Reviews

The show frequently shows nice views of the city of Leipzig.

I'm afraid that this is the only favorable remark I can make about this show. It is probably the worst murder mystery series I've ever seen. All cases are extremely unrealistic (much more than usual) but appear to be meant realistic. Each storyline has a complete turning point every five to ten minutes (makes 4-5 such surprising developments per episode). This means that the end is not usually predictable but despite that I could never feel any suspense.

The actors are unable to alleviate the abstruse and convoluted plots. Their characters are the generic combination of some young inspectors (presumably deemed attractive, of both genders) and a senior supervisor. None of them creates the impression of an authentic police officer. Again, this may be due to the hopeless stories. But maybe not.

This series is about the retired police inspector Hannes König, concerned with murders in and around the lovely town of Bamberg, Oberfranken, Northern Bavaria. He is helping (or helped by) his successor, the young and all but conservative Axel Hübner. The cases are as realistic as you would expect from an above-average TV series, and this might be actually reason enough to like the story.

But the special charm of this series lies in the way how the peculiarities of Franconia (Franken) are depicted. It starts with the vineyard where König lives, continues with the distinct dialect of the coroner and various other characters, and culminates in an authentic presentation of the savoir-vivre in the area. I don't know any other series that represents Franconia in such an intriguing manner as this one.

Transfer Miss Marple to Bavaria, and this is what you get. Of course, it can't be bad (as long as you like the style of Agatha Christie). The cases that Sophie Mayerhofer has to deal with could just as well appear in an Agatha Christie novel or in "Sophie"'s American counterpart "Murder She Wrote" which was not canceled after only one season.

But somehow, I can understand this. Similar mystery series had their great time in the 80s, and "Sophie" just came out too late. Second, the characters remain indistinct and can't really appeal to the viewers. This is sad because actually the cast is fine: Enzi Fuchs was an excellent choice for the part of Sophie (though she had some rather dumb parts in other TV series), and Jörg Hube as her brother and police commissioner has always been a good actor.

This is the story of an ordinary caretaker (Veronika Fitz) in an ordinary apartment house in Munich. Dumped by her husband, she works in many different jobs (besides being caretaker), e.g., for a gas station and a city councilman. She handles the problems of her daughter, her son-in-law, and many apartment tenants, and eventually she enters a relationship with a Greek craftsman

There is nothing fancy about the plot, the characters, the actors, the whole series, and it is simply wonderful. There are few other films that document the life in Munich in the late 80s in such a brilliant way. The makers of this series have captured the spirit of the time and the place, and they included situations and characters from many different communities who may have little in common - good and shifty, awkward and clever, wealthy and poor - but interact only in very natural ways and situations.

The cast in this jewel of local film production includes many well-known actors, like Veronika Fitz, Helmut Fischer, Ilse Neubauer, Bettina Redlich, Jochen Busse. If you are interested in a profound milieu study and if you have ever the opportunity to see this series, don't miss it!

Well, the movie title says it all. It's about a rather introvert boy named Raoul who is looking for a woman to love. He tries to find her on parties, or in everyday situations, or by calling girls he met long ago, just to mention a few attempts. His success varies, but is generally limited.

The story starts at no particular point in the life of Raoul, and it might continue like this beyond the end of the movie. Somehow watching this movie is like watching the flow of a river: There is no climax and no anticlimax, and no exciting events - a pleasant difference from common sad love stories. However, since many people are used to such kind of movie I suppose that they will find this story very boring. To these people, the movie is not recommended.

The actors are convincing, and Julien Collet is just brilliant. He might be just the boy next door who is trying hard to find a girlfriend. The director did a good job as well; there are no technical or stylistic flaws. Overall, it's really a sound melancholic, romantic drama.

Right before the final exams at high school, after a wild party, Sally accuses a classmate, Jack, of having raped her sexually - pretending to be the virtuous daughter for her father. Jack, a gifted, shy, sensitive boy, doesn't even defend himself against the allegations because he wants to keep her out of trouble with her father. They seem so absurd anyway. However, things get beyond control, and the movie becomes a complex study of the teenagers involved. There is Jack, convicted without trial or proof, perishing with his misunderstood loyalty to Sally, and her girlfriends Kika and Persica with the same loyalty, all fearing the consequences of their lies.

The actors do a good job, and so did Susanne Schneider, the writer and director. The characters seem authentic, and the none of the decisions they make is artificial. This is maybe the main distinction to many some other dramas. But somehow I feel that I've seen many similar films and that the story is not exceptionally inventive.

I disagree with the indicated Certification "for viewers older than 6". Some scenes, mainly towards the end of the movie suggest a higher age limit.

This is not really a realistic movie, but you wouldn't have expected it to be realistic. Handsome actors in their mid-twenties perform as teenagers in a boarding school.

The main character is the girl Luca, dressing up as a boy (quite convincing, actually) and taking the place of a boy who prefers the career of a runaway. Chico, her new best friend, falls in love with her (after some unsuccessful sex adventures) and believes he's gay. But he's not gay, only the principal's assistant is - by the way the only teacher, apart from the mean principal, figuring at least as supporting actor. Lessons don't take place, and in fact the only activity apart from running after girls or alcohol is boxing. Luca is a great boxer, and this is useful when the mean principal is about to expel another pupil (Jo) and the Head Boy offers his vote against the expulsion provided Luca survives well a boxing match with him.

Apparently, this movie is the pilot of a series. I suppose this series will be overly successful. It has all ingredients of an average soap opera. And a hilarious story is better than an authentic one.