Right from its opening moments, Austrian director Elisabeth Scharang’s Woodland is visually arresting, commanding one’s attention. Which is fortunate as the film is light on dialogue and primarily concerns the isolating experience of a woman living alone in wooded country. Through jagged memories that pierce the placid exterior of the film and our protagonist, we uncover the buried traumas and demons she is running away from. Or running towards, as it turns out. In her native hometown, a reckoning awaits her, that just might set her free.
Adapted from Doris Knecht’s novel Wald and inspired by Scharang’s personal experience, Woodland charts Marian’s (Brigitte Hobmeier) return to the small agrarian town she grew up in. She sets up camp in her abandoned family home––cobwebbed, without electricity, and freezing––and only occasionally charges her cell phone at the local pub. Her desire to disconnect from the world seems paramount.
Adapted from Doris Knecht’s novel Wald and inspired by Scharang’s personal experience, Woodland charts Marian’s (Brigitte Hobmeier) return to the small agrarian town she grew up in. She sets up camp in her abandoned family home––cobwebbed, without electricity, and freezing––and only occasionally charges her cell phone at the local pub. Her desire to disconnect from the world seems paramount.
- 9/25/2023
- by Ankit Jhunjhunwala
- The Film Stage
Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has picked up “Woodland” (“Wald”), written and directed by Elisabeth Scharang, which has its world premiere in the Centrepiece section at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film’s trailer has also just been launched.
Picture Tree Intl. also handled world sales on Scharang’s sophomore feature film, “Jack,” which also played at Toronto.
“Woodland” is inspired by the novel “Wald” from bestselling author Doris Knecht, and the personal experience of Scharang, who witnessed the attack of a terrorist shooter in Vienna in 2020 in which four people were killed and 23 others were injured. The film marks Scharang’s second collaboration with Dop Jörg Widmer, who is a frequent collaborator with Terrence Malick.
Brigitte Hobmeier as Marian Malin in “Woodland”
In “Woodland,” Marian Malin (Brigitte Hobmeier) has everything she could wish for — a passion, a job and love — until she and her husband (Bogdan Dumitrache...
Picture Tree Intl. also handled world sales on Scharang’s sophomore feature film, “Jack,” which also played at Toronto.
“Woodland” is inspired by the novel “Wald” from bestselling author Doris Knecht, and the personal experience of Scharang, who witnessed the attack of a terrorist shooter in Vienna in 2020 in which four people were killed and 23 others were injured. The film marks Scharang’s second collaboration with Dop Jörg Widmer, who is a frequent collaborator with Terrence Malick.
Brigitte Hobmeier as Marian Malin in “Woodland”
In “Woodland,” Marian Malin (Brigitte Hobmeier) has everything she could wish for — a passion, a job and love — until she and her husband (Bogdan Dumitrache...
- 8/10/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
To mark the release of Linie 1 on 20th February, we’ve been give Blu-ray copies to give away to 2 winners.
This brand new restoration of the cult German film, Linie 1, based on the wildly successful stage musical, sees Sunnie leaving her stifling provincial hometown to find rock musician Johnnie, who got her pregnant on a one-night stand. She ends up at Berlin’s bustling, chaotic Zoo station, where she gets stuck on underground Line 1, encountering an array of fringe urban characters including hipsters, pimps, punks, drunks and rap queens, who help her on her quest to find her elusive lover.
Linie 1 features winning performances from a fantastic cast including Inka Victoria Groetschel as Sunnie, the Alice in Berlin’s wonderland, Petra Zieser (The Edukators) in multiple roles, and Johannes Krisch (In The Fade) as Johnnie. Directed by Reinhard Hauf (Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner for Stammheim), the film offers...
This brand new restoration of the cult German film, Linie 1, based on the wildly successful stage musical, sees Sunnie leaving her stifling provincial hometown to find rock musician Johnnie, who got her pregnant on a one-night stand. She ends up at Berlin’s bustling, chaotic Zoo station, where she gets stuck on underground Line 1, encountering an array of fringe urban characters including hipsters, pimps, punks, drunks and rap queens, who help her on her quest to find her elusive lover.
Linie 1 features winning performances from a fantastic cast including Inka Victoria Groetschel as Sunnie, the Alice in Berlin’s wonderland, Petra Zieser (The Edukators) in multiple roles, and Johannes Krisch (In The Fade) as Johnnie. Directed by Reinhard Hauf (Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner for Stammheim), the film offers...
- 2/13/2023
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Finally, a movie that has the courage to ask: “Was it okay to be horny during the Holocaust?” While Nikolaus Leytner’s “The Tobacconist” poses several other provocative questions along the way, this stiff and milquetoast coming-of-age drama — — fails to ask any of them with the same clarity, and probably would have fared much better had it stuck to the subject at hand rather than try and leverage it toward some kind of deeper meaning. Of course, certain traps are hard to avoid when you’re adapting a Robert Seethaler novel about an über-hormonal Austrian teenager who finds himself getting romantic advice from Sigmund Freud (played by the late Bruno Ganz in the last of the actor’s films to be released in America).
A country boy with Aryan features who grew up on the green shores of Austria’s bucolic lake Attersee, Franz (a strapping but somewhat blank Simon Morzé...
A country boy with Aryan features who grew up on the green shores of Austria’s bucolic lake Attersee, Franz (a strapping but somewhat blank Simon Morzé...
- 7/10/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
A cigar is never just a cigar where Sigmund Freud is concerned. The father of psychoanalysis serves as a supporting character in “The Tobacconist” — and none other than the great Bruno Ganz embodies the iconic smoker, making this one of the German actor’s last (and least bombastic) performances.
Ganz, whom many will recognize from his role as Adolf Hitler in “Downfall,” now plays one of the Führer’s many victims, a Jewish-born atheist forced to flee his comfortable Viennese home during the Anschluss of 1938, when Germany annexed Austria and occupied its capital, meeting with enthusiastic support from National Socialists and anti-Semites who agreed with his policies. This was an undeniably shameful time in Austria’s history, seen through the eyes of a naive young gentile who’s more concerned with falling in love and losing his virginity than with the rise of fascism, at least in TV director Nikolaus Leytner’s somewhat treacly telling.
Ganz, whom many will recognize from his role as Adolf Hitler in “Downfall,” now plays one of the Führer’s many victims, a Jewish-born atheist forced to flee his comfortable Viennese home during the Anschluss of 1938, when Germany annexed Austria and occupied its capital, meeting with enthusiastic support from National Socialists and anti-Semites who agreed with his policies. This was an undeniably shameful time in Austria’s history, seen through the eyes of a naive young gentile who’s more concerned with falling in love and losing his virginity than with the rise of fascism, at least in TV director Nikolaus Leytner’s somewhat treacly telling.
- 7/10/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Sigmund Freud wrote about a great many things in his lifetime but ask the average person about him and the first thing they'll mention will be his work on sex. Set in the mid-1930s, just before the Anschluss, Nikolaus Leytner's film, which captures him almost in passing, is a reminder that for part of his life at least he had far more urgent concerns. It's told from the perspective of young Franz (Simon Morzé), who, still in his teens, has an excuse for having little besides sex on his mind, and who is delighted to have access to the man he considers to be the world's foremost expert to help him figure it out - but in time he will come to realise that there's much more going on around him.
