Reviews
The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012)
A masterpiece.
The bittersweet story of Didier and Elise, their child Maybelle and the blue grass music. Seeing this movie at the Berlin Film Festival I didn't expect anything in particular. What I saw was an emotional roller-coaster of a movie, beautifully cinematography, a great book, wonderful music. And oh those actors, bringing these written lines to life. It will bring even the most hard boiled audience to tears. But you will leave the cinema after that with a smile and be grateful for having witnessed the magic of movie making at it's best. Director Felix van Groeningen has made his masterpiece, I don't know how he can top that one. I am sure you will love that movie as much as I do.
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Actually quite boring
It wasn't really a bad movie. It was just hyped and didn't live up to it. Yes, the landscapes were pretty but actually they didn't add anything to the story. I haven't seen Kristen Steward before as I am not the target audience for the Twilight series. Obviously the director and the scriptwriters didn't gave the poor girl much opportunity to develop her character. So her play was rather dull and she couldn't transport any emotions. Charlize Theron's performance was interesting, but actually just fulfilled the cliché of the evil queen. Why start telling us the interesting part (her youth), but actually stop after a short sequence? And yes, we have seen blond incestuous siblings before just recently in a TV series that Snow White and the Huntsmane tries to copy so badly. Leaving an open end for a second installment wasn't a good idea in a story that is so well known. The movie is full of promises but actually doesn't work. Helmer Sanders should stick to commercials again, I am sure he knows how to do them. A few good ideas in a two hour+ movie is just not good enough. But it looked stylish and pretty.
Hepzibah - Sie holt dich im Schlaf (2010)
Quite entertaining
I must admit I am not a big fan of modern horror movies as they tend to overdo the gory part nowadays. Therefor Herzibah was a pleasant surprise to me. It hardly brings any new aspects for a movie about a medieval which and her curse over the years, but it takes a refreshing look into the old genre and takes it into our century. One of the let downs is, that the production is mostly made for TV, so you see a lot of close ups and less of the impressive work of the art department. Lots of details, perfect atmosphere, but it could have been so much more spirit if it would have been made for the big screen. The actors are great, especially young Eleonor Tomlinson in the lead.
Im Herzen des Lichts - Die Nacht der Primadonnen (2002)
A beautiful masterpiece
Different cultures, different singers - together for one night only. Most beautiful directed and photographed this little musical extravaganza has been forgotten for the last years: Not available on DVD or even CD it collects some of the worlds greatest singers from Greece to Tuva, from the U.S. to Mali. Music so different as the women singing it, having in common that it is the music of their hearts. The documentary written and initiated by Austrian multi-talented André Heller brings together some great female voices: opera diva Jessye Norman, jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, Uxia from Spain and the incomparable Haris Alexiou from Greece, to name just a few. He did a great job with that.
Strella (2009)
Surprisingly well played and excellently written
I had the honour to see that movie at it's world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. This surprising story of a man coming out of jail and falling in love with a transsexual is excellently written and surprisingly well played. Nearly all the actors are amateurs, but who needs trained actor with a cast like that: Especially Mina Orfanou in the role of 'Strella' is a revelation. Panos Koutras finds a way to tell a complicated story and to keep the audience interested in the main characters without following paths of Pedro Almodovar, though both have the wicked humor in common and both obviously love a good melodramatic story line every now and then. And he knows how to end a story, something that isn't often seen in queer movies nowadays. I sincerely hope 'Strella' will find a broader audience as it is clever and entertaining.