AWCH Film Reviews -- October 2007

(Mary W) Opening October 4, 2007

Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) becomes a character herself in a film loosely based on scant facts about her life. Jane met Thomas Langlois Lefroy (played by James McAvoy) during the Christmas holidays of 1795 at a ball. Jane was just starting to write what would later become Sense and Sensibility. Lefroy, at just twenty, was on his way back to London to practice law. Jane wrote to her sister Cassandra about her flirtation, and these few words fueled much speculation, some of which fires the plot for this film.

Tom is an intelligent, charming apprentice lawyer without a penny to his name. He enjoys boxing, drinking and womanizing, which cause his guardian uncle to send him to summer in the country as punishment. In his banishment he meets Jane, and the two of them spar with words until they find themselves unluckily in a love match. The uncle has great expectations that Tom will make a suitable marriage – meaning find a wealthy wife. Alas, Jane has no dowry, and she fully understands the limits of their social situations. Did the passion of true love lost inspire Jane to write so masterfully? Difficult to learn from such scant character development unfitting of such a brilliant writer, but Hathaway is so tearfully gorgeous in her heartbreak and McAvoy so damn charmingly handsome in doomed adoration that the real truth matters not one whit.

(Becky T) Opening October 4, 2007

This Austrian film could be called Three Men in a Car. Members of the trio are Herr Anzengruber (Christoph Grissemann), Herr Baisch (Dirk Stermann) and Herr Schwanenmeister (Heinz Strunk). They are, consecutively: a depressed pill popper, an opinionated history professor and a B-level stand-up comedian. While driving in the country, they bounce off the road and crash down the hill. They come to a stop wedged between two trees in such a way that no door will open. The car formerly belonged to Kurt Walheim, former Austrian president and, as a result, it is especially armoured with unbreakable glass. They are stuck. The three begin to talk, as well as consume the leftover herring salad and champagne from the truck to pass the time until help comes. Time crawls and the men go from euphoria to rage, from tears to humor, from philosophizing to despair. They alternate between sharing stories about their past to screaming into the woods for help. A small boy arrives on the scene but he is useless. The film ends five days later, and they are still in the car.

This reminded me of a play I once saw at Hamburg’s Thalia Theater in which two men sit in a car and discuss their lives. Costumes and sets are unimportant; the whole film rests on the actors, who, in this film, wrote most of their own lines. Often the characters were extremely polite, like civilized people going down on the Titantic; sometimes they panicked like mice in a laboratory. It’s an interesting idea for a film, which will appeal to special German-speaking cinema fans. Filming lasted four and a half weeks, and three of those weeks were spent in the car. Heinz Strunk from Hamburg is the only German among Austrians, and some Hamburgers might recognize his pseudonym, Mathias Halfpape, as well as a novel he wrote called Fleisch ist Mein Gemüse. Directed by Antonin Svoboda. (Becky Tan)

(Becky T) Opening October 4, 2007

Once upon a time two friends, both film directors, were befallen by a wave of nostalgia for 1950s, double-feature, B-movies. They decided to revive the genre. One director, Quentin Tarantino, made Death Proof, and the other, Robert Rodriguez, came up with Planet Terror. Both showed in the U.S. under the title Grindhouse to limited success. Now, Europeans get the films individually and longer, first Death Proof and now Planet Terror.

A killer virus invades Texas. Victims, whose flesh is literally falling off their bodies, prey upon others. Strangely, a few people are immune; they unite in order to escape the insanity. Foremost in the line of fire is El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez – of Six Feet Under fame, no relation to Robert) and his girlfriend Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), who is a kung-fu expert with a leg prosthesis; she alone is worth the price of a movie ticket. Other highlights are J.T.’s (Jeff Fahey) restaurant and his famous barbeque sauce as well as his brother, Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn), who, when confronted with a corpse with his scull licked clean, comments, “Looks like a no-brainer.”

Maybe the whole idea was a fluke, but the protagonists had fun. Rodriguez, certainly, as he was responsible for directing, editing, composing, producing, sound making, and writing, not to mention, showing off his cute, small son, listed as Rebel Rodriguez. He plays the son of the physicians Dakota (Marley Shelton) and William Block (Josh Brolin). Tarantino plays The Rapist and Bruce Willis is Lt. Muldoon.

If scary nonsense is your thing, then see Planet Terror. But be aware that here there is nothing new in the world of zombies which hasn’t already been said or eaten in Night of the Living Dead. Film purists will appreciate the techniques of making it look dated.

