Friday, 23 October 2020

Das Schweigende Klassenzimmer (4 Stars)


"What good is the revolution if it's only in our heads?"

This German film's title means "The Silent Classroom", and it's based on true events that happened in East Germany in 1956. It starts with two teenage boys going on a day trip to West Berlin to see the film "Liane" in the cinema. Like all teenage boys, they were thrilled at the possibility of seeing bare breasts, even though the nudity was very tame by today's standards. In those days (while televisions were rare) it was common for there to be news reports before films started. In the newscast the boys heard about the ongoing Hungarian Uprising. They were immediately sympathetic with the deaths in the struggle of the Hungarian people against the Russian occupation, so they arranged a two-minute silence in their classroom when they returned.

This immediately sparked an aggressive response, first from the school itself, then from the government. The investigator Renate Kessler, pictured above, uses the ever useful tactic of setting the school children against one another. The original intention is to take action against the protest's leader, but when none of the children betray one another and they all take responsibility, the whole class is suspended.


The happy ending is that all but four of the children flee to West Berlin over the Christmas holidays. Those were the days before the construction of the Berlin Wall, so escape was easier.

I've always had a weakness for films based on true stories, and I love films about the former East German state. This is an excellent film, with great performances by the young cast, who're the future of the German film industry.

Thursday, 22 October 2020

TV Series: Dexter Season 1


Today I finished watching the first season of "Dexter". I loved it the first time I watched it, nine years ago, but I'm getting more out of it the second time round. I remember parts of the series in vivid detail, but I forgot many other parts, and I'm discovering them anew.

One of the strengths of "Dexter" is the powerful supporting cast. Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta and Sergeant James Doakes are just two of them. LaGuerta is dedicated to her work, but she's shown to have many failings for her position. Doakes is the only one in the Miami Metro Police Department who suspects that something is wrong with Dexter.


I have a feeling that season one's story was rushed. What I mean is, Dexter meets his brother Brian Moser, who wants to reconnect with him after being separated years ago. This sort of back-to-the-beginning story is something that would have been better in the third season of a typical series. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the first season, but it's a story that could have been delayed until later.

Benjamin and I have watched the first season over a period of five days. He'll only be with me another two days, so I don't think it's a good idea to start the second season. It would be a shame for him to have a long delay half way through. I'll ask him what he thinks.

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Wednesday, 21 October 2020

TV Series: Dexter


This is definitely a Dexter week for me. My son Benjamin doesn't want to watch anything else, and I'm in no mood to deny him. He says it's one of the best series he's ever seen. I agree.

I'm showing a photo of Jennifer Carpenter as Debra Morgan, because anyone who's watched "Dexter" knows that she's the most important character after Dexter himself. She's his main anchor in the normal world of feelings and emotions. They're brother and sister by adoption; Dexter was adopted, Debra was the real child in the family. Harry Morgan spent more time with Dexter than with his real daughter, which made her grow up trying to be worthy of her father, even after his death. She even became a police officer in orderto please him.

I have to admit, if I met a person like Debra Morgan in real life, I wouldn't like her. Her foul mouth and constant swearing would put me off. Nevertheless, she fits perfectly into the series. I feel for her in her constant disappointments in her relationships. She's always looking for love in the wrong places.

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Tuesday, 20 October 2020

General: Why I love Amazon


I'm an Amazon Associate. That means I've signed up to receive a small percentage from the sale of any items that I recommend in my blog. I'm also an Amazon customer. I placed my first order with Amazon way back in July 2003. In recent years many of my friends have been criticising Amazon as a company, using various arguments as criticism, but it all boils down to the fact that they're jealous of Amazon's owner, Jeff Bezos, being the richest man in the world. Now, I'm the first to say that any person with over a hundred million dollars in the bank is too rich, but the reason he's rich is because his company is so good. Let me give you an example of why I love Amazon so much.

