Branded to kill (1967)

	Also Known As: Korochi no rakuin
	Year of first release: 1967
	Director: Seijun Suzuki
	Actors: Jo Shishido, Mariko Ogawa, Annu Mari
	Country: J
	Genre: Polar, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 11.12.2015, DVD, Japanese version with German subtitles
Synopsis: A hit-man, Goro Hanada (Shishido), with a fetish for sniffing boiling rice, fumbles his latest job, putting him into conflict with his treacherous wife Mami (Ogawa), with a mysterious woman eager (Mari) for death and with the phantom-like hit-man known only as Number One.
Review: The story is full of suspense, especially the mystery of the "organisation". Unfortunately these contrast with moments full of boredom where nothing happens for minutes or where a scene with the typical Japanese woman screams is almost repeated. The different surprises on both professional and personal fronts for Goro are really funny and typical of the modern Japanese sense of humour. Completely crazy things done by the hero. The acting is fine even if the exageration of Mami's role makes it quite heavy. Even for the boring scenes the directing and the camera driving is good.
Rating: 5 /10

Sophelikoptern (2015)

	Also Known As: The garbage helicopter, Der Müllhubschrauber
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Jonas Selberg Augustsén
	Actors: Christopher Burjanski, Daniel Szoppe, Jessica Szoppe
	Country: S
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 08.11.2015, CineStar 5, Romani/Swedish/English version, NFDL2015
Synopsis: An elderly Roma woman yearns for her wall clock, which has been in the repair shop for a year. So she calls her granddaughter to pick it up and bring it. Shortly thereafter, a Saab takes to the road, carrying the clock, three people Baki (Burjanski), Saska (Daniel Szoppe) and Enesa (Jessica Szoppe) – including one obsessed with crossword puzzles, a giant roll of bubble wrap and a device for detecting speed traps.
Review: The story is quite simple but the Swedish roads have many surprises. Strange monuments, strange behaviours at the few tank stations, etc. Since 2010, Augustsén shoots movies focused on one minority language of Sweden (The Autumn man in Finnish and Myrlandet in Samí. This time Romaní. Augustsén shows that the daily life of the standard Swede is full of absurd humour because full of absurd hobbies and reactions, full of silence, full of stereotypes on the minorities, etc. I like the standard answer the three road riders give to the Swedes ("We speak Swedish").  The actors are really coming from the Romaní minority and their behaviour is like the Swedish behaviours quite strange and funny for me. They are authentic, maybe because they experienced these daily life scenes as well. Note that two siblings are playing the main roles. I do not know whether it is due to Sweden or due to the city/country-side difference. Anyway the scenes with dialogue or silence humour or with situation humour made me laugh a lot.  The cinematography with a strictly unmoving camera for each take opens a door to many humouristic games. The black-and-white cinematography captures moments with great authenticity and sometimes mystery.  I liked not only the movie but also the idea of the movie done by a Swede in a minority language.
Rating: 7 /10

Mistress America (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Noah Baumbach
	Actors: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke
	Country: USA
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 23.11.2015, Schauburg, OV Sneak Preview, English version
Synopsis: Tracy (Kirke), a lonely college freshman in New York, is rescued from her solitude by her soon-to-be stepsister Brooke (Gerwig), an adventurous gal about town who entangles her in alluringly mad schemes. Tracy is looking for adventure and she finds it in her new friend.
Review: I wanted absolutely to watch this movie because I loved the acting of Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha. This story makes her the mentor of a newcomer in New-York city. It depicts how the newcomer discovers that life can be so delightful. But also how an apparently strong mentor can be fragile. There are some authentic moments full of this new freedom but not that much. And several scenes are rather slow.  The acting of Greta Gerwig is again excellent. It is like your best girlfriend when she speaks about tousands topics at the same time and with the same enthousiasm. I like that. But the roles in Mistress America are often a bit slow and not evolving that much. Actually one is suposed to evolve a lot, Tracy, but it is not made visible unfortunately. The camera driving is as for Frances Ha very natural and this makes a lot in the feeling of authenticity mastered by Baumbach. Even if this time it is not that amazing, I will continue watching movies by Noah Baumbach and with Greta Gerwig, because they have both a very good potential.
Rating: 5 /10

