Silly Americans…
After concluding spooky season with a reappraisal of Rob Zombie’s Halloween II (the Director’s Cut), we’re moving into November by kicking off a new theme of episodes on toxic masculinity. First up is Michael Haneke‘s fourth wall-breaking film Funny Games!
In Funny Games, Anna (Susanne Lothar) and Georg (Ulrich Mühe) and their son Georgie (Stefan Clapczynski) visit their idyllic lakeside vacation home, only to be terrorized by Paul (Arno Frisch) and Peter (Frank Giering), a pair of deeply disturbed young men. Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to the titular “funny games,” which doubles as a critique of (American) viewers themselves.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 254: Funny Games (1997)
Buckle up...
After concluding spooky season with a reappraisal of Rob Zombie’s Halloween II (the Director’s Cut), we’re moving into November by kicking off a new theme of episodes on toxic masculinity. First up is Michael Haneke‘s fourth wall-breaking film Funny Games!
In Funny Games, Anna (Susanne Lothar) and Georg (Ulrich Mühe) and their son Georgie (Stefan Clapczynski) visit their idyllic lakeside vacation home, only to be terrorized by Paul (Arno Frisch) and Peter (Frank Giering), a pair of deeply disturbed young men. Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to the titular “funny games,” which doubles as a critique of (American) viewers themselves.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 254: Funny Games (1997)
Buckle up...
- 11/6/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Stars: Ulrich Mühe, Susanne Lothar, Stefan Clapczynski, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering | Written and Directed by Michael Haneke
An innocuous sight opens this feature from writer/director Michael Haneke, as a car travels while containing the Schober family – made up of husband Georg (Ulrich Mühe), wife Anna (Susanne Lothar), young son Georgie (Stefan Clapczynski), and dog Rolfi. They pass the journey to their holiday home with a song guessing game, until one song stumps Georg. Much like the classical music playing on the car speakers, the film’s sound is then drowned out by hard rock, an effective indication of how any expectations of an arthouse feature is changed to something more hardcore.
While unpacking, the family are visited by two young men – Paul (Arno Frisch) and Peter (Frank Giering) – who ask to borrow eggs. The pair overstay their welcome as Peter clumsily breaks numerous batches of eggs and knocks the family’s phone into water,...
An innocuous sight opens this feature from writer/director Michael Haneke, as a car travels while containing the Schober family – made up of husband Georg (Ulrich Mühe), wife Anna (Susanne Lothar), young son Georgie (Stefan Clapczynski), and dog Rolfi. They pass the journey to their holiday home with a song guessing game, until one song stumps Georg. Much like the classical music playing on the car speakers, the film’s sound is then drowned out by hard rock, an effective indication of how any expectations of an arthouse feature is changed to something more hardcore.
While unpacking, the family are visited by two young men – Paul (Arno Frisch) and Peter (Frank Giering) – who ask to borrow eggs. The pair overstay their welcome as Peter clumsily breaks numerous batches of eggs and knocks the family’s phone into water,...
- 10/17/2023
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
Horror films and controversy often go hand in hand. Historically, no genre has pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable onscreen as much as horror, with authorities like the MPAA and the BBFC constantly stepping in to protect filmgoers from extreme content.
Controversies abound in horror, with countless examples of censorship, intrusive cuts, or outright bans. Other times, films can provoke a visceral reaction from the audience; "Audition" prompted people to faint in the initial screenings, for example, while "The Exorcist" gained everlasting notoriety for the apparent hysteria it caused in cinemas.
Rather than a comprehensive list, this represents a broad spread of different types of controversial deaths in horror films. It might best be summed up as 14 of the most interesting controversial deaths, rather than necessarily all of the most obvious choices. As such, please take the order with a pinch of salt. Lots of spoilers below, so beware!
Controversies abound in horror, with countless examples of censorship, intrusive cuts, or outright bans. Other times, films can provoke a visceral reaction from the audience; "Audition" prompted people to faint in the initial screenings, for example, while "The Exorcist" gained everlasting notoriety for the apparent hysteria it caused in cinemas.
Rather than a comprehensive list, this represents a broad spread of different types of controversial deaths in horror films. It might best be summed up as 14 of the most interesting controversial deaths, rather than necessarily all of the most obvious choices. As such, please take the order with a pinch of salt. Lots of spoilers below, so beware!
- 10/15/2023
- by Nick Bartlett
- Slash Film
By now it’s safe to say that Naomi Watts is a bona fide Scream Queen. After more than a decade in small roles or B movies, the British actress finally found widespread acclaim in 2001 with David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. She followed this up with a star-making role in Gore Verbinski’s The Ring, and sky-rocketted to international fame. Watts has worked steadily since then, winning coveted parts like Ann Darrow in Peter Jackson’s King Kong, Oscar Nominated roles in 21 Grams and The Impossible, and franchise fame in the Divergent series.
