It's difficult to create a film that's fast paced, exciting and aesthetically appealing without diluting its dialogue. Run Lola Run, directed and written by Tom Tykwer, is an enchanting balance of pace and narrative, creating a universal parable that leaps over cultural barriers. This is the story of young Lola (Franka Potente) and her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu). In the space of 20 minutes, they must come up with 100,000 deutsche marks to pay back a seedy gangster, who will be less than forgiving when he finds out that Manni incompetently lost his cash to an opportunistic vagrant. Lola, confronted with one obstacle after another, rides an emotional roller coaster in her high-speed efforts to help the hapless Manni--attempting to extract the cash first from her double-dealing father (appropriately a bank manager), and then by any means necessary. From this point nothing goes right for either protagonist, but just when you think you've figured out the movie, the director introduces a series of brilliant existential twists that boggle the mind. Tykwer uses rapid camera movements and innovative pauses to explore the theme of cause and effect. Accompanied by a pulse-pounding soundtrack, we follow Lola through every turn and every heartbreak as she and Manni rush forward on a collision course with fate. There were a variety of original and intelligent films released in 1999, but perhaps none were as witty and clever as this little gem--one of the best foreign films of the year. --Jeremy Storey, Amazon.com
Stalingrad - a name forever associated with the horrors of war at their most unimaginable and traumatic. Survivors from both sides describe their harrowing experiences and provide some of the last eyewitness accounts that will ever be recorded. Gripping reports from people close to the Center of power alternate with these moving testimonies. Particularly chilling are excerpts from 8 mm films shot by soldiers during the siege. Russian archives opened their doors to the filmmakers granting them exclusive access to documents and rare footage of Stalingrad. Archival film was digitally restored and scanned in HD with some colouration of b/w material. Finally 3-D animation helped recreate the city of Stalingrad and document its destruction in the course of the trilogy.
It's tempting to call the harrowing Stalingrad a World War II version of All Quiet on the Western Front, since both films take the perspective of ordinary German soldiers at ground level. Stalingrad surveys the misery of the battle of Stalingrad, the winter siege that cost the lives of almost one and a half million people--Russian defenders and German invaders alike. Not unlike Spielberg's approach to Saving Private Ryan, German director Joseph Vilsmaier rarely steps outside the action to comment on the higher purpose of the war, assuming the audience is aware of the evil of the Nazi regime. Instead, we simply follow a group of soldiers as they endure a series of gut-wrenching episodes, events that have the tang of authenticity and horror. Vilsmaier has a taste for symbolism and surreal touches, which only add to the unsettling sense of insanity this movie conjures up so well. --Robert Horton
Stalingrad - a name forever associated with the horrors of war at their most unimaginable and traumatic. Survivors from both sides describe their harrowing experiences and provide some of the last eyewitness accounts that will ever be recorded. Gripping reports from people close to the Center of power alternate with these moving testimonies. Particularly chilling are excerpts from 8 mm films shot by soldiers during the siege. Russian archives opened their doors to the filmmakers granting them exclusive access to documents and rare footage of Stalingrad. Archival film was digitally restored and scanned in HD with some colouration of b/w material. Finally 3-D animation helped recreate the city of Stalingrad and document its destruction in the course of the trilogy.
Stalingrad (Dir. Joseph Vilsmaier 1992) From the same production team as the critically acclaimed 'Das Boot' this film brings the bloodiest battle in the history of warfare to the screen - the legendary battle of Stalingrad. With German forces following Hitler's orders to neither retreat or surrender over 2 million Russians and Germans lost their lives in what came to be a turning point in the defeat of Germany in the Second World War. Pulling no punches in revealing the gritty reality of combat the viewer is put in the trenches with the young soldiers as they face the harsh elements and brutal fighting conditions. Considered in the company of such anti-war classics as 'Paths Of Glory' 'Platoon' and 'Apocalypse Now' 'Stalingrad' stands alone in its searing unforgettable imagery. U-571 (Dir. Jonathan Mostow 2000): A U. S.Navy captain and his crew are just beginning to enjoy 48 hours of leave when they receive word to immediately return to duty. On a top-secret assignment they must disguise themselves as Nazis and infiltrate a severely damaged Nazi U-boat. Once on board they are to steal the Nazi's top-secret decoding device and sink the sub before the Germans catch on to what's really happening. Their mission is more dangerous and frightening than anything they could have ever imagined but one which has the power to turn the tide of battle. Filled with incredible explosions raging fires and speeding torpedoes this suspense-filled action-packed film sets a new standard for high-impact entertainment and features an impressive all-star cast. Spy Game (Dir. Tony Scott 2001): Superstar Brad Pitt teams with Academy Award-winner Robert Redford in this pulse-pounding action thrill ride. When a top-secret unauthorized mission goes awry CIA agent Tom Bishop (Pitt) is captured and sentenced to die. With just 24 hours to get him out alive Bishop's boss Nathan Muir (Redford) must battle enemies abroad and the system inside the CIA to save his protege in an adrenaline-fueled thriller that ABC Radio says 'sizzles with suspense!
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy