The Movies are listed according to their Release Dates in Germany in the Year 2004 and 2005

The girl next door

Well, it never came to the theatres in Germany - what a shame! So go and get the DVD! Hey, this is a teenie movie, which is just great and you gotta love it. Matthew (Emile Hirsch) is looking forward to the Prom, but not the guy, who hangs around everyday on the beach. Actually he is more the underdog. Everythings changes, when one day Danielle (played by sweet Elisha Cuthbert) moves to the house next to him. And after he watched her through the window, the ride starts. But one day, he has to discover, that she is a pornstar and he is not sure how to handle. And, if this is not enough, her producer Kelly (fantastic: Timothy Olyphant) comes into town and gets Matthew into trouble. I really loved the movie, because of the humour and the very nice story and of course, Elisha Cuthbert and the brilliant Timothy Olyphant, with the best supporting role since the scuba-diver in 'Along came Polly'. (p1) p1-short-rating:

DVD Germany: March10th,2005

Sideways

One week before they weeding, two friends start to make a journey around California to several wineyards. During this trip, they start to talk about their lives, like the divorce of one friend and that the bachelor wants to sleep with another girl before the wedding. And he finds a girl, which he likes a lot, and her friend actually knows his friend. So some happy days begin, but also with some tragic ways. This movie is about wine and women, and how things in life are sometimes very complicated or just easy. You will find your way into this movie and somehow identify with sone parts of this guys. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: Feb.3rd,2005

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket - Rätselhafte Ereignisse)

Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) wants to adopt the three orphans to get their money, after they died. But all ways to kill them, don't really work. Even when they are brought to other relatives, Cound Olaf is still trying to find a way to get them back It is a Fantasy-Movie with strange and a little dark atmosphere. Jim Carrey is brilliant in all his roles and you always want to know, what is the next thing he is doing. But the two best things in the movie are the beginning of the movie and that you can see by subtitles, what the baby wants to say! (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: Jan.27th,2005

Aviator

Martin Scorsese portrays the life about the great aviation pioneer Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) and how he made movies, airplanes and loved the women. I was really looking forward to this movie, because I studied aviation, but unfortunately this movie is just too long, has not so good special effects (which is really a shame) and misses the details about his life (where does the money came from, have his movies been a big success and how he became so enthusiastic about airplanes). The movie shows, how excentric Hughes was and a lot about his loved ones, but going into details is just not there. Almost 3h - 2h would have been enough! (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: Jan.20th,2005

De-Lovely

In this movie, the life of famous Musical Composer Cole Porter (Kevin Kline) is being shown. And it is done, as if his life would have been taken place on stage and he himself is sitting in the theatre and watching it. It brings not only his great hits like 'Night and Day', but also the problems he had, for example the relation to his wife (Ashley Judd). With some great guest performances of Robbie Williams, Elvis Costello, Mick Hucknall or Alanis Morrisette, this movie will not be loved only by people who love Musicals (p1) Cole Porter sitting in a theater - the stage show: His life ! So you can watch him commenting every aspect of his life and how he brought his music into being. Maybe the best musical played in cinema since Chicago. (p2) p1- and p2-short-rating:

Germany: Jan.20th,2005

Closer (Hautnah)

Jude Law meets Natalie Portman and feels in love with her. Time Gap. One day he is being photographed by Julia Roberts and he likes her a lot. During this photo session, Julia meets Natalie. Time Gap. Jude is chatting and meets Clive Owen and is bringing him together with Julia. Time Gap. And now go see the movie, which is a brilliant piece about relationsships and how they can change, even it is sometimes a little too much. And the movie ends at the right moment. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: Jan.13th,2005

Ray

The story is very clear: the life of Ray Charles and how he became one of the great musicians of our time. It shows not only the highlights, but also the problems until his early days and how he got blind! An outstanding performance by Jamie Foxx, which is definetly worth an Oscar! But there will be more Nominations and more Oscars for this great filmography! (p1) The Life of Ray Charles - from the time he leaves home to go out and play music till he reaches the highest highs of his career. Also shown in the movie are the shadows in his life: The death of his brother, the loss of his eyesight and the drugs. But it shows you also, how he finds the strenght to overcome the shadows and walk back into the light. A must for every fan of his great music. (p2) p1- and p2-short-rating:

Germany: Jan.6th,2005

The Clearing (Anatomie einer Entführung)

