Word: film
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Because of scenes like this that Scientologists believe depict their religion in a frightening way, the group is not the least bit happy about the film, which airs on Germany's ARD public-television network on March 31. In fact, Scientologists claim they are the victims of a "hate campaign" being propagated by the movement's critics. But Carl Bergengruen, the head of drama at a public broadcaster in southwest Germany who was instrumental in getting the movie made, insists that the filmmakers did not set out to vilify Scientology but to show how people can be drawn to "promises...
...religion through the manipulative tactics of Scientology recruiters. Eventually, the husband decides to leave the group, losing not only his wife in the process but also his young child and a big portion of his family's inheritance, which his wife has donated to the church. Bergengruen says the film is loosely based on the real-life experiences of a German man named Heiner von Rönn, a onetime member of the organization. He says the filmmakers conducted exhaustive research in order to portray the religion as realistically as possible, including interviewing various former Scientology members and even going...
...That was when public mistrust of Scientologists was at its peak in Germany due to the controversial filming of the Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie. Many Germans were outraged that Cruise - with his strong affiliations with Scientology - had been chosen to play the role of Claus von Stauffenberg, a Nazi resistance fighter whom some Germans regard as a national hero because of his attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler. Defense Ministry officials criticized the decision to allow the filmmakers to shoot scenes at historic German landmarks, such as the Bendlerblock where Stauffenberg was executed in 1944. But the final straw for many...
This lack of narrative focus is reflected in the film’s lack of an overarching conceptual theme. While Malloy flirts with several, his inability to construct one comprehensive thesis leaves the film unfulfilling and incoherent. Early on, it’s a straight-ahead concert film. Then, it’s a tribute to the band’s oddball stage mannerisms. Then, it begins to explore the intricate and fascinating relationship between Meg and Jack. One revelatory glimpse of the two, in which a sheepish Jack consoles Meg after driving her to tears with a piano ballad...
While the film serves as a reminder of how eccentrially vital the White Stripes are, it adds nothing new or unheard to their mythology. In one scene, Jack White addresses the accusation that everything about the band is contrived, saying, “People say it’s all premeditated, but it was premeditated 10 years ago.” In the intervening 10 years, nothing about the White Stripes’ premeditated style has changed. The film fails to prove its significance, coming off as more of a limp reminder than a revelatory take on the utterly fascinating...