Werner Koenig Movies

In this religious drama concerning the struggle between science and faith, Olivia Williams plays Sharon Golban, an Israeli archeologist who discovers a skeleton within a tomb in Jerusalem. After an intensive study and the accumulation of more information, the bones begin to resemble the remains of Jesus Christ. At this news, the Vatican decides to send a young priest, Rev. Matt Gutierrez (Antonio Banderas), to investigate the problem and make sure the scientist's findings do not cause a stir. Meanwhile, a Palestinian shopkeeper (Makram J. Khoury) is caught between the church and Israeli society due to his finding of the bones: His basement led to the discovery. All of this poses a dilemma for the young reverend, who is forced to re-evaluate his own religion due to this new development's rewriting of the story of Jesus, which states that when his followers arrived at the tomb after crucifixion, it was empty. Written and directed by Jonas McCord, The Body is based on a novel by Richard Ben Sapir. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

This futuristic animated adventure is based on the graphic novel The Melting Pot, created by noted comic artists Kevin Eastman, Simon Brisley, and Eric Talbot and published by the creators of the well-known graphics magazine Heavy Metal. In a distant universe, the acronym F.A.K.K. (Federation Assigned Ketogenic Killzone) is used to designate places of extreme danger to all life forms. In a bid to keep out unwelcome visitors, the quiet civilization of Eden has designated itself as F.A.K.K., level two. However, a lunatic named Tyler (voice of Michael Ironside) invades Eden, and when he discovers Eden's secrets -- life-preserving if respected, deadly when abused -- he lays waste to the civilization, leaving behind only a female warrior named Julie (voice of Julie Strain). Julie sets out to find Tyler, determined to see the secrets of Eden returned to safety and eager to take her revenge for the slaughter of her people. Unlike the 1981 film Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal 2000 tells one long story rather than several shorter ones; in keeping with the first movie, it does features a soundtrack by a number of noted rock bands, including Monster Magnet, Pantera, Days of the New, Insane Clown Posse, System of a Down, Coal Chamber, and others. Heavy Metal 2000 was released in Europe as Heavy Metal F.A.K.K. 2. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

While a number of American and European films have examined the horrible legacy of the Third Reich and the Holocaust, Du Sollst Nicht Toeten is one of the first dramatic films from Germany to examine the crimes of the Nazi era and their impact on the German psyche. Peter Rohm (Kai Wiesinger) is a successful lawyer living in Berlin with his wife Rebekka (Karoline Eichhorn). One day, Peter receives an unusual package in the mail -- a Nazi officer's uniform. Puzzled, Peter does some research which suggests that the uniform once belonged to fugitive war criminal Josef Mengele. Peter is soon visited by a mysterious stranger named Mueller (Heinz Trixner), who slips him a powerful drug. When he awakes, Peter is in Argentina, where he's introduced to an elderly man who has lived for years under the name Heinz Baumgarten, but announces that he is in fact Joseph Mengele (Goetz George). Mengele has decided to return to Germany to stand trial for war crimes, and he wants Peter to represent him; Peter reluctantly agrees. As the German media goes into a frenzy and angry demonstrations crowd the streets, Mengele calmly argues that he was merely a research scientist whose work ultimately aided humanity, and that no firm evidence links him to any murders. While a handful of eyewitnesses offer support to the accusations against Mengele, no one seems able to present hard evidence that contradicts Mengele's claims. Adapted from a screenplay by American writers Christopher Riley and Kathleen Riley (which no U.S. producers were willing to film), Du Sollst Nicht Toeten so impressed Goetz George that he helped finance the film to the tune of one million marks; Kai Wiesinger was also enthusiastic about the material and waived his usual fee in order to aid production of the picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Veteran ethnographic documentarian Leslie Woodhead helmed this U.S.-British docudrama about Ethiopian long-distance runner Haile Gebrselassie (with the Atlanta Olympic games sequence directed by Bud Greenspan). Gebrselassie won the gold medal in the men's 10,000-meters race at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and the Atlanta race serves as a framing device. Yonas Zergaw, the athlete's nephew, portrays him as a youth, with Gebrselassie portraying himself from age 18. At his native village of Asela, he ran 12 miles daily to school. When fellow Ethiopian Miruts Yifter won the 10,000-meter race at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Haile was inspired and became a serious runner at 17, moving to Addis Ababa to begin training. Haile's late mother is played by his eldest sister. Haile's father portrays himself in later scenes, with Haile's first cousin acting as the father as a younger man in the film's earlier sequences. Shown at 1998 film fests (Telluride, Venice). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide