On paper, the plight of a pair of families fleeing 1979’s East Germany in a hot air balloon sounds like fabricated fodder for a spy novel. But as implausible as it sounds, this “The Mysterious Island”-esque grand escape from Deutschland’s then walled-in, oppressive slice really did happen. And nearly four decades after being the subject of Disney’s “Night Crossing,” it is now a tale told in small-screen comedian Michael Bully Herbig’s “Balloon,” a competently made political thriller that sadly mines for suspense in all the wrong places.
Still, “Balloon” is decent entertainment to a degree, and that is mostly thanks to its handsome production values. The quaint environs and row houses of Thuringia as well as the era’s eye-popping costumes by Lisy Christl — well-tailored clothes and floral-heavy fabrics with traces of ’70s cool — are admittedly easy on the eyes. But considering the film’s stretched...
Still, “Balloon” is decent entertainment to a degree, and that is mostly thanks to its handsome production values. The quaint environs and row houses of Thuringia as well as the era’s eye-popping costumes by Lisy Christl — well-tailored clothes and floral-heavy fabrics with traces of ’70s cool — are admittedly easy on the eyes. But considering the film’s stretched...
- 2/21/2020
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
Balloon Distrib Films Us Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Michael Herbig Screenwriter: Kit Hopkins, Thilo Röscheisen, Michael Herbig Cast: Freidrich Mücke, Karoline Schuch, David Kross, Alicia von Rittberg, Thomas Kretschmann Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 2/6/20 Opens: February 21, 2020 The Jews in Germany had a real […]
The post Balloon Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Balloon Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 2/16/2020
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
What Is It: “Cargo”, a moody, ambitious sci-fi thriller from Switzerland, directed by Ivan Engler and Ralph Etter, and co-written by Engler, Arnold Bucher, Johnny Hartmann, and Thilo Roscheisen. Made for an estimated $4.5 Swiss Francs (about $4.2 million dollars), the film recently made its North American debut at the SXSW Festival. “Cargo” is set in the far future, where mankind has, once again, made a mess of things and are now forced to reside in orbiting space station/city monstrosities. The only escape from this dreary existence is the paradise planet of Rhea, which is open to everyone – as long as you have the bucks. Who Are They?: Anna-Katharina Schwabroh, a German TV actress making her feature film debut, stars as Laura Portmann, a doctor who has contracted for a lengthy stint on a cargo ship in order to make the money to travel to Rhea, where she longs to...
- 3/28/2010
- by Nix
- SciFiCool.com
Year: 2009
Directors: Ivan Engler / Ralph Etter
Writers: Ivan Engler / Patrick Steinmann / Thilo röscheisen
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: agentorange
Rating: 8.2 out of 10
[Editor's note: Cargo is having its North American premier at Sxsx 2010 tomorrow night. Be there, or be square.]
Those of you worried that Cargo will turn out to be just another Alien clone are going to be happy by the end of this review. Because, despite what the marketing for the film may have us believe, Cargo is not the typical space-station horror you might be expecting. It is a much grander work than that, blending classic scifi ideas about the destiny of humanity with massive visual scope and confident direction from first-time feature directors Ivan Engler and Ralph Etter. In short, Switzerland has not only produced its first large scale science fiction film, but one that showcases enough smarts and skill that it ranks among scifi cinema's best.
In all honestly I was completely taken aback when the first act of Cargo started to play.
Directors: Ivan Engler / Ralph Etter
Writers: Ivan Engler / Patrick Steinmann / Thilo röscheisen
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: agentorange
Rating: 8.2 out of 10
[Editor's note: Cargo is having its North American premier at Sxsx 2010 tomorrow night. Be there, or be square.]
Those of you worried that Cargo will turn out to be just another Alien clone are going to be happy by the end of this review. Because, despite what the marketing for the film may have us believe, Cargo is not the typical space-station horror you might be expecting. It is a much grander work than that, blending classic scifi ideas about the destiny of humanity with massive visual scope and confident direction from first-time feature directors Ivan Engler and Ralph Etter. In short, Switzerland has not only produced its first large scale science fiction film, but one that showcases enough smarts and skill that it ranks among scifi cinema's best.
In all honestly I was completely taken aback when the first act of Cargo started to play.
- 3/16/2010
- QuietEarth.us
As the SXSW Film, Music and Interactive festival gets closer, more and more announcements are coming out about what programming we can expect during the event. Friday, it was announced what film would cose the competition and in addition, more features and shorts were added to the program which already features over 100 films.
Here’s all the info about the new items from the official press release. As we told you previously, we’ve got a great team going to SXSW this year so be sure to check back often for more.
SXSW Film Festival Announces Closing Night Film,
Additional Features & Shorts For 2010 Event
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival has announced Chris Morris’ pitch-black satire Four Lions as its Closing Night film, to play on Saturday, March 20 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. SXSW also released additional feature and short titles or the 2010 event, which...
Here’s all the info about the new items from the official press release. As we told you previously, we’ve got a great team going to SXSW this year so be sure to check back often for more.
SXSW Film Festival Announces Closing Night Film,
Additional Features & Shorts For 2010 Event
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival has announced Chris Morris’ pitch-black satire Four Lions as its Closing Night film, to play on Saturday, March 20 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. SXSW also released additional feature and short titles or the 2010 event, which...
- 2/22/2010
- by Chris Ullrich
- The Flickcast
SXSW Film has announced more titles for its 2010 program. Chris Morris' Four Lions will now close the festival. New features, shorts, and documentaries have also been added, including American Grindhouse, Cargo, Strummerville, This Movie is Broken, and Suck. The full list (courtesty of SXSW) is presented below.
Headliners
Four Lions (United Kingdom)
Director: Chris Morris. Screenwriters: Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell and Chris Morris
Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. Cast: Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak, Adeel Akhtar
Spotlight Premieres
American Grindhouse
Director: Elijah Drenner. Screenwriters: Calum Wadell and Elijah Drenner
This feature documentary chronicles the history of the American Exploitation Film. It digs deep into this often overlooked category of U.S. cinema and unearths the shameless and occasionally shocking origins of this popular entertainment. (World Premiere)
Cargo...
Headliners
Four Lions (United Kingdom)
Director: Chris Morris. Screenwriters: Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell and Chris Morris
Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. Cast: Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak, Adeel Akhtar
Spotlight Premieres
American Grindhouse
Director: Elijah Drenner. Screenwriters: Calum Wadell and Elijah Drenner
This feature documentary chronicles the history of the American Exploitation Film. It digs deep into this often overlooked category of U.S. cinema and unearths the shameless and occasionally shocking origins of this popular entertainment. (World Premiere)
Cargo...
- 2/20/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Austin, Texas – February 19, 2010 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival has announced Chris Morris’ pitch-black satire Four Lions as its Closing Night film, to play on Saturday, March 20 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. SXSW also released additional feature and short titles or the 2010 event, which will take place March 12 – March 20, 2010. The festival will open with the world premiere of Kick-Ass, directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring Aaron Johnson, Cholë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicolas Cage. SXSW will also host more than 80 Film Conference panels, which will take place Friday, March 12 – Tuesday, March 16. Previously announced participants for the 2010 SXSW Film Conference include Michel Gondry (The Thorn in the Heart, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), David Gordon Green (Eastbound & Down, Pineapple Express), Jeffery Tambor’s Acting Workshop, and Academy Award-winning Argentine composer, solo artist and producer Gustavo Santaolalla, among many others. For full panel descriptions and participants,...
- 2/20/2010
- by Dave Campbell
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Sundance favorite and World Cinema Grand Jury nominee Four Lions will close the 2010 SXSW Film Festival on Saturday, March 20. The UK film was co-written, directed, and stars Chris Morris.
Other “festival favorites” include Waking Sleeping Beauty, a behind-the-scenes documentary about Disney animation from 1984 to 1994 directed by Beauty and the Beast producer Don Hahn, and Tony, a Slamdance selection and psychological thriller about a serial killer.
Skateland, starring Ashley Green, is also getting another look from festival goers, as well as the raved-about short film from Spike Jonze titled I’m Here. Plus a Doors documentary narrated by Johnny Depp. I’ll be reviewing and covering as many of these films as I can.
Below is a full list of the additional titles screening at the film festival, which runs from March 12th through the 20th in Austin, Texas.
Headliners
Four Lions (United Kingdom)
Director: Chris Morris. Screenwriters: Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain,...
Other “festival favorites” include Waking Sleeping Beauty, a behind-the-scenes documentary about Disney animation from 1984 to 1994 directed by Beauty and the Beast producer Don Hahn, and Tony, a Slamdance selection and psychological thriller about a serial killer.
Skateland, starring Ashley Green, is also getting another look from festival goers, as well as the raved-about short film from Spike Jonze titled I’m Here. Plus a Doors documentary narrated by Johnny Depp. I’ll be reviewing and covering as many of these films as I can.
Below is a full list of the additional titles screening at the film festival, which runs from March 12th through the 20th in Austin, Texas.
Headliners
Four Lions (United Kingdom)
Director: Chris Morris. Screenwriters: Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain,...
- 2/19/2010
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.