Legend (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Brian Helgeland
	Actors: Tom Hardy, Emily Browning
	Country: GB, F
	Genre: Polar
	Conditions of visioning: 14.12.2015, Schauburg, OV Sneak Preview, English version
Synopsis: Twin gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray (Hardy) become two of the most notorious criminals in British history, and their organised crime empire in the East End of London during the 1960s.
Review: Told partially from the point of view of Reggie's wife Frances Shea (Browning), the story is more than just a polar and story of crime. It gives a lot if insights in the private lives (Frances, twin relationship, apparent craziness of Ronnie) of the twins and how this impacted on their working lives. The story is maintained very interesting and plenty of with surprises.  The acting of Tom Hardy is once again excellent. After his amazing acting in Locke, I admire this actor as one of the top 3 actors nowadays. The remaining actors appear beside him very secondary. Even Emily Browning. The camera driving and image composition are very well done, even if quite classic it enhances the dialogues and acting.
Rating: 8 /10

Carol (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Todd Haynes
	Actors: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler
	Country: USA, GB
	Genre: Romance, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 07.12.2015, Schauburg, OV Sneak Preview, English version
Synopsis: A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store when she meets Carol (Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. Carol's husband (Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.
Review: This movie was promising to me as the story of two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. The contrast with the time convention sounded very interesting. I learned only later that it was a best-seller novel by Patricia Highsmith, The Price of Salt.  I have been quite disappointed to find a conventional story-telling and finally not much facts building the relationships. There are beautiful long looks from Blanchett and Rooney Mara to each other, but not many events or gestures setting the ties between them. I found the story quite poor while the pitch was excellent and the acting was good.
Rating: 4 /10

The mission (1986)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1986
	Director: Roland Joffé
	Actors: Jeremy Irons, Robert de Niro, Ray McAnally, Liam Neeson
	Country: GB, F
	Genre: Adventure, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 22.11.2015, DVD, Original English version with German subtitles
Synopsis: Mid 18th century. Father Gabriel (Irons) starts and leads a mission beyond the waterfall of Iguacu in a territory bargained between Spain and Portugal. Rodrigo (de Niro) is a slave-hunter who turns penitent after murdering his brother for jealousy. Cardinal Altamirano (McAnally) has to take a decision on these missions and the slavery.
Review: This movie is very important to me since I watched it as a kid. It had shown how to present a political opinion with real facts and in a story telling so good that many emotions come out.  This deals with the question of injustice, of justification of slavery and other abuses. Justification via religion or anything else. The story frame is actually universal to me and quite modern as well. People profiting from injustice and pushing this and justifying this via anything. Today we have people justifying the free trade of weapons to allow citizen to defend themselves, we have people justifying the massive import of palm oil e.g. from Indonesia to Europe to reduce their own carbon dioxide balance.  On the cinematographical side, this movie is amazing. The actors are impressive of authenticity, force and charisma, especially de Niro (showing hate, proud, vanity, desolation and compassion) and Irons (showing love, compassion, faith), but also Neeson. For McAnally it is especially his text and voice which are moving.  The dialogues and off-tones enhance very well the subject of the movie and brings clearly and fast to the real point. The last look of McAnally to the viewer is excellent to send the request to think about. The directing shows excellence not only by taking the best of the main actors, but also of the Guaranis and of the magnificent nature used as scenery. The choice of the music and the composition fit totally to the emotions intended to be touched by the movie.  Therefore The Mission is a Master piece.
Rating: 10 /10

