Drinking alcohol is normal, socially accepted or even expected. But when it becomes excessive the evaluation quickly shifts to embarrassing, dangerous and frowned upon. But how much is too much? And when is it time to pull the emergency break on drinking? Last year’s Sundance Film Festival showcased a film that deals not only with these questions, but also takes a look at the desperation that arises when a young woman tries to fight against her dangerous addiction. Smashed is a heartfelt, honest and partially painful film, certainly worth watching, which finally found it’s way onto the German silver screen last week.
Read more after the jump….
by Lia
on May 14th, 2013
in Movies
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Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum and Steven Soderbergh! What a mass of star names for just one film. Certainly the story about pharmaceutical drugs, their use and misuse, their advantages and dangers wouldn’t have needed big names to succeed. It’s well written and structured and probably would have been a hit with no-name actors as well. However, the famous faces didn’t do any damage. Each of the actors seems to have dropped their ego for the duration of the shoot. They all click together, deliver great performances and make Side Effects a pretty great piece of modern cinema that premiered at the Berlinale in Feburary.
by Lia
on April 30th, 2013
in Movies
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Films aren’t what they used to be. But not just the medium itself has changed (gaining sound and colour), but so have the story lines. Films in the 50s used to be influenced by a patriarchal world view. Men were the heroes – regardless of genre – and opinion leaders and the ladies tried to win their attention and affection with their beauty, wit or charm. Today women are emancipated, voice their own opinions and male characters are frequently just as „soft“ as females. Generally all characters are developed in more depth today than they were at the beginning of movies or even still in the middle of the last century.
This development goes hand in hand with changes in our social environment of course. It is thus even more surprising if a 2013 production feels like it’s just been catapulted onto the screen from a 50s production studio. Now one could think I’m enraged about this, but I am not at all. I am more so surprised, amused and almost a little impressed.
by Lia
on April 23rd, 2013
in Movies
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Who directed When Harry met Sally, The Black Swan and Grease? Rob Reiner, Darren Aronofsky and Randal Kleiser are the masters behind these big successes, whose names are probably unfamiliar to most people. We tend to only remember the names of those actors whose faces are irreversibly tied to the memories of the images. The directors, who often develop the story, are responsible for the entire staging of the film, direct the play of the actors and often oversee the editing, are regularly overlooked.
It’s even more impressive that the entire world knows Alfred Hitchcock. The Master of Suspense (the tension building from the audiences advantage in knowledge over the characters, i.E. that a bomb is ticking underneath the table of the unknowing dinner guests) is known around the globe, his films are loved and highly respected as masterpieces of the art of film. Much has been written about The Birds, Rear Window or Psycho, Truffaut’s interview-book Alfred Hitchcock: A Definitive Study is a classic for all film students and a discovery tour through his work and now there is finally a Biopic about the workaholic.
by Lia
on March 26th, 2013
in Movies
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For five days the silver screens of this town have been running non-stop: the Berlin Film Festival is in full throttle. As a native from Cologne I had to first sing praise to my hometown at Karneval before I could go to the movies. Therefore I’ve only seen 6 films so far, not a bad cut for two days. With a programme of more than 400 films that still means I can’t report much, I will save that for next week.
But here are a few tips for the hot films of the festival, that are already much talked about and in the run for the Golden Bears.
They are all still running, so off to the ticket booths and into the cinema!
by Lia
on February 12th, 2013
in Movies
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This week’s Cinéma de Mode features the video loobook for KTZ‘s new menswear fall/winter collection, directed by George Harvey. The UK-based label presents a perfect combination of street and high fashion, with futuristic headpieces, and unique patterns on sweatsuits, joined by scarves and leather tassels. Especially interesting is the clean black and white effect and the Diplo beat as a soundtrack. Enjoy the video after the jump…
by Devid
on February 2nd, 2013
in Fashion, Videos
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Right away Rust and Bone simply feels like nails of emotions are raining down on you for two hours. It’s all about the feeling of being alive and when I slipped into the freezing cold of Berlin after the film, I was quite relieved to feel my blood pumping through my veins…
by Lia
on January 22nd, 2013
in Movies
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Quentin Tarantino’s new film Django Unchained finally opens in German cinemas this Thursday. In the US it already opened before Christmas, securing a Golden Globe trophy and multiple Oscar nominations…
by Lia
on January 15th, 2013
in Movies
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Hardly ever does a film make me feel physically ill. But after I watched Lore this past Sunday, all I wanted to do is curl up in my bed and sleep it off.
Travelling with five children through post-war Germany was exhausting, but what really got me was the emotional turmoil the children were in after their Nazi parents disappeared and the world suddenly turned against them…
by Lia
on November 20th, 2012
in Movies
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Ursula Meier’s film is coming to the German cinemas next week. Switzerland’s official entry to the Oscar race 2013 tells the moving tale of Simon (Kacey Mottet Klein). The boy comes from a very poor background and steals skies, glasses, jackets and simply everything he can get a hold of in a nearby ski region…
by Lia
on November 6th, 2012
in Movies
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