Born in England, Watts and her brother moved around the UK with her Welsh mother before relocating to Australia at the age of 14 where she broke into acting. Despite this international upbringing, Watts is most known in the horror world for starring in American remakes of acclaimed foreign films. Her role in The Ring was just...
Born in England, Watts and her brother moved around the UK with her Welsh mother before relocating to Australia at the age of 14 where she broke into acting. Despite this international upbringing, Watts is most known in the horror world for starring in American remakes of acclaimed foreign films. Her role in The Ring was just...
- 12/21/2022
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
It’s time for a new episode of our video series Best Foreign Horror Movies, and with this one we’re looking back at a movie that is quite disturbing. The 1997 Austrian production Funny Games (get it Here). To find out what we had to say about Funny Games, check out the video embedded above.
Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Funny Games has the following synopsis:
An idyllic lakeside vacation home is terrorized by Paul and Peter, a pair of deeply disturbed young men. When the fearful Anna is home alone, the two men drop by for a visit that quickly turns violent and terrifying. Husband Georg comes to her rescue, but Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to nightmarish abuse and humiliation. From time to time, Paul talks to the film’s audience, making it complicit in the horror.
The film stars Arno Frisch,...
Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Funny Games has the following synopsis:
An idyllic lakeside vacation home is terrorized by Paul and Peter, a pair of deeply disturbed young men. When the fearful Anna is home alone, the two men drop by for a visit that quickly turns violent and terrifying. Husband Georg comes to her rescue, but Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to nightmarish abuse and humiliation. From time to time, Paul talks to the film’s audience, making it complicit in the horror.
The film stars Arno Frisch,...
- 11/1/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Guy Maddin with Kim Morgan in photo booth in Yves Montmayeur's The 1000 Eyes Of Dr Maddin
The director of Michael H - Profession: Director, the documentary about Michael Haneke which features Jean-Louis Trintignant, Susanne Lothar, Josef Bierbichler, Béatrice Dalle, Juliette Binoche, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert, is off to Beijing, Taipei and Tokyo. Yves Montmayeur has his sights on Shu Qi (Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Assassin), Michelle Yeoh and Cheng Pei-Pei (Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Zhao Wei (Ma Jingle and Dong Wei's Mulan: Rise Of A Warrior) and Eihi Shiina (Audition, Tokyo Gore Police) for his "new documentary film on 'Amazons in the Asian Pop Culture'! Or how Asian warrior women are dealing with martial arts and feminism."
The 1000 Eyes Of Dr Maddin director Yves Montmayeur Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
His latest film, The 1000 Eyes Of Dr Maddin, which stars Isabella Rossellini, Udo Kier, Kenneth Anger, John Waters,...
The director of Michael H - Profession: Director, the documentary about Michael Haneke which features Jean-Louis Trintignant, Susanne Lothar, Josef Bierbichler, Béatrice Dalle, Juliette Binoche, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert, is off to Beijing, Taipei and Tokyo. Yves Montmayeur has his sights on Shu Qi (Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Assassin), Michelle Yeoh and Cheng Pei-Pei (Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Zhao Wei (Ma Jingle and Dong Wei's Mulan: Rise Of A Warrior) and Eihi Shiina (Audition, Tokyo Gore Police) for his "new documentary film on 'Amazons in the Asian Pop Culture'! Or how Asian warrior women are dealing with martial arts and feminism."
The 1000 Eyes Of Dr Maddin director Yves Montmayeur Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
His latest film, The 1000 Eyes Of Dr Maddin, which stars Isabella Rossellini, Udo Kier, Kenneth Anger, John Waters,...
- 1/20/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Flashmob
Director: Michael Haneke // Writer: Michael Haneke
The cinema of Michael Haneke may be described as cold, distant, even isolating, as the Austrian auteur prizes the examination of estrangement and the discontent of families or individuals trapped within the confines of what we refer to as modern society. He also cares little for coddling audiences, often directly criticizing what we’ve come to expect and desire from cinematic narratives. Starting out as a director in television in the early 1970′s, it would be his 1989 feature debut The Seventh Continent that first garnered attention, followed by 1992′s Benny’s Video (starring Angela Winkler), which played at Director’s Fortnight, as did his 1994 title 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance. In 1997, Haneke would direct a television adaptation of Kafka’s The Castle, starring Susanne Lothar and Ulrich Muhe, the acting couple that would headline one of his most galvanizing titles also that year with Funny Games,...
