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American Women's Club of Hamburg  Film Reviews -- March 2008Reviews by members of the AWC Film Group of films slated to open in Hamburg in March 2008.
(Shelly S) Opening March 6, 2008 Living a quiet life in Munich, Trudi (Hannelore Elsner) is confronted with the fact that her husband Rudi (Elmar Wepper) has not much time left. She has been the solid ground for her husband, who needs to live life as a constant routine that never weavers. With the revelation that death is about to knock at the door, she decides that they need to visit their children and convinces her husband to do so without telling him the reason why. During their visiting of two of her children in Berlin, it is clear that the children and grandchildren don’t have time for them. Trudi does get the opportunity to go to a Butoh dance with her younger daughter’s girlfriend. This moment reawakens her old dreams that she had left behind but never forgotten. From a book it is revealed that she was a Butoh dancer and wanted the opportunity to go to Japan and dance before Mount Fuji. What is Butoh dancing? The creator of Butoh dance was Tatsuma Hijikata who developed it in the 1950s. He said “Dance can be defined as a dead body standing with his life at a risk.” The dancers wear a death mask and move like shadows. At the press conference director Dorris Dörrie explained that recently there had been a documentary on television on this subject, and she and Wepper had seen it and in that instant realized that a movie needed to be made from this idea which is implicated in this dance. Trudi dies before telling Rudi that he is terminally ill, but he sets off to fulfill her unfilled dream of going to Japan and seeing their oldest son. Dörrie uses the impermanence of the cherry blossoms, a homeless girl who is a Butoh dance in the park, and Mt Fuji to alter Rudi just enough that he accomplishes his final goal. The movie is filled with obvious cliches but done with a quick wit which leaves you laughing and sad at the same time.
(Becky T) Opening March 6, 2008 Hank Deerfield’s son Mike returns from active duty in Iraq and disappears. Hank (Tommy Lee Jones) leaves his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon) at home to sort the laundry and become depressed. He strides off to military establishments as well as the local police to trace the son’s whereabouts. As a Viet Nam veteran, Hank has access to military bases; he can walk into his son’s quarters, sit on his bunk, and talk to his fellow soldiers. Parallel to his search, police detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) makes her own investigation. She comes up with the important clues which throw a bad light on the military and which Deerfield cannot accept, being a proud, patriotic man himself. Comrades have been turning on each other since Lord of the Flies and, although this is based on a true Army story which occurred in Fort Benning, Georgia, and was written by Mark Boal for Playboy magazine, it would have made its point without any reference to Iraq. In fact, it would have been more universal and possibly more successful at the U.S. box office without references to Iraq. Beginning with the title, the film is overloaded with symbolism which adds nothing to the story. Biblical David and Goliath had their confrontation in the Valley of Elah, in case you are wondering. Sonless Hank reading cosy bedtime stories to Emily’s young fatherless son symbolizes what? Cliché, I say. In the beginning the straight, disciplined soldier Hank tells a school custodian how to display the U.S. flag properly. In the end, disillusioned, broken Hank returns to the school and single-handedly flies the flag upside-down to symbolize a “cry for help when we can’t help ourselves.” The mobbing of police colleagues against detective Sanders has no relation to the plot. The acting is real enough, but the story always seems fake. Director Paul Haggis, winner of an Oscar for Crash, was up against huge expectations with this, his second film as director. Better luck next time.
(Vicki FM and Tracy M) Opening March 6, 2008 Knut und seine Freunde is a documentary about the polar bear, Knut, born at the end of 2006 in the Berlin Zoo. For a polar bear to be born in captivity and live is a seldom occurrence, not only that, but Knut’s mother rejected him as a baby. Thanks only to Knut’s father-substitute and zoo keeper, Thomas Dörflein who raised him, does this story have a happy ending. This amazing event caused excitement all over the world. This adorable film takes you from Knut’s first steps out in the open at the Berlin Zoo to his rise to Super Star! To promote the good message about global warming and possible extinction of animals like the polar bears, there are two other animal families documented alongside with Knut. The message must have worked because later that night, when I was letting the water run to warm up before I washed my face, my six-year-old son said “Mama, you are killing the polar bears!” I was there with my twin boys and Tracy M was there with her two daughters. We interviewed them. What did you learn about polar bears? Did you like the film? Was the film sad? Anything else interesting? Thanks kids!
(Birgit S) Opening March 6, 2008 At the Berlinale this film was scheduled to be screened (out of competition) at the end of the festival, and I was looking forward to sitting back and enjoying a sensual historical tale with beautiful people in luxurious outfits. I was not disappointed! Natalie Portman as Anne and Scarlett Johansson as Mary are the two Boleyn sisters, both competing for the love of a king. Eric Bana made a very handsome King Henry VIII, who first falls for the one and then for the other Boleyn girl. To start at the beginning: the three children, Anne and Mary together with their brother George, are frolicking in the high grasses on the Boleyn family estate. Soon Mary, the younger of the sisters, is to be married to a local lad. Away in London the not-so-young queen (Ana Torrent) suffers a miscarriage, and England faces the grim reality of no heir to the throne. Help is at hand. The clever, scheming Duke of Norfolk (David Morrisey), uncle of the two girls, has good connections to the court and knowledge of its intrigues. The king (Eric Bana) is to be invited for a hunting party in the country where the dark-haired, beautiful Anne Boleyn is to seek his attention and conquer his heart. Alas, things turn out differently. The king chooses the “wrong” girl, the demure, blond Mary. It is no hurdle that she is married. Without further ado she and her young husband are ordered to stay at the court where she soon becomes the king’s mistress. What started as an uneasy relationship turns into love, and expectations run high when Mary falls pregnant. Due to problems with the pregnancy, Mary has to stay in bed for weeks, kept like a prisoner in her own room. Anne returns from France where she had been banished when falling from grace with the family. She now is very sophisticated, very amusing, very diplomatic and is entertaining the gentlemen of the court, slyly keeping an eye on the king. She manages to bewitch Henry and to ensnarl him away from her sister. Anne does not intend to go the same way as Mary; she will not become his mistress. Instead, she is keeping him in suspense with promises. The fickle Henry is totally blinded and obsessed with her. For the smart Anne it is marriage she is aiming for. Her conniving ways are threatening to divide catholic England. It is a dangerous game she plays, but she wins her way. She wins marriage with a king who soon regrets his decision. In the end, she too is betrayed and she dies – beheaded – as an unloved queen. The young British director Justin Chadwick based his film on the novel by Philippa Gregory. It is well acted, easy entertainment and should do well at box offices as it offers something for everyone, dealing with sisterly love, sibling rivalry, father-daughter and mother-daughter relationships, betrayal and intrigues. The main characters are supported by a strong cast, i.e., the Spanish actress Ana Torrent as a vulnerable but proud Queen Katharine of Aragon, Jim Sturgess as the brother George Boleyn, and David Morrisey as Duke of Norfolk.
(Becky T) Opening March 6, 2008 Well, good morning Baltimore – a Baltimore beyond Tracy Turnblad’s wildest dreams, unless she’s been dreaming of hip hop and break dance. The film opens with Andi (Briana Evigan) and her friends of all races, dressed in the latest street fashions, dancing in the subway. Members of the group are put off to learn that Andi has been accepted at a fancy dancing school where one of the best dancers, Chase (Robert Hoffman), recognizes her talent and enables her enrollment. It’s either this school or a ticket to Texas to live with an unloved aunt. What’s a girl to do? Andi grows apart from her former friends. She and Chase organize a new group and compete in an underground street dance competition called “The Street.” The plot includes the predictable love story and conflicts among friends, adults, and teachers. Forget the plot, which is part Hairspray, part Dirty Dancing, and part High School Musical I and II. Enjoy some of the finest street dancing currently on screen, including break dance with trampolines, salsa, and dancing in the rain. Music is by Missy Elliott, with hip hop and R & B acts such as Flo Rida, Cherish, Scarface, Cassie, and Danity Kane. Never heard of them? It’s high time you did. Directed by Jon M. Chu, this is the sequel to the successful Step Up.
(Christa G) Opening March 6, 2008 The new film by Roland Emmerich, director of Stargate and The Day after Tomorrow, shows the fight for survival of a tribe of mammoth hunters. The huge beasts are becoming scarce, and feeding the tribe is increasingly difficult. Old Mother, their spiritual leader, predicts that a solution may yet be found and that the tribe’s fate is bound to the fate of Evolet (Camilla Belle), a blue-eyed orphan girl. When on horseback the more powerful slave-dealers attack them, these “four-legged demons” abduct many, among them Evolet. The young hunter D’Leh (Steven Strait), who is in love with Evolet, sets out with a few companions to follow the slave-dealers and rescue their victims. On their way they join forces with warriors of other tribes whose villages were also raided. They finally catch up with the “four-legged demons”, only to find themselves confronted with an enemy even more dangerous. The ingredients of a fascinating fantasy adventure movie are there, but the film employs many clichés (e.g., about women), and a story is also only as good as the telling. Instead of letting the viewer experience this prehistoric world with its huge hairy mammoths and birds with a taste for human flesh, instead of making the film tell the story, Emmerich relies on an omniscient narrator to explain important aspects of the story in flowery phrases. The strong points of this movie are the impressive scenery and the life-like prehistoric animals. The ethnic diversity of the cast is refreshing, and the 10,000 BC housing and hunting techniques look convincing. This is a film for people who are fascinated with prehistoric life and like to watch a lot of men running around and fighting. That beautiful Evolet mainly contributes to the story by being abducted and abused is maybe not to everyone’s liking. (Becky T) Opening March 13, 2008 Sebastian (Georges Babluani), an immigrant from the country of Georgia, lives in Paris. He supports his large family through odd jobs, the current one being putting a new roof on the house of Monsieur Godon. This man succumbs to a drug overdoes, but not before referring to a letter which will solve all financial problems. The letter falls into the hands of Sebastian, who follows the scavenger-hunt-like directions to evade detection. This is probably a good thing since the police have picked up the scent. He arrives at an isolated house in the woods, kind of Hansel-and-Gretel for adults, where the handlers are surprised to find him instead of Godon, but, what the heck, the show must go on. This is an excellent first film by Géla Babluani, but before you are inspired by my positive judgment, be aware that I saw parts of it with eyes and ears covered because of the unbearable suspense. We always know just as much as Sebastian, as if we were in his place and his fears and puzzlement are ours. Don’t go there! The loneliness of the place; the mimic of the 13 gladiators (tzameti means thirteen in Georgian), the stares of the millionaires who bet huge sums, are hugely dramatic, made more so by the stark black and white contrast which heightens the effect. In spite of the violence, there is never any blood, but evil seeps through everywhere. Perhaps Sebastian’s family benefits in the end. Is the sacrifice too much? This film has already won prizes at festivals, including the grand jury prize in Sundance and best new film in Venice. Supposedly, there will be a U.S. remake, although who could top this original? Director and lead actor are brothers, sons of the Georgian director Temur Babluani. They studied in Paris, and I saw the film in French with German subtitles.
