Geraldine Blecker

Frankfurt (Weltexpress) - It is difficult to retain one’s faith in the basic goodness of human nature and often easier just to close one’s eyes to the atrocities committed by mankind against animals, the environment, or against each another. But sometimes it is even worse than we could possibly imagine and powerful documentary films are needed to raise our awareness in the hopes that one day things may change for the better.

THE COVE, winner of the audience award at Sundance, is one such film and its story of a peaceful Japanese village dedicated to the covert butchery of thousands of dolphins every year was intentionally shot in the style of a thriller by first-time director Louie Psihoyos, National Geographic photographer and co-founder of the Oceanic Preservation Society.

His camera follows the efforts of a team of dedicated environmentalists, who seeks to record what really happens in the small, secluded cove of Taiji - a town which, as the ultimate irony, vividly proclaims a love of dolphins on every street corner. Interestingly enough, the team is headed up by former dolphin trainer Richard O'Barry, best-known for capturing and training the five dolphins that, together, became TV’s popular “Flipper” in the 60s - and thus, himself responsible for starting the multimillion sea-world industry that has made the dolphin into one of the world’s most beloved animals. A love that has certainly come at a high price for the dolphins. “I spent 10 years building, and the next 35 trying to tear down,” O’Barry says, after having kept his eyes closed to the consequences of his actions for as long as he could.

The film portrays how, year for year, local fishermen cunningly lure thousands of dolphins into Taiji’s small, isolated cove - protected from the public eye by high barbed wire fencing - where the finest examples are selected by marine aquariums, theme parks and dolphin therapy institutes from all over the world, at $150,000 a pop. But not every dolphin can be a Sea World star and the rejects are harpooned, hacked to pieces, processed, packaged and sold as “whale meat”. For no one would eat dolphin - not even the Japanese. Apart from sentimental reasons, it contains toxic levels of mercury.

Shadowed by local police and harried by the fishermen, who fear a loss of earnings, O’Barry and Psihoyos with their dedicated team of professional divers, surfers, underwater filmmakers and special effects artists, covertly filmed this horror any way they could, with cameras hidden in fake undersea rocks (courtesy of George Lucas’s company ILM), for example. Their mission, says Psihoyos, is more than “just to capture the slaughter”, but “to make people want to change,” and so put a stop to the regular massacres in the cove of Taiji, which may only be one small, symbolic step on the long road towards preserving the dolphins and other denizens of the deep.

The resulting footage soon goes beyond the limits of endurance. The crimson-coloured water and the cries of the dolphins are sufficient to make even the least sensitive aware of what is going on in the cove. But there is more than that. The movie offers scientific fact, an insight into the dolphin intelligence and the pointlessness of the IWC (International Whaling Commission) swayed by Japanese political pressure.

It remains to be seen if this documentary can achieve more than just involving audiences on a superficial level. It has only grossed just over $850K in the US since its limited theatrical release in July and is due for DVD release early next month. But it is an enormously important film and should be mandatory viewing,

THE COVE, (aka DIE BUCHT); Running time: 90 mins., US distributor: Lionsgate; US release date: 31 July, 2009 (limited); German distributor: Drei- Freunde; German release date: October 22, 2009; Director: Louie Psihoyos, Writer: Mark Monrie; Main cast: Richard O’Barry, Joe Chisholm, Mandy-Rae Cruikshank, Charles Hambleton, Simon Hutchins, Cinematographer: Brook Aitken; Composer: J. Ralph, Editor: Geoffrey Richman

Summary: Using cutting-edge equipment, a determined group of environmental activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taiji, Japan, to expose a shocking massacre.

****

All rights to the author.

By Geraldine Blecker

It is unfortunate that low-budget, independent films of this type get such little distributor back-up and audience attention, but AWAY WE GO, the latest work by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, AMERICAN BEAUTY) is one of these - and one of my favourite movies of the year so far.

John Krasinski & Maya Rudooph

Burt and Verona, played by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph, are unusual protagonists to see in a movie these days: intelligent, freelance, sane, healthy, tender, sensitive, humorous, and loving; without being especially tormented or dysfunctional. Having just discovered that Verona is pregnant, their biggest worry is finding the ideal place to settle down and raise a family.

When the movie opens, they are living close to Burt’s parents, (played by Catherine O’Hara and Jeff Daniels), in a somewhat tacky, student-type of house with cardboard over the windows to keep out the chill. They could afford better but, despite being in their 30s, they “don’t live like grown-ups,” as Verona says. But with a baby on the way, it’s time to change.

Expecting excitement and grandparental support from Burt’s folks, they are somewhat shocked to hear that instead of sticking around to welcome their first grandchild, his parents have decided to fulfil their lifelong dream and move to Belgium. So the couple’s odyssey begins: a road trip through North America to visit friends and relatives, do some lifestyle shopping and decide who they would like to be close to.

Heading off to Phoenix, they visit Verona’s former boss Lily (Allison Janney) and her husband Lowell (Jim Gaffigan). Lily is horrendous; almost permanently sloshed, her behaviour is odious and her language obscene, to the constant dismay of her kids and long-suffering spouse. They can’t get away quick enough and escape to Madison to visit Burt’s childhood friend Ellen (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who has since changed her name to “LN” and is living some kind of hippie, psychedelic nightmare with her flaky, sex-crazed boyfriend.

Next on the agenda is Montreal, to visit college friends Tom and Munch (Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey), whose self-professed marital bliss is misery incarnate. Then it’s down to Miami to see Burt’s brother, whose wife has just left him.

Not one healthy family in the bunch. In fact, by comparison, it is their own unmarried relationship which gradually emerges as perfect and when they do finally find a place to put down roots, it is close to no one but themselves. For if nothing else, their journey has taught them that that they only need each other to be happy.

A warm and witty script by screenwriting couple Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, whose own married life seemingly reflects that of their protagonists: mid-30s, two kids, freelance writers and happy as larks. Sam Mendes’ road movie, shot in the three US states of Connecticut, Arizona and Florida - no doubt to exploit local tax incentives - opened in its home market in June to lukewarm reviews and has only generated just over half its $17 million budget at the US box office to date.

But for all that, it is one of most delightful movies of the season: with a light touch, tender humour, fresh new faces, appealing performances, great photography and a fine soundtrack: a heart-warming must-see for all moviegoers with something between their ears. Let’s hope AWAY WE GO attracts the audiences it deserves in the European market.

AWAY WE GO, (German title: AUF NACH IRGENDWO), Running time: 98 mins.; Rated R (for obscenity and sexual situations); US distributor: Focus Features, German distributor: Tobis Film; US release date: June 29, 2009; German release: October 15, 2009; Director: Sam Mendes; Screenplay: Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida; Main cast: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Catherine O’Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Melanie Lynskey; Cinematographer: Ellen Kuras; Composer: Alexi Murdoch; Production designer: Jess Gonchor; Editor: Sarah Flack

Plot: Burt and Verona, expecting their first baby, decide to travel around N. America visiting friends and relatives, to find a perfect place to put down roots and start their family.

* * *

All rights to the author.

Von Geraldine Blecker

Berlinale 2009 - In Competition

Berlin (Weltexpress) - Premiered to critical acclaim at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Oren Moverman’s astonishing directorial debut tells of the grief and devastation of war. Ben Foster (30 Days of Night) shows a remarkable talent for compassion as well as suppressed frustration in the challenging role of Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery who, after being wounded in Iraq, is reassigned to serve his remaining 3 months’ duty in the Casualty Notification Office - one of the military’s most unpleasant tasks.

Unlike such recent films dealing with the Iraq War and its casualties at home, such as Grace Is Gone and The Lucky Ones, The Messenger manages to be patriotic and detached at one and the same time; focusing on the grief of the loved ones left behind, but viewed from the perspective of the harbingers of the tragic news.

As opposed to his commanding officer, reformed alcoholic Capt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), young Montgomery doesn’t initially have the steely nerves the job requires. He identifies too intensely with the grief-stricken and, after all, he is still wrestling with his own demons. He came home to find that his girlfriend (Malone) had ditched him for another guy and his PTS (post-traumatic stress) is still seething just below the surface, as well as blaming himself for the death of a comrade, which adds a heavy dose of survival guilt to his burden.

But as the relationship between the two men develops, it is soon apparent that Montgomery may, in fact, be better equipped to do the job at hand: giving the Army’s bad news and commiseration to total strangers, including some brief but memorable cameos, from Steve Buscemi, for example. And when it comes to offering consolation to the freshly-widowed Olivia Pitterson (played by Samantha Morton), there are some unexpected complications.

We see the two officers on duty and off and the former scenes are by far the most evocative, although Moverman and his writers Alessandro Camon and Benjamin Goldhirsh infuse a good bit of humor to counteract the morbidity. It soon becomes clear that Stone’s nonchalant irony is his way of dealing with so much heartbreak and during the second act we are given glimpses of his inner frailty.

In this time of global unrest, with the US at war on three fronts, The Messenger is an important film and further testimony to the truth that the wounds of war go beyond the battlefield.

On a scale on one to five, this movie certainly gets a 4-plus: excellent acting performances from all talent, good, tight direction and a solid screenplay, with the impeccable camerawork of Bobby Bukowski.

THE MESSENGER (USA 2009); Genre: Drama; Running time: 112 minutes; Director: Oren Moverman; Writers: Alessandro Camon, Benjamin Goldhirsh; Main cast: Ben Foster, Jena Malone, Eamon Walker, Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi, Samantha Morton; Cinematographer: Bobby Bukowski; Composer: Nathan Larson; Production designer: Stephen Beatrice; Editor: Alexander Hall

Plot: An American soldier struggles with a moral dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 13.02. 2009
  Photo: © Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 13.02. 2009

Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones leads an all-star cast in this psychological thriller based on the bestselling novel by James Lee Burke.

While on an investigation into a series of grisly serial murders, veteran detective Dave Robicheaux (Tommy Lee Jones) navigates his way through the Louisiana bayou and the dark, sultry world of New Orleans mobster “Baby Feet” Balboni (John Goodman). Layers of corruption and long-dead secrets reawaken grudges and a lethal alliance. A tangled web of killings, past and present, converges in a somewhat underwhelming showdown. Featuring music from five-time GRAMMY-winner Buddy Guy, this film takes you deep into the hidden worlds of Cajun country and - trying to be all things to all men and tackle an overabundance of themes - takes far too many convoluted twists and turns.

Premiering at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, French director Bertrand Tavernier’s first US production was apparently fraught with difficulties during its 2007 shoot, resulting in two versions of the movie: the 117 minutes director’s cut, as shown at the Berlinale, which is set to be released theatrically worldwide, ex-North America; and the 102 minute producer’s cut, to be released in the US by Image Entertainment on Feb. 20, followed by DVD and Blu-Ray release on March 3.

Although the same in essence, the tenor of each version differs significantly. Based on James Lee Burke’s 1993 novel, “In The Electric Mist With Confederate Dead”, screenwriters Jerry and Mary Kromolowski’s updated version takes place in present-day Louisiana - post-Katrina - where the poor are rebuilding their shattered lives and devastated homes, to the tune of corporate corruption and the benefit of the Mafia.

Enter detective Dave Robicheaux of the New Iberia police force; reformed alcoholic, terse, laconic, who follows his own rules - a familiar role for Tommy Lee Jones. He begins by investigating two seemingly unrelated murders: that of prostitute Cherry Leblanc, horribly mutilated by her slayer, followed by discovery in the swamp of the skeleton of Prejean, a black man draped in chains. Shot by 2 unknown assailants back in 1965, his murder was coincidentally witnessed by Robicheaux himself, when he was just a kid. Just one of many confusing and superfluous twists.

Murder follows murder, with bodies popping up everywhere and, even while Robicheaux tries to get a handle on the cold Prejean case, it becomes evident that the murders are all somehow related. Crime boss Julie “Babyfeet” Balboni (John Goodman - enjoying himself hugely), industrial heavyweight Twinky Lemoyne (Ned Beatty, hardly used to his full potential) are among the prime suspects, sharing the screen with a large ensemble of fellow officers, corrupt cops and various sleazy characters in best Big Easy tradition.

Added to this confusing gumbo, is a complicated subplot involving Robicheaux’s burgeoning friendship with Hollywood movie star Elrod T. Sykes (Peter Sarsgaard, somewhat miscast), on location shooting a film - which is how one of the corpses is discovered - and the supernatural visions shared by both Robicheaux and Sykes of Civil War General John Bell Hood (Levon Helm), who appears sporadically throughout the course of the movie to assist Robicheaux with his investigations and symbolise the fact that the present is haunted by the past.

As if all this was not enough, Tavernier throws in his own none-too-subtle social commentary: his clear criticism of the disgraceful way things were done, or rather left undone after the hurricane; of crime, corporate corruption, political shenanigans, and the movie business, too, all against a tapestry of racial friction and erstwhile slavery.

Although the shorter US version scales down much of the dross, it unfortunately leaves too many gaps in the backstory - unless you happen to have read all five of Burke’s novels. While Tavernier’s cut is more provocative and hangs together more effectively, it still meanders interminably. But neither versions work, quite honestly and the final denouement is hugely disappointing.

• Abfassungsdatum: 12.02. 2009
  Foto: © Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 12.02. 2009

A slice of modern, political history

Berlin (Weltexpress) - Nominated for 5 Golden Globes, 6 BAFTAs and 5 Oscars, including best picture, best director, best editing, best actor, and best adapted screenplay, with a best music nomination for Hans Zimmer tossed in for good measure, Ron Howard`s Frost/Nixon is without doubt, one of the finest films of the year, if not the decade.

Howard`s enthralling film version of Peter Morgan`s highly acclaimed stage play shows the frightening power of network television, which can irreparably dismantle personalities, reputations, and careers in just a few brief moments of air time.

The story begins after Richard M. Nixon`s dishonorable departure from the White House following the Watergate scandal in the 1970s - this and his resignation also captured on nationwide TV, itself an all-time first - when David Frost, British talk-show host, (Michael Sheen) proposes a series of live TV interviews with the former US president (Frank Langella).

His producers are not impressed. For one thing, David Frost himself was a light-weight show master, best known for satirical comedy and shallow celebrity interviews in the UK and Australia. For another, "Tricky Dick" himself was inundated with major offers. But when money talks, people listen, and Frost simply made Nixon`s agent "Swifty" Lazar (Toby Jones) an offer he couldn`t refuse; which he ended up having to pay out of his own pocket when the US networks declined to take the bait.

Added to this, Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon), Nixon`s chief adviser, negotiated strict rules of engagement, which he felt certain would shield the ex-president from any discomfiture, and might offer him the chance to make a better impression on the American people, in the hopes of further political office - maybe even back to the White House. The intentions of Frost and his team, however, could not have been more diametrically opposed; for they hoped to give Nixon the trial he never had, elicit some juicy revelations, as well as a major confession.

Sheen and Langella developed and refined their respective roles in the stage play, which debuted in London`s West End in August 2006, opening on Broadway the following year. Ron Howard`s decision to use the stage actors in his film adaptation was a stroke of pure genius. Langella`s performance as the wily, intelligent, hugely egotistical Richard Nixon, who needed to be firmly in control of every situation - he was not called "Tricky Dick" for nothing - makes it clear that he was the only conceivable choice for the role. So much more than a mere impersonation, Langella actually "becomes" Richard Nixon, getting under his very skin.

At an estimated budget of $35 million, Frost/Nixon has grossed just under $16 mill. at the box office since its limited US release on December 5, 2008. But the Oscar buzz and the movie`s fascinating look into a major chapter of modern, political history should generate some solid success. The dramatic performances are understated yet truly absorbing and manage to generate extraordinary tension, considering that we all know the outcome of the event. But the fascination lies in the chess game between Nixon and Frost, megalomaniacs both, each striving for control. "The limelight can only shine on one of us," says Nixon, in an episode that takes place before the final televised showdown. The performances of the other members of the ensemble cast, the director`s loving attention to historical detail, the editing, set design, the score, everything, really is absolutely faultless. But it is the portrayals of the film`s two leading characters that will earn lasting recognition and, perhaps, even an Oscar or two.

Frost/Nixon (France/UK/USA 2008); Genre: drama; MPAA Rating: R (some language); Running time: 122 minutes; Distributor: Universal Pictures/UPI; US release date: Dec. 5, 2008 (limited); German release date: Feb. 5, 2009); Director: Ron Howard; Writers: Peter Morgan (screenplay) (play); Main cast: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon, Toby Jones, Matthew MacFadyen, Oliver Platt, Kate Jennings Grant, Patty McCormack; Cinematographer: Salvatore Totino; Music: Hans Zimmer; Production designer: Michael Corenblith; Editors: Dan Hanley, Mike Hill

Summary: A dramatic reconstruction of the post-Watergate TV interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and ex-president Richard Nixon.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 12.02. 2009
  Foto: © UPI
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 12.02. 2009

 Sacrificing justice to expediency

Berlin (Weltexpress) - What could have been a tense, judicial drama about the conflict between justice and political interests unfortunately falls far short of "stormy". Shot mostly in English - although the dialog is contrived, often nonsensical, and sounds like a literal translation of Bernd Lange`s original German script - Storm is obviously hoping to find resonance in the international, theatrical marketplace. Little more than a low-budget TV movie, however - not helped by the director`s decision to use hand-held camera throughout - it is unlikely to meet with much success outside some limited European territories.

The film opens in 2006 with the arrest of former Yugoslav National Army commander Goran Duric (Drazen Kuehn), who is accused of war crimes. Alleged to have ordered the deportation and subsequent slaughter of a group of Bosnian civilians, mostly women and children, fifteen years previously in the small town of Kasmaj, in what is now the Rebublika Srpska.

Keith orders Hannah to go back to the drawing board and get a new handle on the case. Which she does by tracking down Alen`s sister Mira (Anamaria Marinca), finally persuading her to take the stand and tell of the harrowing events she witnessed and experienced firsthand. And this leads to the revelation of further evil deeds perpetrated by Duric: namely mass rape in a resort hotel near Kasmaj.

Mira, who has since built up a new life with a husband and son in Germany, agrees to testify in The Hague, despite threats and harassment from Serbian nationalists; for Duric has now become a national hero and is in line for major political advancement. But pre-trial, backstage machinations result in the court`s refusal to admit Mira`s testimony and so a deal is struck instead - and justice is once again sacrificed to expediency.

Hans-Christian Schmid, (23, Crazy, Requiem), who generated a real sense of urgency in his claustrophobic drama Requiem, has raised some controversial issues in Storm: namely the general futility of the EU tribunal - due for possible closure in 2010 - when it comes to trying cases involving crimes against humanity; together with the currently popular cinematic themes of "the individual against the system," and corporate and political corruption in general.

Storm features some fine thespian talent, Kerry Fox, Stephen Dillane and especially Romanian actress Annemaria Marienca (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), but the director gives them little to work with and the production seems dull and tired. The continual meandering back and forth between the Netherlands, Germany and the Balkans, does not add to the suspense of this badly written European hodge-podge, where subsidy boards and TV networks seem to have dictated the creativity as well as the budget.

Asked to give points or "stars" from one to five for the quality and entertainment value of this motion picture, I would have to give it a "one". I don`t buy a cinema ticket to see a TV movie.

STORM (Germany 2009); German distributor: Pfiffl Medien; Running time: 102 minutes; Director/Writer: Hans-Christian Schmidt; Writer: Bernd Lange; Main cast: Kerry Fox, Anamaria Marinca, Stephen Dillane, Rolf Lassgard, Patrick Färber; Music: The Notwist; Cinematographer: Bogumil Godfrejow; Production designer: Christian M. Goldbeck: Editor: Hans Jörg Weissbrich

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 09.02. 2009
  Photo: © 23/5, Zentropa, IDTV, Gerald von Foris
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 09.02. 2009

Berlin (Weltexpress) - Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Stephen Daldry), Best Adapted Screenplay (David Hare), Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins) and Best Leading Actress (Kate Winslet) and 5 BAFTAs in the same categories, as well as 4 Golden Globe Nominations with a win and a SAG Award for Kate Winslet as Best Actress in a Supporting Role - work that one out - there is little doubt that The Reader is one of the finest films of the year. Its pedigree is of the highest and marks yet another successful collaboration between director Stephen Daldry and writer/playwright David Hare (The Hours), and is dedicated to its two producers Anthony Minghella and Sidney Pollack, who tragically died before the picture was completed.

David Hare`s screen adaptation of Bernhard Schlink`s hugely successful 1995 novel "Der Vorleser", translated into more than 40 languages and the very first German language novel ever to reach the top of the New York Times bestseller list, is a powerful story of post-war Germany: of guilt, remorse, accountability and the effects of the Holocaust on the next generation. .

Eight years go by: Michael grows up, moves on and is attending law school in Heidelberg. His professor (Bruno Ganz) sends him to a trial of Nazi war criminals as an observer and suddenly there she is again: Hanna is one of the defendants. As her past unfolds in the courtroom, Michael discovers a dark secret that will affect them both for the rest of their lives - and would even buy Hanna her freedom, should she choose to reveal it.

Although young David Kross and Ralph Fiennes, who plays the adult Michael Berg, successful lawyer narrating events in flashback from the distance of 1995, both put in convincing performances, this is without doubt Kate Winslet`s film. She lights up the screen whenever she appears. Passionate yet vulnerable, her emotional depth and dramatic impact - especially in the courtroom scenes - are truly astonishing, despite the fact that she says very little. Desperate, conflicted, broken, courageous - everything can be read in her face. It is from this point that the motion picture gathers strength and focus, as The Reader and its characters deal with shame, repentance, accountability and acceptance. It is about "communicating while failing to communicate", and how a generation comes to terms with the deeds of its forebears.

At a press conference held in Berlin prior to the film`s festival screening on February 6, novelist Bernhard Schlink expressed satisfaction with the screen adaptation of his work and, when asked whether his book was autobiographical, said, "Every book is autobiographical. So is this." This, of course, left us all speculating.

THE READER (US/Germany 2008); Genre: drama; US distributor: The Weinstein Co.; US release date: Dec. 10, 2008 (limited); Jan. 9, 2009 (wide); German distributor: Senator Films; German release date: Feb. 26, 2009; Director: Stephen Daldry; Writer/screenplay: David Hare, based on the novel "Der Vorleser" by Bernhard Schlink; Main cast: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Bruno Ganz; Cinematographers: Roger Deakins, Chris Menges; Composer: Nico Muhly; Production designer: Brigitte Broch; Editor: Claire Simpson.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 07.02. 2009
  Foto: © 2008 The Weinstein Company/Melinda Sue Gordon, SMPSP
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 07.02. 2009

 Control the debt and you control the world

 Clive Owen

Berlin (Weltexpress) - Although set in present day, The International is partly inspired by the BCCI, (Bank of Credit & Commerce International) banking scandal, which began in the 1980s and peaked in 1991 in a nasty storm of headlines: corruption, extortion, espionage, drug smuggling, kidnapping, arms dealing, and murder - you name it, they did it. The fictitious bank in Erich Warren Singer`s clever screenplay does all of that and more and has been 8 years in gestation. Director Tom Tykwer (Run, Lola, Run; Heaven; Perfume) has finally brought it to the screen and The International celebrated its glittering premier last night as it opened the 59th Berlin Film Festival.

This lavish, political-paranoid thriller, starring Clive Owen, Naomi Watts and Armin Mueller Stahl, takes us on an exhilarating 2-hour ride across half the globe: from Berlin to Milan, from Luxemburg to Lyon, from New York to Istanbul, as Interpol agent Louis Salinger, (played by an unshaven Clive Owen in a characterization somewhere between Children of Men and Shoot ‘Em Up) and New York Assistant DA Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) investigate the nefarious activities of one of the world`s largest banks - fictitious, of course. Arms dealing, money-laundering, toppling governments, and financing terrorist activities in order to gain "control of debt" and, thus, of the world; the stakes are high, the conspiracy huge, the highest authorities are involved and the bank will allow nothing - not even murder - to get in its way.

The tone is set in the very opening sequence. On stake-out outside Berlin`s central railway station, Salinger is helplessly forced to watch as his colleague dies in the street, killed by a casually administered lethal injection, just after meeting an informer; who likewise meets his end in an automobile "accident" shortly thereafter. And this is the fate meted out to all informers or witnesses able to denounce the bank or bring it and its executives to justice. Perhaps more unconventional methods are required to bring the financial institution to its knees, suggests the bank`s consultant, well-played, as always, by Armin Mueller Stahl.

 Any similarity to current events is strictly coincidental, said Tykwer at the press conference, surrounded by his actors Clive Owen, Ulrich Thomsen (who plays a very convincing hit-man) and Armin Mueller-Stahl, as well as producer Charles Roven, although the director maintained that almost everything portrayed in The International is firmly rooted in fact. Originally planned to screen in August 2008, the film required the addition of some action sequences (namely an amazingly successful 15-minute shoot-out at the brilliantly reconstructed Guggenheim Museum) and, as it happens, its timing couldn`t be better. Screening in the midst of a global economic crisis, the villain of the piece is a major financial institution and one that hardly needs a government bailout. To say that current events have turned The International almost into a documentary, however, is patently absurd, although there is food enough for thought - and the probabilities are disturbing.

There is a certain coldness to the leading characters, however, who are obsessed with their pursuit of the villains and have little or no backstory. Although Clive Owens turns in an intense and compelling performance, that of Naomi Watts is tepid to say the least and her character serves as little more than ornamentation, or an extra attraction to the distributors, and another star name on the poster. But despite this, The International is well-crafted, with exotic and unusual locations - the rooftops of Istanbul are especially worthy of mention - and beautifully photographed. Although shot mostly in and around the Berlin area, the movie is still as international as its name implies: the respective languages are spoken throughout (subtitled, naturally), which gives the movie extra authenticity. Special accolades, too, to the composer team of Tom Tykwer, Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek, who have given their dynamically distinctive trademark to the film score: a perfect blend of image and sound.

