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Reviews
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024)
Born to Fight: Akshay KUMAR and Tiger SHROFF in a Bollywood Action Flick
India has developed a wonder weapon that is supposed to protect the country from its hostile neighbors Pakistan and China. This naturally also calls villains out of their hiding places who want to get their hands on such a super weapon. A masked super criminal (Prithviraj SUKUMARAN) then pulls off the coup. In order to get the super weapon back, India's two most capable elite soldiers are recruited again. Captain Freddy (Akshay KUMAR) and Captain Rocky (Tiger SHROFF) are fundamentally different, but their fighting skills complement each other wonderfully.
Akshay KUMAR (born 1967) contributes the experience, while Tiger SHROFF (born 1990) once again flexes his impressive muscles. Unfortunately, this team does not work convincingly enough, and the story is also too shallow. Of course, there is a lot of action to see, and there is dancing too. However, it is difficult to empathize with the characters. The high-budget film is also considered a "box office bomb" in India.
Il prete sposato (1970)
Italian Sex Comedy with Lando BUZZANCA, Barbara BOUCHET and Karin SCHUBERT
The year 1970 must have been a very special one for Lando BUZZANCA (1935 - 2022) and the Italian sex comedy. IL PRETE SPOSATO by Marco VICARIO opened in October 1970 and grossed an outstanding 2.4 billion ITL at the Italian box office.
Lando BUZZANCA plays a Sicilian priest who is called to Rome and confronted with the all too permissive society of the Italian capital. Beautiful women swarm around the handsome but extremely God-fearing priest, who eventually falls in love with a likeable prostitute (Rossana PODESTA, married to director VICARIO). But before that, there are ravishing performances by the most beautiful CINECITTA divas: The Italian actress Silvia DIONISIO plays a student at confession, and the German actress Karin SCHUBERT from Hamburg, who will be celebrating her 80th birthday in a few days, takes the dashing priest to Rome as an attractive Vespa driver. The most memorable performance, however, is that of the fantastic Barbara BOUCHET, who gets to splash around naked in the swimming pool. Incredibly good!
This Commedia Sexy was not really that funny. In the following years, Lando BUZZANCA would be seen in even better sex comedies. The film about a priest who falls in love and wants to marry at least temporarily was too harmless (apart from the magnificent performance by La BOUCHET) and all too predictable.
Fun fact: In Rome, BUZZANCA, as Don Salvatore, looks after a group of German-speaking seminarians who are of course - how could it be otherwise - particularly harmless and prudish.
The Day of the Jackal (2024)
Eddie REDMAYNEs JACKAL speaks German
In the new version of the series, the contract killer THE JACKAL (ACADEMY AWARD Winner Eddie REDMAYNE) has a Spanish wife (Ursula CORBERO, known from LA CASA DE PAPEL) and an ambitious opponent (Lashana LYNCH, known from NO TIME TO DIE) from the British secret service. This makes for exciting complications across Europe.
The European streaming service SKY is no longer making German-language series, but is teaming up with the American streaming service PEACOCK to provide English-language binge-watching. At least one small plot line is moved to Munich, where Burghart KLAUSSNER (EUROPEAN FILM AWARD 2016: nomination for DER STAAT VERSUS FRITZ BAUER) gets to shine briefly as a German media mogul. Eddie REDMAYNE even speaks a few sentences in German.
We can look forward to the next five episodes.
The Apprentice (2024)
The Early Years of Donald T.
Apprenticeship years are not easy! A certain Donald Trump (Sebastian STAN) also had to learn this when he encountered unexpected legal difficulties while managing his father's real estate company in the 1970s.
The Iranian director Ali ABBASI, who lives in Sweden and has already made two remarkable films, BORDER and HOLY SPIDER, has now taken on Donald Trump's early years. In the 1970s, New York City was suffering from drugs and neglect, as we know from Martin SCORSESE's TAXI DRIVER. The young Donald Trump, however, had the vision that New York could soon rise again. To build his ambitious hotel buildings, he needed legal assistance, which he found in the lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy STRONG, known from the HBO series SUCCESSION). With his unscrupulous methods, Cohn becomes the mentor of the still inexperienced Donald, who, as an apprentice, soon more than internalizes the teachings of his master. Trump's then wife Ivana (Maria BAKALOVA, OSCAR 2021: nomination for BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM) also plays her role perfectly. Anyone who grew up in the 1980s could not escape the kitschy glamour and gossip stories of these early pioneers of self-portrayal. And the tasteless pink marble with which Ivana Trump had her then husband's tower furnished remains unforgettable in all its ugliness.
ABBASI succeeds in creating an astonishing portrait of an entire era. From the shabby look of the 1970s we ascend to the brightly colored kitsch of turbo capitalism in the 1980s. Trump appears like a rather random product of the times, but one that already points to the future. His unconditional willingness to cement his appearance with cosmetic surgery marked him as a creature of the immediate modern age.
