Review of Manitou's Shoe (2001) by Dan N — 29 Mar 2004

[b]CALIFORNIA SPLIT (Robert Altman, 1974) - 6.0 / mixed.

[/b]The gambling milieu is aptly presented, but I missed any sustance behind it all. It's a typical Altman film, environment is more important than storystelling. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't and this one is in between.

[b]THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (Nicholas Roeg, 1976) - 7.0 / pro.

[/b]The story didn't always seem to be coherent, but the visuals were amazing. It also achieves something a science-fiction film should achieve, which is telling something about our society.

[b]MANITOE'S SHOE [DER SCHUH DES MANITU] (Michael Herbig, 2001) - 4.5 / con.

[/b]I have avoided the most successful German film since box-office results are counted (that was in its year of release seen by more people than "The Fellowship of the Ring" and the first "Harry Potter-movie) like the plague. Now, I tried to watch it open-minded, but the simple premise overstays its welcome soon. This film is to the Germans, what "The Visitors" is to the French, a lot of horse dung.

[b]WINTER SLEEPERS (Tom Tykwer, 1997) - 8.0 / pro.

[/b]I haven't come across a Tykwer film that I didn't like. This one is like "The Sweet Hereafter" meets "Mystic River" and at least better than the latter.