(Vicki F-M) Opening October 4, 2007

Walt Disney and Pixar animation are getting lots of good publicity and ratings about their latest computer-generated film. I just don’t get it. Maybe in my life-with-twin-five-year-olds, I have had my fill of CG animated films and do not really care to see a so-called adult animated film these days. Or maybe this film just did not capture my attention. Felix the Cat, x-rated version: now that was an adult animated film. But let’s turn back to the rat in Paris. Cute idea, get it, a rat who wants to cook, hence the clever name, Ratatouille? Typical Disney overcooks it and beats you over the head with the message about as subtle as the nasty, scary-looking food critic who comes into the five-star restaurant to critique the critter’s cooking. Oh, yes, and his name is one you will have to think about a long time: Mr. Ego. Get it? Vain, stuffy, over-puffed sense of importance? Worth watching or rather listening to is Peter O’Toole as the voice of Mr. Ego. The film is often fast-paced in the genre of slap-stick comedy, the filmmakers call “classic physical comedy”. Well, rats are fast little creatures anyway. Sometimes amusing, but this one fell one enchilada short of a combination plate.

(Thelma F) Opening October 4, 2007

Stellungswechsel (job change) is a light-hearted treatise on the seriously bad job situation in Germany. Frank (Florian Lukas, who played Daniel Bruhl's friend in Goodbye Lenin) has a doctorate but no job. His friend Gy works as a policeman but still has problems making ends meet. Olli's (Gustav Peter Wöhler) gourmet food shop is not attracting customers and he is in danger of going bankrupt.

When Frank is mistakenly approached by a woman who offers pretty good money for sex, the idea occurs to Gy and Olli that they could all start a lucrative "escort service". At the Arbeitsamt (unemployment office) they also latch on to Giselher, too old at 50 to become reemployed, and Lasse, young and unqualified and not excited about any training possibilities. They spend days preparing: workouts at the gym, learning how to give compliments, and setting up a website which even guarantees orgasms, although Giselher is still under the impression that the "escorts" will be accompanying women to operas and theaters. However, the phone never rings.

Only after one of Gy’s colleagues maliciously tells the press about the group does the phone ring off the hook, bringing interesting results. The best result is that Olli's delicatessen becomes busy and successful enough to be able to provide employment for the other men. It is fun watching the five, totally different, men – all good actors – getting to know each other under some pretty strange and silly circumstances. (Thelma Freedman)

(Erica FZ) Opening October 11, 2007

Four friends from a Catholic orphanage in the Australian outback get the birthday present of a lifetime when they are offered a two-week vacation in an idyllic bay on the ocean. What the boys have in common is their birth month, and so the December Boys are sent off at Christmastime on an unexpected adventure, full of unknown possibilities.

As the boys have gotten older, they realize their chances of being adopted are fading. But a young, childless couple they encounter at the coast is interested in adopting, and so the boys begin to vie for attention, each hoping to be the lucky one chosen to be part of a family. The oldest of the group, Maps (played by Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame), pulls himself out of the running when he meets the niece of a local resident who is visiting for the holidays. He promptly becomes smitten, and at sixteen prefers to pursue romance over the possibility of acquiring parents. The ensuing rivalry amongst the other boys sorely tests their friendships and loyalties and leads each of them to question what is really important in their lives.

The idyllic weather and scenery offer opportunities for seaside adventures and discoveries, and the boys enjoy their carefree days, which are nonetheless interspersed with a few poignant moments. The local residents are bemused with the sudden appearance of children in their midst, and their reactions to and interactions with the boys develop over the course of the film. By the end, the adults and children have formed their own special bonds and enriched each others’ lives.

Harry Potter fans may be interested to see Radcliffe in a totally different role, and he shows that he doesn’t need wizardry to present a solid acting performance. The cast is uniformly excellent, made up of largely unknown (outside Australia) Australian actors, who portray three-dimensional characters with simple realism. The scenery is exquisite, with stunning aerial views of Kangaroo Island and its remote bays. Based on the book by Michael Noonan, this is not your typical, commercial holiday film, but a heart-warming, coming-of-age story.

(Becky T) Opening October 11, 2007

This documentary negates every vision that the words “yodelling in Switzerland” call to mind. Yes, it’s about Switzerland and yes, it features three world-class Swiss musicians, who just happen to be yodellers, but they are so special, so different, that it is a pleasure to make their acquaintance. Christian Zehnder, accompanied by Balthasar Streiff on the Alphorn, uses his voice as an instrument to call forth whole concerts of songs and noises. He travels to Mongolia to sing with a local group, and they complement each other masterfully. Erika Stucky lived with her family in California until she was 10 years old, and they moved back to a small village in Switzerland. She draws on her American coolness, Swiss traditional music and some influences from studies in Paris and San Francisco to perform with Swiss rock star Sina. Noldi Alder and his brothers performed in a traditional Appenzell group, complete with Tyrolean hat and knee socks. Now Noldi has left that behind to sing his own compositions, solo. All three discuss the influence of Swiss landscapes (the Alps for example) on the singing. This is truly an unusual film worth seeing; the four stars are for anyone in the music business, whether for fun or profession. I saw it in Swiss German with German subtitles, but the music supersedes any language.

