your favorite films from the past decade

OK, this is a slightly odd topic, but stick with me. the twice-yearly Deep Discount DVD sale is starting later this week, so what I'm looking for is fantastic recent films which have Region 1 DVDs and which I don't already know about. I don't keep up with film as much as I'd like, so don't assume I already know about anything except for the really obvious ones.

so, OK, have at it, and thanks in advance!

Ji-woon Kim -- Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
Ji-woon Kim -- Dalkomhan insaeng (2005)
Il-gon Song -- Geomi sup (2004)
Chan-wook Park -- Saibogujiman kwenchana (2006)
Chan-wook Park -- Boksuneun naui geot (2002)
Ki-duk Kim -- Bin-jip (2004)
Ki-duk Kim -- Seom (2000)

Pretty certain you'd know Kore-eda, not nearly as certain you'd like his work, Jon. I do, very much.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0466153/

Pretty certain you'd know Kore-eda, not nearly as certain you'd like his work, Jon. I do, very much.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0466153/

yeah, we watched Nobody Knows. Yuko hates most recent Japanese films, but she liked that one. any other specific recs by him?

Maborosi
Nobody Knows
Distance
in order of preference.

nice, thanks!

thanks for the Korean recs above too, researching those. we hated Oldboy, so I don't know about Chan-Wook Park, but some others there I'm not familiar with. keep them coming!

We hated Oldboy, so I don't know about Chan-Wook Park!

in that case, i'd subsitute 'Boksuneun naui geot' with 'Joint Security Area'.
that and the other film i mentioned might give you a different take on him.

Joon-ho Bong - Flandersui gae (2000)
Cheol-hie Park - Yeui-eomneun geotdeul (2006)
Chang-dong Lee - Bakha satang (2000)

I really enjoyed 'Marathon' by Amir Naderi.
A really hypnotic meditative film with amazing black and white footage of reflections in the windows of moving trains and a superb soundtrack of processed environmental recordings. No idea about reigons or availability, but worth a look for sure.

Some more Asian titles, with Deep Discount links. Most of them could be described as 'slow and distant':

Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000)
Millennium Mambo (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2001)
Cafe Lumiere (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2003)
Last Life in the Universe (Pen-ek Ratanaruang, 2003)
The World (Jia Zhang-ke, 2004)
Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006)

Also, Tsai Ming-liang's 'What Time Is It There?' and 'Goodbye, Dragon Inn'. And some European ones:

Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002)
The Man without a Past (Aki Kaurismaki, 2002)
Innocence (Lucile Hadzihalilovic, 2004)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, 2005)
L'Enfant (Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, 2005) - not their best, but apparently the only one available in R1
Lunacy (Jan Svankmajer, 2006) - if you like things grotesque and ridiculous

If you are interested in animation:
The Short Films of the Quay Brothers, 1979-2003 - a port of the excellent BFI release

Take my recommendations with a pinch of salt, given that my favourite 'benchmark' director is probably Antonioni, of whom I know you're no particular fan.

Some more Asian titles, with Deep Discount links. Most of them could be described as 'slow and distant':

Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000)
Millennium Mambo (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2001)
Cafe Lumiere (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2003)
Last Life in the Universe (Pen-ek Ratanaruang, 2003)
The World (Jia Zhang-ke, 2004)
Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006)

Also, Tsai Ming-liang's 'What Time Is It There?' and 'Goodbye, Dragon Inn'. And some European ones:

Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002)
The Man without a Past (Aki Kaurismaki, 2002)
Innocence (Lucile Hadzihalilovic, 2004)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, 2005)
L'Enfant (Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, 2005) - not their best, but apparently the only one available in R1
Lunacy (Jan Svankmajer, 2006) - if you like things grotesque and ridiculous

If you are interested in animation:
The Short Films of the Quay Brothers, 1979-2003 - a port of the excellent BFI release

Take my recommendations with a pinch of salt, given that my favourite 'benchmark' director is probably Antonioni, of whom I know you're no particular fan.

I have the bulk of those Asian ones already (the first three and The World), but a bunch more in there to investigate, thanks! the links are much appreciated, as DDD doesn't seem to stock everything they can...

We hated Oldboy, so I don't know about Chan-Wook Park!

in that case, i'd subsitute 'Boksuneun naui geot' with 'Joint Security Area'.
that and the other film i mentioned might give you a different take on him.

Joon-ho Bong - Flandersui gae (2000)
Cheol-hie Park - Yeui-eomneun geotdeul (2006)
Chang-dong Lee - Bakha satang (2000)

ok, cool, thanks. you sure like your Korean films, huh?

This is one of my favorite films in the last decade or so. I think I saw it originally at a film fest in 1998, so I guess it meets the criteria:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169268/?fr ... fc=1;ft=24

Unfortunately, you're going to have a hard time finding a copy of it. You can probably order a PAL VHS of it here:

http://www.deckert-distribution.com/fil ... rt_068.htm

Or you might find it a torrent of it online some place. It's a great, great film. Highly recommended.

Another one that blew me away:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397494/

As far as the Korean stuff, I do recommend JSA by Park Chan-ook. It was a highly popular exploration of the Korean imaginary with regard to unification. But I think one of the most important Korean directors is Lee Chang-dong. You should definitely see Peppermint Candy and Oasis. I haven't yet seen his latest, but it was awarded at Cannes. The works of Lim Kwon Taek are crucial. I have a high regard for Chihwaseon and Seopyunje in particular.

