2007-08-20

Wiedersehen mit den Stadtneurotikern

...durch Zufall bin ich in der Bibliothek über einen Woody Allen Film, Stadtneurotiker gestolpert und habe ihn mir daheim angesehen.Es ist wirklich unglaublich diese alten Streifen wieder anzusehen (überhaupt packen mich gerade die alten Filme, wie 'M eine Stadt sucht einen Möder', oder die älteren von Wim Wenders). Mit Woody Allen kann man seine eigenen Verschrobenheiten entdecken und über die menschliche Komödie nachsinnen.

Posted by steffi at 12:20 PM
Edited on: 2007-10-17 2:49 PM
Categories: movie

2006-12-02

casino royale

Vergangene Woche habe ich mir den neuen Bond angesehen...und es IST ein NEUER Bond.

Der alte war immer souverän, aber der blonde Neue ist noch ein junger Geselle, gerade erst mit der Lizenz zu töten 'ausgezeichnet'. Das fließende Blut scheint wirklicher und der neue Bond scheint menschlicher, verletzlicher und fehlbarer, in seinen Aktionen, wie in seiner Persönlichkeit. Das ist mitunter irritierend, weil man das Produkt Bond so nicht mehr so leicht lesen kann; ach ja und Bond bekam wirkliche Gefühle ins Drehbuch geschrieben, alles sehr überraschend.und ein bischen verwirrend. In England wird der Film hoch gelobt...ich weiss gar nicht, ob ich mich dem anschließen möchte, oder was ich letztenendes denke. Eigentlich muss man ihn sich wohl noch mal ansehen, um sich (nach dem Kennen-Lernen) eine Meinung bilden zu können-

Posted by steffi at 10:13 AM
Categories: movie

2006-10-28

what i want to see

...is 'BORAT'!!!

After a very disappointing 'History Boys' (just don't see it!), I found the trailer to a highly celebrated movie (well in London at the moment...), called 'BORAT' . Not everyone likes the movie about a man from Kazachstan, who came to the USA to make a movie... and amongst them is first of all the gouvernment of Kazachstan, which run ads in the NY Times to distance themselves from the British comedian. And I guess, what the people love about the film is the depiction of Borats view on America. How far can comedy go? But maybe it is time to check out the boundaries... And possibly one needs the superficial entry to gain a deeper access?

Posted by steffi at 10:14 AM
Categories: movie

2006-04-20

site specific cinema

Vor ein paar Tagen habe ich mir in Berlin den Film Das Leben der Anderen angesehen passenderweise im Kino International in der Karl-Marx Allee. Dieser Kinopalast erscheint eher wie ein richtiges und festliches Theater und besonders gefallen hat mir der Vorhang mit Glitzereinlage, der dort den Hauptfilm ankündigt. Der Film mit Ulrich Mühe handelt von der Stasi Bespitzelung eines Schriftstellers in der DDR, eine gute Geschichte und endlich mal wieder: großes deutsches Kino; ein Film, den man sich im Kino ansehen sollte. Und, wie es scheint, eine Geschichte die dem wirklichen Leben zumindest verwandt ist, denn im Umfeld des Filmes wurde auch wirkliche Stasi-Vergangenheit aufgearbeitet. Und während ich im Kino saß und über die wechselvolle Geschichte unseres landes nachdachte, wunderte ich mich, welche Spiel-Filme hier wohl über den BND gezeigt werden könnten... vielleicht gibt es ja nicht nur eine Wende.

