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The Good German (2006)
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All reviews for The Good German
It's easy now to say Hitler was ...
by
unclefestering
in
unclefestering Blog
lost interest.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
[What do you think?]
"Every time I go to a Steven Soderberg movie, I’m reminded of the scene from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back where Matt Damon explains that you do the pop movie, so you can fund your indie movie, which you might be able to shoe horn in before you do your payback movie. Soderberg ping pongs back and forth between these types of projects more than any other current director I can think of. The Good German is the Artsy Soderberg in high form. He makes sure that you know it is important because he uses all the traits of classic Hollywood to present this tale. Just in case you might not appreciate the film references, Soderberg films this in black and white, so you know it is more serious that Ocean’s 12 or 14 or 23. I think it is supposed to be ironic. It’s hard to tell. The plot is so convoluted that even after multiple viewings I was still confused about why people were double and triple and quadruple-crossing each other. Part of that might be because each time I watc ... "
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The Good German (2006, USA, Ste ...
by
CinemaRian
in
CinemaRian Blog
hasn't rated it.
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"Although I'm not one of the director's biggest fans, I have to give Stephen Soderbergh credit- he is certainly one of the most versatile directors working today. He's made a Gen-X indie drama, an existential comedy, three blockbuster heist films, a feel good legal comedy, a social morality play, a microbudget slice of life masterpiece, and a self indulgent piece of crap - and that's just the movies I've seen. I didn't like all of them and downright hated one, but Soderbergh always has new trick up his sleeve. The Good German is a movie that is ultimately undone by its own ambitions. It tries to be two things at once and succeeds to a limited degree, but I felt that this could be a really great movie if the director took only one approach and did all the way, instead of oscillating between the two. On one level, the movie is a homage to 40's cinema- shot in the academy ratio with a period camera on period film stock (this doesn't extend to the sound, however, which is stereo). On ... "
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a fairly lousy german
by
Windbreaker
in
Windbreaker!
is neutral about it.
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"I can't say that I completely lost interest, because I was forcing myself to maintain interest. Like JimBell said in his post [linky linky], I was looking forward to some noir goodness. Several stylistic elements are there, but I think Soderbergh just tried too hard. Some of the plot points had potential, but the biggest distraction for me was the portrayal of George Clooney's character. Was he really a reporter? If so, what was he reporting and why didn't he ever take notes or type up stories? In fact, I was convinced that Clooney's character would reveal a dark secret about his background since it was so obvious that he was *not* a reporter brought to Germany by the US military. Bah. I won't even recommend that you rent this. "
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The Good German (2006) on DVD: ...
by
ShaunHuston
in
ShaunHuston filmblog
hasn't rated it.
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"One thing, maybe the thing, that makes The Good German perplexing is that its best quality, the meticulous recreation of a 40s international noir ala Casablanca (1942) or The Third Man (1949), is also its biggest weakness.There are some beautiful and authentic images in the film, but there are others that verge on parody (mostly those involving rear projection; sorry no stills or screen grabs available - I popped the film back into the mail before thinking I might want it). By itself, that wouldn't be a problem except that director Steven Soderbergh and writer Paul Attanasio haven't rethought the films they reference so much as attempted to reproduce them, but with the jarring addition of language, violence, and sex that wouldn't have been allowed in the 1940s. Unlike, say, homosexuality (and, really, race) in Far From Heaven (2002) or the disappearing blandness of Ed (Billy Bob Thornton) in The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), the updating and revisioning of genre in The "
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Good Germans wrapped up with pa ...
by
Puhnner
in
Puhnner Blog
disliked it.
