Movie Review: Killing Cars

Killing Cars a.k.a Blitz 

Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Senta Berger, Agnès Soral, Daniel Gélin, Stefan Meinke, Peter Matic, Bernhard Wicki, Osman Ragheb, William Conrad, Axel Scholtz, Marina Larsen, Klaus Mikoleit, Wolf Gaudlitz, Oliver Rohrbeck, Uwe Hacker, Willie Richter, Dieter Kursawe, Richard Süssenguth, Rene Hennig, Georg Tryphon, Heinz Hoenig, Jörg Koch, Marjorie Lewis 

Director: Michael Verhoeven 

Futura Film, Sentana Filmproduktion 

West Germany, 1986. 

This movie can be found in Fuel Injected Films 20 Movie Collection by Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Ralph Korda (Jürgen Prochnow) street races at night with his sunglasses coolly on. His real profession is car designer. He refuses some business deals and drives away giving a lift to a random hot girl. In addition to being a playboy and working as a sub-contractor for BAG car company, he also manufactures stuff like ping pong balls. 

Ralph Korda

Von der Mühle

Worldcar

BAG company plans to build a new factory demolishing a local youth club. Punk rockers demonstrate and riot. Police batters hippies with batons. Ralph has designed an electro-chemically powered Worldcar (a modified Albar Sonic) but there are still problems with overheating power accumulators. Someone spies the project and steals the accumulator files. Ralph suspects the BAG company and his superior Von der Mühle (Bernhard Wicki). Von der Mühle denies taking them, it is BAG CEO Dr. Hein (Peter Matic) who took them for "rechecking". He opposes the Worldcar project so Ralph threatens to leave the project. 

Dr. Hein

Aspiring street musicians

The punks vandalise some parked cars. Thief Schulz (Uwe Hacker) steals Korda's papers. He and shady businessman Kellermann (Daniel Gélin) try to sell the papers. Hein's secretary Marie Landauer (Senta Berger) tells that Hein is about to do some business with Arabian Sheik Al-Atassi (Osman Ragheb). Marie has an one-sided crush on Ralph. Then there is a random accident with lorry and the punks. This encourages them to torch cars. 

Marie Landauer

Kellermann

As Hein is ripping Ralph off, he finally gets enough and tries to take the test car. Ralph considers selling Worldcar to Kellermann instead. Also American Mr. Mahoney (William Conrad) in interested about the car. Reporter Violet Blum (Agnès Soral) says that Kellermann is an evil arms dealer. But as a fanatic environmentalist Violet wants to ban all cars. The punks get more violent and steal the test car and everyone blames Ralph. Eventually punk Niki (Stefan Meinke) and Violet help him to find the car. After that there is a shootout and still couple more double-crosses. Maybe the ping pong business is safer after all.

Violet Blum

Niki

The movie is directed by Michael Verhoeven, who is son of German director, actor and writer Paul Verhoeven who is NOT the more famous Dutch director. The movie begins with cool 1980s music video aesthetics. Then it turns into a messy tale of industrial espionage. Just about everyone tries to dupe unlucky Ralph. Mixing in some oil barons, bumbling security guards, environmentalists and anarchists does not improve clarity. William Conrad is wasted here, in addition it was confusing that he looked a bit like Uwe Hacker in some scenes. The movie has some elements as German detective series, but everything is overstretched and feels just pointless. 

Rating: Bad

Movie Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street 

Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumley, Cristin Milioti, Christine Ebersole, Shea Whigham, Katarina Cas, P. J. Byrne, Kenneth Choi, Brian Sacca, Henry Zebrowski 

Director: Martin Scorsese 

Paramount Pictures, Red Granite Pictures, Appian Way, Sikelia Productions, EMJAG Productions, USA, 2013.

Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a fresh stock broker in Rothschild company. He is mentored to his job by cocaine-powered older stock broker Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaghey). Mark motivates Jordan by pounding his chest and humming, a technique Jordan also uses later to motivate his own workers. 

Jordan Belfort and Mark Hanna pounding thir chest

After the Black Monday in 1987 he is fired and gets a new job in a company trading penny stocks. Using hype and selling unrealistic dreams Jordan becomes successful and wealthy. A moralless toy salesman Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) wants to work for him after he hears how much money Jordan earns. 

Jordan hires Donnie Azoff

This is how you respect your customers

Jordan and Donnie start their own investing company. They also hire some part time drug-dealers. The Jordan's employees are idiots but arrogant enough to sell worthless stocks to the unsuspecting common people (they think the rich are too smart to buy them). But Jordan begins also to scam the rich people with his new company Stratton Oakmont. The firm grows and Jordan rewards the employees with wild parties full with strippers and drugs. And midgets. He parties like modern Caligula. Jordan also cheats his good wife Teresa (Cristin Milioti) with sexy lingerie designer Naomi (Margot Robbie). 

