Okay, you can breathe a sigh of relief; this post has absolutely nothing to do with politics, religion, philosophy, ethics, or anything important. This one is just about movies. I love movies. All kinds of movies, but especially horror, suspense, action, and comedies. The following movie recommendations are all foreign movies, but from English-speaking countries (except Big Bad Wolves, which is Israeli), so you can enjoy these little gems without worrying about subtitles. They are all also available through Netflix, as well as other sources, I’m sure.

I will also try not to give away too much info. If you find your interest piqued, it’s easy enough to find all of the synopsis’ (synopsi? synopsis’s?) and spoilers you want on IMDB, Netflix, etc.

I’m sticking with the 5 ***** rating system, since I still don’t know how to make a star.

Housebound ****

A horror-comedy from New Zealand, about a young woman who is an incredibly incompetent criminal, as well as a thoroughly unpleasant person who is placed under house arrest – in her mother’s house, which she comes to suspect is haunted. Apparently New Zealand’s penal system is quite different from ours, but it makes for a darned entertaining movie. It is pretty suspenseful and funny, and much better than I expected it to be. The lead character is such a horrible person at the beginning, I thought it was going to be impossible to empathize with her, but she pulled it off.

Warning! Lots and lots of bad language.

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead ****

Another one from New Zealand, this time, a low-budget zombie flick. Almost a zombie-movie-meets-Mad-Max, with a disco-loving mad scientist, with gallons of gore, an off-beat, Evil Dead 2 sense of humor, and at least two or three new twists on the genre (at least as far as I know they’re new). It’s not going to change your life, but, if you like zombies, you should enjoy this, especially if you liked Shaun of the Dead, Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, and others of that nature.

Warning! Tons of violence, gallons of gore, lots and lots of bad language (I mean, c’mon, it’s a zombie movie, what do you expect?).

Grabbers ****

Another horror-comedy, this time from Ireland. A small island just off the coast of Ireland is invaded by vampiric, alien, Octomonsters, which are, fortunately, allergic to alcohol. Can an entire Irish village stay drunk long enough to beat the alien invasion? Low-budget, but pretty good special effects, along with a nice dose of Irish hominess, lots of laughs, and a few thrills make this an above-average comedic creature-feature, sort of an alcohol-fueled Irish Tremors.

Warning! Lots of drinking and bad language. Some gore and violence.

A Lonely Place To Die *****

This one is a straight-up thriller, from the U.K. Five friends mountaineering in the Scottish Highlands run afoul of human traffickers. An excellent thriller, with beautiful scenery, and some real shocks and scares. A no-kidding, edge-of-your-seat, nail-biter.

Warning! Violence and bad language.

Alan Partridge ****

Alan Partridge is a movie based on a character from BBC-TV played by Steve Coogan. Alan Partridge is the worst TV show host in the world, and, in the movie, has been relegated to hosting a mid-morning radio show in the Midlands. A disgruntled employee takes the radio station hostage, and it’s up to Alan to save the day. If you’re familiar with the character, then you know what you’re getting. If you’re not, you can check him out in the BBC-TV series, Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge, and Mid-Morning Matters. He’s narcissistic, oblivious, selfish, childish, and completely self-unaware. They are very funny (and very British) shows, and the movie Alan Partridge puts the character in the middle of a typical Bruce Willis-type situation. Extremely funny if you like British humor.

Warning! Bad language and some violence, but definitely the tamest movie on this list, content-wise.

Big Bad Wolves ****

Okay, it’s an Israeli film, which means if you don’t speak Hebrew, you’re gonna need the subtitles, but it’s well worth it. A maverick cop screws up the bust of a man suspected of killing children, and goes after the guy outside the system, and ends up joining forces with the father of one of the victims. It’s a grim and grisly vigilante/revenge movie that stops shy of the torture porn sub-genre, but still has some harrowing scenes involving torture. It is, however, never gratuitous, and the tension is relieved periodically by a healthy dose of humor. It’s also interesting in it’s examination of torture as a legitimate information-gathering instrument, as well as the ethical dilemma’s faced by all of the characters. It’s an excellent movie that gets right up against the grindhouse/gratuitous violence and bloodshed line, but never goes over it, and never looses sight of the ultimate question at the root of the movie: Did the suspect do it, and where do good men draw the line to find out?

Warning! Extreme violence and bad language.

Four Lions *****

British comedy about 5 homegrown Muslim British Jihadi’s. Granted, not the most conventional subject for comic treatment, but it works here. Extremely funny without ever making light of the damage or harm that extremists/terrorists do. A hard movie to describe, and an even harder one to make someone want to see, but if you take the time, it’ll make you laugh a lot, and make you think long after you stop laughing. Best movie in this list. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Warning! The usual, violence and bad language.

Anyway, I hope you’ll take the time to check out some of these great movies. They are all well worth seeing. Enjoy!