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Reviews
Monster on a Plane (2024)
The best entertainment at the highest aesthetic level!!!!!
This film is the best mix of entertainment and fun I've seen in a long time. First of all, the camera and special effects are simply marvellous. CGI has obviously been skilfully used, but the monsters have been specially built and are not digitally produced, so they look particularly real. The shots are so fantastically done, the scenery so incredibly well created, that this small independent film can really hold its own aesthetically with the blockbusters without any problems. Just look at the aeroplane! Not only is the interior design an absolutely convincing imitation of a real aeroplane, but the ceiling and floor are also completely coherent and look absolutely real. This really is film art at a very, very high level. The story is funny, cheeky and tries to cleverly incorporate a series of film quotes. It brings to mind "Snakes on a Plane" or "Critters", only realised in a much more exciting, witty and aesthetically pleasing way. The cinematic Hollywood look, which is not at all familiar from German cinema, is simply so well executed that it leaves you speechless. To be able to be entertaining and at the same time realise an independent film in such a way that is really in no way inferior to the blockbusters impressed me deeply. The acting is also remarkable. German stars such as Eva Habermann and Dieter Landuris gave their best, and Fred Aaron Blake and Phillipe Brenninkmeyer also stand out. In particular, the acting performance of model Kim Kelly stands out, who has probably ventured into the acting profession for the first time and has done it so absolutely skilfully. But really the best and most remarkable thing was the cinematography. Ezra Tsegaye and Kristina Schippling did an exceptional job here.
Chaos Walking (2021)
Masterpiece!
"Chaos Walking" may not be hailed as a cinematic masterpiece, but it offers a pleasant diversion for an afternoon's entertainment. Tom Holland, Mads Mikkelsen, and Daisy Ridley deliver solid performances that keep the story engaging. The film presents an intriguing sci-fi concept where male inhabitants of the planet are afflicted by "the noise," a phenomenon that broadcasts their thoughts aloud. While the movie could have delved deeper into certain elements, such as the backstory of Prentisstown and its relationship with other human settlements, as well as the native species of the planet, the overall experience is reminiscent of "Planet of the Apes" in a non-derogatory manner.
For those seeking a way to escape reality for a couple of hours, "Chaos Walking" fits the bill. While it may fade from memory after a week, it leaves no unpleasant aftertaste.
Angst, dass die Ratten hochkommen (2013)
There is nothing comparable!
Kristina Schippling's short films are courageous art. She tells of dysfunctional love relationships from which the protagonists cannot break free. Kristina finds metaphorical images and places for her films, like a lift that descends endlessly and seems like a prison cell from which there is no escape. But when the door opens, no one gets out. The hopelessness and the inability to get out of the relationship are inside the protagonists.
The film is divided into two halves. One linguistic and one non-linguistic. The first attempt at a linguistic approach fails. The second attempt, to approach physically, almost succeeds. Nevertheless, the fear is too intensive to make any real attempts at rapprochement. The togetherness is lost again. Is it the bond that holds them together? Are they holding on to their past? Is it the fear of something unknown and new that makes them both stay in the lift? Or the fear of being all alone? The title is taken up by the male character. He says he is afraid a rat will come up from the toilet and bite him. The rat is therefore the woman. It's a tormenting bond that can't be broken, but also doesn't work.
Kristina's short films leave room for interpretation, they are characterised by a clarity and openness and at the same time by a depth. They are philosophical jewels that you can watch again and again and that invite you to reflect, to investigate.