chasmmi

64th: Gangs of Wassypur (India) 3 Votes: 122 Points 2020 Position: 97th I'll pay or the money if the star of this film is essentially Indian Kiryu. That looks a lot less Yakuza sadly. A film that received super strong praise from a very concentrated group of voters suggests that if you watch this you likely won't like it. You will potentially either think it is fine, or think it is one of the best Indian films out there. A pretty big jump since last time out as it goes from sneaking into the top 100, to closing in on top 50. The real list we all care about: 9 - Japan 8 - India 4 - France 3 - South Korea 3 - Italy 2 - Germany 2 - Sweden 2 - Hong Kong 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico

65th: Kung Fu Hustle (Hong Kong) 5 Votes: 121 Points 2020 Position: 124th I remember when this mini-genre was a big thing Okay, I yield. That was actually pretty darn funny and silly. Comedy does seem to gel quite well with martial arts when done well, and this is a film that looks like it handles that balance very well. It obviously goes without saying that I have not seen this, but it is one of the films that most look like I will enjoy if I actually decided to give something a try. A pretty big jump considering China/Hong Kong has not had a strong showing in this opening third of the countdown so far. Maybe this is the start of something big... The real list we all care about: 9 - Japan 7 - India 4 - France 3 - South Korea 3 - Italy 2 - Germany 2 - Sweden 2 - Hong Kong 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico

66th: Castle in the Sky (Japan) 7 Votes: 120 Points 2020 Position: 81st Oh, I almost watched this one. Now I know the Iron Giant Origin Story I was so close to having watched two whole films from a set of five. I saw like the opening 2 minutes of this, but it turned out to be the dub and I couldn't go through with it. Luckily in the next set of 5, I have actually seen...oh... one again. One ghibli film drops about 20 places, another rises about 20 places. This is... I don't know what to expect anymore from this list. The real list we all care about: 9 - Japan 7 - India 4 - France 3 - South Korea 3 - Italy 2 - Germany 2 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

67th: A Man Escaped (France) 6 Votes: 120 Points 2020 Position: 78th from where? People needs to know Wait, is the title a spoiler? French black and white film does as French black and white films do. Sad man does sad monologue and we all hope they stop being sad. A rise of 10 places continues French consistency, so we shall see if that continues as the number of spots left to fill slowly gets smaller. The real list we all care about: 8 - Japan 7 - India 4 - France 3 - South Korea 3 - Italy 2 - Germany 2 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

68th: The Tale of Princess Kaguya (Japan) 6 Votes: 120 Points 2020 Position: 40th And the Ghibli take on Poochy the Dog comes in at 68th. I actually like this one, even if the ending is weird. Ghibli continuing its strong showing as the second best film it released that year arrives in 68th place. It is very pretty in its own stylistic way and I can see why it gets love. Even if I put it as a mid-tier Ghibli outing. Drops a fair few spots to continue the weird bouncing around of Japanese placings since last time out. But still a solid finish. The real list we all care about: 8 - Japan 7 - India 3 - France 3 - South Korea 3 - Italy 2 - Germany 2 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

69th: Fanny and Alexander (Sweden) 4 Votes: 120 Points 2020 Position: 123rd (This may actually have been a Korean film... but that one had like a 6/10 IMDB rating so... oh also that was called Last Spring) It's official, Sweden is cold. I am guessing this is some King and I type deal? Let's check... Nope just a couple of theatre kids. I know I am kind paying lip service to these few entries, I'm still a little out of it today to be honest, but wanted to get something out. Sadly it is so far a group of films I would struggle to have much to say about at 100%. Sorry Sweden. Rises over 50 places to enter the top 100 nicely. Will Sweden get a bit of shine in the sun? The real list we all care about: 7 - India 7 - Japan 3 - France 3 - South Korea 3 - Italy 2 - Germany 2 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

70th: Late Spring (Japan) 4 Votes: 119 Points 2020 Position: 183rd (This may actually have been a Korean film... but that one had like a 6/10 IMDB rating so... oh also that was called Last Spring) They ride bikes... they ride bikes for two minutes. They just ride bikes. I have very little to really say about this one. I am guessing it is set in May? It rises 100 places to give Japan another spot on this list. Draws level with India again. The real list we all care about: 7 - India 7 - Japan 3 - France 3 - South Korea 3 - Italy 2 - Germany 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

I am aiming to be back to this tomorrow. I know it is classic me to stop and start like this. The past couple of days here have been...a lot.

