Quick Picks
Following is a list of films I recommend that aren’t posted on the blog. (Check the “So-So” and “Don’t Bother” pages on the right for a list of a few I don’t recommend.)
Baaria
Safety Not Guaranteed
The Other Son (French)
Neighboring Sounds
Happy, Happy
The Man From London
Burn After Reading
Safe
Fuse
Drift
Arbitrage
As Cool As I Am (okay, not great)
Tabu
Before Midnight (not as good as the previous two, but worth a viewing)
Agora
The Master
Natural Selection
Twenty Feet From Stardom (documentary)
Max Manus – Man of War
50/50
Another Earth
Regular Lovers (French) 2005 A look at the youth of France around the time of social unrest in the late 60s.
The Mechanic Jason Statham action thriller
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Light comedy. Not great, but worth watching.
Skyfall Daniel Craig as James Bond.
Loving Leah (American) 2009 Don’t be put off by the fact that this is a Hallmark production, as I almost was. Surprisingly good and not overly sentimental story)
Secrets of Highclere Castle (British-BBC) (the estate used in Downton Abbey)
Philadelphia (American) 1993 (20th anniversary of this Oscar-winning film)
Footnote (Israeli) 2011 Amusing and touching rivalry between a father and son, as the father is about to receive the award of his lifetime.
Private Fears in Public Places (French) 2006 A comedy in the French tradition.
The Double Hour (Italian) 2009 A suspenseful love story.
Heart Breaker (French) 2010 A mildly engaging and moderately funny romantic comedy.
A Separation (Iranian) 2011 *** A mesmerizing story about a family’s troubles.
Broken Wings (Israeli) 2004 A teenage girl with a complicated homelife tries to make a career in music.
Oslo, August 31st (Norwegian) 2011 A (final) day in the life of a drug addict. From the director of Reprise, which I liked better than this.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (British) 2011 Based on the John Le Carré novel
Mendy (American) 2003 A story about a young Hasid in Brooklyn, who experiences a spiritual crisis and must leave the safety of his community.
Police, adjective (Romanian) 2009 tongue-in-cheek police drama; less subtle humor than East of Bucharest
Mother and Sun (Russian) 1997 Poetic and atmospheric film about death; beautifully filmed
Shadows in Paradise (Finnish) 1986 slightly dark romantic comedy
The Sun (Japanese) 2005
The Best of Youth (Italian) 2003 epic film (long)
Living in the Material World (a must for George Harrison fans) 2011
The Syrian Bride (Arabic) 2006
Khadak (Mongolian) 2007
Poison Friends (French) 2007
The Black Book (Dutch) 2006
Leaves of Grass (American) 2010 funny
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (American) 2011
No One Knows About Persian Cats (Iranian)
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (American/German) 2009
Horrible Bosses (American) 2011
The Kids Are All Right (American) 2010
Elsewhere (Austrian) 2001 (not the more recent horror film)
Baaer Meinhof Complex (German) 2008
I’m Not There (American) 2007
The Prestige (British) 2006
Enough (Barakat!) (Algerian) 2006
One Wonderful Sunday (Japanese) 1947
Storm (German) 2009
Withnail and I (British) 1987
Mondays in the Sun (Spanish) 2002
Heading South (French) 2005
The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Italian) 1978
Seducing Dr. Lewis (French/Canadian) 2003
Ghost Town (American) 2008
The Devil’s Backbone (Spanish) 2001
Saturn in Opposition (Italian/French/Turkish) 2007
The Great Water (Macedonian) 2004
Mansfield Park (British) 1999
Fire/Earth/Water (Mehta’s trilogy)
Trainspotting (British/UK) 1996
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Brazilian/Portuguese) 1976
Strangers on a Train
Run Lola Run (German) 1998
Quest for Fire (French/American/Canadian) 1981
The Woman in White
Dr. Zhivago (original) (American) 1965
Transsiberian (American) 2008
Red Desert (Italian) 1964
CJ7 (Chinese) 2008
The Hangover (American) 2009
FILMS TO CONSIDER 
I have seen exactly 0 of these.
Better get crackin’! 🙂
I watch a lot of foreign films and your comment makes me think I need to add more info to this page, such as language and year.