By Arif Hidayat

Guest Writer

It used to be that when (the late) Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave a movie ``two thumbs up,'' that alone would be reason enough to consider seeing it. But now, with over two million websites offering movie reviews, that classic phrase doesn't mean much anymore. Ebert (along with new sidekick Richard Roeper) still has a big influence in the field by having built a solid reputation, and I appreciate them taking the time to review a good number of independent films that I might not have heard of otherwise.

But a visit to your local video store will reveal that a lot of movies that barely meet the standard of not sucking can manage to win at least one thumb in their favor.

It seems to me that when Hollywood wants to make a movie, the process goes something like this: some Hollywood studio pulls something out of their rear end, puts a Russell or a Meg on it, throws in a gazillion dollars to make it look like a million bucks, and says, ``Eat This!'' But I want to refrain from turning this into another Hollywood-basher because I wanted to talk about foreign films. They're out there, so make sure you get your shots.

I realize that for many of you, foreign films are nothing new, but I believe that for a lot of people, foreign films are seen as something best left for the pseudo-intellectual and artsy-fartsy crowds of the Film Arts Committee and the art department--no offense to those who feel offended.

There is a kind of xenophobia, and it's not just of certain kinds of people. Perhaps this is why many foreign films still don't get the attention they often deserve.

Admittedly, this has started to change, though slowly, thanks to the growing obsession with Japanese anime and the success of such films as ``Run Lola Run'' and ``Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.''

No matter where they're made, movies should have something worth saying underneath the skin of their plot lines. There is nothing wrong with pure exhilarating entertainment, but film is, among other things, a medium of dialogue. Movies in general are meant to be entertaining in their appeal to the senses, as is the case with many other art forms, but they still should be carefully made with a lot of thought, and this is what determines the quality of a movie.

Perhaps the most valuable quality foreign films have is exactly that they are foreign, thus giving insight into different cultures and different worlds. We get glimpses of how different people think and act, the subtle differences in the way they use language, and so on, which can be difficult to notice sometimes. More importantly, though, foreign films come from a completely different mindset than what we are familiar with, and they have the potential to broaden our view on life. Such a potential is the most valuable thing a movie can offer. There are two movies from abroad that do this very well, and I would like to bring them to your attention.

For those of you who enjoyed watching ``Run Lola Run,'' director Tom Tykwer and actress Franka Potente, who played Lola, achieve a similar success, in my mind, with their recent movie ``The Princess and The Warrior'' (``Der Krieger und Die Kaiserin''). Set near and around Tykwer's hometown of Wuppertal, Germany, the film stars Potente as a psychiatric ward nurse named Sissi who is brought to several accidental encounters with a man named Bodo Riemer, played by Benno Furmann. Bodo is an ex-soldier, thus der Krieger, who is stuck with memories of his deceased wife. Sissi has never known much about the world outside the psychiatric ward. Having been born and raised there her whole life, she has grown to be a very strong and gentle young woman.

The first time Sissi meets Bodo is under a truck. Unable to talk or breathe because of the blood clotting in her throat, Sissi didn't have the chance to thank Bodo for saving her life. Tykwer uses the rest of the film to bring them together and to reveal some much-needed information about our two main characters. ``The Princess and The Warrior'' is very different from the intense ``Run Lola Run.'' It takes its time in weaving in and out of situations; in fact, much of the film is a lot like the scenes in ``Run Lola Run,'' where Lola and Manni are talking to each other in bed. I think Sissi describes the movie best when her character says, ``And then there was stillness.'' This is a delicate movie that requires patience and emotion, maybe.

For those of you who enjoyed British films such as ``Sexy Beast,'' shown recently by the FAC, I recommend ``The War Zone,'' a film that was released overseas in 1998 and reached the States by mid 1999. A lot of the more recent British films, at least those that get some attention here in the States, tend to be either about the glamorous side of crime with ultra-hip tough guys or about a small village in Ireland where someone faces conflict that is resolved through a quaintly humorous plot. ``The War Zone'' stands firm on its own by being a serious psychological drama. It also happens to be actor Tim Roth's directorial debut, with a screenplay by Alexander Stuart based on his novel with the same title. It stars Ray Winstone (``Sexy Beast''), Tilda Swinton (``The Deep End''), Freddie Cunliffe, and Lara Belmont as a family that has moved from London and is now living in isolation in a small town called Devon.

The family has grown accustomed enough to each other that casual nudity has become a normal part of their daily life. Swinton plays a nursing mother who holds the family together at the seams by trying to encourage her two adolescent children to be more accepting of their new surroundings. Tom (Cunliffe) is an awkward teenager who misses his life in London and detests his new home. He gets placed under an immense emotional strain as he accidentally witnesses his father (Winstone) and his sister (Belmont) in the bathtub together. Though his sister denies the whole thing, his suspicions are confirmed when he goes out to investigate after his father, who had to leave all of sudden.

The issue of incest in this movie speaks to the very heart of humanity because it presents us with a portrayal of how we are all torn between good and evil, and it seeks to describe the way in which a person is aware that his action is evil at the moment when it occurs, and yet has the inclination to deny that knowledge. I think it also does a good job of presenting us with the act itself through two scenes that make it obvious and graphic, though not gratuitously so. This movie tears at the conventions of family life, and though it is slow and dark, I think it is a beautiful work of art.

These specific films may not be your cup of tea, but I want to make the point that one doesn't have to wait for the next Harry Potter movie before one can look forward to seeing a movie. There is a whole world full of actors and directors out there expressing their ideas, and for four dollars one can purchase a genuine travel experience to a different part of the world. Don't forget that there is life, and art, beyond Hollywood.