A magnificent film that takes us back to the not-too-distant past, thanks to its clever choice of music. From now on, the song "Yes, Sir, I Can Boogie" by the Spanish singers BACCARA will have to be seen as the song that Donald and Ivana met. No one will ever choose a song for Melania. It's so beautiful it makes you shiver!
Riefenstahl (2024)
The unacknowledged repressions of a German diva
Enlightening documentary by Andres VEIEL, which once again deals with the notorious director Leni RIEFENSTAHL (1902 - 2003), who enjoyed great success during the Nazi era.
The German director Andres VEIEL has already presented remarkable documentaries with BLACK BOX BRD (2002) and BEUYS (2016). At the suggestion of the television presenter Sandra MAISCHBERGER, who interviewed Leni RIEFENSTAHL on her 100th birthday, he has now once again dealt with the life of the controversial director. He has succeeded in making a haunting film, which, however, draws heavily on LENI RIEFENSTAHL: DIE MACHT DER BILDER by Ray MÜLLER. The German director Ray MÜLLER had already released his interview film with RIEFENSTAHL in 1993 and even won the INTERNATIONAL EMMY AWARD for it. In conversation with Ray MÜLLER, RIEFENSTAHL revealed herself to be a hot-tempered artist of repression who used all the stops, from crying and flirting to malicious aggression, to deny her responsibility. In Germany, the film was shown in 1993 on the then very ambitious private news channel VOX. VEIEL has little to add to MÜLLER's findings. However, he now has images from RIEFENSTAHL's estate that further deepen the findings already gained in 1993. Her involvement in the murder of Jewish extras in Poland shortly after the start of the Second World War becomes very clear. In contrast, the images from RIEFENSTAHL's photo expeditions to the Nuba warrior tribe in Sudan are unintentionally comical. The director poses with children from the tribe next to Persil cartons (detergent) and Kaba cans (cocoa powder) to advertise her generous sponsors. This woman always knew exactly what she was doing or not doing. Nothing in her entire life was left to chance.
VEIEL's film is merited by the fact that it provides the psychological profile of a repressive follower of the criminal acts of the Third Reich in RIEFENSTAHL. This woman managed by all means to keep telling her own lies until she had internalized them as truths. Such people are highly modern again, and that is why a film like RIEFENSTAHL is needed!
DIE MACHT DER BILDER (1993) by Ray MÜLLER should by no means be forgotten. The real pioneering work was done by MÜLLER and not MAISCHBERGER / VEIEL.
Anora (2024)
Screwball Comedy is Back!
The classic screwball comedy is back! It's about a sex worker who meets the son of a Russian oligarch. And then a film like that wins the Palme d'Or in Cannes! If you like classics like IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), NOTHING SACRED (1937) and WHATS UP, DOC? (1972), you'll love ANORA. I haven't seen so many laughs in a movie theater for a long time.
About the plot: The young Anora (Mikey MADISON), known as Ani, works devotedly as a sex worker in a nightclub in Brooklyn. One evening there she meets the very young and extremely childish oligarch's son Wanja (Mark EYDELSHTEYN) from Moscow. Wanja soon offers the surprised Ani to be his exclusive servant for a week in exchange for money. On a trip to Las Vegas, he even proposes to her, which would mean a carefree life for Ani and a life as an American for Vanya, far away from his oligarch parents. But that can't go so smoothly, can it? When Vanya's parents find out about their son's secret wedding, they send three willing henchmen to have the inappropriate marriage annulled. The two Armenian brothers Toros (Karen KARAGULJAN) and Garnick (Watsche TOWMASJAN) still have the Russian thug Igor (Yuri BORISSOW, EUROPEAN FILM AWARD 2021: nomination for COMPARTMENT NUMBER 6) in tow and are seriously overwhelmed by the coming events. When these three meet the two lovebirds, there is no stopping them. There are absurd slapstick situations that are reminiscent of classics such as NOTHING SACRED (Mikey MADISON undoubtedly outshines the legendary Carole LOMBARD in her incredibly funny fight scene). The three oligarch henchmen are reminiscent of the Soviet idiots from NINOTSCHKA by Ernst LUBITSCH or ONE, TWO, THREE by Billy WILDER. ANORA by Sean BAKER is by no means a copycat film, but rather presents a grotesque situation from the present in a pointed and original way within the framework of a classic genre film. In a time when Instagram posts are used to draw attention to one's own services as a sex worker on other channels, there can also be a disastrous encounter between such service providers and super-rich oligarchs from all over the world. The performance of the young Russian actor Mark EYDELSHTEYN as Vanya is very enlightening. His oligarch son has nothing on his mind other than sex, drug use and playing PlayStation. It was different with LUBITSCH and WILDER: they had never seen such stupid people before.