Posted by steffi at 10:09 AM
Categories: movie

2006-02-18

HIDDEN

Französische Filme sind ja in der Regel keine leichte Kost und entführen den Kinogänger an Abgründe und in Zustände. Ich wusste nicht, wovon Hidden handelte, als ich ins Kino ging und die eigentliche Überraschung ist Juliette Binoche gewesen. Sonst spielt sie ja immer das hübsche, geheimnisvolle Mädchen, aber diesmal wurde sie als ganz normale Frau und berufstätige Mutter präsentiert, die in sackartigen Kleidern herumläuft und der man eine Stilberatung schenken möchte. Ein unerwarteter Aspekt, der dem Film eine gewisse Würze gab. Der Film stellteauch interessante Fragen- (sind wir als Erwachsene verantwortlich für die Taten, die wir als Kinder begangen haben, wie gehen wir mit Bedrohungen um), ohne sie befriedigend zu beantworten. Aber so ist das Leben vielleicht; die Fragen scheinen sich zu vermehren bei zunehmendem Alter, während die Antworten zögerlicher kommen und schwierige zu geben sind. Manchmal habe ich den Eindruck, dass die Welt und das eigene Leben immer komplexer wird und man öfter ‚ratlos’ ist. Der Film bot einige Überraschungen, hinterliess melancholische Gefühle (aber welcher französische Film tut das nicht?)... und kurbelte meine eigenen Erinnerungen an, die glücklicherweise nicht ganz so tragig-geschwängert sind.

Posted by steffi at 2:42 PM
Categories: movie

2005-08-20

KITCHEN STORIES

Yesterday I needed a movie to chill out and went to the video library in Duncker Str. There the dvds are standing in shelfs like books and the small titles on the ‚spines’ train and test my eyes. By chance I came across ‚Kitchen Stories’, a Swedish production a friend had told me about. What a hilarious movie! We are taken into the Sixties. A professor successfully investigated the work of houswifes in the kitchen. He helped to build new kitchens, in which the women no longer have to walk to Ghana during one year of working in the kitchen, but only to norhtern Italy. The new group he is interested in are single men and their use of kitchens. A group of observers is sent to the countryside. There they live in trailers outsite of their hosts houses. In their hosts kitchens they put up a high chair (which reminds of this simple wooden ‚watch-towers’ used for hunting). The idea is that the observer sits there and notes down every movement of the host in the kitchen. But he plans don’t work out as expected. One of the observers, Folke was meant to stay with Isak. However Isak appears not to be very supportive and after denying access to the house he gives in but he obviously stops using his kitchen. In fact the host begins to observe the observer... Host and observer are not meant to comunicate to keep the observation as neutral as possible. Well, what can I say, the absurdity is shown with attention to small details and with a loving eye. I want to see it again!

Posted by steffi at 7:47 PM
Edited on: 2005-08-21 6:58 PM
Categories: misc, movie

2005-07-10

GORKI PARK

I was starving for watching some TV and having a dinner on my laps,- just relaxing at home. The warm Berlin-summer-evening could not tempt me and as I don't have a TV I went to my video shop and searched for the entertainment of my evening- when I looked around all those costume movies, thrillers and so on I found 'Gorki Park', and took it home. I have seen this film again and again, when it was shown on TV. The story is great and again and again it excites me. How reassuring to see and remember at the same time. I guess this is the reason why children like to hear stories again and again. Sometimes I wonder how we can cope with all the information, news and stories we get to know, hear and see each day. Regularly my eyes long for repetition, for well known images, moving or standing still(because actually the sight of art works you know very well and see again in an exhibition after a couple of years can give me the same feeling). I don't need to own themovies, but to have an inner list, from where I can choose, whenever I am in need of 90 minutes of well know experience. 'Princess Mononoke' is on that list as well as 'Brot und Tulpen' and 'Matrix'. Oh well, when I think about it I will try to get Matrix for tonight, yeah!
Posted by steffi at 10:46 AM
Categories: movie

2005-07-06

ISTANBUL CALLING

Yesterday I woke up from the rustling of the leaves in the tree in front of my window. The sky was grey and I had the strong feeling that summer has gone for this year. In the evening I was ready for a movie and decided to see The sound of Istanbul. I have been told that the movie is great but that was already everything I knew and I found myself in a new and fresh version of 'Buena Vista Social Club'. Alexander Hackmann, musician of the band 'Einstürzende Neubauten'(='collapsing new buildings') has visitedd Istanbul before to record some sounds for a soundtrack and together with the director Fatih Akin they revisit Istanbul to explore the music world. They meet musicians from street-musicians and folk music to Rap and what surprised my eyes was the camera, which always got close to the musicians, who hadn't been in the Make-up before. Usually musicians are shown from the distance of a stage or they are carefully prepared for the bright light of the TV lighting. Here we meet them privately; of course the stars and veterans of music were well prepared for the guests from Germany, but in general the film provoked a homely impression. It is as if you could touch the musicians. The music was striking, but of courese it is often different to listen to it at home; B the soundtrack of Buena Vista Social Club infiltrated our homes- I will search for the soundtrack of 'Crossing the Bridge' in ebay and try it out in my 4 walls-
Posted by steffi at 9:10 AM
Categories: movie

2005-06-26

Wunder gibt es immer wieder

Auf seltsame Weise vermischte sich bei meinem gestrigen Kinobesuch die Vorschau mit dem Hauptfilm. In der Vorschau wurden Szenen aus dem Film 'Die Höhle des gelben Hundes' gezeigt. Eine mongolische Großmutter weist ihr Enkelkind an, zu versuchen, ein Reiskorn auf die Spitze einer Nadel zu spießen, indem sie die Reiskörner über die Nadel rieseln läßt. So schwer sei es, sagt sie, in einem nächsten Leben als Mensch wiedergeboren zu werden und deswegen sei das Leben so wertvoll. Der Hauptfilm war Emir Kusturicas 'Das Leben ist ein Wunder' und spielte in Bosnien vor und während dem Krieg. Die Menschen leben autistisch in ihrer eigenen Welt, sei es der Eisenbahningenieur Lucca, seine psychisch gestörte Frau, die früher Opernsängerin gewesen ist, oder der Sohn, der von einer Profifussballkarriere träumt. Jeder lebt für sich vor sich hin und wird von den Ereignissen mitgerissen, den ganz privat familiären ebenso wie den politischen.Schrägheit, Poesie und Tragik führen den Betrachter in einen Mikrokosmos, der wie das Eisenbahnmodell von Lucca für den Versuch einer geplanten Welt steht, die sich den Plänen immer wieder entgegensetzt. Der einzelne ist gebeutelt von den großen und kleinen Ereignissen. Ist dieses Leben lebenswert? Diese Frage stellen sich Mensch und Tier gleichermaßen in diesem Film und die Bahnstrecke, die Wohlstand und Reichtum bringen sollte, wird immer wieder, ebenfalls von Mensch und Tier als Ort für einen Suizid ausgewählt, der wiederum von den Ereignissen immer wieder verhindert wird. Und so ist das Fazit dieses tragigkomischen Films: Ja, das Leben ist ein Wunder, das immer wieder irgendwie weitergeht. Besser, man feiert heute, was heute zu feiern ist und läßt das Morgen auf sich zukommen.
Posted by steffi at 11:16 AM
Categories: movie

2005-06-09

Monsters Inc.

Pixar studios have mostly managed to express some childrens dreams of mine; this is why I loved TOY STORY(and hadn’t I dreamt of my dolls having parties in the attic while everybody was sleeping when I was a child?) and also Shrek pleased me, very much to my surprise. When a boring evening some time this week started I decided to rent a video. My first choice was ‚Traumschiff Enterprise, Periode 1’, a German fun-version of a seventies science fiction TV series. Unfortunately the DVD had some scratches and when I took it back there was no another copy left. So I turned to the childrens section and decided I would spend the evening with ‚Monsters Inc.’. There is probably not much that can better lighten up a bad mood than a movie like this. Simple human emotions are tickeled out and the only thing that spoilt my evening was that I had forgotten my bottle opener somewhere and could not open the wine(I felt like a chimpanzee in front of a fruit box. You knkow, you like what is inside, but how the hell get it out from there). But maybe the juice was anyway a better drink for ‚Monsters Inc.’ And I slept like a baby after, wondering where the German monsters are coming out as the wardrobes are no real rooms with real doors. And with all the IKEA wardrobes in German childrens room, monsters probably easily mix up places...Who knows.
Posted by steffi at 4:53 PM
Categories: movie

2005-06-07

LADY SNOWBLOOD KILLS BILL

I went to my video library today and actually I wanted to get the second part of KILL BILL. But when I saw that all of the rental cards for KILL BILLII were still there, I wondered why I should see this film if no one else wanted to. Remembering that I had heard of the Japanese movie LADY SNOWBLOOD, from which the idea for KILL BILL was taken, I looked around for it and took it. What a fascinating movie, a little less blood thirsty than Tarantinos version and wonderfully ‚seventies’. I do not need to see KILL BILL II anymore after seeing this film. about Lady Snowblood...in GermanBy the way, the movie I rented next was Bridget Jones II. Contrasts are enriching...
Posted by steffi at 12:20 PM
Categories: movie

