NationStates Jolt Archive

This sums-it-up. (http://www.giantrobot.com/blogs/martin/uploaded_images/seven_samurai01b_800-781105.jpg)

Generally speaking of course. I say the US by a wide margin.

This sums-it-up. (“http://www.giantrobot.com/blogs/martin/uploaded_images/seven_samurai01b_800-781105.jpg”)
Damn straight.

Asian movies, be they Japanese, Korean or whatever, have consistently outshone Western cinema. True, there are very many great Western movies, but nowhere near the amount of greatness that has come out of Eastern cinema houses.

Especially at the moment. Hollywood is dire; its been that way pretty much since the mid-1970s. European cinema, though occasionally producing some gems, is on the downturn.

But if anything, Asian cinema, especially Japanese and Korean films, are getting better and better.

It depends entirely on taste. It's a matter of opinion really.

You have Lesotho and Brazil but not Japan or Hong Kong?

Two words: Battle Royale.

Japan, JAPAN, JAPAN!!!!
why can't we vote japan?:confused:

we like japan, don't we precioussss?
yes, we do.
they own even by only this name: Hayao Miyazaki.

ow and new zealand to:P

I can't condone arguing "best" in art, but I will say that I laugh harder at movies from the UK than I have at movies from my home. Comedies from the US have become incredibly juvenile over the last ten-plus years. Whereas, I laughed my ARSE off at Hot Fuzz, The History Boys, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and lots more. I guess it's my own fault for not finding Will Ferrell (he's so good in Stranger Than Fiction that Talledega Nights makes me physically cringe) and Adam Sandler (not to mention the endless series of parody films that have Airplane! to thank for their existence and yet aren't a hudredth as funny -- and body function jokes...can't forget them).

Obviously the US makes the most top rated movies overall, but I like Euro-movies, as well as some bollywood and kollywood movies

Europe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koRlFnBlDH0)

seriously: I don't have a clue, I good movies are made all over the wold, even sometimes in Hollywood :eek:

The best ones come from the US but a flood of predictible junk also comes from there so the average quality is horrible.

The very few French movies I've seen have all been great. But I suspect that doesn't mean all French movies are great. It could just mean only the rare exceptions from the usual junk got enough attention outside of France for me to notice them.

Some Asian movies are very cool but most of them don't appeal to me because I don't like martial arts movies or cartoon type movies like anime.

Most Swedish movies are full of either melancholy which I find boring or humor that isn't my kind of humor so I think they suck. But they are well made so I guess someone who likes that kind of movies and understands Swedish would say they are good.

This sums-it-up. (http://www.giantrobot.com/blogs/martin/uploaded_images/seven_samurai01b_800-781105.jpg)

FTW

[
Generally speaking of course. I say the US by a wide margin.


Despite resources, talent and cash, the US fails and does so massively. While all cinema is inevitably a compromise between some sort of "Art" and commerce, the American movie industry has shot compromise in the head, and turned Arts place into a fast food joint. Its sad, because there is great talent there, but the urge to make a quick buck by tying in toys with happy meals means that even a "mainstream" project is more often that not turned into homogenous sludge, or a "star vehicle" indistinguishable from many others. Thus the majority of the quantity is bereft of quality.

Why, might I ask, is Japan not in your poll?

North American films aren't that great, I find. They are either slasher films, plotless explosions or toilet humor. I like Korean films better.

Wow, you're so sophisticated. :rolleyes:

North American films aren't that great, I find. They are either slasher films, plotless explosions or toilet humor. I like Korean films better.

Western cinema is the best...I haven't watched many Chinese/Japanese films, but I absolutely hate Bollywood...It needs to evolve and have more genres...Every single movie is either a Romantic, Comedy, Action or a mix of two or more of those....

depends.

Horror I tend to lean towards Japanese
Comedy is a mix between British and American
Action is between Japanese, Chinese and USA, tho if Americans continues to keep making their action all CGI, then they will fall behind in my opinion.
Animation is a tossup between America and Japanese.