On Prime Day (13th October) I ordered a security camera, reduced in price from 72 Euros to 10 Euros. Today I received an email that the camera was damaged in transit, so I've been refunded. I rang up to complain, saying I didn't want a refund, I wanted a replacement, because if I re-ordered now I'd have to pay the full price. The lovely lady on the phone told me that the refund has already been processed, but to make up for my problems they'll send me a camera completely free of charge! I love Amazon!

It's only a few Euros, and it won't make a dent in Jeff Bezos' fortune, but it's enough to make me happy. How many other companies would be so obliging? Not many.

Groundhog Day (4 Stars)


The only thing that you can rely on me for is to be inconsistent. Yesterday evening I said I wouldn't be watching any films this week. I can't even keep a promise for 24 hours. I have an excuse, though. I always do. My son went out by himself for a few hours, so I thought I'd watch a film while he's gone.

The last time I watched this film, seven years ago, I said that I had an opinion about what the film means, but I wouldn't write it down. I should have written it, because I have absolutely no idea how I interpreted the film seven years ago. After watching the film today I sat puzzling over it for a while, and I've come to an opinion, but I doubt it's what I thought in the past.

The question isn't so much why the day repeats, but why it stops repeating. How many repeats are there? We see some of them in the film – I didn't count how many – but many, many more are implied. When the film was first made, the director suggested the loops last 10 years, i.e. there are 3650 repeats of the day. Fifteen years later the director changed his mind and said it must have been at least 30 years, based on the time needed to learn skills like playing a piano and ice sculpting. But then the repeats suddenly stop. Why?

We get a clue in Phil's attitude. First he tries to escape the day. Then he tries to use the day to get whatever pleasures he can for himself, without fear of consequences. Then he tries to be a better person and help others get through the day. He loves his colleague Rita, and he starts off by tricking her into liking him. He finds out what she likes, and the next day he pretends to like exactly the same things. In short, he's lying about himself. This got him a long way, but not all the way into bed with her, which is what he wanted. His love was based on lust.

As Phil continued to live through the days, he became steadily more selfless. In the end, this is what won Rita's heart. She saw that he was a good person, and that's what attracted her. When she fell in love with him, the day stopped repeating. Love was strong enough to break the cycle. Or was the non-existent love between the two the whole reason for the repetition in the first place? That's a theory I have after watching the film today. The two people, Phil and Rita, were soulmates, destined to be together, but a relationship was blocked by Phil being a selfish person. The universe stepped in and blocked their further lives until Phil changed enough to win Rita's love.

So what do you think? It's a possible interpretation. I've read enough about the film to know there are other interpretations. Tell me what you think. Don't just quote an explanation you've read somewhere, tell me what you think yourself after watching the film.

Success Rate:  + 2.9

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Monday, 19 October 2020

TV Series: Dexter


My son is totally hooked on "Dexter", so we were bingeing today. He'll be with me all week, so I doubt I'll be watching any films until he leaves. I forget exactly how long it is since I last watched the series. In 2013 I mentioned in a blog post that I was watching the penultimate season, the seventh, but I probably didn't watch the eighth season until 2014, maybe 2015. Earlier this year I rebought the series on Blu-ray, and I've been waiting for an excuse to start watching it.

My son said that "Dexter" should be on Netflix. I agree. It should be, but it isn't. People who rely on Netflix for their viewing content are missing out.

It's curious that "Dexter" is only available on DVD in England, but the German Blu-ray box set is multi-lingual and includes the English original version. If you want to buy it, order from the Amazon.de link below.

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Sunday, 18 October 2020

Night at the Museum (4 Stars)


Today I sat down to watch a film with my son Benjamin, who's visiting me this week. I shan't tell you what it was, because we were interrupted after less than two minutes, and we'll watch it again later this week, hopefully tomorrow. My grandson Oliver burst in and wanted to watch it with us, but it was inappropriate for someone his age. I wanted to throw him out of the room – gently, of course – but his mother (my daughter Gillian) said that if he really wanted to watch a film I should watch something suitable for him. I still had "Night at the Museum" lying on my desk after watching it two weeks ago, so it was the obvious choice.