Director: Michael Haneke // Writer: Michael Haneke
The cinema of Michael Haneke may be described as cold, distant, even isolating, as the Austrian auteur prizes the examination of estrangement and the discontent of families or individuals trapped within the confines of what we refer to as modern society. He also cares little for coddling audiences, often directly criticizing what we’ve come to expect and desire from cinematic narratives. Starting out as a director in television in the early 1970′s, it would be his 1989 feature debut The Seventh Continent that first garnered attention, followed by 1992′s Benny’s Video (starring Angela Winkler), which played at Director’s Fortnight, as did his 1994 title 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance. In 1997, Haneke would direct a television adaptation of Kafka’s The Castle, starring Susanne Lothar and Ulrich Muhe, the acting couple that would headline one of his most galvanizing titles also that year with Funny Games,...
- 1/9/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
With Halloween fast approaching, EW is picking the five best films in a variety of different horror movie categories. Each day, we’ll post our top picks from one specific group—say, vampire movies or slasher flicks—and give you the chance to vote on which is your favorite. On Oct. 31, EW will reveal your top choices. Today, we’re ready to talk about those movies that hit a little too close to home. All horror movies prey on the psychological premise that there's beastliness roiling within everyone. But let's get real: You don't see news reports about werewolves, vampires,...
- 10/23/2014
- by Lanford Beard
- EW - Inside Movies
Many filmmakers got their start on the independent film circuit.
So who will follow the greats such as Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight Rises”), Oren Peli (“Paranormal Activity”), Marc Forster (“World War Z”) and Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”)?
The Slamdance Film Festival announced their lineup for the Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition after receiving over 5,000 submissions this year.
All of the competing films are directorial debuts with less than $1 million and without Us distribution. The films include 11 world premieres, 4 North American premieres and one Us premiere.
The 2014 Slamdance Film Festival will take place January 17-23in Park City, Utah at the Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street.
Here’s the lineup:
Narrative Features Program
Copenhagen – Director & Screenwriter: Mark Raso
(USA, Canada, Denmark) World Premiere
A charming scoundrel visiting the city of his father’s birth, William is drawn to his impromptu guide Effy – wise, spontaneous, and half his age.
Cast: Gethin Anthony,...
So who will follow the greats such as Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight Rises”), Oren Peli (“Paranormal Activity”), Marc Forster (“World War Z”) and Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”)?
The Slamdance Film Festival announced their lineup for the Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition after receiving over 5,000 submissions this year.
All of the competing films are directorial debuts with less than $1 million and without Us distribution. The films include 11 world premieres, 4 North American premieres and one Us premiere.
The 2014 Slamdance Film Festival will take place January 17-23in Park City, Utah at the Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street.
Here’s the lineup:
Narrative Features Program
Copenhagen – Director & Screenwriter: Mark Raso
(USA, Canada, Denmark) World Premiere
A charming scoundrel visiting the city of his father’s birth, William is drawn to his impromptu guide Effy – wise, spontaneous, and half his age.
Cast: Gethin Anthony,...
- 12/3/2013
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Top brass at the upcoming 20th Slamdance Film Festival have revealed their narrative feature and documentary line-up, one day before the first programme announcements are due from Park City neighbour Sundance.
There are 10 narrative and eight documentary films including 11 world premieres, four North American and one Us.
Festival organisers sorted through more than 5,000 submissions to find the 18 titles, all of which are feature directorial debuts budgeted at under $1m and without Us distribution.
Jury awards are presented to feature films in both categories and all films are eligible for the Spirit Of Slamdance Award judged by the film-makers themselves. The festival also presents Audience Awards.
“The 2014 Feature Competition bristles with raw talent and innovative filmmaking,” said Slamdance president and co-founder Peter Baxter. “As an organisation run by film-makers for film-makers, we couldn’t imagine a truer way of representing the first 20 years and beginning our next.”
The 2014 Slamdance Film Festival will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival...
There are 10 narrative and eight documentary films including 11 world premieres, four North American and one Us.
Festival organisers sorted through more than 5,000 submissions to find the 18 titles, all of which are feature directorial debuts budgeted at under $1m and without Us distribution.
Jury awards are presented to feature films in both categories and all films are eligible for the Spirit Of Slamdance Award judged by the film-makers themselves. The festival also presents Audience Awards.
“The 2014 Feature Competition bristles with raw talent and innovative filmmaking,” said Slamdance president and co-founder Peter Baxter. “As an organisation run by film-makers for film-makers, we couldn’t imagine a truer way of representing the first 20 years and beginning our next.”
The 2014 Slamdance Film Festival will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival...
- 12/3/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
We're getting to know the Film Experience community one-by-one. This is going to take us forever! (That's a good thing. Thank you so much for being part of such a big vibrant fanbase.) Today we're talking to Patrick who lives in Germany and writes for DieAcademy.de, a German site devoted to our favorite awards show.
Hi, Patrick. How long have you been reading The Film Experience?
