I have seen quite a few foreign movies and shows over the years, and this is a list of just some of my favorite ones, for those curious...

Pan's Labyrinth (Spanish Film) -
A dark and twisted take on Alice and Wonderland, set amidt the tumult of Franco's fascist regime. As the story progresses, the lines between what is real and what is fantasy become thinner and thinner. This movie is, truly, a masterpiece! It is not a film for children, however, as it deals with mature themes and shows the brutality of the fascist regime for what it was. All in all, I did indeed enjoy this film, and recommend it, highly!

Brotherhood of the Wolf (French Film) -
An interesting story about the true origin of the werewolf mythos based on a real historic incident.
The costumes, the fight sequences, the drama of the story, all were excellent. I liked how they worked the "Silver Bullet" into it, too. Perfect. This film showed the decadent, superstitious way society was in the time period of the movie, and I thought the fact that one of the heroes was a Native American was a refreshing, unique change.

Gatchaman (Japanese Anime) -
Leaps and bounds better than the Americanized show "Battle of the Planets", this is a story of five ninja super-heroes fighting against an evil organization headed by an alien entity and it's hermaphrodite servant. Intelligent sci-fi story about environmental concerns, deceptive politics, a covert alien takeover, giant robots, and how five teenagers try to deal with it all. The most recent version made, was Gatchaman Collection.

Fist of the North Star (Japanese Anime) -
In a world where the Apocalypse came and went, a wanderer named Kenshiro must fight against the evils of both the Southern Cross army and an evil conqueror bent on taking over what is left of the world. Was also made into a live-action movie but the Anime movie was much better. A new series was made recently... about Kenshiro saving a village where they revere a boy as a living god. It was an excellent continuation/conclusion to the tale.

Steamboy (Japanese Anime) -
Some people think Akira was the greatest Anime to ever be made. And they often overlook this gem... made by the same person who made Akira! This is a fantastic steampunk story about a boy who creates an invention that powerful people want to obtain for their own ends. My favorite character in this movie was Scarlet. She brightens every scence she is in, and is never annoying, unlike some of the more stereotypical "Anime Girls" in such movies.

Parasite Eve (Japanese Film) -
A woman's mitochondria mutate and take over her body, causing her to become something other than human. This movie actually was the inspiration for a series of video games for the Playstation that dealt with a similar group of incidents. It isn't the deepest movie ever made, but it was a very good science fiction film with reasonably decent special effects for the time it was made. Unlike the video games, it wasn't especially gory.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Chinese Film) -
This was my first experience with this genre of film, where martial artists fly through the air in over-the-top fights. The story was excellent, and the women were especially beautiful in it. Either the actresses were lovely, or their makeup and costumes just flattered them perfectly. The story had a great deal of depth to it, so I could not explain it here, but truly this film was both breathtaking and action-packed. Very, very unique.

Moll Flanders (British Mini-Series) -
So much better than the poorly-adapted American movie of the same name, this was an excellently done film about a woman who, by circumstance, was forced into a life of crime and iniquity, while at heart being still a good woman. She eventually finds three great loves in her life, ends up on trial for her crimes and almost hanged, but gets pardoned and lives out the rest of her life with the man she loved the most. Romance with attitude.

Warrior Queen (British Mini-Series) -
A dramatization of the life of Queen Boudiccea of the Iceni tribe in Celtic Britain. Probably the only film to accurately depict her life and death.
It was in turns, action-packed, dramatic, tearful,
horrible, and wonderful. In the end, I realized just how much this woman went through to protect her family and free her people from the Romans. I could only respect her courage, and sympathize with her every pain. Truly, a brave queen indeed!

Gormenghast (British Mini-Series) -
A kitchen-sevant becomes the most powerful man in the kingdom, but that power corrupts him and soon he begins a reign of terror that must be ended by a boy destined to overthrow him. In the meantime, squabbling and conniving nobles vie for power and influence while the old order of things gives way to more chaotic times. This movie shows just how utterly deceptive people can be to gain power and how that power can corrput the soul... utterly.

And, we'll end the list at 10 for the time being. 10 is a good, solid number, and was even used in the Bible (as in the 10 Commandments), so all I can say is... see you next time! ;)