Richy Mueller Movies

An embittered, 80-year-old piano teacher working in a women's prison takes on the most challenging student in her enduring career in director Chris Kraus' low-key musical drama. For years, Miss Krueger (Monica Bleibtreu) has been teaching classical piano to some of the most hardened female prisoners in all of Germany, but upon meeting brooding new inmate Jenny (Hannah Herzsprung), Miss Krueger finally seems to have found the one student she can't break through to -- until she hears Jenny play, that is. A former piano prodigy whose abusive childhood prompted her to neglect her natural gift for music in the name of survival, Jenny is a violent offender whose notorious temper has, as an adult, repeatedly landed her behind bars. Though she does still display considerable talent on the ivory, her decidedly antisocial behavior compelled the troubled prisoner to repeatedly sabotage opportunities to take part in recitals that would, at the very least, provide a momentary respite from her grim day-to-day existence. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Nightlife in Berlin is the backdrop for this psychological drama about love, desire, obsession, fear and the lust for life. Young reporter Natasha (Jasmin Tabatabai) lives with Gary (Richy Müller), a sensitive artist who runs a club called "Risk." They are great partners except for the fact that they don't have sex. Gary's dream is to have Natasha sing in his club, but she is not ready. One day, Natasha meets an attractive boxer, Sugar (Gregor Törzs) who is training for a comeback. The two begin to have an affair. Meanwhile Gary, who is dying from a brain tumor, deliberately falls from a diving board into an empty pool and later dies in Natasha's arms. Finally, Natasha stands on the stage of Gary's club and sings. Grieg was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

The literal translation of the film's title is "To Err is Manly," the meaning of which soon becomes apparent. A lively comedy of sex and relationships, it centers on Thomas, a prominent Munich lawyer who wonders about the origins of his children after a doctor informs him that he has been sterile all his life. Comparing his two kids to pictures of friends, he narrows down the suspects to two possible candidates, both of whom he calls up and invites for a little visit. Needing to talk to someone, he confides in his closest friend Johannes, a priest. A reformed playboy himself, Johannes goes to Bettina, Thomas's beloved wife, and tells him about the scheme. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Marcel Tiss (Richy Mueller) is a young punk rocker in Berlin whose main talent is spouting real fire in-between his lyrics every once in awhile. He has the requisite punk girlfriend, and spends his time in the requisite kicking of cans, pinball, and slightly anti-social antics. He runs into Rudy Smirak (Jean-Pierre Kalfon) a Mafia-type whose dour view of life fits in with Marcel's own temperament. The young punk singer is conned into helping Rudy kidnap the son of a wealthy profligate, but when it is time for the ransom to be gathered, things start to go wrong. Marcel realizes he was into something he never wanted in the first place, and when the chance comes to use his fire-breathing technique, he comes through like any self-respecting dragon. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The debate still rages as to whether Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much is superior to his own original 1934 version. This two-hour remake (45 minutes longer than the first film) features more stars, a lusher budget, and the plaintive music of Bernard Herrmann (who appears on-camera, typecast as a symphony conductor). Though the locale of the opening scenes shifts from Switzerland to French Morocco in the newer version, the basic plot remains the same. American tourists James Stewart and Doris Day are witness to the street killing of a Frenchman (Daniel Gelin) they've recently befriended. Before breathing his last, the murder victim whispers a secret to Stewart (the Cinemascope lens turns this standard closeup into a truly grotesque vignette). Stewart knows that a political assassination will occur during a concert at London's Albert Hall, but is unable to tell the police: his son (a daughter in the original) has been kidnapped by foreign agents to insure Stewart's silence. The original script for Man Who Knew too Much was expanded and updated by John Michael Hayes and Angus McPhail. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide