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chasmmi

The Top Foreign Film List is Go...

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Well tomorrow or Sunday it will be go. (I have a working Saturday so exhaustion levels will determine that part.)

 

Either way the lists are tallied. Over 700 films are ranked and I have seen a solid 6% of them...maybe. 

 

There are big surprises, big umm not surprises and everything in between. 

 

The plan for each reveal is thus:

 

Reveal Position and score (obviously)

Insert a short clip (obviously) 

Give either my thought on the film from having seen it, or just based on the clip I uploaded.

Compare its ranking to the previous list. 

Produce a stunning piece of AI art based on IMDB's description of the film in question. 

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100th: Porco Rosso (Japan) 4 Votes: 98 Points

2020 Position: 118th 

 27JQqJ.Rosso.jpg

 

Ghibli immediately makes its presence felt with the opening film on the list. Is this a sign of things to come. 

 

 

This is a film that I think is close to the top of my list of Ghibli films I haven't watched yet (along with Kiki and Ponyo). It does look a little weird, but then I have seen the film where raccoons turn their testicles into a road bridge so what even is weird anymore? To be fair that little scene above does make the film seem like it will be a charming time, so perhaps when the next animated list comes around... whenever that is due?

 

Stats wise, this is an odd film. When I have done the animated list it has flirted in and out of the top 100 and in this Foreign list it does the same thing. In fact it has beaten more than one animated film that roundly trounces it in the animated list. 

 

 

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99th: Let the Right One In (Sweden) 7 Votes: 98 Points

2020 Position: 91st 

 27v4TL.Let-Right-One.jpg

 

Sweden was a dark horse last time out with a decent return of films for an industry that probably is not the biggest.   

 

 

The first film to get itself a Hollywood remake (and likely not the last), This is a film that is intriguing to me, but came out at a time when I had sort of stopped watching films for a bit and I never really caught up and watched it since. It definitely seems to be a different and interesting take on vampires and for my tastes... it is probably going to be the Swedish film on this list I am most likely to actually enjoy watching.  

 

A drop of 8 places keeps this film at the bottom end of the list, but still the right side of 100th. I am kind of glad to see it survive as it is something a bit different from what a lot of the films are likely to be going forward. 

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98th: Ida (Poland) 4 Votes: 100 Points

2020 Position: 44th 

 27vBLG.Ida.jpg

 

Maybe France, Italy, Korea, and India aren't showing up at all? It's the year of the underdogs!!!

 

 

Okay well that clip told me nothing other than in Black and White, that actress has like, the blackest soulless eyes I can remember. I know the film is about a nun, so whether that is part of it, that she is actually part evil or something, I don't know, but her eyes just kind of scared me.  

 

This film has had a pretty big drop going from inside the top 50 to almost missing the full 100. This is going to be a theme as different fanbases show their loyalties in different cinemas. We shall see if it bounces back, if and when I dragged kicking and screaming to return to this list in 2025. 

 

Okay let's get the country list going:

 

1 - Japan 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

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97th: Sanjuro (Japan) 4 Votes: 101 Points

2020 Position: 203rd 

 27JTty.sanjuro.jpg

 

So this film is centred around Samurai's having a dance off? 

 

 

It's a black and white Japanese film with an angry looking samurai man with a beard. I can only assume this is Kurasawa. I am sure these films are all very different if you actually watch them, in the same way I am sure that all the Westerns of the the 1950s/60s were all very different if you actually watch them. Although to be fair, I will happily try and watch every black and white Japanese angry samurai film before I touch anything in the pre 1980s Western genre. 

 

Well we have our first big climber as this jumps 100 places to hit the top 100. Is this a sign that Japan has really come to play this time around as it took until 81st for a single Japanese film to appear in 2020 (Although it did then go on to dominate the list with 18 entries total)

 

The real list we all care about:

 

2 - Japan 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

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96th: Ugetsu (Japan) 4 Votes: 101 Points

2020 Position: 206th 

 27Jrj6.ugetsu.jpg

 

A film jumps 100 places to finish in the mid 90s with 101 points off 4 votes... Am I getting dejavu?

 

 

The Japanese version of ghost is certainly a lot less sexier than the Hollywood take. In seriousness though, is this a film without angry samurai? That is a nice change, albeit all I know from that scene is that potters are mean. This also means that we are 5 films in and I have seen... none of them. 