71st: The Battle Of Algiers (Italy) 4 Votes: 119 Points 2020 Position: 52nd That picture clearly shows a battle so it may actually be accurate. I film beloved by great directors, likely less liked by me. You decide whose opinion you cherish more. I remember the trailer for this last time out and was impressed by how real some of the stuff looked (I believe mostly because they just decided to actually blow stuff up and hope everybody was fine after). Probably a really good shout as a suggestion for those of you interested in the black and white Italian war film genre. Well isn't that a fun quirk. This film finished one place above Dangal last time out too... albeit about 20 positions higher. Another Italian drop off, but not as steep as those which preceded it. The real list we all care about: 7 - India 6 - Japan 3 - France 3 - South Korea 3 - Italy 2 - Germany 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

72nd: Dangal (India) 3 Votes: 119 Points 2020 Position: 53rd json format checker Is this a Great Khali biopic? Oh wait... this is proper wrestling. Did Aamir Khan put on weight for this? From what I gather, India is pretty good at nailing sports films about sports that you maybe would not expect to be cinematic go tos. Whether it is women's hockey, wrestling or possibly even cricket, I think the melodrama bent of cinema here really makes sporting triumphs feel special in movie form. I mean, not that I have seen this one obviously. Well now I don't know how to assess India's performance. Three entries in a row, one rises, one stays the same, one falls. I can confidently therefore say that... India makes movies. The real list we all care about: 7 - India 6 - Japan 3 - France 3 - South Korea 2 - Italy 2 - Germany 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

73rd: Rang De Besanti (India) 3 Votes: 119 Points 2020 Position: 88th This is a film about a Coldplay song? More Hindi, more singing, more to like if you are down with that. This feels like a film that is maybe a little more made for the Indian market by the Indian market, than one intended to be an international breakout. But that is me assuming based off one song, an AI poster, and the fact that I show up near the end as an assumed antagonist. List wise, this one rises a decent few places and that is a positive sign for overall Indian output as it pulls level with Japan on 6 films. well... until the tides possibly turn again at least. The real list we all care about: 6 - Japan 6 - India 3 - France 3 - South Korea 2 - Italy 2 - Germany 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

74th: Andhadhun (India) 4 Votes: 116 Points 2020 Position: 72nd So this is a very intense noir drama about a pianist? ...with song and dance numbers obviously? Okay well there is piano and songs, the lead isn't doing much dancing though and the colour is not exactly black and white either. So is this more Hindi La La Land or Hindi Ray? It is a nice song to be fair and again I am always charmed by Bollywood stuff when I see clips of it, I just... are they still all three hours? I don't have three hours to put aside to watch a film. I only really have time to watch 16 episodes of a sitcom back to back instead. Well this held essentially flat. That is unlike a lot of films that have been bouncing around like Higgs Boson particles in here. The real list we all care about: 6 - Japan 5 - India 3 - France 3 - South Korea 2 - Italy 2 - Germany 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

75th: JSA (Korea) 5 Votes: 115 Points 2020 Position: 51st So the best film of all time is only the 75th best foreign film...hmmm Nothing more high brow and cinema than spitting Yeah, I love this film, I think it is not just the best Park Chan Wook film, it is the best Korean film, the best foreign film, and just the best film. I am a big fan and I implore folks out there to give it a whirl (I think it is on Amazon now) And it falls like 25 places, this is saddening. I hold out hope that one time in the future this will break top 30 or 40, but it is hard to be confident for sure. I will always have hope though, The real list we all care about: 6 - Japan 4 - India 3 - France 3 - South Korea 2 - Italy 2 - Germany 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

