Oliver Broumis Movies
- 2004
A young boy immersed in a fantasy world of his own crosses paths with a real-live talking terrier -- who just happens to be the inheritor of a palatial estate -- in this family-oriented fantasy from Mostly Martha director Sandra Nettelbeck. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Lennart Thomas
- 1994
This Austrian film, set in 1945, chronicles the Muhlviertler Rabbit Hunt, an incident involving the escape of 500 Russian inmates from the Mauthausen concentration camp. Of the 500, only 150 survived. The film focuses upon the cruelty and goodness of the towns people, many of whom set to finding the Russian escapees and slaughtering them with gusto as per SS orders. Other townsfolk were more humane and assisted the Russians. One such heroine was Frau Karner who took Michail and Nikolai and hid them in her family barn. Her son, an army reject, also aids the Russians. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elfriede Irrall, Rainer Egger, (more)
This German battlefield drama, released on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the climactic 1943 defeat of the Nazi forces at Stalingrad in Russia, does not paint a pretty picture either of war itself or of the Germans fighting in that war. Out of hundreds of thousands of previously victorious German soldiers who took part in this most crucial battle of WWII, a mere six thousand ruined men survived. Today, the word "Stalingrad" is used by Germans to signify any particularly ruinous reversal or defeat. In the story, the lives of several German soldiers are followed as they are transformed from arrogant and victorious killers into demoralized cowards who will do anything at all in order to survive, usually without success. Due to a political climate of resurgent sympathy for the fascists at the time this film was made, is was particularly important to the filmmakers to show the soldiers as lacking any shred of military dignity or real courage. Thus, though this big budget, well-made film did well in Germany, its lack of any truly sympathetic characters made it less popular elsewhere. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dominique Horwitz, Thomas Kretschmann, (more)
- 1991
"Collateral damage" is a prissy euphemism for "killed or injured innocent bystanders." In this story, a man and a woman have been fatally wounded by a policeman in a shootout at an outdoor market. The two meet in an anteroom for the spirits of the not-quite dead, and they fall in love. They are returned to life for twelve hours to prove their love. Meanwhile, an anarchist who is part of a plot to blow up an American corporation's computer has learned that the police are aware of the plot and is trying to make it back to his comrades in order to warn them. These two stories intersect so that this supernatural romance is also an action thriller. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oliver Broumis
Sandra Nettelbeck spins this gentle drama about how a child's presence can change the lives of the most shy and career-minded of adults. Martha (Martina Gedeck) is the chef of a popular Hamburg eatery who fusses and obsesses over each dish before it leaves the kitchen. The demands of her job and her natural shyness keep her from breaking out of her routine to meet new people. When her sister suddenly dies in a car accident, Martha adopts Lina, her eight-year-old niece. Martha's life soon completely changes -- not only must she adjust herself to new parental role, but she must help Lina deal with her grief over the loss of her mother. Martha gets unexpected help from Mario, Martha's hunky new sous chef, who is not only a whiz on the chopping block but knows sundry magic tricks and jokes to keep Lina's spirits afloat. Just as Martha starts to grow attached to the girl, however, the possibility of Lina returning to the custody of her father arises. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, (more)
