Max Raabe at the Palast Best
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The music Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester have chosen to preserve is captivating and leaves one wanting more and more.  It brings back the time of Ballrooms and when fine night clubs served dinners and had a dance floor.  Vocalists stood or sat waiting for the orchestra to play up to the part where the vocalist walked to the microphone and sang the refrain to the music playing.  But Max Raabe takes us to the Weimar era which was the German version of the time.  People were not doing well and needed to escape to places where they felt safe, they could have food or drinks and perhaps dance.  Everything was non-political and the music was pure of purpose except to make you laugh or reminisce with the one you loved.

There are a number of excellent Max Raabe DVD's available but the ones marked REVUE are exceptional.  The big beautiful women who dance in unison are at the same time naive and innocent as well as sexy.  They are handsome women if not beautiful.  The costumes are less than lavish compared to today's styles but it also indicates a feeling that things might be changing and if a good time was to be had, it had to happen immediately.

The Orchester men and one woman are wonderful.  They play astonishingly well and zoom in and out of each others trills without a spill.  They seem to be having the best time of all; teasing and laughing at or with one another.  I have seen them in a live concert and their spirit never lags.  Max Raabe never cracks a smile but astonishingly denotes a warmth and friendliness which cannot be described in words but must be seen to understand.  But the music is never compromised.

To illustrate the Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester spirit I submit that they appeared in Tokyo where the venue was completely sold out.  After the concert finished, all the musicians marched to the lobby where a great many of disappointed ticketless people waited.  Max Raabe and the Orchester gave a special concert for the people who waited patiently.  I seriously doubt anyone would regret seeing and hearing this group.  In the meantime buy the DVD Album.&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Palast-Revue/dp/B0000TEUNO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Palast Revue</a>
4640401
I have read a couple of Fursts's previous novels, but this one I listened to on audio.
I don't believe anyone has yet talked about the audio edition.
The one drawback is that it is abridged.  There are times that you sense that something is being left out--description or small details that would enrich the story.
But the reason to listen is for Alfred Molina's reading.  It is nothing less than superb.  I listen to many audiobooks a year.  The reader can make or break a book, sometimes elevating it above its stature on the page.  Mr Molina may well have done this.  He brings a nuance and delicacy of expression to the character voices that brings them immediately to life.  Unlike many audio readers, he handles the variety of accents--German, Italian, French, Scottish--with panache.  There is an underlying sense of melancholy and urgency to his voice, reflecting the tone of the story about desperate men and women trying to fight the rise of fascism.
It is to be hoped that Mr. Molina will record more of Furst's catalog .
4015841
This movie is my third favourite movie of all time. I absolutely adore it. I have such admiration for Aron Ralston and his story. This movie is so accurate to his book it's almost scary how close it is.
1566710
Lately, like many readers, I have been engrossed in what is known as Scandinavian Noir.  This is the term for all of the crime novels spilling out of Sweden, Denmark, and the other Nordic countries. Thus, it is a change of pace to get a novel a bit similar but a good deal more serious from Holland, THE DINNER. It is told entirely from first person Point of View and that person is one of the two fathers, Paul. Paul's brother, Serge, is favored to become the next PM.  Both brothers, who hardly have the healthiest sibling relationship themselves, find themselves tossed into a quagmire with their combined children and their combined misdeeds.

This mess slowly unfolds before us over dinner in an upscale, overly trendy metropolitan restaurant. I've eaten, but not recently, in places like this, and you could just scream over the fake artifice every step of the way with the supposedly nouvelle cuisine.  I thought we Americans had the market cornered on overpriced dining for too little food but Holland certainly pulls even with us in this novel.  This element of the novel is very comic, right down to the server's trendy description of every offering on the menu.

The novel has an additional element which is very cleverly done.  The narrator is gradually revealed to us as well. Over time, we see a dark side of the narrator emerging and this becomes as engrossing as the problem with the children. In fact, it begins to overtake that story. What happens from that point forward is completely unexpected and puts the novel in a direction far beyond Scandinavian Noir.  This dark, verging on darkly comic, part of the novel sets it really apart as having been a European novel. Ironically, the only writer I can compare this to is Jim Thompson, who was an American noir writer, but his novels were only appreciated by Europeans in his lifetime. It is only in recent years that he became read in our country and is still more known for the films from his work than his novels here.