It's a tobacconist's job to know all his customers well, says Herr Tsrnjek (Johannes Krisch), the man to whom.
It's a tobacconist's job to know all his customers well, says Herr Tsrnjek (Johannes Krisch), the man to whom.
- 7/7/2020
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Tobacconist (Der trafikant) Menemsha Films Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Nickolaus Leytner Screenwriters: Klaus Richter, Nikolaus Leytner, based on Robert Seethaler’s novel Cast: Simon Morzé, Bruno Ganz, Johannes Krisch, Emma Drogunova Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 6/29/20 Opens: July10, 2020 “Sometimes a cigar is just a […]
The post The Tobacconist Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Tobacconist Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 7/2/2020
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Drama played Edinburgh last summer, stars Bruno Ganz (Downfall) in penultimate role.
Kino Lorber has partnered with Menemsha Films on the virtual theatrical release of Nikolaus Leytner’s Austrian coming-of-age drama The Tobacconist starring the late Bruno Ganz.
The film will launch on Kino Marquee on July 10 and will also open in theatrical engagements as cinemas open in key markets across the Us over the coming months.
The release marks Kino Lorber’s latest virtual cinema collaboration with other distributors after it worked with Well Go USA on House Of Hummingbird, which debuts on June 26, and Good Deed Entertainment on Extra Ordinary and Lucky Grandma.
Kino Lorber has partnered with Menemsha Films on the virtual theatrical release of Nikolaus Leytner’s Austrian coming-of-age drama The Tobacconist starring the late Bruno Ganz.
The film will launch on Kino Marquee on July 10 and will also open in theatrical engagements as cinemas open in key markets across the Us over the coming months.
The release marks Kino Lorber’s latest virtual cinema collaboration with other distributors after it worked with Well Go USA on House Of Hummingbird, which debuts on June 26, and Good Deed Entertainment on Extra Ordinary and Lucky Grandma.
- 6/17/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
In The Fade Magnolia Pictures Director: Fatih Akin Written by: Fatih Akin, Hark Boh, Cast: Diane Kruger, Denis Moschitto, Johannes Krisch, Samia Chancrin, Numan Acar Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 11/18/17 Opens: December 27, 2017 Now that right-wing parties are arising, the stage is set for the movie industry to capitalize on the dangers we […]
The post In The Fade Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post In The Fade Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 12/5/2017
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Sneak Peek footage, plus images from director Fatih Akin's award-winning dramatic feature "In the Fade" (aka "Aus dem Nichts"), starring Diane Kruger ("Inglourious Basterds"):
"...'Katja', married to 'Nuri Sekerci' has a 5-year-old son, living in Hamburg, Germany.
"She first met Nuri when she was a student and bought hash from him, then marrying him when he was serving time in prison for drug trafficking.
"Studying while in prison, Nuri is released, to work at a translation and tax office.
"She drops their son off at her husband’s office in the afternoon. When Katja returns for him in the evening, she finds the road blocked. A policeman tells her that a man and a child have been killed in an attack, that they say is not terrorism, but revenge from drug traffickers.
"Katja is so despndent she sees no reason to continue living...until she decides on taking revenge.
"...'Katja', married to 'Nuri Sekerci' has a 5-year-old son, living in Hamburg, Germany.
"She first met Nuri when she was a student and bought hash from him, then marrying him when he was serving time in prison for drug trafficking.
"Studying while in prison, Nuri is released, to work at a translation and tax office.
"She drops their son off at her husband’s office in the afternoon. When Katja returns for him in the evening, she finds the road blocked. A policeman tells her that a man and a child have been killed in an attack, that they say is not terrorism, but revenge from drug traffickers.
"Katja is so despndent she sees no reason to continue living...until she decides on taking revenge.
- 11/3/2017
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
"They'll be punished, I promise you." Magnolia has unveiled an official Us trailer for Fatih Akin's In the Fade, a dramatic thriller starring Diane Kruger. Kruger won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival this year, where the film played in competition. She stars as a German woman named Katja, who goes for revenge after a bombing that kills her husband and son. The cast includes Numan Acar, Ulrich Tukur, Johannes Krisch, Siir Eloglu, Denis Moschitto, Jessica McIntyre, and Ulrich Brandhoff. This is going to be a very divisive, likely controversial film - because of what it addresses and what happens and how it all plays out. It's a fascinating, emotion-fueled film worth discussing. I saw this in Cannes and I think it's an impressive film with a hell of a performance by Kruger. This trailer gives away a lot, watch out. Here's the new official Us...
- 11/2/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
There’s been a very low, but noticeable simmer of awards season talk surrounding “In The Fade.” The latest from director Fatih Akin features Diane Kruger in the lead role, and by all accounts, she gives a ferocious turn in a drama that’s eerily timely.
Co-starring Denis Moschitto, Numan Acar and Johannes Krisch, the story follows a woman who becomes widowed after her husband and son are killed in a bombing plotted by a young, neo-Nazi couple.
Continue reading ‘In The Fade’ Trailer: Diane Kruger Wants Justice at The Playlist.
Co-starring Denis Moschitto, Numan Acar and Johannes Krisch, the story follows a woman who becomes widowed after her husband and son are killed in a bombing plotted by a young, neo-Nazi couple.
Continue reading ‘In The Fade’ Trailer: Diane Kruger Wants Justice at The Playlist.
- 11/2/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Awards run, early 2018 theatrical release planned.
Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to Faith Akin’s revenge drama In the Fade starring Cannes best actress winner Diane Kruger.
The film will navigate an awards-qualifying run this autumn ahead of a theatrical release in early 2018.
Kruger plays a German mother seeking revenge for the murder of her family at the hands of Neo-Nazis. Denis Moschitto, Johannes Krisch, Ulrich Tukur, Samia Chancrin, and Numan Acar also star.
“In the Fade is my own reflection of current developments in the world,” Akin, who wrote and directed, said. “On different layers it is a very personal film for me. I am honored that Magnolia will bring the movie to American audiences and I am very excited about this.” Hark Bohm co-wrote the screenplay.
Nurhan Şekerci-Porst, Akin, and Herman Weigel produced. The film is a Warner Bros Pictures presentation of a Bombero International, Warner Bros Film Productions Germany production, in co-production...
Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to Faith Akin’s revenge drama In the Fade starring Cannes best actress winner Diane Kruger.
The film will navigate an awards-qualifying run this autumn ahead of a theatrical release in early 2018.
Kruger plays a German mother seeking revenge for the murder of her family at the hands of Neo-Nazis. Denis Moschitto, Johannes Krisch, Ulrich Tukur, Samia Chancrin, and Numan Acar also star.
“In the Fade is my own reflection of current developments in the world,” Akin, who wrote and directed, said. “On different layers it is a very personal film for me. I am honored that Magnolia will bring the movie to American audiences and I am very excited about this.” Hark Bohm co-wrote the screenplay.
Nurhan Şekerci-Porst, Akin, and Herman Weigel produced. The film is a Warner Bros Pictures presentation of a Bombero International, Warner Bros Film Productions Germany production, in co-production...