American films are by far and the way the best. Their quality and quantity is unchallenged. A list of the top 100 films of all time should be dominated by American films and just because Hollywood dross takes a lot of money doesn't make it worse than the dross from other countries.

Besides, Hollywood attracts the best from all over the world so writers/directors/actors from britain/france/wherever often end up making American movies.

I'd say there are more great American movies than there are great Japanese or Italian movies. As a percentage though, the US is probably behind a country or two.

Of course, the only Japanese or Italian films I have seen are the ones good enough or popular enough to end up in the States. It reminds of a question I heard, about why Australian films are always so popular. It's not that Australia is a nation of cinema genii, but as an American, I don't see bad Australian films. Same with the rest of the world.

Without a doubt the US makes the blandest, commercial, 'safe' films but that's not to say it never comes up with anything amazing, far from it. The UK has its moments, but lately there seems to be a bit less of them.

Japanese cinema does it for me. Cutting edge, braver productions that unfortunately don't get the exposure they deserve because they have subtitles on them and require a more open attitude to what a film should be.

In terms of Japanese animation, I find it's much more mature than American animation is.

So what about Woody Allen movies? The Godfather? Casablanca? David Lynch?

I'd also argue lots of commercial films are dismissed out of hand when they contain real quality - Pirates Of The Caribbean being a good example.

Pirates of the Caribbean? It's alright, though nothing out of the ordinary.

Despite resources, talent and cash, the US fails and does so massively. While all cinema is inevitably a compromise between some sort of "Art" and commerce, the American movie industry has shot compromise in the head, and turned Arts place into a fast food joint. Its sad, because there is great talent there, but the urge to make a quick buck by tying in toys with happy meals means that even a "mainstream" project is more often that not turned into homogenous sludge, or a "star vehicle" indistinguishable from many others. Thus the majority of the quantity is bereft of quality.


So what about Woody Allen movies? The Godfather? Casablanca? David Lynch?

I'd also argue lots of commercial films are dismissed out of hand when they contain real quality - Pirates Of The Caribbean being a good example.

depends.

Horror I tend to lean towards Japanese
Comedy is a mix between British and American
Action is between Japanese, Chinese and USA, tho if Americans continues to keep making their action all CGI, then they will fall behind in my opinion.
Animation is a tossup between America and Japanese.

I mostly agree with what you have to say.

Although I think the best kinds of movies are the ones like Boondock Saints, Snatch, and Aniki.

You know, horribly violent but also hilarious?

I mostly agree with what you have to say.

Although I think the best kinds of movies are the ones like Boondock Saints, Snatch, and Aniki.

You know, horribly violent but also hilarious?

Ichi the Killer?

Without a doubt the US makes the blandest, commercial, 'safe' films but that's not to say it never comes up with anything amazing, far from it. The UK has its moments, but lately there seems to be a bit less of them.

American commercials are awful, just downright awful.

When I took a trip to Canada, I noticed that most of the commercials had punch lines, funny ones at that. Regardless, they were vastly superior to their American counterparts.

So what about Woody Allen movies? The Godfather? Casablanca? David Lynch?

I'd also argue lots of commercial films are dismissed out of hand when they contain real quality - Pirates Of The Caribbean being a good example.

Didn't say they were all bad, just the majority, though I did mean todays output rather than historically. The 70's were indeed a golden era.

Without a doubt the US makes the blandest, commercial, 'safe' films but that's not to say it never comes up with anything amazing, far from it. The UK has its moments, but lately there seems to be a bit less of them.

QFT. That just about sums up my opinion in one neat paragraph.

Ichi the Killer?

After a google search, it looks disgusting and creepy.

After a google search, it looks disgusting and creepy.

Well, you said horribly violent, so I gave you horribly violent.

