Reviews
Les rivières pourpres (2000)
Disappointing!
This film was rather a disappointment. After the very slow, very intense (and quite gory) beginning the film begins to lose it. Too much plot leaves too little time for explanation, and coming out of the theater I wondered what this was all about. The characters remain shallow, the story is not convincing at all, most of it is déja vù stuff without hints of parody, and there are some very cheesy parts... Like, the young cop has to do dig up a body. Of course it's night AND it rains AND he has to do it alone... yawn! Or The Manifestation of the Evil being "nazis" plus "genetic manipulation"... Wow, that's really original. There are some nice bits, though, like the fistfight scene, mountain views and some (running) gags, but (though Reno and Vincent Cassel do what they can) that's definitely not worth it. (3 out of 10)
Im Juli (2000)
Very lovable!
At last - a German comedy (almost) without the well-known cringing-factor! After a somewhat wooden start in Hamburg, the movie unfolds in a very endearing way while the main characters travel to Istanbul. The best thing are the supporting characters - e.g., Branka Katic - really funny, really great! Sometimes a little too much on the Kitsch side, the film manages to entertain - right to the happy end. See it in summer!
Heimkehr der Jäger (2000)
A film like a painting - great!!!
This is a film about still life painting, and it is an interesting, somewhat strange, very black-humoured and lovable film, not like much I've seen before. Ulrich Tukur's performance is fantastic as a painter whose quiet world is falling apart. Probably "Heimkehr der Jäger" won't be shown in many theatres, being an Austrian film and by no means a mainstream movie, but if you like strange, quiet films and get the chance to see it, see it!
Jancio Wodnik (1993)
Wonderful film
I've seen this movie rather by chance on a film festival, and I was amazed. Usually one hardly gets to see Polish films. And this is one of these films one never forgets: simple people, strange story, surrealistic visuals - and very hard to find in a movie theatre, I guess...