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Mars: We Are Not Alone (2018)
Continuation of season 1 was quite good
After season one had concluded on a somewhat optimistic note, season two starts four years into the future, in the year 2041. This episode sets the stage for the season which seems to focus on the clash between science interests (researching the so far purely ficticious topic of primitive Mars life forms) and economical interests (which are only barely touched upon in the first episodes). I liked the characterizations quite a lot, as a number of characters from season one return, but there are also new characters and new entities (most prominently the "Lukrum" corporation whose objectives remain a bit fuzzy throughout the episode). As with season one, the narrative constantly switches between the fictional tale from the future, and a parallel topic from the present (in this case, an oil drilling platform in the Arctic). Brief snippets of subsequent episodes (which were shown during commercial breaks) indicate a much bigger potential for conflicts between the two sides.
Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World (2016)
Worthwhile, fascinating, diverse, and decent!
Watched this on Netflix, as I was fed up with all those documentaries we have on "free" TV. I was not aware that Werner Herzog does such profound documentaries, now I know better. This documentary tackles a lot of interesting, and often hurtful subjects. For once it made me proud of working in the industry and being able to contribute something worthwhile. So much good energy gets wasted, and there is a lot of rubbish on the Internet, but there are also the pearls of human wisdom, and so I encourage everyone to go looking for them, or even better, make their own contributions. This goes to show that you can really make a difference by using the Internet for wonderful applications, like bringing people together, and make them understand our world (and one another) much better. It made me very curious about current developments in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and I sure hope there will be much more progress in the next years.
I don't think that it is really justified to criticize this documentary, as you really cannot do this gigantic subject any justice in such a short amount of time. There could be ten individual movies on just the ten topics in the documentary! Kudos to Mr. Herzog for tackling such a task and staying decent all the way through. I really felt for all the people who suffered the ill effects. Stay strong and feel your own energy, and speak up your own truth. Through the internet, you will be heard.
Robinson Crusoe (1997)
Nice entertainment, but you won't miss anything...
This is a condensed (only 90 minutes!) film version of the ageless classic, with lots of modifications though. I give kudos to the impeccable work of the actors, and directing and editing seem to work equally well for a very nice entertainment experience.
However, as soon as I start comparing this version to the original book, I feel an immense let-down as so many things have been changed (I won't give a list because it would be just way too long). I liked the look of Robinson's island a lot, and all the buildings and mechanical contraptions were nicely designed. But for the most part, the plot was just *too* smooth, leaving out most of the meditative moments and the setbacks that the "original" Robinson experiences in the book. For such a compact film version of the long book, some cuts had to be made, though.
I won't give away the ending, but it was a) way too different from the book and b) way too brief, it even felt forced to some degree. There's lots of nice scenery, however. So there are much worse ways to kill off 90 minutes...
Schlaflos in Oldenburg (2008)
Quite a sympathetic, sometimes sappy flick, great music
Well there's not too much to spoil about this flick, German productions like these have almost invariably happy endings, this is the story of two adult people in their 50s falling in love with each other, while both are still struggling with the aftermath of their previous relationships / marriages.
It has some great selections of music (if you disregard the "Karaoke" bit which is of course awful), and I could just listen to the music with closed eyes and enjoy the experience thoroughly (my wife who has a distinct liking for "chick flicks" like these, viewed it in its entirety, though). The male part is an accomplished cook, and the female part a group trainer, most of the time just rehashing clichés, as usual for German productions.
There is a touching side story about a German city archive, a (terminally) ill employee of it and an archive person who cares for her. I really could not connect with the daughter-from-first-marriage-reconnects-with estranged-father bit, it seemed way too sappy. Overall a mixed bag. The cooking bits seemed vaguely interesting, but they did not give away any insights in recipes, regretfully. Not too original, a bit too shallow, but the music makes up for most of the mediocrity!
Moppel-Ich (2007)
Moderately funny for a German audience
I gave this a 6 out of 10, 5 points for an incredibly funny script that plays almost all possible puns on dieting men and women imaginable. I have not read the book and consider it to be "mainstream", but the script is very funny. An additional point for the "Christin" character and actress who performs convincingly. The rest is largely cliché and mostly forgettable. I enjoyed the "macrobiotics bashing" where people who eat mostly algae are somewhat ridiculed and it is advised that small children should not eat algae that much... The love triangle with the added "commercial" twist is largely predictable, and Christin falling in love with a gardener is somewhat unimaginative. I could not really believe her character falling for a rather boring male person. The gardener leaving for Tokio and Christin trying to reach him when he had already boarded a plane seemed very far-fetched and a somewhat "forced" conclusion. Nevertheless, some solid and funny entertainment. A word of caution: don't watch this with someone who has gone through a dietary crisis him-/herself lately. He/she might feel somewhat ridiculed.
Inga Lindström: Sommer in Norrsunda (2008)
Nice nature shots, but extreme CAMP (Kitsch)
I give this two stars because it has nice camera work of beautiful nature settings. Also the music was quite nice. However, the script is extremely cliché and does not surprise at all (including the "happy end") .. a widower with three kids finds the new love, and the "older generation" gets matched up, too. There are a lot of unnecessary clichés like the grumpy old composer who secretly has been missing close contact to his family, three kids who look like they have directly come from a detergent commercial, a young woman who has tried to fulfill the unrealized dreams from her mother by studying architecture, and finally second-guesses her decision, the widower not telling about his three kids when he meets this young woman etc. Warning: this has the potential for an extreme sugar shock! Be sure to drink lots of fresh water to clear yourself from the extreme sugar coating of all acting, camp dialog etc.
The Saint (1997)
A good action movie, but some viewers may be disappointed
Well, what do you expect from a "mainstream" action movie? A good plot, nice looking actors, plenty of suspense... well, suspense you get, and nice looking actors as well, but the plot is somewhat weak. So don't expect too much.
From my personal view point this is a movie, contrary to its weak plot, that I did like a lot. The movie got me really hooked on Elisabeth Shue, and I really liked the love story that develops between her and the character that Mr. Kilmer portrays. I like the scene where she looks into the mirror and is completely overwhelmed by her impression that the character that the "Saint" portrays seems to have fallen in love with her. So somehow I was hoping for the two of them to finally "get" each other, and it's only very rarely that I do identify with the characters in a love story movie that much. Mild spoiler, I did like the ending as it wasn't an overly "happy" one but not a sad one either... but rather one that allows for the character to continue.
Bottom line, there are a *lot* much more awful movie to waste a nice weekend afternoon or night with ;-)