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Reviews
Son frère (2003)
Disappointing
Director Patrice Chereau, famous for many great films, made this movie. This, of course, let me hope that I would see a good film, at least. But no, this one is not. It is a slow film, and boring.
Two brothers with a problematic relationship in the past, find together again when the elder one gets a dangerous disease and asks his brother to accompany him to several doctors.
So far, so good: This could have been a typical French film about relationships. This could have been a sad tragedy, watching the one brother getting ill. This could have been a good movie, after all, because the acting is really good. But, I can only repeat: This is a boring, slow, far too long picture. The script is poor, and the directing uninspired. Very disappointing.
Lichter (2003)
Surprisingly good
This movie reflects on the situation around the border between Poland and Germany. The fate of many single characters creates a picture of life in this region: Some Russians want to cross the border illegal to get into Germany, a company wants to build a new factory, a Polish taxi driver desperately needs money to buy his daughter a communion dress, and so on.
All this is very well written and directed. All the characters are true to life, and through the multiperspectivic reflection on the situation the movie works very well. Good acting performances do the rest. The one minor critical point I have is: The stories are standing on their own. I think the movie would have been better if they would have been connected in more points than just happening in one region. So the movie gets a 9 out of 10- but is still worth watching and very touchy.
Io non ho paura (2003)
A Big Surprise
I saw this film on the Berlin film festival without having an idea of what may follow, and I was very surprised: this picture is one of the best, at least of this year.
A young boy, growing up in a little village somewhere in Italy, discovers an other young boy hiding in a small hole. Nobody in the whole village seems to know anything about him- but then the enigma around the discovery is revealed when the first boy listens hidden to a conversation about the second boy - and this conversation is held by his parents...
First of all: A great acted movie. The young actors are splendid. A good script too: very moody, and exciting too. Then I have to mention the very nice landscape in which the film is set, and the cinematography capturing it. And so on... a nearly perfect film, and you will do a good choice when seeing it! I do not like superlatives very much, but: 10 out of 10.
A Mulher Polícia (2003)
Bad picture, a waste of time
A young boy in a town in Portugal steals some money and is therefore to be sent to the burstal. His mother do not want to let this happen and runs away with him. After some time being on this odyssey, bad things start to happen (and since I do not want to write spoilers I hide them here).
I was very disappointed after I saw this film. First of all, I have no idea of what the film really was about. I can summarize the plot, of course, as I did, but the meaning of the picture is not clear. Second, the directing and acting is rather poor. There are no thrill, no true feelings, nothing. I was, as I said, very disappointed after seeing this film and cannot recommend it.
Die Datsche (2002)
Awful German Picture
This German movie ist NOT worth watching. In general, I do not like German films very much. This film is a fine example, why: Mediocre actors in a cheap atmosphere with a non-existing director...
A couple drives to their weekend-cottage, one final time: The woman wants to sell it, the man do not, because he has too many personal connections with the place. When a duo of intruders shows up, everything seems to escalate... ...or at least you expect it to. But it does not really: Slow, very slow is this movie, and the long awaited ending comes up after only 90 minutes real time. No, this picture misses nearly everything a good movie consists of. But I will give it 2 of 10- for two good lines in the whole film...
Wie die Karnickel (2002)
Awful, simply awful
This is another typical german "comedy", seen both from the plot and the humour. The plot is rather simple: A player in an orchestra is left by his wife because he purchased a porno and gets into a sexual relation with a opera star by the name of Kriemhild (Wagner, you know, this is probably supposed to be funny!). His gay neighbour by the name of Siegfried (Wagner again! A running gag?!) has relationship problems himself because he has one-night-stands but loves only his ex-friend... then there are several situations which are probably supposed to be funny but are not. In addition, the actors are throughout the movie nothing but bad, really bad. The director seems to have no idea what "timing" or these things are for- all in all one of the worst films I have seen in years. And I do watch many. 1 of 10, save your money, and if you do not, you are warned!
Herz über Kopf (2001)
Nice Lovestory and more
"Herz im Kopf", a film probably made for teenagers, must be considered as well done not only for this group. Jakob, trying to find his place in the world after his mothers death, is both true to life and well acted. When watching his attempts to get a job, to arrange his life with his older (and pregnant) sister and of course to get the girl he loves, you are touched not only as a teenager, but as a human, because the feelings transported in the picture are universal. Wanda, a Polish Au-Pair in Germany and object of Jakob's love, is very well acted too. But the biggest congratulations have to go to the screenplay which expresses very true feelings, with several Ups and Downs.
After all a really good movie, not the best this year, but very worth watching!
Die Fälschung (1981)
Brilliant Movie
Volker Schlöndorff, famous german director who won the foreign language- oscar for "Die Blechtrommel", here presents a picture about a journalist doing a reportage in Beirut during the riots between Christians and Moslems. Georg Laschen, a german journalist, travels to Beirut for seeing things and making a great story out of it. He leaves behind his marriage, which is in a crisis, but can not completely forget about it. So he finds himself always split between cruelty and war in Beirut and the things in Germany that need to be soluted. The director did a brilliant job. Accompanied by some very great actors and actresses, the whole film is very true to life. War is shown in all it's cruelty, but without the need of showing too explicite violence. The film does not transport a one-and-only message that he tries to confirm, but presents the viewer a very complex movie, a film who needs viewers that are willing to think. Contributing to this effect is the fact that the film is done in different languages. While German is the "basic", the actors speak to different persons in different languages (English, French, Arab). Overall, a brilliant film. Not for popcorn, maybe, but definitely very worth seeing.
Tolle Lage (2000)
Typical bad German "Comedy"
This film combines everything why the normal, the typical German picture is not successful in any other country. This one has not been in Germany too, though: It tries to be funny- but it is not. It tries to have a meaning- but is has not. Or, at least, I was unable to figure it out.
The plot is set in a holiday camp in Eastern Germany. Because there is nothing else to do all people at this camp are meeting in the shop, where a vietnamese student is jobbing. Then there is a man who robbed a bank and tries to hide himself in this camp, and some very "funny" jokes, such as the student talking to his girlfriend while talking as the discjockey of the local campradio...
And, again, there we have the problem: Since this should be a comedy, you expect some jokes, maybe decent, maybe to laugh loud. But there is not a single funny line in the whole picture! I laughed at no time. And because the movie claims to be a comedy, the director has not intended it to be, let us say, exciting, or the characters to be true to live, or something that makes this thing worth seeing. So, after all: A really disappointing movie. Hopefully it will be forgotten soon. 1 point out of 10, and maybe this is still too much.