 

I am pretty excited from here on in though as going forward, with every group of 5 reveals there are going to be...errr is going to be one whole film I have seen in each block. That is until the 60th-56th block when that number shoots up to 2 out of 5. I am definitely the hero this forum needs to give their opinion on world cinema. 

 

This film pretty much mirrors Sanjuro exactly, rising from 206th to 96th giving it the title of biggest riser just from the previous film.

 

The real list we all care about:

 

3 - Japan 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

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6 hours ago, chasmmi said:

97th: Sanjuro (Japan) 4 Votes: 101 Points

2020 Position: 203rd 

 27JTty.sanjuro.jpg

 

So this film is centred around Samurai's having a dance off? 

 

 

It's a black and white Japanese film with an angry looking samurai man with a beard. I can only assume this is Kurasawa. I am sure these films are all very different if you actually watch them, in the same way I am sure that all the Westerns of the the 1950s/60s were all very different if you actually watch them. Although to be fair, I will happily try and watch every black and white Japanese angry samurai film before I touch anything in the pre 1980s Western genre. 

 

Well we have our first big climber as this jumps 100 places to hit the top 100. Is this a sign that Japan has really come to play this time around as it took until 81st for a single Japanese film to appear in 2020 (Although it did then go on to dominate the list with 18 entries total)

 

The real list we all care about:

 

2 - Japan 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

 

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

 

Sanjuro lowkey one of my favorite Kurosawas

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95th: Taare Zameen Par (India) 3 Votes: 102 Points

2020 Position: 125th 

 

27JlFz.taare.jpg

 

India has arrived and so I assume this also bodes the arrival of at least one of the Khans

 

 

I am not sure what to make of this film from that above song. I am assuming it is maybe Burt's origin story from Mary Poppins, but I could be wrong. It is also hard to tell which of the kids is going to fall in love with who but it turns out they are betrothed to another. 

 

This is clearly a popular film as one song has over 700 million views... wait a sec, that's barely one view per two Indians. I've watched A Million Dreams from Greatest showman 27 times alone. This is clearly a flop if it doesn't have at least 12 billion views. 

 

It looks like we have a few films dropping out of the top 100 from last time out as this is the 4th film out of 6 to be new to the top 100 this time around. That means something has to drop out. Hopefully it is a certain anime or two...

 

The real list we all care about:

 

3 - Japan 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

1 - India

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94th: The Host (South Korea) 3 Votes: 102 Points

2020 Position: 84th 

 

27vG3x.host.jpg

 

Anything India Khan do, Bong can do...with the same amount of points actually. 

 

 

I've seen this one!! Stop the presses! I have seen a thing! I can has opinionz!!!

 

This was the first Korean film I ever saw in cinemas back in 2006 and I wasn't aware that it was such an event film (seriously, compared to previous records and stuff, imagine if Avatar did like 2 Billion domestic [as opposed to the 300m Avatar 2 will make, am I right? I said am I right lads?...lads) 

 

Anyhoo, The Host was pretty great and marked the point in time where Korea was arguably the best cinema industry going at the time. And Bong wasn't even the best director making films then (or now). It's a good film, perhaps a little dated, and worthy of a spot in my opinion.

 

Not an insignificant drop this time out as it falls 14 spots. Perhaps that is due to the impending Japanese deluge, perhaps it is because people finally watched Dasepo Naughty Girls and realised that cinema in all forms has peaked. 

 

The real list we all care about:

 

3 - Japan 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

1 - India

1 - South Korea

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93rd: Cinema Paradiso (Italy) 3 Votes: 104 Points

2020 Position: 34th 

 

27vJRc.paradiso.jpg

 

Not to be confused with Guest House Paradiso. That is a very different film that perhaps only @SchumacherFTW has seen or heard of. 

 

 

I was expecting bicycles. It is an Italian film, I feel like there are usually bicycles... and maybe fountains too. This looks more like a sniper level from a video game that decided it needed to shoehorn in a sniper level. 

 

it seems like this is the classic tale of boy sees girl, boy follows girl, boy works up courage to talk to girl, boy gets dragged off to impending doom by boy. Woman inherits the Earth. 

 

Well if I thought 14 was a big drop, 60 places is fecking huge. This was a big favourite last time around, but didn't garner the same traction for 2022. Whether this is a sign that the forum has gone all Brexity and decided Europe can go fuck itself, or this is a single anomaly remains to be seen.  