(Erica FZ) Opening October 11, 2007

“When the going gets tough, the tough go fishing”

Stewart (Gabriel Byrne) and his three buddies take off on their annual fishing trip in a state park near Jindabyne, their small-town home in southeastern Australia. They are unnerved when they find the body of a young woman in the river, but instead of breaking off their trip, they decide to stay and fish as planned, reporting the news when they return to civilization two days later. This decision sets off a chain of events which has unexpected repercussions on their personal and professional lives.

Their wives/girlfriends, and much of the community, have trouble understanding how the men could have continued fishing with the dead body nearby – the girl needed their help. The men are confused – the girl was already dead, and there was nothing they could do for her. Racial tensions also rise to the surface and add a further dimension to the story. The murder victim was an Aborigine, and the Aboriginal community is outraged, accusing the men of prejudice (“surely they would have reported the body right away if the girl had been white”) and lashing out with several acts of vandalism against the men.

The film revolves around four couples, mainly focusing on Stewart and Claire (deftly portrayed by Laura Linney), his American wife, who seems to be constantly struggling to maintain composure. Stewart, a former racecar driver, now owns a gas station and auto repair shop. He’s a taciturn man who loves his wife and son (in an unusually thoughtful performance by a child actor Sean-Rees Wemyss), but is incapable of expressing emotion, preferring to drown his feelings and desires in beer. Claire seems somehow out of place in this small town, as her American sensibilities of wanting to help and understand others in need are continually thwarted. She simply cannot understand how her husband could have continued fishing with the dead body nearby and continues to prod Stewart with questions in unsuccessful attempts to get him to talk about his feelings. Her guilt at this perceived failing in her husband spurs her on to try to help the family of the murdered woman. Her efforts are unwelcome, both to her friends and neighbors, who tell her to “take care of your own” and to the Aboriginal community, who perceive her as interfering in their grieving. Claire’s persistence threatens to destroy her marriage and her life, yet she is determined to make things right.

The three other couples are played by a fine group of excellent Australian actors. Their characters’ personalities are delineated clearly, both as individuals and as part of a couple. Each is forced to confront his own demons and deal with the situation in his own way, yet interestingly the bonds of their relationships prove to be stronger than the needs of the individual. No one but Claire seems to want to talk about what has happened; the others demonstrate their reactions with actions, which speak just as loudly as the words Claire seeks. Sadly the other couples never get quite enough dialogue and screen time to take advantage of their strong ensemble playing.

The film moves slowly, taking a while to get going. The first 40 minutes are used to set up the characters and their relationships, as well as to set up the murder. However the stories are told in little snippets, interspersed with the other plotlines, which makes it challenging for the viewer to settle into the story. There is beautiful cinematography of the surrounding area throughout the film, showing wide swaths of land stretching to the horizon, lovely lake shots, or idyllic mountain and river scenery. Yet everything is overshadowed by a sense of foreboding, heightened by the soundtrack of strangely eerie music. It is hard to sit back and enjoy this natural beauty while knowing that something sinister has happened and while watching the tragic events unfold.

The film touches upon themes of communication between men and women, racial tension, societal pressure, and loyalty and relationships, a rather ambitious series of subjects. Unfortunately these different strands never really gel, although the film tries to bring them all together at the end. I found myself feeling sorry for these characters, as they all seemed to be emotionally blocked, and – with the exception of Claire – preferring to continue their mundane lives as before. But perhaps that is the point of the film – to make us examine our own lives and relationships and to try to understand our emotional, moral and social roles and responsibilities

(Adele R) Opening October 11, 2007

Serbian director Srdan Gikzbivic won the grand prize at the Film Festival Sofia for this engrossing film about the ultimate moral dilemma: should you commit a cold-blooded murder to save your son’s life?

Mladen (Nebojša Glogovac) and Marija (Nataša Ninkovic) have a wonderfully warm marriage and a happy life with their nine-year-old son Nemanja (Marko Durovic). She has a decent job teaching English in a high school; he’s manager of a construction company which is expected to be sold well. And then the unthinkable happens: Nemanja collapses and is diagnosed with a severe heart defect requiring an immediate EUR 26,000 operation in Berlin which is not covered by the Serbian national health insurance.

