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Lola rennt, a review by goodguy

Lola rennt (DE 1998, AKA Run Lola Run) Written & Directed by: Tom Tykwer Starring: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu DVD: R2-UK Columbia TriStar (2000) My rating:

Cover Blurb: Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), who works as a small-time courier for a big-time gangster, is in huge trouble. He has accidentally left the cash from a mob deal on the subway, and he has only twenty minutes to deliver the 100,000 marks to his unforgiving boss. Desperate, he calls his girlfriend, Lola (Franka Potente), the only person who can rescue him form certain death.
As the seconds tick away and the tiniest choices become life altering, Lola must try to reach Manni before the line between fate and fortune begins to blur. One story told from three different perspectives, Run Lola Run is a veritable maze of intriguing plot twists and heart-stopping suspense in a high-octane thrill ride about one woman's desperate attempt to save her lover.review, I decided to round up. Frankly, Jon's reaction surprised me, because "Run Lola Run" bridges the gap between experimental arthouse cinema and mainstream with a postmodernist approach that is not entirely unlike the early movies of Tarantino. Of course, Tykwer is less violent, a little more philosophical, a lot more puristic, and his hommages (which are actually just little nods) to other movies show a better taste.

Now, is RLR the best video game adaptation without being based on any actual game, a cross between "Groundhog Day", Godard's "Breathless" and "Wonder Woman", a philosophical meditation on fate and chance, or a portrait of the reunited Berlin, completely in flux?

Well, it is all that and probably more, but while the movie certainly isn't without depth, it also works on a strict surface level as a fantasy of wish fulfillment that is pure Hollywood. Add to that an iconic female lead, true love that conquers all and a few thriller elements, and you are in for a fun ride.

Right from the start, the prolog ironically alternates between both choices. T. S. Elliot versus Sepp Herberger, a narrator waxing philosophically only to be dismissed by more football platitudes from a guy in uniform.

The plot and the backstory are given in the initial phone conversation between Lola and Manni that gets more and more hysterical until Lola's first glass-shattering scream. Then it's mission time for Lola. 20 minutes to get the money from her banker dad and to get to Manni before he robs a supermarket. Game on and Lola runs through Berlin to frantic techno music with spoken lyrics, Anne-Clark-style. If at first you don't succeed, repeat. Three times.

That's pretty much all that happens. There is no narrative ballast, no character motivations, no further explanations, only encounters and exchanges, although the repetitions cleverly interlock, expand and, of course, change the happenings until the final outcome is achieved. That minimalist narrative is of course what makes RLR interesting, because while it keeps the basic framework of an escapist mainstream fantasy, it throws away all the exchangeable fillings.

Tykwer uses different techniques and even different film materials to organize his story. Lola and Manni are shot on normal 35mm film, the flashbacks of Manni's initial backstory are in black and white, any scenes not involving those two are shot on video. As Lola runs into various people on her mission, a sequence of photographs shows flash-forwards to their future as generated by the ripple effect of Lola's actions. There is animation, there are split screens, an almost codified use of colors, dazzling camera moves that create a hyperkinetic visual style. The pacing and editing is flawless and the rhythm precise with ironic counterpoints and full stops, such as the sudden soap opera of Lola's dad and his mistress in the bank office.

Each segment starts with the same scene Lola leaving the apartment (and her distracted mother). Then it turns into a cartoon of Lola running down a staircase and passing a guy with a dog on the way. That's her first obstacle and the first difference between the segments, with a strong hint how the segment will play out. The song lyrics do so as well. In the first run, she is determined, but she just passively reacts. In the second run she fights head-on, with no regards for herself or the people around her. In the third run she becomes completely in tune with what is happening around her, causing her to succeed.

The final ending cannot be anything than a happy one, albeit again with a slightly ironic touch. Also, if you didn't pay attention to the bank security guard, you might have missed something.

I'm glad Jon caused me to rewatch this; I had almost forgotten why I liked Tykwer once. I also posted a few remarks directly in response to Jon's review.

And for a Berlin film that is the complete antithesis to RLR, I recommend Maria Speth's "In den Tag hinein" (AKA The Days Between).


(From goodguy's Watch Log on July 19th, 2010)

Jaws, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Jaws
Year: 1975
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG
Length: 124 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Roy Scheider as Brody
Robert Shaw as Quint
Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper
Lorraine Gary as Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton as Vaughn

Plot:
This Special 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition is Digitally Mastered and contains exclusive footage, interviews, and behind-the-scenes material.

Steven Spielberg directed this classic film that became one of the most enduring action-suspense films of all time.

"JAWS" was an instant blockbuster, a phenomenon, and today it is still among the highest grossing films in motion picture history, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike.

Rediscover the timeless film that continues to make entire generations afraid to go in the water.

Extras:
Scene Access
Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Gallery
Production Notes
Interactive Games
Outtakes/Bloopers
DVD-ROM Content

My Thoughts:
This is the first time I have watched this movie in a very long time. This is only the second time I watched it since I bought it a good 7 years ago. Not because it is a bad movie as I do enjoy it. Though I don't think I enjoy it quite as much as a lot of people. It is a good story but I do find it slow at times. Plus there is the fact that I was never much of a fan of Richard Dreyfuss though I did enjoy him in this more then I do in most movies I have seen with him. Over all... I would definitely recommend this one.



(From Movies of the '70s Marathon on March 18th, 2010)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Lana has a secret admirer who sends her poems but Clark is overprotective and assumes he is a stalker. Clark and Ross finally find the young man who is held captive in the basement of the house of by his parents. But when they release him, he transforms and not even Clark is able to stop him.

My Opinion: Lana's grudge with Clark didn't even last one episode. I find it always interesting how people manage to hold helicopters on the ground just because they are strong enough - yet they aren't anchored to the ground in any way. It's one of the riddles about superpowers I probably never solve. I liked it, though and it was nice to see Richard Moll (Bull in Night Court) again although it was only a small role.

Synopsis: Two students die of old age in short succession and that can't be a coincedence. Someone seems to suck the life out of them to stay young. But the Kent family has yet another problem: They need some additional money and there's a person who could help: Martha's father. But Jonathan and he have a long, bad history that Clark tries to mend.

My Opinion: A standard FotW episode where the bad gal died a bit too fast in my opinion. But I liked to see that even the Kents can't solve all their family issues, it makes them more normal.

Synopsis: A woman comes to town who claims to be Clark's real mother. She also claims that he is a half-brother of Lex's. Meanwhile Lana tries to find out whether a certain man is her biological father. It is also revealed, how the Kents managed to get adoption papers for Clark.

My Opinion: A "family" episode that I liked a lot. It is interesting to see how the "average television family" has changed over the decades, from the "perfect" housewife, the husband and the two children to what we've seen in recent years (the families in ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 24, ... and Smallville). I never noticed before that Chloe's mother has been mentioned that early in the show, although her fate hasn't been revealed yet.

Synopsis: Ryan calls from the Summerholt Institute where he is held as research object. Clark rescues him but that nearly lands him in prision for kidnapping. Ryan's ability to read minds is based on a brain tumor that will kill him. Clark and Lex try to prevent that.

My Opinion: A very emotional episode and a very sad one. I find it interesting how they made the comic Warrior Angel a forebode of things to come. Funny thing to say about a fantasy series but it makes it more realistic that Clark isn't able to save everyone, especially when there's nothing that he can do personally.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on May 24th, 2008)