I found The International riveting, thought-provoking and can highly recommend it to those seeking intelligent entertainment.

THE INTERNATIONAL (USA/Germany); Genre: Thriller; Running time: 120 mins.; US Distributor: Columbia Pictures: German distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing; US Release date: Feb. 13, 2009; German release date: Feb. 12, 2009; Director/Composer: Tom Tykwer; Writer: Eric Warren Singer; Main cast: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Müller Stahl, Ulirk Thomsen; Cinematographer: Frank Griebe; Music: Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek; Production design: Uli Hanisch; Editor: Mathilde Bonnefoy

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 06.02. 2009
  Photo: © Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 06.02. 2009

“My city screams. She is my lover. And I am her spirit.” Yet another masked crusader

Los Angeles (Weltexpress) - Best known as the writer of such successful comics, screen adaptations and graphic novels as 300, Elektra, Ronin, Buck Rogers, and the RoboCop and Sin City franchises (yes, number 2 of the latter is currently in production, along with a plethora of new blockbuster sequels, prequels and franchises planned to hit the screens in 2009), Frank Miller now tries his hand at directing Will Eisner’s classic comic superhero The Spirit.

Against the green screen of Central City, Gabriel Macht, (The Good Shepherd, A Love Song For Bobby Long and The Recruit) plays rookie cop Denny Colt, murdered and since mysteriously resurrected as The Spirit, a masked crusader whose mission it is to fight the city’s crime. This mainly involves prevailing over his arch enemy known as The Octopus (wryly played by Samuel L. Jackson), with whom he has a strange connection. The Spirit stalks this psycho megalomaniac through doomy docklands, murky marshes, ramshackle warehouses and dingy subterranean caverns - all the while fighting off a horde of lovely ladies, all bent on killing him, seducing him, or both.

Without going too deeply into any backstory - a wise decision, as it happens - the action begins with The Spirit being summoned to assist an old buddy in the force. He arrives at the waterfront to find his pal dead; in his hand, a locket belonging to The Spirit’s own childhood sweetheart, Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), who has grown up to become a notorious, and exceptionally curvaceous, jewel thief. We discover (in flashback) that the cop was killed by the Octopus, who is after one of two treasure chests that Sand has salvaged from a sunken cargo vessel. One of them holds an urn containing the “Blood of Hercules”, which bestows immortality and superhuman powers, while the other contains a fortune in jewels. So it’s a matter of “the wrong box”: Sand has departed with the urn instead of the jewels and the Octopus is determined to get his hands on it. Thereafter the film follows Octopus’ pursuit of the urn and The Spirit’s efforts to stop him. He is assisted in this, or hindered as the case may be, by a supporting cast consisting of police commissioner Dolan (Dan Lauria), his daughter who is also The Spirit’s long-suffering physician (she is constantly patching him up) and love interest Ellen (Sarah Paulson), Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), Octopus` conniving partner in crime, and his mob of look-a-like henchmen, (all played by Louis Lombardi), as well as a gorgeously-lethal flamenco dancer played by Paz Vega, together with some other cardboard cut-outs.

As you have already gathered, the plot is as convoluted as it is absurd. The characters have all the charisma of a gooseberry flan, especially The Spirit himself, heroically yet ineffectively played by Macht (not the stuff of super heroes); although Jackson does seem to be enjoying himself in the flamboyant role of the Octopus. Despite all this, Miller`s script is spiced with some attempts at ironic humor, as well as lots of curves, cleavage, clones and cojones; giving the picture some zest, and his ensemble vigorously plunge themselves into the “noir” ambience, cheerfully tossing out quips and sexual innuendos.

Although the sets and art design are visually stunning and Miller is a master of imagery, the technique of using live actors against animated backgrounds is not quite as dynamic as it was for Sin City, three years back, or even the more recent 300, and the dismal setting of Central City is often overpowering. As opposed to Sin City too, the tedium is unrelieved by any subplots or alternative locations and the movie’s 108 minutes seems a whole lot longer. Made for an undeclared budget - but it couldn’t have been cheap - it has grossed just under $28 million since its US release on Xmas Day, although it is yet to open in some foreign territories.

THE SPIRIT (US 2008); Genre: Running time: 108 minutes; Rated PG-13; US distributor: Lionsgate; US release date: Dec. 25, 2008; International distributor: Sony Pictures; German release date: Jan. 29, 2009; Director/Writer: Frank Miller, based on the comic book series created by Will Eisner; Music: Michael Dennison; Main cast: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L Jackson, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Scarlett Johansson, Dan Lauria, Paz Vega, Eric Balfour, Jaime King, Louis Lombardi; Cinematography: Bill Pope; Production designer: Rosario Provenza; Editor: Gregory Nussbaum; Poster: © Lionsgate/Sony Pictures

Summary: Rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the grave as The Spirit, a masked crusader whose mission is to fight crime and the evil pervading Central City, embodied by his arch-enemy, The Octopus, who is bent on destruction. Tracking the psychotic killer through the mean streets of the city, The Spirit must likewise face a bevy of beauties, all bent on murder, seduction - or both.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 27.01. 2009
  Foto: © Sony Pictures
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 27.01. 2009

Los Angeles (Weltexpress) - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads this year’s Oscar nominations (13) with Slumdog Millionaire right behind (10). They were joined by Milk, The Reader and Frost/Nixon as best picture candidates. The Dark Knight and Milk received 8 nominations each, with a best supporting actor nom for the late Heath Ledger, as expected. Although the second highest grossing picture of all time, The Dark Knight’s nominations were otherwise all in the technical categories.

British director Danny Boyle received his first best director nomination for Slumdog Millionaire, together with fellow countryman Stephen Daldry for The Reader, David Fincher for Benjamin Button, Gus Van Sant for Milk and Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon. The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, was overlooked in both director and screenplay categories, as was Clint Eastwood, despite Golden Globe nominations for his two films Gran Torino and Changeling. His Changeling star Angelina Jolie did win a best actress nomination, however, and is up against Meryl Streep, who notched up a record-breaking 15th best actress nomination for her leading role in Doubt, with Kate Winslet receiving her 6th for The Reader, although she was expected to be nominated in both actress categories after her double Golden Globe win. Other best actress contenders are Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married and Melissa Leo for Frozen River. Jolie’s husband Brad Pitt received a best actor nod for Benjamin Button, and will be vying against Frank Langella for his portrayal of former president Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon, Sean Penn in Milk, Richard Jenkins for The Visitor and Golden Globe winning Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler.

Michael Shannon of Revolutionary Road was a surprising addition to the best supporting actor category, despite expectations by the film’s leads Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. He is joined by Josh Brolin for Milk, Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt, Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder, as well as the popular favourite Heath Ledger, of course, nominated on the very anniversary of his tragic death. Best supporting actress nominations go to Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler, Taraji P. Henson for Benajmin Button, Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona and both Amy Adams and Viola Davis for Doubt.

Best foreign language nominees are Germany’s The Baader Meinhof Complex, France’s The Class, Japan’s Departures, Austria’s Revanche and Israel’s Waltz With Bashir, the latter tipped as the favorite. And contenders for best animated feature continue to be Bolt, Kung Fu Panda and Wall-E, the latter winning a further 5 nominations, including best score and best original song (Down To Earth by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman).

Here is the complete list of nominees:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire, HYPERLINK "http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=41714&strSearch=milk&strCallingPage=ScreenDailySearchReviews.aspx" Milk, Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Reader

Best Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire, David Fincher - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon, Stephen Daldry - The Reader, Gus Van Sant - Milk

Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black - Milk, Martin McDonagh - In Bruges, Courtney Hunt - Frozen River, Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter - Wall-E

Best Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth, Robin Swicord - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon, John Patrick Shanley – Doubt, David Hare - The Reader, Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon, Sean Penn - Milk, Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler, Brad Pitt - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Richard Jenkins - The Visitor

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Anne Hathaway - Rachel`s Getting Married, Meryl Streep - Doubt, Angelina Jolie - Changeling, Kate Winslet - The Reader, Melissa Leo - - Frozen River

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight, Josh Brolin - Milk, Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt, Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder, Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Amy Adams - Doubt, Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler, Viola Davis - Doubt, Taraji P Henson - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Best Animated Film: Bolt, HYPERLINK "http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=38856" Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film: The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany), Revanche (Austria) The Class (France), Departures (Japan), Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Best Documentary Feature: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath - The Betrayal (Nerakhoon), Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser - Encounters At The End Of The World,  Scott Hamilton Kennedy - The Garden, James Marsh and Simon Chinn - Man On Wire,   Tia Lessin and Carl Deal - Trouble The Water

Best Documentary Short Subject: Steven Okazaki - The Conscience Of Nhem En, Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant Smile Pink iMegan Mylan - The Final Inch, Adam Pertofsky, Margaret Hyde - The Witness From The Balcony Of Room 306

Best Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis - Changeling, Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando - The Dark Knight, Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway - The Duchess, Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt - Revolutionary Road

Best Cinematography: Tom Stern - Changeling, Claudio Miranda - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight, Chris Menges, Roger Deakins - The Reader Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire

Costume Design: Catherine Martin -Australia, Jacqueline West - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Michael O`Connor - The Duchess, Danny Glicker - Milk, Albert Wolsky - Revolutionary Road

Film Editing: Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Lee Smith - The Dark Knight, Mike Hill, Dan Hanley - Frost/Nixon, Elliot Graham - Milk, Chris Dickens - Slumdog Millionaire

Makeup: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Music (Score): The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Defiance, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, Wall-E

Music (Song): Down To Earth - Wall-E, Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire, O Saya - Slumdog Millionaire

Short Film (Animated): La Maison En Petits Cubes, Lavatory – Lovestory, Oktapodi, Presto, This Way Up

Short Film (Live Action): On The Line (Auf Der Strecke), Manon On The Asphalt, New Boy, The Pig, Toyland (Spielzeugland)

Sound Editing: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, Wall-E, Wanted

Sound Mixing: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, Wall-E, Wanted

Visual Effects: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Iron Man

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 25.01. 2009
  Photo: © Weltexpress
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 25.01. 2009

Operation Walküre starts in Berlin

Los Angeles (Weltexpress) - Bryan Singer’s complex wartime thriller starring Tom Cruise as a German officer who conspires to assassinate Hitler, VALKYRIE is based on true events and compensates for its lack of vigor with loving attention to detail and fine performances from its ensemble cast.

Although it had some stiff competition at the US box office, Bryan Singer’s wartime thriller made just over $30 million in its opening Christmas weekend. At an estimated budget of $95 million - with an extra $70 million tossed in for marketing - it looks set to do well internationally when it screens overseas in January/February 2009; its basis in historical fact and Cruise’s box office appeal likely to offset the many negative reviews.

Set mainly in Nazi Germany of July, 1944, the plot centres on Colonel Klaus von Stauffenberg (Cruise), who, severely wounded in the Desert War and sickened by the atrocities committed by Hitler and his SS, returns to the Reich determined to rid the Fatherland of the madman at its helm. Joining a covert group of conspirators, including some senior military officers and political leaders, von Stauffenberg improves upon a plan to assassinate Hitler and take advantage of the resulting confusion to seize Berlin; By initiating Hitler’s very own emergency plan, code name: “Operation Valkyrie” - drafted to avoid governmental chaos in the event of the Fuehrer’s death or defeat - and then rapidly marshal the reserve troops and deploy them against the SS.

VALKYRIE is more about Machiavellian scheming than any major action, apart from an early air attack in the North African desert (where von Stauffenberg loses an eye, a hand and some fingers off the other) and although, like TITANIC, we are all aware of the outcome, this in no way lessens the suspense.

Singer could have infused more vitality and visual dynamics into the storyline, however, which at times seems forced and emotionally flat. His hero von Stauffenberg, well portrayed by Cruise, who is to carry out the bomb-in-a-suitcase assassination attempt on Hitler at the Wolf’s Lair, is suitably grim. There is much stiff-upper-lip dialog about pride, patriotism, honour and duty, and little sensitivity, although screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) and Nathan Alexander have done well in condensing the complicated conspiracy plot which actually resulted in the arrest of about 700 individuals, more than 200 of whom were executed. This was the last of more than 14 known attempts to assassinate Hitler, or so we are told at the end of the movie.

The director (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, X-MEN franchise) pays painstaking care to historical detail and the downward spiral of desperation against the ticking of the clock. The group of conspirators surrounding von Stauffenberg, including Bill Nighy as the vacillating General Friedrich Olbricht, Terrence Stamp as political big shot Ludwig Beck and an especially convincing performance from Tom Wilkinson as General Friedrich Fromm, whose collaboration in the plot is never certain, as well as such gifted actors as Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Izzard, and Thomas Kretschmann, gives great credence to the narrative. But more attention to the characters; their conflicts, insecurities and personal dramas might have resulted in more dramatic effect than Singer’s almost single-minded focus on the mechanics of the assassination plot itself, which is doomed to failure. Little use is made of the fine talents of actress Carice van Houten (BLACK BOOK), for example, who plays von Stauffenberg’s wife, apart from some ornamental trimming.

Some critics have disparaged the use of the various English and American accents, maintaining that they undermine the film’s credibility. I strongly disagree. Natural, regional English and US accents are certainly preferable to the false and almost laughable German accents of, say, HOGAN’S HEROES. And while making mention of an old TV series, other critics have hailed Bryan Singer’s production of VALKYRIE as the finest and most costly dramatised TV documentary ever made: lacking characters, significant motives, or any introspection.

Be all that as it may, the technical package is lavish. DP Newton Thomas Sigel captures the mood of despondency in many shades of grey, while John Ottman’s score perfectly underlines every image and nuance, as is to be expected when the composer is also the film’s editor.

VALKYRIE (USA/Germany 2008); German title: OPERATION WALKÜRE; Genre: Historical-drama; Running time: 110 minutes: Rating: PG-13; US distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Films; US Release date: December 25, 2008; International distributor: 20th Century Fox; Director: Bryan Singer; Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Gilbert Adler; Main cast: Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschman, Eddie Izard; Composer/Editor: John Ottman; Cinematographer: Newton Thomas Sigel; Production designers: Lilly Kilvert, Patrick Lumb, Tom Meyer

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 21.01. 2009
  Photo: © 20th Century Fox
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights by the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 21.01. 2009

`Slumdog` is Top Dog and Two for Kate

 Los Angeles (Weltexpress) - Almost to compensate for the non-event it was last year, due to the writers` strike - this year`s 66th Annual Golden Globes ceremony held at LA`s Beverly Hilton Hotel was a glittering event, current financial crisis and potential actors` strike notwithstanding. Just about everybody was there. And dressed up to the nines they were, too.

Fox Searchlight`s relatively low-budget ($15 million) Slumdog Millionaire took on the big studio dogs, virtually cleaning up with four drama awards in all the categories for which it had been nominated, including best picture, best screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), best soundtrack (A.R. Rahman) and a best director for Danny Boyle. Kate Winslet, to her astonishment, walked off with both dramatic prizes, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, for her roles in Revolutionary Road and The Reader, respectively, while two awards went to The Wrestler: A Best Actor for Mickey Rourke`s brilliant return to the screen and for Bruce Springsteen`s Best Original Song. Disney/Pixar`s WALL-E won the award for Best Animated Feature and Waltz With Bashir won the Best Foreign Feature award, which came as no surprise to anyone; as did the drama award for best supporting actor going to the late Heath Ledger for his astonishing performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight.

In the best comedy or musical category, Woody Allen`s Vicky Cristina Barcelona took best picture prize, with Sally Hawkins nabbing the Best Actress award for Happy-Go-Lucky, and the Best Actor award going to Colin Farrell for In Bruges.

When it came to TV, John Adams cleaned up in the TV literary drama department as Best TV drama, with a Best Actor for Paul Giamatti in the title role, Best Actress to Laura Linney and a Best Supporting Actor to Tom Wilkinson.

Madmen was voted best TV drama series, with Best Actor in this category going to Gabriel Byrne for his role in Treatment, Best Actress to Anna Paquin for her performance in the vampire series True Blood, and best supporting actress to Laura Dern for her role in the TV movie Recount.

30 Rock again won hands down as best TV comedy series, with Best Actor and Actress awards likewise going to its stars Alec Baldwin and Tiny Fey.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 13.01. 2009
  Photo: © Weltexpress
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 13.01. 2009

SEVEN POUNDS (USA 2008) - German title: Sieben Leben

Frankfurt am Main (Weltexpress) - A sort of emotional follow-up to PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, superstar Will Smith and director Gabriele Muccino team up once again to tug at our heartstrings and get us reaching for the Kleenex in this turgid romantic-drama.

Unlike its surprisingly successful predecessor, which even won Smith an Oscar nomination for Best Actor last year, this offering unfortunately lacks any humour to offset the syrupy, guilt-ridden drama, but is doubtless bound to please a certain audience demographic, mostly female (and probably Oprah Winfrey fans); evidenced by the fact that it has already grossed just under $45 million at the US box office since its release on December 19. Will Smith’s undisputed screen magnetism should also ensure it moderate success in the foreign market when it opens in January/February.

With the screenplay penned by Grant Nieporte (writer of TV sitcom SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH), the story begins by introducing us to Ben Thomas (Smith), an apparently humble IRS agent (i.e. tax collector), simultaneously suggesting that he is not what he seems with nebulous clues about his mysterious background.

Haunted by recollections of happier times, before a sudden auto accident put an end to it all, Ben lives alone in a luxurious beach house that is obviously far beyond the means of a lowly Inland Revenue employee.

During the picture’s torturous first half, Ben visits various individuals with tax problems, at the same time singling out those he feels deserving of good fortune. These include a blind piano player working as a telemarketer (Woody Harrelson), an abused wife and mother (Elpidia Carrillo), a hospital administrator (Kevin Cooney), and finally Emily (Rosario Dawson), an attractive woman suffering from a fatal cardiac condition. While most are treated with compassion and eased of their financial burden, one of them gets the come-uppance so rightly deserved. Once Rosario Dawson appears on the scene, the action veers more in the direction of a traditional love story and it is the developing relationship between Emily and Ben that uplifts the storyline and adds some true feeling that is otherwise lacking.

As Ben’s intentions are gradually revealed and the mystery slowly unfolds - one organ at a time - in the second half, the movie becomes exponentially more predictable and irritating. As does its main protagonist, whose quest for redemption loses all dramatic force the longer it goes on, leading to a finale that is almost as absurd as it is tragic. That being said, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house after the press screening - which means that even the most hard-nosed of the (male) journalists were reaching for their hankies.

Although Muccino, only known for directing various Italian productions (THE LAST KISS) before last year’s PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, creates some emotionally charged interludes during the romantic sequences, there is little light and shade, or any change of tempo. The picture is monotonously lethargic, with hardly any relief. Smith`s charisma carries it through, however, despite his mournful characterization, and here he is greatly helped by Rosario Dawson, who gives the role of Emily much more weight than it might have had. Their screen time together is truly compelling.

SEVEN POUNDS (USA 2008) (German title: SIEBEN LEBEN); Genre: Drama; Running time: 123 minutes; US distribution: Columbia Pictures; US Release date: December 19, 2008; International distribution: Sony Pictures Releasing; German release date: January 8, 2009; Director: Gabriele Muccino; Writer: Grant Nieporte; Composer: Angelo Milli; Main cast: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper, Woody Harrelson, Elpidia Carrillo, Cinematographer: Philippe Le Sourd; Production designer: J Michael Riva; Editor: Hughes Winborne

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 06.01. 2009
  Foto: © Sony Pictures Releasing GmbH, Deutschland
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 06.01. 2009

German title: SO FINSTER DIE NACHT (Sweden 2008)

Frankfurt am Main (Weltexpress) - Oskar, a pale, lonely boy, bullied by his schoolmates, finds love and revenge when he meets Eli, a strange, compelling girl, who is unfortunately also a vampire.

Set in a bleak and icy Stockholm suburb in the 1980s, LET THE RIGHT ON IN tells the story of 12-year old Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), a pale, lonely boy, unrelentingly terrorized by his classmates. Shunted between his divorced parents, who pay him little attention, his hobbies are somewhat grotesque: collecting newspaper articles about murders and gory accidents and dreaming savage dreams of revenge on his tormentors. But things suddenly change when he meets Eli (Lina Leandersson), a girl the same age, who has moved into the next door apartment with her father. Oskar is quick to notice that something is not quite right with the pallid girl, who only appears at night and seems completely insensitive to the biting cold but, as lonely and reclusive as he, they strike up a friendship and gradually become close. And soon, with Eli`s support, Oskar begins to stand up for himself and face his bullies. When he discovers that Eli is a vampire and responsible for several brutal deaths in the region, he is torn between his fear of her - after all, he could be her next lunch - and his burgeoning feelings for his newfound friend.

What works so well in both the novel and the film is that the elements of horror blend so harmoniously into the sensitive framework, lending both an indefinable quality that makes them so very special. Technically a horror movie, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is more of a coming-of-age story about the developing friendship between two young outcasts and thus much more than just another vampire tale. There is the budding of a love story, but one without any outright sensuality, for the children are young and sexually innocent. Nor is there the excessive gore we have come to expect from the genre. Director Tomas Alfredson is more focused on the emotional aspects than shocking suspense, although the movie does have its own unique atmosphere. In stark, depressing colors, the film tells a poignant story of friendship and the end of childhood in the darkness, snow and ice of the Land of the Midnight Sun, beautifully underscored by the music of Johan Söderqvist.

True to well-established vampire myth: blood is Eli`s only sustenance (Oskar offers her a candy but she throws it back up), she cannot enter a dwelling uninvited, nor can she endure sunlight, has icy cold skin, can move and shinny up walls at terrific speed, and her bite is either lethal or contagious. Only 12 years old, "But I`ve been 12 for a very long time," as she says, like a hunted animal she must move from place to place to avoid discovery and capture. A melancholy creature, yet not quite so tragic and self-castigating as the characters depicted in the recent cult movie TWILIGHT, to which it is often compared, or the popular TV series TRUE BLOOD - vampires are quite the rage at the moment - Eli`s character is somehow refreshing. Played by first-time actress, Lina Leandersson, is very good indeed: coming across as both enigmatic and compelling, her appearance shifting from youthful innocence to a countenance from the world of nightmare and all things in between (accolades here to the make-up artists). Oskar is effectively played by first-timer Käre Hedebrant. Pale blond, pasty, slight of stature, he is aloof, diffident, and just a bit weird.

Many of the incidental characters, some of whom are destined to be Eli`s victims, are less convincing and much of the dialog seems wooden - which may well be the fault of the German dubbing - although in the US the movie was screened in Swedish with English subtitles, never popular with American audiences. And this is one of the handicaps which might prevent this film from attracting the wide audience it so well deserves. Another is that it is aimed at no clear target group. Too slow-moving and possibly too sensitive for the teen market; while offering too little gore for hardcore horror fans, or too much for the sensitive Arthouse crowd.

Still, it has swept up an array of coveted critics and festival awards, including three CFCAs (Chicago Film Critics Association Awards) for Best Foreign Language Film, Most Promising Filmmaker (Tomas Alfredson) and Most Promising Performer (Lina Leandersson), the Edinburgh International Film Festival, FantAsia Film Festival, Göteborg Film Festival, NatFilm Festival, Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival, the SEFCA Award, Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and voted best narrative feature at the Tribeca Film Festival, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards, and the Woodstock Film Festival - so it has hardly gone unacknowledged.

SO FINSTER DIE NACHT (Sweden 2008); English title: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN; Original Swedish title: Lät den rötte komma in); Genre: Horror-drama; US distributor: Magnolia Pictures: US release date: November 24, 2008; German distributor: MFA Filmverleih; German release date: Dec. 23, 2008; Running time: 114 minutes; Director: Tomas Alfredson; Writer: John Ajvide Lindqvist, (based on the novel LET ME IN; Main cast: Käre Hedebrandt, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar; Music: Johan Söderqvist; Cinematographer: Hoyte Van Hoytema; Production designer: Eva Norän; Editor: Dino Jonsäter

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 30.12. 2008
  Photo: © MFA Filmverleih
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 30.12. 2008

BEDTIME STORIES (USA 2008)

A family comedy about a hotel handyman whose life changes when the lavish bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to magically come true.

Frankfurt (Weltexpress) - All in all, it looks like 2008 will have been a good year for Adam Sandler. Apart from finally capturing the international market with his outrageously tasteless summer hit DON`T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN, which recouped its $90 million budget more than twice over, raking in just under $201 million at the box office and which I personally loathed, BEDTIME STORIES has already generated $10.5 million on its Christmas Day opening.

The old Hollywood maxim applies as much today, as ever: Don`t compete on the screen with young children or animals. In BEDTIME STORIES, Sandler appears with both and, apart from being generally upstaged by a CG-enhanced guinea pig, manages to hold his own pretty well. Adam Sandler`s very first film squarely aimed at the family market, his bawdy buffoonery is much toned down in BEDTIME STORIES, directed by Adam Shankman (THE PACIFIER, HAIRSPRAY) and written by Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy (BIG DADDY).

