Herman Weigel Movies

A few skirmishes from the ongoing battle between men and women are documented in this romantic comedy from Germany. Jan (Benno Fuermann) and Katrin (Jessica Schwarz) are a couple who literally met by accident -- attorney Jan was on a date with a woman he'd just met, Melanie (Annika Kuhl), when publisher Katrin bumped her car into Jan's, scraping the paint and sending him into a rage. While Melanie soon found herself infatuated with Jan's friend Ruediger (Matthias Matschke), Jan and Katrin's argument was the first step in a relationship that finds them living together two years later. While Melanie and Ruediger are happily married, things aren't quite so rosy for Jan and Katrin -- his head has been turned by Angie (Nadja Becker), a sexy if intellectually challenged woman working at his office, while Katrin has struck up a cozy friendship with handsome writer Jonathan Armbruster (Uwe Ochsenknecht). As Katrin ponders an offer from Jonathan to join him on a business trip to the United States, Jan wonders if he should act on his desires for Angie and Ruediger begins getting cold feet as Melanie discovers she's pregnant with the couple's first child. Warum maenner nicht zuhoeren und frauen schlect Einparken (aka Why Men Don't Listen And Women Can't Park) was inspired by a successful series of self-help books by Allan & Barbara Pease; an American film also drawn from their books is expected to be released in 2008. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Madonna plays Rebecca Carlson, a sex bomb who parades naked in front of the open windows of her houseboat at all hours while the lobstermen catch crabs. This entry in the Basic Instinct sweepstakes poses the question: If love hurts, does sex kill? The judge and jury certainly want to find out when Rebecca's latest conquest, a multi-millionaire, dies of a heart attack while making love to her. Eight million dollars was bequeathed to Rebecca in his will, and District Attorney Robert Garrett (Joe Mantegna) is convinced that Rebecca, knowing that her rich lover had a weak heart, killed him with wild sex so that she could get her mitts on the money. Rebecca's lawyer, Frank Dulaney (Willem Dafoe), thinks differently, suspecting the millionaire's private secretary Joanne Braslow (Anne Archer) of the crime, since she was dumped by the millionaire for Rebecca. Besides which, Frank is attracted to Rebecca himself and throws legal ethics out the window as he starts a sadomasochistic affair with her. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Hubert Selby's controversial 1964 cult novel Last Exit To Brooklyn is adapted to the big screen by director Ulrich Edel in this drama. The story is set in the early 1950s in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a blighted waterfront town of boarded-up storefronts and striking factory workers. Harry Black (Stephen Lang), a machinist put in charge of the local union strike office, suddenly finds himself one of the most important men in town. But for all his sudden power, there's something disturbing Harry. He rejects his wife's caresses and discovers himself infatuated with a frail young man who calls himself Georgette (Alexis Arquette), who has a crush on well-muscled hood Vinnie (Peter Dobson). But Harry doesn't confront his problem head-on until he falls head-over-heels in love with Regina (Zette), a local transvestite. As the strike becomes more intense, Harry sinks deeper into an obsessive affair with Regina, using the strike fund to shower him/her with personal gifts. As Harry sinks into obsession, other characters float through the decaying streets. There's the attractive prostitute Tralala (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who falls in love with a sailor about to be shipped overseas. There is also an agreeable young man named Tommy (John Costelloe) who is beaten by his soon-to-be father-in-law Big Joe (Burt Young) for making his daughter Donna (Ricki Lake) pregnant. Everything comes to a tragic conclusion as the workers' strike escalates into a violent confrontation. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Wolfgang Petersen adapted Michael Ende's children's story for this charming fantasy film that spawned several sequels. Bastian (Barret Oliver) is dealing with his mother's recent death. His father (Gerald McRaney) is an imperious sort who continually lambastes Bastian for daydreaming and falling behind in school. On top of his father's badgering, he has to contend with a bunch of school bullies waiting for him in the schoolyard. One day he decides to play hooky and walks into a strange bookstore, where in the attic, he discovers a book called "The Neverending Story". As Bastian reads the book, he's enveloped in the unfolding tale. A sickly child-like empress (Tami Stronach) from a land called Fantasia is concerned about who will take over the land if she dies. She decides it is best for Fantasia if she remains alive, so she dispatches a young warrior named Atreju (Noah Hathaway) to find a cure for the empress's malady. It turns out the land is consumed with a plague called The Nothing, generated by blighted dreams and hopeless fantasies. As Atreju continues onward to search for a cure for The Nothing, he encounters an assortment of strange creatures. Bastian is so consumed with the tale that he finds himself catapulted into the land of Fantasia himself. Atreju realizes that the only way to save the land from its blight is with the help of this strange earth boy, Bastian. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

The lovely Leni (Katja Rupe) lives in a cottage on the slopes of the hill owned by the wealthy Sternstein farming family. She has had her eye on Toni, the son of that family, for some time and hopes to wed him and occupy the glorious Sternstein manor. Toni, too, has been longing to marry her. Instead, each is forced to marry others. When both their spouses die, the two are finally able to wed, but by then the war intervenes, and the mansion goes unoccupied. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide