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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Ballon (4 Stars)

In the 1990's and 2000's Germany made a lot of films about escape attempts from East Germany (the DDR) and East-West love relationships. It was a popular theme after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The stream of films has stopped now. German audiences are tired of these themes. They've heard it all before. I understand them, but I'm different. They're topics that fascinate me, and I'll watch any film about them.

The director Michael Herbig, who specialises in comedies, spent years trying to get the rights to remake the 1982 film "Night Crossing". It was a true story about a German family that fled from East Germany in a hot air balloon in 1979. Herbig enjoyed the film, but he didn't think it accurately portrayed life in the East.

In 2018 he finally made the film as an exciting drama. German critics agree that it's far superior to the original version. So this is a rare case where the remake is better than the original? Critics especially praised Herbig as a director, expressing surprise at his ability to make a film so different to his usual comedies. The only criticism of the film is that critics think he over-used music, making the film sound overly dramatic. I disagree. I find the use of music exciting and appropriate to the film's theme.

The film begins halfway through the story. A hot air balloon has already been made by the family Strelzyk in Pößneck. Their first attempt at an escape fails. Their balloon crashes 100 meters short of the border. They abandon the balloon in the woods and walk home, a distance of 40 kilometers. When the balloon is found the East German secret police, the Stasi, is alerted and begins to search for the people who used it.

This is where the film's real excitement begins, underlaid by dramatic music. The Stelzyk family can't afford to give up trying to escape, because they know the Stasi is closing in on them. They have to make another attempt. They make another balloon, learning from their first failure.

Geographically speaking, it wasn't a "flight to the West". Their balloons flew due south from Thuringia to Franconia. This map should make it clear.

What characterises most of the film is the prevailing atmosphere of paranoia. I doubt the American film showed this. Wherever the Strelzyk family went, they were afraid of informers. Their neighbour who lived opposite was a senior member of the Stasi. That doesn't mean he strictly followed the party line. He asked Peter Strelzyk to adjust his television so that he could watch West German television channels, because he was a fan of "Charlie's Angels". Oh, the temptations of the wicked, wicked West!

When I have time I need to do a mini-marathon of German East-West films. Until then, I hope more will be made.

Hostel: Part III (2 Stars)

Netflix Thursday #42

This evening my son Benjamin said he wanted to watch "Hostel Part III" with me. I watched it a few years ago, but I could hardly remember it, except for the fact that I didn't like it. I could have read my old review to refresh my memory, but I decided to jump right in.

I haven't changed my mind. The film is still a disappointment to me compared with the first two parts. It isn't the same without Eli Roth. The new director, Scott Spiegel, considered it necessary to do something new. By changing the premise, he's ruined the film. In the original two parts people paid large sums of money so they could kill someone. In this part people just pay to watch others do the killing for them. Wimps.

I shan't say anything more about the plot. My words might entice you to give the film a chance. That's the last thing I want to do. Maybe it's unavoidable. In America the film is only available as part of a box set with the first two parts. If you're curious enough to watch it, don't say I didn't warn you.

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Dario Argento's Dracula (4 Stars)

Last week it was Black Friday again. I wonder sometimes how many people in Europe understand the significance of Black Friday. In America it's the day after Thanksgiving, but there's no Thanksgiving holiday in Europe, for obvious reasons. I doubt many Europeans could tell me what Thanksgiving  is about or when it takes place. I'll have to test my friends some time. If they're smart they might tell me that it's the day before Black Friday.

I wait for Black Friday every year. If there's something expensive I want to buy from Amazon, I wait for the Black Friday sales to start. Some years I buy a lot. This year I didn't. I already have a large television set, a Kindle and an Amazon Echo. There are no television box sets that I want. Only one item stood out: "Dario Argento's Dracula". I didn't even know the film existed before I saw it in the list of lightning deals. Reduced from 15.99 Euros to 4.95 Euros. I couldn't click the Purchase buttonfast enough.

I'm well acquainted with Dario Argento's horror films from the 1970's and 1980's. It was fascinating to see a recent film from him; he directed it in 2012. He made the film in English, even though none of the actors are native English speakers. Count Dracula is played by Thomas Kretschmann (German), Abraham Van Helsing is played by Rutger Hauer (Dutch), Jonathan Harker is played by Unax Ugalde (Spanish), and all the other roles are played by Italians.

The film is based on Bram Stoker's novel, though it has various changes. Jonathan Harker visits the Count to catalogue his books. Dracula has a large library with shelves of old books. Harker asks Dracula how many books he has, to which Dracula replies, "That's what I want you to tell me". It would be a wonderful job, if Harker's boss weren't a vampire.

How many adaptations of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" are there? (Not including films that only include Dracula as a character). Empire Magazine once published an article listing 50 film adaptations. I don't remember the exact date of the article, but I cancelled my subscription to Empire in 2008, so it was at least 13 years ago. There are many more films that have been made since then, including Dario Argento's film that I watched today. I believe I have seven adaptations in my film collection. It would be interesting to watch them back-to-back in a single week. Maybe I'll do it early next year.

Dario Argento's adaptation isn't the best ever made, but it's a respectable attempt, despite being rated badly by most critics. Thomas Kretschmann plays the title role admirably. Instead of trying to compete with the great actors of the past, Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, he portrays Dracula as a cultivated gentleman who does his best not to frighten people. Yes, he's a monster, but he tries not to show it.

As the poster above shows, this is a 3D film. Ugh! Luckily, the Blu-ray disc includes a 2D version.

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Downfall (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #25

There have been many men who have played Adolf Hitler over the years, some better than others. Has anyone ever attempted to make a full list? I found a list of 27 actors in IMDB, but it's incomplete. Rolf Kanies is missing, who played Hitler in "Joe and Max". However, I think all the performances pale into insignificance in comparison to Bruno Ganz. It's difficult to say what makes him so good. His physical appearance matches Hitler, but his mannerisms really make the difference. Before filming he spent four months watching videos of Hitler and listening to recordings of his speeches. That's dedication! But there's still more to it. The excellent script and directing add to the complete picture of the man Adolf Hitler.

When "Downfall" (German "Der Untergang") was released in 2004 it hit the cinemas like a bomb. After the many films about World War Two, here was something different. It's not a war film. It's a ruthlessly accurate portrayal of Hitler's last 10 days in his Berlin bunker, showing the despair and debauchery of those closest to him.

Initial response to the film was positive. In more recent years the film has been criticised because it's too positive in its portrayal of Hitler. I think that the recent critics don't get it. Adolf Hitler is known as the most evil person who's ever lived. This leads to him being portrayed as a caricature. When I lived in England it was common for people to make fun of him as stupid, as a "failed painter". Believe me, no man who's stupid could have become the leader of Europe's largest country. Maybe he didn't go to university, but he had great intelligence when it came to influencing people. Arguably, his greatest fault was that he relied on his own intelligence too much. He was incapable of delegating decisions to those below him. In particular, he was unskilled as a military strategist. He could possibly have won the war if he'd listened to the advice of his generals.

This is shown at the beginning of "Downfall". Hitler is surrounded by his generals. They're giving him advice, good advice, but he refuses to listen. Anyone who contradicts him is accused of treason.

The main reason for people criticising the film in recent years is that they claim it's pro-Hitler. What they really mean is that it's not anti-Hitler. The film carefully avoids the propaganda that has become the norm in films about Hitler. The film is based on the biography of Traudl Junge, who was Hitler's personal secretary from 1942 to 1945. The story is told as she saw it. The film shows Hitler not as a monster, but as a man, with all the strengths and weaknesses of any man.

Historians have frequently mentioned that Hitler had a charm that attracted women to him, but this has rarely been shown in films. We can see that Traudl Junge was drawn in by Hitler's charm. When Hitler offered to let her leave Berlin, she insisted on staying with him until the end. 

The real Traudl Junge in 2002, shortly before her death.

Alexandra Maria Lara as Traudl Junge in the film.

Alexandra Maria Lara was an excellent choice to play Traudl Junge. She expresses a naive innocence in the middle of the chaos of Hitler's last days. She was one of three women who remained close to Hitler's side. The others were Gerda Christian, also a secretary, and Eva Braun. They were friends, but Traudl's facial expressions in the film show her amazement and disapproval as Eva continued to party until the last moments.

The three women take Hitler's dog for a walk in one of the rare quiet moments. Apart from these few moments, the scenes look like they come from an absurd horror film. Senior officers are committing suicide, other officers are sitting getting drunk, and Eva Braun is dancing on the tables.

Most of the film takes place in almost staccato fashion, hurrying from one chaotic scene to the next. An exception is the scene in which Magda Goebbels murders her six beautiful children. Everything else stops, and this scene is shown slowly and deliberately, as each child is forced to swallow a cyanide capsule one by one. Hitler is portrayed neutrally, but Magda Goebbels is shown as a woman of pure evil. How could any mother act like this? It's horrific beyond description.

If you haven't yet seen this film, what are you waiting for? It's not a war film. It's a study of the breakdown of society in a confined space. It's not an easy film to watch. Try to see the film through Traudl Junge's eyes. She was an innocent woman watching her whole world collapse around her.

Success Rate:  + 3.5

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King Kong (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #28

King Kong has appeared in at least 12 films over the last 90 years, either as the lead character or one of a group of monsters. In my opinion, there have only been three real King Kong films. These three all tell the same story, in different forms, of King Kong's discovery and his journey to America. All three films have the same name: "King Kong".

The first film was made in 1933, and is rightly considered to be a masterpiece.

The second film was made in 1976, following the original story, with a few significant changes. The story is told in the present day (i.e. 1976) instead of the 1930's, and the final battle takes place on top of the newly built World Trade Centre instead of the Empire State Building.

This is the third film, made in 2005, and it closely follows the 1933 version. It even takes place in 1933, with a great amount of care taken in portraying the Great Depression of the 1930's.

The film's strength is less in the action than in the emotional depth. Look at Kong's eyes as he stares lovingly at the actress Ann Darrow. Has computer animation ever been so emotional?

This is one of the most beautiful scenes ever filmed, full of artistic merit. Sunrise over Manhattan at the top of the Empire State Building.

But the peaceful serenity doesn't last. The enemies are coming.

Kong has to make his last stand, on top of the world's highest building.

The film's casting is superb. Nobody else but Naomi Watts could have played the beautiful actress Ann Darrow. Her large eyes and toothy smile perfectly portray her naive innocence.

Naomi's large eyes make her look like a 1930's film star. All that's missing is the black eye liner. Or would that have been pushing it too far?

Her face is repeatedly framed against beautiful scenery. The screenshots from this film could be used for a Naomi Watts pin up calendar.

Or maybe there should just be six photos of Naomi Watts in the calendar, and six photos of Kong in alternation. Beauty and the Beast.

Ann Darrow does her Titanic scene.

It's a much smaller boat, but the sorrow is just as intense.

Don't jump!

The film crew captures this moment.

The director Carl Denham is almost moved to tears.

Jack Black was picked to play Carl Denham because of his physical resemblance to Orson Welles. Never mind his looks, his acting is superb! Another perfect choice.

So is Adrien Brody as the brooding playwright Jack Driscoll. I'd go as far as to call this his signature role.

I wanted to watch the film in a single sitting, but I was interrupted by my ex-wife. There were loud shouts in my village, so she wanted to know if there had been a goal in the Euro 2020 Germany-France match. Yes, there had just been an own goal. We didn't know what television channel was broadcasting the match, but after a few trial-and-error attempts I found it for her. She asked me to watch the second half with her, which I did. It was an interesting game. Two very good teams, equally matched, but with no outstanding players. By that, I mean there were no players like Pele or Maradonna with magical flair that set them apart from the others. The final result, 1:0 for France, was fair. Either team could have won.

