Most Overrated Foreign Films

[trevor826]

Noticed this lurking amongst the hottest discussions list, it must have done pretty well before so I thought it would be worth bringing it back.

I'll start the ball rolling with "Oldboy", people are caught up so much with the set pieces that they fail to realise how thin and daft the plot is, thoroughly enjoyable but vastly overrated.

Cheers Trev.

[wpqx]

Still yet to see Old Boy so I'll have to get back to you on that.

I'll still stick with L'Atalante for my most overrated film of all time, which again I need to see again before I can make a final decision.

[impossiblefunky]

Death in Venice.
Cashiers du Cinemart, The Only Magazine That Matters

[wpqx]

Wow this topic resurrected again. Did see Old Boy, and although I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, I did enjoy it, so I can't exactly say its overrated, although maybe slightly. I also got to watch L'atalante again, and my opinion on it wouldn't really change, still insanely overrated.

[A]

Yeah, somehow interesting how a topic which was very frequented on the old board seemingly faced an early "death" here. But of course if somebody wants to resurrect it again, there's nothing wrong with it. On the contrary.

Seeing wpqx bashing L'atalante twice, I must say I also don't quite understand the ongoing fascination with the film. Saw it only once last year, but Zero de conduite seemed somehow far better.
Not that I didn't like it, or can't understand why it is indeed very important for film history, and why many people love it. It just failed to really engage me. Maybe my expectations were too high and a second viewing will make me a convert?

Actually the reason why I hadn't contributed last year, was that I simply couldn't think of a highly regarded foreign film that I dislike. There were some in the past (e.g. La Strada, Bronenosets Potyomkin), but it's been too many years to have an honest opinion.
And it's imo much more fun discussing what you like, than what you don't like.

[wpqx]

or could it be that enough year's have passed for people to start bashing Crouching Tiger again?

[A]

Don't know if enough year's have passed, but when it came out I was bashing it big style (also Lee's Sense and Sensibility). But I have already decided some years ago to gradually rewatch all of Ang Lee's films - which means very gradually, as I haven't re-viewed a single film of his, yet.

[wpqx]

I enjoyed Crouching Tiger for the most part, but the experience I had in the cinema was enough to keep me out of all movie theaters for 2 years afterwards.

[A]

O reacall you mentioning it before, but what exactly happened?
When i was in the cinema in 2000, everybody seemed to love the film.

[hengcs]

it gonna be the trauma of NOT seeing any dragon or tiger in the film ...
* just joking *
hee hee ...

PS: actually, the title is a Chinese idiom ...