Movies, Drama
Many of recent Roman Polanksi film were masterpieces. The Pianist was breathtakingly good. The Ghostwriter manages to create a special atmosphere. But the ending was a complete letdown. I understand why Polanksi is not very pleased with American authorities who have been trying to arrest him for over 30 years. (See my recent review). Anyone who follows the news realizes how incompetent the CIA was in assessing the economic situation in the Soviet Union before its downfall and the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The ending attributes competence to the CIA that bears no resemblance to reality.The Ghostwriter
Movies, Documentary
This is an excellent documentary and it made me evaluate Polanski escape from the USA. After watching it one wonders why American authorities attempted once again in 2010 to get Switzerland to arrest an extradite Polanski. After putting him under house arrest for 6 months, the Swiss authorities did not hand over Polanski to the American and this documentary, although finished before explains to explain why. Polanski is clearly guilty of one thing: Exceedingly poor judgment.Roman Polanski—Wanted and Desired
Movies, Drama
A few years ago I had nothing good to say about Faith Akin’s 2007 film On the other Side. But Head On, which is only secondarily about the challenges of being born in Germany into a Turkish immigrant family, is a deep film. Primarily it is about self-destruction and the strangeness of love. Sibel and Cahit meet in mental hospital because both seem to have attempted suicide. After some time Sibel convinces the much older Cahit to marry her so she can leave her parents and gain freedom. For six months Sibel and Cahit live without physical intimacy but then the fall in love and real trouble begins. The film becomes quite heavy but it is poetic despite the violence that accompanies the love between two multifaceted characters. What makes the film interesting is that it always takes unexpected turns.Head-On (Gegen die Wand)
Movies, Phantasy
Western democracies with the exception of the USA are remarkable in that life and death are a rather democratic affair. Especially in countries where the government runs most of the health care system (e.g. Britain, Canada, Australia) a worker may get a heart-transplant before a CEO get one. We don’t cut up workers and give his/her parts to save the life of more “important” people. In the fictitious world of In Time every one is able to live until age 25 but then people only get to live one more year unless they obtain time from some one else. As a result the masses die on average young and the privileged can live forever, never biologically ageing more than 25 years. Will Salas’s (Justin Timberlake) mother dies early in the film because she literally runs out of time. When a privileged person with 100 years time on his account donates all his time to Salas because he is tired of living eternally, Salas drives into the region where the privileged classes live their wealthy eternal lives.In Time
Movies, Phantasy
The dream world is a miraculous space. The mind apparently needs to dream to keep things together. Sometimes watching dogs sleep I get the impression that they too dream. One of the most amazing dreams is when you within a dream you dream that you are falling asleep and starting to dream. Then you wake up in a dream and believe you are in reality although later on why you are truly awake you realize that you were still in a dream. Inception is about these multilevel dreams. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) has the ability to get people to talk in their sleep and reveal secrets. He uses this to engage in corporate espionage. But Cobb is also wanted by the government for allegedly killing his wife and he is not able to see his tow young kids. Now he is being offered a assignment which promises to give him back is old life. But he has to use his skill to plant an idea into the mind of a corporate heir without that person realizing that the idea was implanted in his head while dreaming. The film is a remarkable exploration of our dream world.Inception
Movies, Phantasy
I don’t know the reason why children like teddy bears and safety blankets so much. All I know is that like most kids I enjoyed them so much that I never wanted to give them up. Unfortunately, one day I left my teddy bear behind in a hotel room and the hotel staff claimed that they could not find my companion. I was too old to want to get used to a new bear and for the next year missed falling asleep with him on my nose and this soothing smell of comfort. Our hero John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) did not suffer this fate. When he was ten he wished that his teddy would come alive so that he would have a best friend for life. Miraculously, his wish comes true. This blissful existence only becomes challenged when John has a girlfriend and she demands that John spends more time with her instead his best friend Ted. What now unfolds is the funniest movie I have seen in a long time. I laughed almost the entire film. If you like the humor of There is something about Mary, you will have a blast with this film. And if you had a teddy as a child, you will love the film!Ted
Movies, Drama
If you don’t understand many peoples’ love for dogs, this film explains dogs can be humans’ being best friend. Based somewhat on a true story, this comedy takes you on a tour of Western Australia. Even if you don’t care much about the canine species, Red Dog is a very special dog and he will soften your heart and make you appreciate why some people cannot think living without a canine friend.Red Dog
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