Paterson (3 Stars)

"Paterson" is about a man called Paterson who lives in Paterson, New Jersey. He works as a bus driver and writes poetry. Maybe I should put those two activities in the other order. He's a bus driver because he needs money to survive, but poetry is his first love. He's the sort of person who would benefit from Universal Basic Income.

He wakes up every morning between 6 and 6:15. He doesn't need to set an alarm. While working he listens to people talking on the bus. Back at home he talks to his wife. He loves her, even though he frowns when she buys expensive things such as a guitar. In the evening he visits a bar and he takes his dog Marvin for a walk.

It's a low-key film with a lot of repetition that doesn't really go anywhere. Paterson could be you or me. My life isn't exciting, and neither is his. What about yours?

Success Rate:  + 0.2

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Chloe (4 Stars)

As I've already stated, it's currently difficult for me to watch films at home. Writing about them is just as difficult. It took me almost three days to get through the film.

Despite lukewarm reviews from critics, I like it a lot. It's not even the acting performances that attract me. It's slow paced, but fascinating from beginning to end.

I strongly recommend watching the alternative endings (plural) on the disc.

Success Rate:  - 0.9

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TV Series: The Sopranos Season 1

Three days ago I started to watch "The Sopranos" for the fourth time. I'll write a little about it despite my current problems. Maybe I should say it's because of my problems. It fits better into my schedule than other series like "Rome". When I was watching "Rome" I made the decision to write detailed summaries of each episode. I've now suspended my reviews until I have more time on my hands. While watching "The Sopranos" I'll limit myself to making a few comments about the episodes. There is really no reason for me to review it. There are so many websites with detailed reviews of this series. I've checked at least a dozen of them. You can find them with a simple web search, but I recommend two sites:

Sopranos Fandom Site: This is a fan-made encyclopaedia of the series.

Sopranos Autopsy: This is a review site by a guy called Ron, the best review site I know.

The Sopranos (I'll omit the quotation marks from now on) was a special series. It was ground-breaking. Critics say that it kickstarted the Second Golden Age of Television. I don't like that expression, but I'll let it stand. It implies that there weren't good television series before it. Maybe it would be better to call it the New Age of Television Drama, if that expression hasn't already been used by someone else. It was a stylistic difference to previous television dramas. In the past television series had seasons lasting 22 to 26 episodes. They ran all year, repeated twice. Episodes were filmed in a rush, one episode per week, followed by a six month rest period for the actors. In the new age that began with the Sopranos series were shorter, ranging from eight to thirteen episodes. The investment per episode was larger, and two to three weeks were spent filming each episode. It was a deliberate attempt to put quality over quantity, even if it left television audiences frustrated by the long gaps between seasons.

Another characteristic of the new age was serialisation. What I mean is, in the old age episodes were usually standalone and could be watched in any order. In the new age the episodes have to be watched in order, even if there aren't explicit cliff-hangers.

I don't want to put down the television drama series of the old age down. There were excellent series, such as "Star Trek", "Highlander" and "Buffy Vampire Slayer". However, these series had to struggle with smaller budgets than new age series such as "Dexter" and "Game of Thrones".

It wasn't a clean break between the old age and the new age. For instance, the Sopranos ran from 1999 to 2007, whereas "Smallville" (an excellent old age series) ran from 2001 to 2011. A big overlap.

I personally consider the Sopranos to be the best new age series, due to the superior writing. It has a large cast, but every single person is well crafted, so that we know them all intimately. To compare it with "Game of Thrones", which also has a large cast, the characters aren't as well defined. Don't get me wrong, I think "Game of Thrones" is very good, but the Sopranos is better.

The very first scene shows Tony Soprano in a psychiatrist's waiting room, looking up at a naked statue.

The camera only shows her legs and her upper body. We can assume that the woman is completely naked. Such a statue seems out of place in a psychiatrist's office, especially in the waiting room. The sexuality puts men at unease while they wait for their appointment. The statue stands above the man, in a dominant position. 

Dr. Jennifer Melfi is an intelligent, powerful woman. She knows that her skirt is short enough to distract her male clients. Sexuality is power.

Tony Soprano is an alpha male. He doesn't allow himself to be overwhelmed by a sexy pair of legs. He has sexy mistresses (goomahs) throughout the series. We frequently see him and Dr. Melfi sparring to stay in control.

