>>>And I have a bet against myself here, so...
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>>>what was the best foreign movie (that is, from a country speaking a different language than yours) that you saw this year?
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>>Any of the animations by the marvellous Hayao Miyazaki, inc. "Spirited Away", "Kiki's Delivery Service" and esp. "Castle in the Sky" - all available on DVD and so stunning and innovative, worth seeing several times. Not exactly seen them this year but my daughter's just completed her collection with "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind"
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>>http://www.amazon.com/Castle-Sky/dp/B00005JKYG
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>Gosh, this must be a new year, I am agreeing with you left and right ;-) Miyazaki's movies are spiritual in the best sense of the word. Greatly underappreciated. And I say that as not even a fan of animated films.

And the worlds he invents, with their weird flying machines, and the Herge-like draughtmanship just keep me gob-smacked.