All I have to say to the Europeans is, "Please send more."

This would probably make a very good movie if done by the right people either.  Although it would be nice if it were a movie made in Holland, I think the tale is so universal that you could set it anywhere.

Visit my blog with link given on my profile page here or use this phonetically given URL (livingasseniors dot blogspot dot com). Friday's entry will always be weekend entertainment recs from my 5 star Amazon reviews in film, tv, books and music. These are very heavy on buried treasures and hidden gems. My blogspot is published on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
2752164
"Funny" and "German" are not words I'd normally use in the same sentence. Don't get me wrong: The Germans know humor - caustic, ironic, dark - they've got these nailed.

But it wasn't until I read Falko Rademacher's quirky Berlin Noir novel that I'd finally found funny. Plus camp and attitude.

I read the German version first, Ein Koffer voll Blut, then went back to read the English one because the original's full of slang, and I didn't want to miss any of the juicy lines. Hey, it was just as funny in translation as A Suitcase full of Blood."

This is detective fiction, narrated by mouthy private dick Philip Eckstein, and told in classic noir style and lingo. Though set in modern Berlin, the tale is pure 40s, with several blatant hat-tips to The Maltese Falcon, especially in the Sam Spade/Brigid O'Shaughnessy banter of this tale's version of detective vs. femme fatale.

Rademacher runs with the new breed of German Indy authors, getting lots of attention in the Vaterland. But I think he'll do well stateside also.

Break out of your rut and give `im a try. If you like his style, there are other books set in this same world and with overlapping characters, available both in the original (it's a light fast read, and a good excuse to brush up on your high school German) and in translation.

Highly recommended for noir buffs, but also anyone who likes DeMille's John Corey series or Sanford's PREY series.
1510732
There's a serious and timeless theme to this award winning 1961 courtroom drama of four former Nazi judges on trial for war crimes in occupied Germany in 1948.  It's not the story of the military leaders who had already been tried and convicted.  Rather, these were the men who survived the war by following the laws that ruled the nation.  There are deep moral questions here, such as what a judge's responsibility is.  After all, judges do not make the laws; they just carry them out.
Stanley Kramer, the director, had great material to work with.  The screenplay by Abby Mann was powerful.  And the cast included some of the finest actors of the time.  Spencer Tracy plays the judge, a widower from Maine with simple tastes.  He's a bit embarrassed to be given a large house, formerly occupied by a high ranking Nazi officer whose surviving wife is played by Marlene Dietrich.  The judge has a difficult job and he ponders it as he walks through the ruins of the city with wide-eyed wonder.  How could all of the horror have happened?  And who is responsible?
Responsibility, however, which is the theme of the film, is not so clear cut.  And as the trial progresses, all the shades of gray involved in this concept are brought to light.  Burt Lancaster is cast as one of the judges on trial, a dignified and respected man of the law.  Richard Widmark is cast as the prosecuting attorney, a colonel who had personally been present  at the liberation of the concentration camps.  And Maximilian Schell, in an Academy Award winning performance, plays the part of the defending attorney whose outstanding legal expertise keeps shedding new light on the evidence. Judy Garland is one of the witnesses, and so is Montgomery Cliff.  The entire cast is excellent. I found myself holding my breath as the twists and turns of the legal implications were examined with fine-honed brilliance.