The relationship between Tony Soprano and Jennifer Melfi is one of the most important parts of the series. In many episodes we see action scenes alternating with Tony telling his psychiatrist about what happened. He isn't always completely honest.

Tony is visiting a psychiatrist because his house doctor (who's also his next door neighbour) has diagnosed him with a panic attack. In the consultations Tony figures out the reason himself.

Tony had a family of ducks that lived in his garden and swam in his swimming pool. First there was one duck, then a second, then a whole family. He went into the pool every day to feed them. After the ducklings learnt how to fly, the ducks all left. Shortly after this, Tony had his first panic attack. It's clear that Tony was afraid of losing his family.

Family.

That's what the whole series is about. Tony is a man with two families. One is his wife and children. The other is his family of associates as a Mafia boss. I use that word for the sake of ease, but it's repeatedly stated in the series that the word Mafia is disliked. They prefer to use euphemisms such as the business or the family.

I've already written more than I wanted to, so I shan't write about the family members today. I'll only mention Christopher Moltisanti. Tony usually calls him his nephew, but on some occasions he calls him his cousin. He's actually neither. 

The relationship is via Tony's wife Carmela. Christopher is the son of her cousin Dickie, which means he's her first cousin once removed. I don't think there's a word to describe Tony's relationship to him. He can hardly call him his step-first-cousin-once-removed. Nephew sounds better.

There's a slight continuity error. Don't worry, I doubt many people have noticed. In the Pilot episode Tony and his colleagues meet at a store called Centanni's.

From the second episode onwards the store is called Satriale's. The reason for the change is that Centanni's is a genuine meat market in New Jersey. It was suitable as an exterior, but the producers soon realised that they would need indoor scenes, so they needed a new building. They found an empty building a few streets away which they modified to look like a real meat market.

Apart from this one exception the series is consistent, even if everything isn't revealed at once. In the first episode we have the impression that Tony is the boss of the New Jersey Mafia. Oops! I used the M word again! In the second episode we find out that Jackie Aprile is the acting boss while the actual boss, Ercole DiMeo, is in prison serving a life sentence. Jackie's time is limited, because he's suffering from cancer.

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General: Problems with my blog

As my regular readers have noticed, my blog has been slowing down in recent months. In the past I wrote more than 40 reviews a month, but now it's dropped to less than 20. This isn't due to any lack of interest in blogging or films in general; there are just too many distractions in my personal life. When I sit down to write a post, I'm interrupted every 10 minutes. This doesn't just disrupt my blogging, it makes it impossible for me to watch films at home. I can watch films in the cinema (with my phone turned off), but even that is difficult at times. Last week I had to cancel two cinema visits at the last minute.

I don't want to give the reasons in public, but if any of my friends want to know what's happening, give me your email address and I'll write to you. I never publish comments containing sensitive information, so if you write a comment with your email address I'll be the only one who sees it.

It doesn't look like the situation will improve any time soon, so I need to take steps. There are several alternatives that I'm mulling over:

1. I can close this blog. I've had a good run for the last 15 years, now it's enough.

2. I can keep the blog, but reduce my posts to mini-reviews, such as "Lost Highway" a few days ago.

3. I can change the purpose of the blog, making posts that aren't time-consuming, such as displaying my latest AI art.

4. I can start a new blog with a new style. There are practical reasons for this. My Google account is slowly running out of space for uploading photos. If I create a new Google account I'll have no problems for the next 20 years.

Of these four alternatives, the first is unthinkable. It's something I'd only do if I found myself totally unable to write. Blogging has been such a large part of my life for the last 15 years that it would hurt me to do without it. It's already hurting me to have to reduce my blogging.

The other three alternatives aren't mutually exclusive.

Alternative number two would be acceptable as a temporary measure, in the hope that things will eventually change. I'm aware that it would be a disappointment to my regular readers. It would mean downgrading the quality of my blog.

Alternative number three is a serious possibility, maybe in connection with alternative two. Until now I've kept off-topic posts to a minimum, but they could take over my blog, temporarily at least.

The more I think about it, the more I like the fourth alternative. I already made an attempt at a second blog in 2017. It was intended to be an X-Rated blog for erotic short stories. It didn't get very far. Only eight posts from 2017 to 2022. Last year a British author gave me permission to repost his erotic stories from a now defunct website, but I need time to format the text files. My new blog shouldn't be X-Rated, whatever I do with it. I could use it as a blog for everything except films. I'm still not sure.

Please leave comments with suggestions or requests for more information.

Lost Highway (5 Stars)

Finally! This has been my favourite film for years, but today is the first time I've seen it in the cinema. The film stunned me as if I were watching it for the very first time.

I'm unable to write any more today. I'll try to explain my problems later this week.

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Becoming Led Zeppelin (5 Stars)

A documentary about Led Zeppelin? How could I possibly not go to see it!

The film consists of interviews with the three remaining band members (Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones) and recordings of interviews with John Bonham, who died in 1980. There are also extended excerpts of concert recordings.

I know Led Zeppelin's music. I didn't buy any of their albums when I was young, but my school friend David Pace lent them to me. He was an enthusiastic fan of their music. I was less enthusiastic at the time, because I couldn't relate to blues. I was a fan of Black Sabbath, a rock group that had abandoned blues from their second album onwards. I didn't start to like the blues until much later, about 20 years ago. This is when I finally became a Led Zeppelin fan.

The film still told me things I didn't know. I knew that Jimmy Page had played with the Yardbirds, but I didn't know that the four musicians (Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham) had gone on tour in 1968 as the Yardbirds. They could have recorded their first album together as the sixth Yardbirds album, but they wanted to make a new start.

Led Zeppelin was originally popular in America. In the interviews they speak about living in two different worlds. They performed to sold out concerts in America, then flew back to England where nobody knew them. It took at least a year for their popularity to pick up in England.

The documentary ends with Led Zeppelin playing at London's Royal Albert Hall on 9th January 1970. This was when they'd truly made it big. This was when they'd become Led Zeppelin.

The cinema was almost full tonight. I assume that most of the people in the audience were hardcore Led Zeppelin fans, but I overheard an interesting conversation on the way out. There were two men, 50-ish, dressed in suits. One said to the other, "The music was so powerful. You're a Led Zeppelin fan, but I don't know them".

Wow! How can anyone go all his life without being aware of Led Zeppelin? I can only imagine that he was a classical music fan or something like that. But whatever the reason, he was overwhelmed by the music. I hope his friend will help him discover their albums over the next few weeks.

Rome 1.12 - The Ides of March

"Beware the Ides of March!"

Those words were written by William Shakespeare more than 1600 years after the event, but they're as appropriate as if they'd been written in 44 BC. Julius Caesar was warned by his wife Calpurnia that she had seen bad fortune for her husband in a dream. A flock of crows were flying in the shape of a skull. This portrayal is based on historical records. Caesar wasn't superstitious, so he ignored the warning.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The episode begins on the Kalends of February, i.e. the first of February. Caesar announces that he's increasing the Senate from 600 to 900 men. Many of the new senators will be noblemen from Gaul. This angers the existing senators who consider the newcomers unworthy. No explanation is made of why Caesar wants to take this step, but I assume that he's selected men who will be favourable to him.

Vorenus is consecrating the farmland that he's been given as a magistrate. This involves him lying on the ground with his wife making movements that simulate sexual intercourse, while priests stand watching, chanting the names of the agricultural Gods. The Romans had strange customs.

Pullo was badly injured in the arena in the last episode, so he's been taken to a hospital. He's hardly aware of what's happened to him. The doctor tells him that he's now a famous man, so he leaves the hospital despite being barely able to ride a mule. He travels to Vorenus' house, barely conscious. Vorenus agrees to give Pullo a room where he can recover.

Eirene is now a free woman, but she's remaining with Niobe because she has nowhere else to go. At night she sneaks into Pullo's room to murder him out of revenge for him killing her lover. Before she can do anything Niobe enters and chides her, telling her she would be tried for murder.

The next day Vorenus is summoned to speak to Caesar in the Senate. Caesar is angry with Vorenus for interrupting Pullo's trial, but he says he can't punish him because he's become a hero of the people. On the other hand, Caesar can't be seen to be acting out of weakness, so he decides to reward Vorenus instead. He makes Vorenus a senator. Cicero is horrified, claiming Vorenus is a common man (a pleb) who's unworthy of the office. Mark Antony is amused. Caesar defends his decision, saying that he wants the Senate to be made up of the best men in Italy, not just the richest old men in Rome. Besides, he says that nobody will dare attack him if Vorenus is at his side.

