Change Your Image
M-C-Hooper
Reviews
Höllentour (2004)
A must for all cycling fans
Höllentour is a film about the 2003 edition of the Tour de France, following the trials and tribulations (of which there are many) of Erik Zabel and Rolf Aldag, two riders of the German "Team Telekom". But the cameras also show you what goes on before and after the events of the stages, with a few historical bits of film thrown in. It's a fascinating document about one of the world's largest sporting events, and it's even quite interesting if you're not that keen on Road Race Cycling. At two hours total length however, the film is just a few minutes too long. One or two scenes could have been cut without loosing anything. As this is the only complaint I have I'll give it 9/10, as it is definitely a film I will buy once it comes out on DVD!
Runaway Jury (2003)
Worth watching
Does Grisham write anything else than courtroom stuff? That, I have to admit, he does well. This film however will not enter the eternal "Hall of fame" or get any "Best film" awards, but it is entertaining and not a waste of an evening.
The idea behind the story: A stockbroker is shot in his office by a guy who's recently been sacked. The widow wants to sue the gun manufacturers for damages and hires a rather normal attorney (played by Hoffman). The gun manufacturers are obviously not keen on the idea of paying anything, so they hire not only the most expensive defense team possible, but also the aid of a rather dubious "Jury consultant" (Hackman) who'll do anything to influence the jury and secure a verdict. During the film it transpires that one of the jurors (Cusack)selected seems to follow his own agenda...
The acting is solid and good, especially Hoffman and Hackman. You're kept guessing constantly what the next move will be, and I personally thought that the ending was rather intriguing and good (and not as weak as some other commentators thought). Having said that, this film is not the best ever court room drama, and I won't bother buying the DVD once it comes out. But I wouldn't change TV channels if it happened to come on...
Final mark: 7/10
Fatherland (1994)
Not as good as the book
I read the book a few years back and I was gripped by it. Excellent story, fascinating "what if" scenario, very thought provoking. So when German TV showed this film (again!) and my TV Guide said "Worth watching" I thought I might as well... what a waste of time. OK, the main characters do a good enough job acting, but that is about all I can say about this film that is good. The plot has changed considerably from the book and it shows. The pace is gone, the ending is naff, and there's nothing worth watching again...
Final mark: 4/10 Final comment: Read the book. It's great.
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
An evening's entertainment
This movie sort of appears to be a female version of "Dead Poets Society", as there are quite a few parallels. However, it's not as good as DPS, as the characters appear to much like cardboard-cut-outs. Most of the men portrayed in the film are either liars, philanderers, idiots or plain boring. The women fall into roughly similar categories... The acting itself was good, but there's nothing in this film IMHO that makes it worth watching twice.
I did buy DPS on video, I certainly won't bother with this one. Overall rating 5/10, as it wasn't a complete waste of time and a reasonably nice way to spend the evening.
Johnny English (2003)
An evening's entertainment...
The film is worth seeing once, and you won't feel like you've wasted precious time. It's rather funny (in it's slapstick style), but do not expect any kind of profound message or anything. The plot is silly to the extreme, and Atkinson does a pretty good job of playing the bumbling fool. You can see lots of the jokes coming, but that doesn't really stop them being funny.
I prefer Rowan Atkinson in his "Blackadder" guise (series three and four though for those in the know), but I presume he makes more money this way. Fair enough. As I said, it's worth seeing once, but I won't go to buy the DVD once it's out. That would be a waste of precious resources... :-) Final mark: 7 out of 10.
Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
Not that good
After seeing this film I felt empty. The idea sounded good, the trailer made it look good, but the film was no good. Too many plot holes, only one or two funny ideas, and there's just too many unanswered questions at the end of the film. The whole thing feels like the director didn't know himself what to make of the film. In other words: I cannot comprehend how the German press considers this film to be any good at all.