It gets even more absurd when the arrogant oligarch parents fly in from Moscow. Darya EKAMASOVA (known from THE AMERICANS) and Aleksej SEREBRYAKOW (EUROPEAN FILM AWARD 2014: nomination for LEVIATHAN) play a rich snob couple from the depths of the present. It will probably be similar in the Putin household (but certainly also in the Trump household). At the end of this turbulent marriage farce there is a surprising event that rounds off an all-round successful film that mercilessly gets to the heart of life between super-rich rogue state leaders and all too libertine have-nots of the western world with caustic wit. This may leave some viewers choking on laughter. But anyone who is prepared to see Sean BAKER's film as a crazy homage to Hollywood screwball comedies will be rewarded with a very special kind of cinematic pleasure.
Il principe di Homburg (1997)
Italian Version of a Dramatic Play by Heinrich von KLEIST
In 1997, a very unusual film was shown in competition at the Cannes Film Festival: Italian director Marco BELLOCCHIO had actually made a film based on a play by Heinrich von KLEIST and was nominated for the Palme d'Or.
THE PRINCE OF HOMBURG only became a classic on the stage long after the death of Heinrich von KLEIST (1777 - 1811). But as a film, it actually seemed so out of date in the 1990s that this Italian film was a huge statement. And indeed: this piece from the Romantic era was able to blossom into new life on the big screen.
It is about the Battle of Fehrbellin. The Great Elector (Toni BERTORELLI) is preparing to use wars to create a new powerful player in the circle of the major European powers: Prussia! The Prince of Homburg (Andrea Di Stefano) is one of his army leaders, but at the same time he is also a dreamy man who is all too often guided by his feelings. Exhausted and because of his newly ignited love for the beautiful Natalie (Barbora BOBULOVA), he misunderstands the Elector's explicit order not to attack the enemy. But the Prince of Homburg attacks! And wins an overwhelming victory! But because he disobeyed the Great Elector's order, he is court-martialed and is to be executed after being sentenced to death.
A romantic person who is concerned about his own individual feelings is still trapped in a time that cannot take the emotions of an individual into account. What's more, there is no awareness that life could be different than under absolutist rule. Marco BELLOCCHIO's film presents this tremendous event in beautiful images that often seem like nighttime dreams. Pierfrancesco FAVINO, who was to play the leading role in Andrea Di Stefano's directorial debut ULTIMA NOTTE DI AMORE (2023), a homage to the poliziotteschi of the 1970s and 1980s, can already be seen here in a smaller role. FAVINO also remained connected with Marco BELLOCCHIO. He was nominated for the EUROPEAN FILM AWARD in 2019 for the leading role in IL TRADITORE.
A film worth seeing that presents a classic of German-language literature in a whole new light!
De quoi tu te mêles Daniela! (1961)
Elke SOMMER as Top Model in Rome
After her first successes in Italian films, Elke SOMMER was unable to get an exclusive contract with the then leading West German film producer Artur BRAUNER and his CCC FILMKUNST. That is why the blonde diva was seen mainly in German-French pulp productions such as DE QUOI TU TE MELES DANIELA! Before her imminent breakthrough in Hollywood (GOLDEN GLOBE 1964 for THE PRIZE)!
The beautiful Daniela Neumann (Elke SOMMER) sets off from Munich to Rome to work as a model in the fashion house of the sophisticated Count Castellani (Ivan DESNY). There she meets the journalist Karl Bauer (Helmut SCHMID, future husband of fellow film star Liselotte PULVER) and becomes embroiled in a confusing espionage story. Soon the first deaths are reported.
This film is only worth watching because it features the very young Elke SOMMER. As a mixture of Brigitte BARDOT and Marilyn MONROE, she was a perfect fit for the era. Director Max PECAS used this potential perfectly for his overly confusing story. The result is not a successful film, but a contemporary document about the beginnings of the soon-to-be world star Elke SOMMER.
Käthe HAACK, who played Emil Tischbein's mother in the legendary 1931 film adaptation of Erich KÄSTNER's EMIL AND THE DETECTIVE, also plays a small role as Mrs. Neumann.
Der Kommissar: Tödlicher Irrtum (1970)
Crime Scene Munich: DER KOMMISSAR Episode with Anthony DIFFRING
Season 2, Episode 9
TÖDLICHER IRRTUM / FATAL MISTAKE
Director: Wolfgang BECKER
First broadcast: June 26, 1970 on the then West German television station ZDF
This episode of the popular crime series DER KOMMISSAR features a very special guest star from Great Britain. Anthony DIFFRING (1916 - 1989) was actually born as Anton in Koblenz, but as a young actor he set out in 1939 to gain a foothold in Hollywood. He only made it as far as Canada (at first), where he was interned because of the onset of war. Even later on, things didn't work out in the American film business, so in 1949 he went to Great Britain and gradually got more important roles in the film industry there. Anthony DIFFRING had a great leading role in the 1959 horror film DEN TOD ÜBERLISTET / THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH.
For this episode of DER KOMMISSAR he ventured into the West German television business for the first time and provided a special accent with his noticeable cosmopolitanism. DIFFRING plays a good-looking horse farm owner who is supported by a rich businesswoman (Agnes FINK). One day something monstrous happens: the murder of this very businesswoman is confessed to the local priest. But far from it! The rich businesswoman is very much alive, but Inspector Keller and his people do not have to wait too long for the first corpse...
From 1973 Anthony DIFFRING then moved to Munich for a few years and from then on was seen more often on West German television.
El lugar de la otra (2024)
With A Little Help from Gabriela MISTRAL
Even the Chilean national poet Gabriela MISTRAL (1889 - 1957), who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945, stood up for her convicted fellow writer.
In 1955, a sensational scandal occurred in Santiago de Chile. In the Hotel Crillon, the writer Maria Carolina Geel (Francisca LEWIN) shot her lover out of the blue. By chance, the court clerk Mercedes Arevalo (Elisa ZULUETA), who works for the investigating judge, comes into contact with this case. It turns out that she receives the keys to the defendant's luxurious apartment. This opens up a new world for the inconspicuous Mercedes, who is not taken entirely seriously by her husband (Pablo MACAYA) and two sons. Surrounded by beautiful things and in heavenly peace, Mercedes begins to rethink her own life and consider new horizons possible.
A quiet and beautiful narrative film from Chile, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Italian blockbuster TOMORROW IS ALSO ANOTHER DAY / C E ANCORA DOMANI by and starring Paola CORTELLESI. EL LUGAR DE LA OTRA by Maite ALBERDI was selected by Chile as a candidate for the OSCAR for Best International Film.
Napad (2024)
Heist Movie and Dark Social Portrait from Poland
A particularly brutal bank robbery takes place in Warsaw. So bad that the planned bank merger in the now democratic Poland of 1995 could be at risk. A long-retired police officer from the former secret police named Tadeusz Gadacz (Olaf LUBASZENKO) is suddenly reactivated. His ultra-brutal methods from his communist past could now be useful again. Gadacz is to support the young inspector Aleksandra Janicka (Wiktoria GORODECKA) in her investigations. It quickly becomes clear that the young Kacper Surmiak (Jedrzej HYCNAR) and his two friends Marek (Stanislaw LINOWSKI) and Bartek (Lukasz SZCZEPANOWSKI) could have something to do with the bloody robbery. But in Poland after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a policeman like Gadacz can no longer torture the truth out of them...
The global streaming provider NETFLIX has added a very exciting crime film by Michel GAZDA to its program. It tells very emphatically about the trials and tribulations of the post-reunification period in the former communist Poland. In terms of structure, it is of course very reminiscent of the Spanish crime classic LA ISLA MINIMA from 2014, but is so haunting, moving and unique that watching this heist movie in the guise of a dark social portrait is definitely worth it! The Polish film industry has repeatedly proven in recent years what great genre stories can be discovered there.
Schock (2023)
Excellent Neo Noir Thriller from Germany
It's a real shame that genre films from German-speaking countries don't really work in local cinemas. Since 2010, really good neo-noir shockers such as IM SCHATTEN, HARMS and VERBRANNTE ERDE have been made, but unfortunately they haven't received the attention they deserve in cinemas. A similar thing happened at the beginning of 2024 with the film SCHOCK by Daniel Rakete SIEGEL and Denis MOSCHITTO, which unfortunately only managed to attract just under 20,000 visitors to the cinemas. Completely undeserved, because this film is extremely exciting and very well made. It remains to be hoped that it will find a larger audience in the program of the global streaming service NETFLIX.
Bruno Mancuso (Denis MOSCHITTO) is a Cologne doctor who lost his license due to addiction problems. Since then, he has worked in a shadow world, as a doctor for people who cannot go to a regular doctor. Bruno patches up prostitutes on behalf of their pimps. His ethos as a doctor stands out; he wants to do his job excellently and does a lot for his patients. One day he receives a lucrative contract from a lawyer (Anke ENGELKE): he is to continue the cancer treatment of an Italian mafia boss (Antonio PUTINAGNO). To do this, however, he needs medication that he can only get from a pharmacist friend (Daniel WIEMER) and a shady drug dealer (Patrick PHUL). But what's even worse: through his efforts to do the right thing as a doctor, he gets deeper and deeper into the depths of a dispute between two rival gangs. When this also affects his sister (Aenne SCHWARZ) and his brother-in-law (Fahri YARDIM), things come to a head.
Cologne has certainly never been this bleak. Things are tough and drastic in this world, which seems to be all about drugs, prostitution and crime. The ethics of a doctor are bound to fall by the wayside, right? In the best tradition of French PolAr films (the film also won a prize at a French crime film festival in Reims), the dark underworld of crime in Germany is finally being illuminated again.
Definitely worth seeing!