Adam Sandler plays Skeeter Bronson, a somewhat socially dysfunctional but generally nice guy, who works as a handyman and general dog`s body in a small, elite LA hotel once owned by his father (Jonathan Pryce). Asked by his sister Wendy (the ever-anorexic Courtney Cox) to look after her kids for a few days while she takes off to Phoenix for a job interview, Skeeter initially finds the task challenging, especially as his niece (Laura Ann Kelsing) and nephew (Jonathan Morgan Heit) have grown up sheltered from TV, computer games and even fast food. This means that Skeeter has to become more inventive when it comes to entertaining the kids instead of just parking them in front of the tube with a pizza. Thus in desperation, he begins telling them bedtime stories, all based, albeit loosely, on his own trials and frustrations in the daily workplace.

Giving free reign to his fantasy, he tells the kids adventurous tales of noble knights, the Wild West, Greek heroes and bold space travellers, and the kids just eat them up, soon adding their own imaginative elements to the mix. And to Skeeter`s amazement, the stories magically start becoming true - to the extent where the fine line between fantasy and reality is no longer so easy to determine. Fantasy sequences are interspersed throughout, all featuring Sandler and the ensemble, when the bedtime stories come to life.

Apart from Skeeter`s problems at the hotel, where he has to vie with the unctuous hotel manager (a wonderfully slimy Guy Pierce), there is a touch of romance with the children`s teacher, Jill (Keri Russell), some comedy interaction with his buddy Mickey (British comic Russel Brand) and some good interludes with the boss`s daughter Violet (played by Australian actress Teresa Palmer) - a terrific Paris-Hilton parody - as well as a few mandatory tear-jerking scenes where Skeeter saves the day. All underscored with the excellent music of Rupert Gregson-Williams - produced where else, but in Hans Zimmer`s Remote Control Productions.

Shankman directs his international ensemble cast with a sure hand and all of them do him proud - especially the big-eyed guinea pig (un-credited), who pretty well upstages everybody and certainly got the most laughs at the recent press screenings. Although the comedy is largely random and many situations well over-the-top, BEDTIME STORIES is good family entertainment, especially for younger viewers.

BEDTIME STORIES (USA 2008); Genre: Family-comedy: Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures; Running time: 99 minutes; Release date: December 25, 2008; Director: Adam Shankman; Writers: Matt Lopez, Tim Herlihy; Main cast: Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths, Jonathan Pryce, Courtney Cox, Lucy Lawless, Teresa Palmer; Music: Rupert Gregson-Wlliams; Cinematography: Michael Barrett; Production design: Linda Descenna; Editors: Tom Costain, Michael Tronick.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 29.12. 2008
  Photo: © Walt Disney
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 29.12. 2008

INKHEART (US, Germany,UK 2008)

Frankfurt am Main (Weltexpress) - After the modestly successful screen versions of her popular children`s books THE WILD CHICKS and THE THIEF LORD, German writer Cornelia Funke has now joined the producer ranks for New Line`s production of part one of her INKHEART Trilogy; a worldwide bestseller, already translated into many languages.

At the heart of this fantasy adventure is 12-year old Meggie (Eliza Bennett), whose father Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser) has passed on to her a very special talent. Known as “Silvertongue”, he is able to bring to life fictional characters and objects from the books he reads aloud. But before long, Meggie discovers that this magical gift also has its dangers and comes at a very high price. For whenever a creature from a book is brought to life, then a real person must vanish into the world of books. This is the fate that overtook Meggie`s mother Resa (Sienna Guillory) when years ago Mo read aloud from the rare book entitled INKHEART. She vanished into its pages, as three of its characters were called forth: the wicked Capricorn (Andy Serkis), his henchman Basta, and one of the book`s heroes, the fire-eater known as "Dustfinger" (Paul Bettany), who is desperate to return to the medieval world of Inkheart. Desperately searching for a copy of the rare tome in order to bring Resa back, father and daughter are pursued by its evil villain Capricorn, who will stop at nothing to make use of their talents in order to spread his reign of terror over the real world.

British director Iain Softley, who has proved his versatility with films ranging from BACKBEAT and THE WINGS OF THE DOVE to K-PAX and THE SKELETON KEY, was the perfect choice for INKHEART. Despite its Hollywood veneer, Softley`s light touch, together with Cornelia Funke`s hands-on involvement, has prevented the film from turning into another mindless, special effects extravaganza. Dark, although less so than the novel, the fairy tale adventure is very compact and has been excellently translated to the screen.

Softley has likewise elected to make spare use of CGI and green-screen effects which - although many of the effects are consequently on a smaller scale - makes the movie`s climax all the more spectacular by comparison. Nor was this decision a matter of budget, for the estimated production cost amounted to approx. 30 million GBP. But the charm and humor of the story, its characters, and their interaction more than compensate. The picturesque locations, mostly in the UK and the Italian Riviera, lush cinematography and lovingly designed sets - with special accolades to DP Roger Pratt and production designer John Beard - create a distinct atmosphere, guaranteed to draw viewers swiftly into the magical world of INKHEART.

It is obvious, too, that the cast are enjoying themselves. Brendan Fraser puts in a strong performance as the literary adventurer, Silvertongue Mo, while the choice of Helen Mirren as the spirited Aunt Eleanor is truly inspiring. Paul Bettany is the perfect storybook anti-hero, and Andy Serkis sinister as the megalomaniac antagonist. The smaller roles are likewise well cast and the creature design also worthy of mention.

Although hardly able to compete with the HARRY POTTER franchise - the next one scheduled for release in July 2009, INKHEART is good cinema entertainment for both young and old alike.

INKHEART (USA/Germany/UK 2008) Distributor: Genre: Fantasy-adventure; Distributor: Warner Bros.; Running time: 106 minutes; US Release date: 23 Jan., 2009; German release date: 11 Dec., 2008; Director: Iain Softley; Writer (screenplay): David Lindsay-Abaire; Writer (novel): Cornelia Funke; Main cast: Brendan Fraser, Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Eliza Hope Bennett, Sienna Guillory; Cinematographer: Roger Pratt; Composer: Javier Navarrete; Production designer: John Beard; Editor: Martin Walsh

Summary: A young girl inherits her father`s wondrous talent of bringing characters to life by reading their stories aloud. Father and daughter, together with her aunt and a fictional hero, strive to prevent a storybook villain from spreading his terror throughout the real world.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 21.12. 2008
  Photo: © Warner Bros. Pictures
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 21.12. 2008

The Day the Earth Stood Still (USA 2008)

Frankfurt am Main (Weltexpress) - If you were still wondering whether Keanu Reeves is an alien, then this should put all such doubts to rest. The impassive Reeves is the perfect „Klaatu“, adamant off-worldly exterminator of mankind in director Scott Derrickson`s (THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE) remake of the 1951 classic. Unfortunately, that is the only perfect thing about it.

So what happened? The Robert Wise original, though far from perfect itself, was a compelling film with a strong message. In 1951, only six years after WWll, in the early days of the cold war, it was a statement against mankind`s tendency towards MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction), today it is global warming and man`s destruction of his environment. It should have been as eloquent today as in yesteryear. But although this latest version tackles some of the elements of the original, it creates new logistical problems and entirely lacks the sensitivity and intelligence of its predecessor.

In essence, the story is true to the original: life on earth as we know it changes abruptly as several huge spherical space craft land on the planet, the largest touching down in the middle of Central Park. From it emerges Klaatu (Reeves), together with a giant robot, Gort. Klaatu is promptly shot down by the military, who has turned out in force as a welcoming committee, and is bundled off to a secret medical facility for emergency surgery and, of course, extensive examination. Scientist Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) is among those fighting to save the life of the alien, who emerges in human form, frees himself from the humanoids` pathetic attempts to restrain him and announces that he has come to address the world`s leaders.

In flight from the US military under orders from Secretary of Defense Jackson (Kathy Bates), Helen becomes Klaatu`s only confidant, to whom he reveals the purpose of his mission: he has come to save the planet earth, which is too precious to be destroyed by its people. After much consideration, his race has decided that humankind must be annihilated if their world is to be saved.

The 1951 original is a true cinematic milestone, which had not only a lasting influence on science fiction cinema, but also on the literature of the genre. The cult sci-fi phrase „Klaatu Barada Nikto“, for example, is nowhere to be heard in this half-hearted remake, although the filmmakers swear it is there - if you listen. Apparently it is drowned out by the soundtrack. The same with the dialog, I suppose, which seems to be drowned out by special effects, clich`s, and pointless action sequences, courtesy of the director and screenwriter David Scarpa.

One of the few highlights is the brief appearance of John Cleese as a scientific colleague of Helen`s who logically argues for giving the human race one more chance. He then suggests that Helen try another, less logical approach to dissuade Klaatu from its destruction. Instead of exploring this aspect, however, the film moves on to the saccharine: focusing on the relationship between Helen and her hugely irritating, 10-year old stepson Jacob (played by Will Smith`s son Jaden): who represents a major argument for the immediate elimination of mankind, in my opinion. Their characters and conflicts are so hackneyed and contrived that they throw a real monkey wrench into any suspense the film might have generated.

But THE TWILIGHT ZONE meets INDEPENDENCE DAY contains some good visual effects, as you would imagine; part of the producers` constipated efforts to attract a young target audience by eliminating any gravitas or intelligent dialog and adding a young identification character - at the cost of destroying everything of artistic value. And these efforts have been rewarded. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL has already grossed nearly $76 million worldwide and topped the US box office in its opening weekend. It has likewise reached number one in the UK cinema charts, knocking Madagascar 2 into second place.

Despite this and the fact that it has been nominated for two Satellite Awards (for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects), the film falls flat. There is too little tension or drama, no characters we can possibly care about, and even the big climax lacks any true excitement. All in all, it is an uninspired tribute and certainly a mediocre piece of film making.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (USA 2008) (German title: DER TAG AN DEM DIE ERDE STILLSTAND); Genre: Sci-Fi; Rated PG-13; Running time: 109 minutes; Distributor: 20th Century Fox; US release date: 12.12.08; German release date: 11.12.08; Director: Scott Derrickson; Screenplay: David Scarpa; 1951 Screenplay: Edmund H. North; Main cast: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, John Cleese, Jon Hamm; Cinematographer: David Tattersall; Composer: Tyler Bates; Production designer: David Brisbin; Editor: Wayne Wahrman

Summary: A remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic about an alien and his giant robot who land on Earth to save the planet from mankind.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 20.12. 2008
  Photo: © Twentieth Century Fox
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 20.12. 2008

 Poor remake of a classic

 Frankfurt (Weltexpress) - Rarely has a target audience been so specifically defined or a movie so exclusive as Diane English’s remake of George Cukor’s 1939 classic THE WOMEN, itself based on the successful Broadway comedy by Clare Boothe Luce. For not a single male is to be seen on the screen throughout the entire 110 minutes. Not even in the crowd scenes. Whether such feminine purism makes for a better film is a matter of conjecture.

Set in the New York of SEX AND THE CITY and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, where all that matters is “love” and “labels”, the film is centred around the friendship between four women: Mary (Meg Ryan) happily-married, ex-fashion designer; Sylvia (Annette Bening), hard-nosed women`s magazine editor; Edie (Debra Messing), married with children and perpetually reproducing; and Alex (Jada Pinkett Smith), Afro-American-lesbian, to ensure that no perspective or minority is lacking.

Mary happens to find out via a talkative manicurist that her apparently faithful husband Steven (never seen) is having an affair; with Crystal (Eva Mendes), a young sexpot of a salesgirl on the perfume counter at Saks. Unfortunately Mary is the last to know, as this juicy titbit has been making the rounds for a while and none of her friends had the guts to break the news. Not knowing how to deal with the situation, she first listens to her mother (Candice Bergen), who’s been through it all before and advises her to ignore it. When May finds that strategy impossible, she confronts the femme fatale herself, and then her husband (still unseen), before filing divorce. Alone, she finally takes some major steps on the road to self-knowledge and self-esteem - with the support of her 3 friends, of course.

Despite the imposing female ensemble and a goodly dose of witty repartee, there is very little sparkle, with the possible exceptions of Candice Bergen and Bette Midler, whose roles are relatively small. Annette Bening puts in a competent super-bitch performance, while Jada Pinkett Smith and Debra Messing seem almost redundant; as if they were thrown in to add a bit of color, so to speak. As for Meg Ryan, she ploughs soldierly on, rehashing the type of role she played in her box office heyday - and still looks remarkably youthful.

It seems that whenever a group of women gathers, no matter what age, they feel the need to jump up and down and shriek. THE WOMEN is full of high-pitched shrieking, which gets pretty tiresome after a while. And it is clearly missing one of the key elements that ensured the success of SEX AND THE CITY; namely any interaction with their male counterparts, thus making THE WOMEN very bland and one-dimensional.

Best known for penning the TV series MURPHY BROWN, where she has done some truly funny stuff, (pretty much lacking here), this is Diane English’s directorial debut and unfortunately that’s how it comes across: like a series-pilot. The continual cuts and crosscuts to the speaker for each snippet of dialogue make it monotonous and visually unexciting. The 1939 original was wildly funny and the humor has not profited by updating it 70 years into the present. Although a few scenes excel (especially those featuring Candice Bergen and Bette Midler), the others are hysterical, contrived, or syrupy; the finale being a combination of all three.

After more than a decade in “development hell”, starting its round of the studios in the mid-90s, THE WOMEN endured a series of false starts before Picturehouse finally picked it up. And as that company was known at that time to focus on producing TV movies for and with HBO, it might well have been destined for a TV screening (or direct-to-DVD) had it not been for the huge success of SEX AND THE CITY. Made for a budget of approx. $16.5 million, THE WOMEN is unlikely to equal the success of that picture, although it has already covered its production costs, grossing almost $27 million in the US and just short of 5 million GBP in the UK since its September release. In fact, in my own film production days, an earlier version of it even landed on my desk, with Goldie Hawn attached to produce and play one of the leads together with Ashley Judd. Might that have made a difference? I doubt it.

THE WOMEN (US 2008); Genre: Comedy-drama; Rated PG-13 (Profanity, Sexual Situations); Running time: 110 minutes; US distributor: Picturehouse Entertainment; US release date: September 12, 2008; German distributor: Constantin Film; German release date: December 11, 2008; Director/writer (screenplay: Diane English; 1939 Screenplay: Anita Loos, Jane Murfin; Writer (stage play): Clare Boothe Luce ; Main cast: Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Bette Midler, Candice Bergen; Cinematographer: Anastas Michos; Composer: Mark Isham; Production Designer: Jane Musky; Editor: Tia Nolan

Summary: With not a man in sight, THE WOMEN focuses on the friendship among four society women. When Mary discovers that her husband is having an affair with a young salesgirl, her friends rally to her support.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 15.12. 2008
  Photo: © Constantine Film AG
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 15.12. 2008

Stage director Caden Cotard is determined to produce a work of theatrical greatness. Armed with a huge grant, he sets about recreating his life - and all the people in it - for the Broadway stage.

 “Synecdoche” from the Greek, according to Wikipedia, is a figure of speech in which: “a term denoting a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing,” or “the acceptance of a part of the responsibility for something.” It is also virtually unpronounceable (should be pronounced “sin-ek-do-kee”, I’ve since discovered.) Despite which, writer/director Charlie Kaufman - whose brilliance as a writer is undisputed - has seen fit to use it as an obscure play on words for his directorial debut film set in the town of Schenectady in upstate New York.

This may sound pretty complex and “out there“, but will give you an idea of what to expect from the exceptionally surreal SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK.

Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his wife Adele (Catherine Keener) are two artists living in Schenectady with their young daughter. He is a frustrated stage director, who has just completed a successful, local production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN, and harbors dreams of moving on to something with more artistic greatness, while she is a painter, specializing in miniatures. Their marriage is rapidly disintegrating: she is intolerant of him and his work, often wishing he would just drop dead, while he is afraid of doing just that. He has started to find a string of distressing and unpleasant physical symptoms, including pustules and blood in his urine. Just as his wife achieves an artistic breakthrough and takes off to Berlin, daughter in tow, for an exhibition that turns out to be a permanent absence, he wins a MacArthur Genius Grant, which gives him the financial independence he needs to set about creating his mammoth work for the Broadway stage.

This is the first part of the film and it bodes well for the first 45 minutes or so. Kaufman’s portrayal of a disintegrating marriage between two artists divorced by their art is perceptive and balanced. Caden’s bizarre array of frightening symptoms and escalating fear of death add an almost farcical element that moves the film towards the edge of horror.

But then the second half unfolds and we watch for at least another hour (which seemed a whole lot longer), while Caden evolves his masterpiece: a play about life in general and his own in particular (I guess this is where the concept of “synecdoche” comes in) which is, of course, a Herculean, if not impossible, task. Still, the playwright is undaunted and the MacArthur Grant certainly must have been a huge sum - the amount is never disclosed - for his work-in-progress continues over more than three decades, with a cast of hundreds and huge, extravagant, ever-expanding sets. Continually adding scenes from his failed marriage, concerns for his absent daughter, combined with his fear of death and his romantic liaisons, to the extent where he and everyone who has ever played a part in his life has a double following them around and even the doubles have doubles, and everyone is playing themselves and somebody else and on and on, repetitively up its own existential orifice.

The ensemble cast is spirited and resourceful, especially Catherine Keener, who plays his wife, and Samantha Morton who plays Hazel, Caden’s long-time lover and dedicated assistant, as well as Emily Watson, who plays her double in the theatrical version. Tom Noonan as a weird prowler also puts in an interesting performance as does, of course, Hoffman himself, perfectly cast as the melancholy, permanently frustrated intellectual.

To say that the film is bleak would be an understatement. Unashamedly self-indulgent, It casts a harsh light on mankind’s greatest fears: isolation, illness, despair and death and though one, at times, feels that Kaufman, together with his alter ego Caden Cotard, is near to achieving the narrative greatness to which he aspires, especially in the earlier scenes, the movie meanders desperately in the second half and loses all focus.

There is no doubt that Charlie Kaulman is one of the greatest and most innovative writers of his generation, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION, and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND have all led us to expect a play within a play within a book within a film, but as much as I essentially wanted to enjoy this cluster-fuck of an epic and give Mr. Kaufman the benefit of the doubt for his first directorial offering, I found myself losing the will to live during the second part of this movie, while my better half thought it was a work of brilliance. We have been arguing about it ever since. Reviews have likewise been mixed: veering from enormous critical acclaim on the one hand, to total lack of comprehension on the other.

Made for an estimated budget of $21 million, it has garnered less $2 million at the box office since its premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and limited US release on October 24, 2008. And although I would recommend it as a narrative exercise for those hard-core Charlie Kaufman fans, as a work of entertainment, even for the most indulgent, it falls desperately short of the mark. Indeed, if I got the chance, I would say to its director, “Stick to the writing, Charlie!”

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (USA 2008); Genre: Black comedy; Rated R (for strong language and sexual situations); Running time: 124 minutes; US distributor: Sony Pictures Classics: US release date. October 24, 2008 (limited); Director/writer: Charlie Kaufman; Main cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener and Emily Watson; Composer: Mark Friedberg; Cinematographer: Frederick Elmes; Production designer: Mark Friedberg; Editor: Robert Frazen

Written by Geraldine BlecPublished on N:Zone - A Fresh Spin / December 11, 2008

Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins

Not quite a horror movie, but very dark and chilling indeed, is Clint Eastwood’s CHANGELING, starring Angelina Jolie, in what is bound to be an Oscar-nominated performance.

Los Angeles,1928: single mother Christine Collins returns from work as a Pacific Telephone and Telegraph switchboard supervisor (where she works on roller skates, as was standard in the day), to find that the light of her life, her 9 year-old son Walter (Gattlin Griffith), is missing. Desperate as only a mother can be, she searches high and low before calling the LA police, whose response is half-hearted at best. In fact, not taking it, or her, seriously, they don’t even begin a search until almost two weeks later. Months pass and she goes through the motions of getting through each day, pestering the cops, never giving up hope that her boy is out there, somewhere, still alive. Then suddenly, after more than eight months, the police in the person of Capt. J.J.Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) call to say that Walter is alive and well and has been found in a diner in Illinois.

Meanwhile, Reverend Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich), irate minister with his own weekly radio show, is a thorn in the side of the LAPD. Attacking the force, he continually denounces them as “the most violent, corrupt, incompetent police department this side of the Rocky Mountains.” He interests himself for Christine’s cause and offers his support. Thus, he is present at the media circus gathered at Union Station where Christine is taken by the police, including the Chief (Colme Feore) in full dress uniform, to be reunited with her missing son. But when the boy gets off the train, she looks at him in horror and says, “That’s not my son.”

Although it should be blatantly obvious that a mother would know her own son, the police, wary of poor publicity, go to absurd lengths in palming the strange boy off as hers and insisting that she is mistaken. Intimidated by the situation, she has posed with the foundling before press photographers and has taken him home. But she soon confronts them with irrefutable evidence: Walt’s dentist categorically states that the changeling is not Walt, as does his school teacher; the lad in her home is circumcised, while her son is not; the new boy is inches shorter than her own. In response to which Capt. Davis actually dispatches a doctor to her house, to explain that the boy’s suffering could have physically caused him to shrink. While the “Walt” substitute utters nary a word throughout.

But the more insistent she is and the more proof she comes up with, the more the police close ranks and dig their heels in. Sticking to the official stance is more important than admitting that any mistake could possibly have been made. She is only a woman, after all, and women are known to get hysterical (although this is never mentioned outright). She’s got a kid back, so what’s all the fuss about? She is discredited, publicly portrayed as a bad mother, wicked and heartless, before they implement far more drastic measures of coercion. But Christine refuses to give in, frantic that the time spent pressuring her to accept the unacceptable is being wasted, when the police should be searching for her lost boy.

As events unfold, another case develops almost like a sub-plot, when LAPD detective Lester Ybarra (Michael Kelly) visits an isolated chicken farm and takes a 15-year old youth into custody. I don’t want to give it all away, but suffice it to say that the boy makes a bizarre confession which casts a new light on the Collins case.

Scripted by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of the popular BABYLON 5, and written in only eleven days, the events are taken from authentic legal documents with much of the dialogue stemming verbatim from court transcripts. An unnamed source happened upon some old court files due to be destroyed and passed them on to the writer, who became obsessed with the case known as the “Wineville Chicken Murders” and spent more than a year researching the incident. Although Ron Howard originally planned to direct until there was a scheduling conflict, he was so enamored with the project he decided to exec produce instead and approached Clint Eastwood to direct. Eastwood agreed the same afternoon he read the script and has created a mood that is both elegant and sinister, beautifully reconstructing the period (accolades to cinematographer Tom Stern and James J. Murakami’s production design), while allowing plenty of space for Jolie’s poignant, uncompromising performance to unfold.

And unfold it does, for a full 140 minutes. In my opinion, the movie could have benefited with more time in the cutting room. What begins as a forceful mystery and a drama of human heartbreak loses pace and towards the end seems to flounder, underlined by Mr. Eastwood’s somewhat somnambulistic soundtrack. I found myself losing interest in - and sympathy for - the torment of Christine Collins, and wanted to see somebody else’s face on the screen for a change. (Except that of Jeffrey Donovan, who delivered an extraordinarily wooden performance as her chief tormentor Capt. J.J. Davis). Another character’s back-story, perhaps, or just about anything, really, that would have offset the agony for a moment.

But I guess it’s the big picture that counts, especially in times of such economic turmoil and a new administration poised for a purge on political corruption. For all its tedium, Eastwood has made an eloquent statement that applies now as ever: the perception of integrity and accountability is often sadly more important than the real thing.

CHANGELING (US 2008); Genre: drama; Running time: 140 minutes; Rated R; Distributor: Universal Pictures International; US release date: October 31, 2008; Director/Composer: Clint Eastwood; Writer: J. Michael Straczynski; Main cast: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan; Cinematographer: Tom Stern; Production designer: James J. Murakami; Editors: Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach

Plot summary: Set in 1928 Los Angeles, the film is based on the true story of Christine Collins, whose son vanished. After almost a year, the police finally report that he has been found. But when mother and son are reunited, she discovers that the boy is not her son at all.

N:Zone: A fresh spin, Published: November 25, 2008

Frankfurt (Weltexpress) - In this day and age of huge studio budgets, lavish FX, CGI, pyrotechnics and what all, it`s easy to forget that a really good thriller sometimes doesn`t need all that in order to be effective. And Brad Anderson`s cleverly constructed TRANSSIBERIAN is such a case in point. With relatively low-budget, simplistic films like SESSION 9 and THE MACHINIST in the bag, he has already proved that, like the great Alfred Hitchcock to whom he has recently been compared, he can turn a relatively simple character-driven story into a work of riveting suspense.

As its title suggests, most of the action takes place on the famous Trans-Siberian Railroad, the world`s longest, stretching almost 4,000 miles from Moscow to Beijing. And Beijing is where the story begins; when American couple Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) board the train for Moscow, on their way home after doing some missionary work for their church in China. While Roy is an affable train enthusiast and really looking forward to the trip, Jessie is plunged into gloom by the mere thought of the week-long odyssey. And this is not relieved by reality: the unfriendly staff, over-flowing toilets and generally dingy surroundings. When they are also forced to share their compartment with Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara), a young, very well-traveled pair, who set your nerves tingling at the outset, she`s had about as much as she can take. We also gradually learn that she has only settled down with Roy after a very wild youth and, although their marriage seems fundamentally sound, there are fissures in the bedrock. Thus, Carlos` sexuality and his interest in her do not go unnoticed.

But Jesse`s nightmare truly begins during a stopover in the snowy Siberian wastes. Roy disappears. Jessie only discovers his absence after the train has moved on. In a panic, she gets off at the next station and spends the night in a hotel, waiting for her husband`s arrival on the next train. Carlos and Abby, with whom she and Roy have meanwhile bonded - helped by an overabundance of vodka in the dining car one night - are insistently helpful, likewise spending the night at the hotel, ostensibly to give Jesse their support, but actually to pursue their own agenda.

