I changed my movie list a little bit- so I thought I would post it here in case anyone is looking for movies that are a little bit different. The ones at the bottom are just general recommendations of favorite movies off the top of my head that I thought might appeal to students, and which they would not have seen- so if they seem like movies EVERYONE would have seen, it's only cause you are of "a certain age" :-) Like me.
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Australian-
Picnic At Hanging Rock- weird atmospheric Australian mystery
The Last Wave- involves Aboriginal murder case, very surreal- EXCELLENT
Walkabout- fabulous movie about Australian outback
Dead Heart- aboriginal/white conflict movie, very powerful
Strictly Ballroom - Australian film about competitive ballroom dancing
Angel at my Table- sensitive story of mental illness and success, in Australia.
True story.
The Year my Voice Broke- coming of age story in outback town
Flirting- continuation of Year My Voice Broke
Once Were Warriors- fantastic Maori story, w/abusive family angle, and child
molestation
Broken English- Croatian immigrant objects to daughter's love for Maori- in New
Zealand
Soft Fruit-family movie, about death OF mother and 4 grown siblings
Romper Stomper-Australian drama about skinheads'
brutal attacks on Melbourne's Asian community.
France-
Latcho Drom- gypsies in Europe
Hate-drama about three disaffected multiracial youths in riot-torn Parisian
housing projects.
The Girl From Paris- a young woman moves to the country and takes over a farm
Amelie- whimsical wonderful story
When The Cat's Away- captures Parisian neighborhood- charming and gritty
La Lectrice- fascinating literate movie, about a young woman who reads to clients
Rendezvous in Paris- wonderful atmospheric Parisian film
All OF Eric Rohmer gives French flavor- any Rohmer film is wonderful. Some OF THE best:
Claire's Knee
A Summer's Tale
An Autumn Tale
A Tale OF Winter
A Tale OF Springtime
Un Coeur en Hiver
Summer
German-
Aguirre, THE Wrath OF God- German conquistador- very interesting (see also Mosquito Coast, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Thee Mission, etc- same themes)
Where the Green Ants Dream- aborigines try to stop miners from destroying sacred land
Fitzcarraldo - complicated movie about the Amazon and opera- very interesting
cultural movie
Cobra Verde- Brazilian bandit African slave trade- unusual, if a little muddled.
Herdsmen of the Sun-FABULOUS!!!!!Beautifully filmed documentary about the
Woodabe's annual custom where the men dress up in makeup, jewelry, and attire. Each woman then chooses the man she finds the most
beautiful.
The Nasty Girl-German black comedy/drama about a girl uncovering Bavarian town's true WWII activities.
The White Rose- true story-German students who try to reveal horrors OF
concentration camps find themselves targeted by THE Nazis.
The five Last Days-female PRISONER tells cell mate OF her resistance activities-WWII
Wim Wenders- ALL his films are good- but my favorite film of all time is:
Wings of Desire- angels on Earth in Berlin. Amazing movie- the dialog is very poetic, or IS poetry. (FarAway, So Close is the sequel)
Tom Tykwer-
Winter Sleepers
Run Lola Run
The Princess and the Warrior (the BEST movie! Some creepy sexual stuff, but a fantastic story)
Heaven
Spanish language- Spain, and Latin America
Man Facing Southeast- Argentinean Christ figure (mental patient claims to be
extraterrestrial)
Almodovar-
All About My Mother- about women and their strength
Tie me Up Tie Me Down- ex-mental patient obsessed with junkie
Actress
Matador- strange sexually perverse tale involving bullfighters
Bad Education- relationship between two brothers, also a story about acting and writing
Carla's Song -Glaswegian bus driver who follows Sandinista lover back to
Nicaragua
Celestial Clockwork- Venezuelan girl in Paris
Men With Guns- beautiful movie about Latin America and the indiscriminate brutality there.
Four Days in September -Semi-fictional political thriller recreates 1969 abduction
of American ambassador by left-wing guerillas opposed to Brazil's military regime.
El Norte- Guatemalan Indian youths' traumatic journey north to America.
Maria Full of Grace- story of a drug mule, and her life
The Devil’s Backbone- creepy atmospheric horror story
Japanese -
Makioka Sisters
Taxing Woman
The Funeral- family fun at a funeral
Tampopo- weird love story/noodle western
Shall We Dance
Mystery Train - Japanese/American
Cold Fever-Japanese businessman travels to Iceland to pay homage to his dead
Parents- cultural conflicts abound (Japanese/Icelandic)
Il Ringu
Suicide Club- strange horror/drama
Cure-Eerie drama with occult overtones
ALL of Akira Kurosawa’s works- the Samurai movies are fantastic, but his later works are great too- Dreams is very good, as are the Shakespeare interpretations
The Sea Is Watching- love story involving a geisha and a samurai
Korean
Chunhyang- amazing story- told in unusual fashion. Very realistic film cut with a traditional Korean folk story teller- it works, but you have to have some patience with it. The story is like a really great fairy tale- there are some pretty explicit sex scenes, and there is some really sadistic violence- so it’s an odd mix, but it’s a truly fine film.