The film takes up two videotapes and runs for three hours and six minutes and there is not one slow moment.  I watched it with a sense of total involvement.  I couldn't help but transpose all the legal and moral arguments to what is happening in our world today.  And my own mind went though its own little debate as to the subtleties of right and wrong and the hard choices that must be made. This is drama at its finest.  And a truly magnificent film.  I give it my highest recommendation.
163009
This is one of the most enthralling and complex films about the fall of the 3rd Reich that I have ever seen. The clips of Traudl Junge were mesmerizing. The main complaint about the film is the gloss over the brutality of it all. For example, Monke was shown to be a much more compassionate character than in reality. Bruno Ganz' portrayal of Hitler was astounding. He received criticism for portraying Hitler as a human. Regardless of your opinion of Bruno's interpretation of the character, his portrayal was convincing. One of the most powerful performances was by Ulrich Matthes as Goebbels. What a cowardly, sinister creature. Matthes captured that inhumanity so well.
785958
I love this movie. It is my go to Kurt Russell film. It postulates what would happen if we raise children from infancy to do one thing--be a soldier. Like any commodity, it is only as good as it's output. This means that this is a seriously dark world with no room for error. And then what happens when you have been taught to do one thing your whole life and you are dumped on a planet where they don't have soldiers? You want a convincing view into PTSD, this provides it. You want an intriguing look at where a society can go both right and wrong. It'll give you that too.

I love this movie because of the development of the main character. You have the best of the best facing his fears and learning how to survive all over again. More than that, you get some seriously great action. If you are afraid of snakes, like I am, you have been warned.
2375147
I believe this movie to be a definitive version of Miller's work.  The tone, mood, and imagery in this interpretation capture the essence of Willy Loman's life and death.
I cannot say enough about the acting - Dustin  Hoffman and John Malkovich lead the cast with performances of the absolute  highest order!  They deliver a poignance and a gravity unmatched in recent  cinema.  Their drama is enhanced by the superb supporting cast; each  supporting character adds both depth and clarity to the two protagonists.  The unseen sides of Willy and Biff become visable to us through their  interactions with the small core cast.
I would be most interested in  Arthur Miller's views on this adaptation.
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The party celebrating the 100th birthday of Mickey Spillane continues and gets better than ever. The newly published KILLING TOWN is touted as the lost first Mike Hammer novel. A close reading of the introduction by Max Allan Collins indicates that it wasn't really lost. Collins, Spillanes hand-picked posthumous collaborator, was shown the unfinished manuscript prior to Spillanes death and made substantial contributions to its completion.

To discover why the first Mike Hammer novel wasn't published before Spillanes iconic I, THE JURY, you will need to read Collins fine introduction to KILLING TOWN. Even if you're familiar with the story, you won't know all of it until you experience Collins in-the-room account of how it all went down, what is occurring, and what will happen to the collection of Spillanes manuscripts, which was in various stages of completion at the time of his passing.

What had been 30 pages of an unfinished novel is now a full-blown work, thanks in great part to Collins experienced and respectful hand. This isn't just a book for Spillane completists. Its a wild Hammer trip for the neophyte and the veteran from beginning to end, one that doesnt take place in Hammers beloved New York but rather in the small town of Killington, Rhode Island. The manner in which Hammer arrives in post-World War II Killington --- the nickname for which provides the books title --- is anything but auspicious, but it is classic Spillane, as is Hammers apparently subconscious inclination to get in trouble.

Hammer is in town just long enough to secure downtrodden lodging, a decent meal and a few beers before finding himself accused of the rape and murder of a woman he barely glimpsed and did not know. His momentary salvation is another woman who he never met but whose (false) testimony gets him released from police custody. This angel is Melba Charles, the glamorous daughter of a local industrial magnate whose considerable influence extends far beyond Killington and has more than brushed off on his offspring. Melbas largesse towards Hammer does not come without a price, though, and its an interesting one indeed.

As we wonder what the fallout from Melbas intercession is going to be, we are also left to ponder why Hammer is in the misbegotten burg of Killington to begin with. That question is introduced gradually but is not fully revealed until approximately halfway through the book. But an even more important issue for Hammer is who set him up for the rape and murder that caused him so much trouble and pain when he first arrived in town, and to what end. Longtime Hammer fans know what will happen, but getting there is a great deal of the fun while Collins, with the approving shade of Spillane standing over his shoulder, provides the remainder.

