Bloodless Coup

For anyone who might be interested - I think this will be my top 10 (I haven't figured out my top 25 yet) from the list of nominees: 1. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, 2. La Dolce Vita, 3. Red, 4. Z, 5. Talk to Her, 6. Y Tu Mama Tambien, 7. 8 ½, 8. L’Avventura, 9. Suspiria, 10. Battle of Algiers

And for the record I actually did shuffle this top 10 around before I sent it in - but I kept this top 10 as my top 10, and I kept the top two in the order you see them above. And no, La Dolce Vita isn't a perfect film - but I really like it. Heck, I named my cat after one of the characters.

Wow, you really think CTHD is the best foreign language film before 2003? I'm a little upset that Character and Life is Beautiful didn't get nominations. Also, how about an honorable mention for that great epic, Gokiburi-tachi no tasogare?

Well, as you say, this only applies to nominated movies. And my rule with ranking those was sort of a combination of what I think is "best" + what I personally like best. I mean I don't know that Suspiria would make a lot of Top 10 of all time best lists, but it's great fun. And I ended up with CTHD as #1 because I enjoy it a great deal every time I watch it, and it's perfect on its own terms and really doesn't have any flaw that I can think of. If a movie had such a flaw (like the never-ending walk around that island in L'Avventura) I knocked it down my list, no matter how much I liked it and how good I thought it was. And of course picking 1 out of these 10 might be kind of silly since all 10 are great - but on the basis of quality, flawlessness and enjoyment, yeah I ended up with CTHD as #1.

Yah, I think that's an important distinction, one I keep in mind with Life is Beautiful, that some films I love I don't want to watch over and over. I'm just surprised you like a film with that much martial arts and starring a big action movie star (in the Orient, at least), so I wonder what it is that appeals to you. I might argue the flawless point, what with Master Bo's flat affect sticking out like Katerina Witt in Ronin, but overall it's a great movie.

Actually I liked Katerina Witt in Ronin - if you didn't like that character what happens to her wouldn't have had much impact - and she's not given anything to do in the script to make you like her, so it's good that through her celebrity she brought a certain charm and pleasingness to the part.

"Follow your nose."
Brian Griffin: I'm sorry. No, that was good.
Brian Griffin: I just didn't think you were gonna go so cartoony with it.
Toucan Sam: How would you read it?
Brian Griffin: I don't know. I was thinking of doing it, you know, good, like an actor.
Brian Griffin: But, you know, your way's good, too.

Well I didn't say should could act - just that if they aren't going to write in the screenplay a reason why we should give a damn about her, it's nice that she sort of brought that with her to the part.

Right, Bro, and if nothing else it acts as contrast, emphasizing what gifted actors she was up against (as they point out in the commentary, notably one of the 2 movies of which I've ever felt compelled to watch with its commentary, what I find amazing is how Jean Reno can say "Vienna" and communcate more than most actors express with paragraphs).

So Morris, what would be your top few? I've never watched all of Life is Beautiful - always have had a problem with the concept, and I tend to react Roberto the way some react to mimes.

I have certainly not watched near as many foreign movies as you, so I'll give you a top five without going into those that left me with little desire to watch them again. Besides those I mentioned above, I liked (didn't love) Hero, the Vanishing, and I probably would have liked the origninal version of Insomnia if I wasn't happy enough with the American version, as is the case I think with a few of Kurosawa's movies (Dreams was beautiful but strange). Of course sometimes it works the other way, as with the Vanishing which took any subtlety away from the original, and Point of No Return. I did watch its original (La Femme Nikita) a few dozen times, probably more than any other foreign movie, even Crouching Tiger (at no more than a dozen times). So my top five would start with La Femme, then Crouching Tiger, then Character, then Life is Beautiful, then Hero.

I'm sorry to hear you couldn't finish Life is Beautiful, for of course it is the ending that makes it mean something more.

I always thought Life is Beautiful was overhyped.

How about some South American fare: Hombre Mirando al Sudeste, El Lado escuro del Corazon, Eles Nao Usam Black Tie, Central do Brasil, Cidade de Deus, Orfeu Negro (even as dated as it is, still beautifully filmed), Fresa y Chocolate, Pixote...

Don't think I've seen a single one of those. Guess I've been too wrapped up in classic Italians, Almodovar, 2 of the "3 Amigos", and Wong Kar Wai.