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American Women's Club of Hamburg  Film Reviews -- April 2007Reviews by members of the AWC Film Group of films slated to open in Hamburg in April 2007.
(Becky T) Opening April 5, 2007 It’s 480 B.C. and a Persian messenger arrives at the camp of the Spartans and King Leonidas. The messenger lives long enough to announce an imminent Persian attack. Before this crucial scene, we are given a little historical background of Leonidas and his hard education in martial arts which is typical for all Spartan boys. Leonidas sorts out his recruits and accepts those who can leave an heir in the home to carry on, since returning alive is an uncertain option. Before the actual battle of Thermopylae, there is a bit of boasting and strutting and muscle flexing. In the end, Leonidas and his 7000 men are victorious against impossible odds set by King Xerxes and his 120,000 Persians. The victors return home, except for 300 loyal fighters. They remain to face the Persians once again. These baddies have raised a counterattack, this time from behind, having been shown a secret pathway by a Spartan traitor named Ephiales, who bears grudges. Leonidas and his friends were mean to him; they never shared the women nor took him seriously, just because he was an ugly, crippled hunchback who couldn’t fight. So there. This film is based on the comic by Frank Miller who also gave us Sin City. Director Zack Snyder filmed it on a green screen using blue box techniques, so that, although he has real actors, the overall effect is that of a comic. This film is for anyone interested in new filming techniques, computer games, comics and perhaps Greek legends, such as this one by Heroditus. 300 showed out of competition at the 2007 Berlinale. Second Opinion The film 300 is director Frank Snyder’s screenplay adaptation from Frank Miller’s graphic novel and comic series (also titled 300), recounting the Persian-Greek Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. One of the most revered battles of all time; it has inspired legends, poetry, songs, novels, films and even a television series. Synder chooses to retell the battle through the eyes of Leonidas, the King of Sparta; one of the history’s most legendary warriors. His zeal and courage have been held in high esteem throughout history as an example of bravery, loyalty and honor. He is so revered that leaders throughout history have emulated his tactics for battle and have adapted them to their own situation or gain. Therefore, it is not hard to understand why the Grecian warriors followed him to perform extraordinary duty. The Greek city of Sparta housed the finest and strongest military among the Grecian city-states and their renowned navy was unbeatable. However, during this era the Persian King Xerxes was on the war path to control the world. His fierce and mighty army of hundreds of thousands was conquering one Greek territory after another with only slight resistance. If Greece was to have any chance of resisting a full take over by the Persians, then the city-states had to join forces against the vast approaching army of soldiers and war animals. Time was of the essence, so under the command of Leonidas, 1600 of the strongest Grecian warriors gathered to meet the Persians on the front line. The success of their battle plan allowed Leonidas to send home all of the warriors earlier than promised, except for his heroic Spartan army of 300. These men were the history makers who met the Persians in the canyon of Thermopylae in 480 BC. I was fascinated with how the film cleverly joined an ancient battle and cutting edge graphic technology. At times images were surreal due to use of dark, gothic color tones combined with slow, strobe-like digital movement. The technology that is available to filmmakers today is incredible and Synder has effectively tapped into those resources. For example, I was amazed how the art direction took battle scenes of horrific violence and softened the awful bloodshed by slowing the frame-rate and syncopating it with splashes of color, just as a master painter might work on a canvas. The remarkable cinematography ignited the ancient Greek spirit for conquest and connected to the modern movie audience. As the credits began to roll, 75% of the filled theater (where it was shown out of competition at the 2007 Berlinale) spontaneously and in unison shouted out the Spartan battle cry with which Leonidas had inspired his troops: “AAAAAUUUUUHHHHAAH”! We were Spartans all.