Maybe 6 years? I like this site so much since it's always interesting topics and wonderful to read.
I know you're really into the Oscars but how about the Lolas, Germany's own movie awards. Which German stars do you recommend our international readers get to know?
The Lolas are not as big of a deal as they should be, but I love some German actors who are still too unknown abroad but doing great work all the time, like: Sibel Kikelli (two time Lola...
Hi, Patrick. How long have you been reading The Film Experience?
Maybe 6 years? I like this site so much since it's always interesting topics and wonderful to read.
I know you're really into the Oscars but how about the Lolas, Germany's own movie awards. Which German stars do you recommend our international readers get to know?
The Lolas are not as big of a deal as they should be, but I love some German actors who are still too unknown abroad but doing great work all the time, like: Sibel Kikelli (two time Lola...
- 4/25/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
All Good Movies Are the Same: Joe Wright’s Lavish Tolstoy Adaptation a Decadent Affair
Groaning beneath the weight of its classic source material, not to mention the reputation of past perennial adaptations, appearing every decade or so, Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina manages to bugle itself forward successfully, though this train doesn’t quite avoid significant gaps in its well grooved track. After the success of his 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, Wright’s decision to tackle another world literary classic for cinematic repolishing is not entirely surprising, though his ingratiating determination to fling muse Keira Knightley into nearly every vehicle doesn’t quite pay off as well as it has with his past projects.
To those uninitiated, in late 19th century Imperial Russia, two somewhat related love stories unfold, tempered by societal obligations and conceptions. We’re first introduced to an infidelity in Moscow, where Oblonsky (Matthew Macfayden), whose wife,...
Groaning beneath the weight of its classic source material, not to mention the reputation of past perennial adaptations, appearing every decade or so, Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina manages to bugle itself forward successfully, though this train doesn’t quite avoid significant gaps in its well grooved track. After the success of his 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, Wright’s decision to tackle another world literary classic for cinematic repolishing is not entirely surprising, though his ingratiating determination to fling muse Keira Knightley into nearly every vehicle doesn’t quite pay off as well as it has with his past projects.
To those uninitiated, in late 19th century Imperial Russia, two somewhat related love stories unfold, tempered by societal obligations and conceptions. We’re first introduced to an infidelity in Moscow, where Oblonsky (Matthew Macfayden), whose wife,...
- 11/16/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or-winning film Amour will strike some as brutal, as its elderly characters grapple with the indignities of ageing. The director proves a challenging subject to interview as he evades and obstructs – much like his films
Michael Haneke likes to say that his films are easier to make than to watch. Cast and crew have fun, but he expects his audience to be disturbed, affronted, even sickened. "On the set I make jokes," he said when we met in Paris to discuss Amour, which deservedly won him the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year. "I can't get too involved, or it turns into sentimental soup. I try to keep it light."
What he tried to alleviate while making Amour was a grim anatomy of elderly debility and dementia, complete with incontinence, forced feeding and the eventual stench of putrefaction. The film follows the decline of an octogenarian musician,...
Michael Haneke likes to say that his films are easier to make than to watch. Cast and crew have fun, but he expects his audience to be disturbed, affronted, even sickened. "On the set I make jokes," he said when we met in Paris to discuss Amour, which deservedly won him the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year. "I can't get too involved, or it turns into sentimental soup. I try to keep it light."
What he tried to alleviate while making Amour was a grim anatomy of elderly debility and dementia, complete with incontinence, forced feeding and the eventual stench of putrefaction. The film follows the decline of an octogenarian musician,...
- 11/5/2012
- by Peter Conrad
- The Guardian - Film News
German actor Susanne Lothar, best known for her work with director Michael Haneke, has died suddenly at the age of 51. Her family lawyer, Christian Schetz, confirmed that Lothar died on Wednesday. He added he would not be providing further details "for understandable reasons".
Born in Hamburg, to actor parents, Lothar cut her teeth in theatre before winning the German federal film prize for her screen debut in the 1983 drama Strange Fruit. She went on to star in the likes of Snowland, the political saga If Not Us, Who? and Stephen Daldry's Oscar-winning Holocaust drama The Reader.
Lothar, however, was most acclaimed for her quartet of films with Haneke, starting with The Castle in 1997. She played an imperilled bourgeois in the controversial Funny Games, an anguished mother in The Piano Teacher...
Born in Hamburg, to actor parents, Lothar cut her teeth in theatre before winning the German federal film prize for her screen debut in the 1983 drama Strange Fruit. She went on to star in the likes of Snowland, the political saga If Not Us, Who? and Stephen Daldry's Oscar-winning Holocaust drama The Reader.
Lothar, however, was most acclaimed for her quartet of films with Haneke, starting with The Castle in 1997. She played an imperilled bourgeois in the controversial Funny Games, an anguished mother in The Piano Teacher...
- 7/27/2012
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
German actress Susanne Lothar, whose credits include Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner "The White Ribbon" (2009) and Stephen Daldry's Oscar-winning "The Reader" (2008), died Wednesday. She was 51. No other details have been provided. Lothar was one of the most celebrated German character actors of her generation. At the German Film Awards, the local equivalent of the Oscars, she received four best actress nominations, winning once, in 1983, for her debut performance as Marga Schroth in Tankred Dorst's "Eisenhans" (1983). The actress was a favorite of Haneke, who cast her alongside her husband Ulrich Muhe as the parents of a family besieged by a pair of psychopaths in "Funny Games" (1997). Muhe, best-known for his starring role in the Oscar-winning drama "The Lives of Others," died of cancer in 2007. Lothar also appeared alongside Isabelle Huppert in Haneke's "The Piano Teacher" (2001) and as The Midwife in "The White Ribbon," which received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language film.
- 7/27/2012
- WorstPreviews.com
Acclaimed German actress Susanne Lothar died on Wednesday at the age of 51. The Hamburg-born actress appeared in dozens of German films, but was best known for her roles in Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" in 2009, and the Oscar-nominated 2008 movie "The Reader," directed by Stephen Daldry. She also appeared in two other Haneke movies: In the 2002 drama, "The Piano Teacher," about a troubled but talented pianist, and in the original version of the psychological thriller "Funny Games," where she played one-half of a married couple who are terrorized by two intruders. As the Hollywood Reporter points out, Lothar was one of the most "celebrated German character actors of her generation," having been nominated for four German Film Awards (Germany's equivalent to the Oscars), and having one once for her role as Marga Schroth in the 1983 film "Eisenhans." Details have not yet been released on the cause of death. [via THR]...
- 7/26/2012
- by Alex Suskind
- Moviefone
Susanne Lothar has died, aged 51. The German actress starred in several-critically acclaimed films including Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner The White Ribbon and Stephen Daldry's Oscar-winning The Reader. Lothar's family lawyer confirmed that she passed away on Wednesday (July 25), but no details have yet to be released, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She was one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation in her home country, and was nominated for four 'Best Actress' prizes at the German Film Awards. Lothar won the award for her role as Marga Schroth in Eisenhans in 1983. Her other (more)...
- 7/26/2012
- by By Tom Eames
- Digital Spy
Cologne, Germany – Acclaimed German actress Susanne Lothar, whose screen credits included Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner The White Ribbon (2009) and Stephen Daldry's Oscar-winning The Reader (2008) died Wednesday. She was 51. A lawyer for her family said Lothar died Wednesday but did not provide any details. Lothar was one of the most celebrated German character actors of her generation. At the German Film Awards, the local equivalent of the Oscars, she received four best actress nominations, winning once, in 1983, for her debut performance as Marga Schroth in Tankred Dorst's Eisenhans (1983). The Hamburg-born actress was
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- 7/26/2012
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
receving awards for Inglourious Basterds, is now giving them out. There he is (left) giving Best Actress to barefoot Sibel Kekilli at Germany's Oscars "The Lolas". I've never seen anyone accepting a Best Actress trophy while barefoot before but I hope to see someone do so sometime real soon.
If you've never heard the name Sibel Kekilli before, please do yourself a favor and rent Fatih Akin's erotic drama Head On (aka Gegen die Wand) She's got thunderclap force in that movie.
The Winners
Picture (Silver), Editing & Score: Hans-Christian Schmid's Storm, a war crime drama
Picture (Bronze) & Actress: When We Leave starring Sibel Kekilli
Supporting Actor: Justus von Dohnnanyi in Men in the City.
Children's Film: Lena Olbrich & Christian Becker's Vorstadtkrokodile which translates to something like Suburban Crocodiles
Documentary: Ernst Ludwig Ganzert and Ulli Pfau's The Heart of Jenin about a Palestinian father who donates his...
If you've never heard the name Sibel Kekilli before, please do yourself a favor and rent Fatih Akin's erotic drama Head On (aka Gegen die Wand) She's got thunderclap force in that movie.
The Winners
Picture (Silver), Editing & Score: Hans-Christian Schmid's Storm, a war crime drama
Picture (Bronze) & Actress: When We Leave starring Sibel Kekilli
Supporting Actor: Justus von Dohnnanyi in Men in the City.
Children's Film: Lena Olbrich & Christian Becker's Vorstadtkrokodile which translates to something like Suburban Crocodiles
Documentary: Ernst Ludwig Ganzert and Ulli Pfau's The Heart of Jenin about a Palestinian father who donates his...
