Reviews

A truly beautiful episode. Like something is coming alive again. Beautifully captured. Outstanding acting.

Death figures predominantly in this episode. Especially the death of the father. And guilt. Having been unable to prevent death. Being split inside. I wish you were dead. So do I. The loneliness of the dark movie theatre. One mistake can change the entire world. But then Elliot meets the boy on his own turf. And that saves his life. Maybe he can forgive himself and find a way to live with his guilt. Maybe he can still change the world.

Sitting back to back with Angela. Passing on hope. No matter what, we'll be okay.

Well acted, part farce, part all too real, I guess. It did remind me somewhat of my youth growing up in a small town in Northern Bavaria which most prominently featured three US Army bases. "The boys" basically did whatever they wanted and behaved like complete jerks when they came to town - they were outside German jurisdiction, so only the MPs could do anything to stop them, if they so chose. Very appropriately, Germans don't even appear in that movie, even though it is set in Germany. The Americans simply created their "US of A" in the middle of Germany, just another colonial episode. That part comes across quite well in the movie - even though I realize that that's not its main theme by far...

Buffalo Soldiers refers to African-American soldiers fighting Native Americans in the 19th century; it later became a generic term for all African-American Soldiers. To apply the term to US soldiers stationed in Germany occupied in rogue activities (drug traffic) just before Reunification adds a curious dimension to the film. (I'm not entirely sure I get the connection or reference.) I find it hilarious how ignorant the soldiers are about what's happening all around them: The Cold War is ending, and they don't even know if they're in East or West Germany. Disorientation, not just drug-induced. Well acted by Joaquin Phoenix and Ed Harris.

I'm not the biggest fan of the film adaptation of Da Vinci Code, yet I'm surprised to see Angels & Demons actually receives somewhat higher marks. I felt that the film was trying to achieve too much. Granted, many of the images are grandiose, spectacular, bombastic, and Tom Hanks sure looks good in black. Yet it was all somehow so lifeless, just like the Swiss Guard. I did enjoy Armin Mueller-Stahl's steel blue twinkle, but it was almost identical to his twinkle in Eastern Promises. In the end, it all felt too pompous and contrived. The master symbolist solving riddles that finger-point right across Rome, hints that no other than him can discern. In between some scenes of excessive brutality, twitching bodies burning to death. And in the end, an unlikely master plotter - of course.