Der schwarze Abt (1963)
Excellent West German "Gruselkrimi" with Joachim FUCHSBERGER, Grit BÖTTCHER and Dieter BORSCHE
The Austrian director Franz Josef GOTTLIEB was known to many who grew up in the 1980s for his excellent youth series such as MANNI, DER LIBERO (1982) and MANDARA (1983), but he was certainly not a gifted filmmaker. Nevertheless, in the 1960s he was allowed to make a few of the horror thrillers that were very popular in German-speaking countries at the time. The best of his is certainly the Edgar Wallace film DER SCHWARZE ABT, which came out in 1963.
Shot at Herdringen Castle (near Arnsberg) and in Klein-Glienicke Park (on Berlin's Wannsee), this black-and-white film is characterized by a spooky, beautiful atmosphere. A genuine horror thriller, straight out of the textbook. In the cast list you stumble across veterans of the Wallace crime series such as Joachim FUCHSBERGER, Werner PETERS, Eddi ARENT and of course Klaus KINSKI. Eva Ingeborg SCHOLZ and Alice TREFF make one-off guest appearances. Charles REGNIER can be seen as the investigating inspector in this film.
Dieter BORSCHE, who in the 1950s was the great love interest in the films of West German mega-stars Maria SCHELL and Ruth LEUWERIK, once again makes a brilliant appearance as the opaque lord of the castle. The damsel in distress is played by the wonderful Grit BÖTTCHER, who has to endure a lot in this Wallace classic. Grit BÖTTCHER's colorful second appearance in a Wallace horror thriller is also unforgettable: THE COLLEGE GIRL MURDERS (1967).
Highly recommended entry in the popular film series!
Strul (2024)
Swedish Crime Comedy with Filip BERG and Eva MELANDER
The non-English language films that are released on the global streaming service NETFLIX always allow for small discoveries. This is also the case with this crime comedy from Sweden, which is a remake of a story (STRUL / AUSGETRICKST by Jonas FRICK) from 1988.
The divorced television technician Conny (Filip BERG) is suspected of murder due to crazy circumstances and is sentenced to a long prison sentence. But there are inconsistencies that the busy police officer Diana (Amy DEASISMONT) comes across during her research. She does everything she can to convince the responsible inspector Helena Malm (Eva MELANDER) of her findings.
The director Jon HOLMBERG does not tell a world-shattering new story here, but he does so with such a sense of humor and sense of time that it is a lot of fun to watch his film. The cast is also excellent, which is particularly evident in the prison scenes. You can still see the Danish Olsen Gang as an example.
The main actors: Filip BERG is known as the young Ove in the successful Swedish film A MAN CALLED OVE / EN MAN SOM HETER OVE. Amy DEASISMONT was also a singer before her acting career. In 2008, she took eighth place at the Swedish MELODIFESTIVALEN, which is the country's preliminary round for participation in the EUROVISION SONG CONTEST. Eva MELANDER is best known for her role in BORDER.
Fast-paced, exciting and very funny! Recommended!
Apartment 7A (2024)
Good Prequel to ROSEMARYs BABY
In the horror classic ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) by Roman POLANSKI, Terry Gionoffrio was only a minor character and was played by Victoria VETRI. In the dark laundry room of the gloomy New York apartment building, she met the new resident Rosemarie Woodhouse (Mia FARROW) by chance.
This new film by Australian director Natalie Erika JAMES deals with the (back) story of the aspiring dancer Terry (Julia GARNER, known as a minor character in the fantastic series THE AMERICANS), who falls into a life crisis after a terrible stage accident. Of course, the charming Castevet couple are on hand to help the stumbling woman back on her feet. But Minnie (the two-time ACADEMY AWARD winner Dianne WIEST) and Roman (Kevin McNALLY, known from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) are actually Satanists, as we already know from the original film by POLANSKI. What we didn't yet know was how the elderly Mrs. Gardenia (Tina GRAY) died, and Guy (John CASSAVETES) and Rosemarie Woodhouse were able to move into her vacant apartment.
A scary-beautiful film that approaches the original with great reverence. PARAMOUNT PICTURES are also relying on past horror material (similar to THE EXORCIST by WARNER BROTHERS and THE OMEN by TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX, now DISNEY) to attract customers to their own streaming service. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But it will be interesting to see whether they dare to continue the venture, for example by retelling the POLANSKI film from Guy Woodhouse's perspective, and then revealing the further story of Rosemarie and her baby in a third part. The scenario could well be profitable for the many fans of POLANSKI's original film.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the fantastic Dianne WIEST (ACADEMY AWARDS for HANNAH AND HER SISTERS and BULLETS OVER BROADWAY) is more than capable of filling the oversized shoes of Ruth GORDON (ACADEMY AWARD for ROSEMARY'S BABY). Her portrayal of Margaux "Minnie" Castevet is terrifyingly brilliant.
Weekend in Taipei (2024)
French Action Flick produced by Luc BESSON
The director and producer Luc BESSON still stands for French genre cinema that aims to reach a global audience. This is also the case with this English-language WEEKEND IN TAIPEI, which BESSON produced with his company EUROPACORP.