In Britain, por ejemplo, I can't think of a single film that is any good that has been made without American money or without an American director, writer or star for years and years.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Didn't say they were all bad, just the majority, though I did mean todays output rather than historically. The 70's were indeed a golden era.

The majority of films suck. Any place, any time.

The difference is that more money, talent and effort goes into American suckyness.

In Britain, por ejemplo, I can't think of a single film that is any good that has been made without American money or without an American director, writer or star for years and years.

.

The difference is that more money, talent and effort goes into American suckyness.



...yes. Which is essentially what I said on page one.

Haha, the UK on 30% of the vote. Anyone care to even have a stab at justifying that?

"Years and Years"

And even then Terry Gilliam directed and he's an American

Years and Years?

Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

"Years and Years"

And even then Terry Gilliam directed and he's an American

...yes. Which is essentially what I said on page one.

You said the US fails massively which is a different thing from being the best filmmaking country in the world albeit with expensive failures.

Wow, you're so sophisticated. :rolleyes:

Hardly. I'm just not lowest common denominator.

Canada, and Britain for comedy.

Years and Years?

I said I couldn't think of a British film that hasn't had an American influence for "years and years". Thirty plus years qualifies as "years and years" in my mind.

Canada, and Britain for comedy.

What are all these amazing British comedy films? I'd love to see them.

Assuming it's not all based on the Monty Python films, because I have seen those.

What are all these amazing British comedy films? I'd love to see them.

Assuming it's not all based on the Monty Python films, because I have seen those.

Recent?

Then Hot Fuzz.

Of all time.

I didn't think Hot Fuzz was any good whatsoever for what it's worth.

Name one such American comedy film of all time, then.

Recent?

Then Hot Fuzz.

Of all time.

I didn't think Hot Fuzz was any good whatsoever for what it's worth.

Germany is disqualified because of Uwe Boll.

Name one such American comedy film of all time, then.

Just one? Duck Soup.

What are all these amazing British comedy films? I'd love to see them.

Assuming it's not all based on the Monty Python films, because I have seen those.

A Fish Called Wanda
The Italian Job
Full Monty
Four Weddings and a Funeral*
Wallace and Grommit
Shaun of the Dead
Keeping Mum
Lock Stock
Withnail and I
All the Carry On... films.

*I hate it, but I'm being told to include it :/

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_comedy_films

Here's the BFI's list of the ten movies you should see by the time your fourteen:
1. Spirited Away (2001) - Animated Japanese film about gods and sorcerers

2. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Musical classic

3. Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959) - French 12-year-old turns into a hellraiser

4. The Night of the Hunter (1955) - Robert Mitchum as a serial killer in America's Deep South

5. Where is My Friend's House? (1987) - One of Iranian director Kiarostami's earlier works

6. Show Me Love (1998) - Coming-of-age tale of two Swedish girls

7. Toy Story (1995) - Buzz Lightyear and Woody brought to life by computer animation

8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - Steven Spielberg's sci-fi tearjerker

9. Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Italian film focusing on life after World War II

10. Kes (1969) - Gritty working class British drama
Some choices I don't really understand. The Night of the Hunter? Has anyone else seen that movie?

Just one? Duck Soup.

1933...that contradicts your own condition of "Years and Years", would it not?

1933...that contradicts your own condition of "Years and Years", would it not?

You seem to have mixed up two topics here:

One where I said no good British films have been made without American involvement for "years and years"

The other where I questioned whether Britain made better comedies than America.

A Fish Called Wanda
The Italian Job
Full Monty
Four Weddings and a Funeral*
Wallace and Grommit
Shaun of the Dead
Keeping Mum
Lock Stock
Withnail and I
All the Carry On... films.

*I hate it, but I'm being told to include it :/

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_comedy_films

Do I really need to post the corresponding American list? Honestly?

Do I really need to post the corresponding American list? Honestly?
Depends - will it be full of crappy Adam Sandler movies?