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: J. J. Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek)
	Actors: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega (Attack the Block), Adam Driver (J. Edgar, Lincoln), Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones 1-4, Clear and Present Danger), Mark Hamill (Sushi Girl), Carrie Fisher (Austin Powers)
	Country: USA
	Genre: SF
	Conditions of visioning: 19.12.2015, Mathäser Kino, 3D
Synopsis: Thirty years after the defeat of the Empire, The First Order has risen from its ashes and threatens the Republic. Both parties are looking for a small robot that holds the plans to the location of Luke Skywalker (Hamill).
Review: At last, a new Star Wars trilogy begins. It seems like not so long ago I heard in the news about Disney buying the rights to the franchise for some four billion dollars. I immediately thought this was a clever move from the company with large ears: everybody wants to see more of Star Wars and the Marvel experience has shown that people are ready and even eager to see many movies based on the same universe and that this strategy is very profitable. So Disney will assiduously deliver a new movie at every Christmas for the next six years, alternating episodes of the new trilogy and spin-offs. They are also building a Star Wars theme park next to Disneyland and I don't even mention the merchandising that has flooded us over the past weeks. Disney even managed to convince J. J. Abrams (probably with a big paycheck and some artistic freedom) of directing this new opus after his successful revamping of the Star Trek franchise. It feels weird that he is in charge of two SF stories known to be radically different and to have different fan groups, but he has always maintained that he was a Star Wars guy before all. With the movie in such good hands we were allowed to hope for something good, or at the very least not as ridiculous as some moments of the second trilogy directed by George Lucas himself (and apparently not much consulted for The Force Awakens). My verdict is rather positive: a few scenes gave me the shivers and none were as embarrassing as the attempted kiss between Anakin and Padme in Episode II - Attack of the Clones, although I couldn't help but notice some weaknesses in the story (unexplained ellipses), the lenghty fights, some misplaced Abrams-style jokes, breaks in the rhythm, the not-powerful-enough music or the visuals (the bad guy removing a tight helmet to reveal a voluminous yet perfectly combed hair). The movie also gives a funny feeling of déjà vu as it is obviously a hidden partial remake of the original Episode IV - A New Hope. Even though I was not entirely thrilled by the experience, I liked the way with which the classic characters (Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, Luke, ...) and sets (Millennium Falcon, Imperial ships...) are introduced. I could notice an immense reverence for the original trilogy. The new characters are also interesting: Finn, Rey, Poe, Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke motion-captured from Andy 'Gollum' Serkis, the cute robot BB-8 and the too furtive Lor San Tekka played by the great Max Von Sydow. The special effects are very good-looking of course, but more importantly used to provide new sensations. I loved the view of giant Imperial ships sunk in the desert and the race of the Millennium Falcon through them. Although I cannot forget some scenes very strong in emotion, I regret not having felt one as strong as the last half hour of Episode III - Revenge of the Sith or as the duel against Darth Maul in Episode I - The Phantom Menace (to mention only the second trilogy). This may be inherent to the production of the story with an open ending (how many more trilogies await us in the future?) compared to the conclusion of one that leads inexorably to a known fate. You may find me a bit negative in this review but I am sure that time (and a completed trilogy) will work in favor of The Force Awakens. The post-converted 3D was useless and quite bad and as usual the cinema crowd distracting with pop-corn, so I am very much looking forward to watching the movie in the quietness of a Home Theater.
Rating: 6 /10

Game of Thrones - Season 5 (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Creators: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, George R. R. Martin
	Actors: Peter Dinklage (Xmen: Days of a Future Past), Lena Headey (300, Dredd), Emilia Clarke (Terminator: Genesis), Kit Harington (Pompeii)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Drama, Fantasy
	Conditions of visioning: November-December 2015, HD VOD, Home Cinema
Synopsis: The games of power for the control of the Iron Thrones rage on.
Review: The structure of this TV-series is by now so well established and its quality so constant that it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish and review a season independently from another. People die including main characters, dragons are betting bigger, tough decisions are taken, battles are fought, characters are prisoner of their destiny, some others are born evil... Characters continue to grow up, like the two Stark daughters, while Daenerys is apparently more stuck in her position. For this fifth season I can focus on the bit of convergence I usually lacked in the first seasons: I appreciate that groups of characters converge while other leave on new missions, so that even though it looks like the series will never end, at least the viewer see some progression in the middle-term. I can also notice the apparition not of new alliances (always expected in the story) but of new themes, like the religious one starting in the Episode #5 High Sparrow. There has always been mention throughout the series of the seven Gods, the true God, the God of Fire, the many-faces God, but this time we see in action a legitimized group of religious fanatics not unlike the Catholic Inquisition. Some characters will learn that such power and fanaticism is not to be toyed with. The last three episodes (Hardsome, The Dance of Dragons and Mother's Mercy) are quite impressive both in terms of amplitude of the visual effects or of impact on some character's development, which deliver what the audience wanted although I found the ending a bit too open and not satisfying enough. But also how to close satisfactorily ten parallel story arcs?
Rating: 6 /10