Then I rushed back to "King Kong" to watch the last half hour. I enjoyed it with a glass of LSD in my hand. If my readers don't know what that is, they should follow the link.

Success Rate:  + 0.7

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In Tranzit (3 Stars)

A few days ago I watched "The Brylcreem Boys", a film about an unusual POW camp in Ireland. "In Tranzit" (sic) is about an equally unusual POW camp in Russia. Before you ask me, the answer is No; I don't know the reason for the strange spelling in the title. The film is based on a true story, and from what I understand it's close to the true events, even though the names have been changed.

In 1946 a Russian women's prison is about to close down. The reason isn't stated, but judging by the ruined buildings I assume that it was damaged in the war. All we see is that the prisoners are all transferred to other prisons. Before the staff can be transferred elsewhere a new purpose is found for the prison. 53 German prisoners of war are sent to the prison, of whom two are dead on arrival and are dumped in the courtyard. This leads to the extraordinary situation that all the prisoners are men, but the camp's commander, the guards and all the other staff are women.

At first the men think they can take advantage of the women, but an example is made in the first few minutes. When a German prisoner breaks rank to take the jacket from a dead soldier he's shot dead, and his body is hung upside down in the courtyard as a warning to the others.

The Russian Colonel Pavlov, portrayed splendidly by John Malkovich, visits the camp occasionally to check on the prisoners. He tells the guards that there are SS officers hiding among the normal soldiers with false names. Two are uncovered within a few days and taken to nearby Leningrad to be hanged in the street, but he suspects there are others. The men should be persuaded to betray one another.

A subject matter like this offers a lot of possibilities for kinks, but it's kept to a minimum. One exception is a scene where the men are forced to strip naked in the snow covered courtyard.

The men are herded into a shed where they're sprayed with cold water and told to wash themselves. The guards think it's funny. Girls just wanna have fun.

The camp guards hate Germans and are cruel to the prisoners from the start. The only person who treats the POW's with dignity is the camp doctor Natalia, played by Vera Farmiga. She's taking care of her husband Andrei, who is suffering mental damage after his head was injured by shrapnel. He's the only Russian man in the camp, but he's a mental wreck. Natalia begins to feel attracted to one of the prisoners.

As the film progresses, the sexual tensions between the Russian women and the German men bubble to the surface. The cook gets pregnant, and she's ordered to have an abortion to avoid a scandal. Other Russian women who live nearby have affairs with the men when they leave the camp to work. That seems difficult to believe. Russia (the Leningrad area) is presented as a place where there are hardly any men. The Germans have killed them all. What feelings would be stronger, the hatred for the killers or the desire for replacement men? I would have thought the former.

This isn't an easy film to watch. It's slow moving, gloomy and depressing. There are no good guys in the film, everyone is bad, the Russians and the Germans. It's just a matter of who is less bad than the others. It's an evil story that takes place in an evil world. The film is interesting, but it's not something I can watch more than once.

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Dragged Across Concrete (2 Stars)

This is the ninth film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

This is a film that I was looking for after seeing "Brawl in Cell Block 99" by the same director, S. Craig Zahler, last year. When the festival hosts introduced the film they said it's not a film for everyone because it's very long (almost three hours) and very slow moving. I was disappointed with the film, but for me the problems lay neither in the film's length nor its pacing.

For the first 90 minutes the film tells two unrelated stories in parallel. It's only in the second half of the film that the two stories merge.

The first story is about two policemen in the American city of Bulwark. I assume the city is fictional. They're tough cops who believe in getting their job done. This might involve being excessively rough with suspects. After Brett Ridgeman (Mel Gibson) is filmed standing on the head of a drug dealer he and his partner Tony Lurasetti (Vince Vaughn) are suspended without pay. This causes problems for both of them. Brett's wife is suffering from multiple sclerosis, and he can hardly afford the medical bills. Tony is planning to propose to his girlfriend. They decide to do a job on the side. Brett is given the name of a drug dealer in another town, and he plans to rob him. This will support the two of them while they have no income.

