Here's for an American comedy that's... uh... VERY German. At least, it's set in Nevada just outside of Las Vegas, and holds a very strong sense of the Southwest and its colors and energy, but directed by a German in a very Expressionist way.
A German tourist has an argument with her husband and they split up, him taking the car and leaving her out in the hot sunny wasteland. Wandering along the highway she makes her way to Bagdad, a small town... or rather, a café with people who for some reason like to hang out around it all their lives... and befriends the usually angry and very aggravated owner. The two, though very confused with each other at first, eventually spark a friendship of "magic" that attracts many visitors to the small outpost.
It's very funny and pretty quirky. A lot of the strange editing and washed-out cinematography add to a sense of Expressionism, but captures very well the landscape... both its heat and its beauty.
This film is missing a few bits of character development and sometimes feels a bit rushed, but it's a very nice and very loving take on yet another type of culture shock that eventually works magic and brings people together. Some things weren't developed enough (Brenda's husband spends all that time spying and yet never comes back?) but the short time we spend with all these characters paints broad portraits that leave their echoes with us forever. That, indeed, is a very strong ability indeed.
CCH Pounder is brilliant. If you want to see her do brilliantly as a very different character in a very good movie, watch Benny and Joon. The two movies are similar in that they bring very quirky characters together, but otherwise are nearly completely different. Between the two of these movies, I wish CCH Pounder was in a lot more movies than animations and television series.
--PolarisDiB
A German tourist has an argument with her husband and they split up, him taking the car and leaving her out in the hot sunny wasteland. Wandering along the highway she makes her way to Bagdad, a small town... or rather, a café with people who for some reason like to hang out around it all their lives... and befriends the usually angry and very aggravated owner. The two, though very confused with each other at first, eventually spark a friendship of "magic" that attracts many visitors to the small outpost.
It's very funny and pretty quirky. A lot of the strange editing and washed-out cinematography add to a sense of Expressionism, but captures very well the landscape... both its heat and its beauty.
This film is missing a few bits of character development and sometimes feels a bit rushed, but it's a very nice and very loving take on yet another type of culture shock that eventually works magic and brings people together. Some things weren't developed enough (Brenda's husband spends all that time spying and yet never comes back?) but the short time we spend with all these characters paints broad portraits that leave their echoes with us forever. That, indeed, is a very strong ability indeed.
CCH Pounder is brilliant. If you want to see her do brilliantly as a very different character in a very good movie, watch Benny and Joon. The two movies are similar in that they bring very quirky characters together, but otherwise are nearly completely different. Between the two of these movies, I wish CCH Pounder was in a lot more movies than animations and television series.
--PolarisDiB