 

The real list we all care about:

 

3 - Japan 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

1 - India

1 - South Korea

1 - Italy

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4 minutes ago, chasmmi said:

93rd: Cinema Paradiso (Italy) 3 Votes: 104 Points

2020 Position: 34th 

 

27vJRc.paradiso.jpg

 

Not to be confused with Guest House Paradiso. That is a very different film that perhaps only @SchumacherFTW has seen or heard of. 

 

 

I was expecting bicycles. It is an Italian film, I feel like there are usually bicycles... and maybe fountains too. This looks more like a sniper level from a video game that decided it needed to shoehorn in a sniper level. 

 

it seems like this is the classic tale of boy sees girl, boy follows girl, boy works up courage to talk to girl, boy gets dragged off to impending doom by boy. Woman inherits the Earth. 

 

Well if I thought 14 was a big drop, 60 places is fecking huge. This was a big favourite last time around, but didn't garner the same traction for 2022. Whether this is a sign that the forum has gone all Brexity and decided Europe can go fuck itself, or this is a single anomaly remains to be seen.  

 

The real list we all care about:

 

3 - Japan 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

1 - India

1 - South Korea

1 - Italy

bottom-ade-edmondson.gif%20

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92nd: 8 1/2 (Italy) 3 Votes: 106 Points

2020 Position: 20th 

 

27ve4a.8-12.jpg

 

This list is maybe the worst thing to happen to Italy in like... 6 days.  

 

 

I never realised that this film was endorsed by Daniel Bryan. Also somebody needs to tell Cherbourg that this film stole all its umbrellas. 

 

Another big big drop for a bicycle-less Italian film from the classic era. I would say more but the scene was literally because walking slowly with umbrellas and handing each other glasses of water. I feel like that wasn't a big indicator of the overall plot. 

 

Another big drop from an Italian film and this may now be a more concrete indication as to where in the world the big losers are going to be in this reveal. Minor spoiler alert, but the next reveal is also going to be a significant faller, although this time not from Italy...

 

The real list we all care about:

 

3 - Japan

2 - Italy 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

1 - India

 

1 - South Korea

 

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91st: Swades (India) 4 Votes: 106 Points

2020 Position: 56th 

 

27JozS.Swades.jpg

 

Ah if memory serves this is the Shah Rukh Khan performance that lost out at the Indian Oscars to the Shah Rukh Khan performance while the Shah Rukh Khan performance got snubbed. 

 

 

That clip actually threatened to not get musical didn't it?

 

I remember this film releasing and it being a pretty big depature from most of what SRK was doing at the time (Lovable neighbour falls in love with a girl but it cannot be, Lovable rogue meets his high school friend but it cannot be, Lovable general meets girl while undercover at a high school but it cannot be...) 

 

To be honest if/when I actually get back into watching Hindi stuff again, I would like to watch this one, and its probably very recommendable, hence it making its way into the top 100 for a second time. 

 

While Italy looks to be suffering in this countdown, India is currently harder to call as we now have one big climber and one big faller. There cannot be many more though if India hopes to challenge for the top spot o the total films on list...list, as it did last time out.  

 

The real list we all care about:

 

3 - Japan

2 - Italy

2 - India 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

 

1 - South Korea

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4 hours ago, chasmmi said:

94th: The Host (South Korea) 3 Votes: 102 Points

2020 Position: 84th 

 

27vG3x.host.jpg

 

Anything India Khan do, Bong can do...with the same amount of points actually. 

 

 

I've seen this one!! Stop the presses! I have seen a thing! I can has opinionz!!!

 

This was the first Korean film I ever saw in cinemas back in 2006 and I wasn't aware that it was such an event film (seriously, compared to previous records and stuff, imagine if Avatar did like 2 Billion domestic [as opposed to the 300m Avatar 2 will make, am I right? I said am I right lads?...lads) 

 

Anyhoo, The Host was pretty great and marked the point in time where Korea was arguably the best cinema industry going at the time. And Bong wasn't even the best director making films then (or now). It's a good film, perhaps a little dated, and worthy of a spot in my opinion.

 

Not an insignificant drop this time out as it falls 14 spots. Perhaps that is due to the impending Japanese deluge, perhaps it is because people finally watched Dasepo Naughty Girls and realised that cinema in all forms has peaked. 

 

The real list we all care about:

 

3 - Japan 

1 - Sweden

1 - Poland 

1 - India

1 - South Korea

 

I haven't seen this yet and it looks right up my alley (one of the only Bong Joon-ho movies I haven't seen)

 

> And Bong wasn't even the best director making films then (or now)

 

Agreed. 

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