thomasaschmidt Reviews

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Overrated, but nice

[5/10 · 22 November 2020]

The film is one of the most overrated movies in recent years. If you want to get involved in an entertaining, beautiful, educational movie, advertising for the next trip to Paris or for the art of the early 20th century, this film is recommended. It still has the loquacity of all Allen films, but no longer the dialectical penetration and depth psychology like the early films. The episodes are not counted. Very nice, however, are the small, tender love stories that are good for the somewhat stupid hero and send him on a hero's journey from which he emerges purified. Rachel McAdams in one of her most ungrateful roles, which teaches us again that you can't just accept every script. It was still a nice movie evening.

Parasite (2019)

Movie of the year - Everything is pure imposture

[10/10 · 22 November 2020]

Everything is pure imposture Movie of the year: a wonderful cinematographic surprise, wellplayed, well done! Everything is pure imposture that seems to be the only way for the protagonist family, father, mother, son and daughter, to get a job at all and to reach the state of happiness. At one point, the disillusioning sentence is heard from the father: "500 university graduates apply for a position as a night watchman." Everything could be so beautiful if the poor family's greed wasn't so great and their recklessness. They soon discover that the old housekeeper whom they had pushed out of their position has a dangerous secret that could endanger their new positions. This triggers a chain of surreal, mad and wonderful situations that lead to the poor family losing everything and more. But against the background of the madness of the rich family and their airs, all the sins of the poor family were finally excusable. It fills me with sadness that the poor, without rights always remain the poor and without rights, and with every attempt to change their fate they just slide deeper into their Schlamassel.

Camus (2010 TV Movie)

Anouk Grinberg is outstanding as Madame Camus

[7/10 · 22 November 2020]

The story of Camus is told from the point of view of the women who are most important to him: his mother, his wife and various lovers, especially actors and at the end of his life (he was 46) a young Danish student. I hope to rehabilitate him by reading another, more objective biography - or even better - many of his wonderful works. Myth of Sisyphos, La Peste, and many more. He was portrayed as a volatile genius, but not as a man who took responsibility for his nervous wife and children. And especially not as a philosopher. Outstanding anouk grinberg as Madame Camus.

Ökozid (2020 TV Movie)

Objective

[7/10 · 22 November 2020]

It has long ceased to be a question of left or conservative politics. First of all, the movie is an very important document esp. for the European population, to see how much and to which extent the several German Governments between 2000 and 2020 are involved in not following the necessary Climate and Ecological Politics to save the world. This is a fact. The next point is, that the movie is working throught the history of German and European Politics, considering the Industry and Business as the most important factor in all societies. I remember listening to chancellor Merkel many years ago, that she said: There is no alternative to growth. And this is the dilemma. That in the heads of Socialist and Conservative Governments never was an alternative to growth. they supported all industries to an inbelievable high extent. You, we, our children, grandchildren and all following generations will inherit a dystopian, nightmarish future, because no one feels responsible. Veiel is making a well-crafted film that was shot in the summer at a rapid pace and is already coming out a few months later. It seems a little lengthy at first, but just keeps getting better. The actors work well, but under high pressure, it seems, so that the characters cannot be told. But all in all better than good.

The Devil All the Time (2020)

Everything is eternal return

[8/10 · 21 November 2020]

German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote around 1900 in his works: Everything is an eternal return (Alles ist ewige Wiederkehr.). This could be the leitmotiv of this wonderful and precious movie, which is full of excellent actors. The film tells an American family story that begins in a place of horror in World War II and runs into the 1970s. I can recommend the film strongly to everybody who is interested in family history, but also interested in the question, how fragile every building of happiness we try to build is, how fragile everything is that we can create in a lifetime, and that often the others who infiltrate into our lives, destroy to dust what we are building. This cycle of creation and destruction is the metaphor of this film, which underlines the leitmotif once again. Outstanding are Riley Keough and Robert Pattinson representing an excellent cast. The direction is heavily focused on the actors' work and the transport of the plot. The camera brilliantly captures the light of the Midwest. The film dramaturgy and the script are outstanding, telling us the lives of two generations compactly and vividly in two hours. Highly recommended.

Earthquake Bird (2019)

Excellent movie about the abyss in our souls

[9/10 · 21 November 2020]

I found this wonderful film by chance, while looking for films with the excellent actress Riley Keough, who can be seen here in the supporting role, very different from what we usually know from her. Alicia Vikander in the lead role of a young woman from Sweden who went to Japan to escape her childhood. She speaks Japanese fluently, she throws herself into Japanese culture with great strength, she has appropriated the manners and customs of the people, and yet she remains an outsider. When she meets a young American woman (played by Riley Keough) who is very different from herself, reckless and apparently life-affirming, her life is turned upside down, she feels her own abyss within herself.

Lovesong (2016)

A very good movie, great acting, fine structure

[9/10 · 21 November 2020]

I originally watched the movie for riley keough, one of the most underestimated best-performers of her acting generation, who is such an amazing and overwhelming actress. So I found this precious little diamond of a movie, that leaves you with a lot of questions and sadness, but much more with a lot of satisfaction. I strongly recommend this movie, which is well made, very fine played and composed with a lot of sense for timing, light, noise, music and female performance - and with two fairly well actors in the leading roles.