We are assured by Collins --- a marvelous, one-of-a-kind author in his own right --- that there are more unfinished Hammer novels being completed, to be published in the near future. It is hard to imagine them being better than KILLING TOWN, which has all of the elements that made Spillane and Hammer the multimedia icons of the mid-20th century and beyond. It is strongly recommended as Exhibit A for how the job of writing the hard-boiled detective novel is fittingly and properly done.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Through-the-Dark-Clouds-Shining-A-Saga-of-Families-and-the-Great-War/dp/153045297X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Through the Dark Clouds Shining: A Saga of Families and the Great War</a>&nbsp;I agree with Reviewer John Herdeg. A.R. Homer has not only written a saga that is a cinematic portrayal of the times leading into and through the First World War but has achieved a living testimonial to history. Other than the TV series, Downton Abbey, todays generations have little knowledge of the 20th Centurys Great War. While that popular TV series has touched on the social upheaval in Britain before, during and after World War One, A.R. Homer digs deeper into 1) the heart of the class divisions between aristocracy and labor and 2) the disconnect between the government and the British people. His short chapters capture scene-by-scene a story line that could have confused the reader but instead injects an intimacy with the characters and sustains suspense, so much so that the reader is completely immersed and is not prepared to leave the story at the end. This treatment is what won the demanding popularity of Downtown Abbey. He brings to life the snobbery of the upper classes; the unbearable conditions of the coal mines; the abhorrent treatment of women who fought to achieve the right to vote; the cruel handling of conscientious objectors; the Germans sinking of the American ship, the Lusitania (which brought the U.S. into WWI); the British governments discard and betrayal of the wounded who survived, and, most of all, the tragic madness of the battlefields. Through all this, A.R. Homer still weaves a relentless mystery. It is a brilliant masterpiece and elevates A.R. Homer to the status of Ken Follett, who has turned family sagas depicting the 20th Century into historic testaments. If you haven't read A.R. Horners WWII novels, you are in for a special treat.
PS. I have both the paperback and Kindle editions.
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Mad Max: Fury Road is the sort of fascinatingly original movie-going experience that rarely comes from an existing franchise. And when it comes to part 4s in all of cinema, I cant think of one Ive ever liked more. George Miller, who directed the series other three entries, is back to do the job again here almost 30 years after the last one, and he proves to be cinematically as sharp as ever.  The fine accomplishments of actors and all the technical people notwithstanding, this is a directors film more than anything, with a sweeping vision of a post-apocalyptic world that, however crazy it gets, sells itself all the way through. You don't question what you seeyou feel you are there.

It stars Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa, and Tom Hardy as Mad Maxthats in order of importance. Max is a good character, the continued tortured soul trying survive, and yet finding the humanity in himself; but with all respect Furiosa is the real soul of this movie, the best performance (Id put it Therons best character since her Oscar winning turn in Monster) a woman strong, cunning and skilled, yet also at points vulnerable, as she leads a troop of wives away from their powerful, malicious husband who chases them basically from one end of the movie to the other. Max gets caught up with them along the way, in an interesting evolving relation towards Furiosa and the wives. These wives, five of them, don't get a lot of lines, but the qualities they bring in something different from both Max and Furiosa is important to the films success. Vital too are the host of villains, who come in such variety of interesting dark flavors, from the head evil master, down the hierarchy of his lower-ranked cohorts, to the followers convinced of the glory of self-sacrifice for their leader.

This movie is marvelously thick with post-apocalyptic atmosphere. It is also thrilling, and so varied with every action or chase sequence that rolls brilliantly off of the previous one. There are moments of slowdown, so to speak, where there is verbal interaction more than a couple words at a time, but as far as character building theres as much during the action as in the less hectic times. This is a constantly surprising, original film, frequently exciting, sometimes funny, sometimes touching, and absolutely never for any minute stretch uninteresting. The technical expertise to create such wild, high-flying (figuratively and literally) things as are shown here is just mind-boggling, but creativity is where it really excels. Its one captivating experience, not quite like anything else thats been made before. It must be seen.