It all begins with a Taiwanese Holly Golightly, who treats herself to breakfast at Ferrari and turns out to be an excellent racing driver (Lun-mei GWEI as Joey). At the same time, an undercover agent (Luke EVANS) in Minneapolis uncovers a drug ring based in Taiwan and run by Joey's nasty husband (Sung KANG). What connects these three people becomes clear during a weekend trip to Taiwan. And then there is Joey's precocious teenage son (Wyatt YANG), who will learn a lot about his family.
Fast-paced action, solid shots from an exotic location! This is how the GERMAN ADVENTURE FLICKS worked 60 years ago in the tradition of the KOMMISSAR X films with Tony KENDALL and Brad HARRIS. And like in the films of the Roman CINECITTA, an English-speaking B-star was hired to appeal to a global audience. The fact that the plot is not particularly original doesn't hurt either. After all, the film is primarily intended to lure a teenage audience into the cinema seats. But the film is certainly fun, even if it's better to switch off your brain.
The French film industry of the Paris CINECITE, especially in the form of Luc BESSON, manages to produce a genre film every year that has what it takes to appeal to young moviegoers and to work in cinemas around the world.
Roma a mano armata (1976)
First Part of the Maurizio MERLI / Tomas MILIAN Pentalogy
First film in the pentalogy from the Tanzi/Moretto/Monnezza universe (first shown: February 25, 1976)
With this film, Umberto LENZI started a series of five films in which three characters appeared again and again. The focus was on Tomas MILIAN, who played two criminal twin brothers who were very well received by the audience. In the film ROMA A MANO ARMATA, the Italian actor MILIAN plays the hunchbacked gangster Vincenzo Moretto, who is characterized by excessive cruelty. His twin brother will not make his first appearance until the second film in the pentalogy (IL TRUCIDO E LO SBIRRO).
In Rome, crimes are happening all the time. A hotheaded inspector like Leonardo Tanzi (Maurizio MERLI) cannot like that at all. The powerful inspector is always on hand when the criminals strike. But it's stupid that there are sensitive juvenile judges like the attractive Anna (Maria Rosaria OMAGGIO), the grumpy police chief (five-time ACADEMY AWARD nominee Arthur KENNEDY) and the somewhat sleepy colleague (Giampiero ALBERTINI) who put obstacles in the way of the hyperactive inspector. Whether dealer (Ivan RASSIMOV), rapist (Stefano PATRIZI) or unscrupulous gangster (Tomas MILIAN): crime in Rome never sleeps.
With this thriller, Umberto LENZI has created a film that has essentially become the blueprint for a hard-boiled Maurizio Merli poliziottesco. It was very well received by audiences, with more than 1.6 billion ITL being made at the Italian box office.
In German-speaking countries, the connections between the five films were hardly noticed. MERLI is dubbed here as Inspector Ferro. His next appearance will not be until the third film (IL CINICO, lL INFAME, IL VIOLENTO) of the pentalogy.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
Married with Guns
Entertaining series from AMAZON MGM STUDIOS!
Two very different secret agents with a license to kill are recruited as the married couple Jane (Maya ERSKINE) and John Smith (Donald GLOVER). At first it seems too much like something out of the handbook of political correctness, but the two main actors have a chemistry that also suits the amoral, autistic characters. Great filming! Especially in New York City, but also in the Italian Dolomites! Elegant decor everywhere! The numerous and very prominent guest stars are particularly noteworthy: Ursula CORBERO, Paul DANO, Wagner MOURA, Sarah PAULSEN, Ron PERLMAN, Parker POSEY, Dominic RAACKE as an annoying tourist from Konstanz on Lake Constance, Alexander SKARSGARD and John TURTURRO.
The missions that the two contract killers have to complete are often very bizarre and excellently written. Despite all the laughter at the absurdity shown, a cold shiver runs down your spine when you think of all these horrific crimes.
Bizarre mixture of SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE and KILL BILL!
Il mulino delle donne di pietra (1960)
Italian Horror Movie with Pierre BRICE, Scilla GABEL and Wolfgang PREISS
The year 1960 saw the birth of the successful Italian horror film. Alongside LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO by Mario BAVA, IL MULINO DELLE DONNE DI PIETRA by Giorgio FERRONI was also released, the first Italian horror film (orrore gotico) to be in color! FERRONI's film may start a little slower than BAVA's, but both are outstanding in terms of the dark atmosphere.
The German student Hans von Arnim (Pierre BRICE) comes to a small Dutch town to write a paper about the famous carousel of petrified women. He is even allowed to stay in the mill of the famous professor Gregorius Wahl (Herbert BOEHME), who built the carousel, to do research there. But there is something not quite right about this mill. In addition to the professor's unfriendly assistant (Wolfgang PREISS), Hans also meets Wahl's mysterious daughter (Scilla GABEL). There seems to be something wrong with this Elfie, but she makes a big impression on Hans with her beauty. But events soon come to a head. Mysterious things happen that put Hans and everyone involved in great danger.