Lost in Translation (2003)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2003
	Director: Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides)
	Actors:  Bill Murray (Groundhog Day, Moorise Kingdom), Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers 1-2), Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar), Anna Faris (May)
	Country: USA, J
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 18.12.2015, SD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: A famous actor past his prime (Murray) and the neglected wife of a photographer (Johansson) meet in their hotel in Tokyo, both at lost with the workings of this foreign country.
Review: Currently organizing my own trip to Japan for April, I am quite inclined to watch movies from or about this country so I couldn't avoid Sofia Coppola's second feature film. I had mixed feelings after watching it back in 2003 and I could now remember why: nothing much happens in this movie and it is thus easy to get bored if you are not fan of Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and/or Sofia Coppola's style. Because in fact the movie is not about things happening but things not happening, and all its interests resides in the mood that Coppola manages very well to convey with slow and long shots, or for example by often shooting secondary characters from the back, or without showing their face (it even happens to a main character like the photographer played by Ribisi to accentuate his hollow life). In that context, Scarlett Johanssen and especially Bill Murray deliver an excellent actor's performance. He can in one sentence and one look transmit the feelings of an aging actor who would rather be on stage than part of a commercial freak show (reminding the main theme of Birdman). In three quick apparitions Anna Faris also gives an acid image of the Hollywood star. The movie is timely taking place at a period when smartphones and Internet were not as widespread so the characters trapped in the hotel room cannot escape it via Internet. Past the basic topic of the movie and the clichés (different culture and rules, difficulties with the language, food or transport...) a second layer progressively emerges, this one about the main characters' place in life as both of them, in spite of their large age difference, are uncertain about their situation and their future. Lost in Translation is better appreciated if you are ready to slowly dive into its rhythm and scratch the surface meaning to see beyond. I am still not totally convinced but since 2003 I have learned how to appreciate such movies. And it did hit the intended mark of placing me even more in the mood to discover Tokyo and Japan. The next Japanese movie on my list: Always: Sunset on Third Street.
Rating: 6 /10

Underwater Love - A Pink Musical (2011)

	Also Known As: Onna no kappa (original)
	Year of first release: 2011
	Director: Shinji Imaoka
	Actors: Sawa Masaki, Yoshirô Umezawa, Ai Narita
	Country: J, D
	Genre: Music, Drama, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 12.12.2015, DVD, Home cinema
Synopsis: 35-year old Asuka (Masaki), working in a fish factory, is about to marry her boss when she meets a mythical Kappa (Umezawa), creature of the swamps who actually used to be a boy she knew in high school before he died.
Review: In the category of weird Japanese movies it is difficult to find weirder. I had seen this one at the Udine Far East Film Festival in 2011 and recently bought this nice DVD edition that also contains the original soundtrack by the German band Stereo Total, one of the interested of the this movie. Another interest is the presence in the crew of cinematographer Christopher Boyle known for his work on Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love, 2046 but also Hero and Lady in the Water. Those particularities make this Pinku noticeable. What is Pinku you ask? I learned that it is a whole genre of Japanese cinema, that can be best described as erotico-dramatic. In the few such movies I have seen, there is indeed a mandatory simulated sex scene every ten minutes in the middle of an otherwise serious and half-well-acted story. I remember in particular The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai in which some girl finds the thumb of George W. Bush, having thus control over the US nuclear arsenal! I let you guess where the thumb ends up. Back to Underwater Love: the movie looks very cheap (the Kappa outfit!) and the actors amateurish, but if you are into a different kind of cinema then you can appreciate the offbeat humour (the God of Death!), the sex scenes nobody would otherwise dare to show in a cinema movie, and my favorite part: the dance and songs.
Rating: 5 /10