India-
Salaam Bombay- very sad look at poor children, and THE bottom OF society, in Bombay
Fire -forbidden passion between two Indian wives, racial, gender issues.
Masala- Canadian/Indian culture clash
Bandit Queen- controversial film about Indian outlaw Phoolan Devi who
rebelled against women's brutalization by robbing,
killing, and stealing. Very brutal film- and especially disturbing scenes with
sexual brutalization OF children.
Charulata -woman disgruntled with female roles in Indian society.
The Home and The World -another Ray drama with feminist edge
Mississippi Masala- Southern black/Indian culture clash- very sweet movie
East Is East- Pakistani father dealing with the freedom his children have in
England
My Son the fanatic- devout son is unhappy with Westernized father
The Buddha OF Suburbia- Very interesting Pakistani/London 1970's exploration off culture clash
Chinese:
The Wooden Man's Bride- very interesting about traditional Chinese society
Ju dou-Young woman in 1920s China struggles between dutiful marriage, love
for another man
Raise the Red Lantern- very sad movie about old Chinese culture, love and
personal destruction.
The Blue Kite- Very sad Chinese saga movie
Farewell My Concubine
The King OF Masks- story about a little unwanted girl, feminist fable.
Not One Less- movie about a teenage teacher- fabulous!
The Shower- wonderful movie about disability and family life
Shanghai Triad- very disturbing movie about gangs in China
Red Sorghum- another Chinese epic drama
The Story OF Qiu Ju-Chinese drama about a worn
peasant woman seeking justice within a bureaucratic system- VERY ironic
To Live- another wonderful Chinese drama/epic
Yellow Earth -soldier studying remote village's folk music in pre-Communist China
Xiu Xiu: THE Sent Down Girl- VERY SAD- Chinese girl's harsh experiences in remote Tibet during THE Cultural Revolution.
A Mongolian Tale- sad romance set on steppes
Close to Eden- Wonderful happy movie (very RARE) of culture clash between Russian truck driver stranded on Mongolian steppes and THE Mongolians. Lovely!
Double Happiness- Chinese/Caucasian culture clash
The Wedding Banquet - see description under gay films
Eat Drink Man Woman- Taiwanese- great film about family
Combination Platter- cultural tale OF illegal immigrant from Hong Kong
Chungking Express- movie about Hong Kong- very surreal, gives much flavor OF life there.
Together- wonderful story about a young violin prodigy
The Road Home- similar in theme to The Notebook (imo)- but this has less sentimentality
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress- story of two young men, and the woman they meet when they are sent to the country to work as peasants during the cultural revolution
Singapore:
That's the Way I Like It- very cute movie, with window on Singapore in THE '70s
Iceland/Finland/ Norway etc:
Pathfinder-Epic story of a boy who saves a village. VERY violent, but very good.
The Match Factory Girl- bleak black comedy with feminist overtones
Cold Fever-Japanese businessman travels to Iceland to pay homage to his dead
Parents- cultural conflicts abound
Ariel-Mine-worker loses his job and sets out on cross-country road trip in this
Finish comedy drama.
Kitchen Stories- A Swedish scientist is assigned to observe an old grouchy man's kitchen habits, which gets complicated by his growing friendship with him.
the Green Butchers- cannibalism can be cute. A really strange little movie.
The Cuckoo- a strange story of a Lap woman who rescues Finnish solider and a German soldier. Really unusual film.
Peculiarities of the National Fishing- comedy about the conflicts between the Russians and the Finnish
The River- an ensemble movie from Finland about many characters, of many different ages, struggling with life
Iran/Persia:
The White Balloon- wonderful film about Iranian children
Children OF Paradise - another film about Iranian children- this time they lose a
shoe. Extremely lovely
The Color OF Paradise- terribly sad. About disability, and family ties.
Gabbeh- magic realism from Persia
Journey OF Hope- Khurdish
Osama- will break your heart. How women are/were mistreated in Afghanistan.
Movies sensitive to the gay cultural experience:
My Beautiful Launderette- romance between Indian boy and British boy- racial,
gender, and social issues abound.