The film explores the family’s efforts to raise the money and the consequences on the marriage (and their son) of their exhaustive unsuccessful attempts to raise the money. Mladen, as the father and head of the family, experiences the failure profoundly. And then an ad they have put in the newspaper bears fruit. A man offers Mladen EUR 30,000 to eliminate an “enemy of the state”. As Nemanja’s health deteriorates, Mladen wrestles alone with his impossible dilemma, unable to discuss it with his wife. What happens is unsettling and has unexpected consequences.

The lead actors are excellent, but I do have a quibble with the role of the young boy, although I suspect that the woodenness of the performance is more the director’s fault than the actor’s. Since the role is a relatively small one, if pivotal to the story, it doesn’t really affect the film’s strength or suspense, but it is the reason I did not give it four stars.

(Karen E) Opening October 11, 2007

America's most controversial liberal filmmaker, Michael Moore, is at it again. After taking on corporate America, violence in schools, and our beloved president, he has turned his attention to our wonderful health care system. Unlike his other movies, Mr. Moore takes a back seat for most of the film and lets the story tell itself. Sure he goes to Cuba and delivers more than enough snarky comments here and there, but for the most part he allows the interviewees to take center stage.

The movie opens with some very alarming statistics. According to Moore 50 million Americans are uninsured and 18,000 die due to lack of insurance. When he set out to tell this story, he set up an email address inviting everyday folks to send in their personal health care horror stories. Within a week his email in-box was filled with a staggering 25,000 responses. It was clear that there was something to talk about.

Sicko begins with several stories illustrating the plight of the 50 million uninsured Americans and then moves on to address the kind of care received by those of us who are fortunate enough to have health care. Unlike his other movies Mr. Moore takes a back seat and allows his subjects to tell their stories during the first part of the film. In the later part of the movie he ventures forth and compares our system to the universal coverage health care systems of Canada, France, England and Cuba. It's here where he begins to put forth his wide-eyed faux-naive banter. Intercepting two young new parents exiting an English hospital he asks, "How much did they charge you for that baby?" and they respond, "Nothing; this isn't America."

Like many Americans, I am sometimes skeptical about Michael Moore. I see him as arrogant, self-promoting and downright obnoxious at times. But then I stop and think about what he brings forth and, if anything, they are always topics that are worthy of our attention. Sicko is a wonderful example of why I believe Mr. Moore is worth having around. In Sicko he doesn't preach about how to fix our health care system, he simply offers us examples of why it isn't working and compares it to several health care systems which he believes do work.

Now, you can't go to a Michael Moore movie and not stop and wonder how lopsided his view on the subject matter is. I did leave the theater wondering if we were exposed to the true picture of universal health care in Canada, France, England and Cuba. For example, since watching the movie I've asked several people living in England if the British National Health Service is so efficient and painless as depicted by Mr. Moore. For the most part I got a mixed response. Several people told me they do have to pay out of pocket when opting for a procedure not within the system’s proposed plan for whatever ailment, and waits at ER rooms can be quite long depending on which ER you visit. In other words, a visit to the doctor in Greenwich is a far different experience than a visit to the doctor in Liverpool. Also those that I spoke to noted that when faced with a serious illness requiring a specialist, they would prefer seeking treatment in the U.S. Apparently as far as specialized medicine goes, the U.S. is the place to go. After living through several re-occurences of prostate cancer with my father, I have to say I was relieved that he had access to the best care possible, a NYU urologist whose name appears on all of the ground-breaking procedures and treatments for prostate cancer in the U.S. On the flip side, my father quite honestly only has access to such care because he can afford it.

Since the release of his movie, there have been countless conversations about our health-care system, and that is what I feel is most truly effective about Sicko. More often than not the movie asks: Who are we as Americans? What have we become? Who are we to allow a young uninsured man to stitch his own torn knee cap? Who are we to allow a man to die because his HMO would not cover the experimental bone marrow operation that he needed to save his life? Who are we to allow insurers to deny our fellow citizens health insurance because they are too fat, thin, tall, skinny or have too many allergies?! These are just a smidgen of the health-care horror stories that Sicko puts forth. Will things change? Quite honestly, it doesn't look hopeful. Our once-shining light, Mrs. Clinton, as noted in Sicko, doesn't appear to be carrying the health-care reform torch anymore. Go see the movie; it will make you sick to see whose torch she is carrying now!