The Blu-Ray transfer looks great, and it sounds even better than how it looks. There a fair deal of documentary extras that offer insights into this breathtaking work.
1475884
The latest entry into the Hammer files, "Killing Town" is one of the premier mysteries in this series that dates back to 1947. Started before "I, the Jury" but never finished, Max Allan Collins does a remarkable job (as always) of bringing us a masterful, completed work by Mickey Spillane. I  have read and own every novel by the late Mickey Spillane. "Killing Town" ranks up there with the best of the bunch! Hammer finds himself in hot water as he is falsely accused of the rape/murder of a local beauty. On a mission for a former Army pal, Hammer goes to Killington, NY to deliver  the money his late pal has left his wife. He is undercover since the Mob also wants the money, which it turns out was stolen by the Army buddy. Mystery, suspense, excitement and the Spillane surprise ending all add up to a real page turner. The "brittle, yellowed manuscript" was read by Collins on a visit to Spillane's Murrel's Inlet home. While he and Mickey were talking shop one night Spillane pulled out the unfinished manuscript and handed it to Collins to read. Collins told Spillane it was a "great" story and it is! The collaboration which with the promise of two more Hammer's will double the Hammer novels from 13 to 26. "Killing Town" is a must read for all noir and Hammer aficionados! If you want to read a great noir mystery then look no further than the latest Spillane/Collins collaboration. A mystery that promises not to disappoint!

 13 to 26 is a windfall for Hammer aficionados. "Killing Town" is a must read for anyone that loves a great noir mystery and they don't come any better than a Spillane/Collins collaboration.
4207844
Love this film.  Riemelt is a fox and plays the part so completely.  Koffler grows into the relationship with Riemelt--what a fine actor.  One just feels for the fiancee/girlfriend who has Koffler's baby.  Her family?  Not on your life.  But she exudes the betrayal, anger and heartfelt sadness that anyone in that situation would feel.  What a striking film.  I hope there's a "Free Fall Again" to learn the consequent story of all 3 principal characters.
4729636
GRAND PRIX was one of director John Frankenheimer's big-budget spectacles, filmed by MGM in Cinerama, its super-wide screen nicely restored for this DVD.  Brilliant split screen effects and camera movements and the rare appearance of Antonio Sabato, plus actual racing footage using well known racers including Damien Hill, make this an unforgettable experience.  The melodramatic plot is a bit slack, but the overall effect is sensational.
2779024
How can a single volume of "docufictions" be graphically violent,
elegantly stylized, philosophically revolutionary and irrepressibly
funny all at once? Jaffe somehow brings it off.
Given the subject matter, the graphic violence goes without speaking;
the stylization is in how the individual narratives (each "story"
belongs to a different serial killer) are modeled. Jaffe presents us
with monologues, "unsituated dialogues," letters, playlets,  mock TV
talk shows, and various combinations of these modalities. The result
is not chaos but its opposite, a kind of fluidly elegant architecture
of form. Revolution is, it seems, the intent; a revolution of
consciousness which has aligned the serial murderer with the powerful
politician or media capitalist and demonstrated conclusively the
greater virtue of the serial murderer. As in False Positive, Straight
Razor, Sex for the Millennium and his other books, Jaffe is comical
in ways that can't easily be described--a combination of the
language, the uncannily accented rhythm and the wildly incongruous
details and images.
The upshot is a virtuosic performance which is at the same time an
extraordinarily trenchant commentary on our post-Millennial culture.
--
4516333
It's been years since I saw this film, but much of it is still vivid in my mind.
The theme of the film is the impact of grand political ideas on ordinary people. We see the initial, instinctive isolationism of the American trial judge; the impact of war on an old, aristocratic military family in Germany; the patriotism of the Nazi-abhorring German defence counsel, who sees a 'not guilty' verdict as a victory for Germany's struggle to regain its self-respect; and the character of Ernst Janning, the incorruptible judge who saw the world around him go mad.
So how do you navigate your way through a moral maze when the old ideas of right and wrong have been turned on their head? This is not just a question for post-war Germany and Japan, or for post-communist eastern Europe, or for Muslims who try to reconcile their religion with the essentially anti-religious philosophy of Europe and North America: it is a question for all of us.
There is no easy answer. If we ignore our consciences and go along with the crowd, we can end up committing monstrous crimes; if we ignore the crowd and keep ourselves pure, we contribute to the atomisation of society and the breakdown of any form of common culture.
The only real way out is to involve ourselves in the way our societies are run, and argue our case in the marketplace of ideas.
Heavy stuff. It is a tribute to Kramer and his actors that they could inspire such thinking in a mainstream, Hollywood film.
This is a film you'll remember for the rest of your life.