I have to add, Oliver has never watched a film yet. He's started a few films, but he was never patient enough to finish. I thought I would give him a chance. I abandoned the as yet unnamed film and started "Night at the Museum". Oliver did well. He managed 45 minutes. He loved the chaotic scenes in the first night, especially when the monkey peed on Ben Stiller, but he got bored when the film slowed down again. Never mind. He left the room, so Benjamin and I watched the film to the end, even though we've both seen it before. A good film is always worth watching again. In fact, my definition of a good film is "a film that I want to watch at least three times".


I'm really glad that I watched it. Today I appreciated it even more than I did two weeks ago. I wonder how old Oliver will be before I can try to watch it with him again. Until then, maybe I can find a different film for him to watch. Maybe one of the old Disney animated films? It has to be something where there's action all the way, without any quiet lulls.


When the film was over, I asked Benjamin whether he wanted to watch "Dexter". Some of you might know what made me think about that series. He had never seen it, so he agreed, out of curiosity. I only wanted to watch one episode, the pilot, but he loved it so much that he insisted on watching a second episode. Benjamin will be with me all week, so I expect we'll watch the whole first season. Maybe more.

Success Rate:  + 3.2

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Summer with Demi Rose, Epilogue


Yesterday was the last day of my summer posts with beautiful Demi Rose Mawby from Sutton Coldfield. I wanted to write something today to wrap up my series of posts, but I can't think of anything. To finish off I'll just post four more photos. The photo above is a recent photo from her Instagram page. It seems somehow appropriate. The other photos are the oldest photos that she's posted online. They were taken in April 2012, shortly after her 17th birthday. She already displayed the hourglass figure that she has today.




If you enjoy these photos, please follow Demi Rose on Instagram at instagram.com/demirose/

Saturday, 17 October 2020

The Last Film Festival (3½ Stars)


I love films about films. Don't you?

The director Nick Twain (played by Dennis Hopper in his final role) has made a sci-fi film called "Barium Enigma". It's been rejected by every film festival in the world, except for one: the new O'Hi International Film festival in O'Hi, Ohio, the sheep shearing capital of the world. Nick is certain that his film will scoop all the awards, because he's generously bribed the judges. The trouble is that the festival is hit by food poisoning, and the judges are taken sick. It's too late (and too expensive) to bribe the new judges.

The film is plagued with problems. The film's lead actor, Zachary Reed, is arrested for attempting to solicit an undercover policeman. The film's two lead actresses, one of whom is Nick's ex-wife, hate one another and get into fights. Nick meets a young woman, Desiree, who claims to be his daughter. But the biggest problem comes when the film is screened. The projectionist has also been taken sick with food poisoning, and his replacement is an amateur who plays the film reels in the wrong order.


Sadly, this was also Leelee Sobieski's last film. She quit films because she was somehow of the impression that 90% of films involve sex. If she'd looked back at her own career, she would have seen that the figure is only 6%. I suspect that this was just an excuse, and the problems lay elsewhere.

Summer with Demi Rose, Day 29


This is the 29th day of my summer posts with beautiful Demi Rose Mawby from Sutton Coldfield. I've decided that this will be my last regular post. Tomorrow I'll be summing up the posts, and maybe making a few general remarks about Demi Rose.

So what do you think about my posts for the last four weeks? Did they make you happy? That was my intention. I didn't want to post a collection of her photos online, if you understand what I mean. They're just a few photos from random photoshoots over the last three years, from 2017 to 2020. If you want to find more of her photos, I can recommend the Google search engine. Otherwise visit her Instagram page, where you'll find regular updates. She's frequently featured on the Daily Mail website, mostly candid photos, which I didn't want to post. I was more interested in posting summer photos on the beach.



