🎥 Film Ist (1997) ★★★★★
Gustav Deutsch explores the essence of film in a multitude of ways. I vividly remember experiencing the installation version during the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
🎥 Over the Moon (2020) ★★
The film started as My Neighbor Totoro, then quickly transformed in a Alice in Wonderland-like trip, with not so subtle hints of Wreck it Ralph, Inside Out, Frozen 1 (and 2). And if that wasn’t enough: even some creepy cameos by a couple of Angry Birds
🎥 Burn After Reading (2008) ★★★ ½
CIA Supervisor: Jesus Fucking Christ. What did we learn, Palmer? Palmer: I don’t know sir. CIA Supervisor: I don’t fucking know either. I guess we learned not to do it again. I’m fucked if I know what we did. Palmer: Yes sir, it’s hard to say.
📺 Unorthodox (2020) ★★★★
Just when you think of cancelling your Netflix subscription, a great mini series like this makes it worth it again. Magnificent acting by lead actress Shira Haas.
🎥 Mindhunter (2017-2019) ★★★★ ½
This past weeks, I finally took the time to watch the second season of Mindhunter. What a great show by David Fincher e.a., full of multiple fictional storylines, played by a top notch cast, against the backdrop of the Atlanta murders of ‘79–‘81.
🎥 Silent Rage (1982) ★★ ½
Watching a mediocre B movie with Chuck Norris to wrap up the weekend. Great shot though from this mixup of horror, action, sci fi and crime movie directed by Michael Miller.
🎥 Desi (2000) ★★★★
Beautiful documentary about Desi, a young girl in Amsterdam. Everyday after school she has to call around to find a place to sleep. Nevertheless a very uplifting and honest documentary (though with some suspected fictional elements) by Maria Ramos.
📺 X Files: X-Cops (S7E12) ★★★★
I wonder if they used the original Cops crew for the actual shooting and editing of this episode? The last lines seem to reveal a bit:
“You didn’t get the proof that you wanted, Mulder”
“Well, hey, it all depends on how they edit it together”
I’m rewatching one of my childhood favourites. I was expecting the worst, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of factual information (although not always accurate). Also a great guest appearance in episode 5 by Johnny Cash as abolitionist John Brown.
🎥 Scarface (1932) ★ ★ ★ ★
Apart from enjoying a great classic gangster movie, I also got intrigued by the opening statement. The makers directly addressed their audience to take action against their government. I wonder if that would still work today, it would sure make sense.?
🎥 🎵 My week in music (week #22 2020)
I very much enjoyed watching the classic “Live in Siracuse” concert from 1985 by Prince and the Revolution. Streamed for a limited time on YouTube, in support of the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the WHO.
🎥 Onward (2020) ★★ ½
Just a great new Pixar feature meant to be watched by the whole family.
🎥 Hala (2019) ★★★
A solid, somewhat monotonous coming-of-age-film about Hala, a young Pakistani immigrant girl struggling to balance her modern life with her Muslim upbringing.
I was surprised to find this on Apple TV+…
🎥 Jack (1996) ★★
A 10 year old kid, trapped in an old man’s body. One of the oddest films directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with also not so convincing acting by Robin Williams. The kids loved it though, so maybe that’s enough?
🎥 Nightfall (1957) ★★★
🎥 Jumanji (1995) ★★½
🎥 Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) ★★½
I watched the film I remembered so vividly from my teenage years with my two daughters (one of them already a teenager herself). It didn’t work anymore for me, but at least my daughters now know who Jesus really was.
🎥 The Post (2017) ★★★
📺 The Morning Show (2019) ★★★½
Great acting by a top notch cast (including even Jennifer Aniston). But Billy Crudup definitely stole the show for me. Also a very nuanced approach of the Me Too movement.
📺 E06S05 of Better Call Saul was the best episode of the series yet. Story wise, the Saul vs. Kim/Mesa Verde scene was equally important as the famous ‘Chuck court scene’ in S3, but this scene showed Saul at his best. And the amateur commercials made it almost too vile to watch.
🎥 Up next in our Quarantine Ghibli Film Watching Experience was: Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989). ★★★
This must be one of the happiest films ever made. Almost no dramatic plots until just before the end maybe. It reminded me in a strange way of David Lynch’s The Straight Story.
🎥 As part of our social distancing regime, we’re watching Ghibli films on Netflix with the family. Spirited Away (2001) is a delightfully bizar, beautifully made animated film, one of the best Anime films I’ve seen (I didn’t see a lot of them.) ★★★½.
🎥 My neighbor Totoro (1988) ★★★
🎥 Downtown ‘81 (2000) ★★★★
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry, Arto Lindsay, John Lurie, Vincent Gallo, Kid Creole, Fab 5 Freddy, Amos Poe, and the list goes on..! A strange but fascinating depiction of the NYC 1981 No Wave scene.
🎥 Django (1966) ★★★★