In the evening (probably a few days later), Caesar's spurned lover Servilia is sitting with Quintus Pompey and others who are opposed to Caesar. They discuss how to kill him. Her son Brutus is unsure where his allegiance lies. He loves Julius Caesar as a father, but he's loyal to the principles of the Republic. The conspirators agree that Vorenus would be a problem. Servilia remembers her slave telling her that Niobe deceived Vorenus about her son Lucius being fathered by another man. She thinks this can be used against him.

On the Ides of March (15th March) Caesar is walking to the Senate with Vorenus at his side. Servilia's slave approaches Vorenus and whispers to him that Niobe's grandson is really her son. Vorenus goes home in a rage to challenge her. She throws herself from the balcony to her death.

In the Senate Caesar is pushed and shoved by the senators conspiring against him. Then they stab him from all sides. It's more like a mob than a planned assassination. Caesar collapses on the floor. Quintus gives Brutus a knife and tells him to finish the job.

Brutus weeps. This isn't what he wanted to happen. He kneels before Caesar with the knife in his hand, the two men staring at one another. Finally Brutus stabs Caesar in the heart, which is more of a mercy killing than an assassination. Mark Antony quickly flees, afraid of sharing Caesar's fate.

At the same time, Servilia has invited Atia and Octavian to her house, knowing what would happen. She tells Atia that she will make her suffer for the humiliation she's received.

The whole series has been building up to the events on the Ides of March, 44 BC. The series could have ended here, but a second season will follow.

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Rome 1.11 - The Spoils

This episode begins a short while after the previous episode. Days? Weeks? At the end of the last episode Pullo was offered a job by the crime lord and money lender Erastes Fulmen. Pullo has evidently accepted the job. We see him murdering a man on the streets of Rome at night. Erastes chides Pullo for making a noise, chasing the man through the streets, so he promises to be quieter next time. This is in complete contrast to the way Vorenus worked for Erastes in the fifth episode. Vorenus has a conscience; Pullo doesn't. Pullo spends his wages on prostitutes and opium.

Vorenus is carrying out his duties as a magistrate. He's visited by Roman citizens who need aid. Mascius, a former captain in Caesar's army, approaches Vorenus to speak on behalf of his fellow veterans. After years of fighting for Caesar, they want farmland in Italy. Vorenus passes on this request to Caesar, who says that there isn't enough free land in Italy for all the army veterans. Her offers to give them land in Pannonia, a province north-east of Italy. It's good farming land, but Vorenus says that the veterans won't accept it because there are a lot of bandits. Caesar says that Mascius should be offered money to recommend the land to the other veterans, any amount that Vorenus considers reasonable.

Vorenus offers Mascius 5,000 denarii, but Mascius says he would never sell out his fellow soldiers. After thinking it over, he asks for 12,000 denarii. Caesar is delighted. He says that he never expected Mascius to sell himself so cheap. In future he'll always send Vorenus to negotiate bribes.

Caesar has placed a chair for himself in the middle of the Senate. The others call it a throne, but he claims it's just a comfortable chair so that he won't get back pains while listening to Cicero's long speeches. The chair is moderately gilded with gold. Does that also help prevent back pain?

Caesar offers Brutus a job as the governor of Macedonia. Brutus refuses, because it sounds like Caesar is trying to get him away from Rome. Caesar insists and orders Brutus to take the position. Brutus storms out in anger.

Pullo has another job for Erastes. He kills Aufifidius Dento, the deputy chief of the Nailmakers' Association. The murder is witnessed, and he's arrested. Octavian asks Caesar to pardon him, but Caesar refuses. He says that Aufidius was popular and a vocal critic of Caesar's leadership. If Pullo is pardoned, people will suspect that Caesar ordered his death. Octavian openly asks if Caesar did order his death, to which Caesar replies that he didn't know that Aufidius existed until he didn't.

Pullo is sentenced to death in the arena. Three gladiators are sent to fight with him, but he refuses to defend himself. They say that it's enough for him to hold his sword, but he still refuses. They mock him and ask if all of the 13th Legion are so cowardly. This makes him angry, and he kills all three. He chants "Thirteenth! Thirteenth!", which is echoed by the crowd. Another four gladiators come out, and Pullo kills them as well. The crowd cheers enthusiastically.