After her husband (Robert Redford) is being kidnapped, his wife finds out, that he betrayed her for some time already. During their journey the kidnapper (Willem Dafoe) and his victim have many time to talk. Actually the timeline of this movie is very interesting, because it takes you some time to puzzle the story together and to understand what has happened. The actual story then is nothing special. (p1) This movie with Robert Redford and William Dafoe describes a kidnapping and what the victim's family is going through, but unlike in a mainstream actionpacked film it's done in a quite and sympathetic way. The plot developes slowly and gives the actors room to develop their characters. Very interesting timeline concept. (p2) p1- and p2-short-rating:

Germany: Dec.23rd

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

There are two things, which can describe this movie: First, a very new optic of showing this picture. Second, a very poor story of somebody trying to eliminate mankind. The question is now, if the Special Effects are trying to take your attention away from the story? Well, the Answer is, yes. The Effects are really good and the story of big flying robots during WWII and somebody who is threatening the world and being saved by 'Sky Captain' is not so good. (p1) A science fiction movie that comes to the screen in a Orson Wells meets 'Raumpatrouille Orion' kind of style. What sounds and even begins very promising in the first 20 minutes becomes more and more grotesque so that after 1 hour you're no longer sure whether this movie was made to be taken seriously or not. Unfortunately, the same has to be said about the special effects. (p2) p1- and p2-short-rating:

Germany: Nov.18th

The Manchurian Candidate

What happens if the Vice-President-Candidate (brilliant Liev Schreiber) is manipulated by Hypnosis by a company (Manchurian) during the Election-Phase and doing things, which he has no idea about, is shown in this movie! Only one person, his former boss from the war in Kuwait has an idea, what is going on. But nobody believes him, because he is mentally unstable. You Gotta see this movie! It is a brilliant masterpiece of how the tension is increasing and increasing until the incredible end! (p1) Question: Who is controlling future presidents and how are they doing it? If you're not afraid of a quite disturbing answer, watch this movie. It's all still fiction, hopefully.(p2) p1- and p2-short-rating:

Germany: Nov.11th

Man on Fire

Denzel Washington has a problem with his life, because he is unhappy and he is an alcoholic. Therefore he is trying to find a job and is hired one day by a family in Mexico-City to be the bodyguard for her daughter. You have to know, that every day many people and especially kids are kidnapped in that town. In the beginning he is just wants to do his job, even the little girl is trying to get into a friendship with him. But after some time he changes and re-thinks also his life - until one day the tragic begins. A very interesting movie, which is really trying to describe the character played by Denzel Washington and his daily fight. The only problem with this movie is, that is is a little too long and the director Tony Scott is using too much special camera technique. But after all intersting to see. p1-short-rating:

Germany: Sept.8th

Super Size Me

Question: What happens, if an average guy from New York decides to eat only McDonalds food for 30 days ? If you like to know the answer, watch this movie from Morgan Spurlock. Because unlike Michael Moore, he's not only commenting things in front of his camera, he's making himself into the guinea-pig. The result is not only a surprise to his physicians, but also a very unmasking look at the way we are served food today. (p2) p2-short-rating:

Germany: July-15th

Mambo Italiano

An italian family wanted to immigrate to the US several centuries ago, but actually hit the french district of Canada. The son of one family is not quite sure, if he likes boys or girls and tries to find this out. But somehow he figures out that he is gay and moves together with his boy-friend. This is a shock for both families and they try to understand this. After all a funny movie, even is is very colourful and told very fast jumps through the boys life. The best is the Italians who are not very happy with the area where they landed. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: June-24th

Touching the Void (Sturz ins Leere)

This is a documentary-drama about two british-mountain-climbers, who want to be the first to conquer the 6365m high mountain Siula Grande in Peru. But  after reaching the top of the mountain, the go back down again and one of them falls and breaks his knee (this is the easy description of what happened). His friend helps him, but then comes a situation, where he has to decide, if they both maybe die or he will be alive. It is a very interesting movie, which shows interviews and actually tells with fantastic pictures the story of this two guys with some british humour. Even it is more a documentary, you will be thrilled about the story until the end. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: April-29th

Monster

Charlize Theron plays in her 'academy-award-winning-role' a hooker, who isn't happy with her life at all. One day she meets in a homo-bar a girl (played by Christina Ricci), which falls somehow in love with her and mixes up her life. But all changes, when during their last job, the monster (Theron) kills her customer, because he treated her badly. After this night everything has changed and she starts killing. In this movie Charlize Theron does an excellent performance and if you wouldn't know, that she plays in that movie, you wouldn't recognize her, because she gained weight and looks totally different. It is worth seeing it, even I wouldn't watch it a second time. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: April-15th

Big Fish

Wow, this is a great Movie. A new fairly tale and you will love the movie, the more the story continues. An old man is dying and his son, with his wife comes back home, to see his father one more time. Over all the years, the son has no more good relationship to his father, because he is sick of all the stories his father told, because he thinks, they are all lies. His father tells the story to him and his wife again and actually..... (go and see the movie for more).  The stories are really beautiful and remind me of Baron Muenchhausen, but in a new, very romantic way. You will fall in love with the story and you'll be surprised at the end. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: April-8th

Starsky and Hutch

I loved the original 70ies TV-Series of Starsky and Hutch, about two cops solving crimes.  And now this movie, which has no story and just makes fun with the characters of Starsky and Hutch. How could somebody approve this movie and spend money for it? The producers hoped to have someting like the first movie of Charlies Angels, but the missed their goal completely. And the most disgusting thing: I was really o.k. with Ben Stiller so far, but with this movie it comes to an end. He really doesn't fit into the role of Starsky and is just terrible. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: March-25th

Gothika

Halle Berry is working as a doctor in a psychiatric clinic, when one day she almost hit a girl with the car on their way home. When she wants to check the girl, some fire comes out of here and she wakes up in the clinic as a patient. She is being told, that she murdered her husband, because she cannot remember anything. She is now keen on finding out what has happened and therefore wants to escape. It is a really screamy movie with some very nice shock-effects. The story becomes an interesting crime investigation and the end is shocking and surprising. Nothing for weak nerves. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: March-18th

Along came Polly (...und dann kam Polly)

Reuben (Ben Stiller) is marrying and is on honeymoon with his wife. But she betrays him with a french scuba instructor during that time. Frustrated from that, he moves back to New York and meets Polly ('Friends'-Star Jennifer Aniston). And Polly is so different from Reuben, because she doesn't care about her life and just lives with Salsa and various kind of food. Reuben is working in risk-management and he is also living this - try to avoid this and that. But there should be some way, that this two find together... It is a funny movie, even many of the jokes are well-known. Jennifer Anistion is cute in this movie, even it is not her best role. But the french scuba instructor is great and the highlight of the movie - he is worth going to the movie. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: March-4th

Beyond Borders (Jenseits aller Grenzen)

1984: A charity ivent is entered by a guy and a child from Africa. He claims, that the people here celebrate themselves and eat a lot of expensive food, but non of this money is coming to Africa to feed the kids there. The character played by Angelina Jolie is so moved by this, that she starts helping the people in Africa with money and with her own hand. But she also fell in love with this guy and follows him in several areas of the world - whereever help is needed - even she has a family at home. This movie gives a look on several conflict areas over the last years and how somebody can help or moved by somebody else to help. The love story is the basic storyline of this movie and I would have expected to get more information about the work of this people in this areas. It is o.k. to see and the end is unexpected. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: Feb.26th

School of Rock

The guitar player (played by Jack Black) is fired out of the Rock'n'Roll Band he started and now he is looking for a new band to join a band contest. Due to some lucky incident he can start as a teacher in a very good private scholl and he starts to introduce the pupils (around 12 to 14 of age) to POPular Music without known by the school chairman (Joan Cusack). Motivated by their teacher the pupils are willing to take part in the band contest. It is a real funny movie about how the concervative kids get into modern music, even the type of story in nothing special. And Frank Black is really doing an excellent job and it is like the next step of the character he played in 'High Fidelity'. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: Feb.5th

Open Range (Weites Land)

Four cowboys are travelling with their cattle across the county of the West. In one city one of them comes into trouble with the landlord and the sheriff, who are ruling the city together. Two of the cowboys (played by Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall) free their friend out of the prison and are now in the conflict with the landlord, the sheriff and their men. It all ends in a big showdown in the city. In the beginning I thought 'Oh no, not another Kevin-Costner-Western!', but in the end it was a good movie/western, which was interesting to watch, even it had some length. It plays in a beautiful scenery and the showdown in the end is very well done. The 'Love Story' inside this movie is a little too much. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: Jan.29th

The Recruit (Der Einsatz)

Computer-Specialist James Clayton (Colin Farrell) is hired by Walter Burke (Al Pacino) into the CIA and learns everything, which he has to know from the beginning to become an agent. But James wants to know more about the death of his father 20 years ago and doesn't recognize, that somebody is playing a game with him. This movie shows an interesting cat-and-mice-game and you never know, who is saying the truth. With every new detail, the story seems to change and at the end it is nothing as it seems. It is a good thriller with good actors. (p1) p1-short-rating:

Germany: Jan.15th

Lost in Translation

For more go to: The must-see-movie of the moment p1-short-rating:

Germany: Jan.8th

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