One of the tamer parties

Jordan's first wife Teresa learns the ugly truth

Jordan's new wife Naomi and her aunt Emma (Joanna Lumley)

The FBI-agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) gets interested about Jordan's businesses. At the half point the movie turns into a crime drama because Jordan and his pals have to laundry the vast amounts of illegal money. At this point the ineptness of his colleagues Donnie and Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff (P. J. Byrne) begins to work against him. 

This movie spawned also the hilarious Meshuggah meme

Money, money, money

The movie is largely based on Jordan Belfort's book he wrote about his career. Most of the insane stuff happening in the movie is actually a bit toned down from the book version. The movie shows Jordan's quick transition from fresh stock broker into a sleazy businessman who is addicted to sex, drugs and money. Considering the amounts of drugs he has taken, unsafe sex with prostitutes and and almost crashing his helicopter while flying under influence (in addition to crashing other vehicles) it is a miracle that Jordan Belfort is still alive. It is also remarkable that after being punished for his financial crimes with a little more than a slap on the wrist, he is nowadays a well-paid host of seminars on sales techniques. It is truly a mad world. 

Would you buy an used car from this man?

Consider once more

The movie is based on the same scam that was also depicted in the movie Boiler Room. However this movie takes the overindulgence much further, the movie feels like a combination of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Caligula, Goodfellas and American Pie. DiCaprio makes one of his wildest roles ever. Scorsese has directed another great crime film and an portrait of an immoral businessman. However the numerous orgies and drug use may be too much for some viewers. The movie is based on Jordan Belfort's own viewpoint, and at least in the movie he thinks he is not doing anything wrong. Compared to almost aristocratic Gordon Gekko in Wall Street movies, Jordan is like an immature brat. He gets everything, but he does not respect anything or anyone. He does not respect his customers, his women or the law. He and his friends turn the pursuit of American Dream into a charade. In the movie Jordan's opponent Special Agent Patrick Denham acts as his moral opposite, although Denham is not rich at least he knows he is doing the right thing.

Review: Very good

Movie Review: And Now a Word from Our Sponsor

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor
Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Parker Posey, Allie MacDonald, Callum Blue, Rhys Ward, Allison Dawn Doiron
Director: Zack Bernbaum
Adman Productions, USA 2013

Ad agency CEO Adan Kundle (Bruce Greenwood) collapses and wakes in a hospital. He can only speak using advertising slogans. Adan also wants watch only TV ads. Hospital's charity Karen (Parker Posey) worker takes him to live in her house while he is waiting for a place in psychiatric rehab facility. Karen also has a teenage daughter Meghan (Alli MacDonald) who is not happy when Adan moves in. Karen has to learn to be a better mother to her daughter.

Adan likes to watch ads

Adan and Karen on a meeting with Lucas

Vice President of the firm, Lucas Foster (Callum Blue) conspires to take over Adan's firm. He has to show that Adan is mentally unable to run the firm. The firm has to create an ad campaign for Senator Allen, and Adan invents a slogan the senator likes. Lucas gets annoyed and tries to get Karen to say that Adan is not fit to run the firm.

Lucas is not a nice guy

Meghan and Karen having fun

The movie is a light indie comedy/drama with funny concept, however it did not get good reviews. There is also a deeper level, for the characters the advertisements presents a perfect Utopia-like world. Even the arrogant Lucas seems to grow a bit in the end. Bruce Greenwood plays well a weird ad man, and there is a hilarious scene when he goes to car shop and recites a perfect car ad.

Rating: Good

Movie Review: Boiler Room

Boiler Room
Director: Ben Younger
Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nia Long, Nicky Katt, Ben Affleck
New Line Cinema, USA, 2000

Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) is running an illegal gambling den but his father who is working as a judge finds it out and forces Seth to get a real job. He gets a job at J.T. Marlin as a stock broker trainee. The brokers are earning huge salaries. He becomes good at his job but never gains his father's approval. Soon Seth realises that the company is scamming investors and selling worthless stock. Also the FBI becomes interested in Seth.

Seth in the job interview

Although Boiler Room has a quite routine business thriller plot, it is actually a good movie about telemarketing and macho salesmen. It offers also some tips about cold calling for those interested.

Vin Diesel has a role as senior broker and Ben Affleck a role as the co-founder of the firm. Nia Long plays the romantic interest of Seth.

Busy day at the office

Rating:Good