I guess this one is a bit out of your time period, but I wanted to mention it anyway:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114787/

Like you, I can't keep up with cinema like I used to and distribution sucks where I live. I don't have anything even remotely like Netflix, and only so much is available by downloading. Region coding makes it very difficult as well to see worthwhile films from outside one's region. fortunately, I've been able to circumvent that, but for others it's more difficult to do.

Kim Jee-Woon = class

the image is gorgeous but it's also vibrant, filled with minute details and surprises, the most subtle reflection in a carglass says it all.

And the scripts manage to renew or twist clichés, things never happen exactly how or when they should...

A Bittersweet Life
A Tale Of 2 Sisters

some stuff that comes to mind:

The Big Lebowski [1998 Joel Coen]
Happiness [1998 Todd Solondz]
The Hole [1998 Tsai Ming-Liang]
After Life [1998 Hirokazu Koreeda]
Ratcatcher [1999 Lynne Ramsay]
Julien Donkey-Boy [1999 Harmony Korine]
Songs From The Second Floor [2000 Roy Andersson]
Werckmeister Harmonies [2000 Béla Tarr]
In The Mood For Love [2000 Wong Kar-Wai]
Hundstage [2001 Ulrich Seidl]
What Time Is It There? [2001 Tsai Ming-Liang]
The Man Without A Past [2002 Aki Kaurismäki]
Goodbye Dragon Inn [2003 Tsai Ming-Liang]
Reconstruction [2003 Christoffer Boe]
Last Life In The Universe [2003 Pen-Ek Ratanaruang]
The Return [2003 Andrei Zvyagintsev]
Spring Summer Fall Winter... And Spring [2003 Kim Ki-Duk]
Bin-Jip [2004 Kim Ki-Duk]
Samaritan Girl [2004 Kim Ki-Duk]
Battle In Heaven [2005 Carlos Reygadas]
Caché [2005 Michael Haneke]
I Don’t Want To Sleep Alone [2006 Tsai Ming-Liang]
For Your Consideration [2006 Christopher Guest]
Syndromes And A Century [2006 Apichatpong Weerasethakul]
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford [2007 Andrew Dominik]
Stellet Licht [2007 Carlos Reygadas]
Lust, Caution [2007 Ang Lee]
Cloverfield?

shorts :
The Heart Of The World [2000 Guy Maddin]

Maborosi
Nobody Knows
Distance
in order of preference.

"Maboroshi" and "After Life" are his masterpieces, I'd say. Fantastic.

some stuff that comes to mind:

The Big Lebowski [1998 Joel Coen]
Happiness [1998 Todd Solondz]
The Hole [1998 Tsai Ming-Liang]
After Life [1998 Hirokazu Koreeda]
Ratcatcher [1999 Lynne Ramsay]
Julien Donkey-Boy [1999 Harmony Korine]
Songs From The Second Floor [2000 Roy Andersson]
Werckmeister Harmonies [2000 Béla Tarr]
In The Mood For Love [2000 Wong Kar-Wai]
Hundstage [2001 Ulrich Seidl]
What Time Is It There? [2001 Tsai Ming-Liang]
The Man Without A Past [2002 Aki Kaurismäki]
Goodbye Dragon Inn [2003 Tsai Ming-Liang]
Reconstruction [2003 Christoffer Boe]
Last Life In The Universe [2003 Pen-Ek Ratanaruang]
The Return [2003 Andrei Zvyagintsev]
Spring Summer Fall Winter... And Spring [2003 Kim Ki-Duk]
Bin-Jip [2004 Kim Ki-Duk]
Samaritan Girl [2004 Kim Ki-Duk]
Battle In Heaven [2005 Carlos Reygadas]
Caché [2005 Michael Haneke]
I Don’t Want To Sleep Alone [2006 Tsai Ming-Liang]
For Your Consideration [2006 Christopher Guest]
Syndromes And A Century [2006 Apichatpong Weerasethakul]
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford [2007 Andrew Dominik]
Stellet Licht [2007 Carlos Reygadas]
Lust, Caution [2007 Ang Lee]
Cloverfield?

shorts :
The Heart Of The World [2000 Guy Maddin]

awesome, I was hoping you'd chime in, thanks!

Habla con Ella - Almodovar

another related question: there's been a whole recent wave of somewhat mainstream Japanese horror films, many of which have been later remade by Hollywood in dreadful versions, Ju-On, Ringu, that kind of thing. which are the best of these (the Japanese versions, obviously)?

another related question: there's been a whole recent wave of somewhat mainstream Japanese horror films, many of which have been later remade by Hollywood in dreadful versions, Ju-On, Ringu, that kind of thing. which are the best of these (the Japanese versions, obviously)?

Ringu isn't too bad....A lot better than it's remake IMO...


But to be honest, I think the whole Asian horror thing is a wee bit overrated. Not that there aren't great and entertaining films in the genere, but the same can be said for a lot of similar, inventive, scary movies from just about anywhere else in the world.


I did really dig the Host though..

right, but Yuko is from Tokyo, and I'd like to watch a few of those with her, it's a Japanese-specific thing (as I'm sure you can understand, since your wife is also Japanese). no one's expecting greatness, just the best few from this specific area.