Postcards from America- boys coming of age as he leaves violent home, and hits the open road
Beautiful Thing - romance between to British boys, very well done
Chutney Popcorn- Indian lesbian and her lover, family issues, WONDERFUL
Ma Vie En Rose- seven-year-old boy who wishes to be a girl. Belgian
Prick Up Your Ears-biopic OF gay British playwright Joe Orton
Hollow Reed- Gay father fighting for custody OF his abused son
THE Wedding Banquet -gay Asian man who marries a Chinese girl to please his
parents., even though he is lovers, and lives with, a
Caucasian man- EXCELLENT film-
When Night Is Falling-surreal coming out lesbian movie
Desert Hearts- more traditional lesbian coming out movie
Lianna - slow paced but very real coming out movie
High Art-
Late Bloomers- funny coming out movie- Australian
I've Heard the Mermaids Singing- quirky examination of same sex crush
Go Fish- urban grittier lesbians
Virgin Machine- German journalist exploring gay culture in SF
Bar Girls- lesbian "friends" movie
The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls In Love-coming-OF-age tale OF two teen girls — from different backgrounds, lifestyles — who fall in love
But I'm a Cheerleader- amazing film- a spoof/satire comedy- a CREAMPUFF- see this film
Happy Together- sad story OF two gay men stranded in Argentina
Cowboys and Angels
……………………………
Night On Earth- don't know where to put this in, but magnificent and culturally
significant for MANY cultures, and Jarmusch’s other movies are great- esp Down By Law
Swimming To Cambodia- don't know where to put this either, but it's wonderful (and so was Monster in a Box- and Gray’s Anatomy). Lots of cultural observations here. WOW! What movies These are.
Russian/Balkan/etc
Underground- MAGNIFICENT, magic realism, fabulous-Surreal black comedy cleverly satirizes Bosnian War's horrors
Cabaret Balkan- black, desperate, defining of the region
Prisoner of the Mountains- magnificent film about moral ambiguities, Russian POW's stay in Chechen village.
Time of the Gypsies- drama about family allegiances
Before THE Rain- effects of war on Macedonian village- and the world effects that spin out from that
The Perfect Circle- about THE Bosnian Crisis
Beautiful People- Great movie- so deep. About conflict and forgiveness and
redemption.
Pretty Village, Pretty Flame- the existential problems of Serbian soldiers worn
out by conflict.
Come and See-Shattering antiwar drama examines unspeakable horrors in WWII Russia.
Stalingrad-WWII drama profiles good soldiers fighting for "wrong" side
Welcome to Sarajevo-looks at Bosnia's horrors through Western journalists' eyes.
A Friend OF THE Deceased-Quirky black Ukrainian Comedy
Native Indian- Indigenous peoples
Black Robe- Canadian Indians/ Jesuit missionaries 17th century
Map of the Human Heart- Inuit boy. Love story, WWII- amazing movie
Smoke Signals -comedy about two young Native Americans' cross-country trip
Dance Me Outside- coming of age on reservation- plenty of cross cultural stuff
Powwow Highway - very interesting road picture
Spirit rider- powerful coming of age movie- deals with foster care, Canadian
Ojibwa
Windwalker-American Indian chief recounts the joys and travails of his eventful
life
I Will Fight No More Forever-wonderful movie of Chief Joseph and THE Nez Perce
Africa- and African American
Besieged-cross cultural intellectual love affair between British pianist and
African exile housemaid.
Chocolat-woman's childhood in West Africa
Daughters of THE Dust- turn-OF-THE-century family saga about descendants of
slaves dwelling on islands near South Carolina
Sankofa-contemporary fashion model finds herself reliving 19th-century slaves'
Experiences
All of Spike Lee’s movies- but the best are (imo)
She’s Gotta Have it
Bamboozled
4 Little Girls
Malcolm X
Nowhere in Africa- story of escaping the Nazis to make a new life in Kenya
Homelessness-
Sunday- explores loneliness, alienation
Lovers on the Bridge- explores love, trust, disability and homelessness
Where the Day Takes You- very gritty tale of homeless youth
General goodies-
St Ives, The Hours, The Crying Game, Enchanted April, Cold Comfort Farm, The Field, The Winslow Boy, Mona Lisa, Diva, The Dead (angelica Huston), Chinatown, Blood Simple, The Professional, The French Connection, Blade Runner, Silent Running, Widows Peak, Ronin, Trainspotting, Bound, Body Heat, The Grifters, Thelma and Louise, Raising Arizona, All of the Jane Austen movies and all of the Dicken's movies, Cousin Bette, Heathers, Election, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Beetlejiuce, Repo Man, Shallow Grave, Sexy Beast, Jacob’s Ladder, Dead Man, Ed Wood- the Clint Eastwood Westerns- esp Hang ‘em High, High Plains Drifter, Unforgiven, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars,
All of Lars Von Trier's movies- Dogville, Dancer in the Dark, the Five Obstructions, Breaking the Waves, Medea etc.
Gosford Park, Restoration, Sling Blade, Monster’s Ball, American Beauty, Animal House, Fast Times at Ridgemont High
True Romance, The Decline of Western Civilization, Blow Out, Body Double, and do try Alfred Hitchcock
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