76th: The Wind Rises (Japan) 6 Votes: 114 Points 2020 Position: 67th Time to talk about the most aggressively fine film Ghibli ever made. Planes, planes and flying mobiles. This film is fine. A decent time had by all as an artist who very much loves and appreciates an engineer makes a film about said engineer loving and appreciating planes. it is a passion project and the love is clearly there. It's just... a film about a dude who likes planes. Nothing wrong with that, but also, I don't hate planes, where's my biography. What this? A Japanese film dropped places, and a Ghibli film at that! Now nothing can be assumed. What is going on?! The real list we all care about: 6 - Japan 4 - India 3 - France 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 2 - Germany 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

77th: Metropolis (Germany) 5 Votes: 113 Points 2020 Position: 253rd A German Superman film. I would make a joke, but that would only be understood by a Nietzsche audience. Ok, this one may be evil dead. This just looks freaky. It is obviously not something I have seen and that means nothing, If I watched and enjoyed this it would mean that it is the sort of shallow gumpf fit for a neanderthal and not the high art of auteurism that visitors to this forum always crave. I recommend watching with subtitles. A huge jump from last time around as this rockets about 170 places from outside the top 200, to inside the top 80. This list is wild. The real list we all care about: 5 - Japan 4 - India 3 - France 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 2 - Germany 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

78th: Army of Shadows (France) 6 Votes: 113 Points 2020 Position: 135th Sounds like an Evil Dead film, I may be in!! nope, not evil dead. Definitely a beloved French film, it kicks off with long drawn out shots of 5 different unhappy looking men and none of them speak a line. What is more classic French cinema than that? Anyhow, this list isn't here to tell me what 20th century Eurocinema not to watch. It is a grand sprawling list of suggestions to a variety of target audiences that may be into this stuff, or other stuff, or just film stuff. This film was 115 places below Amelie last time around, that is quite the turn around to now be one place ahead. Is it justified though. The real list we all care about: 5 - Japan 4 - India 3 - France 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong 1 - Germany

79th: Amelie (France) 6 Votes: 112 Points 2020 Position: 21st Ooh, is this the one about chocolate?! Wait, that is probably Chocolat. Was that one even French, my brain is telling me it had Johnny Depp in it. Seems like a lovely little French film about love and stuff. I put the over/under at 11 explicit sex scenes. Every few years there is a French film that seems to be everywhere (at least in the UK), there was Femme Nikita, Intouchables, Jean Reno being a medieval soldier, Gerard Depadieu being.. well himself but next to Asterix. They always get differing levels of traction. I never see them. Except Nikita, Nikita was fun. And another huge drop as Amelie goes from almost top 20 to almost not top 80. It is becoming very hard to predict what film might come next... The real list we all care about: 5 - Japan 4 - India 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 2 - France 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong 1 - Germany

80th: The Lives of Others (Germany) 6 Votes: 110 Points 2020 Position: 37th And they say that romance in East Germany is dead. Looks like it's one of those films set in a dystopian futu... oh. Looks like a decent film to be honest. Maybe not enough shooty shooty bang bang to keep the likes of me amused, but for more high brow cinephiles, this looks like a decent recommend. Now, onwards to some Black and White thing from the 30s I am sure... ooof, 37th last time out is a drop. This is really calling for a third installment two years from now to see which of these lists turns out to be the outlier. The real list we all care about: 5 - Japan 4 - India 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - France 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong 1 - Germany

