Movies 2025/26 - Film reviews on germanradioshow.com
2025/26 Films/Filme reviewed by Susanne Nielsen:
Published in:
(in German) GERMANRADIOSHOW.COM
(selected in English) ACED Magazine /Tampa, WWW.ACEDMAGAZINE.COM (search: Susanne Nielsen)
(selected in English) https://www.spinbinmag.com
(publications by John Delia, Sr., Film Editor/Critic , Member of Southeastern Film Critics Association SEFCA and Critics Association of Central Florida CACF )
NEW REVIEWS:
von/by Susanne Nielsen
The Christophers, art film with Ian McKellen, as aging has been artist, still living on past success and faced with a scheme his children have devised not to be left with no inheritance at all. The series of paintings called the Christophers, images begun, but not completed as the love for this young man had swept the artist voff his feet and then left him devbastated he was left behind. The kids want the Christophers completed by a talented young artist, but she forges her own relationship with the artist and is determined all should get what they want, and they will!
Fuze is a classic heist movie with a great setup, action and some very clever storylines. We see a good number of Britain's newer young actors, all taking us through a storyline that will have you trying your best to figure all out and to cheer for how it goes. A delightful time at the movies!
Michael, the movie is in typical continuation of the brand, a Jackson product. Dreamed up by their enterprising father Joseph Jackson, his five boys were never to take on the life of a blue collar worker that dad had been living. Instead, the film makes very clear from the start - come what may - including endless rehearsals deep into the night, music was to become their life. The smalles of them was Michael and with his big voice he would be the main attraction. Behind the scenes this special little boy is the target of his father's wrath - physical abuse a big part of his life and instilling a fear of this father figure that will influence his entire life. Jafaar Jackson , son of Michael's brother Jermaine, brings Michael back to life on screen, the soft voice and sweet face, and above all, the moves which many have missed since Michael passed away too early. No controversy, no dark side is allowed in this shiney new biopic, and movie goers will not care.
"I Swear" begins very gently, focusing on a young boy (Scott Ellis Watson) who, thanks to the promise of a football career, is able to attend a private school. Well-mannered and humble, he knows his place—until he is suddenly plagued by tics and involuntary movements, and crude remarks slip out that he is no longer able to control. Thus began, at the age of 12, the symptoms of the incurable condition known as Tourette syndrome—a disorder that, in the 1980s, was still not widely understood, and whose outbursts were often met with punishment.
Robert Aramayo (who deserves high praise for his excellent performance!) plays the young man as he comes of age—John Davidson—who, even after receiving a diagnosis, continued to face social ostracism at home. In public, John’s involuntary outbursts are met with a lack of understanding and threats of punishment, as onlookers perceive only his socially inappropriate behavior toward others. Time and again, he is forced to defend his medical diagnosis.
John, however, is fortunate. He finds a kind, maternal friend in a psychiatric nurse—Maxine Peake as Dottie Achenbach—who is battling her own health issues; she takes him under her wing, thereby easing the burden on his family. She also finds him a benevolent employer: Peter Mullan as Tommy Trotter. Both help pave his way, encouraging him to raise awareness of his condition and to help others learn how to live with it. Ultimately, he is honored by the British Queen for his work—a distinction that makes this true-life story both worth telling and well worth watching!
The fact that John Davidson played a pivotal role as an activist—raising awareness of and working on issues related to Tourette syndrome—is something this feature film finally brings to light for audiences far beyond the borders of England. "I Swear" also touches upon the state of research into the condition, as well as approaches to treatment.
Ultimately, both of these aspects are of immense importance—not only for John but for the many others affected by this condition. For this, John rightly deserves positive attention. The film—already the recipient of numerous honors—is well worth seeing and highly recommended! In addition to the title, the poster lists many of the other symptoms: "I Swear" — "I blink, I twitch, I jump, I click, I whistle, I shout."
"You, Me and Tuscany", a cute Romcom transporting us into the feel-good world of young love and a comedy of errors, all given a nice clue, when we recognize Nia Vardalos' cameo as a New York appartment owner who gives our heroine , Anna (American singer/actor and guitarrist Halle Bailey) "the boot" when she discovers that the young woman is helping herself to much more than her employment allows.
Thus it is, so Anna knows after a chance encounter with Italian Mattheo (Italian actor Lorenzo de Moor) her fate lies in finding herself far from her current situation. Her sassy New York friend Claire (Aziza Scott) puts in her opinion along the way! But Anna grabs her fate by the ears, and the hint, a move to sunnier and lovelier climes - like the Tuscany in the film's title, and a friendly Taxi driver who eases the journey, must mean better things ahead. Mom's last gift had been this trip to Italy and very soon we find ourselves in Italy and the beautiful countryside and food that goes with it.
Ahhh, and then there is the young man, Michael (British-Zimbabwean actor Rege-Jean Page) who seems the perfect fit to her life, if only she can get there without messing it all up again.
We as viewers have already decided she needs a happy ending. The acting and a good bit of charm continues throughout the film, an a nice summer romcom for a feelgood night at the movies!
"A Magnificent Life" (Marcel and Monsieur Pagnol) depicts—through animated imagery and featuring Matthew Gravelle (Laurent Lafitte), Flora Montgomery as Hélène Lazareff, and various others (Géraldine Pailhas and Elsa Perusin) in the lead roles of the English-language version (with the original French voices noted in parentheses)—the life of the writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol. For English-speaking audiences, the voices have been translated using a variety of accents designed to evoke the rural French dialects of the original.
We encounter the 60-year-old Pagnol just as he is about to write a series of articles for *ELLE* magazine; in doing so, he meets Marcel—his younger self—who accompanies him on a journey through his youth and his life. Various figures—such as his mother and his close friend—cross his path and play a part in his life story. It is a fascinating life, and one belonging to a figure who, thanks to the artistry of Sylvain Chomet, has now received a cinematic tribute truly worthy of his legacy.
To anyone who has learned the French language or grown up in France, Marcel Pagnol is a familiar name, known primarily through his books. This multi-talented artist not only penned these stories but also brought them to the screen, lovingly crafting and sharing with us characters drawn from the French provinces—specifically his native region near Marseille.
For me, the standout work remains "La Femme du Boulanger" (The Baker's Wife)—a story that, whether read in the book or watched on Pagnol's film, leaves one with the fondest and most amusing of memories. Like many of his comedies, the story centers on a small town’s collective effort to retrieve the baker’s runaway wife, hoping to coax him back into baking—for he had ceased working the moment she walked out on him. Although this particular episode does not appear in this biographical film, the movie nevertheless offers a deeply engaging insight into the life of the man behind the stories. Now, an English-speaking audience has cause for celebration, for they are well acquainted with its creator—the French, England-based filmmaker Sylvain Chomet—and his wondrous hand-drawn imagery, notably from "The Triplets of Belleville", a masterpiece of animated cinema released years ago. "A Magnificent Life" is an enchanting film that demands multiple viewings to fully savor all the lovingly crafted details—and, every now and then, the discovery of a few actual vintage film scenes!
"Der Astronaut" is the German title of the independently produced film "Project Hail Mary", starring Ryan Gosling and German actress Sandra Hüller. Hüller also surprises audiences with a brief singing performance—a moment the director incorporated into the film specifically for her—in a role that portrays her as intelligent, composed, and, at least initially, not in the predictable romantic subplot one might expect alongside Gosling, as the scientist is left in charge back on Earth. The true lead role is played by an endearing extraterrestrial, and the film centers on his collaboration with Gosling—an astronaut-against-his-will who finds himself unexpectedly in space with a rather stony companion, both beings attempting to save their respective worlds. The moment we hear four familiar musical notes, we are being signaled that just such a friendly alliance is about to unfold—a prospect sure to draw Earthlings of all ages into theaters, assuming you aren't already among the projected millions of people expected to make this film the first (at 17 million) box-office smash of 2026. Spread the word: it is a sheer delight, featuring a beautiful story and stunning visuals that invite you to dream! IMAX is the perfect format for Gosling's and your "Close Encounter of the Third Kind."
*Crime 101* is an action film with all the right ingredients: a strong cast, a compelling storyline, and a thrilling finale that leaves us in awe. Halle Berry, Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Ruffalo—joined by Nick Nolte and Barry Keoghan—are all entangled in a complex web of intrigue that only becomes fully clear as the story unfolds. This intricate plot gives each character the nudge they need in the right direction, spiced up with a touch of romance, a few very stylish cars, and a cast of characters whose lives are in need of a change—a change they ultimately receive. Perfect for a date night!
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The President's Cake is set in Iraq during the politically and economically most difficult period of the 1990s.The landscape in which the film was shot is breathtaking. Director Hasan Hadi insisted on filming on location, including the ziggurat of Ur, and especially the southern marshland where a young girl, Lamia, lives with her grandmother. This landscape, with its people gliding on long, narrow boats from island dwellings with their woven grass huts to other islands, is reason enough to see the film! But the lives of the inhabitants under the rule of the then-dictator Saddam Hussein, and the rituals the population dedicated to him, are depicted from a child's perspective. Lamia, wonderfully and naturally portrayed by Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, is chosen by her teacher, as is customary in all schools, to bake a birthday cake for the ruler. Their quest to fulfill this almost impossible task amidst severe food shortages—finding the eggs, sugar, and flour for the cake—leads them on an odyssey from the countryside to the metropolis of Baghdad. Driven by the children's unwavering determination, they race through the capital, searching for the precious food items they gradually acquire, and then, with them, making their way toward their goal; all of this unfolds in a thrilling action film.
Their companions are their rooster, "Hindi," and their classmate, Saeed (Sayad Mohamad Qasem). The children take us on a breathtaking adventure, following them and witnessing their resilience and resourcefulness as they tackle their quest, their deep faith, encounters with corruption, and overcome countless obstacles. A truly remarkable film, courtesy of Hasan Hadi!
A Private Life begins promisingly with Jody Foster as American psychiatrist Dr. Lilian Steiner, living in a beautiful, spacious apartment in Paris. She sees her patients at her apartment, where she lives separately from her ex-husband Gabi, played by Gabriel Haddad. She has a son, Julien (Vincent Lacoste), with whom she is not very close. Foster portrays Dr. Steiner as a clever, older intellectual whose thoughts run far deeper than one would expect from a crime novel. She smokes, “very French.” Nevertheless, the story opens with the unexpected death of a client, Paula (Virginie Efira), which triggers a series of accusatory reactions from the family, particularly the deceased woman's husband (Mathieu Amalric). Steiner searches for answers, meeting with Gabi, whom she trusts, and Auteuil, now also of a certain age, who makes his affection for her more platonic than intimate believable. In classic film noir fashion, Steiner becomes convinced that the death, presented as a suicide by the deceased woman's daughter, Valérie (Luàna Bajrami), must actually be murder. The sometimes comical attempts by Steiner, accompanied by her accomplice, ex-girlfriend Gaby, provide some amusing episodes, and the ending is surprising, if not entirely unexpected.
Running Man, a movie on steriods as is its hero who wants to save his sick child by putting his life on the line for big bad producer Josh Brolin. Who will win the Running Man ratings Game? Breathless life and death game for the hero, and the villain! and countless extras, real or imagined. We tried AI but real people are still better for the ratings, so all is videoed in the "bread and circusses" genre.
Now You See Me, Now You Don't 2, Fun caper that follows a first film some years ago. The old characters are added to by a young group of would be greates who have to earn their chops as Woody Harelson returns and a camio by others from the first film. A big new adventure with more smoke and mirrors and we enjoy being surprised - worth a night at the movies, enjoy! A bit of magic(al) coming home.
Eleanor The Great, Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, is a film that touches our heart. At age 94, she faces the plight of many in her senior community, to be dismissed by society or to be treated like a child. But Eleanor - marvelously played by seasoned stage and movie actress ( last seen speeding along through the streets and catching a scammer in the act in “Thelma” ) June Squibb as Eleanor Morgenstein, refuses to step into the shadows. After the death of her companion Bessie (Rita Zohar), she moves in with her daughter Lisa ( Jessica Hecht), this time to New York City, quite an adventure. Her lost friend’s story becomes her own, and this unexpectedly opens some very new doors. She befriends college student Nina, a young budding journalist (Erin Kellyman in another wonderful performance in this film), who finds Eleanor both intriguing and the grandmother figure she needs just now.
The two forge a relationship that takes them out of their shared isolation and gives purpose, each for their own reasons, leads to the events they embark upon. The big city with its busy lifestyle is at the center of this story, and the importance of its characters finding a way forward and through trials to gain new purpose and new friendships. Eleanor is a wonderful and very thoughtful film, that should not be missed whatever age one is or aspires to be. Director Johansson pulls a wonderful cast together, Chiwetel Ejiofor with warmth and empathy plays Nina’s dad, trying to encourage his daughter’s gift of writing. Through all its ups and downs, this group brings humor and love and understanding to new heights, a wonderful debut for all involved in the making of Eleanor the Great!
Let’s Not Go to the Dogs Tonight is the directorial debut of yet another female director, who plays the mother of an amazing talent, Embeth Davidtz as mom to Alexandra “Bobo” Fuller ( Lexi venter, marvelous!) , a little unkempt eight year old blonde who seems pretty happy in her world in Rhodesia in the final days of the Rhodesian Bush War. Black and White need to reassess their roles. Mom has her own issues, and looks out for her more and more endangered community of land keepers, in a Rhodesia ( then Zimbabwe) that is questioning their stance now led by Robert Mugabe, and a black population that questions its role in this new violent era. Alexandra Fuller’s 2001 memoir is the basis for this film.
Bobo rides around on her moped, spends time with all those around her seemingly carefree, but when the night time comes she is just a little girl and not as confident of herself. Mom has her own problems, and as caretaker of safety or good daughter to her aging parents she loves her land it seems more than everything else. Soon, we sense, this paradise will change and end, the little girl has to deal with her own feelings, as do mom and dad.
The beautiful landscape is a dreamy backdrop to the reality the people portray, Embeth Davidtz as mother, Rob Vuren as her dad, Tim Fuller care-taking of family and community. Zikhona Bali is Sarah, the black house keeper whose husband Jacob (Fumani Shilubana draws her more and more away from the white family they have both been serving for years it seems. Politics surface in most of the plot, that is sunlit and enhanced with the smooth soundtrack of the times, the voice of Roger Whittaker with standards like “Yellow Bird” - as much as protective cover as are the deceivingly soft visuals. It is a portrait of a lost world, one that is marvelous to immerse oneself into, an Alice in Wonderland of Africa.
A look back at “Nowhere in Africa,” Karoline Link’s Oscar winning oeuvre has an equally compelling youngster whose eyes see the story, worth a revisit!
Jurrassic World Rebirth is a stand alone sequel to the Jurassic World Dominion (2022). It has been a few years when the last Jurassic film looked back on the good old days and brought back the now mature actors like Laura Dern, Jeff Goldbloom, and Sam Neill re- connecting for the first time from the original Jurassic Park , first of now seven films. Now, in 2025, it is high time for a spunky new female lead with a feisty Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett, who likes a lot of money, and portrayed as used to partnering with fun loving buddy, Duncan Kinkaid - played with charm and spirit and a bit of mercenary backstory by Mahershala Ali, a well cast duo with some supporting adventure-loving, French speaking crew assistants (Philippine Velge, Belchir Sylvain). The real villain, Martin Krebs, is played by Rupert Friend, more edgy as he gets older, with the sole goal to use his corporate powers to seek control of some very rare resources, that happen to be very hard to get. Add into the mix a hungry for attention scientist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), eager to leave the lab and play out of doors. Where?
Enter the forbidden world of Dinosaurs, now concentrated - the story has it - in a zone that is off limits to the rest of the world. So off we go, on a boat out into nature, and to go see!
To complicate things a bit, they all seem do the right thing, to save a little family with a mayday call sitting on their overturned sailboat. Their weekend with dad outing had also got them into dangerous seas and now, seemingly rescued, they will be caught in the bigger adventure of the motly bunch they unwillingly must join. From water to land, onto marvelous tropical island with high cliffs looming above lucious tropical greenery, two groups set out on two very different quests.
It is a great new Jurrassic movie, summer fun for Dinosaur fans, a story that is well conceived and some big thrills along the way!
Tom Cruise in another Mission Impossible installment, Mission Impossible -Final Reckoning, this one not likely to be his Last!
Missions have never been impossible for Tom Cruise, and at over sixty, he is in great form, this time adding a new vista to those expected of him high up in the air. Cruise is showing off his moves: Balancing on and around a by-plane in the dare-devil stunts he famously does without stunt doubles, in the tradition of Buster Keaton and others almost a century and a half ago.