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"Ho hum...I wish this film had explored the subtext (at least as it seems to me to be shown, but really when examined, the drive behind the film narrative and the action itself ) more, the 'Operation Paperclip' side, but as noted in the article below, the original name was 'Operation Overcast.' Various nastiness was cast aside for the advancement of the national goals to quickly and quietly extract those Germans of 'value'. The Cate Blanchett, while seeming to be channeling Deitrich in Touch of Evil, Lena character and that of her husband Emil Brandt, who would expose the operation make much more sense to me knowing the reasons behind their seemingly contradictory and crosspurposed motivations and actions and ultimate ends. Quite a bit of information exists on the program that is worth a look into. Here is a link and a brief telling of the story...go to the link and others available on the net and in books if you are interested in more...http://www.operat ... "
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The Good German - first thoughts
by
sarcastig
in
As cool as a Fruitstand
is neutral about it.
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"Is Soderbergh somehow fundamentally incapable of making an uninteresting movie?I don't think this is among his better films; it's too clinical, too calculated, perfectly in the style of 40's movies but not quite there in tone. I cared for Rick and Ilsa, and even for Holly and Valli, but Clooney and Blanchett? /they do their best, the co-operate, but they fail to inject enough feeling to make this more than just a genre exercise.A very well executed style exercise, don't get me wrong.But it does make you wonder: can you be brilliant and still have a heart? Originally posted on:As cool as a Fruitstand "
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The Good German
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JimBell
in
JimBell Blog
is neutral about it.
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"Because I am a film noir fan, I looked forward to The Good German (2006). Shot in black and white in classic film noir style, Steven Soderbergh’s film is disappointing, and the problem is the script. If I came to you with this pitch, would you go for it? Pitch: An American reporter returns to Berlin in the summer of 1945 to cover the Potsdam conference, although he never does. His assigned military driver is a sleazy American serviceman making money on the black market and pimping his German woman. The driver soon shows up dead, and the reporter goes after the woman, who used to be his secretary/”stringer&rdqu o; and lover. Unfortunately, the woman is essentially dead, soul-less, her eyes never once flickering with life. Was it because she was raped by a Russian? Apparently not. And why is everyone after her husband who is supposed to be dead but is apparently not? Because he was the personal secretary for a Nazi scientist who made ro "
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Noir or Propaganda
by
walktheearth
in
walktheearth Blog
is neutral about it.
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"Most of the reviews I have read about The Good German have stated that it is a film noir. True it does have many of the essenital elements of a noir. Single source lighting, seedy underbelly of urban evniroments and inhabitants, the femme fatal, etc. I found this movie to be more of a propaganda film with its uses of film stock from the period and heavily slanted / not so subliminal opinions of politics and the comparison of what was happining in 40's Berlin and what is taking place in current times.An interesting note abot the noir issue is that American Noir was born out of the German Expressionist movement that started as a way for German directors to express thier political views in a "hidden" way during the first world war. Many of these directors imgrated to America during the second workd war. So for George Clooney to use this style for this film it is an interesting omage to the Gerere as well as the political ethos that gererated it.Overall I was not wildly impres ... "
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Here's Looking At You Kid
by
chesterfilms
in
chesterfilms Blog
is neutral about it.
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"To call The Good German an homage to the old War dramas of the 1940's is an understatement. Shot in black & white with lenses used from the period, and performances in that old style. In fact several scenes are completely ripped off (wait till you see the ending). It's a beautiful film with amazing shots and sets. You can see Soderbergh and the actors having fun with it. That being said, the biggest thing lacking in this film is story. It is full of holes, and it just doesn't go anywhere. Ultimately the film suffers from it but, if you love films from that period, that you should see it. It's not a bad film, it's just a perfect example of style over substance. "
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The Good German - first thoughts
by
sarcastig
in
As cool as a Fruitstand
is neutral about it.
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"Is Soderbergh somehow fundamentally incapable of making an uninteresting movie?I don't think this is among his better films; it's too clinical, too calculated, perfectly in the style of 40's movies but not quite there in tone. I cared for Rick and Ilsa, and even for Holly and Valli, but Clooney and Blanchett? /they do their best, the co-operate, but they fail to inject enough feeling to make this more than just a genre exercise.A very well executed style exercise, don't get me wrong.But it does make you wonder: can you be brilliant and still have a heart? Syndicated Feed From:As cool as a Fruitstand "
[More]
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