A final gladiator comes out, probably the champion, much bigger and stronger than Pullo. He knocks Pullo down and prepares to kill him, when Vorenus jumps into the arena. Shouting "Thirteenth!" he attacks and kills the gladiator. Under Roman law, Pullo is now a free man.

Before the episode ends Caesar's slave Posca delivers a large bag of coins to Erastes. He thanks him for killing Aufidius, but tells him that in future army veterans shouldn't be used as killers.

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The Critic (4 Stars)

This is a film with a delayed release in Germany. It was made in 2023, and it's already available on disc in England.

"The Critic" takes place in London in 1934. The central character is Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen), a feared theatre critic. He's always in the audience on the opening night of every new play. He sits at his typewriter until late in the night, so that his review can appear in the Daily Chronicle the following morning. There's nothing wrong with a person stating his opinion about a play. I'm fast to criticise any film that I don't like. What's different about Jimmy Erskine is that he veers into personal insults.

In his private life Erskine is a homosexual. Before you say that there's nothing wrong with homosexuality, remember the year. It was considered a crime. Erskine takes part in drunken orgies and is arrested. His employer, Viscount Brooke, uses his influence to get him out of jail, but he fires Erskine the next day so that the scandal doesn't harm the newspaper's reputation. Erskine wants his job back. He wants to blackmail the viscount, so he arranges for the young actress Nina Land (Gemma Arterton) to seduce him in exchange for Erskine promising to write good reviews of all her future ways.

The 1930's were dark years, but the film brightens up the era with colourful characters. Ian McKellen shows off his acting skills in his portrayal of a bad guy with no redeeming features.

Mickey 17 (3 Stars)

Normally I try to avoid knowing too much about a film before going to see it in the cinema. I never watch trailers at home before going to the cinema. I often see trailers in the cinema for upcoming films, but in most cases they don't give away too much information. This was an exception. The trailer gives away so much of the plot that while watching the film today I breathed a sigh of relief every time something happened that wasn't in the trailer.

A spaceship is leaving Earth to colonise a new planet called Niflheim. Mickey Barnes is desperate to leave Earth, because he's being hunted by a loan shark. There are hundreds of applicants for positions on the space ship, so Mickey applies to become an Expendable. He doesn't know what it is, but he's been tipped off that it's a job nobody wants.

On the ship he finds out that an Expendable is someone doing dangerous work who's expected to die. And he does die. But there's a cloning technique to bring him back to life for his next job. He dies over and over again. When his 17th iteration goes missing it's assumed that he's dead, but he shows up again to meet Mickey 18.

Multiples aren't allowed. This is an idea that's been copied from the film "Dual". The difference is that in "Dual" only one of the multiples has to die, whereas in "Mickey 17" both multiples have to die.

The film's greatest strength is the acting by Robert Pattinson. He's fast becoming one of my favourite actors. He's come a long way since being a dopey vampire in "Twilight". The film's greatest weakness is the annoying stupidity of the character played by Mark Ruffalo. He's supposed to be funny, but he just made me grown. There are other things I don't like which I can't discuss because they're spoilers, things not shown in the trailer. The film has a lot of promise, but the overall impression is disappointing.

Unknown (5 Stars)

This is one of the most exciting films I've ever seen. It's a perfect mix of action, suspense and mystery. I can't believe that I've waited 13 years before watching it again. How could I forget a film like this?

Dr. Martin Harris, an American biotechnology professor played by Liam Neeson, travels to Berlin with his wife for a scientific conference. On arriving at the hotel he realises that he forgot to pick up one of his suitcases from the airport, so he leaves his wife behind to take a taxi back to the airport. On the way he's involved in a traffic accident and is in a coma for four days. He returns to the hotel as quickly as possible. His wife doesn't recognise him. She's in the company of another man who claims to be her husband. He can't prove who he is because he lost all his papers in the accident. The stranger doesn't just have papers to prove who he is, he also knows all about his scientific work.

Eventually Martin begins to think he's crazy and returns to the hospital for treatment, but while he's there someone tries to kill him, and even kills the nurse who tries to protect him. This makes him sure that something is happening, so he hires a private detective to prove that he really is who he thinks he is.

Although the film is in English, most of the cast are top German actors such as Bruno Ganz, Sebastian Koch and Diane Kruger. This is a brilliant film, and the final explanation will come as a a total surprise. The viewers will also feel the terror of being lost in a foreign country with no identification and being denied by your wife and friends.