(Becky T) Opening March 13, 2008 The lives of three Israeli women in their 30s are interwoven, although they never meet. Keren is the bride out of hell on her honeymoon. She breaks her leg at the post-wedding party and makes life miserable for her new husband as they holiday at the beach. She is a whiner and always was: it’s too hot, too cold, too loud, she can’t go swimming. Luckily, her husband has a heart of gold and can comply with her wishes. Lonely Batya has no one: her boyfriend has moved out; her mother makes a career of helping strangers, but overlooks her own daughter’s neediness. One day a small child emerges from the sea and befriends Batya. Is the child real or a symbol of compassion? Joy from the Philippines works for a cranky old lady. Their relationship is strenuous, but they learn from each other and both are reunited with their respective children in the end. Based on a story by Etgar Keret, who directed along with Shira Geffen, these three stories could each stand alone. The title symbolizes the way the three women swim through life: suspended, floating, not always in control of their fates. Jellyfish won best film by a newcomer at the 2007 Cannes film festival.
(Becky T) Opening March 13, 2008 This is my favorite bad-taste movie, a spoof about rock music with bows to Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and the Bee Gees, to name a few of the approximately twelve famous musicians copied in the film. Young Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) inadvertently causes the death of his brother Nate and forever suffers the wrath of his father who repeatedly proclaims that “the wrong kid died.” The trauma causes Dewey to lose his sense of smell. Nevertheless, he stumbles along the rocky road to stardom. His young wife Edith (Kristen Wiig), a veritable baby factory, contends that he “will never make it.” He does make it, as he works his way through all the clichés of pop music: appearing a black music club, taking drugs, doing rehab, singing on behalf of the downtrodden, divorcing, hosting his own TV show a la Sonny and Cher, and receiving a lifetime achievement award. The script is by Jake Kasdan (who also directs) and Judd Apatow who worked on The 40-year-old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Walk Hard is in the same vein. Charlie Wadhams and Marshall Crenshaw composed original film music, reminiscent of old pop songs. Often I thought, “I know that tune,” which shows how perfectly the composers copied various styles. If the music isn’t enough to place you on the music time, the costumes will. The New York Times ran a full-page special of Dewey Cox modelling some of his 100 outfits. Jack White, Jack Black, Lyle Lovett, Jewel, Jackson Brown, and Ghostface Killah have cameo roles, although you might not always recognize them. John C. Reilly drew on musical experience from roles in Chicago and A Prairie Home Companion (where he played a singing cowboy). My colleague said, “I laughed all the way through it, although it wasn’t that funny.” That’s the way it is with bad-taste films, you laugh in spite of yourself. In this case the parody of the Beatles in an Indian ashram alone is worth the price of a ticket.
(Nancy T) Opening March 13, 2008 To combat the complacency of his high school students to their new week-long seminar on “Autocracy”, the popular teacher, Rainer Wegner (Jürgen Vogel), tries an innovative approach. Unbeknownst to the classroom participants, he “creates” an autocracy with them, with himself as the leader, which evolves quickly and out of his control. Without the fascist label, most students are attracted to the new social order and power of unity offered by Wegner’s new group, The Wave. The film provides insights into extreme obedience to authority, how easily it can be induced (easier when there is a void in the person’s life – harder when the person is in a position of power in the "old" order) and how it gets out of hand. Writer/director Dennis Gansel adapted his screenplay from the novel The Wave by Tom Strasser, based on a true story regarding teacher Ron Jones who conducted the experiment The Third Wave at a Palo Alto, California, high school in 1967. Jones started with 30 students and by the end of the week had 300! Gansel’s film is set in present-day Germany. Fine performances are given, especially by Jürgen Vogel and Frederick Lau, who plays the deeply troubled student Tim. My only critique would be the ending, which left the blame on a “bad” teacher, who is carted away before he could finish the most important part of the lesson. (Karen P) Opening March 20, 2008 Director Veit Helmer together with his team of screenwriters (Zaza Buadze, Gordon Mihic, Ahmet Golbol) concocts a whimsical tale that tests the limitations of true love. His trademark is to take an idea and use visual imagery, unconventional resources and absurd measures to communicate his message. A master craftsman, he is indeed! Obvious is Helmer’s creativity and experience to take his audience to nowhere and develop an unforgettable somewhere. In the middle of nowhere, a small village runs out of water which curtails its happy existence. The aqueduct built by the village ancestors, stretching from the mountain springs to the village door, is so complex that the younger generation has forgotten how it works. The villagers are distraught! Even more so are the village’s known childhood sweethearts, Aya (Kristyna Malerova) and Temelko (Maximilian Mauff). Their hope to experience eternal love is now in jeopardy. A few years earlier, Aya’s grandmother was the first to hear of the couple’s announcement of their affection. At that time, she felt they were too young to fulfill their commitment physically but declared that in four years to the date, the position of the stars would appear in a perfect formation and at the exact time, their first night of love would be consecrated, but only after they separately each had fully bathed. They gladly accepted the challenge of celibacy in order to receive the revered desired blessing. Temelko and Aya are now panic stricken as they watch the stars coming closer to the perfect alignment. The chance for their eternal bliss could easily pass them by unless water miraculously appears to provide for each of them a full bath. Temelko uses his ingenuity, in a last ditch attempt, to restore the water supply from the mountain to the village. The absurd measure Temelko takes to combat against uncanny villagers is beyond comprehension; but, then again, therein lies Absurdistan’s tale concerning the unusual fate of Temelko and Aya’s and their undying love.
(Kirsten G) Opening March 20, 2008 Steve Carell (Little Miss Sunshine, U.S. TV's The Office) and Juliette Binoche (The English Patient, Chocolat) make an unlikely but wonderful pair trying not to fall in love in Dan in Real Life, a poignant romantic comedy from second-time director Peter Hedges (Pieces of April, screenwriter of About a Boy). Carell stars as Dan, a widowed advice columnist whose desire to maintain order is challenged by the three spirited daughters he is trying to raise alone. His life is trown into total chaos when he meets Marie (Binoche) in a chance encounter in a bookshop while spending the weekend with his large family on the Rhode Island coast. Sparks fly, but what happens when it turns out Marie is Dan's brother Mitch's (comedian Dane Cook) new girlfriend? While the premise may sound like stereotypical screwball romantic comedy, Dan in Real Life is anything but. The best aspect of this film is how real all of the characters seem. The wonderful ensemble of actors (including Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney as the heads of the large family, as well as Norbert Leo Butz and Emily Blunt) do a fabulous job embracing their characters – quirks and all – and make us embrace them as well. But the highest praise goes to Carell and Binoche, who have great chemistry while playing characters very different from their usual roles. In the end, Dan in Real Life is worth taking a couple hours out of your life to enjoy.
(Karen E) Opening March 20, 2008 I really enjoyed this film even though it was shown in German. (Sorry, I believe films should be shown in their original language with subtitles.) Juno, directed skillfully by Jason Reitman (of Thank You for Smoking fame), is a perfect example as to why. This film has been getting a lot of buzz back in the U.S., predominately for its witty and clever dialogue written by the colorful new screenwriter Diablo Cody. Oftentimes films receiving such hype and buzz fail to deliver, but not Juno. After becoming pregnant by her best friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), Juno (Ellen Page) decides to give her baby away to deserving couple Vanessa and Mark (Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman) whom she finds in the Penny Saver. She goes through the ups and downs of pregnancy while attending high school and becoming close to Mark. On the way, she learns that the things that seem simple never are. It's a very interesting look at teenage pregnancy, although sometimes bordering on “yeah right.” The reaction of her dad (J.K. Simmons) and her step-mom (Allison Jenney) is somewhat unbelievable. Dad accompanies Juno to meet the prospective parents and Step-mom keeps Juno on her extensive pre-natal regiment. As the film progresses and we get to know Juno better, we understand how her parents are so quick to accept her condition. She is not your typical teenager. Ellen Page really shines in this role. Juno is a slip of a girl who has quirky taste in music, movies and in the man of her dreams! Bleeker is a geek who is on the track team and has no clue how to communicate his true feelings to Juno. Instead he runs, runs, and runs, as if running somehow will solve his dilemma. Just when you think you know where the film is headed, it takes some surprising twists and turns, but the well-developed characters keep the story real. Lastly, here is a snippet of that wonderful dialogue taken from the scene where Juno sits down with Mark and Vanessa (adoptive parents) to discuss the terms of the adoption: Juno: “Can't we just like kick this old school. You know, like I stick the baby in a basket, send it your way, like Moses and the reeds?”