(Becky T) Opening April 5, 2007 In 1824 Vienna, Herr Schlemmer sends 23-year-old Anna Holtz (Diane Kruger) to Ludwig van Beethoven (Ed Harris). Her job is to transcribe or copy his 9th Symphony for the orchestra or anyone else for that matter. Time is short; the symphony – his first in ten years – is not finished; and the concert is imminent. Anna finds an old (three years before his death), disorderly, disrespectful, bossy and ill misogynist. She does her job well, even crouching in the orchestra pit to help Beethoven keep time, as he is too deaf to hear his own music while directing. The new symphony is a huge success and Anna becomes Beethoven’s permanent secretary. Her motive for staying the course in spite of his insults is that she studied composing and wants the great man to look at her work. He says, “A woman composer is like a dog walking on its hind legs: it’s never done well but you’re surprised to see it done at all.” He also comments, “Oh you have created a new genre: fartissimo, with all the little farts in your work.” Anna is tough, obviously, or she might be a bit stupid, considering her choice of boyfriend: rich arrogant Martin Bauer, the architect who is full of himself. Beethoven takes him down a notch or two. He also terrorizes his worthless nephew Karl van Beethoven, who steals in order to pay gambling debts. In the end, Anna cracks the maestro’s tough façade (“Loneliness is my religion.”) and they become friends. This is being sold in Hamburg as a film for women. Perhaps it is a film for anyone who likes historical novels or films such as The Girl With the Pearl Earring. Even though Anna is a fictitious character, parts of the film are probably true. The London Symphony Orchestra plays ten pieces by Beethoven. Director Agnieszka Holland filmed on location in Hungary. It was interesting to see Ed Harris play Beethoven as a man who suffered from deafness, but often appeared to hear well enough. The composer supposedly could lip read, and I wonder if including a choir in his 9th symphony was just a coincidence at a time when lip reading was crucial to him. At any rate, a symphony with a choir was a brand new idea in the early 1800s, and it brought tears to the eyes of the archbishop as well as everyone else. (Shelly S) Opening April 12, 2007 1962 was a year where peace seemed impossible for South Africa. The South African government had imprisoned Nelson Mandela (Dennis Haysbert) who would become the first black president of South Africa when Apartheid finally ended. White South African prison warden James Gregory (Joseph Fiennes), who works in the censorship office, tells the story. He learns to respect Mandela for who he is and what he represents: a free South Africa. There is much pressure on Haysbert to portray the great man and it is a pity that he did not look more like the Mandela that we all know. Diane Kruger gives an outstanding performance as Gregory’s wife. She actually sounds like she is from South Africa and one can sympathise with her difficult situation. The film focuses on these two characters rather than the actual political situation in the townships. This is a seemingly quiet film despite its look at history which in itself was so terribly violent. There were discussions on the validity of the truth in the journals taken from the warden, but the director indicated that it was a terrible time and many people had their own interpretation of events. It would be nice to see more of what happened historically at that time in order to understand Mandela’s difficulties to save his people instead of showing us struggles over chocolate and a fun stick fight between Gregory and Mandela.
(Thelma F) Opening April 12, 2007 Love and Dance, an Israeli film, has traces of Billy Elliot in that it takes place in a region with political and social boundaries and that young Chen (Vladimir Volov) is forced at first to take dancing lessons secretly. Chen's father Rami (Ari Kushnir) is sort of an Israeli Jean-Paul Belmondo – a macho type with a cigarette always hanging out of the side of his mouth. When not photographing weddings for his livelihood, he likes to sit in the dunes and photograph sand migration with impatient Chen at his side. Chen's mother Lena (Oksana Korostyshevskaya) is Russian and this is how we first realize that the film is about the culture clash between the sabras (the born-in-Israel Israelis) and the looked-down-upon Russian immigrants. Rami doesn't even want Lena speaking Russian to Chen, but she persists. The bicultural family has its problems, and Lena sometimes stifles Chen with her love. When Rami forgets he had promised to take Lena dancing for their wedding anniversary, Chen accompanies his mother to a dance studio in the community center. It is there that he first sees Natalie and in order to get to know her, he starts to attend her dancing class. Yulia Rabinovitch (Yevgenia Dodina) is the critical but sympathetic dance instructor. Chen, in the middle of his parents' conflict, finally realizes that he cannot help them, and this is when he is free for the first time in his life – free to lead his own life in his own way. Throughout the film the prejudice the young Russians are exposed to when in contact with Israelis their age in the projects of Ashdod is evident, and their survival techniques take interesting variations. The lovely, momentarily happy ending is like a scene from a musical. All at the national dance tournament, even the spectators and jury, dance and swirl and smile – seemingly without a care in the world.
(Karen P) Opening April 12, 2007 “It has been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, my hometown …” were the opening words of Garrison Keillor, heard every Saturday night broadcasted live from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the film, the cast and crew of the WLT radio variety show, A Prairie Home Companion, prepare for their last live performance. While the studio camera spies on the various variety show performers in their dressing rooms, the film audience is allowed to eavesdrop on them conversing about their lives, telling jokes discussing the latest town gossip. All conversations avoid one topic: the show being shut down after 30 years running because WLT is being sold to a Texas conglomerate run by Axeman (Tommy Lee Jones). The glue that holds the night together lies in the hands of grossly pregnant stagehand, Maya Rudolf. Garrison Keillor, as himself, appears as one of the gang but in reality he is the silent “strength behind the wheel” that encourages each member of the show to give it his/her all, in spite of their last night acting together. The strained emotional energy connected with this evening is the catalyst to comical and mysterious mishaps. The Johnson Girls (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), Lola (Lindsey Lohan), Cowboys Dusty (Woody Harrelson) and Lefty (John C. Reilly) are a hoot and take their own liberties to add a little spice to their characters. The Dick-Tracy-style of story telling using a clumsy theater security guard, Guy Noir (Kevin Kline) and the appearance of a beautiful composed angel (Virginia Madsen) allowed realism to enter the storyline and symbolized a clever take on life. Director Robert Altman with writer Keillor together produced a film with inspired imagery of a story-telling dream that was materialized. In reality, the dream lasted over a quarter of a century on live radio competing with the rise of television. It was and still is one of the most creative ideas produced in the history of radio. The story is an image of success, an image of an American dream! Even though the official Saturday evening radio broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion has come to an end, the stories of the folks from Lake Wobegon told by Garrison Keillor are still going strong today on over 500 public radio stations across America, because it’s the place, “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." (Mary W) Opening April 19, 2007 Four middle-aged men jump on their motorcycles for a cross-country tour to find their own personal mojo. Ordinarily this would be just enough information to buy tickets for Happy Feet, except there is a remarkable cast. Woody (John Travolta) is rich, Doug (Tim Allen) is an insecure dentist, Bobby (Martin Lawrence) is a pussy-whipped unemployed plumber and Dudley (William H. Macy) is a bachelor computer geek. As they hit the road, there are very predictable stunts like getting knocked off a bike by a road sign, but the actors in this film bring new humor to the situations. No question, these guys are having a good time and getting paid well for it. The overall plot is lame, but the characters are really characters and provide some very light comedy for a dark winter day. Got some laundry to do? Rent the DVD, pop some corn and set your brain on pause for something just plain silly. (Becky T) Opening April 26, 2007 Emperor Ping (Yun-Fat Chow) returns to the palace with his second son Jai after a military maneuver. Jai runs to greet his mother, Empress Phoenix (Gong Li). She is embroidering thousands of yellow chrysanthemums onto silk. Everything must be prepared for the Chrysanthemum Festival on the ninth day of the ninth month. Millions of yellow mums are planted in front of the palace, which is quite fitting since the royal color is yellow any time of the year. There is a formal hierarchy between the king and his wife, as well as among the three sons: crown prince Wan, second son Jai, and third son Yu. In an atmosphere of formalities and little privacy, ugly truths slowly emerge. There is attempted murder (slow poisoning of the empress by the emperor with the aid of the court physician) and incest (the queen with her step-son Wan, and Wan with his half-sister Jiang Chan). There are power plays among the sons; Jai attempts to protect his mother. Director Chang Yimou tests your patience with an extremely slow plot that is neither exciting nor unique. Viewers familiar with his (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) and other Chinese directors’ use of action and kung-fu must hold out until the end for a huge battle between a yellow-clad army against a silvery black one. These days, I suspect that huge armies stem from digital copying without the use of many real actors. The warriors trample the flowers; blood flows and in the end, many of the main characters are no longer standing. One of my stars is for the tremendously opulent sets, from the palace and the costumes and the armour to the furniture, the food, and even the dishes. All the women wear empire style gowns with much naked bosom glistening in the muted light – something I can’t remember seeing in similar Chinese films. The second star is for Gong Li, who vacillates between determination and revenge to empty-eyed madness. She seemed like a Chinese Meryl Streep who could have put a new twist into The Devil Wears Prada.
(Birgit S) Opening April 26, 2007 If you are looking for a “star rating”, you are looking in vain. This is an experimental film by art house director David Lynch, and I feel it is to be judged – if at all – on a different level. The subtitle of the movie is A Woman in Difficulties, which refers to Nikki Grace (Laura Dern) who was once a famous actress. She is overjoyed when director Kingsley Stewart (Jeremy Irons) offers her the leading role in his new film. Her co-star is the charming, dark-haired Devon Berk (Justin Theroux). At the set they are told it is the remake of a film that was never completed as the two leading actors were mysteriously killed. Alas, soon enough, strange things start happening; lights flicker for no reason, noises cannot be explained, doors get locked. Nikki, by now fearful and anxious, becomes totally involved in her role as Susan Blue. She wants to give her best performance and to make a successful film. In her single-mindedness she starts to confuse reality with fiction, drifting off into a dream world. Her past – or Susan Blue’s – mingles with the present, but at the same time suggesting it could be a look into her future too. Laura Dern is to be admired for her strong performance in portraying convincingly the many faces of Nikki/Susan (?). After 172 minutes I was totally exhausted. This is not only because of the length of the movie but mainly because it is packed with constantly changing sequences without apparent connection. Confusion and tension build up; the unexpected could happen any minute. It is in the eyes of the beholder to find out what it is all about. It was never the director’s intention to give the viewer a “story” to watch. This film is best described as a mysterious, psychological thriller with no fixed storyline, but instead looks at different human behaviour patterns, hidden fears and dreams, in which David Lynch used material filmed in Poland, France and the United States. Inland Empire received a Special Award from the National Society of Film Critics for the “Best Experimental Film” and was awarded the “Future Film Festival Digital Award” at the Venice Film Festival.
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300 
Copying Beethoven (Klang der Stille) 
Goodbye Bafana 
Love & Dance (Sipur Hatzi-Russi) 
A Prairie Home Companion 
Wíld Hogs (Born to be Wild – Saumässig Unterwegs) 
Curse of the Golden Flower (Der Fluch der goldenen Blume) 
Inland Empire 
Questions?