If you were ever tempted to see "City of Angels" or "Point of No Return," you can sleep easier: their much superior foreign originals are coming out on DVD this week. Also, films by Kurosawa, Fassbinder, Polanski, and Zhang Yimou.
1. Wings of Desire
I wish the title of Wim Wender's wonderfully lyrical "The Sky over Berlin" had been translated better, and I wish even more it had never been remade with Meg Ryan and Nick Cage as "City of Angels." Watch the original starring Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin and Peter Falk as Peter Falk.
2. Rhapsody In August
Akira Kurosawa's last film to be released in the U.S. takes viewers back to the day America dropped the atom bomb on Nagasaki. With Sachiko Murase and Richard Gere (!).
3. La Femme Nikita
Luc Besson's slick action thriller about a sexy assassin (Anne Parillaud) is much better than "Point of No Return," the uninspired remake with Bridget Fonda.4. Fassbinder 4-Pack
Watch 'em as fast as he made 'em: get four of the celebrated German director's films in one pack: "Love Is Colder Than Death" (1969), "Gods of the Plague" (1970), "Fear of Fear" (1975), and "Chinese Roulette" (1976).5. The Tenant
Roman Polanski directs and plays the lead in one of his best films, a return to the paranoia of "Rosemary's Baby" and "Repulsion."6. To Live
After "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Ju Dou," another Zhang Yimou/Gong Li collaboration. Expect epic tragic suffering over the course of Chinese history, beautifully acted and photographed.7. Das Experiment
A cooly calculated and exceedingly effective thriller from Germany starring Moritz Bleibtreu ("Run Lola Run.")8. Bad Company
If you thought "Kids" was rough, you should see what the teenagers are up to in France.9. The Advocate
This oddball movie about the mediaval trial of a possessed pig is full of bawdy sex and surprising reversals. With Colin Firth, Ian Holm, Nicol Williamson, and Donald Pleasance.10. Night of the Shooting Stars
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's story about survival in Italy during World War II was crowned best movie of the year in 1982 by the National Society of Film Critics.