- 4/26/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Robert here, continuing my series on great contemporary directors. I thought I’d stay overseas this week and feature a somewhat daunting European presence.
Maestro: Michael Haneke
Known For: difficult movies about human treacherousness and the breakdown of society.
Influences: Imagine the love-child of Robert Bresson and Franz Kafka. Then again, maybe don’t.
Masterpieces: The White Ribbon and Caché
Disasters: Not sure why Funny Games worked reasonably well in Europe but was a real misfire in it's American version. But it was.
Better than you remember: Let’s put it this way. If you remember a Haneke film as being bad because it was unpleasant, then it was probably better than you remember.
Awards: Nothing from the establishment, expectedly. But they love him in Europe, giving him the Palme d’Or for The White Ribbon and Best Director for Caché and the same for both films at the European Film Awards.
Maestro: Michael Haneke
Known For: difficult movies about human treacherousness and the breakdown of society.
Influences: Imagine the love-child of Robert Bresson and Franz Kafka. Then again, maybe don’t.
Masterpieces: The White Ribbon and Caché
Disasters: Not sure why Funny Games worked reasonably well in Europe but was a real misfire in it's American version. But it was.
Better than you remember: Let’s put it this way. If you remember a Haneke film as being bad because it was unpleasant, then it was probably better than you remember.
Awards: Nothing from the establishment, expectedly. But they love him in Europe, giving him the Palme d’Or for The White Ribbon and Best Director for Caché and the same for both films at the European Film Awards.
- 4/9/2010
- by Robert
- FilmExperience
The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke’s depiction of rural Germany on the eve of World War I — and how the cute (if dangerous) little children of that era grew into the Nazis and their followers of the 1930s and 1940s — received 13 nominations for the Lolas, the German version of the Academy Awards. In the Lolas’ top categories, the 2010 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee (which lost to the Argentinean drama The Secret in Their Eyes) is up for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay (also Haneke), Best Actor (Burghart Klaussner) and Best Actress (Susanne Lothar). Additionally, cinematographer Christian Berger is up for a Lola as well. Several weeks ago, Berger became the first cinematographer to [...]...
- 3/22/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The 2010 German Academy Award winners will be announced on April 23 in Berlin. Best film Everyone Else, dir. Maren Ade When We Leave, dir. Feo Aladag Soul Kitchen dir. Fatih Akin Storm dir. Hans-Christian Schmid The White Ribbon dir. Michael Haneke Desert Flower dir. Sherry Hormann Best documentary The Woman with the 5 Elephants dir. Vadim Jendreyko The Heart of Jenin dir. Marcus Vetter, Leon Geller Best children’s film Lippel’s Dream dir. Lars Buchel The Suburban Crocodiles dir. Christian Ditter Best director Maren Ade for Everyone Else Feo Aladag for When We Leave Michael Haneke for The White Ribbon Hans-Christian Schmid for Storm Best actress Corinna Harfouch for This Is Love Sibel Kekilli for When We Leave Susanne Lothar for The White Ribbon Birgit Minichmayr for Everyone Else Best actor Fabian Hinrichs for Schwerkraft Henry Hubchen for Whiskey [...]...
- 3/21/2010
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Berlin -- Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" may have missed out on the best foreign film Oscar but the Austrian filmmaker is all but certain to sweep the German Film Awards after "The White Ribbon" received 13 nominations for the country's top prize, the Lolas.
"The White Ribbon" picked up Lola noms in all possible categories, including best film, best director and best acting noms for stars Burghart Klaussner and Susanne Lothar.
Cinematographer Christian Berger, whose stark black-and-white images earned him an Oscar nomination, is the favurite to win the Lola for best cinematography at the German Film Awards on April 23 in Berlin.
"When We Leave," a drama from first-time director Feo Aladag, was the big surprise, earning six Lola nominations including ones for best film and best actress for Sibel Kekilli ("Head-On") in her comeback role as a young woman banished from her devout Muslim family.
Hans-Christian Schmid's...
"The White Ribbon" picked up Lola noms in all possible categories, including best film, best director and best acting noms for stars Burghart Klaussner and Susanne Lothar.
Cinematographer Christian Berger, whose stark black-and-white images earned him an Oscar nomination, is the favurite to win the Lola for best cinematography at the German Film Awards on April 23 in Berlin.
"When We Leave," a drama from first-time director Feo Aladag, was the big surprise, earning six Lola nominations including ones for best film and best actress for Sibel Kekilli ("Head-On") in her comeback role as a young woman banished from her devout Muslim family.
Hans-Christian Schmid's...