(Shelly S) Opening March 20, 2008 Moving to a new house is always full of surprises. Twin brothers, Jared and Simon (both played by Freddie Highmore), their sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and their mother Helen (Mary-Louise Parker) find that their aunt’s house is far from ordinary. From the first moment unusual things begin to happen. Unreal creatures appear that are not only real but attack them in a frantic effort to acquire a special book written by their great uncle. Naturally this is a perfect set up for secret passages and unknown possibilities into worlds beyond this one, and the fantasy figures are extremely well done. The film is based on a series of five books with the same name written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. Although well done, more time with some of the fantasy creatures would have been nice since they were interesting in themselves. Although this film is recommended for six years and above, my three young critics all agreed that it should be for nine years old and above. The series are a great reading collection for kids as well, and they have also recently expanded the books to give more information about the fantasy creatures. Directed by Mark Waters. (Becky T) Opening March 27, 2008 Be reassured: this film is as excellent as Jean-Dominique Bauby’s book, the inspiration for the film. In the beginning we inhabit the body of Bauby as he awakes two weeks after falling unexpectedly into a coma at age 43. “Awake” is a relative term, since Bauby suffers from locked-in syndrome and is totally paralyzed except for one eyelid. Hoards of doctors led by a chief with the personality of Kermit the Frog add to the confusion. It is difficult to perceive contours. Fright and helplessness are real. We see children’s drawings on the hospital walls as well as parts of visitors who attempt to communicate. Nurses come and go; a speech therapist explains a new system of communication. The feeling is of drowning – almost, but not quite – the feeling of being underwater in a diver’s suit. One day Bauby (played by Mathieu Amalric) sees a reflection of himself. He sits in a wheelchair at the end of the dock near the Berck Maritime Hospital in France. The “butterfly” phase kicks in as his mind flies free to reminisce about old loves, discussions with his father, a trip to Lourdes. He begins to “dictate” his book, letter by letter, with one eyelid. This is director Julian Schnabel’s third film, and he seems unable to make a bad one. For this film he has already won awards for best director (Cannes, Golden Globe). He, and his camera man Janusz Kaminski (Schindler’s List), should be up for more. The film takes license with the book as if friends and relatives have filled in blanks. For example, his estranged wife Céline (Emmanuelle Seigner) plays a much larger role. She visits him faithfully with the children. The film recalls a visit with Bauby’s father in which the old man advises him “not to leave the mother of your children.” The wife deals with the girlfriend who avoids a hospital visit. I wonder why Bauby dedicated his book to his children and his editor/helper Claude Medibil (Anne Consigny), rather than Céline. In the film his friend Jean-Paul, who vegetated in a Hezbollah prison for four years, visits him; in the book they are never reunited. These additions make the film richer. Whether they are in accordance with Bauby’s perceptions, we will never know. Would anyone be interested if the protagonist were not a young playboy, the editor-in-chief of Elle magazine? The film/book would never have existed if this playboy had not had an editor-in-chief’s mentality, intelligence and determination to blink his text for fourteen months before dying in March 1997. In spite of the deep sadness, the film is humorous and inspirational with a message: live life to the utmost. This film will be a milestone for many years to come.
(Becky T) Opening March 27, 2008 Joe Kingman, quarterback for a Boston football team, is hot stuff with his muscles, fancy apartment and money. Surrounded by adoring macho friends and manager Stella (Kyra Sedgwick), who could tell him that he’s nobody important in the real world? Along comes eight-year-old Peyton. She identifies herself as Kingman’s unknown daughter for whom he must take full responsibility while her mother travels to Europe. Does he change his lifestyle? Does he take Peyton to ballet class and fall in love with the ballet teacher, J.Lo-look-alike-Monique (Roselyn Sanchez)? Does he win the most important championship game? Could any of this happen in real life? Is this a vehicle to give wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson a leading role to show off his physique? Don’t know? Gee, you’ll have to see the film. One star for young Madison Pettis who plays Peyton and one star for the many references to Elvis posters, songs, and movies – at least the “King” has good taste in music.
(Christa G) Opening March 27, 2008 Dan (Ryan Gosling) is a high-school teacher in Brooklyn who cares about his students and tries to teach them in a way they can relate to. Dan is also a crack addict. The wrestling grip half-nelson serves as a metaphor for Dan’s addiction, a situation he is (almost) unable to extricate himself from. At first, Dan manages to keep his job and his addiction separate, but one day he smokes crack in a school bathroom and is found half unconscious by Drew (Shareeka Epps), one of his students. She helps him and stays with Dan until he is better. From that time, teacher and student start to look out for each other, which is quite a challenge for both. Drew, like Dan, is lonely. Her hard-working mother does not have enough time to spend with her daughter, and Drew does not seem to have any good friends. Now she finds herself between two men who are trying to “look out” for her: her brother‘s friend, a drug-dealer who uses her to run drugs for him, and her drug addicted teacher who means well but needs a lot of help himself. Thanks to excellent performances by Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps, the main characters seem very real in this moving and believable story by Ryan Fleck, which offers no easy fixes for their problems.
(Becky T) Opening March 27, 2008 Christoph “Goethe” Kreiss (Lucas Gregorowicz) wants to give up his day job in a car rental company in order to become rich and famous as a writer of detective stories. He befriends punk Dominik Adler (Wotan Wilke Möhring) and big-time pimp Chico Weidner (Justus von Dohnány) in the hopes of learning about genuine crime and turning this experience into literature. Since this is a comedy, the punk is a softie in spite of his tough talk (he participates in call-in quiz shows and goes to prison like a lamb). The pimp is a bit more ferocious, especially when money for a stolen car disappears. Christoph, a nerdy type with glasses, also needs instruction on dating etiquette in order to go out with Ewa (Anna Dereszowski). In the end Dominik walks out of prison and Christoph celebrates his new book called Hardcover. At this point we have spent 90 minutes trying to understand badly enunciated gangster small talk in German, which is supposed to be witty. Anyone interested in new German cinema and fresh German actors who will certainly appear in future films should add this to their list. Otherwise, watch the film on television, especially if you want to hear a cell phone ring inside a dog’s stomach or gain entirely new perspectives for the use of a ping pong ball. The good pop music is used frugally and only sets in at logical points, e.g., when Christoph drives the car. The silent intervals are restful. Director Christian Zübert filmed this German comedy in Düsseldorf.
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Cherry Blossoms (Kirschblüten - Hanami) 
In the Valley of Elah (Im Tal von Elah) 
Knut und seine Freunde 
The Other Boleyn Girl (Die Schwester der Königin) 
Step Up to the Streets 
10,000 B.C. 
13 (Tzameti) 
Jellyfish (Jellyfish - vom Meer getragen, Meduzot) 
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Walk Hard: Die Dewey Cox Story) 
Die Welle 
Absurdistan 
Dan in Real Life (Dan - Mitten im Leben) 
Juno 
The Spiderwick Chronicles (Die Geheimnisse der Spiderwicks) 
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Schmetterling und Taucherglocke, Le Scaphandre et le papillon) 
The Game Plan (Daddy ohne Plan) 
Half Nelson 
Hardcover 
Questions?