Success Rate:  + 2.5

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Paddington in Peru (4 Stars)

This is the third film in the Paddington series. Can it be considered the final part in a trilogy? Yes and No. It doesn't round off any open threads from the previous films, which is a No. But it goes back to Paddington's origins, which is a Yes. So make your mind up.

Paddington has settled into his new home in London. He even has a British passport, although he has no reason to leave the country. One day he receives a letter from the Home For Retired Bears in Peru, telling him his Aunt Lucy wants to see him. I don't remember her being mentioned in the previous films, but a flashback tells him that she's the bear who rescued him when he fell into a stream as a child. He was separated from his parents, so she brought him up as her own child.

Paddington sets off to visit her with the Brown family. If you don't know who they are, go back and watch the first two films! On arriving in Peru, he's told that Lucy has gone on a journey. This is suspicious, because she's left her glasses behind. Foul play is suspected.

Together with the Reverend Mother who leads the Retirement Home, Paddington and his friends head into the jungle after hiring a boat from a devious sailor.

Olivia Colman looks like the role as Reverend Mother was written for her. I've tagged the film as a musical because she occasionally breaks into song, leading the other nuns to dance around her.

I had difficulty rating the film. The scenery is spectacular. It was filmed in Colombia, not Peru itself, but it looks realistic enough. I can't tell the difference. Can you? Despite frequent slapstick sequences, I didn't find it particularly funny. I glanced sideways and saw that Oliver also didn't laugh much, although he told me later that he'd enjoyed the film.

This was my first visit to the Metropol cinema since it changed owners. It used to belong to the Innenstadt cinemas, but it closed in December 2020 due to the Corona pandemic. It reopened in October 2024 as part of the Traumpalast group. When the cinema closed it wasn't expected to reopen as a cinema, so the building's owner demanded that the seats be removed. This was unfortunate, because it delayed the reopening while new seats were installed. The Traumpalast made the most of it by installing luxurious seats, better than the old seats.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (4 Stars)

If you watched the Oscars at the weekend, you might have noticed something curious. A German film was nominated in the category Best International Feature, i.e. best film in a language other than English; and yet the film wasn't in German, not a single word. It was in Farsi, also called Persian, the language spoken in Iran. Most of the film takes place in Teheran, Iran's capital. What's the story behind it?

Note: Teheran is the British spelling of Iran's capital. In American English it's called Tehran.

The film was made in 2024 in Iran by the director Mohammad Rasoulof. It's about the family of Imam, a lawyer in Teheran. After working for 20 years as a lawyer, he's promoted to the position of investigating judge in the Revolutionary Court. This allows him to rent a larger apartment, making it possible for his two daughters to sleep in separate rooms. Rezvan is a university student. Sana is a few years younger, but there's no reference to her being in school.

Despite being unhappy that he's only allowed to pass the sentences recommended by the government, Imam is faithful to the Iranian regime. His daughters are rebellious, sympathising with the demonstrations about the murder of Mahsa Amini (2022) for not covering her head in public. Imam's wife attempts to keep the peace in the family.

Imam is given a gun to protect himself. He carries it to and from work every day. One day the gun disappears from his apartment. He suspects that someone in his family has taken it, but they all suggest that he's lost it. This leads to an atmosphere of paranoia. Nobody trusts anybody.

Can a film with subject matter like this be made in Iran? Obviously not. The director went into hiding and was sentenced to eight years in prison in his absence. He managed to take refuge in a German consulate. From there he was smuggled out of the country. As far as I know, he now lives in Hamburg, but this might not be his final destination.

When he travelled to Germany, he smuggled the film's raw footage with him. It was edited in German studios. This is what's given the film the right to be called a German film.

It's a very powerful family drama. The political aspects are frequently discussed, but the family relationships are in the foreground. My only criticism is that the pacing is too slow, and the film could have been 30 minutes shorter without losing anything.

Alienoid (5 Stars)

This is a South Korean time travel science fiction film. The premise is that a distant alien race brings its criminals to Earth. They're a highly civilised race that has abolished the death penalty, so they trap the aliens in human hosts. The humans are unaware that they're carrying aliens in their bodies. When the human dies of old age or any other reason, the alien also dies. It's all so civilised. Some aliens are able to escape from their human host, but Earth's atmosphere is poisonous to them, so they return to their host within a few minutes.

