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trixi_sunshine
Reviews
Berlin - Ecke Schönhauser (1957)
Communists were rebels, too
I must admit my concentration started to fade pretty soon although it's not all that bad. But I remember it was about a bunch of teenagers from the Soviet sector of Berlin in the pre-Wall-era. At least one of them tries to settle down in the western part of the city. Others also try some revolutionary business and they all have conflicts with their parents. Of course, there also is a girl involved who ends up being pregnant by I don't know whom. At the end almost all of them are dead. The most remarkable scene about this film, however, probably is the jazz sequence in which the teenagers dance along and nothing really happens for several minutes which must have been highly innovative at that time, especially accompanied by obviously American music.
The cinematography is nice, most of the actors are okay and so this might be one of the better cinematic legacies we have from the GDR considering the difficult and restrictive circumstances GDR filmmakers had to cope with shortly afterwards.
Wo ist Fred? (2006)
Would have been the same in the USA
Well, I read that the plot is based on an American script (the most obvious sign of that is that it is about basketball, no one really cares about it in Germany) but they withdrew because they considered it too politically incorrect.
But having seen some of the Farrelly Brothers' movies, I really wonder why. Although the subject of handicapped persons and how to treat them is not sufficiently dealt with it contains a few laughs. Once more I wonder how Til Schweiger of all people could become so famous, definitely the worst part of the crew, once more. Must be his looks.
But the others compensate for it, especially the little fat kid who wants to have the basketball. What makes this film worthwhile is the cast consisting of Jürgen Vogel who usually excels in more serious roles and Christoph Maria Herbst who embodies a real handicapped person and a real basketball aficionado. Alexandra Maria Lara looks good too, granted.
It would be pointless to give away the plot because you'll figure it out after 5 minutes.
Lost Highway (1997)
Oh my God
This is the climax of pseudo-intellectual, sexist, complacent cinema which is so frequent among directors who either can't accept their age or have no talent. In this case, though, it's both and that's what makes it so terrible.
Of course, one might praise the visual aspects but it's no use doing so if the contents are that ridiculous. The (rare) dialog is embarrassing and there are a few shots of Patricia Arquette even adult film directors would refrain from. The plot is not mysterious or difficult, there simply is none. All of a sudden the leading character is someone else. That is the clumsiest plot twist conceivable. Besides, it's boring and obvious that even the actors don't know what they're doing. I can't believe a woman edited and co-produced this stuff because it is a degradation and offense to all women.If you watch a Jerry Bruckheimer film you'll at least get a story even if it's unpleasant-this is far worse.