Thursday Movie Picks: German Language Films

-

This week's theme from Wandering Through The Shelves is kind of special to me, and also kind of hard. German is the only other language I speak besides English (though I'm getting quite terrible because I never practice anymore..I should) Yet, I haven't seen nearly as many German films that I've liked as I should. So here are the ones that stick out for me. And before you ask, yes I've seen Lola rennt (Run Lola Run) and I hate it. 

1) Nowhere in Africa

I just love this movie. I started off kind of hating the parents in this film, but they eventually got better and I had the ugliest cry face at the end. Though not all my Four Ways a Best Picture buddies agreed with me.  

2) The Live of Others

This film is just excellent from top to bottom. (Okay, I could've done without that guy forcing himself on the girl in the car scene) but it's is so interesting I couldn't really take my eyes off it. 

3) A Coffee in Berlin

This film was fun, and Berlin is such a gorgeous city when shot in black and white. This was one of my Indie Gems a few weeks ago. I hope more people see it. 

Comments

  1. MyerlaMay 14, 2015 at 7:13 AM

    I love The Lives of Others, I'm quite interested in that period of history as well. Didn't select this week because I had already selected it before

    Haven't seen the two, think this is the second time Nowhere in Africa has turned up. Haven't heard of your third choice, but Berlin is a wonderful city. It has Europe's only openly gay major (as far as I am aware).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 14, 2015 at 7:43 AM

      I've been to Germany, but never to Berlin. That's definitely a city I'd love to visit.

      It's hard not to use the same film twice sometimes, I hate when that happens.

      Delete
  2. joel65913May 14, 2015 at 7:16 AM

    Haven't seen any of these, my knowledge of German films is minimal, but The Lives of Others looks to be the title of the week so I'll be seeking it out. I have seen Run, Lola, Run and thought it was okay, nothing I'd revisit anytime soon but entertaining for what it was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 14, 2015 at 7:42 AM

      The Lives of Others is just exellent all around. You should definitely check it out. I expected Lola Rennt to be popular this week, but I've only seen it on one list.

      Delete
  3. MattMay 14, 2015 at 7:35 AM

    I've only seen The Lives of Others, which I almost wound up picking myself, but you've got me wanting to check out Coffee in Berlin.

    ReplyDelete
  4. DanielMay 14, 2015 at 9:10 AM

    I figured everyone would pick The Lives of Others this week, making me feel EVEN WORSE that I still haven't seen it LOL. I'm really intrigued by Nowhere in Africa after the roundtable discussion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 14, 2015 at 11:38 AM

      lol The Lives of Others will be in a later round table discussion, so you should totally see it. :)

      Delete
  5. DellMay 14, 2015 at 12:43 PM

    Big yes on The Lives of Others. Not so big on Nowhere in Africa. Still haven't seen A Coffee in Berlin. I'm getting there. Great work.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMay 14, 2015 at 2:55 PM

    I really enjoyed the first two, but Coffee in Berlin didn't do anything for me. Too rambling. The city did look beautiful though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 15, 2015 at 6:39 AM

      I can definitely see how that one isn't for everyone. ha

      Delete
  7. m.brownMay 14, 2015 at 3:58 PM

    Whoa, whoa, whoa. You damn near lost me at 'hating Run Lola Run', but luckily...you're you and I didn't punt my laptop through a wall in protest.

    Anyway, I haven't seen any of the films you mentioned, though The Lives of Others seems like a possibility. The other two? Well, what's German for not f--king likely?

    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 15, 2015 at 6:38 AM

      lol Yeah, Run Lola Run drove me insane the first time I saw it. I never want to visit it again

      Also I think something like "nicht ficken wahrscheinlich"

      Delete
  8. Kevin PowersMay 14, 2015 at 4:42 PM

    Yep. We're right in line on this one. I haven't seen your third pick but it looks interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 15, 2015 at 6:36 AM

      I hope you like it if you ever get around to seeing it.

      Delete
  9. thevoid99May 14, 2015 at 5:45 PM

    I've only seen The Lives of Others as it's a film I truly love.

    ReplyDelete
  10. JoshMay 16, 2015 at 8:18 PM

    *gasp* You hate Run Lola Run? :( So glad to see The Lives of Others on here. That movie is brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  11. WandererMay 20, 2015 at 4:44 AM

    Brittani, you are not alone! I did not like Run Lola Run. Too trippy for me

    ReplyDelete
  12. All Graduates | Spanish Translation ServiceJune 7, 2015 at 9:41 PM

    The Lives of Others is an interesting film, and no doubt carries so much message that will keep viewers glued to their seats to see it all through the end. A great example why German films should always be in a person's movie collection - stimulating, enthralling, and riveting.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by, let's talk movies!
(comments are moderated to reduce spam)

Popular posts from this blog

Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum

-
Image
Recently, I was talking to someone about who I thought were the best child actors when I was also a child.  Two that really stood out to me were Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello, and one film those two were in together was called Radio Flyer.  Then I was reminded about the uniqueness of this film. Instead of reviewing the film, I wanted to have an open discussion about the ending. It deals with a tough issue; child abuse. What I’ve noticed is the way that the film ends is interpreted many different ways, and the filmmakers never came forward to say what was right and wrong. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s opinions on it. How did you interpret the ending? Obviously spoiler alerts will follow.. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, the basic premise is this: Two young boys, Mikey (Wood) and Bobby (Mazello) move in with their single mother and her boyfriend, who refers to himself as ‘The King’. It doesn’t take long for The King to start physically abusing ...
Read more

Indie Gems: Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

-
Image
Passionate about your profession? I had never heard of this film until it ended up on one of Jason's favorite horror movie lists around Halloween. It immediately sounded interesting to me, so of course I threw it in my Netflix queue. (and if I'm just now watching it after adding it around Halloween, you know how ridiculous my queue is) Taylor (Angela Goethals) is a journalist who, along with a film crew decides to follow around a serial killer named Leslie Vernon. (Nathan Baesel) He plans on doing the typical slasher thing - getting a bunch of drunk teens in an abandoned house and knocking them off one by one. He gets advice from a retired serial killer, Eugene (Scott Wilson) and is threatened by a man who's on to him, Doc Holloran (Robert Englund) Taylor and crew are there capturing it all. Leslie Vernon is fucking hilarious to start with, and clearly very passionate about what he does. He tells Taylor all of his secrets and can barely contain his excitemen...
Read more

My Favorite Movie Youtube Channels

-
Image
Starting around 2018, I started watching Youtube for more than just movie trailers or music videos whenever a new one dropped. Now I'm in full blown subscription mode and don't bat an eyelash at watching a Youtube video that's over an hour long. I watch Youtube for a few different categories of content, but one of them that I love most is movie/TV essays and commentary, and that's what I'm going to talk about today. Below is a list of my favorite movie related Youtube channels. Let me know if you're familiar with them too, or if you have any you'd like to recommend to me.  Double Toasted - I'm honestly surprised this channel isn't bigger. I first came across Korey and Martin when they reviewed War for the Planet of the Apes a few months before it hit theaters and I thought they were hysterical. While their full length videos stream on Twitch, they often upload their movie reviews and commentary on youtube and they're always hilarious. They've...
Read more