Abby takes off the next day, leaving Carlos and Jesse at the hotel and he invites her to go on an outing to see an abandoned Russian church. She does, against her better judgment, which is where he attempts to seduce her. She is clearly attracted to him, and it seems as if they will get down and do the dirty deed, until Jesse suddenly flips out and reacts in a way that will change her life forever. I don`t want to give away the plot, but suffice it to say that, finally reunited with Roy, her situation does not improve; particularly as he is accompanied by a brand new and very curious friend, Russian police detective Grinko (Sir Ben Kingsley). And from then on, the paranoia and suspense escalate in true Hitchcock tradition.

TRANSSIBERIAN needs a while to get going. Anderson takes his time in the first half to establish his characters and build the atmosphere, supported by the wonderful camera work of cinematographer Xavi Gimanez, who perfectly captures the claustrophobia of life on-board in comparison to the sweeping, winter landscape of Lithuania, where the film was shot. The character of Jessie is also an amateur photographer; thus, we see many impressions of the journey and its passengers through her lens.

Although the plot veers off the rails towards the end and runs the risk of becoming too conventional, Anderson stays on track and brings his film to its final destination. The strength of TRANSSIBERIAN lies in the tight performances of its cast. Woody Harrelson gets top billing, but Emily Mortimer is essentially the lead and while she has given competent performances in such films as LOVELY & AMAZING and MATCH POINT, here, she is truly compelling. The rest of the cast led by Sir Ben is also very good and Anderson directs them with sensitivity, but the real star of the film is undoubtedly the train itself, which exerts a sinister charisma that contributes much to the overall suspense.

Premiered at this year`s Sundance Film Festival, followed by further festival screenings at Berlin and Edinburgh, among others, the movie was made for an estimated budget of $15 million, and has grossed just a bit over $2 million since its limited US release in mid-July. While it is still to hit the screens in most foreign territories, the DVD already premiered in N. America (US and Canada) on November 4, 2008. Apart from a few First Look trailers, it unfortunately offers no extra features, which is a pity. A good film, TRANSSIBERIAN could benefit from a better sales strategy.

TRANSSIBERIAN (GB 2008); Genre: thriller; Running time: 111 minutes; US distributor: First Look International: US release date: July 18, 2008 (limited); German distributor: Universum Film; German release date: Dec. 11, 2008; Director: Brad Anderson; Writers: Brad Anderson, Will Conroy; Main cast: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley, Kate Mara; Cinematographer: Xavi Gimanez; Composer: Alfonso Vilallonga; Production Designer: Alain Bainae; Editor: Jaume Marta

A Trans-Siberian train ride from China to Moscow becomes a frightening journey of deception and murder, when an American couple gets involved with a mysterious pair of fellow travelers.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 11.12. 2008
  Photo: © courtesy of First Look International/Universum Film
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 11.12. 2008

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (USA/Spain 2008)

Frankfurt am Main (Weltexpress) - After turning his back on New York, at least cinematically-speaking, Woody Allen has now moved from rainy Britain to sunny Spain in his European, movie-making tour. And it is here in Barcelona where he has set his best comedy for a very long time, the charming, light-hearted romance VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA.

The two young Americans Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) are spending a summer together in Barcelona. While the freshly affianced Vicky, a student of architecture, plans to savor her last pre-nuptial holiday while working on her thesis on Gaudi and Catalan culture, the more adventurous Cristina has more or less just come along for the ride. Vicky is even-tempered, sensible, settled, where Cristina is impulsive, temperamental; she craves excitement, passion, and thrives on chaos. And she gets it, too, when handsome, sexy painter Jose Antonio (Javier Bardem) approaches them in a restaurant and spontaneously invites the two women to fly with him in his private plane and spend a pleasant weekend in Oviedo - a manage a trois not excluded. Vicky is shocked, while Cristina is fascinated, but despite Vicky`s initial refusal, they accept the offer, and this is where the movie really begins. The story follows their collective and individual paths and how they deal with this new, turbulent element in their lives. For Jose Antonio leaves no one unchanged.

Woody Allen, now in his 70s, has composed a story of youth, but from the perspective of maturity, offering clear insights with the lightest touch. This latest work is very different from his last three England-based films, which may well lie in the fact that the cult director of CASSANDRA`S DREAM, SCOOP and the celebrated MATCH POINT sought to deny his New York roots and adopt a "typically British" style. But with VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, he has not even tried to emulate the style of his Spanish peers, but has rather taken the role of an observer. As its title already suggests, Barcelona itself is one of the film`s main protagonists and Allen presents it and its people with a visitor`s detachment, thus creating a picturesque view of the city, at once romantic, dreamlike and delightfully naive.

Although his very clever dialog unfortunately loses much of its wit and charm in translation, the fine performances of its cast are clear in every language. Apart from Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, who displays new shades of humor and romantic appeal, and Scarlett Johannson, as competent and attractive as ever, special accolades must go to Penelope Cruz and Rebecca Hall. As Antonio`s tempestuous, neurotic ex-wife Maria Elena, as well as being gorgeous, Cruz is wonderfully funny; while Hall, still relatively unknown, plays Vicky with rare maturity and great insight.

There is no great depth. The story is simplicity itself, but somehow works and is very satisfying. Could it represent a renaissance for Woody Allen`s writing and directing career?

Premiered at this year`s Cannes Film Festival, the movie was made for an estimated $15.5 million. It has already grossed more than $50 million at the box office since its US release last August and is still due to open in some territories.

VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA (USA/Spain 2008); Genre: Romantic comedy-drama; Rated: PG-13, Running time: 96 minutes; US distributor: The Weinstein Company; US Release date: 15.8.08; German distributor: Concorde Filmverleih; German release date: 4.12.08; Director/Writer: Woody Allen; Main cast: Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Penelope Cruz; Cinematographer: Javier Aguirresarobe; Production designer: Alain Bainee; Editor: Alisa Lepselter.

Plot summary: Two American girlfriends spend a summer holiday together in Barcelona where they both become involved with a passionate painter, all unknowing that his neurotic ex-wife, is about to take the stage.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 05.12. 2008
  Photo: © Concorde Filmverleih
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 05.12. 2008

DEATH RACE (US, 2008)

Los Angeles (Weltexpress) - Many wonder why the studios insist on churning out so many remakes. The answer is simple: they own the rights. And despite the fact that remakes are always a bit risky - for only very few stand up to the quality of their predecessors to which they are invariably compared - they can, if properly marketed, capitalize on the success, fan-base and cult status of the original.

This is obviously what the production companies (Cruise/Wager, Impact Pictures and Relativity Media, among them), together with distributor Universal had in mind when they let director/screenwriter/producer Paul W.S. Anderson (RESIDENT EVIL, ALIEN vs. PREDATOR) eviscerate the already trashy DEATH RACE 2000.

Already cheap and mindless, Roger Corman`s 1975 work, featuring a very young Sylvester Stallone as one of the leads, at least had some wry political satire to commend it. But its one-man-band director - in best Rodriguez tradition - has seen fit to substitute this with more speed, more gore, lots of nauseating, un-steady-cam cinematography and hysterical editing, accompanied by abysmal dialogue.

In the not too distant future, when financial markets have collapsed (sound familiar?) and society as we know it has broken down, the chief source of entertainment for the suffering masses is the murderous "Death Race", a sort of vehicular SAW meets ROLLERBALL, where prison inmates compete against each other in a 3-day life or death event. When long-hailed champion, the masked driver Frankenstein, is killed by an opponent, unscrupulous prison warden Hennessey (Joan Allen) fears that the race might lose its allure. Thus, it is most timely when former racing champion Jensen Ames (Jason Statham), is (wrongly) convicted of murdering his wife and given over into Hennessey`s custody. She makes it clear that if he wants to win his freedom, he will enter the race, don Frankenstein`s mask and keep the legend alive. But before long, the racing driver realizes that his life is threatened by more than just his opponents on the track.

Apart from its brainlessness, the movie`s brutality and gore make it hard to stomach were it not for the surprising quality of its ensemble cast. Jason Statham, (TRANSPORTER franchise, CRANK, and BANK JOB), demonstrates once again that he is one of the coolest contemporary action heroes on the screen. Oscar-winner Joan Allen, together with Tyrese Gibson, and the brilliant Ian McShane elevate the film to something almost resembling entertainment; making the best of the absurd dialogue until it is almost watchable.

Made for an undeclared budget, at time of writing DEATH RACE has grossed just under $66 million worldwide; over half of that in the US since its release there on October 10, 2008. It has only just come out is some major foreign territories, so box office numbers are still coming in.

Unless you`re into mindless action or a hardcore splatter fan, my advice is to save the price of a movie ticket and wait for the game to come out on Play Station. Then you can enjoy your own death race in the comfort of your own home.

DEATH RACE (US 2008); Genre: Action; Running time: 104 minutes; Rated R; Distributor: Universal Pictures International: US release date: August 22, 2008; German release date: November 27, 2008: Director/Writer: Paul W.S. Anderson (screenplay/screen-story), Writers: Robert Thom, Charles Griffith (1975 screenplay Death Race 2000), Ib Melchior (1975 story Death Race 2000); Main cast: Jason Statham, Ian McShane, Tyrese Gibson, Joan Allen; Cinematographer: Scott Kevan; Composer: Paul Haslinger: Production designer: Paul Denham Austerberry; Editor: Niven Howie.

Summary: Falsely convicted of murder, former racing champion Jensen Ames is sent to the notorious prison island, whose unscrupulous warden forces him to compete in the savage Death Race.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 04.12. 2008
  Photo: © Courtesy of Universal Pictures International
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 04.12. 2008

HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE (UK, 2008)

Los Angeles (Weltexpress) - Loosely based on true events that were apparently far more outrageous than even this film could portray, HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE tells of the rise and fall of Sidney Young - a pseudonym for the real-life Toby Young, co-editor of alternative Brit magazine MODERN REVIEW - and his disastrous stint as a writer for VANITY FAIR.

Cynical intellectual Sidney Young (Simon Pegg) both admires and resents the star-studded world of glamor, fame and fortune at one and the same time, and heaps scorn and ridicule upon it in his satirical magazine. Thus, when renowned editor Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges) of the conservative, glossy publication „Sharp Magazine“ suddenly makes him an offer to join the staff in New York, he is somewhat overwhelmed. Especially as the job offer follows in the wake of an embarrassing (to anyone else) episode, where he spectacularly wrecks a glamorous society event.

His very first day on the job - he turns up in a bright red T-shirt featuring the slogan „Young, Dumb & Full of Come“ in large letters - presages his swift descent. His acerbic wit, bizarre sense of humour and over-fondness for practical jokes does not encourage popularity. Neither is he skilled at flattery and brown-nosing, for he despises the very celebrities he is supposed to immortalize, and in record time is shunned by all and sundry.

Well, not quite all. One of his colleagues can just about stomach him and that`s Alison Olsen (Kirsten Dunst), herself involved in an unhappy love affair with highly objectionable editor Lawrence Maddox (Danny Huston), Sidney`s immediate superior, whom he manages to antagonize from the get-go. But Sidney hardly notices Alison anyway, for he is deeply in-lust with luscious starlet Sophie Maes (Megan Fox). And this is unfortunate, for he has also managed to nauseate Sophie`s powerful publicist Eleanor Johnson (Gillian Anderson).

Thus, the romantic element is introduced to the mix and sadly dilutes the movie`s key strength, which lies in disemboweling celebrities and the cult that has grown up around them. It is a paradox that a film which plumbs new depths of Hollywood superficiality should succumb to that self same trait.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD`s Simon Pegg must be the most unlikely lead in a romantic comedy, although this is, in fact, his second, and he launches himself with great gusto into amorous clinches with both Kirsten Dunst and the foxy Megan Fox - both of whom put in good comic performances, especially the latter who is featured as the lead in a hilarious spoof-trailer for a bio-epic of Mother Theresa. But Pegg`s major quality for this particular role has got to be his apparent lack of self-consciousness. For Sidney makes a perfect fool of himself at every opportunity. Danny Huston as the slimy Maddox is contemptibly convincing and both Jeff Bridges and Gillian Anderson put in solid performances, despite too little screen time.

Although the names have obviously been changed to protect the innocent along with the guilty and a lot of Toby/Sidney`s wilder exploits have been toned down to at least achieve an R-rating, many of his more shameless stunts are actually true. He did, indeed, send a strip telegram to the office on „Bring Your Daughter to Work Day“. He scorned editorial deadlines, puked all over people, crashed and destroyed glittering social events, was accused of libel, made disgusting story suggestions, and ended up being spurned by America`s most illustrious publicists, before embarking on a disastrous career as a Hollywood screenwriter. Now at age 45, Toby Young is back in Britain and said to have settled down.

Although the film has only grossed just over USD 11 million in the US and UK since its release in both territories on October 3, I found it very funny indeed and hope it does better abroad. As a comedian friend of mine is fond of saying, should all matters of race and religion ever be resolved, then taste - and especially humor - would still divide us.

HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE (German title: NEW YORK FÜR ANFÄNGER); Genre: Romantic-comedy; Running time: 110 minutes; Rated R (for language, some nudity and brief drug material); US Distributor: MGM; US/UK release date: October 3, 2008; German distributor: Concorde Filmverleih; German release date: November 27, 2008; Director: Robert B. Weide; Writer: Peter Straughan (screenplay), Toby Young (book); Main cast: Simon Pegg, Megan Fox, Jeff Bridges, Kirsten Dunst; Cinematographer: Oliver Stapleton; Composer- David Arnold; Production designer: John Beard; Editor: David Freeman.

Summary: Based on the outrageous memoirs of Toby Young, who ventured to New York to work for Vanity Fair and turned the celebrity world upside down.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 24.11. 2008
  Photo: © MGM/Concorde Filmverleih
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 24.11. 2008

”Misunderestimated” - The Life and Times of George Walker Bush

I find it remarkable that, as opposed to his former presidential works such as JFK or NIXON, Oliver Stone’s fascinating biography on the life and times of George Walker Bush should actually be on US screens while the man himself is still in office.

Written by Stanley Weiser, the story of the poor little rich boy’s decadent youth and tormented coming of age, culminating in his ascent to the mightiest office in the land, might generate more sympathy had it not had such devastating consequences. Though hardly detached - “W” is sardonic in nature and clearly not impressed with the deeds and administration of the 43rd president - this document of “a life misunderestimated” gives cause to ponder.

After drafting the famous “axis of evil” speech, the flashes back to a young George W. being put through his fraternity paces at Yale and then trying to hold down a succession of jobs in Texas. “If I remember correctly, you didn’t like the sporting good store. Working for the investment firm wasn’t for you either, or the oil rig job,” says his long-suffering father, who constantly has to bail him out of trouble and whom he disappoints time and time again, sullying the family name.

“Who do you think you are, a Kennedy?” chides his dad, after extricating him from the consequences of some drunken escapade for the umpteenth time. But then comes the turning point at about 40, when he is born again and meets his future wife, Laura (convincingly played by Elizabeth Banks), who brings warmth and tenderness into his life and gives him some stability.

That the film is effective and believable owes much to Josh Brolin’s superb portrayal of George W. - perfect in every detail right down to the swagger. (There’s an Oscar nomination here, if I’m any judge). He brings sincerity to the role and you believe it as much as he does when he says, “All I want to do is make it a better and safer world.” Be that as it may, Junior is clearly unequal to the task of commander-in-chief, naïve and susceptible to manipulation - for he owes his position only to Karl Rove’ machinations and the influence of his family.

The rest of the cast are not only highly talented but look remarkably like the famous personalities they portray: Richard Dreyfuss as a devious Dick Cheney, Scott Glenn as a self-assured Donald Rumsfeld. Likewise Ellen Burstyn’s Barbara Bush and Thandie Newton’s Condoleezza Rice are pretty much on the mark. Not forgetting Toby Jones as the Machiavellian Karl Rove and Jeffrey Wright’s portrayal of Colin Powell: a man conflicted by his conscience and his sense of loyalty. Much of the film’s drama is provided by the clash between the slick cabinet schemers and a president way out of his depth.

But it is the relationship between two presidents - father and son - that moulds the man and his story. “You disappoint me, Junior”, says his remote, upper-class father, (played by James Cromwell) time and time again. And W’s attempt to prove himself and win his family’s esteem is the driving force of his life. “I’ll never get out of Papa’s shadow!”

Premiered at the Austin Film Festival, “W” has just about managed to recoup its estimated budget of approx. $25 million in the US since its release there on October 17, 2008. Apart from the UK, where it was released on Nov. 7, it is yet to screen in most major foreign territories.

“W” (USA, 2008), Genre: political biography; Running time: 129 minutes; Distributor: Lionsgate Film; US release date: October 17, 2008; Rated PG-13 (for language, sexual references, alcohol abuse, smoking and brief, disturbing images of warfare); Director: Oliver Stone; Writer: Stanley Weiser; Main cast: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Bursytn, James Cromwell, Richard Dreyfuss, Scott Glenn, Toby Joes, Stacy Keach, Jeffrew Wright, Thandie Newton; Cinematographer: Phedon Paramichael; Composer: Paul Cantelon; Production designer: Derek R. Hill; Editor: Julie Monroe

Summary: A chronicle of the early years of George W. Bush and his journey to the White House.

N:Zone: A fresh spin, Published: November 19, 2008

While Ferris constantly exposes himself to ever-escalating danger, his unscrupulous handler Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), controls operations from the comfort and security of his Washington home. His morality as flabby as his waistline - Crowe put on 50 pounds for the role - he is complacent, ruthless, arrogant, treacherous and more self-assured than he has any right to be. And because he is running things from a distance with no clear perception of what is actually going on, he continually interferes and obstructs Ferris, who is in the thick of it, putting him and his colleagues in danger and totally insensible to the damage he`s causing.

BODY OF LIES is one of a series of similar contemporary political thrillers, such as SYRIANA or RENDITION dealing with the fundamental misunderstandings between Christianity and Islam. Even Scott`s KINGDOM OF HEAVEN had this premise at its core. In both, he deftly and sensitively portrays that each side has its own viewpoint and justification for its deeds and that both sides are likewise infested with the power-hungry, the corrupt and the unscrupulous. That the path towards peace can only succeed with mutual understanding is the final statement of both pictures, although in BODY OF LIES this is conveyed with much more cynicism and obvious censure of US foreign policy.

Based on the novel of the same name by David Ignatius, DEPARTED screenwriter William Monahan has created an exciting and intelligent screenplay, which Ridley Scott has transmuted to the screen with all the superb imagery and sense of urgency of BLACK HAWK DOWN, together with the look and feel of all-pervading EAGLE EYE observation, where satellite surveillance technology can close in on anyone, anywhere, any time.

In this very compact and absorbing production, which at times seems more like a TV-series than a feature film in structure, DiCaprio is in top form, establishing himself as a serious character actor, as well as a convincing action star. Although Crowe may only be playing second fiddle in comparison, he does it with his usual flair and authenticity. Together, they provide an exciting verbal duel and are a joy to watch.

But there are likewise some excellent support performances, especially from British actor Mark Strong, who plays one of the film`s best characters: Hani Salaam, head of the Jordanian Secret Service, elegant, composed, unreadable. He dominates the few scenes he is in and his conscience and refinement are in sharp contrast to the rumpled Hoffman, his American counterpart. "Don`t ever lie to me," he warns Ferris, giving the movie yet another dimension, his quiet menace emphasized by his habit of calling Ferris, "my dear".

Due to their complexity, political thrillers often have a difficult time at the box office. For they demand full attention from their audience, which is too strenuous for some. So it is hardly any wonder that BODY OF LIES, despite its star cast and spectacular production has fallen short of US expectations, where it has only grossed USD 37 million since it opened there on October 10, 2008; representing just over half of its estimated USD 70 million budget. But it is yet to open in many foreign territories, so perhaps European viewers will give it the attention it deserves. For those who like their plots unpredictable and want to walk out of the cinema with something to think about, BODY OF LIES is a must-see.

BODY OF LIES; (USA 2008); Genre: political-drama; Running time: 128 minutes; Distributor: Warner Bros.; US release date: October 10, 2008; MPAA rating: R (for strong violence, including some torture, and language throughout); German title: DER MAN DER NIEMLAS LEBTE, German release date: November 20,2008; Director: Ridley Scott; Screenplay: William Monahan, based on the novel by David Ignatius; Main cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani; Cinematographer: Alexander Witt; Composer: Marc Streitenfeld; Production designer: Arthur Max; Editor: Pietro Scalia.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: geraldine.blecker@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 17.11. 2008
  Photo: © Warner Bros.
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 17.11. 2008.

 THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND (USA, 2008)

Los Angeles (Weltexpress) - Starring Uma Thurman, Colin Firth and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND, directed by actor/director/producer Griffin Dunne, is a poor comedy romance at best. First-time writing trio of Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, and Bonnie Sikowitz are hard put to conjure up any wit or even a decent titter. The somewhat contrived plot might even have worked had there been any spark of chemistry between the players, but alas, this was not to be.

Dr. Emma Lloyd (Thurman), a radio love guru, is all set to marry her stolid, boring, singularly emotionless fiance Richard (Firth). Confidently churning out her advice to the lovelorn on her phone-in show, she inadvertently ruins the love life of soon-to-be-wed, New York fire-fighter Patrick (Morgan), whose fiance virtually leaves him at the altar. Bent on revenge, he gets his computer-savvy buddy to generate a forged marriage certificate and, without any more ado, he and Dr. Emma are legally hitched. Emma only discovers the "mistake" when she and Richard apply for their marriage license. So she immediately sets out to track down her mysterious "accidental husband" and rectify the misunderstanding by obtaining an annulment.

Needless to say, there is some immediate attraction and the doctor soon notices the differences between her legal husband and her long-suffering fiance, leading her to question her own values. While the former, although none too bright, is a handsome, bighearted guy full of fun and humor, the latter is very much a stuffed shirt and doesn`t even put up much of a battle to win his lady fair.

The plot soon takes its inevitable course and the movie rapidly goes downhill from its interesting premise. This is largely due to the tepid performances from its leads, especially Uma Thurman; visual comedy is definitely not her forte. Colin Firth as the up-his-own-arse, lukewarm English lover gives it his best shot, but doesn`t have very much to work with. The same could be said of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, although his star appeal is undeniable (so I thought when I saw him in GREY`S ANATOMY) - “ we`ll be seeing lots more of him in the future, mark my words.

The total lack of chemistry between the lead characters, combined with the uninspired screenplay which substitutes ineffectual slapstick for any snappy dialogue, pretty well makes this movie a waste of time: And money, of course. Although I could not access any data on the production budget, I assume it was not insignificant (say about USD 30 million).

The picture`s only saving grace to my way of thinking was the Bollywood element. Fireman Patrick lives above an Indian restaurant, a situation which provides some amusement, interesting ethnic music and colorful footage (especially an Indian wedding).

THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND, (German title: Zufällig Verheiratet), USA 2008; Genre: Comedy-romance; US Distributor: Yari Film Releasing; US Release date: March 27, 2009; German distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; German release date: November 13, 2008; Director: Griffin Dunne; Writers: Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Bonnie Sikowitz; Main cast: Uma Thurman, Colin Firth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Sam Shepard, Lindsay Sloane; Cinematographer: William Rexer II; Composer: Andrea Guerra; Production designer: Mark Ricker; Editor: Suzy Elmiger.

Plot Summary: Dr. Emma Lloyd`s radio advice to the lovelorn comes back to bite her in the ass. Her forthcoming wedding to stolid fiance Richard is put in jeopardy when she discovers that she is already married. Obviously a misunderstanding. She sets out to discover the identity of her accidental husband to remedy the situation, which leads to her questioning her own life, love, and values.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 08.11. 2008
  Photo: © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 08.11. 2008.

The world`s largest event of its kind, each year more than 8,000 industry professionals from more than 70 countries gather in Santa Monica for 8 days of deal-making, screenings, seminars, premieres, networking and parties.

Santa Monica (Weltexpress) - From big budget studio blockbusters to low budget art and independent productions, more than 500 films in 35 languages will be screened during the 29th American Film Market (AFM) taking place from Nov 5 to 12 at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and Le Merigot Beach hotel in sunny Santa Monica, California.

As opposed to a film festival, the AFM - founded in 1981 by the Independent Film and TV Alliance (IFTA) - is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are made. Last year, for example, more than USD 800 million worth of deals were concluded for both completed motion pictures and those still in the development or pre-production phase.

The world`s largest event of its kind, each year more than 8,000 industry professionals from more than 70 countries, including more than 400 production and distribution companies exhibiting their wares, gather in Santa Monica for 8 days of deal-making, screenings, seminars, premieres, networking and parties.

Some of the 527 films, including 102 world and 375 market premieres scheduled for the 8 day event include world premieres of such Academy Award winning stars such as Morgan Freeman and Christopher Walken, THE MAIDEN HEIST, Timothy Hutton THE KILLING ROOM and Forest Whitaker ,POWDER BLUE. Other world premieres include BABY ON BOARD with Lara Flynn Boyle, John Corbett and Heather Graham; EVIL ANGEL with Ving Rhames; HIGH LIFE starring Timothy Olyphant, LA LINEA featuring Armand Assante, Bruce Davison, Andy Garcia and Ray Liotta; THE LEGEND OF SECRET PASS, a lavish animation featuring the voices of Graham Greene, Frankie Muniz and Joe Pantoliano; NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS starring Luis Guizman, John Leguizamo, Debra Messing and Alfred Molina; RUN FOR HER LIFE featuring Rosanna Arquette, Diane Kruger, and Sam Shepard; TENURE starring Gretchen Mol and Luke Wilson; THE HEAVY starring Stephen Rea; THE LEAST OF THESE starring Robert Loggia and Isiah Washington; and many, many more, never mind the 375 market premieres.

For the fifth year running, the AFM can boast full capacity, having sold out all exhibition space at both hotel venues. According to IFTA chairman Lloyd Kaufman, who described the AFM as the "ground zero for innovation and independent thought," attendance has reached an all-time high with a rising trend in non-English-language productions with particular regard to Asian films, going on to predict a significant rise in East European productions.

AFM festival partner AFI FEST 2008 (sponsored by Audi) is likewise taking place from Oct. 30 to Nov. 9. Together, the two events represent the largest gathering of film industry professionals and the only combined film market and festival in North America.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 06.11. 2008
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 06.11. 2008

BLINDNESS (Canada/Brazil/USA, 2008)

New York (Weltexpress) - It always surprises me to read that an "un-filmable novel" has just been filmed. If it`s un-filmable, why do it? But be that as it may, BLINDNESS is such a project and certainly no one can argue with its pedigree. Based on the novel written in the mid-1990s by Portuguese author Jose Saramago, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, and directed by Fernando Meirelles (THE CONSTANT GARDENER), who won Academy Award for Best Director in 2004 for CITY OF GOD, BLINDNESS is as close to the book as a movie can get. It is also highly disturbing as only a story can be that revolves around man`s inhumanity to man.

As its title suggests, it is all about blindness: for no apparent reason, people suddenly start going blind: starting off with a man who stalls his car in traffic because he can`t see to drive. Shortly thereafter his wife is infected and then his eye doctor (MARK RUFFALO) and then just about everybody else. Vehicles collide, the city`s infrastructure collapses, society breaks down, people wandering the streets, helpless like sightless zombies. And because it seems to be a new kind of contagion, the as-yet-uninfected quarantine the sightless in the empty wings of an abandoned hospital. Under armed guard food is delivered, but otherwise the blind, in ever-growing numbers, are left to fend for themselves.

Apart from the aforementioned ophthalmologist, the major group in Ward 1 includes an Asian couple (Yusuke Iseya and Yoshino Kimura), an elderly black man (Danny Glover), a young woman (Alice Braga), a boy (Mitchell Nye) and a dog (unnamed), as well as the only person who can still see. This is the doctor`s wife, (played by Julianne Moore) who, out of devotion or duty, has accompanied her husband into captivity and never reveals the fact that she can see. Conditions are squalid, over-crowded, and desperate. But very soon biology comes to the fore. Self-appointed leader of all-male Ward 3, (played very menacingly by Gael Garcia Bernal) gets hold of a weapon and uses it to take control. Purloining all the food, he trades it to Ward 1 in exchange for valuables and sex with the female inmates.

Shot for an estimated USD 25 million, mostly on location in Brazil and Uruguay, while the urban scenes were filmed in Ontario. - Toronto always a good bet as an anonymous cityscape - it opened the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, and was likewise shown at such international film festivals as Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, Sarajevo, Helsinki, and the Atlantic Film Festival, to mixed reviews.

Bleak and depressing, the film would have benefited by being more compact. It runs for a full 2 hours and many scenes drag on for far too long. Much of it is shot in very low light, obviously to more clearly convey the concept of sightlessness to the viewer, while other scenes are shown from the perspective of the Doctor`s Wife. As the only one who can see - why this should be, we never discover - she gradually assumes responsibility for her small group and becomes its leader, finding reserves of inner strength to ultimately lead them out of the nightmare and into salvation.

I found BLINDNESS very distressing, but thought-provoking, too, and must admit that once out of the movie theatre, everything seemed much more bright and vivid.

BLINDNESS (2008) (German title: DIE STADT DER BLINDEN), Running time: 120 minutes; Rated R (for violence including sexual assaults, language and sexuality/nudity); US Distributor: Miramax Films, German distributor: Kinowelt Filmverleih GmbH, US release date: October 3, 2008, German release: October 23, 2008; Director: Fernando Meirelles; Screenplay: Don McKellar, based on the novel ENSAIO SOBRE A CEGUEIRA by Jose Saramago; Main cast: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga. Maury Chaykin, Danny Glover, Gael Garcia Bernal, Don McKellar; Cinematographer: Cesar Charlone; Composer: Uakti; Production designer: Matthew Davies, Tule Peak; Editor: Daniel Rezende.

Plot Summary: An unexplained outbreak of instant blindness overcomes the city. Attempting to contain the epidemic, the authorities begin to quarantine the ever-growing numbers of afflicted in an abandoned hospital, virtually leaving them to fend for themselves. In squalor and deprivation, the microcosm soon breaks down in greed and savagery, the strong preying on the weak. There is only one eyewitness, a woman immune to the contagion has followed her husband into quarantine and is forced to watch the nightmare unfold.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 29.10. 2008
  Photo: © Miramix Films
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 29.10. 2008

High School Musical 3 - Senior Year

New York (Weltexpress) - Not exactly true, as there are indeed a few token African Americans attending Northeast High, Disney`s fairytale high school in Albuquerque, where the senior year`s biggest problem would appear to be deciding which illustrious college to attend. Inundated with scholarship offers from Harvard to Berkley, from Yale to Stanford - with Julliard thrown in for good measure - teen life in New Mexico seems fraught with hardship. Not to mention the relationship problems for our two leads, Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and Gabrielle Montez (Vanessa Hudges), who seem destined to go their separate ways; after one last spring musical to round off the year and provide a lasting souvenir of their carefree schooldays to accompany them on the hazardous road to adulthood.

And that is the storyline, my friends, interspersed with some standard intrigues and gut-wrenching moments of indecision: will Troy choose to be a basketball star at a top Arizona University, or train to be an artist at Julliard? Will Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) take over the leading role in the last musical and manage to win Troy`s affections once Gabriella is out of the way? No doubt burning issues all, if you`re a teen, but still pretty weak, even by teen-drama standards.

Well, I`m too old and cynical to go for that kind of naive, antiseptic hogwash - especially when the US is in the midst of financial meltdown and the middle class is getting throttled, with many even forced to sell their homes. But there`s nothing like a bit of light relief and escapism is always popular in times of war and economic crisis - the US currently having to contend with both - and, let`s face it, this is a kids` film and Disney is master of the genre.

Disney`s genius for crossover marketing was shown by the amazing success of the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS 3-D concert release earlier this year, grossing over USD 65 million in the domestic market alone, although it never played in more than 687 theaters. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 is likely to do even better, if its TV fan-base is anything to go by. The third of the series, as its name implies, was a foregone conclusion for the big screen. Its two predecessors were enjoyed by more than a quarter of a million TV viewers in more than one hundred countries throughout the world. DVDs and soundtrack CDs sold by the millions, (the CD sold more than 15 million) supported by live shows in Disney`s theme parks of Anaheim, Orlando, and Paris.

I have it on good authority that the main difference between No. 3 and its two TV predecessors (which I never saw) is the budget. Every penny of the estimated USD 33 million is visible on the screen (as opposed to PINEAPPLE EXPRESS which didn`t cost that much less). Chief choreographer and series director Kenny Ortega`s musical sequences are more than spectacular, as are both set and costume design. From the Wildcats` opening number on the basketball court GET`CHA HEAD IN THE GAME to Sharpay and twin brother Ryan`s (Lucas Grabeel) glossy Broadway dream sequence I WANT IT ALL, to the movie`s mandatory big ballad JUST WANNA BE WITH YOU performed by Troy and Gabriella, to the extraordinary choreography of Troy and Chad`s (Corbin Bleu) junkyard-set duet THE BOYS ARE BACK, reminiscent of mid-80s Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson video clips, and set to be the major hit from the soundtrack. A single version performed by the cult boy band US5 is currently on release.

All music accolades appear to have gone to composer David Lawrence and music supervisor Steven Vincent, the winning team from High School Musical 1 and 2. But the songs themselves, without which there would be no high school musical at all, are, without exception, catchy, melodic, well performed, finely-arranged and well produced. Although the songwriters have hardly received the recognition they deserve - they are not mentioned on any PR material of any kind. In fact, I had to do some extensive internet research just to find out their names - both rumor and common sense have it that songwriters Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil (responsible for most of the tracks), Jamie Houston, Andy Dodd and Adam Watts are crying all the way to the bank. According to director/choreographer Ortega, "The songwriters have turned out a soundtrack that I think is the best of all. It serves the story. It serves the characters. It`s dynamic, rhythmic, romantic, funny, orchestral, symphonic and choral. It gets as big as it can and as intimate as it can and everything in between."

So, all that being said, what did I think of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3? Storyline, PG-13 humor and extreme political correctness aside, I was knocked out and thought the songs and dance numbers were terrific. I left the movie theater thinking: say what you will about the US of A, nowhere else in the world will you find such astonishing all-round talent, energy, and optimism. And if it does all seem like a clone of parts 1 and 2, so what? I`ll probably be buying the CD.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 - SENIOR YEAR, (USA 2008), Genre: Youth musical: Running time: 190 minutes: Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; US Release date: October 24, 2008; German release date: October 23, 2008; Director/choreographer: Kenny Ortega; Writer: Peter Barsocchini; Composer: David Lawrence; Main cast: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Monique Coleman, Olesya Rulin, Chris Warren Jr.; Cinematographer: Daniel Aranyo; Production designer: Mark Hofeling; Editor: Don Brochu

Plot summary: High school seniors Troy and Gabriella are facing the prospect of separation as they head off to different colleges. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical reflecting their hopes, dreams and fears of the future.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 23.10. 2008
  Photo: © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 23.10. 2008

New York (Weltexpress) - No, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS is not a fast train, but an especially potent variety of Hawaiian weed, guaranteed to really get you out there.

Arthouse director David Gordon Green (GEORGE WASHINHGTON, SNOW ANGEL) joins producer Judd Apatow (FREAKS AND GEEKS, KNOCKED UP, SUPERBAD) and his writing team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, for this spaced-out, comedy-adventure, somewhat reminiscent of the Cheech & Chong movies of the 1970s.

Dale Denton (Rogen) is not exactly the most popular guy in town. He works as a bailiff or process-server and needs a regular toke just to get him through the day. So he often stops off to do a bit of business with his permanently-stoned dealer, Saul (hysterically played by Spider Man co-star James Franco). On one such day, Saul introduces him to a brand new type of weed: Pineapple Express, which takes Dale on the kind of trip he never bargained for.

Musing on the ironies of life in his parked automobile, Dale is unwilling witness to a murder as local drug boss Ted (Gary Cole) and his partner-in-crime, bent female cop (played by Rosie Perez), eliminate the competition. In horror, Dale flings his half-smoked joint out the window and takes off. But Pineapple Express is a rare strain indeed, and the evil-doers manage to trace the roach back to Saul and, eventually, back to Dale himself, which inspires them both to beat a hasty retreat. On the road, trying to keep one step ahead of their pursuers, they encounter a series of bizarre situations and characters.

Most of the comedy revolves around the pair`s stoned ramblings - some of which are uproariously funny - and their scuffles with Saul`s very off-beat dealer Red (Danny McBride, also in TROPIC THUNDER), responsible for ratting them out in the first place. Green handles the scenes of male bonding between the three with a natural sensitivity that gives the movie its charm. Rogen has found his niche and his performance is true to form, but the real surprise is James Franco, who has a true flair for comedy. Even the slapstick moments have an authentic feel, although the action sequences do not work nearly as well, making the film often seem choppy and uneven.

All in all, a good little, independent comedy, I thought, until I discovered that it was produced for an estimated USD 25 million, which, considering that there are no "stars" to speak of (apart from Huey Lewis who sings the theme song), no glossy locations, nor any costly effects, is far too high a budget for this type of film. Most of it probably went "up in smoke" (i.e. to the voyeurs and the lawyers and to cover so-called "financing costs"), but despite this and its R-rating for "language" - the F-word is used 180 times - it has generated just over USD 87 million box office revenue in the US alone since its release there in early August and looks like becoming a worthy cult-successor to SUPERBAD. Whether it will do as well in the foreign market remains to be seen.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (US. 2008); (German title: ANNANAS EXPRESS); Genre: comedy; Running time: 112 minutes; Worldwide distributor: Columbia/Sony Pictures Releasing International: US release date: August 6, 2008; German release date: October 23, 2008; MPAA rated R: for pervasive language, drug use, sexual references and violence; Director: David Gordon Green; Writers: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg; Story: Judd Apatow. Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg; Main cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Kevin Corrigan, Craig Robinson, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez; Cinematographer: Tim Orr; Music: Graeme Revell; Cinematograher: Tim Orr; Production designer: Chris Spellman; Editor: Craig Alpert

Plot Summary: Witness to a murder, Dale and Saul are stoned and on the run and soon realize that their danger is real and not just dope-generated paranoia.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 21.10. 2008
  Photo: © Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Releasing
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 21.10. 2008

New York (Weltexpress) - It is rare to find a sequel better than its predecessor, but Guillermo del Toro`s HELLBOY - THE GOLDEN ARMY is just that. Delightfully unaffected, it offers up some of the most ingenious visual effects and most imaginatively-designed critters of the year.

At an estimated budget of USD 72 million, Universal can hardly complain at the more than USD 142 million it has grossed so far, already outperforming the original, which took just under USD 100 million worldwide.

Apart from one brief allusion to past events, the movie begins in 1955 with a flashback to the little red-horned demon`s childhood, when his adoptive father Professor Brook (played by John Hurt), tells him the legend of the Golden Army. And so we, too, learn that millenia ago the original inhabitants of the earth, a mysterious elf-like folk, were at war with humanity. Led by their King Balor, they created a golden army of mechanical soldiers that wreaked havoc on mankind. Tormented by the destruction, the king called a truce with his foes - which has endured until today - and had the golden army dismantled and banished deep underground. Only the heir to the true crown can reawaken them and thus, a very dangerous item, the crown was divided into three pieces and scattered.

Returning to present-day New Jersey, where Hellboy and his "fiery" girlfriend Liz are diverted from a flammabledispute in the basement of the Bureau for Paranormal Research (BPRD, for short) by getting called out on assignment. There is trouble at an auction house in uptown New York.

Prince Nuada (Goss), exiled son of King Balor, has returned to assume power and put an end to the age-long pact by reassembling the Golden Army. Discovering that a vital piece of the crown is up for auction, he appears with some of his fantastical cohorts to retrieve it, unleashing boxes of "tooth fairies" on all those attending. They are gruesomely wiped out to a man. Even Hellboy, Liz and their amphibious buddy Abe Sapien (Jones) are hard put to fight off the nasty little creatures. But the stage is set for Hellboy and his companions to save the world from this ancient menace.

This is the fifth collaboration between director del Toro and cameraman Guillermo Navarro, who won an Oscar for Best Cinematography for his work on PAN`S LABYRINTH in 2007. The camera work is truly extraordinary, as is the entire technical package. Production design, effects and creatures are all astonishing: from the weird aliens populating the corridors of the BRPD, to the outlandish assortment of magical beings on display in the Troll Market underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, and especially the colossal plant-like being that Hellboy manages to vanquish on the streets of Manhattan.

Apart from some work done in London and New York, del Toro has opted for some interesting locations: the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is an imposing backdrop for the final showdown, and this is also the first motion picture to be filmed at the new Korda Studios in Budapest.

Based on the Dark Horse comic created by Mike Mignola, who collaborated with del Toro on the screenplay, this movie goes one step beyond presenting a series amazing creatures, CGI effects, and action sequences. HELLBOY ll thunders along at a terrific pace, with a well-balanced plot full of humour and peril, deftly enhancing the characters and their relationships, while introducing new ones for the inevitable sequel. Underscored with music by veteran composer Danny Elfman - with one notable exception, a wonderful scene where Hellboy and Abe Sapien, both lovelorn, get drunk together and sing along to Barry Manilow’s CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU.

HELBOY ll - THE GOLDEN ARMY, US. 2008; Genre: Fantasy-adventure; Running time:115 minutes; Worldwide distribution: Universal Pictures/UPI; US release date: July 11, 2008; German release date: October 16, 2008; Director: Guillermo del Toro; Writers: del Toro, Story by del Toro, Mike Mignola, based on the comic by Mignola; Main cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt; Music: Danny Elfman; Cinematographer: Guillermo Navarro; Production designer: Stephen Scott; Editor: Bernat Vilaplana

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 19.10. 2008
  Foto: © Universal International Pictures (UIP)
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 19.10. 2008

New York (Weltexpress) - Ridiculous would be an understatement to describe this glossy, non-stop, piece of paranoia produced for a budget of USD 105 million. But its far-fetched, intelligence-defying plot has not stopped EAGLE EYE from already raking in just under USD 56 million at the US box office since its release on Sept. 26, and actually soaring to the top of the movie charts in its opening weekend. I fear it is likely to do equally well in the international market.

Set in Chicago, Jerry (Shia LaBeouf) and Rachel (Michelle Monaghan) are your normal, everyday citizens, just minding their own business until they are suddenly ordered into action by a mysterious female caller on their cell phones. The gray eminence behind the voice seems able to control every piece of electronic gadgetry in Chicago (and probably the universe), including CCTV cameras, navigation systems, traffic lights, everybody`s cell phone and every moving piece of machinery (trains, buses, automobiles, barges, trucks, cranes, planes), you name it, the voice can manipulate - and destroy it.

And for some weird reason, this all-powerful being urgently requires the assistance of these two incompetent mortals. And will do anything in its power - which is quite a lot - to get it. This includes an astonishing amount of explosions and pyrotechnics, masses of dead and injured, loads of twisted wreckage, billions` worth of collateral damage, relentless chase sequences all over the country, in every imaginable kind of conveyance. Our two helpless protagonists summon up amazing talents from some unknown source, suddenly able to hold up an armored vehicle, secrete themselves in the oxygen-free cargo section of a military aircraft (the lack of logic behind this bit is a doozey), and infiltrate a top-secret, vaulted room in the Pentagon.

Without giving away any of the absurd storyline - which apparently took at least four writers to conceive - we discover that this omnipotent force only requires something relatively simple that Jerry can provide. One wonders why it went to so much trouble and expense when a couple of heavies could easily have abducted Jerry and bundled him off to the Pentagon without attracting any attention.

Still, EAGLE EYE is very much eye candy with masses of CGI, daring stunts and screeching chase footage, all edited together with a chain saw. Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are little more than cartoon characters in a fast-paced video game - which will doubtless soon be on the market, if it isn`t already. (There is also an IMAX version for added viewing pleasure.) I cannot tell you how it ended, because I did not bother to wait and see.

EAGLE EYE (USA, 2008) (aka: Eagle Eye - Ausser Kontrolle); Genre: Action-Adventure; US Distributor: DreamWorks SKG; German distributor: Paramount Pictures; Running time: 117 minutes; US Release date: September 26, 2008; German release date: October 9, 2008: Rated PG 13 (for intense sequences of action and violence, and brief language); Director: D.J. Caruso; Writers; Dan McDermott, John Glenn, Travis Adam Wright and Hillary Seitz; Main cast: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chilkis, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie, Ethan Embry; Cinematographer: Darinsz Wolski; Composer: Brian Tyler; Production designer: Tom Sanders; Editor: Jim Page

Plot summary: Two strangers are thrown together by chance and a mysterious female voice on a cell phone. This omnipotent force threatens their lives and family, coercing them into a series of dangerous situations, using everyday technology to track and control their every move and manipulate them and the world around them.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 09.10. 2008
  Photo: © Paramount Pictures
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 09.10. 2008

New York (Weltexpress) - Brit documentary filmmaker Stephen Walker follows the progress of a New England vocal group with a difference. This uplifting, but extremely low-budget documentary has grossed almost USD 4 million since its US premiere at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival where it won the audience award for Best International Feature.

Recruiting his 24 octogenarian singers (the youngest is 72) from a retirement home in Northampton, MA, musical director Bob Cilman, a man of endless commitment and perseverance, selects them - and their repertoire - with great care. Director Walker carefully documents the group`s rehearsals and various live performances - including one before a „captive“ audience at a local prison - leading up to a European tour and a memorable concert before the crowned heads of England.

About half music and half behind-the-scenes, YOUNG AT HEART features unique versions of such rock, punk and blues classics as Sonic Youth`s SCHIZOPHRENIA, James Brown`s I FEEL GOOD, Cold Play`s FIX YOU and Allen Toussaint`s YES WE CAN CAN, and we watch as the seniors come to grips with the complicated arrangements and remembering lyrics - especially the latter title, which I couldn`t work out for the life of me. The documentary also includes some impressive music/video clips where the lyrics to such songs such as David Bowie`s GOLDEN YEARS and Bee Gees` hit STAYIN` ALIVE take on new significance.

We meet the eldest vocalists, lively Eileen Hall and Steve Martin (not the comedian), who treat age more as a state of mind and the valiant Fred Knittle, who rehearses sitting down attached to an oxygen tank, as well as Bob Salvini and Joe Benoit, both trying to rally after serious illness and almost fatal doses of chemotherapy. Without exception, the seniors all declare that the group and its music have given them joy, purpose, and a sense of belonging. Walker documents these interludes with warmth, humor and pathos, managing to avoid excessive sentimentality, although two of the performers have passed on by the end of the film.

Cinematically-speaking, YOUNG AT HEART is far from being a masterpiece and, as it was shot on video, would probably come across equally, or even more effectively, on the small screen. But the songs are terrific, the performances courageous and YOUNG AT HEART will raise a smile as it celebrates the joys of being alive.

YOUNG AT HEART (US/UK 2007); Genre: Documentary; U.S. Distributor: Fox Searchlight; German distributor: Senator Film; Running time: 107 minutes; US Release date: August 18, 2008 (limited), German release date: October 2, 2008; Director: Stephen Walker; Featuring: Bob Cilman, Eileen Hall, Steve Martin, Fred Knittle, Joe Benoit, Bob Salvini; Cinematographer: Ed Marritz; Editor: Chris King.

Summary: A story of the Young at Heart Chorus, a group of senior citizens who perform contemporary and classic rock and pop songs.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 05.10. 2008
  Photo: © Senator Film Verleih GmbH
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 05.10. 2008

Where other directors need hours to get to the point, the Coens manage it in a compact 95 minutes. Loaded with plots and subplots, sparkling wit and perceptive social commentary, BURN AFTER READING features a cast of bizarre characters cluelessly floundering their way through a series of absurd situations.

Expecting a promotion, long-time CIA veteran Osborne `Ozzie` Cox (John Malkovich) is given his marching orders by his superior (J.K.Simmons) instead. Apparently his drinking problems have not gone unnoticed. Livid with rage and hot for revenge, he sits down to write his memoirs, spiced with lots of juicy details. But a CD containing all his data finds its way into the hands of his cold and calculating, soon-to-be ex-wife Katie (Tilda Swinton), herself in the throes of an affair with her likewise married lover Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney).

Expecting to find lots of illuminating details to better evaluate her husband`s financial worth, Katie, en route to give the CD to her divorce attorney, inadvertently leaves it in the changing room of her local fitness gym. Where it is found by two of the trainers: Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) and Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand). The former, a somewhat gormless, gum-chewing dolt, permanently strapped for cash, while the latter is an ageing spinster, desperate to recover her lost youth via a series of expensive cosmetic surgeries.

The appearance of the mysterious CD suddenly presents some interesting financial opportunities: like blackmail, for instance. But with Ozzie, they`ve chosen the wrong victim.

Mixing the elements of comedy and spy thriller with comments on such topical themes as Internet dating and fear of ageing, BURN AFTER READING is basically a comedy of errors and a greater contrast to its Oscar-crowned predecessor NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN would be hard to imagine. The script was developed at the same time as the screenplay for that film, incidentally, which went into production first due to availability issues with BURN`s star cast.

But it was certainly worth the wait. George Clooney is sensational as the smooth, lily-livered romantic hero, harbouring perverse sexual fantasies, while Brad Pitt as the dim-witted, muscle-bound jackass provides most of the comedy relief and pretty well steals the show. The two superstars only actually appear together in one scene, but it is a doozey. John Malkovich as enraged, paranoid alcoholic is a perfect contrast, while Tilda Swinton is magnificently cold and scheming. A Coen Brothers favourite since BLOOD SIMPLE, Frances McDormand`s performance as ruthless, youth-obsessed spinster is comparable to that of her Oscar-winning role in FARGO. And the smaller roles are likewise to be commended, especially J.K.Simmons as the totally mystified CIA chief, wondering what the hell is going on.

"BURN AFTER READING is our version of a Jason Bourne movie - but without the pyrotechnics," said Ethan Coen about his and brother Joel`s latest comedy, which must be their funniest since THE BIG LEBOWSKI. But there are plenty of fireworks for all that, as the chemistry between the star ensemble cast is on-screen dynamite.

Filmed mostly in New York at an undeclared budget, BURN opened the 2008 Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim and has already grossed USD 45.5 million in the States since its release there on September 12.

Bizarre characters, ridiculous situations, a totally manic yet well-conceived plot, underscored by Carter Burwell’s congenial soundtrack, all add up to a comedy highlight and an evening of first-class entertainment.