If you enjoy these photos, please follow Demi Rose on Instagram at instagram.com/demirose/

Friday, 16 October 2020

Housewife Report 4 (4 Stars)


My readers who have been following my Housewife Report posts will immediately recognise two of the actors in the picture above. On the left is Rosl Mayr, and on the right is Gernot Möhner, who appears in all the Housewife Report films as the investigative reporter Bernd Mittler. I can't name the man in the middle, because there are no credits, and I don't recognise him from other films.

Whereas the previous film offered socially dubious messages about divorces in Germany, this film plays it safe and has no messages at all. Instead of beginning in an office, like most report films, it takes place in a railway carriage. Bernd Mittler catches a train in Hamburg and is heading southwards, probably back home to Munich. The businessman sitting next to him says he knows him; he's seen him in stupid sex films. Bernd objects, replying that they're serious scientific studies. The other two men in the carriage join in the conversation. There's a lawyer sitting opposite who says, "The scientific value of your films is very questionable". In the corner there's a Catholic priest, who adds "I've seen the films, and they should be taken seriously. They show what comes from living in a prudish society". I like the priest. He's a very open person who talks good sense.

Bernd attempts to defend his reputation as a serious reporter by telling them the results of his recent interviews in cities all around Germany. We don't see Bernd himself in the vignettes, we just see what he's been told.


1. The first story takes place in Berlin. Gerda and Fritz have been married for five years. Gerda loves her husband and wants to have more sex with him, but he's bored and would rather watch television than have sex. What an idiot!


She orders a company to take away her old, heavy furniture, and a muscular man called Paul comes to carry everything away. Gerda is excited and seduces him. That's not enough. The next day she arranges to meet him at home.



While they're making love, Paul's girlfriend comes home. She isn't jealous. She thanks Gerda for warming up her boyfriend and says that she'll take over. Gerda is miserable and rushes home in tears. When her husband sees her he doesn't know what's wrong, but he feels sorry for her, so they go to bed and make love.

So what's the message of this story? You tell me.

After this story, Rosl Mayr joins the men in the carriage. She says she's a virgin, but there's no hint of innocence in her. She talks openly about sex and women's right to do it as often as they like. She's seen the previous Housewife Report films and joins in the conversation. The lawyer says that in marriages there are two sides to every story, to which she replies, "There aren't two sides. Women are always right".

Now you know why I love Rosl Mayr so much. She was phenomenal in every role she played.


2. The second story takes places in Hamburg. Herbert is a wealthy businessman who lives with his wife Elke, played by the famous German actress Elisabeth Volkmann. She began her career in erotic films, but when she became a serious actress she distanced herself from them. Elke is sexually adventurous, but Herbert just wants to do the missionary position. We see her pulling him from one impractical position to another.

The next day, Herbert interviews an applicant for a position as housekeeper. The woman, played by the deliciously curvy Dorothea Rau, rips her clothes off and tries to seduce him. Elke walks in and tells Herbert she'll handle the other interviews.


The next applicant gets drunk during the interview, so Elke turns her down. The third applicant is a beautiful lesbian who seduces Elke. Hired! Elke says that she's too good to do housework, so she gives Herbert an apron and makes him do the housework while the women enjoy their sex life.

The message? Men should be the slaves in lesbian households.

Another woman comes into the carriage. Now all six seats are occupied. She's a medical student called Marianne. She defends women's right to have as much sex as they want with whoever they want.


3. The third story takes place in Mainz. Doctor Fridobert Walzel is a Professor at the University of Mainz, teaching Entomology. I had to look that up as well; it's the study of insects. His young wife Dorothee is unhappy, because he's more interested in the mating habits of insects than mating with her. One Saturday morning he leaves home early, because he wants to watch the mating act of two insects that only takes place once a year. The insect's name is corpus facilitis, if I understood it correctly. During mating the female shouts "Bee" while the male shouts "Tak Tak". Fascinating.