The second story is about Henry, a criminal who's just been released from jail. He's not really a bad man, but for him crime is the only way he can support his mother and his physically handicapped brother. He gets a job as the driver for a very violent criminal gang.

Then the two stories converge. The person that Brett and Tony intend to rob is more than just a drug dealer, he's the mastermind behind a big robbery in which Henry is involved.

Now here are my problems. The two stories in the first half are uneven. We get to know the two policemen and sympathise with their plight. They're both good cops, they've never taken a bribe, but they're forced into a criminal act by doing their job. The story about the criminal isn't told in as much detail. We hardly get to know Henry because we're introduced to his associates too soon.

Then there are ridiculous things. 90 minutes into the story a new character is introduced. We're given details of her private life, and I felt emotionally drawn to her. I thought it was too late to introduce an important character, but I liked her so much that I accepted it. Then bang! Five minutes later she was dead. What was the point? This is poor screenwriting. The film would have been improved by removing her scenes altogether. She was totally unnecessary.

Other things in the second half of the film are illogical. I shan't give away spoilers. All I'll say is that the film's resolution in itself is good, but what leads up to it isn't satisfying. My overall impression is that the film is a mess.

Downfall (5 Stars)

I've written a little about this film in the past. Others have written more about it. We've all written too much. "Downfall" isn't a film that needs to be described, it's a film that should be felt.

This is the film that Bruno Ganz will always be remembered for. His portrayal of Adolf Hitler is nothing less than a work of genius. When we see him we feel that we're watching the real Hitler in the ten days before his death.

In the film Bruno Ganz doesn't just play the part of Hitler, he becomes Hitler. Many people have criticised the film because it didn't show what they want to see. "Downfall" doesn't criticise Hitler. It doesn't point a finger at Hitler and tell us how bad he is. We should know that already. The film is more like a photo album with a series of snapshots. It gives us pictures of how he was, and it's up to us to make our own minds up how we interpret them.

Success Rate:  + 3.5

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Avengers: Age of Ultron (4½ Stars)

This is the eleventh film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, released in May 2015. Stan Lee appears in a short scene as a proud World War II veteran at a party in the New York Avengers headquarters. Thor is sharing a flask with Captain America.

Thor describes the drink, "This was aged for one thousand years in the barrels built from the wreck of Grunhel's fleet. It is not meant for mortal men".

Stan Lee, sitting nearby, butts in, "Neither was Omaha Beach, blondie. Stop trying to scare us. Come on".

Thor agrees and pours a small amount into a glass. Moments later we see Stan being carried out slurring the single word "Excelsior".

He really was an army veteran. In 1942 he volunteered to join the US Army, and he served in the Signal Corps from 1942 to 1945. After initially serving as a lineman he was transferred to the Training Film Division, where he wrote material such as training manuals and the scripts for propaganda films.

In this wartime photograph Sergeant Stanley Lieber – that was his real name – is shown designing a poster. That's curious. In his career he was never an artist.

In June 2017 Stan Lee was made a lifetime member of the Signal Corps Regimental Association. Better late than never. Most people knew nothing about his military history, so it needed a comic book fan in the Signal Corps to suggest him.

This is a video of the award being presented. After the presentation Stan says, "This is one of my proudest moments. Excelsior!"

Often when news reports talk about Stan Lee they refer to him as "Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man". That description gives a point of reference for the people who aren't dedicated comic fans, but it's always annoyed me. He created so many other characters, both heroes and villains. Here are a few of the other characters he created, all of them featured in "Avengers: Age of Ultron".

Hulk (May 1962)

Thor (August 1962)

Iron Man (March 1963)

Nick Fury (May 1963)

Quicksilver (March 1964)

Scarlet Witch (March 1964)

Black Widow (April 1964)

Hawkeye (September 1964)

I can't guarantee that their film representations resemble their original appearances in the comics. If you want on-screen realism you have to watch Axel Braun's Marvel films.

Success Rate:  + 1.2

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