force, he directs and co-writes the solid script of love, jealousy & deception that is taken to another level with an ending that will leave you wide-eyed and slack-jawed. This will have the Hollywood treatment with a good remake in Vanilla Sky, but, dare I say, even the most deserving of director, editor & cast could not quite recreate this fantastic film magic. Part 2: Best French Films of the 90s Best Drama Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) Based on Rostand’s paramount poetic play, Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s take on the story of love, subterfuge, swordplay and wordplay comes to life with costumes, decors and, at the center, a Gerard Depardieu igniting the screen with his presence. This cleaned the Cesar Awards in France and received much deserved international praise. Best Comedy Le diner des cons (1998) a.k.a The Dinner Game – Best Comedy This short French comedy is all a comedy should be. With an interesting premise, unexpected plot twists and an appropriately cynical denouement, this movie has cleverness written all over it, combined with fine acting and directing to give this a sure-shot hit for the ages. ================== Related Reviews ================== 2000 Series Fifteen Finest Films of 2000 Fifteen Finest Films of 2001 Fifteen Finest Films of 2002 Fifteen Finest Films of 2003 Fifteen Finest Films of 2004 Fifteen Finest Films of 2005 Fifteen Finest Films of 2006 Fifteen Finest Films of 2007 Other Related Reviews Top 15 Sex Scenes in Film (Part 1: 15-11) Top 15 Sex Scenes in Film (Part 2: 10-1)  |
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- Top 1000 by Stephen_Murray
by cdm72