The girl king (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Mika Kaurismäki
	Actors: Malin Buska, Sarah Gadon, Michael Nyqvist, Lukas Bryant, Hippolyte Girardot, Patrick Bauchau
	Country: FIN, CDN, S, F, D
	Genre: Romance, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 07.11.2015, CineStar 1, NFDL2015, English version with German subtitles
Synopsis: Sweden 1638. Crowned Queen at the age of six, Kristina of Sweden (Buska) was thrust into a labyrinth of power and tradition lead by austere Lutheran men. She finds sanctuary and love with her lady-in-waiting, the beautiful and elegant, countess Ebba Sparre (Gadon), although the Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna (Nyqvist) pressures her to pair with his son, Johan (Bryant). As Queen of the Lumières (Enlightener) and influenced by the French Ambassador Chanut (Girardot) and Descartes (Bauchau) she promoted liberty of ideas. Soon her ennemies realize that Ebba is the key to control her but they underestimate Kristina's brilliant mind and her drive to be free.
Review: Even if the poster is not very inviting, the plot is. And the movie is a very good historical movie. From the historical point of view, I do not know. But at least for the effort of reconstitution of that era yes.  As young Queen Kristina, her clothes are very modern for a woman of that time. Her behaviour also. And that is good. Her lesbian love affair is suggested but never shown explicitly. The focus of the story is really on the policital conflict and not on the romance. And the intrigues are well presented, even if the correspondence with Descartes could have been better enhanced to show how much could be expressed via mail.  The acting of Malin Buska is fine while Michael Nyqvist is really impressive in an intrigant strict Lutherian role. It was funny to see the rare Hippolyte Girardot.  The directing is very fine and gets the most free and open-minded impression of Kristina. Via the way she runs through the castle or rides in the country.  Kristina of Sweden gets another meaning to me.
Rating: 6 /10

Man of Tai Chi (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Keanu Reeves
	Actors: Tiger Hu Chen, Keanu Reeves (Speed, The Matrix 1-3), Karen Mok
	Country: USA, CN, HK
	Genre: Action
	Conditions of visioning: 06.12.2015, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: Tiger Chen (Chen) wishes to promote Tai Chi as a powerful Martial Art and displays his talent at a competition on TV. He is spotted by Donaka Mark (Reeves) who is looking for a new star in his underground boxing tournament.
Review: On the same year as 47 Ronin, it is funny to see that Keanu Reeves was starring in another Martial Arts movie for the first time since his noticeable performance in The Matrix. It is also funny that he looks younger and more energetic in 47 Ronin while in Man of Tai Chi he surprisingly plays a bad guy with a purpose, and does so quite well. Contrarily to what the poster suggests, he is not at all one of the main fighters of the movie. Tiger Hu Chen however is and I liked his style, different from the Thai style made popular in the last decade, and in fact showing a more traditional fighting style like in the "Old-School" Wu Xia Pian films of the Shaw Brothers for example. This is obvious not only in the fighting style but also in parts of the story (the Master and his training), the scenery (traditional temple), the stunts (just wired enough) and the cinematography (zooms on the faces). All of this is quite appreciable and may be due to a Sino-American co-production and the influence of Keanu Reeves in his directorial debut. I could however criticize the extreme simplicity of some scenes and character's reactions (influence of the Chinese cinema?) and some confusing ellipses, in particular one that made me loose the track of the story for a few minutes.
Rating: 6 /10

Home Alone (1990)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1990
	Director: Chris Columbus (Harry Potter 1&2, Bicentennial Man)
	Actors: Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone 2), Joe Pesci (Casino, Goodfellas), Daniel Stern
	Country: USA
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 05.12.2015, SD VOD, 14" computer screen
Synopsis: When his extended family rushes their departure to France for the Christmas holiday, Kevin (Culkin) is forgotten at home. He will not only have to face being alone, but also elude the plans of two burglars (Pesci & Stern).
Review: That is a Christmas movie I loved watching every year when I was a kid and that I hadn't seen in a while. Now being that time of year again I wanted to see how it has aged. In fact I didn't appreciate it as much as when I was a kid because everything is far-fetched in this movie, from the comedy to the burglars and Kevin'd tricks. But I was nevertheless pleased to see those old gags again and giggled at the stupidity of the wet burglars ("Les casseurs flotteurs" in French). And the movie is filled with a harmless Christmas Spirit (especially in the relationship between Kevin and the hobo) which is anyway a good reason to watch again this movie in the first place. Not a masterpiece but an integral part of anyone's childhood, or at least of mine.
Rating: 5 /10