BURN AFTER READING (USA 2008); (German subtitle: WER VERBRENNT SICH HIER DIE FINGER?); Genre: Comedy; Running time: 95 minutes; US distributor: Focus Features; German distributor: TOBIS Film; US release date: September 12, 2008; German release date: October 2, 2008; Written and directed by: Ethan & Joel Coen; Main cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand; Richard Jenkins; Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki; Music: Carter Burwell; Production designer: Jess Gonchor; Editor: Roderick Jaynes

Plot outline: A CD containing the memoirs of a CIA agent winds up in the hands of two unscrupulous fitness trainers who attempt to use it for blackmail.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 29.09. 2008
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 30.09. 2008

THE BAADER-MEINHOF COMPLEX (Germany 2008)

Based on the non-fiction best-seller of the same name by Stefan Aust, long-standing editor-in-chief of the German SPIEGEL, Bernd Eichinger has produced this controversial slice of modern Germany history almost in the style of a dramatized documentary. A detailed history of the Red Army Faction (R.A.F. for short) led by the children of the Nazi generation Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu), former star columnist Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck) and Gudrun Ensslin (Johanna Wokalek) and supported by some of Germany`s erstwhile political and industrial leaders, they fought against what they perceived to be the new face of fascism: the US policy in Vietnam, the Near East and the Third World.

(Left: Student revolt during Shah's visit to Berlin, 2.June, 1967)

Purported to be the most expensive German film ever made, although the budget is undeclared, Constantin`s Bernd Eichinger (DOWNFALL) and director Uli Edel (LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN) have produced an enthralling, fast-paced political drama, already selected as Germany`s nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2009 Academy Awards. But already before its forthcoming release, THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX has been the subject of some hot controversy.

Criticized for its violence, children of RAF members, as well as some of their victims have described it as “unabashed hero worship”, or “offensive to their family`s dignity”, respectively, while some former terrorists have condemned the production as an insensitive financial enterprise. Others still have accused the film of reducing the dramatic events to the status of a glorified “action movie”. Fierce criticism against the filmmakers` media campaign - which very much back-fired - was also expressed by the Association of German Journalists, whereby only specially selected journalists were allowed to report on the film, while others were subject to strictures that even included fines in the case of infringement.

Be all that as it may, Edel certainly does not elevate his protagonists to heroes. Starring some of the country`s top acting talent, the motion picture sets out rather to remind German audiences that the RAF members were vicious killers, rather than the glamorous but misguided revolutionaries that some choose to recall. But the events portrayed are still so fresh that it is hard to find anyone in Germany who didn`t know someone who was involved - however remotely - so that it presses a lot of emotional buttons, leaving no one untouched.

Germany in the late 1960s/early 70s: murderous bomb attacks, the threat of terrorism and the fear of the enemy within are rocking the very foundations of the yet fragile German democracy. The radical children of the Nazi generation led by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin are fighting a violent war against what they perceive to be the new face of fascism: American imperialism supported by the German establishment, many of whom have a Nazi past. Responsible for more than 33 deaths of prominent individuals during their reign of terror, apart from innocent bystanders and millions` worth of collateral damage, their declared aim of creating a more humane society is in direct contrast to the means they employ to achieve it.

The film runs for a riveting 150 minutes, taking in a decade of actual events, the live action interspersed with original film and TV footage and its excellent ensemble cast make it more than convincing. Moritz Bleibtreu as hot-tempered and somewhat crude Andreas Baader, Martina Gedeck as the intellectual Ulrike Meinhof, Nadja Uhl as the icy Brigitte Mohnhaupt, Bruno Ganz as tireless police investigator Horst Herold, who seeks to understand the group`s motives while successfully hunting them down and, most of all Johanna Wokalek as a very credible Gudrun Ensslin, who will go to any lengths to achieve her aims.

Beginning with the volatile mood on June 2, 1967, when the Shah of Persia visits Berlin and student Benno Ohnesorg is shot during a demonstration, followed by the group`s acts of arson, bank robberies, bombings, assassinations and their submergence into the underground. While the first terrorist generation is sitting in jail - the prison of Stammheim specially built for their convenience - their successors, whom they have never met, will stop at nothing to force their release. Even Baader despairs as he watches the TV report of the gang`s assault on the German Embassy in Stockholm in 1975, resulting in three dead and many injured. The film concludes with the hijacking of the Lufthansa jumbo jet in 1977 - which paved the way for the popularity of this form of terrorism - the suicide of Baader and the others one day later, and finally the brutal murder of the kidnapped businessman Hans Werner Schleyer on October 19, 1977.

(Above: Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu) in Stammheim)

 In fact only days before the film`s premiere, director Edel declared in an interview with the Munich magazine FOCUS that the identity of Schleyer`s killer had been disclosed to him during the course of his research; a fact that the district attorney`s office has not been able to clarify for the past 30 years. He went on to state, however, that as this was unconfirmed he was unable to use it in the film. For, authenticity was important to Edel - without any excess nostalgia or sentimentality - as he likewise stated in an interview. And in this he has succeeded, for the acts of the terrorists are too brutal to leave much room for sympathy or glamorization. We watch as they continue, trancelike, to spatter their victims with bullets even as their dead bodies lie twitching on the ground. Like it or hate it, the film accurately documents another dark chapter of modern German history and is a must-see.

DER BAADER-MEINHOFF KOMPLEX, (Germany 2008), Genre: political drama; Distributor: Constantin Film; Running time: 150 minutes; Release date: September 25, 2008; Director: Uli Edel; Writer: Screenplay: Bernd Eichinger from the book by Stefan Aust; Main cast: Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu, Johanna Wokalek, Nadja Uhl, Bruno Ganz, Simon Licht, Jan Josef Liefers, Nadja Uhl, Alexandra Maria Lara, Heino Ferch, Stipe Erceg; Music: Peter Hinderthür, Florian Tessloff; Production designer: Bernd Lepel; Editor: Alexander Berner.

Plot Summary: A detailed look at Germany`s terrorist group, The Red Army Faction (RAF), which organized bombings, robberies, kidnappings, hijackings and assassinations in the late 1960s and `70s.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 23.09. 2008
  Photo: © Constantin Film
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 23.09. 2008
  

 The ninth feature from Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, WALL-E follows the studio’s most recent triumph RATATOUILE which won last year’s Oscar for Best Animated Feature and was a hit all over the globe. The combined worldwide box office gross for Pixar’s first eight releases is an astonishing $4.3 billion. Co-written and directed by Andrew Stanton, co-writer/director of Academy Award winning FINDING NEMO as well as writer of MONSTERS, INC, A BUG’S LIFE and TOY STORY 1 and 2, WALL-E has already recouped its $180 million budget and grossed just under $411 million worldwide at time of writing; more than half of that in the US since its release there on June 27, 2008. And there’s more to come from the international market, as it is still due to hit screens in the German language territories, (Sept. 25), Turkey, Italy, Japan, Greece and “Down Under”.

Having been subjected to an array of dim-witted new comedy releases just lately, I was almost losing hope of seeing anything even vaguely intelligent. But once again Pixar has proved its brilliance and almost uncanny flair for keeping ahead of the curve. WALL-E is truly unique and likely to appeal to all age groups, races, creeds and colours across the globe. With sparkling wit and an important environmental message, yet hardly any dialogue to speak of - at least not for the first 40 minutes - WALL-E crosses all language barriers and cultural frontiers.

In a distant future, namely 700 years hence, the world as we know it is a desolate wasteland of trash and debris, abandoned by mankind: A gigantic junkyard with refuse towering skyscraper-high and completely uninhabited except for WALL-E, (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class). The last robotic trash compactor, WALL-E is doing what he was built for and has been slogging away for centuries converting earth’s garbage into blocks of trash, all neatly stacked one atop the other. All alone on the planet, save for a friendly cockroach (Survival of the fittest!).

The little robot with his big, binocular-like eyes attached to his long tubular neck (his gender is clear from the get-go) is curious about this long-departed race he is cleaning up after and has developed a few eccentricities over the ages. He collects knick-knacks that take his fancy: Rubik cubes, ping-pong bats and light bulbs, for instance, and takes them back to his lonely container which he has made into a home. At one point, he picks up a small blue velvet box. Opening it to find a glittering diamond ring, he immediately jettisons the ring and plays with the hinged box, adding it to his store of treasures: a wordless comment on the definition of values…

And he loves the movies. Well, one especially, and plays an old, salvaged VHS of 1969’s HELLO DOLLY over and over again, fascinated by the music and the ability of the characters to relate to one another and show affection - by holding hands. Director Andrew Stanton and co-writer Jim Reardon felt this to be a symbolic way to give Wall-E “a romantic slant" and express love without actually being able to say so. HELLO DOLLY and its jolly tunes are prominently featured during the first half of the picture and act as an eloquent contrast to this dystopian vision of civilisation: the bleak garbage dump that once was planet Earth.

Although completely without words, apart from Wall-E’s repeated uttering of “Eve”, this first segment is by far the most impressive and unique part of the film. But the world of sound and voice design of STAR WARS’ sound genius Ben Burtt, together with the magnificent score by Thomas Newman (eight-time Oscar nominee) more than compensates for any lack of dialogue. Burtt recorded many of the film’s sounds in a junkyard, while Niagara Falls provided the wind sounds for WALL-E 's world. The sound of insect clicks was the actual sound of locking handcuffs and the chirps of the cockroach were created by speeding up the sounds of a raccoon.

The human element is introduced in the movie’s second half. On the luxury space-cruiser AXIOM, humankind is on perpetual holiday, helplessly overweight and hardly mobile. Dominated by a computer called Auto, (voiceover by Sigourney Weaver) and in thrall to the Buy N Large Corporation, master architects of consumer excess. EVE, with Wall-E in tow, returns to report her findings - the existence of vegetation on Earth means that it is safe to return home. And the struggle for dominance begins. The story now becomes somewhat predictable, but WALL-E still conveys a formidable and fearsome universal message, despite its G-rating.

Visually stunning, thanks to production designer Ralph Eggleston (THE INCREDIBLES, FINDING NEMO, TOY STORY), the superb cinematography of Jeremy Lasky and some remarkable animation supervised by Alan Barillaro and Steve Hunter, WALL-E only has one serious opponent for Best Animated Feature at the forthcoming 2009 Academy Awards Ceremony. But as delightful as KUNG FU PANDA may be, for me it is no contest. WALL-E is a masterpiece; hugely entertaining and an important film, at one and the same time. I also recommend waiting until the end to hear the song: DOWN TO EARTH over the closing credits. Music by Thomas Newman with lyrics and performance by Peter Gabriel, it has already been nominated as the Best Original Score Written Directly for Film for the 2008 World Soundtrack Awards and an Oscar is very much on the cards. 

As always, Pixar presents a short before the main feature and this latest is a riot. PRESTO, directed and co-written by Doug Sweetland, is about a magician and his bunny and their violent dispute over a carrot.

WALL-E (USA, 2008), German title: WALL-E: Der Letzte räumt die Erde auf), Genre: Animated sci-fi-adventure; Distributor: Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures: Running time: 98 minutes; MPAA rated G; US release date: June 27, 2008; German release date: September 25, 2008; Director: Andrew Stanton; Writers: Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, original story by Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter; Voice Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver; Cinematorgapher: Jeremy Lasky; Composer: Thomas Newman; Title song: Thomas Newman (music), Peter Gabriel (lyrics); Production design: Ralph Eggleston; Editor: Stephen Schaffer

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures

STEP BROTHERS (USA 2008)

First off, I should tender my apologies to Adam Sandler for calling his latest offering DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN the worst comedy of the year. That was before I saw this piece of insultingly crude and idiotic rubbish, which has to be the worst “comedy” of all time. With the “F” word mentioned 23 times in the first half hour, an R-rating was assured. That combined with the coarsely puerile script co-penned by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, based on the story they created with the aid of John C. Reilly, STEP BROTHERS elevates stupidity to a new level. Although some of my peers have found the movie humorous in spots, most are agreed that it is as dim-witted and juvenile as its moronic lead characters.

Brennan (Will Ferrell) and Dale (John C. Reilly), two unattractive, terminally unemployed and retarded (I know the term is non-PC, but “immature” is an understatement) bachelors in their 40s, are still living at home eating junk food in front of the tube. When their respective parents (played by Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen) meet and marry; the two morons are forced to live under one roof. Their savage resentment compels them to play dirty tricks upon one another and mete out great cruelty, but they soon form an uneasy alliance based on their mutual idiocy. When their parents demand that they get jobs and move out, Brennan and Dale are forced out into the real world.

That’s it. There is nothing as adventurous as a sub-plot, nor the merest trace of wit. The entire film consists of slapstick fight sequences between Brennan and Dale, spiced with foul language and the occasional comedy highlight. For instance, the duo trashing the kitchen while sleep-walking, Brennan being forced to lick dog poop off the pavement, or rubbing his testicles on Dale’s drum kit; and so on, ad nauseam… Could this be another nomination for the Teen Choice Award?

Copyright:: Columbia Pictures

This is the third summer comedy that the dynamic duo of Ferrell and writer/director McKay has unleashed on the public: ANCHORMAN (2004), and TALLADEGA NIGHTS (2006), which grossed $85 million and $148 million in the US, respectively. After the disastrous basketball spoof SEMI-PRO, which only brought in a disappointing $33.5 million, STEP BROTHERS looks like a return to their former success. It has already grossed $101 million domestically. I find this depressing.

Unlike its successful predecessors, however, STEP BROTHERS is not based on a humorous premise. A supposed satire on the male fear of adulthood and taking responsibility, this “coming of age” story features neither characters we could possibly care about nor any really funny situations. The juvenile slap stick quickly palls and comes across as an insult to its target audience: Fresh fodder for the Jackass Jeneration.

The only bright spot for me is that the popularity of Ferrell’s comedies seems to be limited to the US market, having grossed upwards of 80% of their revenue in the States. On the other hand, taking his pictures as a yardstick, I find it highly disturbing that the most powerful nation in the world would appear to be populated by the dumbest audience - which is getting dumber with each passing day, or each new comedy released. Most disturbing of all is that lots, if not most of them, are armed.

STEP BROTHERS (USA, 2008): Genre: Comedy: US distributor: Columbia Pictures; German distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing; N.American release date: July 25, 2008; German release date: September 11, 2008; Running time: 95 minutes; Rated R (for crude and sexual content, and pervasive language); Director: Adam McKay; Screenplay: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay; Story: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, John C. Reilly; Main cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Derek Adam Scott; Cinematographer: Oliver Wood; Composer: Jon Brion; Production designer:: Clayton Hartley; Editor: Brent White

Plot: Two spoiled, overgrown-children become unwilling stepbrothers after their respective parents wed.

© Article from EuropeFront.com - European News Network
http://www.europefront.com/news/706/fresh_fodder_for_the_jackass_jeneration.html
Published: 14/09/2008

BABYLON A.D. (USA/France 2008)

Despite a plethora of bad reviews - including being trashed by its director pre-release - BABYLON A.D. grossed just over $18 million at the US box office since its release there last weekend. Not bad, considering the movie nearly did not get released at all which, in the opinion of many, might not have been a bad thing. It ran well over schedule and its estimated budget of $60 million, and the insurance company had to bail it out. Added to this was the media hoo-ha generated by its director/writer/producer, who publicly rejected the final cut, referring to it as a "bad episode of 24.” His original version was apparently closer to the novel, R-rated and ran an extra 70 minutes. Fox chose to cut it down to 93 mins. and make it a PG-13. As a result of this dispute, the film barely even got any promotion.

Considered to be “un-filmable”, French director Mathieu Kassovitz (GOTHIKA, THE CRIMSON RIVERS), went for it anyway, adapting Maurice G. Dantec’s Sci-Fi novel BABYLON BABIES into his sixth motion picture: a cross between BLADE RUNNER and CHILDREN OF MEN, with oblique digs at product placement, genetic engineering, martial law and a controversial religious organization favored by certain Hollywood celebrities.

In a not-too-distant future, where poverty and claustrophobic chaos prevail in best MAD MAX tradition, disillusioned mercenary Toorop (Vin Diesel) is hired by his old Russian Mafia pal, Gorsky (Gerard Depardieu), to escort the young Aurora (Melanie Thierry) and her companion Sister Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh) from a convent in Mongolia to the City of New York. Their perilous journey takes them through crowded railway stations, swarming internment camps, hazardous border controls and across the frozen Arctic wastes by planes and boats and trains and even submarines and snowmobiles. Finally delivering his passenger to New York, Toorop discovers the purpose of his mission. Within her small person, Aurora is carrying either a deadly virus… or the new Messiah. Whichever it is, she is vital to the future of mankind and both the scientific world and the high priestess of the “Neolites” (Charlotte Rampling) will stop at nothing to get Aurora in their power.

Shot on location in Sweden, France and the Czech Republic, (another feather in Barrandov Studio’s cap) the landscapes and camera work are spectacular. The post-modern world: bleak, claustrophobic and dog-eat-dog, disturbingly portrayed and underlined with a terrific score by Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson (of Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions). Apart from Vin Diesel’s inability to act his way out of a paper bag (his popularity has always amazed me) the remainder of the ensemble put in convincing performances, especially Yeoh and Depardieu.

There has been much criticism of Kassovitz for not being able to decide on the film’s direction: mindless action or contemplative drama? Personally, I have nothing against mixed genres as a whole and do not see why a Sci-Fi action-adventure should not also strive to be thought-provoking. Not having read Dantec’s 600-plus page tome, I was unburdened by such things as comparing the book to the film and must admit that, Vin Diesel’s simian charm notwithstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed BABYLON A.D.

BABYLON A.D. (USA/France, 2008); Genre: Sci-Fi Action; Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox; German distributor: Concorde Filmverleih; US Release date: August 29, 2008; German release date: September 11, 20008; Running time: 101 minutes; Director/Screenplay: Mathieu Kassovitz; Writer: Eric Besnard, Joseph Simas; based on the novel BABYLON BAIBIES by Maurice G. Dantec; Main cast: Vin Diesel, Melanie Thierry, Michelle Yeoh, Lambert Wilson, Mark Strong, Jerome Le Banner, Charlotte Rampling, Gerard Depardieu; Cinematographer: Thierry Arbogast; Composer: Atli Örvarsson; Production Designer: Paul Cross, Sonja Klaus; Editor: Benjamin Weill

Plot summary: Disillusioned mercenary Thoorop is hired to escort a young girl from post-modern Russia to America, not knowing that she is carrying either a deadly virus or the new Messiah. Whichever it is, she is vital to the future of mankind.

WANTED (USA, 2008)

After NIGHT WATCH and its visually stunning and equally confusing sequel DAY WATCH, I thought to myself, give the man a storyline and budget and he could really go places. And here it is. At an estimated cost of $75 million, Russian director Timur Bekmambetov’s first Hollywood movie, WANTED, has grossed just over $267 million, about half of that in the US since its release there on June 27.

Scottish-born James McAvoy (ATONEMENT, LAST KING OF SCOTLAND), admittedly a somewhat unlikely choice for an action hero, is paired up with super-foxy Angelina Jolie - whose character is actually called Fox - assassinating their way in and above the streets of Chicago and many other interesting locations, in this dynamic, FX-CGI laden action thriller. With the lavish look of SIN CITY or THE MATRIX trilogy, Bekmambetov puts his stamp on the movie right from the outset, combining irony with bombast, blood, brutality and bending bullets.

Very loosely based on the comic series by Mark Millar and J G Jones, writing team of Chris Morgan (CELLULAR), Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (2 FAST 2 FURIOUS), WANTED tells the tale of browbeaten office-worker Wesley Gibson (McAvoy), bored to destruction by his job, his love life and the world in general. A born loser; until he is recruited by Fox (Jolie) into the ancient league of assassins known as The Fraternity, whose members use their finely-tuned talents to carry out the instructions of destiny. As dubiously interpreted from a piece of woven fabric (the fabric of fate, no less), by the society’s enigmatic leader Sloan (Morgan Freeman). Their goal: “to forge stability out of chaos and kill without question.”

So what makes Wesley Gibson a potential top killer? I almost hear you ask. Apparently, it’s in the genes. His unknown father, who abandoned him as a child, was The Fraternity’s number one killing machine until being wiped out in his turn by Cross, a rogue member of the brotherhood (played by Germany’s Thomas Kretschmann of DOWNFALL). It is assumed that Wesley has inherited his father’s skills - which include remarkable agility, phenomenal reflexes and being able to shoot bullets around corners to hit their mark.

The first half of the movie is devoted to Wesley’s harsh training as an assassin. McAvoy, who already proved he could take a lot of physical punishment as Idi Amin’s physician in LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, is repeatedly subjected to savage beatings at the hands of The Repairman (Marc Warren), and gruelling lessons from weapons master, The Gunsmith (rapper Common from AMERICAN GANGSTER) while learning to sharpen his skills; all under the watchful eye of Fox and Sloan. Before very long (about 40 minutes), he is ready for his first test mission, which he executes with flying colors. This involves hitting his target through an open window from the top of a speeding train. Definitely not something you should try at home.

Sloan now judges Wesley ready for his appointed task: wreaking vengeance on Cross, his father’s killer, the search for whom takes him to Eastern Europe (mainly the Czech Republic), where he discovers that all is not as it appears. It is only when he meets the mysterious Pekwarsky (Terence Stamp) that he learns about his relationship with his father - who is not really his father at all - and his ties to the secret society, which likewise has its own agenda. Wesley finally develops his hidden powers and inner strengths, almost working out who his friends are - and gets the chance to avenge himself upon his tormentors. Veering between valour and retribution, he ultimately learns that only he can weave his own destiny.

But there’s lots of high-powered action and special effects along the way (in fact, there are very few scenes without any special FX) including some relentless car chase sequences and an amazing train crash on a mountain bridge over a ravine.

The tech package under the scepter of Timur Bekmambetov is sensational, with special compliments to cameraman Mitchell Amundsen, editor David Brenner, the lush production design of John Myhre, all underscored with the musical expertise we have come to expect from Danny Elfman. Pretty much a live-action cartoon; if you put your logic on hold and ignore the script’s absurdities, the movie is hugely entertaining and doesn’t let up for a second. Another nomination for the 2008 Teen Choice Award - and destined, hopefully, to win - its target group is firmly established.

Angelina Jolie as "Fox" (c) Universal Pictures

Although dominating the posters and artwork, Mrs. Pitt has far less time onscreen than her co-star, but is very agile and highly decorative. I especially liked her tattoos and seriously considered getting some myself. Then I thought: today’s butterfly is tomorrow’s hang glider. So I came to my senses in time!

WANTED (USA, 2008); Genre: Action-adventure; Running time: 110 minutes; Distributor: Universal Pictures International; US Release date: June 27, 2008; German release: September 4, 2008; Director: Timur Bekmambetov; Screenplay: Michael Brandt & Derek Haas; Based on the comics by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones; Main cast: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common; Cinematographer: Mitchell Amundsen; Music: Danny Elfman; Production design: John Myhre; Editor: David Brenner

Plot summary: Young Wesley Gibson’s life is pointless until a beautiful and mysterious woman inducts him into an ancient brotherhood of assassins, where he ultimately realizes his true potential.

© Article from EuropeFront.com - European News Network
http://www.europefront.com/news/706/what_doesnt_kill_you_makes_you_stronger.html
Published: 03/09/2008

After its seventh weekend in release, The Dark Knight has already crossed the $500 million threshold at the US box office, making it North America’s second highest theatrical earner in history. The Labor Day weekend’s takings of $8.8 million brought its domestic total up to $502.4 million.

Batman 4 was no slouch in the foreign markets either, generating a further $19 million from 6,580 screens in 62 territories over the weekend, bringing its total overseas box office receipts up to $416.7 million.

The caped crusader stayed at number one in its second weekend in Germany ($4.4 million from 955 screens, totaling $17.5 million) and likewise in its third weekend in France (bringing the total French box office up to $21.3 million).

Its fifth weekend in the UK’s number one slot has brought its total UK revenue up to $90.3 million, and it is firmly maintaining pole position in Australia, Mexico, South Korea, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Japan and Russia.

 John Cusack, Shélan O'Keefe, Gracie Bednarczyk

 It begins with a knock on the door by two military officers in dress uniform. Stan Phillips, an average suburban guy (John Cusack), reluctant to hear the news, won`t invite them in, but is informed nonetheless that his soldier wife Grace has been killed in Iraq. Now he must tell his daughters Heidi (Shelan O`Keefe), 12, and Dawn (Gracie Bednarczyk), 8, that “mommy isn`t coming home.” And the longer he leaves it, the harder it gets.

A bit colourless and awkward, Stanley is not upwardly mobile. He`s not aggressive or especially ambitious. He doesn`t like challenges or confrontations. He has an undemanding job as a manager in a home supply store. He used to be in the military himself - which is where he met Grace - until his eyesight let him down and got him discharged. But he`s always been patriotic. At least until now. Now, he doesn`t know what to believe. Stunned by the news, he tries to tell his daughters, but can`t bring himself to face it. So he puts it off, waiting for the right time and place. But there`s never a right time or place for this kind of news.

Instead, he takes them out of school and on a spontaneous holiday to a Florida theme park. It`s a long drive from the chilly Midwest to the “Enchanted Gardens” and on the way he stops off to visit his parents and younger brother John (Alessandro Nivola). Still living at home and sponging off his folks at the age of 32, John is toying with vague ideas about his future, but is in no hurry to move out. Eager to air his passionate views about the war, politics and government corruption in general, he tries to provoke his nieces into rejecting their father`s blind patriotism.

Stanley tells John about Grace but begs him to keep it secret, wanting to give his daughters a few final shreds of innocence. John reluctantly agrees, although the girls are starting to suspect something is amiss. Their dad is acting disconcertingly out-of-character for one thing, and for another, when Heidi calls her teacher at school to apologize for late homework, she is greeted by exaggerated sympathy instead of the annoyance she expected.

Their journey resumes through a bleak highway landscape of fast food joints, wholesale outlets, filling stations and dreary motels. Every time they make a stop, Stanley calls home: to listen to Grace`s voice on the answering machine and ask her what to do. They finally reach the “Enchanted Gardens” which - due to the obvious lack of budget - looks more like a school playground than a Disneyworld that would lure anybody across the country, where Stanley takes the girls to the beach and finally breaks the news.

The movie was originally supposed to be directed by Rob Reiner, who dropped out during preproduction for reasons unknown (probably a better offer). Which represented a window of opportunity for screenwriter James C. Strouse, thus making his directorial debut. Although nothing special in film making terms, GRACE IS GONE is nonetheless a moving statement of loss and denial and a powerful allegory of America`s reluctance to face the consequences of war. Antiwar in essence, the story does not belabour the point, veering away from philosophical discussion or political debate and is thus unlikely to offend. Condemning the war while still honouring its heroes, it focuses on loss and its emotional repercussions on a family.

John Cusack, who also co-produced, is convincing and sensitive as the vulnerable Stanley, challenged almost to breaking point. While the girls, played by Shelan O`Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk, respectively, do a wonderful job, especially Shelan as the elder daughter Heidi, who gradually becomes more mature as their journey progresses.

Made for a very modest USD 2 million, Weinstein Films picked it up for double that at Sundance, where it won the Audience Award and Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2007, as well as the critics` award at Deauvville. Clint Eastwood was also nominated for two Golden Globes in 2008 for his contribution to the project: best song and best original score.

Grace is Gone, USA 2007; Genre: Drama
US distributor: The Weinstein Company
German distributor: Central Film Verleih
US release date: Dec. 7, 2007 (limited)
German release date: August 28, 2008
Running time: 85 mins: Rated PG-13 (for thematic material, brief strong language and teen smoking)
Writer/Director: James C. Strouse
Main cast: John Cusack, Shelan O`Keefe, Gracie Bednarczyk, Alessandro Nivola
Cinematographer: Jean-Louis Bompoint
Composer: Clint Eastwood
Production Designer: Susan Block
Editor: Joe Klotz

Plot summary: Notified that his wife has been killed in Iraq, Stanley must find a way to break the news to their two young daughters.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: geraldinefbtv@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 29.08. 2008
  Verwertung:All rights to the author
• Photo: courtesy of The Weinstein Company / Central Film
• Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 29.08. 2008

I Served the King of England, (Czech 2006)

SON OF RAMBOW (USA 2007)

No it’s not a spelling mistake. The floating “w” at title’s end was added to avoid legal dispute, even though Sylvester Stallone actually endorsed the film. But somehow it serves to emphasize the youth and naivety of the film’s two leads. Set in rural England in the mid-80s, this second feature by the dynamic duo of Hammer & Tongs, alias director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith, (“Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, plus lots of music videos), focuses on the unlikely friendship between two fatherless English lads drawn together by their mutual isolation and their passion for Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo.

Their friendship begins one day in the school hallway, where they have both been ejected from the classroom for very different reasons. Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner), because his puritanical religion forbids him to watch any films or TV, including educational documentaries, and Lee Carter (Will Poulter), because he has been as disruptive as usual. Lee invites Will home and takes him into his garage cum video-pirating studio, where he introduces him to Rambo. Will is electrified. Before very long, Lee has enlisted him as a stuntman in his homemade sequel to “First Blood” - with equipment borrowed from his older brother - which he is hoping to enter into an amateur film contest. Their weapons and military props are assembled from a selection of household objects and sundry junk, as well as various items that Lee manages to pilfer, while the special effects consist of drawings from Will’s sketch book.

John Rambo becomes a kind of father figure to the two boys, who otherwise have little in common except that both are misfits. Pretty soon to Lee’s delight, Will has progressed from stuntman to star, self-cast as the “Son of Rambo”, determined to rescue his “father” from captivity. He becomes ever more fearless as he immerses himself in the role, happily performing a series of death-defying stunts. This includes swinging from a rope into a fast-running river, when he can’t even swim. Fortunately, Lee plunges in to save him from drowning.

Meanwhile, life proceeds as usual. Will is the only boy in a modest female household of mother (Jessica Stevenson), sister, and demented grandma (Anna Wing), living according to the strict rules of their religious sect “The Plymouth Brethren”, where just about everything is off limits. Head of the church Brother Joshua (Neil Dudgeon), a regular guest at the dinner table, fancies his mother and feels the need to impose extra discipline on the boy to consolidate his position. Will can’t stand him. While Lee, whose family is equally dysfunctional but more affluent, lives with his cold, condescending brother (Ed Westwick) in a large mansion connected to the family business: a senior retirement home.

Their world is turned upside down when a group of French exchange students arrives at the school and Didier (Jules Sitruk), a sophisticated older boy, exotic in tight jeans and bright red boots, becomes the centre of attention, effortlessly winning everyone’s respect and admiration. Fascinated by their movie production, Didier soon joins in to take a leading role. The boys suddenly become popular by default, although very soon, Didier and his entourage unintentionally manage to drive a wedge between them.

“Son of Rambow” is a bittersweet story of friendship, the cruelty of youth and the desperate search for role models, warmth and admiration. The script is touchingly beautiful and the acting superb. Shot on location in Hertfordshire, Garth Jennings evokes the atmosphere of the ‘80s with a sure hand down to the finest detail: the fashion, the makeup, the music. I think "Son of Rambow" is one of the best independent movies I’ve seen in a very long time.

“Son of Rambow”, USA 2007, German title: "Der Sohn von Rambow"; Genre: Drama; US Distributor: Paramount Vantage; German distributor: Senator Film; Running time: 96 mins.; Rated PG-13 (for some violence and reckless behavior); Premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival; Geman release date: 21 August, 2008; Writer/director: Garth Jennings; Main cast: Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jessica Stevenson, Ed Westwick, Neil Dudgeon, Jules Sitruk; Cinematographer: Jess Hall, Composer: Joby Talbot; Production designer: Joel Colins; Editor: Dominic Leung.

Plot Summary: An ode to innocence, film and friendship, two fatherless boys look to Rambo as a role model and set out to produce their own movie sequel.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 19.08. 2008
  Photo: © Courtesy of Paramount Vantage & Senator Film
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 19.08. 2008

“The Dark Knight” or “Rory’s First Kiss”

 Frankfurt am Main (Weltexpress) - That was the movie`s secret alias during production in Chicago and the nickname seemed to cling long after the secret was out, although some film reels were delivered to certain theatres under the name "Oliver`s Army". But what`s in a name? “The Dark Knight” is the first Batman movie not to feature the name “Batman” in the title and made more money than its predecessor`s entire domestic run after only 6 days of release. At time of writing, it has already grossed just under USD 705 million worldwide - nearly USD 442 million of that in the US since its release there on July 18. This is almost as much as Star Wars in 1977, but still under Titanic`s record of USD 600.8 in the US and USD 1.24 billion internationally, making it the third top grossing film of all time.

The film takes over from where its predecessor left off, with Batman (Christian Bale) and police lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), making some headway in reducing organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are supported by a daring and incorruptible new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), burning with a zealous flame. The collaboration seems successful, particularly when Batman leaves Gotham for the first time on-screen and makes his way to Hong Kong to snatch Lau (Chin Han), bookkeeper to the crime syndicate, in some spectacular action sequences (using his cape to paraglide) and brings him back to face the music. Thus enabling Dent to link all the crime lords together in a 2,500-count conspiracy charge. Batman`s alter ego, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, throws his weight behind him with a glittering fundraiser, convinced of Dent`s integrity and seeing a possibility of actually hanging up his batsuit and retiring forever from his crime fighting career to live a normal, billionaire-playboy life.

But the Joker (Heath Ledger) has plans of his own, letting loose a vicious wave of crime based on his own random motives. First offering to eliminate Batman for the mob boss (Eric Roberts); then threatening a series of public killings until Batman discloses his real identity. Motivated by neither greed nor self-interest, his sheer unpredictability and love of destruction makes him a fearful enemy. As Alfred the Butler (Michael Caine) says, he “just wants to see the world burn.”

The script, penned by director Chris Nolan and his brother Jonathan (who first worked together on the classic “Memento”), based on a story co-written with David Goyer, one of the writers of “Batman Begins”, “The Dark Knight” has far more depth and intelligent dialogue than is usual in the genre, and takes on some serious issues far removed from the usual fantasy world of comic book superheroes. It is always about good versus evil, yes, but this deals with the merits of Batman and his unconventional methods as compared to the powers of an honorable official working within the limits of the law. It`s about civic upheaval, human frailty and the vulnerability of our social foundations in the face of all-consuming evil.

Christian Bale turns in a sound performance as Bruce Wayne alias Batman, but is almost an incidental character in this story and more of a foil for intellectual argument than anything else. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a good substitute for Mrs. Cruise in the role of Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne`s childhood sweetheart and now hoping for a life of stability with district attorney Harvey Dent. Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are as competent as ever, but there is no doubt that this is Ledger`s film and a lasting testimony to his greatness as an actor.

He prepped for the role by living alone in a hotel room for a month, immersing himself in the character`s psychology, posture and voice - the latter apparently the most difficult. The Joker speaks in an unhurried, mid-American accent, articulating his words with frightening precision. He kept a diary of the Joker`s thoughts and feelings as a guide for his portrayal and is said to have been inspired by Sid Vicious, as well as the character of Alex in “A Clockwork Orange”. When asked to explain his choice of Heath Ledger as the Joker, Nolan said, "Because he`s fearless." And as Christian Bale said at the black-carpet premiere in New York on July 14, "He`s created an iconic villain, unlike any I`ve seen before…. He was talented beyond belief.”

Ledger`s performance is electrifying. Lipstick smeared across his starkly white face, he is the clown of every child`s nightmare. He performs with a mesmerizing simplicity, which becomes more frightening as the film goes on. Throughout, he conceives diabolical situations forcing the protagonists to make hopeless moral decisions. In one such example, he provokes the passengers of two ferryboats to blow each other up before getting blown up themselves. As the Joker says, “I`m not a monster...I`m just ahead of the curve”. This, his final performance, is simply overwhelming and he is likely to be honored with the first posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch.

There has been much speculation that the very darkness of this role was partly responsible for his sudden death on January 22, 2008, but there is little truth to this rumor. His death came as a surprise to everybody and unfortunately makes “The Dark Knight” even darker. I was personally in Hans Zimmer`s studio in Santa Monica (Remote Control Productions) when news of Ledger`s death came through from New York. Only a few days before, Hans had played my better half (Howard Scarr, one of the sound designers on the picture) and myself the theme he was working on that would embody the personality of the Joker: a schizoid, screeching sound that set your teeth on edge. He was wondering how long he could sustain one single note, but finally settled for two…

While we`re talking about the music, composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard have surpassed themselves with the dynamic simplicity of their score; no easy task after their revolutionary work on “Batman Begins”. The Batman theme is featured only twice in the movie and they have demonstratively avoided the hackneyed use of heroic signature tunes, focusing instead on mood and ostinato. The nerve-jangling Joker theme is a veritable work of art and is featured full-length on the soundtrack CD, a worthy addition to any collection.

As one would expect, the special effects are extraordinary; masses of pyrotechnics, explosions, disasters and lavish chase sequences. One of the blasts was shot at London`s disused Battersea Power Station, generating frantic calls from the locals, who were convinced it was a terrorist attack. Christopher Nolan was also able to realize one of his lifelong dreams and shot some of the movie in IMAX: six major action scenes as well as a few dramatic sequences for contrast, to be exact, and wishes he could have shot the whole film in that format. It gives those scenes extra quality and depth, drawing the viewer right into the action.

But despite all the accolades, “The Dark Knight” is far from being the perfect film. It is too long, the pace is frantic - and so is the editing; the camera technique is often confusing and it tries to cram too much into the storyline. Apart from the latter, all standard blockbuster fare. It is unfortunate that Nolan was forced to make such compromises.

Still, “The Dark Knight” and even “Iron Man” to some extent are changing the face of the comic book superhero; from wooden caped-crusaders to warm-blooded human beings with their quirks and idiosyncrasies, and far more fascinating to watch.

Funnily enough, the film`s rating has stirred up more controversy than anything else, and some critics have even posted an advisory warning, “Some of the special effects are disgusting and disturbing enough to justify something more severe than the PG-13 rating. This movie is certainly not for children, nor for anyone who`s afraid of clowns.” True, “The Dark Knight” is not a children`s movie, but neither is the plethora of “kill or be killed” computer games, all hugely popular with the sub-teens. Kids have always been pretty bloodthirsty, and this latest Batman epic is unlikely to create any psychological damage; certainly no more than standard prime time TV or a Disney cartoon.

“The Dark Knight” is a film of its times and unfortunately reflects today`s society; corruption is rife, our institutions are unstable, and the future is looking bleak.

The Dark Knight, USA, 2008; Genre: Action; Distributor: Warner Bros; Running time: 152 mins.; US release date: July 18, 2008; German release: August 21, 2008; Rated PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and some menace); Director: Christopher Nolan; Screenplay: Christopher and Jonathan Nolan; Story: Christorpher Nolan and David Goyer; Main cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman; Cinematographer: Wally Pfister; Music: Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard; Production designer: Nathan Crowley; Editor: Lee Smith

Plot Summary: Together with police lieutenant Jim Gordon and the new district attorney Harvey Dent, Batman is managing to stem the tide of organized crime plaguing the streets of Gotham. Until the appearance of a new kind of criminal known as “The Joker”, who plunges the city into a reign of terror.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: geraldinefbtv@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 15.08. 2008
  Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 15.08. 2008

“You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” - worst comedy of the year

Adam Sandler has excelled himself with this interminable pile of tasteless trash at an estimated budget of $90 million, which has already raked in $127 million worldwide, most of that in the US since its release there on June 6. Its commercial success is also underlined by the fact that the FX network has just acquired the TV rights from Sony - to kick in late 2010 - for an estimated 12% of its total domestic box office, currently amounting to just under $99 million.

I guess you can’t argue with success. But Adam Sandler is not Ernst Lubitsch or Charlie Chaplin, or even Mel Brooks, for that matter, all of whom could turn a touchy topic into a bundle of laughs. The idea of using terrorism and the Middle East crisis as the basis for a comedy satire is risky, to say the least, but had any talented writers been involved, it might even have worked. As it is, the script, penned by Sandler himself with co-writers Robert Smigel and Judd Apatow, is a one-joke comedy; crude and gruellingly repetitious, and if there was anything even vaguely amusing, I must have missed it.

Director Dennis Dugan (“I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry”), who also plays a homeless guy in this masterpiece, focuses on course visual gags, largely featuring Zohan’s gigantic appendage and all the groovy stuff he can do with it, like flipping burgers, playing table tennis, shaking cocktails (no pun intended), and lots more.

Premise: superhero-tough Mossad commando Zohan Dvir, (who brushes his teeth with humus) - buffed-up, crimped and with an accent veering from Depardieu to Borat - secretly yearns to be a hair dresser. During a mission against his arch enemy, the Arab leader known as the Phantom, (played by John Tartufo), he fakes his own death and stows away to New York, where he tries to get a job as a stylist. Enter product placement in the form of a personal appearance by Paul Mitchell and a brief tour of his luxury salon.

The fact that Zohan can defy gravity with no-handed push-ups, among other athletic feats (we know the Mossad are a bunch of hard bastards), does not convince the salon staff of his qualifications as a crimper. So, the only job he manages to get is in a second-rate Brooklyn salon run by a lovely Palestinian (Emmanuelle Chriqui).

Apparently Sandler's character of Zohan is loosely based on a real-life hairstylist and former Israeli soldier in San Diego, who taught Sandler the various hairstyling techniques, which he seems to have mastered pretty well. But Zohan’s commercial success is truly guaranteed when he offers the extra service of rogering his geriatric female clients in the back room. Before very long, little old ladies are lining up by the truckload and his career seems to be on the rise - until he is recognised by his arch enemy.

To alleviate the extended (almost 2 hour) tedium, a series of famous faces - who should all be ashamed of themselves - appear in brief cameo roles. Chris Rock, Kevin Nealon, Mariah Carey, George Takei, Sid Ganis, John McEnroe, help provide a mild titter every five or 10 minutes, before the picture moves into its welcome finale, where everybody learns to live and work together in perfect harmony in that supreme testament to western culture - a shopping mall.

“Don’t Mess with the Zohan” has been nominated for the 2008 Teen Choice Award and is not recommended for anyone with a more than one-syllable vocabulary. 

“You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” (German title: “Leg dich nicht mit Zohan an”), USA 2008; Genre: Action-comedy, Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing; US release date: June 6, 2008; German release: August 14, 2008; Running time:110 minutes; Rated: PG-13; Director: Dennis Dugan;  Writers: Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, Judd Apatow; Main cast: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Laine Kazan, Rob Schneider; Cinematographer: Michael Barrett; Music: Rupert Gregson-Williams; Production Designer: Perry Andelin Blake; Editor: Tom Costain

 If it ain’t broke – don't fix it!

We’ve had lots of spy spoofs over the years from the “Pink Panther” to “Johnny English”, but “Get Smart”, based on the original 1965 TV-series created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry (who also acted as consultants on the movie), must be one of the best. Outrageous, action-packed, visually exciting and full of the hi-tech gadgetry we’ve come to expect from a typical Bond pik, it has grossed over USD 161 million worldwide since its US release in June. I personally thought it was hilarious- and I saw it in German, so what can I say?

The casting is best of all. Jim Carrey was attached to star back in 1998 when the project was first in development, but Steve Carell is unsurpassable as Maxwell Smart; deadpan, blundering, insufferably competitive and inexplicably self-assured analyst for the US agency CONTROL (a covert CIA-rival), who desperately longs to get out of the backroom and into the field. And he finally gets his chance when he is unexpectedly upgraded to field agent by the Chief (Alan Arkin) and partnered with the lovely Agent 99, (Anne Hathaway). Joining up with Agent 23, (played by Dwayne Johnson, formerly “The Rock”), they journey to Moscow to contend with arch-villain Siegfried (Terence Stamp), head of the criminal organisation KAOS and put a stop to their diabolical plans. This involves finding a “nucular” device just in time to stop KAOS from blowing up the Walt Disney concert hall in LA while the US president (James Caan) is attending a performance. 

And in between, lots more elaborate action and stunts, spiced with plenty of humour. At a budget of USD 80 million, “Get Smart” is a true blockbuster production. Far from being a tacky remake, it manages to capture the essence of the original TV series and is more of a tribute than a parody. A perfect blend of slapstick, nonsense and witty dialogue, the movie features many of the well-known catch phrases from the series, lots of visual references - including the famous Sunbeam Tiger, a Karman Ghia and an Opel GT - as well as fragments of its theme tune. 

The storyline works and, I’m glad to say, has not been dumbed-down to conform to standard US tastes, despite director Peter Segal’s track record of Adam Sandler comedies (“The Longest Yard,”, “50 First Dates”, and “Anger Management”), although it does contain its fair share of slapstick and silliness to counterbalance the action. But the updated Maxwell Smart is a lot smarter and more able, for a start, although he has lost nothing of his loveable quirkiness. Needless to say, he is also indestructible, surviving a series of hair-raising chase sequences, captures and impossible escapades, one particular highlight involving cars, trains and planes, with Smart actually being towed behind an aircraft. 

There are few political undertones, apart from some harmless pokes at the current administration. James Caan playing the President does a fair G.W. Bush impression, which includes a series of famed mispronunciations, visual gags and his reading to a group of school kids in the midst of a crisis. Dwayne Johnson, playing secret agent extraordinaire, is developing into a good comedy actor, while Alan Arkin is his usual brilliant self as the chief of CONTROL, much of his dialogue pure “Mel Brooks”, which had me on the floor. The movie is hugely entertaining and has had us giggling for days, thus, despite its many negative reviews all I can do is highly recommend it. 

Distributor: Warner Bros.; Running time: 110 minutes; Rated PG-13 (rude humor, action violence and language); Director: Peter Segal; Writers: Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, based on the characters by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry; Main cast: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Bill Murray, Terence Stamp, James Caan, Patrick Warburton; Cinematographer: Dean Semler; Music: Trevor Rabin; Production Designer: Wynn Thomas; Editor: Richard Pearson 

Plot: Maxwell Smart, blundering, over-eager analyst for covert agency CONTROL desperately longs to get out of the backroom and into the field. And he finally gets his chance when an attack on headquarters propels his unexpected promotion to field agent, teamed up with the lovely Agent 99. Together they must unmask the leaders of the criminal organisation KAOS and foil its diabolical plans.

Autor: Geraldine Blecker
E-Mail: geraldinefbtv@aol.com
Abfassungsdatum: 17.07. 2008
All rights to the author

Norton Gets Green, Not Mean.

Frankfurt/Main (Weltexpress).Marvel’s “The Incredible Hulk" has already recouped its estimated budget of $125 million, amassing almost $220.5 million worldwide - more than half of that in the US since its release there on June 13 - and is expected to dominate European box offices this weekend, ousting Hancock from pole position.

Considered by some to be a big improvement over Ang Lee’s 2003 predecessor, "The Incredible Hulk" will doubtless appeal to fans who might have found the original too heavy-going. By contrast, although director Louis Leterrier (“The Transporter”) and screenwriter Zak Penn (“X-Men: The Last Stand”), together with co-writer Edward Norton, its star, touch upon the inner turmoil of the jolly green giant’s alter ego, "The Incredible Hulk" makes no bones about being a sci-fi-action-blockbuster and manages to find a good balance between a thought-provoking monster and an action-adventure.

The film opens with a pacey recap of the original story, bringing us up to date. Dr. Bruce Banner is on the run and keeping a low profile (on actual location) in Rio. And there is some amazing footage of the “City of God”, where Banner is working as a humble manual labourer in a soft-drinks bottling plant, learning Portuguese and studying anger management under a martial arts master. He is also in electronic communication with an (as yet) anonymous scientist, (Tim Blake Nelson) who is trying to help him analyse the radioactive contaminants in his blood that cause Banner’s incredible metamorphosis when his blood pressure rises beyond a certain point. Ergo: he is still desperately seeking a cure and consciously counting the “days without incident”.

But the US military, headed up by obsessive, ruthless General Ross (William Hurt) refuse to leave him alone. The Army wants to study Banner and isolate the elements that create the change in order to put the phenomenon to military use, i.e. create troops of invincible soldiers. Thus, when a drop of Banner’s blood accidentally contaminates a bottle of soft drink which is exported to the US, (swigged down by Stan Lee) they manage to pin-point his location - an aspect that could have been put to much better dramatic use, quite frankly - and the chase begins in earnest, with all hell breaking loose in the City of God and it and its inhabitants getting blasted to perdition: to absolutely no effect. Only the first of a somewhat tedious and illogical series of military blasting operations throughout, making you wonder why they persist in using such weaponry against an obviously invulnerable opponent.

But Banner has to move on and, although "The Incredible Hulk" could be described as a chase movie, it`s more than that. There are moments of introspection and sensitivity, much of which is owed to the sweetness and purity of Liv Tyler as Betty, Banner’s own true love and daughter of General Ross, in her scenes with Edward Norton, who must be one of the finest actors of his generation.

I’m a huge Edward Norton fan and admire just about everything he’s ever done, from “The Score” and Academy Award nominations “American History X” and “Fight Club”, to such smaller, independent pix as “Down In the Valley” and “The Painted Veil”. To this, his first superhero role to the best of my knowledge, he brings a stoic strength and even a modicum of humour, allowing us to identify more easily with the character and sympathise with his dilemma.

If you ask me, the most incredible thing about the Incredible Hulk is that there are two of them. But then, I guess that’s not so incredible after all. Otherwise, what would the good Hulk have to fight against if not the Bad Hulk? Or the “Abomination”, (from 1967’s “Tales to Astonish”), in the person of soldier Emile Blonsky, well-played by Tim Roth as a cold-blooded Brit - have you noticed that the villains these days are nearly always Brits? Leader of the general’s assault team because he’s nastier than everybody else, he fancies some of the Hulk-juice for himself, so that he can become even nastier. And this, of course, paves the way for a series of interminable hulk-meets-hulk fight sequences, some of which I even managed to doze through, despite the noise.

Unfortunately, although very similar in vein, the result is nowhere near as good as Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man”, which featured a far more interesting superhero than Banner, so this picture needs the big showdown, or more than one. Norton does his utmost to make Banner an interesting figure, but has neither the script, nor Downey’s off-hand brilliance. Nowhere more evident than in the finale, where Tony Stark makes a brief and satisfying appearance, giving us all sufficient warning of a forthcoming addition to the franchise(s).

The Incredible Hulk (German title: Die unglaubliche Hulk) USA, 2008; Genre: Sci-Fi-Action; Distributor: Universal; Length: 114 mins.; Rated PG-13 (for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images and brief suggestive content); Director: Louis Leterrier; Writers: Zak Penn, Edward Norton, based on characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Music: Craig Armstrong; Main cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, William Hurt; Cinematographer: Peter Menzies Jr.; Production Designer: Kirk M. Petruccelli; Editors: Rick Shaine, John Wright.

Plot Summary: While desperately seeking his own cure, fugitive Dr. Bruce Banner must utilize the genetic accident that transforms him into a giant, rampaging monster to stop a former soldier who deliberately becomes an even more deadly version.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: geraldinefbtv@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 12.07. 2008
  Courtesy Marvel Comics
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 12.07. 2008

 Will Smith - superhero with a difference
 

I can imagine two studio executives having lunch, when one says, “I’ve got an idea for Will Smith!”  And it didn’t look as if much time was frittered away developing the screenplay, either, which seemed flung together in a hurry and didn’t quite know where it was going. But how wrong can you be? Apparently the original script, entitled “Tonight, He Comes”, penned by Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan, was actually floating around Hollywood for more than a decade. Warner Bros. passed on the project, before Sony finally stepped up to the plate with an estimated budget of USD 150 million and Will Smith himself as one of the producers. 

An interesting premise of the hobo anti-hero who does less good than damage, chalking up a billion dollar bill and a bundle of arrest warrants with the City of L.A. for his destruction of public property. Those he saves are grateful - but only just - and Hancock must be the most unpopular superhero of all time. All of which radically changes when he saves Ray (Jason Bateman), slick PR-executive, who decides that what Hancock needs is an image makeover and he’s the man to do it. So Hancock shaves off his beard, learns how to touch down gently instead of ploughing up the freeway, and is even kitted out in a nifty, leather jump suit. Ray even talks him into giving himself up to the law and serving some time in the pen so that Hancock’s rare talents can be truly appreciated in his absence. Needless to say, the crime rate goes up by 30 percent and the unconventional superhero is soon recalled into action by the mayor himself.

A genre mix, “Hancock” could best be described as an action-comedy-drama, with a touch of romance. Loaded with schoolboy humour, (e.g. lots of heads being stuck up other peoples’ backsides and gratuitous use of the word “asshole”) and very low on the Richter scale of witty dialogue that we have come to expect from Will Smith, who always brings his own unique personality into every role he plays. But Smith is one of Hollywood’s highest paid stars and enjoys huge international popularity. None of his pictures has grossed less than USD 135 in the US market since “Ali” in 2001 and “Hancock” follows on the heels of one of his biggest action hits, last year’s “I Am Legend”. So despite its dramaturgical failings, this movie is likely to generate healthy box office receipts this summer, even though it is facing some stiff competition. “Hellboy II” is set to follow it onto the screen, not to mention the film everyone is waiting for, “The Dark Knight”.

We first meet Hancock, bourbon bottle in hand, sleeping off a binge on a public bench. Roused by a youngster to go fight some “bad guys”, he grudgingly stirs himself into action, once again getting the job done but leaving a swathe of destruction in his wake, followed by the usual media outrage. Then he saves Ray, PR-exec, from being demolished by an on-coming train and Ray invites him home for dinner to meet his wife and son. Ray’s young son worships Hancock on sight, while his wife Mary (Charlize Theron) takes a much more guarded approach. We find out why in the last third of the movie when Hancock, already rehabilitated by Ray’s efforts, discovers his history and previous relationship with Mary - for Hancock had been suffering from amnesia and has no recollection of his past.. But I don’t want to give away all the surprises.

Will Smith manages to walk the character tightrope between outcast anti-hero and sympathetic lead with perfect balance. Jason Bateman provides amiable comic relief, while Theron as the dual-personality of Mary puts in a capable performance. But there are no Oscar-winning performances here. The special effects are terrific, while the action sequences are pretty hardcore, due to director Peter Berg’s penchant for the hand-held camera technique, so ably displayed in “The Kingdom”.  Short (only 92 mins.) and pacey, the confusion in the third act, when Hancock’s past is resurrected followed by a superfluous showdown, unfortunately lets the whole thing down.

Plot summary: An unconventional superhero who does less good than damage has an image makeover to boost his popularity and inadvertently learns about his past from his mentor’s wife.

First come - first served: popularity is a state of mind

BERLIN (Weltexpress) - For the average teen, there is nothing more important than fitting in and being liked. Looking back on those agonizing schooldays from the comfortable distance of adulthood, it may seem shallow but, let’s face it, that’s the way it was. So, regardless of its irritating contradictions, Charlie Bartlett takes us back into the classroom to watch the rise of its namesake from misfit to idol, and ponder the cost of his popularity.

17-Year old Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) is rich, bright, slick, and frighteningly self-assured: a scheming adult in a teenage body. Expelled from the latest in a succession of expensive private learning institutions, he has, as a last resort, been enrolled in a local public school. And when he turns up impeccably groomed in school tie and blazer, it is to be immediately beaten up by the school bully Murphey Bivens (Tyler Hilton), followed by more general derision.

As for his home life, Charlie is pretty much left to his own devices. His dad doing time in the pen for tax evasion, his strung-out mother (Hope Davis) prefers to ignore Charlie’s flaws and misdemeanours hoping things will improve of their own accord. And if not, there are always highly paid professionals such as the family psychiatrist, whom Charlie visits regularly. Lamenting his plight in one of these sessions, the shrink summarily writes him a prescription for Ritalin, which does indeed serve to boost Charlie’s popularity. For he is soon selling it on to his fellow students, assisted by his former tormentor and new business partner Murphey.

Editor Jon Poll’s directorial debut mostly works, despite the fact that it veers randomly from one genre to another: teen comedy to drama, dark satire to anti-drug propaganda. But although both the screenplay and directing could have been better, it touches on some controversial issues all the same, including the ultimate cost of popularity and the casual prescribing of such medication as Ritalin.

The performances are solid and convincing. Anton Yelchin is a likable Charlie; Kat Dennings appealing as the principal’s daughter and Charlie’s potential girlfriend, while Hope Davis is suitably vague and distracted as his mother Marilyn. But the accolades must go yet again to Robert Downey Jr., who is a treat to watch as the caring school principal with an alcohol problem. His superb performance elevates every scene in which he appears, and makes the film worthwhile despite its imperfections.

For a teen comedy, it is more intelligent than most, which could be one of the reasons Charlie Bartlett has grossed less than USD 4 million in the US since its February 22nd release. Another is probably due to its “R” rating (too many uses of the “f” word and a quick flash of bare boobs) as unsuitable for its intended target audience: the 13-17s. It might have a better chance with young European audiences, while US teens will just have to wait for it to come out on DVD.

Charlie Bartlett, USA, 2007; Genre: Comedy-drama; US Distributor: MGM; German distributor: Central Film; Running time: 97 mins.; US Release date: February 22, 2008; German release date: June 26, 2008; MPAA Classification: “R” (profanity, mild violence, brief nudity); Director: Jon Poll; Screenplay: Gustin Nash; Cast: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Kat Dennings, Tyler Hilton; Cinematographer: Paul Sarossy; Music: Christophe Beck

Summary: Rich kid Charlie Bartlett doesn’t fit in at his new school. Seeking ways to be popular, he starts holding therapy sessions for his fellow students in the boys’ lavatory, where he doles out good advice and prescription meds. But despite his initial success, he soon discovers that popularity has its price.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 24.06. 2008
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 24.06. 2008

The heist that rocked the nation

Franfurt/Main (Weltexpress). More than 35 years ago in September 1971, a group of thieves tunnelled into the vault of the Baker Street branch of Lloyds´ Bank in London, successfully looting safety deposit boxes of more than 3 million pounds´ worth of cash and jewellery. None of it was recovered and no arrests were ever made. The crime was dubbed the “walkie-talkie bank job”, because the mob´s 2-way radio conversations were picked up by a local ham radio operator, who then reported them to the police. The daring heist made all the headlines for a couple of days and then vanished from the news.

Inspired by this true event, director Roger Donaldson (´The World´s Fastest Indian´) and eminent writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (authors of BBC´s classic ‘70s sitcom ´Porridge´) have made an exciting thriller, despite its somewhat uninspiring title. Obviously the best the filmmakers could come up with after an apparently long time in development, during which the film bore the working titles of ´Baker Street´ and ´D-Notice´, respectively.

For the uninitiated, a ´D-Notice´ is what the British government slaps on all and sundry in order to muzzle the press and avoid any leaks to the media. Although mostly a fictional reconstruction, there has been a great deal of hoo-ha in the UK over the past year as to the amount of truth the film portrays, for certain elements of the original crime did, indeed, almost rock the nation.

While I don´t want to give away the plot in its entirety, the story is full of suspense and lots of surprises, including murder, blackmail, corruption in high places and sexual scandal. But lots more than just cash is stashed away in safety deposit boxes and it is the attempted recovery of some of it that provides a lot of excitement. This especially includes some rude photos of Princess Margaret (known to have been a bit of a gal in her day) cavorting with some nubile young bucks in the West Indies and it is these photos, or possession of same, that is the prime motivation for the heist. Albeit unknown to the gang of cockney thieves themselves, who have been set up by MI5 (or 6 -it is hard to tell which) for this purpose, and who seem to be the most innocent parties involved.

It is good to see ´Transporter´ Jason Statham back playing a cockney rogue in the style of “Snatch” and “Two Smoking Barrels”. He plays Terry, retired thief and classy car-dealer with serious cash problems, who is seduced into setting up the caper. And although it is no Oscar-winning performance, he makes a competent job of it. He is supported by a worthy cast of British faces, with David Suchet playing an especially convincing villain.

Filmed mostly in the UK with some locations shot in Australia - for no apparent reason, I am sure, except to access extra funding from the Australian Film Board - it is a gritty crime thriller that successfully evokes the radical politics of the day. Although considering the tumult caused at the time, the movie might have been more daring.

I was therefore surprised to discover that it was made for an estimated USD 20 million, for that budget is certainly nowhere apparent on the screen. Not much was used to license song titles from the era, for example, except for the opening track ´Bang A Gong´ by T.Rex; J. Peter Robinson´s soundtrack sounds like library music. But it has already grossed almost USD 30 million in the US since its release there in early March, although only 4 million GBP in its home territory. Be that as it may, I enjoyed it immensely and it is my film tip of the month.

The Bank Job, UK 2008, Genre: thriller/heist; Running time: 111 min.; MPAA Rating: R; Distributor: Lionsgate Entertainment; Released in the US: 07.03.08; German release date: 19.06.08; Director: Roger Donaldson; Writers: Dick Clement, Ian Lafrenais; Main cast: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner, Alki David; Camera Michael Coulter; Editor: John Gilbert; Music: J. Peter Robinson; Production designer: Gavin Bocquet.

Plot summary: Inspired by the “Walkie-talkie bank job” of 1971, one of the biggest bank robberies in British history, where no cash was ever recovered and no arrests ever made.

• Autor: Geraldine Blecker
  E-Mail: geraldinefbtv@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 07.06. 2008
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 07.06. 2008

...

Frankfurt/Main (Weltexpress): If the Wachowski Brothers were hoping to make a spectacular comeback after the disastrous ‘V For Vendetta’, then they’ve certainly blown it with this interminable piece of green screen nonsense. And just when I was hoping that ‘Iron Man’ would herald a bright new age of superhero movies...

Still being touted as the creators of the hugely successful ‘Matrix’ trilogy, the Wachowskis have now focused their creative talent on the world of high-speed racing. Warner Bros. Pictures, together with Silver Pictures and Village Roadshow present ‘Speed Racer’, an adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida’s original 1967 Japanese anime ‘Mach GoGoGo’ and, at 135 minutes, what must be the world’s longest video game. Produced at an estimated budget of USD 100 million – not counting the half million spent on last week’s premiere bash at Hollywood’s Nokia Theatre, attended by more than 4,000, and from which members of the press were barred. This was probably a good decision, as it happens.

Marketed as a family film, it is clearly aimed at a younger audience, but has little to hold their interest apart from its garish colours, while the dialogue is guaranteed to make older viewers cringe. “You think you can drive a car and change the world? It doesn`t work like that!” And the reply? “Maybe not, but it`s the only thing I know how to do…” is what you can expect throughout, and mostly limited to words of one syllable.

A predictable storyline (the script was penned by the Wachowskis themselves, needless to say), unconvincing performances – especially by Pops and Mom Racer, played by John Goodman and Susan Sarandon, respectively, who should be ashamed of themselves. Word has it that director Alfonso Cuarón was once attached to direct with Johnny Depp starring, while Keanu Reeves turned down the role of Racer X. Good career decisions one and all.

Filmed at Studio Babelsberg, in Potsdam and Victoria Park, Berlin (and thus featuring Benno Fürmann as Inspector Detective, with a small cameo by Moritz Bleibtreu), ‘Speed Racer’, leaves nothing to chance. The 60s cartoon had a certain simplistic charm and although the Wachowskis attempt to transport this vigour to the screen, it amounts to little more than overkill: bilious hi-speed action sequences, flamboyant CGI, riotous colours, frantic cuts, with a dose of martial arts, all interspersed with the usual Hollywood moralizing, to cross the finish line with a feel-good ending, where good triumphs over evil and the wholesome winners celebrate with milk instead of champagne. After all, this is a family film.

Underscored with a gratuitously saccharine soundtrack by Michael Giacchino (even including an acoustic version of ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’ to underline what was almost an innocent love scene, but wasn’t because this is, don’t forget, a family film). And the whole seemingly edited with a knife and fork. Not forgetting, of course, a touch of humour. This provided by Speed’s fat and irritating little brother Spritie (Paulie Litt), together with his chimpanzee sidekick, who keeps popping up to grimace into the camera and deliver a never-ending series of superfluous quips.

In case you’re still interested, this is the storyline: Born to race, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch of ‘Into the Wild’) is a natural: forceful, intuitive, daring. And haunted by the memory of his elder brother Rex (Scott Porter), whom he worshipped and who died in a death-defying rally that Speed is determined to win. Loyal to the small family business, Speed drives the sensational Mach 5 designed by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman) and thus refuses a tempting offer to join the big time made by Royalton Industries. A vengeful sort and unused to rejection, the head of the iniquitous multinational (Roger Allam) is determined to destroy Speed’s racing career and take over the family business. But he has reckoned without Speed’s own resolve and the encouragement of his family and girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci). Speed teams up with former rival, the enigmatic Racer X (Matthew Fox), and young Japanese racing driver Rain (Taejo Togokhan) to ultimately win the dangerous 5,000 mile rally, saving both the family business and the reputation of racing itself.

Speed Racer (USA, 2008), Genre: Action; Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures; Running time: 135 minutes; US release date: May 9, 2008; German release date: May 8, 2008; Written/Directed by: The Wachowski Brothers, based on the animated series by Tatsuo Yoshida; Cinematographer: David Tattersall; Composer: Michael Giacchino; Production Design: Owen Paterson; Editor: Roger Barton/Zach Staenberg; Cast: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Benno Fürmann.

• Autor: Geraldine Becker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 03.05. 2008
  Courtey, © Warner Bros, 2008
  Verwertung: Weltexpress and the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 03.05. 2008

`REC` Revives the Horror Indie Genre Even Media Reporters Suffer Their Usual Fate in post 9/11 Blood Maze

Frankfurt/main (Weltexpress). Although I am hardly a horror movie aficionado, I enjoy a good scare just like everybody else - and I’m a pushover when it comes to zombies. Though it admittedly takes a little while to get going and adjust your vision as well as your equilibrium to the jerky, hand-held camera technique, `REC` pretty soon has you firmly in its grip.

A first-person narrative where ‘The Blair Witch Project’ meets ‘Dawn of the Dead’, `REC` is a low-budget indie of the first order and much more effective than many others of its ilk (such as ‘Cloverfield’ and ’28 Weeks Later’, both of which were produced for budgets exceeding USD 30 million).

Spanish newcomer Manuela Velasco plays Angela, a vivacious TV reporter who, together with her invisible cameraman Pablo, is drawn into an ever-more horrifying nightmare. The episode of reality series ‘While You Sleep’ centres on a typical night in the life of the city’s fire fighters, most of which is spent dozing in the fire station, waiting for an emergency. When an ostensibly routine call comes in the wee small hours, the TV crew accompany the firemen to a city apartment block, where a woman is locked in her apartment. The police are already at the scene and the building’s other tenants gathered downstairs.

Things start turning nasty once officers force the door of the upstairs apartment and the woman attacks her liberators with a swift and fatal bite to the throat. Then all hell breaks loose and our valiant TV team gets it all on tape. Shortly thereafter and for no apparent reason, the entire apartment building is locked down by the authorities and there is no escape; residents, TV crew, firemen and police are all trapped within - and no one knows why or for how long.

Angela and Pablo pass the time by interviewing the residents, but as the film moves into the second half and the carnivorous disease infects more of the supporting cast, (all very well played) who consequently infect each other, the action becomes more fast-paced and compelling, leading to a super-creepy finale, where the mysterious origins of the vicious contagion are also satisfactorily explained.

Due to the well-crafted screenplay, competent direction and tight editing of film makers Jaume Balaguero (‘Nameless’), Paco Plaza (‘Second Name’), and Luis Berdejo, this little movie is amazingly effective without much in the way of special effects or even a supporting score to heighten the atmosphere. The viewer is completely drawn into the action, quickly accepting the jerky camera and even the sub-titled, Spanish dialogue.

Winner of 12 awards and 4 nominations at various film festivals in its Spanish homeland, REC is worth a viewing for genre fans. Whether its forthcoming US remake ‘Quarantine’, starring Jennifer Carpenter (‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’) scheduled for October release, is likely to approach the quality of the original is a matter of conjecture.

REC (Spain 2007); Genre: horror; Produced by Filmax Entertainment; German distributor: 3L Filmverleih; Running time: 85 mins; German release: May 8, 2008; Directors: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza; Screenplay: Balaguero, Plaza, Luis Berdejo; Cinematographer: Pablo Rosso; Editor: David Gallartt; Cast: Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Carlos Lasarte, Carlos Vicente, David Vert.

Plot: A downtown apartment is locked down by the authorities after the outbreak of a horrifying disease, and there is no escape: residents, TV crew, firemen and police are all trapped inside, without knowing why, for how long, or who will survive.

• Autor: Geraldine Becker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 28.04. 2008
  Courtesy Photo © Filmax
  Verwertung: Weltexpress and the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 28.04. 2008

 Los Angeles (Weltexpress) - Witty, smart and sophisticated, "Charlie Wilson`s War" (2007) is like a breath of fresh air. Written by Aaron Sorkin, directed by Mike Nichols, and based on a true story, the film tells of an unlikely trio of flamboyant personalities and the politics behind the U.S. government`s covert aid to Afghan rebels, who fought and defeated the Red Army – with the aid of Stinger missiles and anti-tank guns -and armed America`s future enemies as a result.

Based on the 2003 bestseller by the late George Crile (60 Minutes), it is a peek behind-the-scenes of 1980s geopolitics, involving major events and real characters, still living today. But despite its wit, Mike Nichols` film is somewhat of an anachronism. Overtaken by actual events much in the vein of "The Hunt for Red October", it tells the story of an amazing feat that ultimately had disasterous repercussions.

Clever and entertaining, the movie focuses on the persona of Good Time Charlie, as the liberal democratic congressman from East Texas was known for his licentious lifestyle. In fact, we first meet Charlie in Las Vegas; tooting cocaine in a hot tub full of strippers. And telling them to hush up, so he can watch the news. More than the sum of his parts, Charlie Wilson was – and still is - a big man in reality, towering over 6 foot 4 inch and weighing more than 300 lbs, brash, smooth and charming. Sharp as a tack, with a sound knowledge of history and foreign affairs, he is well portrayed by Hanks, despite the physical discrepancies. More of a demanding character role for Hanks than usual, he gives a great performance of the Texas congressman.

Julia Roberts as the seductive and formidable Joanne Herring, wealthy Houston socialite is convincing as the right-wing power broker, manipulating political events – and politicians alike - both financially and horizontally. A close-up of her separating her eyelashes with a safety pin, while persuading Charlie (naked in her bed) to aid Afghan insurgents is quite bizarre.

Aaron Sorkin writes terrific scenes, and "Charlie Wilson`s War" must be one of the best scripts of the year. Just as Wilson is introduced in the hot tub, the impressive Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his great entrance as the brusque, hot-tempered rogue CIA agent Gust Avrakotos, telling his boss to "go fxxx himself" and shattering the glass wall of his office to emphasize the point. A marriage of sparkling wit and sneering diatribe, delivered deadpan in his inimitable style, "Can we just take a moment to reflect on all of the ways that you are a douche bag?", he has the best dialogue in the film and the screen virtually sizzles whenever he appears. It is no surprise that he has just chalked up another Oscar nomination for supporting actor.

Writer Aaron Sorkin and director Mike Nichols are worthy of praise for condensing Crile`s over 500 pages into a lean, mean 97 minutes, and Sorkin especially for the amount of technical detail he manages to cram into his superficially comic scenes. As in West Wing, we are almost casually educated about the 1980s political landscape: covert ops, congressional appropriations, specific weaponry and its cost, and the challenges involved in smuggling it across enemy frontiers. And when it comes to covert ops, government corruption, unforeseen repercussions, and the general senselessness of war, there are some fascinating parallels, more than 30 years later, to Nichol`s "Catch 22" of 1969.

But "Charlie Wilson`s War" has generated mixed reviews in the US, where general paranoia and great 9/11 sensitivity prevail. For the Afghan rebels became the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and the terrorists of Sept. 11 and, to quote Crile`s own words, "great events have unintended consequences". The irony is that after dishing out more than 1 billion dollars on liberating Afghanistan from the Russians, the US refused to cough up a further measly 1 million dollars to rebuild the country’s infrastructure. Thus, Muslims around the globe, to cite Crile, were convinced that the Afghan victory was Allah`s work, "we set in motion the spirit of Jihad and the belief in our surrogate soldiers that, having brought down one superpower, they could just as easily take on another." Or to put it more succinctly, as Charlie himself is quoted over the closing credits, "These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we fxxxxx up the endgame."

Produced for an estimated budget of 75 mill dollars. "Charlie Wilson`s War" has grossed approx. 65 mill dollars. worldwide since its US release last month.

COMEDY—WAR -DRAMA, United States, 2007,U.S. Release Date: Dec. 21, 2007,German Release Date: Feb. 7, 2008,
Running Time: 1:34 minutes, MPAA Rating: R (strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use), Cast: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Ned Beatty, Director: Mike Nichols,
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, Based on the book: "Charlie Wilson`s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History", by George Crile,Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt,Music: James Newton Howard,U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures

Synopsis: The true story of high-living Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (played by Tom Hanks) who, together with his two unlikely co-conspirators (played by Julia Roberts and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, respectively) covertly funded the Afghan Mujahideen, helping them resist the invading Red Army in the 1980s.

• Autor: Geraldine Becker
  E-Mail: GeraldineFBTV@aol.com
  Abfassungsdatum: 22.01. 2008
  Photo: © Universal
  Verwertung: Weltexpress
  All rights to the author
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 22.01. 2008

 ...Odd Couple Formulae Wins Despite the Odds

 Hardly a “coming of age” movie, as its two protagonists are already well advanced in years, The Bucker List is a “buddy” picture, a feel-good film about death, as well as an adventure movie, all at the same time, that also makes an attempt at character development, albeit in true Hollywood fashion: where the lonely, unloved millionaire ultimately recognises life’s true values.

It opens with a post-mortem narration by Morgan Freeman, eulogizing the goodness of a man worthy of veneration. The tone of overawed wonder that worked well in “Million Dollar Baby” or even “March of the Penguins” is somewhat of a paradox when describing gross, multi-millionaire Edward Cole (played by Nicholson), whose philosophy of life can be summed up in the words of wisdom he passes on to his minion: “…Never pass up a bathroom, never waste a hard-on, and never trust a fart.”

And they seem to recover with miraculous speed as they set off on their exciting green-screen adventures, in an attempt to do everything they always wanted to do before kicking the bucket. Their exotic jaunt in Edward’s private jet takes them to the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, South Africa, the French Riviera, Hong Kong, and the Himalayas, without obviously ever leaving the Hollywood soundstage.

All traces of cancer - as well as the film’s integrity - seem to wondrously disappear as the old coots drive racing cars, go big game hunting, sky diving and mountain climbing. All the while helping each other resolve open emotional issues: Edward’s loneliness and relationship to his estranged daughter; Carter’s regrets at making the wrong decisions in life. Needless to say, these matters are all satisfactorily put to bed by the end of the third act, ensuring a heart-warming and tear-jerking finale.

Rumour has it that Justin Zackham penned the screenplay in only 2 weeks, which wouldn’t surprise me. For while the film has some virtues, the script leaves much to be desired, even though Nicholson and Freeman give it their best shot. Even if one can accept the blatant medical inaccuracy, its emotional dishonesty is harder to swallow. Its sentimentality is degrading, even as the plot forces the characters into illogical behaviour. The film ultimately flounders in trying to achieve its twin goals of extolling life’s true values (friendship, family and love) and applauding Jack Nicholson’s extravagant lifestyle. For Nicholson’s performance is almost a self-parody.

Be all that as it may, at an estimated budget of $45 m, the movie has already grossed almost $43 m in the US since its December release, dropping only 22% from the previous weekend, so recoupment is assured.

Boosted by the combined star power of Nicholson and Freeman, it looks like this rendition of the terminal “Odd Couple” format might just bring director Rob Reiner his first significant success in more than a decade.

“THE BUCKET LIST”, Comedy-drama, United States, 2007,U.S. Release Date: Dec. 12, 2007 (limited); Jan. 11, 2008,  German Release Date: Jan. 24, 2008,Running Time: 1:37 mins., MPAA Classification: PG-13 (profanity, sexual situations),Cast: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd, Rob Morrow,Director: Rob Reiner
Screenplay: Justin Zackham,Cinematography: John Schwartzman,Music: Marc Shaiman,U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers

Synopsis: Vulgar millionaire magnate Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and trivia-obsessed, blue-collar car mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) have little in common except for cancer. After some terminal bonding in a shared hospital room, they decide to use the little time still remaining to them to do all those things they’d always wanted to do before kicking the bucket. Hence the list. Despite their differences, they become firm friends and teach each other some valuable lessons.

• Autor: Geraldine, Los Angeles
  E-Mail: redaktion@weltexpress.info
  Abfassungsdatum: 22.01. 2008
  Photo: © Warner Bros. Pictures
  Verwertung: weltexpresandtheauthor
  Quelle: www.weltexpress.info
  Update: Berlin, 22.01. 2008