Tag: Action Films

The Best Independent Foreign Films

IC asked:

Foreign films share several characteristics which appeal to a great audience who look for original content in movies, this characteristic is the is the topics which differentiate them from the rest of the movies produced by american directors. By living in countries such as USA, Canada, England, etc. viewers as well as producers tend to develop a one sided approach to movie making biased by their own thoughts and experiences, and it is widely known that artists/directors/etc. who don’t have new experiences tend to create monotonous films due to the lack of inspiration and imagination.

The heart of every movie is the story line, without it a movie falls apart rather quickly, and this is a key factor which sets each country and director apart. We can see these differences in movies which portray social problems, myths, beliefs and can even be seen in action films. In other words, the problems, experiences and beliefs of a person who living in a country 3000+ miles away from the U.S. will not be the same as those problems and point of views shared by individuals residing in such country.

These conceptual differences is what attract and unite countries which are interested in each other’s ideological variations. A good example can be seen in the American-Asian movie market. Earlier american movies which included fighting sequences did not incorporate martial art moves but because of the high acceptance of such content (martial arts movies), action and fighting sequences require actors or their doubles to use such moves, regardless of their ethnic background or skin color.

An incorporation of such remark can be seen in the Walker Texas Ranger series, Jean-Claude Van Dame movies, Blade, etc.

The best independent foreign films which started these revolutions where the first Bruce Lee films such as: The Big Boss (1971), Enter the Dragon (1973), etc. But this would just cover a small portion of this foreign film genre and there are several of them, not to even mention the language/country where they were produced.

To mention some of the best recent foreign films we would have to quote (in no particular order):

– Amelie (2001): This is a French production which portrays a naive girl with a strong sense of justice who decides to help those around her, but the film is not as innocent as the description makes it sound since Amelie ends up helping a “lonely *** shop employee” which earns this movie an “R” rating, but none the less it is an exquisite French production which is very enjoyable.

– Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000): This Asian film opened the door to new and artistic fighting sequences which later on where incorporated in productions such as ‘Hero’. Recent Asian productions are known for their artistic, historical and sometimes psychological background which makes it attractive to the masses in continents far away.

– Pan’s Labyrinth (2006): This is a Spanish film which due to its quality and originality was awarded 3 Oscars and nominated 51 times in several categories. The plot line involves the step-daughter of a sadistic army officer (in 1944) who resorts to the fantasy world she created to survive her harsh reality.

As you can see the contrast and difference among these 3 productions is quite noticeable since their language, ideology and story lines are all different from each other and from traditional american films, and these basic differences will keep attracting audiences from all around the world.

Romantic Comedy in the 21st Century

nick rauge asked:

The romantic comedy has slowly evolved into a more formidable opponent to all of the other film genres present in the modern entertainment world. Though the romantic comedy is a genre unto itself, that does not downplay the fact that there are many subsets, some successful, some not, in this category. Romantic comedies have been a hit among many studios, mainly because of their ability to be produced at relatively low costs, a trait that studio moguls love, especially when their comedy has a good weekend at the box office. Another reason that many executives love the idea of the romantic comedy is that the movies do not have to have all that successful of a box office reign to bring in a well-sized profit. It is no secret that action films are the highest takers in the box office harvest, with the comedy and drama genres not far behind. This may seem like a rather precarious position for the romantic comedy, but the truth of the matter is that the industry knows exactly what to count on when releasing such films. The advent of the DVD is another great reason why the romantic comedy thrives and will continue to be produced. Many romantic comedies do not do well at the box office, especially in the eyes of the masses, but a romantic comedy’s path to success highly differs from that of a high-budget action movie. A romantic comedy can have a rather modest showing at the box office, a good showing with DVD sales, and then be touted as a success by the industry, which may not be a good thing for some entertainment critics, who oftentimes don’t give any romantic comedies a chance, but they should, especially since the genre is only growing. Movies released in today’s market often have a genre overlap, which has produced many comedy/romantic comedy hits in the modern era. Films like “The Break-Up”, “Wedding Crashers”, “The Girl Next Door”, along with many others, are considered by some to be romantic comedies, not in the traditional sense, but in the sense that studios want the public to see. “Bridget Jones’ Diary” was a huge success as a romantic comedy, but it is in a different subset of the romantic comedy category, which is fine to the public, as well as the industry, because this only means that more people can be reached by the different kinds of romantic comedies that are consistently being made. Marketing is not a modern concept, but it is put to good use when advertising for today’s romantic comedies. Many of these movies are meant for women, some are meant for men, while there are some films located in the abyss of in between, but most of them have their set audience. The ability of the studios to attract both sexes to the studio is not due to the makeup of the movie itself, but is instead reliant on the marketing campaigns that are enlisted for the films. Many women can tell the difference between a comedy and a romantic comedy, but some can’t, and it is that section of the population that the industry focuses on, especially with some of the higher-budget movies, which cannot be successful without some form of genre transcendence. The romantic comedy is a viable art form, and is available to the public in a variety of styles, all of which may sometimes overlap each other. Many of these movies are made in the manner of exploring artistic vision, while some are made because of the relatively failsafe method of production. The traditional romantic comedy still thrives on its system of artistic expression, along with the ability to connect with many females, and some males, but the genre of the romantic comedy is changing. The traditional romantic comedies will not be forced into extinction, but those wishing to view a more traditional version of the genre must know what to look out for, especially when there are invaders afoot.