British comedys have a smaller budget, and still manage to be miles better, imo, than the newest "comedy" Hollywood churns out. But then, it depends on your sense of humour.

Besides, you asked for a British comedy list that didn't include Monty Python. Well, there you go. Get watching :p

Here's the BFI's list of the ten movies you should see by the time your fourteen
14?! Man, I've only seen 4 of those!

Depends - will it be full of crappy Adam Sandler movies?

It would be more like Marx brothers, Woody Allen, Airplane!, Groundhog Day.

British comedys have a smaller budget, and still manage to be miles better, imo, than the newest "comedy" Hollywood churns out. But then, it depends on your sense of humour.

Yes, the pick of the best of all time from Britain will be better than the stuff that is coming out of Hollywood now.

Besides, you asked for a British comedy list that didn't include Monty Python. Well, there you go. Get watching :p

It was more to prove a point tbh :D I've seen all of those. I'm from Britain.


.

I see lots of European and S. American movies by way my local foreign DVD-rental store, as well as the IFC channel and sometimes TCM. I honestly prefer American movies, though I'm beginning to appreciate Spanish-language movies more and more. European and British movies are fine, too, just a bit less dynamic, sort of. British comedy is fun (basically the same as our comedies, only with mumbled punchlines and more self-deprecating humor) but I sort of gravitate away from their dramas.

It's never a good idea to avoid a movie just because of its origin, though. There's good stuff from everywhere. :)

It would be more like Marx brothers, Woody Allen, Airplane!, Groundhog Day.
Alright, Airplane, I'll give you that one :p As for the others - I hate Woody Allen, I have a deep-rooted fear of old black and white movies (I honestly don't know why), and Groundhog Day wasn't really my thing.

Yes, the pick of the best of all time from Britain will be better than the stuff that is coming out of Hollywood now.
I'm generally not a fan of American comedies at all, modern or not. On the contrary, my boyfriend loves American comedy. This leads to a lot of disputes at the cinema.

It was more to prove a point tbh I've seen all of those. I'm from Britain.
Then you'll know I'm right :D lol

Also - damn you for writing in my quote box and making it harder for me to quote you! *sulks*

The average British movie I've seen is better than the average US movie I've seen. But I'd say if the best of the best had some sort of Battle Royale (heh heh), then the US would definitely come out on top. I mean, America IS movies. Isn't that what we're famous for?

Isn't that what we're famous for?

Yeah.

And of course: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7264865/

Alright, Airplane, I'll give you that one :p As for the others - I hate Woody Allen, I have a deep-rooted fear of old black and white movies (I honestly don't know why), and Groundhog Day wasn't really my thing.


I'm generally not a fan of American comedies at all, modern or not. On the contrary, my boyfriend loves American comedy. This leads to a lot of disputes at the cinema.


Then you'll know I'm right :D lol

Also - damn you for writing in my quote box and making it harder for me to quote you! *sulks*

I could be mean and say that someone who doesn't like old movies clearly has no right to an opinion, but I'm not. Well, I sort of have anyway. Oh well...

To be honest as much as I'd love to defend them, American movies aren't great at the moment and the reason isn't just that people can be more easily persuaded to see moronic cinema. It's also that film critics (and to a lesser extent film buffs) have no idea how film works so the normal market for good films is completely destabalised.

Depends on what kind of movies...........Denmark makes the best bestiality flicks to be found anywhere........

Canada.

What? That's where all the USian movies are filmed..

With the Godfather trilogy, The Graduate, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Maltese Falcon, Sunset Boulevard, Psycho, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, etc, it has to be American cinema.

I could be mean and say that someone who doesn't like old movies clearly has no right to an opinion, but I'm not. Well, I sort of have anyway. Oh well...

To be honest as much as I'd love to defend them, American movies aren't great at the moment and the reason isn't just that people can be more easily persuaded to see moronic cinema. It's also that film critics (and to a lesser extent film buffs) have no idea how film works so the normal market for good films is completely destabalised.

