Klemens Becker Movies
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) races to solve the mystery of his past while being hunted by members of the very organization he was hired into as director Paul Greengrass brings author Robert Ludlum's popular character back to the big screen for his third feature outing. David Strathairn, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, and Paddy Considine co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, (more)
A South African mercenary and a Mende fisherman find their fates forever intertwined as they embark on a quest to obtain a rare and highly coveted pink diamond in director Edward Zwick's frantic adventure drama. Ripped from his family farm and forced to toil away in the sweltering South African diamond fields, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) discovered an extraordinary rough stone of immeasurable value. Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hired gun who specializes in the sale of so-called "blood diamonds" that are used to finance rebellions and terrorist organizations, and is currently serving time for smuggling. As a bloody civil war rages in Sierra Leone and Archer learns that Vandy has safely hidden the diamond in a place where no one would ever suspect, the pair enlist the aid of disillusioned American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) in recovering the treasure that has the power to save Vandy's family and provide the desperate Archer with a much-needed chance for redemption. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, (more)
William Makepeace Thackeray's witty assessment of the British class system, as seen through the experiences of one young woman, is brought to the screen with some serious star power in this period comedy drama. Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) is a bright and ambitious girl born to a poor British family. Becky is determined to make something of herself however she can, and after accepting a job as a nanny for the children of the powerful and aristocratic Sir Pitt Crawley (Bob Hoskins), she wastes no time ingratiating herself with the family. Pretty Becky catches the eye of Crawley's handsome and eligible son Rawdon (James Purefoy), and becomes chummy with sharp-tongued Aunt Matilda (Eileen Atkins). Between the two of them, Becky is introduced to London's most exclusive social circle, where she becomes re-acquainted with Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai), a former school chum who is amused by Becky's efforts to scale the ladder of social influence. Becky weds Rawdon, but following initial happiness, the social and economic stability she dreamed of begins to collapse when he begins drowning his troubles in gambling and drink, and soon she turns to the powerful Marquess of Steyne (Gabriel Byrne) for support. Meanwhile, Amelia's fortunes fall even harder following the death of her husband. Vanity Fair was directed by Mira Nair, who enjoyed a surprise international success with 2002's Monsoon Wedding. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reese Witherspoon, Romola Garai, (more)
Action hero Steven Seagal goes behind bars -- though don't worry, he isn't really a bad guy -- in this action thriller. Sascha Petrosevitch (Seagal) is an FBI agent working undercover to infiltrate a gangland kingpin's operations. While Petrosevitch is able to gain the trust of one of the gangster's lieutenants, Nick Frazier (Ja Rule), things go haywire during an FBI raid, and Petrosevitch takes several slugs in the back as he struggles to maintain his cover. Eight months later, Petrosevitch and Frazier are serving time together in the newly refurbished Alcatraz Penitentiary, as Petrosevitch secretly continues his investigation. Prison warden Hubbard (Stephen J. Cannell) is arranging for the execution of convicted killer and thief Lester (Bruce Weitz), and U.S. Supreme Court justice Jane McPherson (Linda Thorson) has announced she will attend as a witness. But Hubbard's assistant Donny (Morris Chestnut) has devised a secret plan -- it seems Lester stole and stashed away 200 million dollars in gold before he was arrested, and Donny, along with an underground SWAT team, takes control of the prison and takes Hubbard, McPherson, and the other assembled dignitaries hostage, demanding to be told where Lester has hidden his fortune. Now Petrosevitch must drop his cover and persuade his allies within the prison -- including Frazier and Little Joe (Michael "Bear" Taliferro) -- to join him in a desperate bid to foil Donny and free the hostages. Half Past Dead also features Nia Peeples, Kurupt, Tony Plana, and Claudia Christian. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, (more)
A man robbed of his name and his dignity strives to win them back, and gain the freedom of his people, in this epic historical drama from director Ridley Scott. In the year 180, the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) throws the Roman Empire into chaos. Maximus (Russell Crowe) is one of the Roman army's most capable and trusted generals and a key advisor to the emperor. As Marcus' devious son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) ascends to the throne, Maximus is set to be executed. He escapes, but is captured by slave traders. Renamed Spaniard and forced to become a gladiator, Maximus must battle to the death with other men for the amusement of paying audiences. His battle skills serve him well, and he becomes one of the most famous and admired men to fight in the Colosseum. Determined to avenge himself against the man who took away his freedom and laid waste to his family, Maximus believes that he can use his fame and skill in the ring to avenge the loss of his family and former glory. As the gladiator begins to challenge his rule, Commodus decides to put his own fighting mettle to the test by squaring off with Maximus in a battle to the death. Gladiator also features Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, and Oliver Reed, who died of a heart attack midway through production. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, (more)
- 1987
Oftentimes the most unique and celebrated artists carve their own stylistic path that cuts against the grain of popular trends; this was certainly true of Georg Baselitz, who from the outset of his career brazenly bucked the painting conventions and traditions of his native Germany, blasting them as "ugly." He came to specialize in grotesque, twisted figures with distorted faces and bodies, and frequent sexual elements, and at other times provoked controversy by hanging his paintings upside down. As one can imagine, this generated a hefty amount of controversy, as when Baselitz completed his painting Die große Nacht im Eimer (The Big Night Down the Drain), only to have it branded obscene and confiscated. The eponymous documentary Georg Baselitz consists of two halves, made 17 years apart. In the first, writer-director Heinz Peter Schwerfel visits Baselitz in 1987, coincident with the then-50-year-old artist's retrospective at the Bundekunsthalle in Bonn. Baselitz expostulates on his career, experiences as a young man, struggle to establish himself and final encounter with fame and glory. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Georg Baselitz
- 1986
Absence can indeed make the heart grow fonder as is seen in this romantic drama that chronicles the love affair between two disparate men separated by the Berlin Wall. They meet when the Western fellow and his American friend travel to the East side on a tour. There he spies the blond Easterner and feels an instant attraction. The men become friends, and then lovers. They see each other every week, and sometimes talk on the phone. The East-West relationship is not easy to maintain as they must constantly deal with the bureaucratic red-tape and the stress of being apart. Though they both lead widely disparate lives, they are unable to bear their separation any longer and the Easterner finally defects. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This Berlin Underground spoof of a vampire movie begins with a few original ideas that are difficult to sustain through to the ending. Sylvana (Marianne Enzenberger, also the director) has arrived for a stay in New York City but after becoming exhausted wandering around somewhat lost, she is taken to a mysterious brownstone walk-up and is bitten by a vampire before she knows what is going on. Now with a slightly different perspective on life, she flies back to Berlin, anxious to sink her teeth into just about anyone she can find. But as she tries to entrap people -- ranging from commune dwellers to the staid middle classes -- no one is interested in being bitten, and they get a little irritated with Sylvana. This hardly bodes well for her future as a bat woman.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marianne Rosenberg
- 1985
This is a conventional story about a relationship between two gay men set in unconventional times -- when East and West Germany were divided. Felix (Sigurd Rachman) has been in a happy relationship with an American from Los Angeles. One day when the American comes for a visit, the two travel to East Berlin where they meet Thomas (Rainer Strecker), and for Felix, that is the end of his relationship with the American. From then on, Felix travels back and forth to East Berlin as often as he possibly can -- a dangerous activity because it always raises suspicions in the border guards. Sure enough, Felix is pulled over one day, and that's when the troubles begin. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rainer Strecker