- 8/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Get a glimpse at one of the films playing at Cannes. A French teaser trailer has debuted for the German film titled In the Fade, directed by German-Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin. This just premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, to mostly positive reviews from critics. Prominent German actress Diane Kruger stars in what is apparently her very first German role playing a woman named Katja, who goes for revenge after a bombing that kills her husband and son. The cast includes Numan Acar, Ulrich Tukur, Johannes Krisch, Siir Eloglu, Denis Moschitto, Jessica McIntyre, and Ulrich Brandhoff. I saw this film at Cannes and I think it's a great film, playing strong on emotions but also providing much to think about. I always appreciate films that can inspire good discussions, and this is definitely one that will. Here's the first international teaser trailer (+ poster) for Fatih Akin's In the Fade,...
- 5/27/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Fatih Akin sends a cumbersome bull into the socio-political china shop of present-day Germany, and all its racial and social divides, with In the Fade, a compelling (if somewhat ugly and hammy) contemporary revenge thriller wherein fear begets fear, hates begets hate, and thrills — however imprudent they might be — are easy to come by.
We’re in Hamburg’s diverse and famously progressive St. Pauli district (the choice of location is no accident). Diane Kruger (speaking her Muttersprache) plays Katja Sekerci, a woman who is out to avenge the death of her husband, Nuri (Numan Acar), and only son, both of whom are killed at the beginning of the film when a nail bomb erupts outside Nuri’s office. The crime is given further weight by the fact that Nuri is of Turkish extraction. It’s an unavoidably slippery topic, no doubt, but Akin (a Hamburg native of Turkish descent...
We’re in Hamburg’s diverse and famously progressive St. Pauli district (the choice of location is no accident). Diane Kruger (speaking her Muttersprache) plays Katja Sekerci, a woman who is out to avenge the death of her husband, Nuri (Numan Acar), and only son, both of whom are killed at the beginning of the film when a nail bomb erupts outside Nuri’s office. The crime is given further weight by the fact that Nuri is of Turkish extraction. It’s an unavoidably slippery topic, no doubt, but Akin (a Hamburg native of Turkish descent...
- 5/27/2017
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
The final film of Jan Nemec, who died in March, to play in the main competition.Scroll down for competition line-ups
The 51st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 1-9) has unveiled the competition titles in its Official Selection, East of the West and Documentary sections.
The 12-strong main competition will comprise eight world premieres and four international premieres, including the last film from renowned Czech director Jan Nemec, who died in March.
The Czech filmmaker was a notable voice of the country’s New Wave movement of the 1960s with titles such as Diamonds Of The Night (1964). His final film, The Wolf From Royal Vineyard Street, will world premiere at Kviff and is an adaptation of his own quasi-autobiographical short stories.
Other titles include Slovak-Czech drama The Teacher from Jan Hrebejk while Roberto Andò is returning to Kviff with The Confessions, three years after his hit Viva la Libertà.
Debut features...
The 51st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 1-9) has unveiled the competition titles in its Official Selection, East of the West and Documentary sections.
The 12-strong main competition will comprise eight world premieres and four international premieres, including the last film from renowned Czech director Jan Nemec, who died in March.
The Czech filmmaker was a notable voice of the country’s New Wave movement of the 1960s with titles such as Diamonds Of The Night (1964). His final film, The Wolf From Royal Vineyard Street, will world premiere at Kviff and is an adaptation of his own quasi-autobiographical short stories.
Other titles include Slovak-Czech drama The Teacher from Jan Hrebejk while Roberto Andò is returning to Kviff with The Confessions, three years after his hit Viva la Libertà.
Debut features...
- 5/31/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Labyrinth Of Lies director Giulio Ricciarelli Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Giulio Ricciarelli's Oscar shortlisted Best Foreign Language Film candidate, Labyrinth Of Lies, stars Alexander Fehling of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds fame, with Johannes Krisch (Frauke Finsterwalder's Finsterworld and Götz Spielmann's Revanche), André Szymanski, Hansi Jochmann, Friederike Becht (Margarethe von Trotta's Hannah Arendt), Johann von Bülow and Mathis Reinhardt, and is dedicated to the late great stage actor, Gert Voss.
"Heimatfilm", Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl: The Final Days on the White Rose shot by Martin Langer, Vico Torriani, Caterina Valente and how the costume design of Aenne Plaumann (Goodbye Lenin!), a La Strada poster, design by Manfred Döring and Janina Jaensch were orchestrated by "card players", gender roles in the Fifties, and what's in a title.
Marlene Wondrak (Friederike Becht) with Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling)
Ricciarelli in his debut feature captures a mood of cold-sweat exhilarated revitalisation,...
Giulio Ricciarelli's Oscar shortlisted Best Foreign Language Film candidate, Labyrinth Of Lies, stars Alexander Fehling of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds fame, with Johannes Krisch (Frauke Finsterwalder's Finsterworld and Götz Spielmann's Revanche), André Szymanski, Hansi Jochmann, Friederike Becht (Margarethe von Trotta's Hannah Arendt), Johann von Bülow and Mathis Reinhardt, and is dedicated to the late great stage actor, Gert Voss.
"Heimatfilm", Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl: The Final Days on the White Rose shot by Martin Langer, Vico Torriani, Caterina Valente and how the costume design of Aenne Plaumann (Goodbye Lenin!), a La Strada poster, design by Manfred Döring and Janina Jaensch were orchestrated by "card players", gender roles in the Fifties, and what's in a title.
Marlene Wondrak (Friederike Becht) with Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling)
Ricciarelli in his debut feature captures a mood of cold-sweat exhilarated revitalisation,...
- 1/3/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The entire Academy Awards endeavour seems to expand every year, as more and more often, shortlists are announced during the behind-the-scenes nominations process, ahead of the final nominations announcement. While that tends to make the awards season feel even longer, it does much to raise the profile of films that might otherwise be little noticed by general audiences – including those submitted to the Academy for consideration as Best Foreign Film.
The Academy accepts one submission from each country, and the deadline for those submissions was October 1st this year. The selection process then has two phases. In the first phase, the Foreign Language Film Award Committee screens each submission, and selects six for shortlisting, with an additional three selected by the Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee. This set of nine films is then announced as the shortlist, and this is the announcement we have seen today.
The shortlisted films...
The Academy accepts one submission from each country, and the deadline for those submissions was October 1st this year. The selection process then has two phases. In the first phase, the Foreign Language Film Award Committee screens each submission, and selects six for shortlisting, with an additional three selected by the Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee. This set of nine films is then announced as the shortlist, and this is the announcement we have seen today.
The shortlisted films...
- 12/22/2015
- by Sarah Myles
- We Got This Covered
Labyrinth Of Lies director Giulio Ricciarelli with Anne-Katrin Titze Photo: Aimee Morris
I met up with the director of Germany's Oscar submission, Labyrinth Of Lies (Im Labyrinth Des Schweigens), Giulio Ricciarelli, at the Loews Regency Hotel on Park Avenue, where I previously engaged Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth on working with Nick Cave, plus Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders on The Salt Of The Earth earlier this year. Chet Baker's music was playing in the lobby, reminding me of Bruce Weber's Let's Get Lost, upon entering the labyrinth to discuss Ricciarelli's impressive debut feature. It stars Alexander Fehling of Inglourious Basterds fame, with Johannes Krisch (Finsterworld, Revanche), André Szymanski, Friederike Becht, Johann von Bülow and Mathis Reinhardt, and is dedicated to the late great stage actor, Gert Voss, who is spectacular as the unsung real-life hero State Attorney General Fritz Bauer.
