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.