(Becky T) Opening October 18, 2007

This docu-drama is based on a true story about an American spy in the FBI and a breach in U.S. security. Young FBI agent Eric O’Neill (Ryan Phillipe) takes on the job of aide to his colleague Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper). O’Neill has orders from his boss Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney) to observe Hanssen in order to bring him down for espionage. He is suspected of selling U.S. military secrets to the Soviet Union, but Hanssen has always appeared innocent throughout 23 years of service. He comes across as a devout Catholic who spends much time in church and says, “Godlessness is why Russia failed.” On February 18, 2001, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the arrest of Hanssen, who is presently sitting in solitary confinement for life in a Colorado prison.

This film with its psychological cat-and-mouse plot has difficulties maintaining any kind of interest-holding tension. There are feeble attempts, e.g., O’Neill becomes discouraged and must be bolstered by his boss, he can’t confide in his wife who suspects infidelity, or he and Hanssen are caught in a traffic jam. The actors are unconvincing, especially Caroline Dhavernas who plays O’Neill’s East German wife. It would probably be more interesting to read any of the books written about this “worst spy in American history,” who earned approximately $1.5 million from Russia over 15 years. By director Billy Ray.

Second Opinion by Kirsten G 1/2

In an era of action-packed spy films like The Bourne Ultimatum, viewer expectations for Breach may be a bit out-of-kilter. Breach is a methodical film with no chase scenes or martial arts-style fights, but it is a thriller nonetheless. Chris Cooper is excellent as Robert Hanssen, convincingly portraying him as a frustrated spy and conservative Catholic whose treachery is both unbelievable and plausible. We see Hanssen through the eyes of agent O'Neill and understand how Hanssen could have fooled the FBI, as well as his close friends and colleagues, for such a long time. The film does start a bit slow (keeping to the true story as much as possible may have limited director Billy Ray's storytelling options), but it is well-worth sticking it out to experience the capture of the U.S.'s most notorious spy.

(Becky T) Opening October 18, 2007

Two young people struggle to find security and self-assurance in difficult worlds which are not their own. They switch countries without ever meeting. Olga (Ekateryna Rak) leaves her nursing job, her child, her mother and their small apartment in the Ukraine and travels to Vienna. There, she starts from the bottom as a cleaning lady, first for a horrible, private family and then for a hospital. Paul (Paul Hofmann) is a tattooed young man who supports himself with his fists as a security guard in Vienna until he is outnumbered by thugs and loses his job. He scrounges money from friends and his stepfather, who finally takes him to the Ukraine where they set up gambling machines.

Import Export by Ulrich Seidl showed in competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. It is as depressing as two losers can possibly be, although Olga has the greater potential for success. The film is 30 minutes too long. However, like many festival films, here, too, individual scenes are unforgettable, such as the jolly patients in the geriatric ward, the deserted concrete apartments appropriated by gypsies, or the pornographic sex scenes.

(Becky T) Opening October 18, 2007

Wreckage of the space ship Patriot falls from the sky and crashes to the earth between Washington D.C. and Dallas. Curious bystanders who pick up a piece come into contact with a sticky substance and change into Stepford persons, without emotion, but with the singular goal to draw everyone else into this circle of living robots. Psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) and her colleague/boyfriend Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) attempt to solve the mystery of the threatening pandemic. There are tense moments when Carol’s son Oliver visits his father Tucker (Jeremy Northam). Tucker works for an epidemic control center. He was first on the scene and first to be infected, which causes him to act even weirder than he did before he divorced Carol.

This film seems to have gone through too many re-writes (script: David Kajganich); especially the ending is a let-down, too pat and too easy, even after a 10-minute superfluous car chase. I could hardly keep my eyes open, but that might have been in sympathy for Kidman, who is not allowed to sleep in order to prevent contamination. Yawning is contagious; just try watching someone fighting off sleep. This is supposedly a remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (book 1955, films 1956 and 1978). Why did we need a new version? Maybe it’s time for another catastrophe film; maybe Kidman needed to pay the rent. Here, cell phones upstage the actors who would have been fine with better lines. I suggest: check out the original Body Snatchers or, more up-to-date, for something with more excitement and laughs, see Robert Rodriquez’ Planet Terror if you are up for catastrophe and zombie-like people. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel, originally from Hamburg, is one of several German directors, e.g., Florian von Donnersmark, Florian Baxmeyer, Marco Kreuzpaintner, etc., who are presently working in Hollywood.

(Adele R) Opening October 18, 2007

The versatile, ever-surprising director Ang Lee has delivered a cinematic masterpiece based on a classic story by Chinese author Eileen Chang. Whether or not the Academy will give Lee his third Oscar (after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000 and Brokeback Mountain, 2005) remains a question, but the film is a riveting journey through passion and obsession played with exquisite talent by Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love and 2046) as Mr. Yi (with longing and haunted eyes) and a newcomer, Tang Wei as the lovely Mrs. Mak. That it is also a fascinating look at China under Japanese occupation during World War II and a suspenseful tale of espionage, loyalty and betrayal doesn’t hurt.