81st: Police Story (Hong Kong) 6 Votes: 110 Points 2020 Position: 45th The first Police Story film, but is it the best? I dunno. Oh it is Jackie Chan? So it is just a crazy man hurting extras from 90 minutes? While jumps from high place to high place. I can't be too down on this. Hong Kong knows what it wants in a film and by jove Hong Kong directors will give them that thing again and again and again and again and again and continue this repetition until you get bored. If you are a fan of punchy man hurts bad man, then is very likely to be a strong example of the genre. As for change since list 1, it has fallen 30 or so places which means that The Tuxedo now has a chance to take its rightful place as the top Jackie Chan movie. The real list we all care about: 5 - Japan 4 - India 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - France 1 - China 1 - Mexico 1 - Hong Kong

82nd: Wolf Children (Japan) 4 Votes: 110 Points 2020 Position: 116th This is on my animated 'to watch' list. it seems a few others actually got around to watching it. This game has both a really interesting premise and a strong reputation that means I am almost certain to watch this whenever my top Animated List becomes due. Who would not be interested in the idea of watching a single mother try to raise baby werewolves? That sounds like something that is far far more intriguing and substantial than a weird giant wombat thing that mumbles and moans while waiting for a cat bus or whatever. Another big rise for a Japanese animation, I can smell the dissention in the ranks as some worry that this is going to get overwhelming. That is not definitely the case yet... but it is looking possible. The real list we all care about: 5 - Japan 4 - India 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - France 1 - China 1 - Mexico

83rd: Y Tu Mama Tambien (Mexico) 4 Votes: 110 Points 2020 Position: 96th The IMDB description of this film is mildly troubling. That scene suggests I needed a stronger word than mildly. But we're in the wacky world of Latin Languages cinema and this is what we get. Is this basically Thelma and Louise if Louise was a pair of teenage boys? It is very hard to tell from just 1 minute of footage. What is easier to tell is that this is a climber on our list as it rises a good 13 spots from last time around. The Spanish language as a whole had a decent outing in 2020, so let's see if that continues to be the case in 2022. The real list we all care about: 4 - Japan 4 - India 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - France 1 - China 1 - Mexico

84th: Drishyam (India) 3 Votes: 110 Points 2020 Position: 83rd The AI has decided that this was Indian Dick Tracy it seems.... So it seems a trailer for the sequel to this dropped recently and Youtube was desperate for me to watch that instead. This is now three Hindi films straight where I have seemingly found a song/scene where there is no big song and dance number to be seen. Now I haven't seen this film, for all I know the next song is this family dancing and frolicking their way through disguises in order to go into hiding or something. What is apparent though, is that so far, the films to make this list from India, still have songs and music, but they aren't the musicals that I was mostly watching in the early 2000s. The first film to basically not move. It sems that we cannot agree if Lion King Remake is animated, or if Gravity is sci-fi, but we all know in our hearts that Drishyam is about the 80-85th best foreign movie of all time. The real list we all care about: 4 - Japan 4 - India 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - France 1 - China

85th: Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Korea) 3 Votes: 108 Points 2020 Position: 73rd There is no way there are 84 films better than this one, let alone 84 foreign language films. Park Chan Wook is to me, night and day the best director Korea has ever produced. I think if you take his 5 best films, you have a collection of 5 that rivals pretty much any director that has ever directed. I think this is my person 3rd favourite Park film (I haven't seen Decision to Leave yet) and that in itself is quit ethe statement to make in my opinion. It drops 12 places which is sad, but at least it remains on the list and that is a plus. Hopefully in 2025, more folks will have seen this and we'll have a much more deserving placement. The real list we all care about: 4 - Japan 3 - India 2 - Italy 2 - South Korea 1 - Sweden 1 - Poland 1 - Russia (includes USSR) 1 - France 1 - China

Let's be fair, if I finish within 40 days, that is technically quick. (Also sorry, was delayed by Halloween and wrestling) Let's blow through the next 5 in a very short while

I think it zoned in on the 'depressed, lonely girl part of the description more than anything else and so... came up with a shadowy figure staring at a mural.