Alexander Fehling as Johann Radmann
Claude Lanzmann...
I met up with the director of Germany's Oscar submission, Labyrinth Of Lies (Im Labyrinth Des Schweigens), Giulio Ricciarelli, at the Loews Regency Hotel on Park Avenue, where I previously engaged Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth on working with Nick Cave, plus Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders on The Salt Of The Earth earlier this year. Chet Baker's music was playing in the lobby, reminding me of Bruce Weber's Let's Get Lost, upon entering the labyrinth to discuss Ricciarelli's impressive debut feature. It stars Alexander Fehling of Inglourious Basterds fame, with Johannes Krisch (Finsterworld, Revanche), André Szymanski, Friederike Becht, Johann von Bülow and Mathis Reinhardt, and is dedicated to the late great stage actor, Gert Voss, who is spectacular as the unsung real-life hero State Attorney General Fritz Bauer.
Alexander Fehling as Johann Radmann
Claude Lanzmann...
- 9/20/2015
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Labyrinth Of Lies (Im Labyrinth des Scheigens) Sony Pictures Classics Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: A- Director: Giulio Ricciarelli Written by: Elisabeth Bartel, Giulio Ricciarelli Cast: André Szymanski, Alexander Fehling, Gert Voss, Johannes Krisch, Friederike Becht, Hansi Jochmann, Johann von Bülow, Robert Hunger-Bühler Screened at: Sony, NYC, 9/2/15 Opens: September 30, 2015 Giulio Ricciarelli’s film “Labyrinth of Lies” brings to mind Arthur Miller’s equally melodramatic play, “All My Sons.” In that latter work, sixty-year-old Joe Keller is guilty of shipping damaged aircraft cylinder heads to U.S. pilots during World War II, causing the deaths of twenty-one pilots. Though Keller is exonerated, he ultimately commits [ Read More ]
The post Labyrinth of Lies Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Labyrinth of Lies Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/9/2015
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
True story of the notorious killer and poet also set to screen at Toronto.
The 22nd Oldenburg International Film Festival (Sept 16-20) is to open with Elisabeth Scharang’s true life drama Jack.
The screen adaptation based on the life of the notorious killer and poet Jack Unterweger will open the festival as a German premiere
Austrian director Scharang’s second fiction feature after 2011 Holocaust drama In Another Lifetime charts the true story of Unterweger, a convicted murderer whose road to redemption, while imprisoned, was to write stories and poems.
The film stars Johannes Krisch in the leading role opposite Birgit Minichmayr and Corinna Harfouch, the film’s talent will attend the gala premiere.
Jack is a production of Epo and its worldwide sales are handled by Picture Tree International.
Following its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival (Aug 5-15), Jack will receive its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20).
The 22nd Oldenburg International Film Festival (Sept 16-20) is to open with Elisabeth Scharang’s true life drama Jack.
The screen adaptation based on the life of the notorious killer and poet Jack Unterweger will open the festival as a German premiere
Austrian director Scharang’s second fiction feature after 2011 Holocaust drama In Another Lifetime charts the true story of Unterweger, a convicted murderer whose road to redemption, while imprisoned, was to write stories and poems.
The film stars Johannes Krisch in the leading role opposite Birgit Minichmayr and Corinna Harfouch, the film’s talent will attend the gala premiere.
Jack is a production of Epo and its worldwide sales are handled by Picture Tree International.
Following its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival (Aug 5-15), Jack will receive its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20).
- 8/28/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Too often-forgotten and yet a key historical period in post-WW2, that began in 1958 was the revelation of the German crimes for the first time to its own people.
“Labyrinth of Lies” is based upon true events and tells the tale of Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling, “Inglourious Basterds”) a young, principled prosecutor who investigates a massive conspiracy to cover up the Nazi pasts of “very normal Germans” who had actively facilitated the Final Solution at Auschwitz, but remained unpunished, and ignored, long after the war ended. The five-year investigation led to the 1963-1965 Frankfurt Auschwitz trials. August 19, 2015 will mark the 50th anniversary of the verdict.
A hit in France and Germany, and a selection of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, Beta has sold the film widely:
Argentina-Cdi Films, Australia-Madman Entertai, Brazil -Mares Filmes Lt, Canada -Métropole Films, Canada-Mongrel Media, France-Universcine, France-Sophie Dulac Di, Germany-Universal Pictu, Israel-Nachshon Films, Italy-Good Films Srl, Japan-At Entertainmen, Poland-Aurora Films, Portugal-Films4you, Taiwan-Swallow Wings F, Turkey- Fabula Films
“Labyrinth of Lies” casts light on how, despite the infamy of the Nuremberg trials, much of post-war Germany denied its war crimes. Crisply photographed, and propelled by sterling performances from Fehling, Szymanski and Krisch, the film parallels personal drama with issues of a national scale, and raises still-relevant questions about war, and how history is ultimately written.
From the first frame, the film demands attention. At times, a bit hackneyed with some heavy-handed musical cues toward “emotional” moments, and at times a bit too long, however the subject matter and the attractive stars are very engrossing. One wants to see how the action will unfold and is willing to forgive the overly melodramatic moments. This is the German submission for the Academy Award out of eight which were considered.
Director Giulio Ricciarelli was born in Milan, and has acted in numerous German films and television programs. “Labyrinth of Lies” is his feature film directorial debut. German film and stage actor Alexander Fehling, best known to U.S. audiences for his role as Staff Sgt. Wilhelm in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds”, was awarded The Shooting Star Award at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival. He will next be seen in the new season of “Homeland” as Carrie (Claire Danes)’s new love interest, and has been cast as Friedrich Engels in Raoul Peck’s “The Young Karl Marx”.
Sony Pictures Classics will release “Labyrinth of Lies”, Giulio Ricciarelli’s feature film debut, Wednesday, September 30 in New York and Los Angeles.
Directed by Giulio Ricciarelli. Written by Elisabeth Bartel and Giulio Ricciarelli. Cinematography by Martin Langer, Roman Osin. Starring Alexander Fehling, André Szymanski, Friederike Becht, Johannes Krisch, Hansi Jochmann, Johann von Bulow, Robert Hunger-Buhler, Lukas Miko and Gert Voss.
121 Minutes. In German with English Subtitles.
“Labyrinth of Lies” is based upon true events and tells the tale of Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling, “Inglourious Basterds”) a young, principled prosecutor who investigates a massive conspiracy to cover up the Nazi pasts of “very normal Germans” who had actively facilitated the Final Solution at Auschwitz, but remained unpunished, and ignored, long after the war ended. The five-year investigation led to the 1963-1965 Frankfurt Auschwitz trials. August 19, 2015 will mark the 50th anniversary of the verdict.