- 3/19/2010
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director: Michael Haneke Writer: Michael Haneke Starring: Christian Friedel, Leonie Benesch, Ulrich Tukur, Ursina Lardi, Burghart Klaussner, Maria-Victoria Dragus, Rainer Bock, Susanne Lothar Welcome to the cold and grey environs of the Protestant north-German village of Eichwald during the fall harvest of 1913. Not long before the outbreak of World War I, Eichwald is still functioning as a semi-feudal society. The lord of the manor – the baron (Ulrich Tukur) – possesses a majority of the wealth and workforce of the village; the pastor (Burghart Klaußner) and the doctor (Rainer Bock) also wield some power due to their societal status. The three men enjoy absolute moral authority over the women, children and peasants of Eichwald. The baron treats his workers like slaves, caring little of their health and safety – one woman falls to her death through rotten floorboards of the baron’s sawmill, yet no one seems to care but her children. The...
- 2/19/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
A superb and disturbing film, Michael Haneke's vision of pre-first world war Germany offers no easy answers. By Peter Bradshaw
The White Ribbon is a ghost story without a ghost, a whodunnit without a denouement, a historical parable without a lesson, and for two and a half hours, this unforgettably disturbing and mysterious film leads its viewers alongside an abyss of anxiety.
It has chilling brilliance and icy exactitude, filmed in black and white with the lustre of liquid nitrogen, and its director, Michael Haneke, achieves a new refinement of mastery and audacity. He has created a film whose superb technical finish and closure seems to me in contrast to its status as an "open" text, a work which resists clear interpretation. It reminded me of the group-guilt dramas of Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Max Frisch, and also the 1980 novel Wie Deutsch Ist Es? by Walter Abish, in which the son of a 1944 anti-Hitler plotter,...
The White Ribbon is a ghost story without a ghost, a whodunnit without a denouement, a historical parable without a lesson, and for two and a half hours, this unforgettably disturbing and mysterious film leads its viewers alongside an abyss of anxiety.
It has chilling brilliance and icy exactitude, filmed in black and white with the lustre of liquid nitrogen, and its director, Michael Haneke, achieves a new refinement of mastery and audacity. He has created a film whose superb technical finish and closure seems to me in contrast to its status as an "open" text, a work which resists clear interpretation. It reminded me of the group-guilt dramas of Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Max Frisch, and also the 1980 novel Wie Deutsch Ist Es? by Walter Abish, in which the son of a 1944 anti-Hitler plotter,...
- 11/12/2009
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Here’s the new international trailer for the 2009 Cannes Film Festival Palme D’or winner, The White Ribbon.
The White Ribbon is directed by Michael Haneke’s and stars Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Tukur, Theo Trebs, Michael Schenk, Leonie Benesch, Josef Bierbichler, Rainer Bock, Christian Friedel, Burghart Klaussner, Steffi Kuhnert and Ursina Lardi.
Set in a village in northern Germany on the eve of World War I, this is the mysterious story of the children in a school choir and their families. Who is behind the series of strange accidents that befall them?
I’m expecting this movie to only be on in a few cinemas which always seems the same with foreign movies but I encourage your to seek it out. We can expect to see it 13th November.
The White Ribbon is directed by Michael Haneke’s and stars Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Tukur, Theo Trebs, Michael Schenk, Leonie Benesch, Josef Bierbichler, Rainer Bock, Christian Friedel, Burghart Klaussner, Steffi Kuhnert and Ursina Lardi.
Set in a village in northern Germany on the eve of World War I, this is the mysterious story of the children in a school choir and their families. Who is behind the series of strange accidents that befall them?
I’m expecting this movie to only be on in a few cinemas which always seems the same with foreign movies but I encourage your to seek it out. We can expect to see it 13th November.
- 10/21/2009
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Check out new international trailer for Michael Haneke’s Cannes-winning masterpiece, “The White Ribbon“
“The White Ribbon” focuses on a rural German school in 1913, which seems to be the sight of ritual punishment. The story of the children and teenagers of a choir run by the village schoolteacher, and their families: the baron, the steward, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the tenant farmers. Strange accidents occur and gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Does the ritual punishment have an affect on the school system and is this a precursor to the rise of fascism?
The movie stars Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Tukur, Theo Trebs, Michael Schenk, Leonie Benesch, Josef Bierbichler, Rainer Bock, Christian Friedel, Burghart Klaussner, Steffi Kuhnert and Ursina Lardi.
The White Ribbon Poster
“The White Ribbon” will be released in limited theaters onDecember 30, 2009.
“The White Ribbon” focuses on a rural German school in 1913, which seems to be the sight of ritual punishment. The story of the children and teenagers of a choir run by the village schoolteacher, and their families: the baron, the steward, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the tenant farmers. Strange accidents occur and gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Does the ritual punishment have an affect on the school system and is this a precursor to the rise of fascism?
