Kirschbluten - Hanami

English Title: Cherry Blossoms

Doris Dorrie, Germany, 2008, imdb

Review: 3.0 Uchuvas

Comment: It took me a little longer to review this film as I was trying to find out if the film is a remake of beautiful "Tokyo Story" (film that I loved); Apparently it is not but hell if it feels the same film!! By far "Tokyo Story" is nicer and more beautiful and better acted and everything else! This film is touching but I think towards the middle of the film the director (or whoever!) tried very hard to make the film sad and you can't just push sadness... Sadness is a fact that flows in different ways. So, in other words, don't miss Tokyo Story and let this one pass...

Nirgendwo in Africa

English Title: Nowhere in Africa

Caroline Link, Germany, 2001, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas

Comment: Somehow I felt that the film lost me from time to time; I think the edition was the one that didn't help much to the film to be more fluent; some scenes look like they were cut without being finished and then they jumped into another scene no related to the previous one. However it's a nice film, well acted and with beautiful landscape. No way this film should be an Oscar's winner but... what can you expect from the Oscar's anyway! just the fashion show I guess...

Das weisse Band

English Title: The White Ribbon

Michael Haneke, Austria-Germany-others, 2009, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: A nice way to start this year!!!!!!!! what a bloody good film!!! I could list a million reasons why this film is 5 Uchuvas but let's say just three: Amaaaaaazing actors, greeeeeeeat and strong Story and super super super SUPER amazing cinematography. Michael Haneke in the film: Cache, made a few shots that drove me crazy!!!: when the camera get freeze in a scene and nothing happen!!! Well, here he did the same thing but this time with such a meaning that I end up loving his style!!! The way of creating a stress and rigid mood throughout the film is just perfect! And the story... oh well... a long comment should follow but I don't like talking about the plot...

Sophie School - Die Letzten Tage

English Title: Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

Marc Rothermund, Germany, 2005, imdb

Review: 3.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I'm still not sure why I didn't like this film much. The actors were not bad. The story was sad, heroic and good; but, there was something that didn't make me feel connected with the film. The only really good part was to see "Roger Federer" acting!! (just kidding... Fabian Hinrichs, second character in the film, must be his lost twin brother!!)

Anonyma-Eine Frau in Berlin

English Title: A Woman in Berlin

Max Farberbock, Germany, 2009, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas
Comment: I think is a bit low the number of Uchuvas but I really can't give more to a film that made me feel bored in the middle of it. I just kept thinking: "ok, move on.... what else are you going to show".  The film become very repetitive at some point. The story is really good but a bit too long.

Bila Jednom Jedna Zemlja

English Title: Underground

Emir Kusturica, Yugoslavia+others, 1995, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I wanted to finish my today's post with a happier film! If you like Kusturica films, this movie is a MUST in your list! It's, from my end, the funniest I've seen from him. Do not miss it!

Etz Limon

English Title: Lemon Tree

Eran Riklis, Israel+France+Germany, 2008, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's been a while since my last post and I'm glad I'm back with this beautiful film.  I passed by a theater and saw a poster of an Israel film with an actress I knew so I just decided to have a go and see what was about.  After I saw the film I realized that it's the same director of the other film I liked a lot: The Syrian Bride.  What I like the most is the softness of the film with such a tough subject. It's very nice how the director mixed the complex political subject with complex relationships. 

Das Leben der Anderen

English Title: The Lives of Others

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany, 2006, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: There are some movies that I never get tired of see, not even after watching them time after time after time. This is such a beautiful film that although it's sad, it's a film full of hope and best wishes... it's a film full of undiscovered love, full of the most sweet drama. Ulrich Muhe makes an impeccable work! His rigidity is almost unreal! The sets are also really well done. A must in Germany's films! well... a must for film lovers!!

The Syrian Bride

English Title: The Syrian Bride

Eran Riklis,France-Germany-Israel,2004, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's an amazing film!!! It really is aaaaaamazing! When I saw the film I didn't know very much about the conflicts around the area where the film is set: The Golan Heights. It was "undisputed Syrian territory until Israel captured the region on 9-10 June 1967 during the Six-Day War..." (whole story here). Apparently when Israel took the region, a lot of Syrian families got stuck in their own territory; Israelis didn't allow the Syrians, that were living in the taken territory, to leave unless it was for good. DO NOT WORRY... This is not the plot of the film!! not at all....it's just that I'd have loved to know this before watching the film!!! The photography is great and the actors soo good! It's a great combination of history, drama, comedy and surrealism (for the situation itself). Great film! Have a look!

Der Krieger und die Kaiserin

English Title: The princess and The Warrior

Tom Tykwer, Germany, 2000, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: A bizarre story, as all Tykwer's films, but a good one again! 

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

English Title: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Tom Tykwer, Germany, 2006, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas
Comment: Normally when a director wants to bring a novel to the big screen is because the book is really good. There is where the risk is taken! I think a book is a book and a film is a film. I've seen so many adaptation's disasters that I was very sad to see that The Perfume will become a movie too. To my big surprise the movie is as incredibly good as the book! The main actor (Ben Whishaw) is just amazing!!!

Lola rennt

English Title: Run Lola Run

Tom Tykwer, Germany, 1998, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas
Comment: So, here you go Yogeeta. One great film, very tiring I'd say. I like that the drama is ... weird? I also like how the sequences are so well made.

Heaven

English Title: Heaven
Tom Tykwer, Germany, 2002, imdb
Review: 3.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I am not very sure about the fluency of the story; there are so many things that didn't have enough explanation; in fact I think that the story itself is not the point; If you see this movie with a Hollywood follower's eyes, the story should have had more guns, more shoots, more run, more drama, more blood, more, more, more. Maybe that's why I like it! because it's a perfect sequence of crime issues that allow me to concentrate more in facts like photography, colors, music, acting. The photography has 5 Uchuvas (the color reminds me of "far from heaven", a film I love!)