A hit in France and Germany, and a selection of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, Beta has sold the film widely:
Argentina-Cdi Films, Australia-Madman Entertai, Brazil -Mares Filmes Lt, Canada -Métropole Films, Canada-Mongrel Media, France-Universcine, France-Sophie Dulac Di, Germany-Universal Pictu, Israel-Nachshon Films, Italy-Good Films Srl, Japan-At Entertainmen, Poland-Aurora Films, Portugal-Films4you, Taiwan-Swallow Wings F, Turkey- Fabula Films
“Labyrinth of Lies” casts light on how, despite the infamy of the Nuremberg trials, much of post-war Germany denied its war crimes. Crisply photographed, and propelled by sterling performances from Fehling, Szymanski and Krisch, the film parallels personal drama with issues of a national scale, and raises still-relevant questions about war, and how history is ultimately written.
From the first frame, the film demands attention. At times, a bit hackneyed with some heavy-handed musical cues toward “emotional” moments, and at times a bit too long, however the subject matter and the attractive stars are very engrossing. One wants to see how the action will unfold and is willing to forgive the overly melodramatic moments. This is the German submission for the Academy Award out of eight which were considered.
Director Giulio Ricciarelli was born in Milan, and has acted in numerous German films and television programs. “Labyrinth of Lies” is his feature film directorial debut. German film and stage actor Alexander Fehling, best known to U.S. audiences for his role as Staff Sgt. Wilhelm in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds”, was awarded The Shooting Star Award at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival. He will next be seen in the new season of “Homeland” as Carrie (Claire Danes)’s new love interest, and has been cast as Friedrich Engels in Raoul Peck’s “The Young Karl Marx”.
Sony Pictures Classics will release “Labyrinth of Lies”, Giulio Ricciarelli’s feature film debut, Wednesday, September 30 in New York and Los Angeles.
Directed by Giulio Ricciarelli. Written by Elisabeth Bartel and Giulio Ricciarelli. Cinematography by Martin Langer, Roman Osin. Starring Alexander Fehling, André Szymanski, Friederike Becht, Johannes Krisch, Hansi Jochmann, Johann von Bulow, Robert Hunger-Buhler, Lukas Miko and Gert Voss.
121 Minutes. In German with English Subtitles.
- 8/27/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
In a photo studio in Vienna, a sleazy photographer (Johannes Krisch) is coaxing a young Slovakian woman, Mirkha (Lucia Siposová), into posing for her first nude pictures. We soon find out this man is also a pimp, and the pictures are for luring clients on the internet. Her younger sister Anna (Gabriela Marcinkova) tries to persuade her to reconsider but Mirkha has her mind made up. She needs the money and wants to change her life. Her sister intones through darkly humorous voiceover, “If there’s a fork in the road, take it.” It’s a highly provocative opening for what ends up being just a so-so anthology of interwoven tales, even though director Fernando Meirelles ("City Of God," “The Constant Gardener”) assembles an impressive international cast for stories spanning Vienna, Paris, London, Bratislava, Rio, Denver and Phoenix. Jude Law plays a family man on a business trip to Vienna,...
- 7/31/2012
- by Cory Everett
- The Playlist
Title: 360 Magnolia Pictures Reviewed for Shockya by Harvey Karten Grade: B Director: Fernando Meirelles Screenwriter: Peter Morgan Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Ben Foster, Dinara Drukarova, Gabriela Marcinkova, Jamel Debbouze, Johannes Krisch, Jude Law, Lucia Siposova Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 7/24/12 Opens: August 3, 2012 “If you see a fork in the road, take it,” says a wise man in a quote that frames Fernando Merielles’ “360.” If this gives the impression that the film will be like a Zen koan, impenetrable for some in the audience but allowing epiphanies by others, that effect would be incorrect. Instead, “360” comes across as basically naturalistic rather than stylized, a straight story [ Read More ]...
- 7/30/2012
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
In a photo studio in Vienna, a sleazy photographer (Johannes Krisch) is coaxing a young Slovakian woman Mirkha (Lucia Siposová) into posing for her first nude pictures. We soon find out this man is also a pimp and the pictures are for luring clients on the internet. Her younger sister Anna (Gabriela Marcinkova) tries to persuade her to reconsider but she has her mind made up. She needs the money and wants to change her life. Her sister intones through darkly humorous voiceover “If there’s a fork in the road, take it.” It’s a highly provocative opening for what ends…...
- 9/13/2011
- The Playlist
Iron Man 2 (12A)
(Jon Favreau, 2010, Us) Robert Downey Jr, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow. 125 mins
Considering his CEO status, it's no surprise that Tony Stark's return feels more like an upgrade than a sequel. It's this season's must-have tech-form with a human interface, machine-tooled for enhanced multiplex performance, even if it has trouble finding much to say. Downey divides his time between battling his own ego and Rourke's ridiculous Russian baddie – among other myriad convoluted Marvel-universe subplots – but it's all about as exciting as the launch of a new MacBook.
Revanche (15)
(Götz Spielmann, 2008, Aus) Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko. 122 mins
An Austrian noir thriller, this takes the heist-gone-wrong set-up to intriguing new territory – the countryside – giving our sympathetic crook a new perspective, and bringing him perilously close to his cop nemesis.
Valhalla Rising (15)
(Nicolas Winding Refn, 2009, Den/UK) Mads Mikkelsen, Maarten Stevenson. 100 mins
This gory, hallucinatory Viking odyssey makes an indelible impression,...
(Jon Favreau, 2010, Us) Robert Downey Jr, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow. 125 mins
Considering his CEO status, it's no surprise that Tony Stark's return feels more like an upgrade than a sequel. It's this season's must-have tech-form with a human interface, machine-tooled for enhanced multiplex performance, even if it has trouble finding much to say. Downey divides his time between battling his own ego and Rourke's ridiculous Russian baddie – among other myriad convoluted Marvel-universe subplots – but it's all about as exciting as the launch of a new MacBook.
Revanche (15)
(Götz Spielmann, 2008, Aus) Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko. 122 mins
An Austrian noir thriller, this takes the heist-gone-wrong set-up to intriguing new territory – the countryside – giving our sympathetic crook a new perspective, and bringing him perilously close to his cop nemesis.
Valhalla Rising (15)
(Nicolas Winding Refn, 2009, Den/UK) Mads Mikkelsen, Maarten Stevenson. 100 mins
This gory, hallucinatory Viking odyssey makes an indelible impression,...
- 4/30/2010
- by Damon Wise
- The Guardian - Film News
A convoluted and somewhat over-elaborate Austrian film tackling revenge is saved by astute directing and good performances, writes Peter Bradshaw
Austrian director Götz Friedrich's Revanche is a meditation on revenge which is intelligent and well-made, while at the same time rather contrived and implausible; it has a distinctive sort of Euro-hardcore sheen, mainly due to the superbly lucid, diamond-hard cinematography from Martin Gschlacht. Alex (Johannes Krisch) is an ex-con who works as a barman in a Vienna brothel where he has fallen in love with one of the girls there, Tamara (Irina Potapenko). He periodically visits his cantankerous grandfather (Hannes Thanheiser) in his country farm: the old man gets taken to church by Susanne (Ursula Strauss), wife of local cop Robert (Andreas Lust). The connection draws them all together in a web of coincidence and fate. There is something frankly rickety and elaborate about Friedrich's narrative structure, but the...
Austrian director Götz Friedrich's Revanche is a meditation on revenge which is intelligent and well-made, while at the same time rather contrived and implausible; it has a distinctive sort of Euro-hardcore sheen, mainly due to the superbly lucid, diamond-hard cinematography from Martin Gschlacht. Alex (Johannes Krisch) is an ex-con who works as a barman in a Vienna brothel where he has fallen in love with one of the girls there, Tamara (Irina Potapenko). He periodically visits his cantankerous grandfather (Hannes Thanheiser) in his country farm: the old man gets taken to church by Susanne (Ursula Strauss), wife of local cop Robert (Andreas Lust). The connection draws them all together in a web of coincidence and fate. There is something frankly rickety and elaborate about Friedrich's narrative structure, but the...
- 4/29/2010
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Just released on DVD and Blu-ray this week, courtesy of the Criterion Collection, is Götz Spielmann's riveting neo-noir Revanche, which was Oscar-nominated last year for Best Foreign Language Film:
A gripping thriller and a tragic drama of nearly Greek proportions, Revanche is the stunning, Oscar-nominated international breakthrough of Austrian filmmaker Götz Spielmann. In a ragged section of Vienna, hardened ex-con Alex (the mesmerizing Johannes Krisch) works in a brothel, where he falls for Ukrainian hooker Tamara. Their desperate plans for escape unexpectedly intersect with the lives of a rural cop and his seemingly content wife. With meticulous, elegant direction, Spielmann creates a tense, existential, and surprising portrait of vengeance and redemption, and a journey into the darkest forest of human nature, in which violence and beauty exist side by side.
Sometime last May, I sat down with Spielmann to talk about "the first Buddhist thriller" (as he recalls an L.
A gripping thriller and a tragic drama of nearly Greek proportions, Revanche is the stunning, Oscar-nominated international breakthrough of Austrian filmmaker Götz Spielmann. In a ragged section of Vienna, hardened ex-con Alex (the mesmerizing Johannes Krisch) works in a brothel, where he falls for Ukrainian hooker Tamara. Their desperate plans for escape unexpectedly intersect with the lives of a rural cop and his seemingly content wife. With meticulous, elegant direction, Spielmann creates a tense, existential, and surprising portrait of vengeance and redemption, and a journey into the darkest forest of human nature, in which violence and beauty exist side by side.
Sometime last May, I sat down with Spielmann to talk about "the first Buddhist thriller" (as he recalls an L.
- 2/19/2010
- GreenCine Daily
DVD Playhouse—February 2010
By
Allen Gardner
Hunger (Criterion) Harrowing true story of imprisoned Ira member Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) and his 1981 hunger strike protesting the British government’s refusal to recognize him, and other Ira members as political prisoners. Director Steve McQueen delivers the story with true filmmaking panache, mixing startling imagery that blends both stunning beauty and stomach-churning horror. Fassbender is absolutely brilliant in the lead. Not for the faint-of-heart, but not to be missed or, particularly, ignored. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with McQueen and Fassbender; Short documentary; 1981 episode of BBC series “Panorama” that covers the Ira hunger strike; Trailer. Widescreen. DTS-hd audio on Blu-ray.
Adam (20th Century Fox) Quirky romantic comedy about an eccentric, borderline Asperger’s Syndrome, astronomy buff (Hugh Dancy) who is drawn out of his self-imposed shell by a beautiful and sympathetic neighbor (Rose Byrne). Charming film with engaging performances by the two leads,...
By
Allen Gardner
Hunger (Criterion) Harrowing true story of imprisoned Ira member Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) and his 1981 hunger strike protesting the British government’s refusal to recognize him, and other Ira members as political prisoners. Director Steve McQueen delivers the story with true filmmaking panache, mixing startling imagery that blends both stunning beauty and stomach-churning horror. Fassbender is absolutely brilliant in the lead. Not for the faint-of-heart, but not to be missed or, particularly, ignored. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with McQueen and Fassbender; Short documentary; 1981 episode of BBC series “Panorama” that covers the Ira hunger strike; Trailer. Widescreen. DTS-hd audio on Blu-ray.
Adam (20th Century Fox) Quirky romantic comedy about an eccentric, borderline Asperger’s Syndrome, astronomy buff (Hugh Dancy) who is drawn out of his self-imposed shell by a beautiful and sympathetic neighbor (Rose Byrne). Charming film with engaging performances by the two leads,...
- 2/15/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Götz Spielmann's Revanche is a rather slow but engaging film that uses a revenge plot to examine themes of love, loss, and connectedness.
An ex-con named Alex (Johannes Krisch) is an ex-con who works in a Vienna brothel called Cinderella. His girlfriend Tamara (Irina Potepenko) is a Hungarian immigrant who works at Cinderella as a prostitute. Tamara, who is favored by the brothel owner for a position as a high-class call girl, is deeply in debt, and Alex's prospects are equally grim. Alex devises a misguided plan to help the couple see their way through the hard times. Through a series of mistakes, Alex and Tamara encounter a police officer (Andreas Lust) whose actions change their lives forever.
Revanche can be categorized as a thriller but Götz Spielmann intentionally plays against any expectations associated with the genre. Revanche is structured like two separate films connected by a significant life event.
An ex-con named Alex (Johannes Krisch) is an ex-con who works in a Vienna brothel called Cinderella. His girlfriend Tamara (Irina Potepenko) is a Hungarian immigrant who works at Cinderella as a prostitute. Tamara, who is favored by the brothel owner for a position as a high-class call girl, is deeply in debt, and Alex's prospects are equally grim. Alex devises a misguided plan to help the couple see their way through the hard times. Through a series of mistakes, Alex and Tamara encounter a police officer (Andreas Lust) whose actions change their lives forever.
Revanche can be categorized as a thriller but Götz Spielmann intentionally plays against any expectations associated with the genre. Revanche is structured like two separate films connected by a significant life event.
- 2/14/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Revanche, which is German for revenge, is a hard sell. An Austrian production, the film is in both German and Russian with tiny little white subtitles. The primary reason I start off by mentioning the subtitles is because a film as slow and generally uninteresting as Revanche is made even more difficult to appreciate by it’s often difficult to follow subtitles written in broken English.
Written and directed by Götz Spielmann, Revanche follows an ex-con named Alex (Johannes Krisch) as he plans a bank robbery he perceives as no fail. He intends to escape his insignificant life, running away with an attractive prostitute named Tamara (Irina Potapenko) who only wants to escape the sex business. Ironically, Alex has an unquenchable sex drive, but he cares deeply for Tamara and they get along well.
The initial obstacle for Alex and Tamara is her boss Konecny, a big hulking gorilla of...
Written and directed by Götz Spielmann, Revanche follows an ex-con named Alex (Johannes Krisch) as he plans a bank robbery he perceives as no fail. He intends to escape his insignificant life, running away with an attractive prostitute named Tamara (Irina Potapenko) who only wants to escape the sex business. Ironically, Alex has an unquenchable sex drive, but he cares deeply for Tamara and they get along well.
The initial obstacle for Alex and Tamara is her boss Konecny, a big hulking gorilla of...