The movie stars Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Tukur, Theo Trebs, Michael Schenk, Leonie Benesch, Josef Bierbichler, Rainer Bock, Christian Friedel, Burghart Klaussner, Steffi Kuhnert and Ursina Lardi.
The White Ribbon Poster
“The White Ribbon” will be released in limited theaters onDecember 30, 2009.
- 10/21/2009
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
"The White Ribbon" ("Das weiße Band") comes from Sony Pictures Classics and is directed by Michael Haneke. The film is a multiple award nominee and winner of three 2009 Cannes Film Festival awards including the Fipresci Prize, Golden Palm and Cinema Prize of the French National Education System. Produced by Les Films du Losange, Wega Film and X-Filme Creative Pool. Starring are Ulrich Tukur, Susanne Lothar, Burghart Klaußner, Marisa Growaldt, Josef Bierbichler and Janina Fautz.
- 9/28/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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Ja from Mnpp here, gently tapping on the screen door to Film Experience headquarters, politely requesting some eggs for your neighbors. Nevermind the white gloves, can I just have the eggs? Please? Thank you. Oh your cat jumped up on me, Nat, and I dropped the eggs. Can I have the other ones? I see them right there. You can go to the store tomorrow. No I am not being rude. No, I will not leave without the eggs.
Hey everybody, sorry about that, but... Nat's not gonna be here today! He's... preoccupied. Much like Susanne Lothar (sidenote: who else adores Susanne Lothar?) and Naomi Watts before him, he's... preoccupied.
But I'm here! Ready, willing, full-bodied, able, to guide you through your Wednesday. And it's funny that I brought up Michael Haneke's dueling Funny Games pictures here because I actually mean to speak a bit about the "Home Invasion...
Ja from Mnpp here, gently tapping on the screen door to Film Experience headquarters, politely requesting some eggs for your neighbors. Nevermind the white gloves, can I just have the eggs? Please? Thank you. Oh your cat jumped up on me, Nat, and I dropped the eggs. Can I have the other ones? I see them right there. You can go to the store tomorrow. No I am not being rude. No, I will not leave without the eggs.
Hey everybody, sorry about that, but... Nat's not gonna be here today! He's... preoccupied. Much like Susanne Lothar (sidenote: who else adores Susanne Lothar?) and Naomi Watts before him, he's... preoccupied.
But I'm here! Ready, willing, full-bodied, able, to guide you through your Wednesday. And it's funny that I brought up Michael Haneke's dueling Funny Games pictures here because I actually mean to speak a bit about the "Home Invasion...
- 3/25/2009
- by JA
- FilmExperience
Berlin – "John Rabe," an historic biopic about the German business man who saved 200,000 Chinese civilians from the Nanking massacre, is the front runner for this year's German Film Awards – or Lolas – with seven nominations.
The film's nominations include best film, best director for Florian Gallenberger and a best actor for star Ulrich Tukur as Rabe.
Steve Buscemi also picked up a nomination as best supporting actor for his role as an idealistic American doctor who helps Rabe. It was one of the few Lola nominations ever given to a non-German actor.
Uli Edel's Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated terrorist drama "The Baader Meinhof Complex" picked up four Lola noms, including best film and best actress for Johanna Wokalek.
"Chiko," a gangster movie by first time director Ozgur Yildirim, surprised many by also nabbing a best film nom along with ones for Yildirim's screenplay, for lead actor Denis Moschitto and for editor Sebastian Thumler.
The film's nominations include best film, best director for Florian Gallenberger and a best actor for star Ulrich Tukur as Rabe.
Steve Buscemi also picked up a nomination as best supporting actor for his role as an idealistic American doctor who helps Rabe. It was one of the few Lola nominations ever given to a non-German actor.
Uli Edel's Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated terrorist drama "The Baader Meinhof Complex" picked up four Lola noms, including best film and best actress for Johanna Wokalek.
"Chiko," a gangster movie by first time director Ozgur Yildirim, surprised many by also nabbing a best film nom along with ones for Yildirim's screenplay, for lead actor Denis Moschitto and for editor Sebastian Thumler.
- 3/13/2009
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Following the critical and commercial shortfall of his self-remake Funny Games, famed Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke will return to Europe for his next film Das Weisse Band (The White Tape). Shooting is set to begin in June and throughout the summer, with additional shooting in the winter. Set in a countryside school in pre-Nazi Germany 1913, the film will examine the educational system that paved the way for Hitler’s fascist machinations and its subsequent indoctrination of a generation. This marks Haneke’s first German production since the original Funny Games in 1997. Obvious subject matter for the minimalist-auteur, Band continues his fascination with human cruelty and society, here in the form of ritual punishment and subjugation. One has to wonder how Haneke’s predilection for long, bordering on pretentious, static shots and aversion to a musical score will translate to a project of this scope. The film will most likely
- 4/27/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
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