"doesn't like" and "is so creeped out by them that she can't watch" are different :p

In my opinion Britain excels at making comedies, but only comedies. When it comes to other genres, for example action/sci fi... Hollywood, with it's big budgets, big explosions, and big spaceships is clearly the winner.

American cinema spews out alot of garbage, but also more gold than I think the rest of the world combined. The only British humor I find funny are Hugh Grant movies and that's it. As for asian movies..I can't stand any of them, not one. Indian movies are also terrible and Latin moives are all so....predictable and lame. I don't watch too many European movies but I have seen a few German ones which are very very good, though not so much entertainment but more....just amazing moives. French movies turn me off.


As for any recent American comedies. Nobody who has seen Super Bad didn't like it.

As for any recent American comedies. Nobody who has seen Super Bad didn't like it.
I saw Superbad. I hated it.

Oh, except for the cops. The cops saved me from walking out :P

I really don't know for most of this. The Japanese are without a doubt the masters of horror. And I hate when America bastardizes good Japanese films (except for Ringu, they did a great job remaking that).

If you think American comedies suck, then check out this list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI's_100_Years..._100_Laughs

This beats the top 100 comedy list of any other nation's film industry.

European cinema is by far and away the best sort of cinema. Particularly that of the Russians (Tarkovsky, Sokurov, Eisenstein and Zvyagintsev to name but four) the Swedes (I need only speak the name of Ingmar Bergman to justify their position on the list) and the Germans. The British probably have the best comedies and they do some pretty good dramas (did anyone see Atonement?).

As for American cinema...well, there is some good stuff from the independent film-makers but the majority of the output consists of blockbusters whose sole aim is to make money. They are not interested in artistic experimentation (hell, they are not interest in art full stop): they are all only interested in appealing to as many people as possible through the use of the lowest common denominator (usually sex, violence, explosions, swearing or any combination thereof). There are some good blockbusters admittedly but they never match the level of artistic depth that the Europeans attain in their cinema.

As for Far Eastern cinema, I have never seen much of it. I have seen some of the animated fantasy films (Studio Ghibli or something like that) for children and I quite enjoyed them: they were imaginative in the extreme, far more so than Disney. As for the rest of their cinema, it seems to be dominated by the martial arts genre, a genre that holds no attraction for me. The genre glorifies violence simply because said violence looks 'cool'.

If you think American comedies suck, then check out this list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI's_100_Years..._100_Laughs

This beats the top 100 comedy list of any other nation's film industry.

That list provides evidence to my point about film buffs. There's a brilliant Woody Allen film missing from that list that would have been there if he had directed it. But of course 'Play It Again Sam' was a Hebert Ross film because we all know the director makes the movie.

By the way, this series is probably the best Comedic series, ever. Need I say more than to show this picture:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Jacques_Clouseau.PNG

LOL:
"In A Shot in the Dark, he cannot even interview witnesses to a crime without falling down stairs, getting his hand caught in first a medieval knight's glove and then a vase, knocking a witness insensible, destroying a priceless piano or accidentally shooting another officer in the rear end."

Well, here's the thing, and this may have been said.

I get all the movies from America, good, bad, indifferent. All of them. And we release a fuckload of movies. I only get the good ones, so to speak, from the other countries, so by that the natural tendency is to assume that others just do film better. There is no chaff separator for American films for me.

Frankly there are a lot of movies I like that come from America. And a whole lot I don't. I don't do movie reviews anymore and am no longer a projectionist, so I don't have to see them all-that has done wonders for my opinion of movies.

But really, I can't do any sort of full on comparison. So I refuse to do a 'best' even though I voted, so there.

The bulk of the 'foreign' films I like come from Germany. A lot of things I like come from Germany. Maybe there's something about a country that understands first hand the hazards of hubris, don't know. Well, even before that happened they were pumping out good cinema.

