A Presently Confusing Decade: The Rest of the World and Documentaries

Rounding up our round-up (heh) are notable films from the rest of the world that I couldn't classify, and documentaries.

Notables from the Rest of the World

Amelie (France) - it's fun, quirky, and it introduced the mainstream world to Audrey Tautou. Definitely a must watch.

City of God (Brazil) - this cinematic bildungsroman of a man's struggle during tumultuous times in Rio di Janeiro's slums offers us an alternative look at the place, far removed from outsider's eyes: roving gangs of child killers, gangs, drugs, sex and alcohol.

Day Watch (Russia) - this Russian supernatural epic is the most polished of the two films that came out (hello Hollywood, still waiting on that third one...) with great special effects and a complex story with interesting characters to boot.

Banlieue 13 (France) - probably not the best plotted film out there, but this film and its sequel were hella fun to watch. Kept me on my toes from start to finish.

Y tu mama tambien (Mexico) - A coming of age tale between two dudes and an older woman as they travel across the countryside to some mythical place. Plus, boobies. Gotta have those boobies.

As for documentaries, they've been on the uptake this decade too. This decade saw all 5 of the top 5 grossing documentaries get shown. Most of them are by controversial documentary director Michael Moore, whose filmmaking style mixing gonzo journalism, sarcastic humor, and honest truth made his movies great to watch.

Docu

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room - As one of the people in this film remarks: This is not a tale about ridiculously complex financial transactions. This is a tale about people, and how their hubris and delusions of grandeur brought down a billion-dollar company into bankruptcy within a matter of days.

The King of Kong - It's a man vs. the world story, in the background of the golden age of arcade video games. It's silly, and at times you wonder about these men and their motivations, but you will be rooting for Steve Wiebe by the end.

Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade - Having (re)introduced yourself to the era of arcade video games, this documentary takes the material and explores it in a different manner, showing us the perspective of a number of guys who were the best in the world at a particular video game, and how they lived with that notion.

Apocalypse: The Second World War - using colorized footage of the second world war, this six-part series is a tale of the world's most horrifying war - and a stark reminder that such things must not be repeated again.

Fahrenheit 9/11 - the status of this film as 'documentary' is debateable, but out of Michael Moore's films during this decade, this one may have actually changed a few minds about the war and its implications to the US and the world at large.

Other Notable Documentaries: Food, Inc., The Corporation, Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine, The Bridge, I Got Next, Frag and sooooooo many others.

And Next Up: Finally, what good is a favorites list without the non-favorites list? John T lists his worst movies of the past decade (+1.)