The alien prisoners arrive in waves. A large number of aliens were deposited into human hosts in 1380 AD. In 2012 AD a pair of robots, Guard and Thunder, are waiting for the next delivery. They find out that a powerful alien in 1380 has managed to take control of his host, so they go back in time to capture it. That might sound confusing, but they give a simple explanation. "Time doesn't run in a straight line. Everything happens at the same time". I'm sure Doctor Who would have something to say about that.

The human host (a woman) dies, but she asks the robots to take care of her young daughter. Thunder takes the girl back to 2012, against the wishes of Guard. Over the next 10 years the girl, Yi-An, lives with Guard, who's disguised himself as a man. He claims to be her human father, but she overhears him talking with Thunder, who's disguised himself as the family car.

Then the next batch of alien prisoners arrives, and chaos breaks out.

There are lots more twists and turns in the plot. I don't want to say too much, except to say that this is a brilliant film. It's the equal of anything that's been made in Hollywood. Aliens, sorcery, martial arts. The film has it all.

"Alienoid" is the first film in a two-part story. I already watched the second part out of order. I intend to watch it again soon.

Success Rate:  - 1.8

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Rome 1.10 - Triumph

The wars are over. Several wars, that fall into two categories. First Julius Caesar conquered enemy nations, most notably Gaul. Then he had to fight against his enemies within Rome, in particular Pompey. Now Rome is at peace. Now Caesar stands triumphant. He wants to consolidate his power. In the last episode he claimed that this was only a temporary measure until he restored the Republic. We shall never know whether or not this was his honest intention. In the Senate he asked to be made dictator. Forgetting the modern negative connotations, in the Roman constitution a dictator was a person given absolute power for a limited period of time. The usual time limit for a dictator was six months, but Caesar asked to be made dictator for ten years in order to put right the chaotic aftermath of the civil war.

Caesar's dictatorship is proposed by Cicero, the last person I would have expected to speak on Caesar's behalf. Cicero was a passionate supporter of the Republic, and he took Pompey's side in the war against Caesar. He received a full pardon when he left Pompey after the Battle of Pharsalus. Is he now showing gratitude to his old enemy?

The motion is seconded by Brutus, who's sitting on Cicero's left. He's a more complicated figure. He's always been a close friend of Caesar, but he took Pompey's side in the civil war on moral grounds. Caesar also welcomed him with open arms after the Battle of Pharsalus.

On the recommendation of these two men, the Senate accepts the motion unanimously. Caesar holds the following speech:

"Many of you here today fought against me. Many of you wished me dead. Many of you perhaps still do. But I hold no grudges and seek no revenge. I demand only this: that you join with me in building a new Rome, a Rome that offers justice, peace and land to all its citizens, not just the privileged few. Support me in this task, and old divisions will be forgotten. Oppose me, and Rome will not forgive you a second time. Senators! The war is over!"

After this Caesar declares a triumph will be held, a five-day celebration. The following proclamation is made:

"Tables for 5000 men will be set up in the cattle forum. Slaves and freedmen are not eligible. Those citizens that cannot find a proper seating place must leave when ordered by the civic officers. Gaius Julius Caesar has decreed, in tribute to their virtue,  each and every citizen of Rome will be issued from the public treasury the sum of 100 denarii. Further, 20,000 deserving families will be given farms on the public lands around Capua. Further, for the coming year all rents on low dwellings in the city will be paid in full by Gaius Julius Caesar".

This generosity must have won the support of anyone in Rome who still doubted Caesar. A denarius was the usual amount paid for a day's work, so 100 denarii was a considerable amount. The deserving families who received farms were probably the families of soldiers who had fought for Caesar. No rent payments for a whole year was also a considerable gift.

The triumph is a magnificent affair. Caesar is blessed by the high priest, his nephew Octavian. Everyone is happy. I admit, if I'd been a Roman I would have been happy as well.

When the series "Rome" was made in 2005, it was the most expensive TV series ever filmed. This record has been broken since. The series was planned by the BBC, but since they didn't have enough money to make it they turned to HBO for financing. That's why there are different claims about whether it's a British or an American TV series, depending on who you ask. The episode "Triumph" was the most expensive episode of the series. The triumph itself had 600 extras in full Roman clothing, not to mention the animals in the scene. I regret that this scene only lasts five minutes. I would have liked to watch the ceremony continue for 10 to 15 minutes.