- 7/31/2009
- by Travis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Revanche
Directed by: Götz Spielmann
Cast: Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Ursula Strauss, Andreas Lust
Running Time: 2 hr
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: June 12, 2009
Plot: Alex (Krisch) works for a sleazy brothel owner. He’s in love with Tamara (Potapenko), a Ukrainian prostitute in debt to Alex’s boss. In desperation, Alex robs a bank but Tamara dies after being shot by a cop (Lust) who tries to stop Alex. He hides out with his grandfather in the country, where he learns that he’s staying right next to the cop who killed Tamara.
Who’s It For? Though it’s billed as a thriller, it’s definitely a slow one more in line with Cache than The Bourne Identity. So more about morality than chases. For the mature viewer, in every sense.
Expectations: Revanche is up for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. So hoping to be blown away.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:...
Directed by: Götz Spielmann
Cast: Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Ursula Strauss, Andreas Lust
Running Time: 2 hr
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: June 12, 2009
Plot: Alex (Krisch) works for a sleazy brothel owner. He’s in love with Tamara (Potapenko), a Ukrainian prostitute in debt to Alex’s boss. In desperation, Alex robs a bank but Tamara dies after being shot by a cop (Lust) who tries to stop Alex. He hides out with his grandfather in the country, where he learns that he’s staying right next to the cop who killed Tamara.
Who’s It For? Though it’s billed as a thriller, it’s definitely a slow one more in line with Cache than The Bourne Identity. So more about morality than chases. For the mature viewer, in every sense.
Expectations: Revanche is up for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. So hoping to be blown away.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:...
- 6/12/2009
- by Megan Lehar
- The Scorecard Review
Release Date: May 1 (New York)
Director/Writer: Götz Spielmann Cinematographer: Martin Gschlacht Starring: Johannes Krisch, Ursula Strauss, Irina Potapenko Studio/Run Time: Janus Films, 121 mins. Living on the fringes of society, Alex (Johannes Kirsch) and Tamara (Irina Potapenko) are both working in an Austrian brothel. Tamara’s boss wants to transition her into working for wealthy clients in hotels instead of the streets, and when she resists, Alex learns that a client who beat her was actually hired by their boss for her lack of cooperation. He attempts to take her away, but during a bank heist he’s pulling to support her Tamara is shot and killed by a police officer who coincidentally turns out to be neighbors with his grandfather, whose house he’s hiding out in.
Director/Writer: Götz Spielmann Cinematographer: Martin Gschlacht Starring: Johannes Krisch, Ursula Strauss, Irina Potapenko Studio/Run Time: Janus Films, 121 mins. Living on the fringes of society, Alex (Johannes Kirsch) and Tamara (Irina Potapenko) are both working in an Austrian brothel. Tamara’s boss wants to transition her into working for wealthy clients in hotels instead of the streets, and when she resists, Alex learns that a client who beat her was actually hired by their boss for her lack of cooperation. He attempts to take her away, but during a bank heist he’s pulling to support her Tamara is shot and killed by a police officer who coincidentally turns out to be neighbors with his grandfather, whose house he’s hiding out in.
- 5/15/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
Johannes Krisch And Ursula Strauss In Director GÖTZ Spielmann'S Revanche. Courtesy Janus Films. Contemporary Austrian cinema has been dominated by the works of its two best known names, Michael Haneke and Ulrich Seidl, but now the name of the prodigiously talented Götz Spielmann can be added to that list. Spielmann was born in 1961 in the town of Wels, but grew up in the country's capital, Vienna. As a child he was drawn to film and he began writing and directing in his teens; when he was just 17, he had his first film shown on television. Between 1980 and 1987, he studied film at the Vienna Film Academy, part of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where his professors included the directors Harald Zusanek and Axel Corti....
- 5/13/2009
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
We're all for getting out in the summertime, but there might not be anything more refreshing than cooling off in a movie theater... or seeing a movie in the comfort of your air-conditioned home on demand, on DVD, or online... or better yet catching a classic on the big screen at a nearby repertory theater. With literally hundreds of films to choose from this summer, we humbly present this guide to the season's most exciting offerings.
May 1
"Eldorado"
The Cast: Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde, Philippe Nahon, Didier Toupy, Franise Chichy
Director: Bouli Lanners
Fest Cred: Cannes, Warsaw, Glasgow, Palm Springs,
The Gist: When Elie (Adde), a hapless young thief attempts to rob Yvan (Lanners), a 40-year-old car dealer, the two form a unlikely friendship that leads to a road trip across Belgium in this slight comedy that won the Best European Film at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes last year.
May 1
"Eldorado"
The Cast: Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde, Philippe Nahon, Didier Toupy, Franise Chichy
Director: Bouli Lanners
Fest Cred: Cannes, Warsaw, Glasgow, Palm Springs,
The Gist: When Elie (Adde), a hapless young thief attempts to rob Yvan (Lanners), a 40-year-old car dealer, the two form a unlikely friendship that leads to a road trip across Belgium in this slight comedy that won the Best European Film at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes last year.
- 5/6/2009
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
I'm sure Dr. Phil will back me on this: It is never a good idea for lovers to work at the same place -- espe =cially if that place is a whorehouse.
Consider Alex and Tamara of the Austrian thriller "Revanche."
Alex (Johannes Krisch) is a lackey for the sleaze who runs the Vienna brothel where his covert lover, Ukrainian hooker Tamara (hot, hot Irina Potapenko), satisfies customers' sexual urges.
When she's not turning tricks for perverts, Tamara positions herself outside the brothel in tall black boots, thigh-high stockings and short black skirt,...
Consider Alex and Tamara of the Austrian thriller "Revanche."
Alex (Johannes Krisch) is a lackey for the sleaze who runs the Vienna brothel where his covert lover, Ukrainian hooker Tamara (hot, hot Irina Potapenko), satisfies customers' sexual urges.
When she's not turning tricks for perverts, Tamara positions herself outside the brothel in tall black boots, thigh-high stockings and short black skirt,...
- 5/1/2009
- by By V.A. MUSETTO
- NYPost.com
Götz Spielmann’s 2004 Austrian drama Antares was a largely dispiriting example of the “everything is connected” arthouse plugger, designed to show, with irony aplenty, how one calamitous event can unite a disparate group of strangers. Spielmann’s Oscar-nominated Revanche also weaves together multiple storylines, but far more skillfully. Johannes Krisch plays a Viennese brothel’s driver/enforcer, who spends his downtime drafting strategies for extricating his prostitute girlfriend Irina Potapenko from the red-light district. Ursula Strauss plays a lonely small-town housewife—married to increasingly distant cop Andreas Lust—who’s dealing with a recent miscarriage by making herself ...
- 4/30/2009
- avclub.com
As cinematic revenge-seekers go, Johannes Krisch’s Alex, the protagonist of Götz Spielmann’s “Revanche,” is something of an anomaly. If the signature gesture of Lee Marvin’s character, Walker, in John Boorman’s “Point Blank” is his bloody-minded march toward personal satisfaction, and if that of Michael Caine’s titular character in Mike Hodges’s “Get Carter” is a violent gnashing of teeth, then the analogous physical activity for Alex is moody wood-chopping. Diligent and meditative, …...
- 4/29/2009
- Indiewire
BERLIN -- Revanche, a crime drama set in rural Austria by director Gotz Spielmann has won the best European film award at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.