He has added maneuvers that are thrilling and offer vistas not seen in previous installments of the series. which makes it all very real, and believable because we know he will, no matter, do all his stunts in person. He is surrounded by his "family," the group of fellow actors like Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg, in the story loyal to the death, against a larger than life Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence, villain Esai Morales in the mix, threatening the world - that Ethan Hunt and his IMF team have to save.
The story always adds some humourous side elements, so that action and suspense help drive the story to a perfect ending. Some of us may be missing a love interest for Hunt, but Cruise fans relish seeing their hero, now with a softer look of wavy hair, in every scene!
Enough surprises make the audience wish for yet another Mission Impossible soon!
Jane Austin Wrecked My Life, review by Susanne Nielsen
It is summer and time, high time for romance! The kind that we remember as “the Great Romance” - love between an unlikely couple, in Notting Hill it was American Julia Roberts and British Hugh Grant. And now we have Laura Piani’s equally romantic story of Camille Rutherford as French bookish intellectual wallflower living in her Jane Austin world as Agathe Robinson, and French-speaking, but quite at home in the English literary world, selling books in the most romantic shop in Paris, Shakespearere and Company.
She has to find herself as she ends up with two unlikely suitors, one a longtime bestie named Felix (Pablo Pauly) and her hosts’ son at a writer’s retreat, with his unreliable car. Born into fame of sorts, he turns out to be writer Jane Austen’s Great great great great nephew (Charlie Anson as Oliver). Agathe is caught in the middle.
The film's title makes us curious, the characters live through a mini film story in the cleverly set up low-key film trailer.
“Jane Austen wrecked my Life” is one of those wonderful summer films that leaves us as satisfied as any Jane Austin novel would,
hence the clever title, promising a bit of the historic - yes, costumes will be a part of the drama, and a lot of what can go wrong before the characters should find their happy ending.
Writer-director Piani has mixed in all the right ingredients, a bit of humor and comedy of errors, and a very likable band of flawed players.
We know that any Austin reference as do her stories on the big screen are amusing, witty characters , especially the female protagonist, and the story is tidily wrapped up to make the perfect ending.
Girl gets boy and a few hiccups give the story just enough twists that keep us rooting for the heroine to find the perfect match, albeit not who we think. In the costume dramas of Jane Austin tales,
there are dashing Mr. Darcys, and of course, the family, the solid protectors of women and manners, always a few wicked characters and a gaggle of sisters and aunts. The background gives us Jane’s view of Georgian society that she was born into and whose morals and doings she so wittily described. But it would not be Jane if she did not also make fun of this little world. After all she lived in this world and knew its many sides.
So when we meet Agathe, the heroine, we are expecting a love story, with twists and turns set in the modern world. And our lady protagonist is alone with a job at a book store who loves to read and recommends these old fashioned romances that Ms. Austen so famously conceived. In them - unlike in her own world, all will end well!
In modern Agathe’s life the men seem to look at her as a sister, a teacher, a buddy. But she just needs something ( and someone) more! Hiding out in her world of books is not a life.
So her best buddy ( no lack of romance experience himself) Felix comes up with a match making twist - he has sent in her own writing inspired by her love of Jane Austin, and gets her invited to a Jane Austin retreat at one of the writer’s homes in England. When she finally arrives she is met by a group of interesting characters are fellow retreaters, and an adoring quirky elderly couple as their hosts, guardians of Jane Austin’s place of creativity.
For Agathe, perhaps a time to dust off the cover of her own efforts, and write!
And from the moment she arrives at the train station and meets Oliver, the man who may very possibly end up being Mr. Right ( long story - simply watch!) we are hanging on every lovely catastrophy befalling these two.
Reminded of the very best, this perfect little summer film and like so many such love stories ,it perfectly delivers, please, we think, let there be more !
The Assessment
The Brutalist:
Porcelain War:
All We Imagine as Light:
Flow:
Count of Monte Cristo:
Betterman:
The Room Next Door:
Emilia Perez:
Gloria (2024):
The Color Purple:
GERMAN FILMS:
Alles Fifty Fifty (2024)
Die Ironie des Lebens (2024)
Muenter und Kandinsky
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