The director decided early that to convince his viewers of how the attraction between the lovers becomes blinding passion, he would have to show realistic sexual encounters. And there is no doubt about it, the couplings are raw, explicit scenes which have won the film a well-deserved NC-17 rating. But I would argue along with Lee that the realism is pertinent and necessary to the story, and oddly, neither erotic nor tasteless soft porn.

Shanghai, 1941. Mr. Yi is a high-level Chinese bureaucrat in the collaborating puppet government, eventually, head of the anti-espionage unit, capturing and torturing members of the Chinese resistance. A student theater group joins the resistance and convinces their newest leading lady, the beautiful Wang Jiazhi (Wei) to play the role of Mrs. Mak, the young wife of a (non-existent) war profiteer. She is to ingratiate herself with the mahjong-playing wives of the collaborators, especially Mrs. Yi, seduce Mr. Yi and lead him to a rendezvous where he is to be killed. The first plan fails with dramatic consequences before the seduction can take place. But it is revived three years later after a chance encounter between the former student (Wang Leehom) and Jiazhi. I saw the film in Chinese with German subtitles.

(Becky T) Opening October 18, 2007

Jess (Kristen Stewart) and Roy (Dylan McDermott) move into a dilapidated farm house in the middle of a neglected field. They bring their children: small son Ben and teenage daughter Denise (Penelope Ann Miller). Ben has not spoken for many months. Denise wonders what she did to deserve being uprooted and set down in this no-man’s land.. The family scrubs the floors and cranks up the tractor, and soon the house is sparkly and the fields are full of bobbing sunflowers, their main crop. Unexpected help arrives in the form of Burwell Rollins (John Corbett), who doesn’t care – beware, beware – if he ever gets paid. Is that weird? Soon the ghosts come out, in this case a mother and her children who had been murdered in this house. There is the usual growling, screaming, menacing music, cawing crows, flying furniture, flickering lights, and grabbing hands. The children see these things, but the adults are sceptical until they can no longer ignore the truth. The Messengers has all the components, traditional or cliché depending on your outlook, of a haunted-house movie. The directors of this US/Canadian film are twin brothers from Hong Kong named Danny Pang and Oxide Pang Chun.

(Adele R) Opening October 18, 2007

Marco Kreuzpainter’s first American film, Trade, is based on the horrific 2004 New York Times Magazine story called The Girl Next Door by Peter Landesman – a report about the trafficking of children and teenagers across the Mexican border into the United States as sex slaves.

Kidnapped on the streets of small Mexican villages or sold by their parents, the children (some of them, says Landesman, as young as four!) are spirited across the border to respectable suburban houses in middle-class neighborhoods in California or New Jersey or elsewhere. From here they are rented out to johns or sold, if they are young enough and still virgins (in one case, Landesman reported for $300,000), to men who then own them. The children are made submissive by drugs and subjected to repeated sexual, physical and psychological abuse and become mindless sex robots, unable to protest or to save themselves. They are told repeatedly that their captors have the addresses of their parents and siblings and will kill them if the children try to escape or tell anyone. But whom would they tell, anyway? They learn from the start that men in police or immigration uniforms are part of the ring and as most are without even the English language, they are helpless.

Thirteen-year-old Adriana (a brilliant Paulina Gaitan) is abducted from her village and thrown in a van, along with three other children and a beautiful young Polish woman (lured to Mexico by agents in Poland who tell her that she will be spirited across the border to a new life in Los Angeles). Veronica (a charismatic Alicja Bachleda) bonds with Adriana and tries to give her courage. Veronica’s eventual fate is devastating for the viewer and Adriana, whose one hope is her 17-year-old brother Jorge (the extraordinary Cesar Ramos). With enormous determination and the bravado of the young, Jorge finds out who has taken Adriana and manages to follow the van at least to the border. There Jorge falls into the hands of an insurance cop (Kevin Kline), who eventually believes his story and joins him in the desperate effort to save his sister. Their journey is an odyssey mapped out in painful detail by Peter Landesman’s report.

I would hope that the movie, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, would raise the alarm in the United States; that people will do something to stop this; that not everybody is on the take. But I am sceptical. One thing is for sure, the film is shattering.

