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American Women's Club of Hamburg  Film Reviews -- February 2008Reviews by members of the AWC Film Group of films slated to open in Hamburg in February 2008.
(Karen P) Opening February 7, 2007 Did you know that a former decorated United States naval officer and Democratic United States representative from the second congresstional district in Texas from 1973-1997, Charles Nesbitt Wilson, along with a former U.S. central intelligence agent, Gust Avrakotos, started a real live war? It’s true! And the partnership is documented by the U.S. television producer of 60 Minutes, George Crile III, in his book, Charlie Wilson’s War: the Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History. However, director Mike Nichols is the one who brings the account to life in the film under the same title, Charlie Wilson’s War. In 1980, Congressman Wilson read a report from the Associated Press that described thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan, and it bothered him that no one was interested, including the United States. He wanted to know why the Afghans were fleeing and where they found refuge. Together with his personal secretary, Bonnie Bach (Amy Adams), they flew to Afghanistan, interviewed refugees, assessed the situation and met with the U.S. diplomats. The findings were appalling! The true account of how the flamboyant Wilson (Tom Hanks), the obnoxious Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and the beautiful wealthy Houston socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) steadily convince Congress of the need to appropriate CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) funds to support foreign operations to save innocent civilians, namely the plight of the Afghanistan Mujahideen against the Soviet invasion of 1979, is the subject of this film. Their tactics were outlandish and covert but precise. “Good-Time Charlie” will remain an unforgettable U.S. historical figure, in spite of his shortcomings, and along with his cohorts; the annals will never allow them to be forgotten.
(Becky T) Opening February 7, 2007 Never underestimate the power of a book club, especially one which focuses solely on works by the English author Jane Austen (1775-1817). Six people each select an Austen book to read and discuss. The lives of these readers are reflected in Austen’s fictitious characters, which were written more than 200 years ago. Parallel to the discussions, Bernadette surprises everyone; Sylvia begins a new life; her daughter Allegra loses her lesbian lover; Prudie re-evaluates her marriage, and Joycelyn encourages Grigg, the sole man. They slowly realize that they are mastering their ups and downs in tandem with the Austen characters. If this sounds boring, believe me, it’s not. Each person reminded me of someone I know in real life, and I began to care about the successes, pain, and misunderstandings. Perhaps that borders on hard-core soap opera, but at least it was a soap opera very well made and never boring or repetitious. Anyone who is interested in literature and people, with or without book club experience, should find something to enjoy in this film. At the very least you’ll be able to answer the quiz question: name six Austen books. (Answer: Emma, Mansfield Park, Northhanger Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, and Persuasion, of which all have been filmed more than once.) This first film by Robin Swicord was based on the successful book by Karen Joy Fowlers. In this ensemble piece there are no stars; new names and faces contribute to a well-rounded whole for a successful picture. These actors are Amy Brenneman, Kathy Baker, Emily Blunt, Maria Bello, Hugh Dancy, and Maggie Grace.
(Becky T) Opening February 7, 2007 Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) visits his brother Milo in prison. There he has a confrontation with another convict, or “miscreant” as Hughes calls them, namely, Ralph Waldo Petey Greene (Don Cheadle). Greene is serving time for drugs and armed robbery; he is also the prison’s radio DJ. Dewey is manager at WOL radio, so obviously, they are destined to meet. “I need you to say the things I’m afraid to say, and you need me to do the things you’re afraid to do,” says Greene. Upon release from prison, he becomes the radio’s most successful commentator due to his loud-mouthed, biting opinions on social conditions in the Washington D.C. area, especially when they concern African-Americans. At the death of Martin Luther King, the whole city explodes in flames and looting. Radio WOL, with Greene, broadcasts throughout the night, directing the people off the streets and home to bed, thus preventing a worse situation. With Dewey Hughes as manager, Petey Greene seems destined for national fame: talk shows with Johnny Carson, television, movies. Insecure, he is unable to meet everyone’s ambitious expectations. Just as his star is rising, he falls back into old habits, drink/drugs, outlandish behavior, and finally death at age 53. This is based on the true story of Petey Greene, who was all of the above as well as an activist and Korean War veteran. Don Cheadle exudes charisma in this role, dressed in flashy clothes and accompanied by a very hot, flamboyant girlfriend with a motor mouth of her own named Vernell (the wonderful Tajaji P. Henson). The music from the ‘60s by Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, to name just two, helps set the scene. There are flippant remarks about Berry Gordy of Motown and former president Lyndon Johnson. Emotions run high in this film by Kasi Lemmons, and I cried when King died in the film – although I never shed a tear over him in real life. More than 8000 mourners attended the funeral of the real Petey Greene in 1984 because they felt personally touched by him. This good movie personally touched me, which I truly was not expecting when I walked into the cinema. (Nancy T) Opening February 14, 2007 Inspired by Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil! (predicated on turn-of-the-century California oil tycoons, including Edward Doheny, whose family mansion was used for the filming), five-time Oscar nominee Paul Thomas Anderson’s (Magnolia, Boogie Nights) epic chronicles the rise of Daniel Plainfield (Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis) from struggling silver miner to millionaire oil baron. We are actually in the narrow mine shaft with loner Plainfield as he incessantly assaults nature in the inhumane process of gouging this out of the ground, which reduces his person to such a bestial level that once he does strike his mineral (one of the very few lucky ones) all it does is feed his hate. His confrontation with Eli Sunday (Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine) is one manifestation of this. Pastor Eli has power issues of his own, witness his scene blaming his father for selling land to Plainfield which rates highest for scare tactics, and reveals that obsession out in the plains was not limited to prospectors. This is a wonderful, five-star film. Day-Lewis and Dano are magnificent. Did not mind Day-Lewis’ accent or the original music/sounds by Jonnie Greenwood of the band Radiohead – which called a bit too much attention to itself at times. Includes some of the vilest curses imaginable – rated R for violence. (Natasha R) Opening February 28, 2007 The most appreciable aspect of this documentary is how everything that was filmed in a period of over six months seemed to gel so well into a cohesive, poignant, warming story with a happy ending. And you slightly fall in love with the subject of the story, a little homeless man named Jimmy Mirikitani, as he awakens compassion and consideration for such members of society with whom we have very little to do and to whom we give very little regard. The story starts as the director, Linda Hattendorf, meets Jimmy for the first time where he lives on a street corner not far from her apartment in Soho in New York City. Hunched over, he paints intense pictures of cats and memories of life in a war camp. Jimmy, being Japanese-American, was held in an enemy war camp in Tule Lake, California, after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and all U.S. citizens of Japanese decent were rounded up and held against their will under bad conditions, leading to sickness and death. Jimmy, who calls himself “grand master artist,” slowly reveals to Linda the devastating experiences he suffered, including the destruction of his family due to the bombing of Hiroshima, and it is clear that he, through all these years, has never come to terms with his experiences and attempts to work them out, again and again, in his mind through his paintings. Jimmy's corner was but a stone’s throw away from the World Trade Center, which often loomed in the background during the very first part of the film. But on the day of the terrorist attacks, 9/11, the twin towers looked like giant incense sticks spitting black smoke out into space, while little Jimmy, still standing there, shaking his head and painting, loses, yet again, another place called home. At this point, a compassionate Linda asks Jimmy to come and live in her apartment to save him from the choking ashes and soot, and over the next few months Linda learns how a man and artist, full of life and hope, gets turned into a hunched-over, humiliated, broken old man by the devastation of war. And yet, through it all, Jimmy seems to have kept his sense of decency, respect and humor. His message is clear: “Make art, not war.” And that reminds us that we have the choice of peace, Again. The happy ending is wonderful, as Linda helps Jimmy rebuild his life, and it evoked in me a few tears and the satisfaction of knowing that life is sometimes very fair.
(Karen P) Opening February 28, 2007 Director Todd Hayne in his uncanny presentation of one of the most revered musicians of all time, Bob Dylan, in I’m Not There, confirms that no one can fully or accurately describe the iconic celebrity. The unique Dylan style is an accumulation he alone has gathered, thus far, through his own life long journey which has, "always been a' changing". Hayne creatively chooses six actors to stage characters of influence that, in part, formed the distinctive Dylan technique that sets him apart from so many musicians. Woody (Marcus Carl Franklin) is loved for his obsession with folk music. Arthur (Ben Wishaw) is respected for his grip of lyrical poetry. Jack Rollins (Christian Bale) is loved for the impact his folk songs mobilized a whole generation of protesters. Robbie (Heath Ledger) and his marriage to Claire (Charolette Gainsbourgh) is a reality bite due to the pressure of a lifestyle that painfully rips apart that which is meant to be good. Billy (Richard Gere) represents the American Wild West and its history folklores. Jude Quinn (Cate Blanchett) symbolizes the behavior known to many in the 60s involved with substance abuse. Haynes, along with the well-known actor Kris Kristofferson and acclaimed cinematographer Edward Lachman, eloquently narrate in word and imagery the multi-faceted persona of the musician Bob Dylan. Their homage to Dylan, in spite of their bizarre form of storytelling, exemplifies Dylan’s authenticity, his longevity and uncanny (use the word peculiar in place of uncanny) personality to be sure to will forever be emulated. However, when his lifetime achievements are most honored, he just might, Not Be There!
(Becky T) Opening February 28, 2007 Michael Clayton (George Clooney) works for a high-flying corporate law office whose clients are worth millions. That platinum profile and that much money often derive from illegal sources, and this group is no exception. However, these suave, well-dressed inhabitants of fancy offices often need thugs or a nice guy to mop up the messes. Both are in this film and Michael Clayton is the latter. His private life is in disarray: he has huge debts after buying a bar, he gambles, he has a child but no wife, and he argues with his brothers. He reminds me of Detective Colombo or Bruce Willis as John McClaine in the Die Hard series. However, Michael Clayton plays the fool for just so long, i.e., until his car explodes and his good friend Arthur (Tom Wilkinson) mysteriously dies. That’s the limit, and Michael begins to fight back with an unexpected cunning. He discovers that Arthur was representing a very exploitative company which was cheating poor farmers. Arthur changed sides, began to work for the underdogs, and so he had to die. Tony Gilroy is writer and director. In book form, this would be a typical airport book: a bit of action, a bit of intrigue, but not considered good literature. (Gilroy also wrote the Bourne series.) As a film, it works well, simply because George Clooney is an excellent actor, well chosen for the role. Tilde Swinton is great as Karen Crowder, a Cruella DeVil type, who thinks she can keep the apple cart afloat through sheer will and determination. The film works its way forward through flashbacks, which can be confusing as many characters pop up and disappear, only to be explained later. It seems to go slowly, but picks up enough speed in the end when all is sorted out to everyone’s satisfaction. This is entertaining enough for an evening out; you won’t be disappointed.
(Nancy T) Opening February 28, 2007 A deceptively quiet slide show of the hard, dry west Texas landscape launches No Country for Old Men, whose premise appears to be the "wild west" is more lawless than ever due to the nefarious businesses taking advantage of its wide open spaces. Set in the 1980s, while hunting deer, Llewelyn Moss (James Brolin), local welder/Vietnam vet, happens upon the aftermath of a big heroin deal gone bad. He sees an opportunity in the two million dollars left by the dead men but becomes the hunted by both good and bad guys: respectively the aging, somewhat depressed local sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) and the psychopath Chigurh (Javier Bardem), hired by the drug boss to retrieve the cash. Director brothers Joel and Ethan Coen won the Golden Globe for best original screenplay based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name. It is obvious which of Llewelyn's pursuers fascinated them as violence overpowers any meat offered to a story-hungry audience. Unfortunately each shock of the innumerable scenes of immense cruelty and horror (albeit ingenious and creative) left me temporarily in a state of dumbed nerves, with not enough recovery time to take in the few remaining scenes of the sheriff's more human dilemma. In an interview Tommy Lee Jones recommended reading McCarthy's great novel before seeing the film. Maybe A Country for Old Men (excuse the mistake but that's the name it should have since everyone else is killed off) is successful as a documentation of the book. Whoever said a film must stand on its own? The press packet mentioned the film's editor "began his career minding the tea cart at Shepperton Studios in the 1930s". Well, he must have identified too much with the film title, or was distracted as "the world's foremost collector of Margaret Thatcher nudes, many of them drawn from life", (now there's someone after my own heart). Recommended only to those who have a high tolerance for violence.
(Becky T) Opening February 28, 2007 In 2005 members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra travelled three weeks to perform in six Asian cities: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Seoul, and Tokyo. Director Thomas Grube and a team of cameramen, technicians, and sound experts filmed them 14 hours a day. They gathered 300 hours of raw material, which they pieced together to make a revealing portrait of the life of musicians in “the world’s most famous orchestra” (Die Welt am Sonntag), directed by Sir Simon Rattle.The repertoire was Asyla by Thomas Adès, Eroica by Beethoven, and Ein Heldenleben by Richard Strauss. This was their first such trip in 26 years, when they had toured Asia under the direction of Herbert van Karajan. There are many statements by Rattle, as well as his musicians, about the sense of competition, the role of music in their lives, the insecurity of a probation year before one is elected to become a lifetime member, and the hardship of practicing and performing without much sleep. Composer Simon Stockhausen, with a huge sense of confidence considering the impressive music all around him, amazingly composes a new soundtrack made up of noises recorded throughout the cities and fine-tuned to become music. I especially enjoyed watching solo oboist Albrecht Mayer give master-class instructions to young Asians, telling them to stand up straight and stop making contortions. Two musicians took along their bicycles which they unpacked in Hong Kong and rode all over town, dressed like Tour de France competitors. Two others found a plastic snake which they flipped out under the noses of Chinese on the streets, causing them to shriek and flee. In Taipei the concert was shown to 30,000 viewers on big screens in a market place. After the concert, the orchestra appeared outside to the crowd which celebrated it like teenagers at a Beatles concert. Thomas Grube already had a rapport with this orchestra as the musicians cooperated in his film Rhythm is It, which emphasizes young people and dance. Trip to Asia is about music and adults and as Grube says about his documentary, “The orchestra is a parable for society, for life in a social community."
(Osanna V) Opening February 28, 2007 Starring Dennis Quaid (The Right Stuff, Far From Heaven), Matthew Fox (We Are Marshall, TV series Lost), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), William Hurt (History of Violence, Children of a Lesser God) and Sigourney Weaver (Gorillas in the Mist, Galaxy Quest), Vantage Point is a high-paced drama directed by Peter Travis (Omagh) with screenplay by Barry L. Levy (Rainbox Six). Set in Salamanca, Spain, Vantage Point opens inside a mobile news unit, where producer Rex Brooks (Weaver) is doing an impressive job of juggling between camera angles and reporter commentaries, covering the opening ceremony of an anti-terrorism summit, attended by U.S. President Aston (Hurt). In the middle of the proceedings two shots ring out, hitting the president square in the chest; two subsequent explosions add to the ensuing pandemonium, while utter shock settles over the broadcasters. The clock is turned back half an hour and we see the story replayed from the vantage point of Thomas Barnes (Quaid), a secret service agent who himself has already caught a bullet in the chest protecting this same president. His tense perspective, eyes darting from one possible threat to the next, adrenalin pumping and palms sweating, presents a different angle to the drama. Over half a dozen times, the clock is rewound, each time telling a different story: Howard Lewis (Whitaker), an amiable tourist turned high-powered cameraman hot on the trail of the terrorist suspects with his camcorder; a killer and kidnapper, wanting out but forced to act one last time to save his brother's life; Kent Taylor (Fox), Barnes' partner, who is not quite what he seems; the president who... but was it actually the president?; the network of accomplices who seem to have infiltrated every possible venue and task force to achieve their aims. Not a dull moment in this high-paced movie, though a certain suspension of belief may be necessary to take best advantage. Repeating a story from so many angles while keeping up the viewer's interest is certainly a challenge that director Peter Travis pulls off quite successfully, supported, of course, by a group of tried and true actors.
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Charlie Wilson's War (Der Krieg des Charlie Wilson) 
The Jane Austen Book Club 
Talk to Me 
There Will Be Blood 
The Cats of Mirikitani (Mirikitanis Katzen) 
I'm Not There 
Michael Clayton 
No Country for Old Men 
Trip to Asia 
Vantage Point (8 Blickwinkel 
Questions?