Two research students should be accompanying Doctor Walzel to the woods, but only one arrives. After they leave the second student arrives, a handsome young man, and he asks Dorothee to drive him to the woods. They go to the woods, but they get distracted. They have wild sex, in which she yells "Bee" and he yells "Tak Tak". It's so funny that I had to laugh out loud. Meanwhile, the female research student accompanying Doctor Walzel takes off her clothes and seduces the professor. While they're making love, he hears the Bee-Tak-Tak-ing and thinks the insects are close. They're on the floor doing it doggy style, so he pushes her towards the noises... and the two couples discover one another in the act.

The message? When you're making love in the woods, don't do Bee-Tak-Tak.


4. The fourth story takes place in the small town of Neustadt in Hessen. Karin and Heinz are a happily married couple, apart from the fact that Heinz is a truck driver who is often on the road for days. While Heinz is gone one day, Karin meets a hot young Spaniard called Juan, played by Rinaldo Talamonti. He does his best to put on a Spanish accent, but he can't disguise the fact that he's really Italian. Karin takes him back home for sex, and they have a long session of foreplay in which Juan pretends to be a bull while Karin is the matador. I should try it some time, it looks like fun.


Meanwhile, Heinz has stopped to help a woman with car troubles. It was a trap. The woman, Hildegard, was only pretending to have car troubles so that she could lure a man for sex. The story ends with a strange scene. Heinz is in bed being ridden by Hildegard, and he feels the need to check up on his wife. He calls her, and she answers despite being in the middle of sex with Juan. They talk on the phone, both acting normally, but both are worried because their partner sounds out of breath.

The message? I have absolutely no idea!


5. The fifth and final story takes place in Stuttgart. I know Stuttgart well, so I tried to figure out where it was. Eventually I saw a street sign and realised that it wasn't filmed in Stuttgart, it was Grünwald, a small town just south of Munich. Sieglinde is married to an older man called Lambert. He works two jobs so they'll be able to buy their own house, which is the dream of every Stuttgarter. In the evening Sieglinde wants to go to the fitness studio, but Ottokar, a young man from Dresden (DDR) arrives selling magazines. She doesn't want to buy anything, but she's willing to have sex. After this he leaves.

Meanwhile, Lambert is at his second job. He's seduced by his secretary, Gudrun, who's played by Ulrike Butz. She was the most beautiful German actress in the 1970's. Nobody else came close. After sex they both go home. When Lambert arrives home he's surprised to find Sieglinde at home, and she's surprised that he's come home so early. But the fickle fingers of fate are at work. Ottokar sees Gudrun in the street and chats her up. They tell each other they were just with someone, and when they say where they live they realise it was the same couple. Ottokar and Gudrun walk together to Lambert and Sieglinde's apartment. They wish the surprised couple all the best for their married life and leave together. Lambert tells his wife he'll quit his second job, because a happy marriage is more important than buying a house.

And that's the message of the fifth vignette, I guess.

It was my intention to only use the lobby cards for illustration, since I've found a full set online, but I think the following screenshots will be a welcome addition.


For all her fans, this is the amazing Rosl Mayr.


Herbert can't handle Dorothea Rau. Could you?


This is Herbert's fate as the emasculated cuckold of lebian lovers.


And here's another photo of Rosl Mayr. I know you want it!


Rinaldo Talamonti is a small man, but all the girls love him.


"Karin! You want me to do what?"


"Are you sure you don't want me to stand on a chair?"


"I need to hide! That was the doorbell!"


Can Karin tame the Spanish bull?


He's more of a bullock than a bull.


She got him!


But he likes it!


Ulrike Butz only appears for five minutes at the end of the film, but she's worth waiting for.


She's beautiful all over, face and body.


Lambert worships her as a Goddess.


Rosl Mayr approves. All women should be treated as Goddesses.

It's difficult for me to rate this film. It's not quite as good as the previous film in the series, but any film with Ulrike Butz and Rosl Mayr deserves four stars.