I also like Iranian films. Very dry but oddly human.

I don't know...I like good films, I don't really care where they came from. But different nations do produce very different movies, so there is a quality to that.

USA but the UK has some amazing movies too...

American cinema spews out alot of garbage, but also more gold than I think the rest of the world combined.
Exactly. I think the vast quantity of American movies almost guarantees there will be plenty of good ones.

USA, by far. The best movies would be American. The worst movies would be american. The sheer size of the industry ensures it will take the title.

Alright, fess up. Who said India?

I'm Indian and that wouldn't even be my pick.

*click USA*

Damn straight.

Asian movies, be they Japanese, Korean or whatever, have consistently outshone Western cinema.

Well, I wouldn't exactly throw in the garbage Russian movies. Also, Asia also produces a lot of crap movies... somehow, we in EU and America don't get to see them usually, so we get the idea that Asian movies rule.

To sum it up, I'd say that the film "school" that's been ruined the most is the American one - and it's mostly fault of the stupid majors. I don't see a new John Ford coming up...

Anyway, even the Americans produce good movies amidst the huge amounts of bullcrap that's 97% of the movie production EVERYWHERE.

.......apparently after seeing Gens’ cut of the film the studio removed him from the project and placed Nicolas De Toth in control of a new edit of the film. Who’s De Toth? He’s the man behind the edit of Live Free Or Die Hard, a job he was hired for specifically to turn in an entirely bloodless version of the film and word is that this is his task with Hit Man as well...

...because fuck, a movie about a game where a guys going round killing people can't be too violent....for the love of jaysus.....
http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/fox-yanks-hit-man-from-director-xavier-gens/

USA, by far. The best movies would be American. The worst movies would be american. The sheer size of the industry ensures it will take the title.

Iirc India produces more films per year than the USA. *nods and runs for his life*

As an American, I don't see bad Australian films. Same with the rest of the world.

As an Englishman, I see loads of lame American movies. And yet you mostly only get our good stuff. That's a special relationship for you.

If you think American comedies suck, then check out this list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI's_100_Years..._100_Laughs

This beats the top 100 comedy list of any other nation's film industry.

The AFI has a tendency to play fast and loose with the definition of American, generally if any American is involved in anyway they count it. There's a whole other debate there about how films are international and what particular films qualify as.

Also, take a look at that list, Hollywood has barely made a decent comedy in years, British cinema still tends to turn out gems from time to time (in all things not just comedy).

The AFI has a tendency to play fast and loose with the definition of American, generally if any American is involved in anyway they count it. There's a whole other debate there about how films are international and what particular films qualify as.

Also, take a look at that list, Hollywood has barely made a decent comedy in years, British cinema still tends to turn out gems from time to time (in all things not just comedy).

For what it's worth, I believe that list is about 10 years old.

bollywood pwns.

USA! USA! USA!

Seriously, you want truly great cinema, I can recommend three movies. All three have "Lord of the Rings" in the title.

Or, if that doesn't work, Star Wars.

No? What would you prefer? Some Wes Craven? Some of Rob Zombie?

Pick your genre.

Depends on what kind of movies...........Denmark makes the best bestiality flicks to be found anywhere........

O Rly? Lakeland,eh? I guess its true what they say, Polk Co. people are nuts:p

USA! USA! USA!

Seriously, you want truly great cinema, I can recommend three movies. All three have "Lord of the Rings" in the title.

The ones with a New Zealand director filmed in New Zealand?

Can those really be 'American' movies just because New Line is in America? Aren't movies like that more or less international movies?

I generally stay away from discussion about differences in cinema between countries/regions. I find that they more often than not spiral into pseudo-intellectual, faux-artistic pretentious nonsense. With one side arguing that the other side is somehow "taste-difficient".

...That having been said...most of my favorite movies have come from the US. Not to say I haven't enjoyed international cinema, particularly from Japan, China and England.