Cinema

Hairdressers are more creative than artists

Lockdown is extended in Germany. Barbers will be allowed to open a little earlier than other businesses. The preferential treatment of hair saloons is a government reaction to curb the black market. I wish there would also be a black market for theatres, libraries, museums, cinemas and galleries. Obviously, hairdressers are more creative than artists when it comes to bending the rules in their interest. Scissors are sold out also. They are the new toilet paper. Of course, I would not break the law to get a haircut. So I will fly to Malta to get a hair cut there. Problem solved. I like travelling during a crisis time because all the amateurs are out of the game. Finally, travel is an adventure again. And at the same time, even a public plane has the space of a private jet.

Out with Eddie in Hundsrück.

Out with Eddie in Hundsrück.

Germany is also nice, sunny but chilling cold, with -13°C at night and 0C at max. The best thing to do, besides a bit of “home office” (a term I have not fully understood yet), is to go out, look at the garden and stroll around in the forest. This spring will be a transition, not just from winter to summer, but also from closed to open, I guess. The vaccination’s start in Germany was shaped by production shortages. Slower than expected, the curve is picking up. Interesting to see, was also, how our political system “worked”. It is deliberately designed in a decentral manner, where the provinces can veto and overrule federal decisions. This is, of course, a very good way to cater decisions to the local situation and also avoid “one crazy guy in Berlin” can flip the whole country into a disaster, as we learned tragically from experience. But now, the “crazy guys” are not in Berlin, but clearly in some of the provincial governments. Or perhaps better to put it, is not “crazy”, but just incompetent and interested in catering for their political career by catering into their electoral base. They blocked a proper lockdown before Christmas, and that’s why 2021 started in a mess. Now luckily, it got a little better, but with the new virus mutations spreading (faster), it does not look like we are out of the woods yet.

Arthouse Cinema am Roßmarkt

The Arthouse Cinema in Frankfurt is located at Roßmarkt 7 (take subway to Hauptwache). There is another one in Frankfurt Sachsenhausen, but this is a but further for me, and I really like the Roßmarkt Cinema for the venue and the movies they pick. Quite frequently there are also special events in which the director or producer is invited for a question and answer session. I got myself a rebate card, and found it very easy in the last few weeks to break even, because there is so much to see. The list below is just my start. I am not a cinema critic, but I also wrote a few words how I found the films

The lobby of my favorite movie theater in Frankfurt, The Harmony Arthouse Cinema.

The lobby of my favorite movie theater in Frankfurt, The Harmony Arthouse Cinema.

  1. Das stille Klassenzimmer (The silent classroom): excellent

  2. The Post (Die Verlegerin): kitsch

  3. Die stille Revolution (The silent revolution): too many platitudes, Jannike Stoehr did a great job in her interview

  4. Zwei Herren im Anzug (Two men in a suit): excellent

  5. The Mercy (Vor uns das Meer): trying to make a romantic story of an idiot trying to sail the world

  6. The Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri: excellent, not what I expected

  7. Sami blood (Das Mädchen aus dem Norden): interesting

  8. Drei Tage Quiberon (Three days Quiberon): interesting, but hard to think myself into Romy Schneider's tragedy

  9. Death of Stalin: so bad that I left the cinema half way through

  10. Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire): still very good, digitally remastered, and rare chance to see on big screen

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