(Kirstan B) Opening October 25, 2007

Arty, cinematographically exquisite, and authentic, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford should not to be mistaken for a thrill-ridden western. On the contrary, you would be hard-pressed to categorize it as anything other that a sharp and resounding character study of outlaws embraced in a psychological dance of who-trusts-who. Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and his brother Frank (Sam Shepard) complete the last train heist of their careers by recruiting local drifters, as many of the original gangsmen have either been killed or are in jail. Among the new accomplices is Bob Ford (Casey Affleck), younger brother of loyal but none-to-bright Charley Ford (Sam Rockwell). Bob is brought into the fold against Frank’s better judgement and Jesse’s unease at Bob’s stalker-like obsession with the legend that precedes him. Bob has spent his 19-year life idolizing the five-cent novel fictionalized Jesse and is all but begging to be included in the inner sanctum of the James gang.

When the gang disperses to their respective hideaways after the robbery, Bob is allowed to stay on with Jesse as he morphs into the role of Tom Howard, a family man who bears the stress of leading a double life of criminal/respectable businessman. Paranoid of being betrayed, Jesse swings in and out of the lives of the other gang members, playing mind games and making threats to uncover potential disloyalty. This behavior unsettles Bob as he begins understand that the real Jesse is someone to be feared, not for his legendary bravado, but rather as an insecure maniacal murderer. Described as an act of cowardice by general opinion, the real truth of the assassination might simply be that the obsessed must destroy the object of their desires, however much of an illusion they turn out to be, in order to survive.

Every actor has been cast in a career-defining performance, including the supporting roles of Dick Liddil (Paul Schneider) and Ed Miller (Garret Dillahunt). Director Andrew Dominik takes time in each scene to allow the smallest twitch or facial expression define the plot, which is the orchestration of complex relationships of mania, mistrust and realization in a world where the accepted laws of human nature do not apply.

Although the wild west never looked so beautiful in its snow-and-wheat field dark glory, it is painful to take away half a star for the length. At 160 minutes, it could have been just as effective in two hours: an editor’s nightmare to think of cutting such a masterpiece.

(Isabel S) Opening October 25, 2007

This whole movie was about two people having casual sex in a motel room. It’s a one-night stand after a party, and they can´t even remember their first names. All scenes are either of the two having sex or talking after sex, which becomes repetitive throughout the whole movie. The idea, I assume, is about their getting to know each other through their conversations or lack thereof. The idea could be interesting, but unfortunately it was too simply done. Clearly a bad low budget film, and the cinematography and lighting didn’t help either. From Matias Bize with Blanca Lewin and Gonzalo Valenzuela.

(Becky T) Opening October 25, 2007

This animated movie is a parody of the life of Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie (1837-98), empress of Austria-Hungary. She lives in a castle (Schloß Schöngrün) with her husband Franz, a bossy mother-in-law, a mostly absent father-in-law, and a Feldmarschall (which, in the olden days, was the highest ranking military officer, but is, in this case, more of a glorified butler). She and Franz are happily engaged in frivolous pastimes until a frightful Yeti creature (who has a likeness to German politician Kurt Beck) kidnaps Lissi. The rest of the family searches for her and all end up in a Neuschwanstein-type castle (called Schloß Neuzahnstein) ruled by King Bussi of Bavaria who looks like a rock and roll Harley motorcyclist. Two Bavarian characters, Ignaz and Schwaiger, attempt to shoot down the Yeti.

More interesting than the film is its history. Director Michael Bully Herbig and his friends Rick Kavanian, Christian Tramitz, and Alfons Biedermann, have made a trilogy with material taken from their popular TV shows bullyparade and Bully & Rick, as well as an older radio show called Bayern-Cops and Männer von Isar 3. Parts I and II of the film trilogy were spoofs: Das Schuh des Manitu (based on stories of Winnetou und der Schatz im Silbersee by Karl May), which was the most successful German film of all time, and (T)Raumschiff Surprise (based on Star Trek). Contrary to their former films, they decided against playing the parts live. This is their first animated film, although Herbig still “plays” Lissi, i.e., her animated face looks just like him.

Whether animation is the answer is questionable. Naturally one can’t compare Scanline animation company with Pixar Studios, but Ratatouille, for example, comes alive, while Lissi stays flat throughout. Also, the storyline seems unoriginal – a remake of Shrek, Part I, with the Yeti figure who kidnaps the empress, a clone of Shrek. I kept thinking of the animated Barbie films sprinkled with spicy language, although this film is for age six and over. It stretches too long. I said to my German colleagues, “I don’t think I understand German humor or perhaps I don’t know enough about the history to understand the references.” They answered, “Neither do we.”

In a way the actual Empress Elisabeth of Austria has now come full circle from tragedy to comedy. Her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, fell in love with her at first sight during his engagement party with her sister Helene. He dumped Helene and married Elisabeth in 1854. She adjusted to court poorly and was lonely. Her son, crown prince Rudolf, committed suicide in 1889 and she was murdered by an Italian anarchist at age 61. In the 1960s her life was filmed with Germany’s own Romy Schneider playing Elisabeth aka Sissy. These icky sweet Sissy films were constant fare on German TV in the 1970-80s. Herbig and his friends grew up on them, and they now provide the basis for the Herbig film.

How much more alive Michael Bully Herbig is than his film was obvious during a press conference in Hamburg. Herbig is enthusiastic about the art of animation, which he now knows well after working three years on the film. Live, his voice-overs of Lissy, Falthauser, and Ignaz, are hilarious. He glows with charisma and personality. His film partner Rick Kavanian missed the press conference but was online by phone, which didn’t diminish his talent as he gave us versions from Frankfurt airport of the Feldmarschall, King Bussi of Bavaria, the Spanish-speaking flies, and Schwaiger. Perhaps Herbig’s next idea, a thriller, will be back to his old standards. This can be chalked up as an interesting attempt at something new; a vanity film. If you think I am wrong, I’ll be happy to listen to reasons why.

(Birgit S) Opening October 25, 2007

….. and they lived happily ever after!

The world is full of wonders, particularly Odette’s (Catherine Frot). One would think her world is drab and her life is hard, when living in a crummy apartment with her adolescent children and holding a boring job in a department store. Oh no, Odette’s life is music and fantasy, thanks to Balthazar Balsan (Albert Dupontel). She has read all his books, which give her strength to face her life with an unshakable optimism. Her heart is full of gratitude for the author who makes her life so colourful.

Her hero is an attractive man with an attractive wife and a beautiful home. But instead of being happy, he is depressive and miserable, especially after finding out that his wife has an affair. He is in a serious crisis of his life and it is Odette, his staunch fan, who helps him to regain his self-confidence and zest for life. She believes she owes him and feels responsible for his regaining happiness. Despite her dreams and romantic escapism, she is a very down-to-earth and pragmatic woman. This does not stop her from cheerfully lifting up into the sky from time to time and singing her way through the department store or dancing Josephine-Baker-style through the kitchen.

Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s books are bestsellers in France as well Germany (i.e. Monsieur Ibrahim und die Blumen des Koran). In 2004 he received the Deutschen Buchpreis in Leipzig. This is his first film as director. His script is considered autobiographical in parts, and there will be a book based on the story of the film. Catherine Frot and Albert Dupontel are two actors who understood and played his characters with the naivety and positive energy as is typical for his work.

(Becky T) Opening October 31, 2007

Adam Ravetoh and Sara Robertson spent 15 years photographing wildlife in the arctic cold of the North Pole. From thousands of photographs, they chose those which would fit together into a coherent story which features the polar bear Nanu and Seela the walrus. Nanu and her twin brother learn to search for food in the ice. Seela grows up in a herd, under the watchful eyes of her mother and an “aunt.” Other animals, e.g., an adult male polar bear, whole herds of walruses, a polar fox, birds, whales, etc., make short appearances, but the story rests on Nanu and Seela. They grow older, immigrate to an island when summers become longer and ice rarer, suffer hunger and loss and eventually have babies of their own. They live according to the rhythm of the ice, which is melting faster than they can adjust. Without preaching, the film underlines the problems associated with global warming. The ice could be gone by 2040, which will result in extinction for animals which depend on it for home, safety, and food. This is a film which could easily provide a message in schools – even broken up into 20-minute sound-bites. In the English original, the actress Queen Lafitah provides the commentary. In the German version, three children, ages 15, 13, and 11, speak. I prefer the English version, but it is just a matter of taste. It’s more important to understand. This is from National Geographic Films, and the photography sets amazingly high standards.

Second Opinion by Tracy M

National Geographic makes some of the most magnificent and powerful documentaries that have ever been filmed, and Königreich Arktis is no exception. This is a realistic, exciting and up close look at two Arctic babies, a polar bear and a walrus, who must learn to survive, not only facing nature at its hardest, but also to survive in a habitat where global warming has made a very significant impact. They do succeed and go on to secure their species for another generation, but how many generations will be able to survive in an environment that is constantly changing and therefore unknown to them?

I took my daughter Becka and her friend, Marie Christin, and they both had similar opinions about the film. What impressed them most was that the film was told from the perspective of the animals. Children narrators told the story of Nanu the polar bear baby and Seela the walrus baby in such a way as not to make light of the animal’s plight, but on a level that made them think about what all children could do to improve the animal’s situation, and both were a bit disappointed that the film didn’t include tips for children on what they would be able to do to make a change in the environment.

Königreich Arktis is breathtaking and dramatically filmed, especially the underwater photography. It isn’t just a film for older children but can be enjoyed by everyone in the family.