In 2006, The Winter Olympics were held in Turin, Italy; Twitter launched; The Human Genome Project published the last chromosome sequence; Montenegro became an independent nation; Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet; The United States population passed 300 million people; No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock was sold for $140 million, becoming the most expensive painting at the time; Saddam… Continue reading Reflections on 3172, Year of Our Lady of Discord: A look back at 2006
Tag: German films
Wandering in the company of four horny men named Riley
Horns (2014) When Ignatius Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) proposes to his longtime girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple), she rejects him, telling him she loves someone else. The next morning, Merrin is found dead and everyone in town, except for his childhood friend Lee (Max Minghella), believes a spurned Ig murdered her. A pariah, Ig spirals into a… Continue reading Wandering in the company of four horny men named Riley
The sorrowful vampyre is obsessed with blood
The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) Marcel Ophuls (son of French director Max Ophuls) documents the collaboration between French government officials and Nazis during World War II, exploring what people will compromise in order to survive and how a nation responds to an existential crisis. He interviews members of the French resistance as well as… Continue reading The sorrowful vampyre is obsessed with blood
Glass hearts don’t make for long lives
Heart of Glass (1976) A German community relies on the unique glass it produces for its income and identity. When the old man who knows how to create the glass dies, the leader of the town tries to replicate his process with little success. Hias, a local fortune-teller (based on Bavarian prophet Mühlhiasl), predicts the glass factory will be… Continue reading Glass hearts don’t make for long lives
Abused children desperately search for justice and philosophical truth
Short Term 12 (2013) In this expansion of his earlier short film, Destin Cretton documents a group home for abused and forgotten kids who’ve been told they were worthless until they believed it. Grace (Brie Larson), a survivor of abuse and current counselor at the home, must deal with unresolved feelings when newcomer Jayden reminds her… Continue reading Abused children desperately search for justice and philosophical truth
How the Austrian tried to get her groove back
Paradise: Love (2012) Teresa, a bored fifty year old Austrian housewife goes on a vacation to Kenya where she pays numerous young African men to have sex with her. Sex tourism is, unbelievably, a billion dollar a year industry; many in the poorest countries of the world depend on this business to survive, and while it is… Continue reading How the Austrian tried to get her groove back