A movie recommendation - non SF

[Towelmaster]

I went to the pub yesterday and by chance they showed a movie. It's called 'Goodbye LENIN!" (2003) and I recommend it to everyone. The movie is in German(with zee subtitelts!) but I honestly didn't really notice. The IMDB-link is http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301357/ .

The movie is about a young guy in East Germany around 1989 - 1990. He has to protect his mother from any excitement because she has had a heartattack and won't survive a second one. After her attack she went into a coma for 8 months, so she misses the fall of the Berlin Wall, the opening up of the borders, the Reunion of East- and West-Germany etcetera. Everything has changed completely in the country. And the son has to protect his mother from all of that, she can't know because the excitement might be too much for her.
As I said; East-Germany doesn't exist anymore, all the main character's friends are 'rocking in the free world' except for him. And he spends his time frantically looking for original East-German pickles because his mother would like some. The fact that the company that sold them went bankrupt complicates matters a bit...

The movie has a lot of great moments. Especially the scenes in which a movie-making friend and the main character fake original East-German tv-programs are absolutely hi-la-rio-ous.

Recommended viewing, I never would have thought it was such a good movie. My oh my, Germans with a sense of humour. What will they think of next...

The Sony-link to the official website : http://www.sonyclassics.com/goodbye/flash.html

[Harrdy]

There *are* germans with humor... only they are despised by their fellow germans *gg*

You might like "Liegen Lernen" (http://www.liegenlernen.de/) also... don't know the title in english and if there is a dubed version or just subtitles... the story has a similar kind of humor, and it is a coming of age kind of story...

Ok, I looked it up in the IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325734/) "Learning to Lie" is the international title...

PeAcE

[frulad]

Saw Goodbye Lenin a while back and enjoyed it. I second the recomendation.

Also, I just saw a rather darkly funny German flick called The Wedding Party at the Philadelphia Film Fest last week. Armed conflict errupts between a chalet owner and the father of a groom over some bad shrimp served at a wedding reception. And with a goatee and toothy grin, the groom's father looks like Tim Curry!

[manwithnoname]

I saw a great German movie: Downfall. It was based on Hitler's secretary experiences. It's a disturbing movie, but a great movie to watch.

[Harrdy]

I have "Downfall" here on DVD... sitting there and watching me... I haven't got the spirit lately to watch it, at the moment I prefer the funnies... but one day I will, and I hope I don't end up depressed 8-)

(after all that crazy guy was from austria... he lived here in vienna for some time... even worked for a jew (which is kind of funny, if you think about it)... he was for some time "just somebody there", until he found his talent in speaking to masses... the rest is (sadly) history. So what stops another one like him in the future?)

Regarding german movies... I guess I don't need to name "Lola rennt" ("Lola Runs" (USA), "Run Lola Run" (Australia)), do I? It was very groundbraking at the time... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130827/

PeAcE

[frulad]

Hey Towelmaster, have you seen a Belgium film called Off Screen about a middle-aged bus driver who goes into an office building and holds everyone hostage? How he got there is told through flashback. The lead actor, Jan Decleir, gives a really fantastic performance! Former Bond villian Jeroen Krabbe also stars. I highly recommend this one.

[Karachi Vyce]

Is there a "one and only" movie recommendation thread here? If not, there should be. I'd recommend movies but I don't know if I've ever watched a single German film in my life. Maybe Das Boot once. But I can't in good conscious recommend a 4 hour film to anyone, unless it's LOTR.