Watched in the cinema (174th visit in 2024)

Jasmin Schreiber is actually a biologist by training, with a focus on zoology. As a blogger, however, she chose a topic that one would not normally associate with her studies. She worked as a grief and bereavement counselor and spoke about her experiences in her texts. In this respect, it is not really surprising that this topic also plays a major role in her debut novel "Marianengraben". It's not just that the…

Watched in the cinema (172nd visit in 2024)

"There was a dream that was Rome. It shall be real again" were once among the last words of the aspiring Maximus, the soldier for the emperor's Rome, and now, midlife crisis guru, Marcus Aurelius. Maximus, the soldier who became a slave, the slave who as a gladiator won back the respect and love of his people through bread and games and finally brought down an emperor. Even almost two decades after…

Watched in the Arte Media Library

It is a phenomenon that can be observed time and again in the film industry: two works are released within a short space of time that have astonishing similarities but were made independently of each other. One of the best-known examples is the meteor catastrophe double feature "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact", which was released in cinemas just a few weeks apart in 1998. In 1996, aliens attacked the world in "Independence Day" and "Mars…

Watched in the cinema (146th visit in 2024)

Over the past 25 years, Christopher Nolan has risen to become one of the most adored directors of our time. His huge fan base can be seen from the fact that several of his films can be found in the IMDB-250. The man is very popular with audiences and critics, which is why he can also realize somewhat more daring projects with huge budgets. While Warner Bros. alone produced "Inception", two studios…

Watched on Blu-Ray

The beginning of "The Karate Kid: Part II" feels like an unused, longer version of the end of "The Karate Kid". After compiling a few excerpts that replay the first part in short form, the sequel picks up seamlessly on the events of its predecessor. Mister Miyagi (Pat Morita) and Daniel (Ralph Maccio) leave the tournament building and briefly clash with the antagonistic trainer John Kreese (Martin Kove) in the parking lot. Other minor roles such as…

Watched on Amazon Prime Video

If you read through the synopsis of "Runaway Train", you automatically want to make a connection to Jan de Bont's high-concept classic "Speed" or Tony Scott's "Unstoppable", as the topoi of the first American production by exiled Russian Andrey Konchalovskiy obviously include intoxicating speed and the gruelling means of controlling it. However, it would be an injustice to reduce "Runaway Train" simply to its adrenaline-charged premise, as Konchalovskiy accomplishes something extraordinary here if you take…

Watched on Blu-Ray (Extended Cut)

If you really want to have a high standard of historical accuracy and an accurate insight into the Roman Empire around 180 AD, then Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" is an extremely poor choice. Historians will understandably be beating their hands over their heads every minute, because if there's one thing "Gladiator" can really show off, it's its historical inconsistencies, which not only occur within the narrative, but also in the costumes, set design and language. The…

Watched in the ZDF Media Library

They form a niche of their own: films about white women who build a new life in Africa. The best-known example is probably "Out of Africa", which won several Oscars. The German entry "Nirgendwo in Afrika" also received one of the golden boys. Other notable dramas in this field are "Chocolat", the feature film debut of Claire Denis, or the immensely successful "Die Weiße Massai" in Germany. However, such a scenario is not a…

Watched on Amazon Prime Video

When "Maverick" was released in cinemas in 1994, it continued a long tradition. It began with the series of the same name, which ran from 1957 to 1962. This was followed by various attempts to build on the old successes with TV films and other series. However, these revivals were not really sustainable. The first version for the big screen was supposed to be different, which is why two big stars of the time, Mel…

Watched in the cinema (100th visit in 2024)

When I first saw the trailer of "Kalki 2898 AD" starring Prabhas a few weeks ago, I was honestly excited. After both "Baahubali" movies, I haven't seen Prabhas in movies. He seems to have put on some weight, so I was curious to see if he could carry an action-packed sci-fi movie effectively. Still, my hopes were high that "Kalki 2898 AD", which at the equivalent of 75 million dollars is one…

Watched on Blu-Ray

2015 was Pixar's last big year, with "Inside Out" proving to be the biggest and best film in Pixar history alongside "Toy Story 3", "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille". Nothing that came afterwards hit me as much.

Technically, the studio, which was bought by Walt Disney for 7.4 billion US dollars in 2006, proved about 9 years ago that they were among the best at the time. The technical perfection of the animation, the handling of shapes and…