Thursday, August 16, 2018

Thursday Movie Picks: Non-English Language Movies


So you sit down at a restaurant, the server pours you a glass of water and hands you a menu as thick as the Bible. The descriptions of each item sounds great and every picture looks like the best thing ever cooked. About five minutes pass, the server comes back to take your order, but you're overwhelmed with choices and tell him/her you need more time - like an hour. They smile, say "Take your time," and you dive back in and try to pick something. That's where I am with this week's topic for Thursday Movie Picks hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. It's non-English language movies. I've seen enough that it's tough to narrow it down. I also want to pick something you haven't seen. Let's see how I do.

H
(2002)
Language: Korean
Yup, just H. Serial killer Shin Hyun has been behind bars for nearly a year when a copycat becomes active. Detectives Kang and Kim are put on the case, and of course, enlist the help of Hyun in an attempt to crack it. The story goes down some very dark corridors. That the victims are pregnant women is not the least of the reasons it does. The DVD cover, yes I own this, says it's "Se7en meets Silence of the Lambs." It's every bit as disturbing as that sentence implies, too.


Dumplings
(2004)
Language: Chinese
We meet Mrs. Li as she is pouring her soul out to local chef Aunt Mei. She used to be a well-known actress, but as it tends to happen to starlets of a certain age, her looks have started to go and so have the jobs. Matters are exacerbated by the fact that her husband hasn't touched her in quite some time and is having an affair with a much younger woman. The reason Mrs. Li is telling all this to a chef is because Aunt Mei is known to make some rather special dumplings said to have the power of rejuvenation. They do, thanks to a rather peculiar ingredient. That's all I'll say about that. Bai Ling plays Aunt Mei and gives Americans a familiar face, since she has an extensive English language filmography. (full review)

The Neighbor No. Thirteen
(2005)
Language: Japanese
Things are looking up for Juzo. However, when he starts his first day on his brand new job as a construction worker, things take a turn for the worse. His supervisor is Akai, the guy that used to bully him as a kid. Luckily for Juzo, Akai doesn't recognize him. Things really get weird when Juzo goes home. He must have taken a detour through the Twilight Zone because when he gets there, he discovers that Akai is actually living with Juzo's wife and kid while he has another apartment. Obviously, Akai begins bullying Juzo all over again. Then a strange man with a severely scarred face and calling himself "Number 13" starts popping up all over the place. That's when things really get weird.



16 comments:

  1. Interesting sounding pics and you've succeeded in stumping me though I have to admit Asian language film is without a doubt my biggest gap. You couldn't pay me to watch the first one but the second sounds like something I'd give a go.

    I share some of the frustration you mentioned in your opening so while there are many fine foreign films in a variety of languages my picks speak with a French accent this week!

    A Man Escaped (1956)-Director Robert Bresson tells the tale of Fontaine (François Leterrier), a member of the French Resistance, who is being held by the Nazis at Fort Montluc. Notified that he is scheduled for execution he begins to devise a plan to break out. Things are coming together slowly when he is assigned a new roommate. At first wary but needing to proceed Fontaine grudgingly brings the newcomer into the escape effort relying on crudely made weapons and an intricate knowledge of the prison’s layout to try for his freedom. Tense and involving this is based on fact.

    Elevator to the Gallows (1958)-Duplicitous Florence (an extraordinary Jeanne Moreau) married to the wealthy arms dealer Simon Carala (Jean Wall) is carrying on an illicit affair with one of his employees, Julien (an equally fine Maurice Ronet). They make a pact to dispose of Simon so late one night Julien climbs a rope into Simon's office, kills him and leaves unnoticed. Anxious to get away from the site Julien accidentally leaves the rope at the crime scene. After retrieving it he becomes stuck in the building's elevator while Florence desperately waits below. Frantic he soon finds that his bad luck is just beginning. Compelling, nerve jangling noir filmed with enormous style by Louis Malle.

    Police Python 357 (1976)-One night while pursuing a crook loner police inspector Marc Ferrot (Yves Montand) meets and is immediately smitten with the alluring Sylvia (Stefania Sandrelli) and they begin an affair. Unknown to Ferrot Sylvia is the mistress of his direct superior Commissaire Ganay (François Périer) who when he discovers the liaison murders Sylvia in a fit of jealousy. Panicked Ganay confesses his crime to his paralyzed wife Thérèse (Simone Signoret) who offers him advice on how to shift the evidence away from himself. Once the death is discovered Ferrot is assigned to investigate and as he wades through the case finds that all evidence points to him. Now he must race the clock to reveal the true culprit. A reworking of the 1948 Charles Laughton/Ray Milland film The Big Clock and rethought again in 1987 as the Kevin Costner/Gene Hackman No Way Out.

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    1. Dumplings is a very interesting watch and really doesn't have much, if anything, in the way of gore. However, you'll still come away pretty unsettled starting with the fairly early reveal of the secret ingredient.

      You stumped me, too. I've not heard of any of your choices this week. For me, French language films are a pretty big gap.

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    2. All three are excellent but Elevator to the Gallows is an essential.

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    3. For what it's worth, I'm with Joel on Elevator to the Gallows. In addition to being a fantastic French film noir, it also features a Miles Davis soundtrack that ranks among the best ever.

      If I'm picking a single Korean horror movie (and not going with the obvious Train to Busan), I'm going with the just-as-obvious Gwoemul. I'm predictable like that.

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    4. Ahhh...Miles is sooooo good. Haven't seen Gwoemul. Nor have I heard of it. I must investigate.

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  2. I've seen the short version of Dumplings from the Three... Extremes anthology film that included a segment by Chan-wook Park. I liked what I saw in Dumplings as I just loved how fucked up it is. I'm glad you went with the horror route in this subject as I went for something diverse set in 3 continents.

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    1. I have the Three Extremes anthology and watched it, but skipped the short version in it because it came with a second DVD containing the full-length version. Watched that instead.

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  3. I haven't seen any of these but they all sound interesting, especially H.

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  4. If they made M, they can make H. (I suppose M, H, and Z would have been an interesting theme-within-a-theme for this week.)

    I decided to go with three films from the 90s -- surprisingly recent for me -- that nobody's probably heard of because none of them have gotten DVD releases in the US. (They all deserve a release.)

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    1. M is fantastic. H is not quite on that level, but not much is.

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  5. I've heard of Dumplings but other than that, I have no knowledge of any of these. I agree with you on being spoiled for choice this week, and can't wait to see what everyone picks!

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    1. Yeah, a broad topic like this gave us all some elbow room.

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  6. You did great! I have seen tons of non-English movies but I haven't heard of any of these before. I'll definitely check them out as they all sound great.

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    1. Thanks. Looking forward to your thoughts on any of them.

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