But there are things going on behind closed doors. Servilia is still bitter after being publicly disgraced in the last episode. Atia offers her sympathy, not admitting that she was the one who paid the thugs to humiliate her.

Quintus, Pompey's son, walks the street in a drunken stupor, threatening to kill Caesar. Servilia hears him and takes him in. Maybe he can be an ally in her quest to take revenge on Caesar for rejecting her. Brutus dislikes having a man like Quintus in his house, but his mother insists on letting him stay.

Vorenus soon holds his first speech as a candidate for the office of magistrate. Caesar's slave Posca sits next to him, prompting him what to say next. Afterwards Posca gives him advice on what to do as a magistrate, to which Vorenus replies that he should wait until he's elected. Posca tells him that he has already been chosen. The election results have been decided in advance. The other candidates are only standing to make it look like a genuine election. This shocks Vorenus.

Back in Rome, Pullo wants to marry Eirene, but it's not permitted because she's a slave. He borrows money from Vorenus to buy her freedom. He'll be able to pay it back when he gets his 100 denarii from Caesar. After telling her she's a free woman, Niobe's slave Oedipus comes and thanks him, because Eirene wants to marry him. Pullo flies into a rage and batters Oedipus to death with his bare hands.

Pullo spends the evening getting drunk. He's approached by Erastes Fulmen, who offers him a job. Pullo refuses the offer, but he's obviously considering it.

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Blade 2 (4½ Stars)

What a contrast to "Captain America Brave New World"! That was a boring film which will be the latest in Marvel's series of box office flops. "Blade 2" is an exciting action film that gets everything right. What's gone wrong with Marvel since 2002? Oh wait, I know. It was bought by Disney and put under the control of Bob Iger, a businessman who would rather promote his version of the DEI agenda than make good films. Whenever one of his films flops he shrugs his shoulders and continues on as before, demanding a pay rise for his efforts. Walt Disney must be turning in his grave. Bob is 74, well into retirement age. Shouldn't he be sent to an old people's home, so that he can be replaced by someone who knows what he's doing?

I described the plot in my last review, so I'll only add a few words here. My readers who aren't Marvel fans might be excited to see Donnie Yen's name in the credits. Don't get too worked up. He has a minor role and can easily be missed. His potential is wasted. We only see him performing one kick in the whole movie. He was the film's fight choreographer, so he was probably slotted in as an actor at the last minute. He was already on the set, so it saved the trouble of hiring someone else.

This is a better movie than "Blade", and the main reason is that Blade himself is a more likeable character. In the first film he was very remote, but now he's a more sympathetic person. He even smiles. Even if a character is remote and emotionless in comics, he has to show more emotions in a film to win over the audience. In "Blade 2" Wesley Snipes wins me over.

Success Rate:  + 0.9

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Dual (4 Stars)

The film takes place in the near future. Karen Gillan plays Sarah, a young woman who's suffering from a rare terminal illness. She repeatedly coughs up blood. She's told that she only has a few weeks left to live.

The hospital counsellor suggests that she should let herself be cloned. It's a common procedure for people who know they're going to die. After her death her clone will be a comfort for her friends and family, as if they've never lost her.

The clone is ready within a few hours. There's an interim period in which the clone lives with Sarah to get acquainted with her life. Sarah's husband accepts the clone into their life, but Sarah doesn't tell anyone else.

After ten months Sarah is told that she's no longer ill. She isn't allowed to keep the clone, so it – should I say she? – will have to be decommissioned. When she goes home to tell her clone, the clone insists on staying alive. Sarah's husband also says that he's fallen in love with the clone and wants to keep her. The law doesn't allow a person and her clone to both carry on living. They offer to let Sarah die instead, but she wants to live.

There's one last alternative. Sarah and her clone can fight to the death. They're given six months to prepare. Sarah does a rigorous course of combat training.

What about the double? We don't see her any more. Maybe she's training as well, maybe she isn't.

This is a ridiculous film. It's been described as a black comedy. A lot of humour comes from the matter-of-fact way extreme situations are discussed. The lawyer tells Sarah that she can sign a document agreeing to die without the slightest hint of emotion. The film was a box office flop, understandably. It's not the sort of film that many people would like. I enjoyed it, and I think it's worth watching again.

Success Rate:  - 10.6

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