This film lives from its eerie atmosphere, which in the second half becomes a real hellish spectacle. Impressive images from the Netherlands ennoble this unusual production. Other roles include Danny CARRELL as Hans's fiancée, Liana ORFEI as the open-hearted Annelore and Marco GUGLIELMI as a college friend.
In Italy itself, the ORRORE FANTASTICO films were not all that successful. IL MULINO DELLE DONNE DI PIETRA only made 164 million ITL at the box office there. After the sandal films, Italian horror films have become the second exportable film genre of the Roman film industry of CINECITTA.
The Angel (2018)
Good Addition to GOLDA with Helen MIRREN
This film by Ariel VROMEN, which was released on September 14, 2018 on the global streaming service NETFLIX, is a good addition to the feature film GOLDA - ISRAEL'S IRON LADY with ACADEMY AWARD winner Helen MIRREN (awarded in 2007 for THE QUEEN) in the title role as the former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.
Between the Six-Day War of 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, an Egyptian diplomat (Marwan KENZARI) seeks contact with a Canadian Mossad agent (Toby KEBBELL) in order to protect both his own homeland and Israel from another war. This enlightening film, which is based on a researched factual report, shows how this happens. In films of this kind, the look behind the scenes of the international secret services is particularly interesting. This film focuses primarily on the Egyptian diplomat who was used by the Mossad as "Angel".
In very interesting supporting roles, Israeli singer-songwriter Tsahi HALEVI (also a very well-known actor in Israel since the Israeli NETFLIX series FAUDA) can be seen as the Libyan dictator Gaddafi and Hannah WARE as actress Diana Ellis. This "Diana Ellis" is quite something. Behind this fictitious name is actually the British actress Diana DORS (1931 - 1984), who became very famous in the 1950s as the British answer to Marilyn MONROE. Her appearance in the Italian feature film LA RAGAZZA DEL PALIO from 1957 is unforgettable. How this Diana DORS was involved in such an espionage case with far-reaching consequences is remarkable in itself.
Highly recommended film from the now considerable depths of the NETFLIX film archive!
Der Buchspazierer (2024)
German Fairy Tale with Christoph Maria HERBST
A nine-year-old girl (Yuna BENNETT) loves to read and is still suffering greatly from the death of her mother. She has moved to the beautiful town of Velbert with her father (Ronald ZEHRFELD) and there she meets a strange older man (Christoph Maria HERBST) who delivers very special books to very special customers every day. After a few difficulties, the two outsiders become friends. Together they work as "book walkers".
Based on the novel of the same name by Carsten HENN, a film fairy tale has been created that fits perfectly in a time when orange knick-knacks are sold instead of books. Great fun for young and old!
Beautiful pictures from the wonderful town of Velbert, crazy scenes from the Movie Park in Bottrop and great actors like Maren KROYMANN as Mrs. Longstocking and Edin HAZANOVIC as Mr. Darcy! Pure feel-good cinema that also makes you think.
And the venerable bookstore, which is gradually transformed by the branch manager (Nikola KASTNER), who speaks in a confused mixture of German and English, into an ORANGE BOOKS STORE, where mainly non-books are to be sold to customers: This is very close to reality if you visit any metropolitan bookstore on one of the luxury shopping streets in the German-speaking world.
Not a cinematic masterpiece, but a beautiful and imaginative film for the whole family!
Neues vom Hexer (1965)
German Grusel with Heinz DRACHE, Barbara RÜTTING and Klaus KINSKI
Lord Curtain is murdered in his castle, allegedly by the RINGER (Rene DELTGEN) according to a business card left at the crime scene! The super criminal, who had long since gone into hiding in Australia after his adventures in the film THE MAGNIFICENT SORCERER, cannot let this happen. Together with his wife Cora Ann (Margot TROOGER) and butler Finch (Eddi ARENT), he sets out on his own to find the perpetrators. Meanwhile, the rest of Lord Curtain's family is also in danger. Margie Fielding (Barbara RÜTTING) and Lady Aston (Brigitte HORNEY) turn to Scotland Yard for help. Since Inspector Higgins is still on his well-deserved honeymoon, Sir John (Siegfried SCHÜRENBERG) promptly reactivates the Australian Inspector Wesby (Heinz DRACHE).
The RINGER once again delights with his many masks in the second part. But it also gets very scary. Basically, an entire family is to be wiped out out of selfish revenge. Other roles are played by Klaus KINSKI, Robert HOFFMANN, who still speaks in the strong Austrian dialect, and the later CINECITTA diva Gisela HAHN. Very impressive performances are given by Brigitte HORNEY, who gradually freed herself from her involvement in the UFA era of the National Socialists, and Barbara RÜTTING, who shone with a brunette Doris DAY hairstyle.
Director Alfred VOHRER was able to attract another 1.8 million viewers to West German cinemas. However, that was less than the previous film, which had sold 2.6 million tickets. Nevertheless, both RINGER films are among the highlights of the West German Edgar Wallace film series.
Paranoia (1970)
Third Collaboration of Carroll BAKER and Umberto LENZI
Murder in Mallorca is a beautiful affair! This is the motto of the third collaboration between Umberto LENZI and ACADEMY AWARD nominee Carroll BAKER (in 1957 she was nominated for BABY DOLL).
After a serious accident, the attractive racing driver Helen (Carroll BAKER) is on the road to recovery. Then she receives a surprising offer: her ex-husband Maurice (Jean SOREL) invites her to relax in his finca on Mallorca. Maurice is now remarried, this time to the extremely wealthy Constance (Anna PROCLEMER). Helen is still in love with the handsome and sexually very active Maurice. Contrary to expectations, she gets on surprisingly well with his new wife. She makes a strange suggestion to the unstable Helen. The first death is soon to be mourned.
The wonderful holiday mood does not last long, of course, in the morally corrupt world of the Italian Giallo. The American actress Carroll BAKER once again gives her all. She would not have been allowed to do something like that in prudish Hollywood. An exquisite atmosphere! A great cast, which also includes Luis DAVILA, Alberto DALBES and Marina COFFA as Constance's precocious daughter Susan.
The giallos that Umberto LENZI shot with his American superstar set the gold standard in this genre. After this third giallo together, BAKER and LENZI probably needed a little break from each other until two years later, their fourth and final collaboration, KNIFE OF ICE, was born.
Un detective (1969)
Italian Crime Movie with Franco NERO and Florinda BOLKAN
As in the classic films of Hollywood's black series (film noir), we are dealing here with a cynical and corrupt Commissario Belli (Franco NERO), who offers his services to the highest bidder on the open market. The lawyer Fontana (Adolfo CELI) is worried about his son Mino (Maurizio BONUGLIA). He is hopelessly in love with a beautiful Englishwoman (Delia BOCCARDO) and wants to enable her to have a career in recording. And all this with his father's money! The record company is based on the famous Via Veneto. And when the corrupt Commissario wants to pay the record boss a visit, he finds him murdered in his fancy apartment. Of course, Mino and his free-spirited Englishwoman in particular now come under fire from the investigating Commissario Baldo (Renzo PALMER). Baldo follows the law, while the corrupt Belli is prepared to share the bedsheets with all the suspected ladies in the case. Then there is the drug-addicted pop singer Emmanuelle (Susanna MARTINKOVA, who in real life was married to CINECITTA divo Gianni GARKO for several years), and above all the beautiful wife of the lawyer and stepmother of Mino: Vera Fontana (Florinda BOLKAN). The case becomes more and more confusing. And soon there are more deaths to mourn.
A very good representative of the successful EUROCRIME genre! Here the restless action of the 1970s is even less in the foreground, instead a grandiose social portrait is drawn using the means of classic film noir. The two CINECITTA beauties Laura ANTONELLI and Silvia DIONISIO can be admired in smaller roles. In the 1980s, Florinda BOLKAN (seasons 1, 2 and 7) and Delia BOCCARDO (season 5) made an exciting reunion in the globally successful Italian television series LA PIOVRA.
The wonderful images of the Via Veneto in the middle of Rome are particularly worth seeing. The male and female divas of the Roman CINECITTA film industry would come there every evening. Whether they were looking for a new role or a new love interest! Romolo GUERRIERI's film skilfully captures this shimmering atmosphere of the late 1960s.
Der Hexer (1964)
West German Edgar WALLACE Movie with Joachim FUCHSBERGER and Heinz DRACHE
When the Edgar Wallace horror thrillers from the 1960s were shown repeatedly on German-language television in the 1980s, THE RINGER was certainly the most popular villain in the series. As a man of 1000 masks who prefers to take the law into his own murderous hands, THE RINGER could be anywhere and nowhere.
In London, THE RINGER's sister is murdered by a gang of criminals without knowing her origins. This crime electrifies the London criminal world and Scotland Yard alike. Inspector Higgins (Joachim FUCHSBERGER) and Sir John (Siegfried SCHÜRENBERG) rightly fear that THE RINGER will not leave the murder of his sister unpunished for long. And indeed, THE RINGER's elegant wife (Margot TROOGER) soon turns up in London. Inspector Higgins' fiancée (Sophie HARDY) has every reason to be jealous. After all, she has a hard time keeping her "Higgi" away from the well-proportioned Yard secretary (Ann SAVO). Fortunately, retired Inspector Warren (Siegfried LOWITZ) turns up, the only policeman to ever see the RINGER's true face.
A classic of the popular film series that attracted millions of moviegoers to the cinemas between 1959 and 1973. The cast was big: alongside FUCHSBERGER, Heinz DRACHE also plays one of the main roles. And there is also a reunion with Carl LANGE, Karl JOHN and Eddi ARENT.
Director Alfred VOHRER had the right approach when it came to Wallace: scary moments in dark black and white alternate with humorous interludes. It is not for nothing that this film is still repeated every year on various television programs in German-speaking countries.