2005-05-22

The Merchant of Venice

When I went to see 'The Merchant ov Venice' and I was expecting spectacular sights of the city of my dreams. I was prepared to get to know a love story, of course with some handicaps. I was also prepared to get a happy end. What I was not prepared for was the anti Jewish position and the very painful story, which overshadowes the happy end. At first we are introduced to the life of the Jews of Venice and their social status, but the way the story goes left a bitter feeling after leaving the cinema. Hate and disappointment make the mascerades seem tasteless and painful. And all this makes it very much unlike most of the Hollywood productions on Shakespeares plays. The longer I think about it, the better I like the mixed feelings the film puts the spectators in. By the way, the images of Venice were only few and the love story was just ‚nice’- Ok, you can’t always get what you want- I am not so sure if I should recommend the movie, but probably yes, as it makes you think and asks for discussion. So, go, see it and tell me what you think!more about the movie
Posted by steffi at 9:31 PM
Edited on: 2005-05-22 9:46 PM
Categories: movie

2005-01-28

2046

ok, I like Wong Kar Wai and I like his movies. ‚In the mood for love’ is for me like a bath in colours, longing and slowliness(does a word like this exist in English?). You have to know this before you go to see it. To be prepared for this movie nearlly without moving. And of course we are in Asia, in Hongkong and we are in the Sixties, with its stiff and shy manner(I write that because a friend was really getting impatient with the characters and wanted to push them forward, if she only could). ‚2046’ goes on to tell the story of the guy from ‚In the mood for love’, again a very slow movie with images like creamcakes and slow slow motions. He can’t get over his lost love(from the first movie) and because he does not really care he makes women fall in love with him. The result is a tragic mosaic, going backward and forward in time. There are a lot of tears and I admit that the movie has ist lenghts; this will not be everybodys cup of tea. But please, if you like big and old fashioned feelings: go to the cinema and do not see it at home. You have to dive into it in the movie theatre-at home you will fall asleep, I am sure.
Posted by steffi at 3:59 PM
Categories: movie

2004-12-06

THE FAT YEARS ARE OVER!

I was skeptical. A new young German movie was celebrated in the papers, but when I saw that it circled again around German youngsters caught in idealism and adolescence I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to see this. Over the last years some German movies have been produced in which late teens were fighting their way through puberty, their civil servises and boring psycholocgical states and problens. But one evening I had time, the movie was shown close by and I went to see it. Two young men, Jan and X(I can’t remember his name, but he surely is a great actor!) in their early twenties decide to transform their revolutionary ideas into reality. At night, when the ownersa are on holidays they break into villas. They do not steal or demolish anything, but put the whole house upside down. The Meissen procellain comes into the toilet, the expensive stereo finds a new home in the fridge, the furiture is piled up in the living room and they do not leave any trace of their identity, but a note for the owners: THE FAT YEARS ARE OVER. This works quite well for a while. Then one of them, X finds a girl friend, Jule and when he has to travel somewhere alone the story goes on as it has to: Jan and Jule fall in love with each other and Jan even takes Jule on a nightly tour in a villa. Yes and here it happens as it has to: the owner comes home unexpectadely and surprises them. They knock him out, call X, just back from his holiday and in their puzzlement about what to do they decide to kidnap the owner. They take their hostage to a lonesome mountain hut and think about how to get out of this situation. Here hostage and kidnappers are faced with a surprising mirror effect: The kidnapper, who appears to be a revolutionary of 68’ who had close contact to famous members of the students movement is faced with his younger version and old and forgotten ideas. For the kidnappers a possible version of themselves in 20 or thirty years is putting their idealism on a probe and reality check. Here we wonder how some politicians like our foreign minister would look at their younger self, what they would say to each other. Fresh dialogs and surprising turns make this movie well worth while seeing. And I think I will even go to see it again.
Posted by steffi at 4:40 PM
Categories: movie