Der Amerikanische Freund. Exceptionally well acted, with Bruno Ganz and (the unusually restrained) Dennis Hopper standing out of the fantastic cast, and filling out their characters brilliantly. So far, my second favourite Wenders movie (after "Der Himmel über Berlin"), which at times felt as if heavily influenced by Hitchcock, especially the two scenes in the metro and on the train. Additionally, the outstanding cinematography needs to be mentioned. 9/10
A Single Man. In Tom Ford's 1962 everyone dresses well. I found the over-stylization to bother me sometimes, the colour changes could and should be more subtle. However, that does not take away from all the things that are right in the film, and of those, Colin Firth's acting stands out. The loneliness of his (and Julianne Moore's) character can be seen and felt in every scene. Then there's the score, the excellent script and the camera work. And of course, a political message, which is handled and brought across just right. A very strong directorial debut. 8/10
11'E 10 Kala. More than a pleasant surprise. Istanbul is changing, and when the owner of the apartment building decides to adapt and profit, the tenant Mithat sees his "collection" of old newspapers and other assorted stuff threatened. He enlists caretaker Ali to help him save it, and while their current lives are much more similar than it at first seems, they're of very different character. Both are also developed in distinct ways: Ali leaves the city quarter for the first time, encountering an entirely new world, while the viewer learns that there's a lot more to Mithat's background than visible. Remarkable in many ways, and definitely worth seeing. 9/10
Uzak Ihtimal. Tranquilizing. An story of a love that can't be, unconvincing, because the film never lets the viewer on just what the muezzin and his Catholic neighbour see in each other. At first, all they share are some seconds in front of their flats, later on, they meet more often and longer and spend the time being silent at each other. I understand the intention, but can't see any merit in the realization. The film further suffers from the at times noticeably bad acting on behalf of the male lead and the overly slow pace of just about everything. 3/10
Soul Kitchen. Disappointing. It's trying hard to be funny, and it's not. It's predictable, it's filler material, one of its main features are montages, and at times (and increasingly often in the latter half), it's tasteless. Hey, there's even Udo Kier in it. When there was a chance to further develop characters, the film let it go away and rather took a shortcut into the same old cliché. Maybe I really expected too much from this, but maybe it just really is average TV material. Loved the credits though. 5/10
A Single Man. In Tom Ford's 1962 everyone dresses well. I found the over-stylization to bother me sometimes, the colour changes could and should be more subtle. However, that does not take away from all the things that are right in the film, and of those, Colin Firth's acting stands out. The loneliness of his (and Julianne Moore's) character can be seen and felt in every scene. Then there's the score, the excellent script and the camera work. And of course, a political message, which is handled and brought across just right. A very strong directorial debut. 8/10
11'E 10 Kala. More than a pleasant surprise. Istanbul is changing, and when the owner of the apartment building decides to adapt and profit, the tenant Mithat sees his "collection" of old newspapers and other assorted stuff threatened. He enlists caretaker Ali to help him save it, and while their current lives are much more similar than it at first seems, they're of very different character. Both are also developed in distinct ways: Ali leaves the city quarter for the first time, encountering an entirely new world, while the viewer learns that there's a lot more to Mithat's background than visible. Remarkable in many ways, and definitely worth seeing. 9/10
Uzak Ihtimal. Tranquilizing. An story of a love that can't be, unconvincing, because the film never lets the viewer on just what the muezzin and his Catholic neighbour see in each other. At first, all they share are some seconds in front of their flats, later on, they meet more often and longer and spend the time being silent at each other. I understand the intention, but can't see any merit in the realization. The film further suffers from the at times noticeably bad acting on behalf of the male lead and the overly slow pace of just about everything. 3/10
Soul Kitchen. Disappointing. It's trying hard to be funny, and it's not. It's predictable, it's filler material, one of its main features are montages, and at times (and increasingly often in the latter half), it's tasteless. Hey, there's even Udo Kier in it. When there was a chance to further develop characters, the film let it go away and rather took a shortcut into the same old cliché. Maybe I really expected too much from this, but maybe it just really is average TV material. Loved the credits though. 5/10
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