What Are You Watching?

[salmar80]

Sal's Five Fave "Foreign" Movies:

As an inhabitant of a small country with a weird language, I'm quite used to watching what y'all in America would call "foreign films". There are some fantastic ones out there, and here are five I'd highly recommend. So get your subtitle -reading game on, and enjoy!

1) Unknown Soldier (2017, Finland)

Let's get my country outta the way first. Unknown Soldier is a top-notch, visually stunning war film set in Finland's Continuation War vs the USSR 1941-1944. The film follows a ragtag unit of conscripted men through the victories and defeats of that war. As a war film, it's pretty damn honest to life. You'll find no superhuman heroes here. Just ordinary folks forced to the realities, fears, joys and camaraderie of war. Cinematography and effects are fantastic, and the battle scenes are some of the best and most realistic ever, as is the depth of characters - you can tell the actors served in the military and know that life, they are fine with some dirt under their fingernails and in their souls...



2) Oldboy (2003, South Korea)

If you get kidnapped and locked into one room for 15 years for seemingly no reason (not recommended), and then are suddenly released... Well, I mean, what the $%@#! There would be some built-up determination, anger and madness to unleash. Oldboy is a super powerful thriller of a film, and will squeeze your primal emotions and curiosity to the max. What did this guy do to deserve all this!? The film is a masterpiece of style, and includes maybe the best one-shot fight sequence ever put to film. Tarantino loves it, you will too.



3) My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Japan)

This is maybe my favorite movie of all time. And such a seemingly simple one. An anime that has a two kids and their dad move to a rickety old house in the country while their mom is hospitalized for unknown reasons. The kids' imagination runs wild in the new setting. The house may be haunted, and they find a forest spirit called Totoro, who is the cuddliest thing ever. But is mom gonna be OK? This film is about kids being kids. They are no "small adults", instead they really act, think and imagine like kids, and it's depicted honestly and beautifully. The animation and direction by the master Hayao Miyazaki is flawless, and the music is so good I've had the cat bus song (yes, there's a cat bus) as my ringtone for more than a decade. Totoro can melt even the most cynical of hearts.



4) Downfall (2004, Germany)

Adolf Hitler's final days. And the end of WW2 and, for many, life. The film is both a riveting character study, and also makes one think about ideologies and beliefs. What do you do when all you've believed in is defeated, everything is crumbling around you. Is there an escape? Shot, acted and delivered as if you were there with them in that gloomy bunker of little hope. Downfall manages to make humans out of the villains, yet doesn't excuse them of the horrors they caused.



5) Three Colours: Blue (1993, France/Poland)

A movie so great, I haven't found the right setting to watch it again, so my memory is hazy. The theme is "liberty", and Juliette Binoche's character is finding that after losing her family in a car crash. She tries to distance herself from everything and just be on her own, but gets tangled up with the lives and tragedies of others, learns to live with her past, and finds a way to live and feel again through them. The music. Oh gods, the music. Best score ever, and it ties into the plot and feelings of the characters integrally. Binoche is SO great in the role. If there ever was a movie to watch with your loved one, this is it. I couldn't find a proper trailer for it, so this will have to do:



BONUS 6) Pan's Labyrinth (2006, Spain)

Dark fantasy done to perfection, this is a movie about a girl whose imagination lets her escape from reality when the world of 1944 fascist Spain is crumbling and too brutal to understand. How does a child handle horrific things happening around her? Is the fantasy the real reality? What an epic film with some of the greatest visuals put to film ever. This is no fantasy for kids. It's an enthralling, thinking man's movie that will blow you away.



BONUS BONUS 7) Dead Snow (2009, Norway)

What's worse than zombies? Nazi zombies! The Norwegian film is both a classic horror film, and a parody of the tropes of the genre. It's silly to the max, and just so much fun. It's not on the masterpiece -level of the films above, but is certainly a whole lotta entertainment.

[Pckfn23]

What?? No Neverending Story??

[salmar80]

What?? No Neverending Story??

I have not seen it yet!

Why not? I dunno. I have missed it by inches several times.

I kinda didn't even think about British movies when making the list. Otherwise Monty Python films, Children of Men and the 21 Days Later movies would've been in contetion.

[NCF]

Neverending Story is an absolute classic. I still watch that with my kids.

[paco]

Neverending Story is an absolute classic. I still watch that with my kids.

Was one of my favorites when I was a kid. Falcor is the best (could use a luck dragon now). Watched it again a few months back. I have all 3. 2 is worth the occasional watch. Haven't gotten the courage to watch 3 yet.

[salmar80]

Sal's Five Faves, YouTube edition!

YouTube offers some possibilities for content that can't be delivered the traditional TV or big screen -way. Here are some cool channels working hard to do just that.

- Scott Manley - Wanna learn and get excited about space flight? If yes, this is your thing. Manley manages to bring out the kid in me and also educate the adult in me. Also dabbles in video games, nuclear science and other cool things, but his expertise is in rocket science and orbital mechanics. So much so that someone named an asteroid after him.

Example:


- Critical Role - A bunch of Hollywood voice actors playing the Dungeons and Dragons tabletop role playing game. It's essentially weekly improvised radio theater, with a fantastic storyteller in Matt Mercer, and a cast of people immersed in their roles. It shouldn't work so well, but it does. Imagination is just overflowing. From laughs to tears, the drama is strong.



- World War Two - A week-by-week re-telling of WW2. You can read about WW2 and watch documentaries, but only these guys offer this focused of a perspective. Actually, the team behind this series covered all of WW1 and the interwar years, too. They also have special series on key players, "war against humanity" and more. Pearl Harbor coming up soon...

Example:


- The QB School - Former Packers backup QB JT O'Sullivan educates folks on the things NFL he knows about. Goes way deeper than the network talking heads.

Example:


- Cinemassacre - This guy is so passionate about everything, from being the Angry Video Game Nerd to doing his own 0$ budget horror movies, and somehow finding success in it. His curses are some of the best ever recorded in English. Childish fun with retro nostalgia.

Example:

[BF004]

Scott Manley looks interesting, I'll have to check that out. However, no youtube lists are considered unless it includes VSauce.





Also for the slightly more nerdy/technical, SpaceTime from PBS is amazing.

[salmar80]

Scott Manley looks interesting, I'll have to check that out. However, no youtube lists are considered unless it includes VSauce.

Also for the slightly more nerdy/technical, SpaceTime from PBS is amazing.

OK,

Bonus number 6 is VSauce.

So now it's included in the list, and is considered. Big brain.

For something weird Finnish, reacting to the band Nightwish's song "Ghost Love Score" has become a bit of a thing on YouTube. Literally thousands of YouTubers have reacted to this symphonic metal song. It has boosted a whole "reaction to music" -based industry of it's own.

Here's the original, so you can react, too. It's a fine song. What do you think?

[NCF]

For fans of wrastling, I cannot get enough of these. The guys voice is somewhat annoying, but they are very well done, in depth, but not overbearingly long.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIf44t ... J8dwEQkh9g

Just finished up the retro on Syxx-pac.

[Trudge]

For fans of wrastling, I cannot get enough of these. The guys voice is somewhat annoying, but they are very well done, in depth, but not overbearingly long.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIf44t ... J8dwEQkh9g

Just finished up the retro on Syxx-pac.

Nice, I always liked those. Who else they got? I'm more of a WCW guy, but they folded so they got most of the guys.

[paco]

Scott Manley looks interesting, I'll have to check that out. However, no youtube lists are considered unless it includes VSauce.

Also for the slightly more nerdy/technical, SpaceTime from PBS is amazing.

OK Bonus number 6 is VSauce.

So now it's included in the list, and is considered. Big brain.

For something weird Finnish, reacting to the band Nightwish's song "Ghost Love Score" has become a bit of a thing on YouTube. Literally thousands of YouTubers have reacted to this symphonic metal song. It has boosted a whole "reaction to music" -based industry of it's own.

Here's the original, so you can react, too. It's a fine song. What do you think?

Some day, I want to go to Wacken.

[BF004]

In about 6 episodes into Family Matters, love that show.


Crazy, Urkel has only been in like 1 episode for about 2 minutes.

[NCF]

In about 6 episodes into Family Matters, love that show.


Crazy, Urkel has only been in like 1 episode for about 2 minutes.

Yeah, he was not supposed to be the star of the show.

[salmar80]

Elon's newest test flight of the veeeery raw Starship prototype was all kinds of epic!

[paco]

Elon's newest test flight of the veeeery raw Starship prototype was all kinds of epic!