The prize, presented by the Europa Cinemas Label, a network of some 1,700 art-house cinemas across Europe, honors a film screening in the Berlinale's Panorama sidebar section.
A tale of guilt and revenge, Spielmann's film follows the story of Axel, a low-ranking criminal who falls in love with one of the girls in his bosses' brothel. It stars Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko and Andreas Lust. Germany's The Match Factory is handling international sales on the picture.
"This is a very well made and dramatic film that we believe has the potential to grip audiences around Europe," the Europa Cinemas jury said in a statement.
"The story is absorbing, the characters well drawn and the performances uniformly strong. This is true European cinema at its best -- an authentic and uncompromised view of a corner of Europe."
The Berlinale's Teddy Award for best film with a gay theme was awarded in Berlin Thursday night to Olaf de Fleur's The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela.
The Icelandic film is set in the Philippines and tells of a transsexual prostitute who dreams of marrying a white, Western man.
The prize, presented by the Europa Cinemas Label, a network of some 1,700 art-house cinemas across Europe, honors a film screening in the Berlinale's Panorama sidebar section.
A tale of guilt and revenge, Spielmann's film follows the story of Axel, a low-ranking criminal who falls in love with one of the girls in his bosses' brothel. It stars Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko and Andreas Lust. Germany's The Match Factory is handling international sales on the picture.
"This is a very well made and dramatic film that we believe has the potential to grip audiences around Europe," the Europa Cinemas jury said in a statement.
"The story is absorbing, the characters well drawn and the performances uniformly strong. This is true European cinema at its best -- an authentic and uncompromised view of a corner of Europe."
The Berlinale's Teddy Award for best film with a gay theme was awarded in Berlin Thursday night to Olaf de Fleur's The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela.
The Icelandic film is set in the Philippines and tells of a transsexual prostitute who dreams of marrying a white, Western man.
- 2/16/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Panorama
BERLIN -- Hard luck conspires with bad sex in this unspectacular Austrian tale of crime and punishment. The accidental death of his girlfriend spurs an ex-convict to seek, and find, revenge in a way he least expected or ever wanted. The film does not dig into archetypal motives of guilt or atonement but rather dangles the idea that humans can either be pawns of fate's random machinations or become active agents in a grander scheme of things.
With the rudiments of a crime thriller and the makings of a psychological suspense, the drawn-out unfolding of events encourages expectations of a smarter twist or more impressive ending. However, just like the slapdash, unerotic sex scenes that encapsulate the overall mood of unfulfilled hope and bad karma, the film ends on a subdued and rather flaccid note. It's a hard sell for the commercial market, but TV and festival outings are possible.
Revanche is set in Vienna and the small town of Gfohl in equal parts -- urban sleaze reminiscent of Eastern Promises comes face-to-face with provincial churchgoing country life. Alex (Johannes Krisch), the driver for the boss of a sex trade syndicate, has a secret love affair with one of his girls, Ukrainian Tamara (Irina Potapenko). Alex wants to rescue Tamara from rough customers, pay off her debts and chip into a restaurant business in Ibiza. They go back to Alex's grandfather Herr Hausner's hometown, where robbing the sleepy local bank would have been a breeze but for the chance intervention of policeman Robert (Andreas Lust), who accidentally causes Tamara's death.
Alex moves in with Hausner to lie low and ruminate on revenge. While Alex cannot endure the thought of Tamara's murderer carrying on life as usual, Robert complains about his bad luck of having been there in the first place and goes into gradual psychological decline. His wife, Susanne (Ursula Strauss) unwittingly becomes a link between the two men through her friendship with Hausner.
Like the film's first establishing shot of a lake whose smooth surface is suddenly disturbed by something falling in, the plot moves in small ripples, with its first serious turning point arriving 50 minutes into the film and the sexually charged twist occurring 23 minutes later. Cinematography of the countryside is crisp and clear as spring water, focusing on the pristine forest and serene lakes and capturing the brooding weather that foretells the gathering storm within the protagonists.
REVANCHE
Prisma Film/Sperlmann Film/the Match Factory
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Gotz Spielmann
Producers: Mathias Forberg, Heinz Stussak, Sandra Bohle, Gotz Spielmann
Director of photography: Martin Gschlacht
Production designer: Maria Gruber
Music adviser: Walter W Cikan
Costume designer: Monika Buttinger
Editor: Karina Ressler
Cast:
Alex: Johannes Krisch
Tamara: Irina Potapenko
Robert: Andreas Lust
Susanne: Ursula Strauss
Running time -- 122 minutes
No MPAA rating...
BERLIN -- Hard luck conspires with bad sex in this unspectacular Austrian tale of crime and punishment. The accidental death of his girlfriend spurs an ex-convict to seek, and find, revenge in a way he least expected or ever wanted. The film does not dig into archetypal motives of guilt or atonement but rather dangles the idea that humans can either be pawns of fate's random machinations or become active agents in a grander scheme of things.
With the rudiments of a crime thriller and the makings of a psychological suspense, the drawn-out unfolding of events encourages expectations of a smarter twist or more impressive ending. However, just like the slapdash, unerotic sex scenes that encapsulate the overall mood of unfulfilled hope and bad karma, the film ends on a subdued and rather flaccid note. It's a hard sell for the commercial market, but TV and festival outings are possible.
Revanche is set in Vienna and the small town of Gfohl in equal parts -- urban sleaze reminiscent of Eastern Promises comes face-to-face with provincial churchgoing country life. Alex (Johannes Krisch), the driver for the boss of a sex trade syndicate, has a secret love affair with one of his girls, Ukrainian Tamara (Irina Potapenko). Alex wants to rescue Tamara from rough customers, pay off her debts and chip into a restaurant business in Ibiza. They go back to Alex's grandfather Herr Hausner's hometown, where robbing the sleepy local bank would have been a breeze but for the chance intervention of policeman Robert (Andreas Lust), who accidentally causes Tamara's death.
Alex moves in with Hausner to lie low and ruminate on revenge. While Alex cannot endure the thought of Tamara's murderer carrying on life as usual, Robert complains about his bad luck of having been there in the first place and goes into gradual psychological decline. His wife, Susanne (Ursula Strauss) unwittingly becomes a link between the two men through her friendship with Hausner.
Like the film's first establishing shot of a lake whose smooth surface is suddenly disturbed by something falling in, the plot moves in small ripples, with its first serious turning point arriving 50 minutes into the film and the sexually charged twist occurring 23 minutes later. Cinematography of the countryside is crisp and clear as spring water, focusing on the pristine forest and serene lakes and capturing the brooding weather that foretells the gathering storm within the protagonists.
REVANCHE
Prisma Film/Sperlmann Film/the Match Factory
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Gotz Spielmann
Producers: Mathias Forberg, Heinz Stussak, Sandra Bohle, Gotz Spielmann
Director of photography: Martin Gschlacht
Production designer: Maria Gruber
Music adviser: Walter W Cikan
Costume designer: Monika Buttinger
Editor: Karina Ressler
Cast:
Alex: Johannes Krisch
Tamara: Irina Potapenko
Robert: Andreas Lust
Susanne: Ursula Strauss
Running time -- 122 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/12/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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