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2001
	Director: Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out), David Silverman (The Simpsons Movie), Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 2-3, Finding Nemo)
	Actors (voices): Billy Crystal, John Goodman (The Big Lebowski), Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi (Con Air, Armageddon), James Coburn (The Great Escape), Jennifer Tilly (Bride of Chucky), Frank Oz (The Empire Strikes Back)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Animation, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 08.11.2015, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: Mike (Crystal) and Sullivan (Goodman) work for a Monsters company that produces energy from the screams of children awaken at night by them coming out from under the bed or in the closet.
Review: Already 14 years ago, Pixar was producing this movie with a digital technology that was evolving incredibly fast. This allowed them to do something far more complex than before, but at the same time I can now see the limitations in the animation of that time. For example a lot of attention was paid to reproduce a good-looking fur for Sullivan, but in contrast I find that the characters and the sets around them lack of detail. For more on the evolution of Pixar one can watch the interesting 2007 documentary The Pixar Story. I can critisize the visual quality with today's eye, but it doesn't really matter because what is great in Monsters Inc. is the original idea (who thought of that?!?) and the way the story unfolds. In a nutshell, the movie manages to provide an all-too-rare quasi-perfect mix of comedy (mainly around Mike), emotion (around Sullivan and Boo) and a little bit of romance (Celia) and drama (with Randall). This is a goal most american computer-animated movied aim at, but very few actually reach it. For more of Mike and Sullivan you can also watch the "prequel" Monsters University from 2013.
Rating: 7 /10

I want to be weird (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Brynja Fridriksdottir
	Actors: -
	Country: GB, IS
	Genre: Documentary
	Conditions of visioning: 07.11.2015, KoKi, NFDL2015, English version
Synopsis: Kitty von-Sometime is a British artist who has lived in Iceland for seven years. She is mostly known for 'The Weird Girls Project', an ongoing art event only for women. Each project is a single episode which is unique and has it's own concept. Kitty chooses a group of women to participate for each episode but one of the main goals of the project is to increase the women's self-confidence, strengthen their body image and encourage them to release their inhibitions.
Review: The main interest of this documentary is to have a view on what kind of project this is. Through more or less artistic projects the selected women gain self-confidence via acceptance of one's self. And this social goal is met quite well. The projects are well organised and based on the work of all the participants. I like it.  For those who could and should be inspired by that, please have a look there. I expected the documentary turned more on the women' emancipation while it focuses rather on the life of Kitty. Therefore I am a bit disappointed, just because I am missing something in the movie.
Rating: 4 /10

Remember (2015)

	Also Known As: Souviens-toi
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Atom Egoyan
	Actors: Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau
	Country: CDN, D
	Genre: Drama, Black comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 16.11.2015, Schauburg, OV Sneak Preview, English version with German subtitles
Synopsis: Zev Gutman (Plummer) is an elderly man with dementia. When his wife dies, he discovers from a letter written by his friend Max Rosenbaum (Landau) that the Nazi guard who murdered his family some 70 years ago in Auschwitz is living in America under an assumed identity. He then goes in search of this Rudy Kurlander. Despite the obvious challenges, Zev sets out on a mission to deliver long-delayed justice with his own trembling hand.
Review: The story is full of surprises and humour. Even if the gags are often the same (on the dementia of Zev) and become therefore dramatic. The comedy continues with the humouristic picture of the modern USA population. Migrants from Germany of all types, Nazis, liked-to-be Nazis, people persecuted by Nazi regime. This is of course black humour. After a few Rudys This is also truth on the modern USA and its history. The actor Christopher Plummer shows he is still a good actor, since The night of the generals, and his performance is excellent.  The rythm of the movie is quite slow and suffers from the lack of music to enhance the slowness of the character as David Lynch did in Straight Story.
Rating: 5 /10

Steve Jobs (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Danny Boyle
	Actors: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen
	Country: USA
	Genre: Documentary, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 09.11.2015, Schauburg, OV Sneak Preview, English version
Synopsis: Steve Jobs (Fassbender) is the boss of Apple and his story is typical of the digital revolution. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, starting from the Macintosh ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac.
Review: This biopic (therefore it is classified also as Documentary) is expected because of the hype on Apple and his cool design foor iMac, iPod, iPad, iPhone and other i's. I do nnot have any Apple product therefore I see it only with the eyes of a guy recognising the good commercial idea and marketing as well as the expoitation of workers and consumers for personal profit.  In the movie, to be honest, I expecte only the first aspect. The story repeats the same scheme three times. Three preparations of product launch. Meeting the same people every time and having tense disputes with all of them every time. Sad life. But the life of a good marketing guy, a shark for his colleagues. And finally a lonely man.  As the situations are repeated the acting is quite unchanging and therefore not so great to me. For the same reason the directing is not amazing.  I am not sure of the goal of this movie. The result on me is that the positive aspect of the person that I expected is not presented and thus I will ignore even more the Apple hype and the Steve Jobs hype.
Rating: 3 /10