They guy's reaction was great. thanks for sharing that, pretty cool stuff.

[salmar80]

Elon's newest test flight of the veeeery raw Starship prototype was all kinds of epic!

They guy's reaction was great. thanks for sharing that, pretty cool stuff.

Yeah, woulda been a sight to behold on site...

SpaceX' philosophy on "failures" sure makes rockets exciting again. Where as NASA back in the day had to try to succeed fully on each launch or face national scrutiny and ridicule from the USSR, SpaceX doesn't have that burden. If a dispensable unmanned prototype blows up, heck, at least you give the audience a cool explosion! They even have a term for it - RUD, Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly. Only real failure is one that doesn't offer data to push the next iteration forward. And of course crewed launches need to always be safe.

[APB]

Those videos...wow! Cool stuff!

[Labrev]

Some shows on Netflix I have watched recently, and my ratings for them (1-5 stars, no 1/2-star's or decimal crap)...

The Umbrella Academy: * * * * *
Ozark: * * * * *
Community: * * * *
The Good Place: * * * *
La Casa De Papel (a.k.a. Money Heist): * * *
Arrested Development: * *
The Witcher: * *
Sick Note: * *
Warrior Nun: * (the girl is a 10/10 tho, lol)
New Girl: *

There have been a few other shows that I started watching but stopped after a while, which sort of constitute an unranked/zero-star category for me. 1-star = right at the borderline between entertainment and unwatchable.

Next up: Queen's Gambit.

[Gunzaan]

That’s a lot of content! We have a vastly different opinion on things, which is cool

[salmar80]

Some shows on Netflix I have watched recently, and my ratings for them (1-5 stars, no 1/2-star's or decimal crap)...

The Umbrella Academy: * * * * *
Ozark: * * * * *
Community: * * * *
The Good Place: * * * *
La Casa De Papel (a.k.a. Money Heist): * * *
Arrested Development: * *
The Witcher: * *
Sick Note: * *
Warrior Nun: * (the girl is a 10/10 tho, lol)
New Girl: *

There have been a few other shows that I started watching but stopped after a while, which sort of constitute an unranked/zero-star category for me. 1-star = right at the borderline between entertainment and unwatchable.

Next up: Queen's Gambit.

Thanks for the reviews!

We're pretty close to each other with the grades of the shows I've seen, with minor adjustments here and there due to personal preference. (I almost never give full five stars. That's reserved only for classics worth re-watching many times)

- Umbrella Academy is dark superhero drama done right. Manages to be exciting and thought-provoking, even gets to the feels. It's hard to do anything outstanding in the crowded superhero scene these days, Umbrella Academy manages to do so. ****

- I went ***1/2 for Ozark. It's very good, but I stopped fearing for the main protagonist family. Took away the core of the tension. Shame. But overall high quality kept me watching.

- La Casa de Papel is some exciting heist stuff. I guess I expected even more depth and surprises. Now it's not quite the Usual Suspects -level, but smart and well done popcorn stuff. English dub is sufferable, but if you can handle subtitles, watch it in Spanish. Way more immersion that way. ***

- The Witcher was disjointed, but surprisingly entertaining. It sort of worked even when it shouldn't have. **1/2 and "only recommended if you can give your brain a holiday".

- Queen's Gambit is pure gold. Makes chess entertaining as heck, and very cool low key character development that makes the protagonist feel like a living person. ***** (yes, *****)

- The Crown. History buffs and folks who enjoy excellent acting and production rejoice. This is an expertly walk-through of history that's told by centering on the UK's current Queen and her experiences. It's a cool perspective for many reasons. Allows showing the change in both the society and in Elizabeth's person over a large span of time, and while the Queen doesn't have a ton of political power, she's in the know of all most important things and events. ****

- Dark. A rather aptly named time-travel mystery series that can take a couple of episodes to get you hooked, but if it does it won't let go. Great to see an original take on the time-travel theme. In German, but I think being in a foreign language only adds to the mystery in this case. ****

- Mindhunter - How US law enforcement people started trying to understand serial killers in order to better catch them, instead of just labeling them monsters. But if you do not label them monsters, that means they're people... What does that entail for the rest of us? A super intense series with David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac) at the helm. It sorta puts you in the interview room with some bone-chilling people and the investigators. ****1/2