The July Movie Post

Between miserable weather* and some miserable dental surgery, I expected to see a lot of movies this month. Then the Milwaukee Brewers were in German TV three times, and YouTube twice, and four Free Games Of The Day…

I am not complaining, so you don’t get to complain, either.

*Anyone who tells you Europeans “get along great!” without air-conditioning is lying to you and you should ask them why.

The Towering Inferno (1974)

Cable, original English
I may have seen part of this on TV or read a Reader’s Digest except/novelization as a child; when I saw the name in the listing I got a very clear image of visiting my grandparents’ in my mind (also possible I mixed it up with Adam 12, which was on after Floppy). Most important thing first: The cat survives.

It’s a classic of the disaster genre with an all-star cast, and the costumes were fabulous. The interior decorating was also incredible–this high-tech high-fashion building of the mid-70s has lines and abstract decorative elements later used as alien environments in Star Trek: The Next Generation–years later. (And now I have realized TNG was closer in time to (notable Hoosier) Steve McQueen saving lives then we are to TNG and I need a Schnaps and a nap.)

It maybe could have been about half an hour shorter, and some of the tropes seem a little silly now (staying late to bang her married boss proved fatal for one of the secretaries), but this was a very enjoyable watch.

The Ebenhofer Krimis

Netflix, original Niederbayerisch with German subtitles
A franchise based on a series of comic cozy murder-mystery novels set in a village in Niederbayern, featuring a local cop and his dysfunctional personal life on his family’s farm. I had seen all the films in this section on television (the latest in Kino), but the dreaded “Last day to watch” warning flashed on the screen one night as I trawled the ‘flix, so you know what happened next: Niederkaltenkirchen Marathon.

Dampfnudelblues (2013)

The pool of native-speaking Austro-Bavarian actors is small, so recognizing them from their other roles is half the fun–“Der Rudi ist auch der Katzlbrunner!”. At least five of the main characters were played by actors also in the Austrian TV show Braunschlag, which was filmed a year earlier and which I had just finished watching.

Fun watch, and I noticed a running gag I didn’t the first time I watched it.

Winterkartoffelknödel (2014)

The second film in the series features the most gruesome and yet hilarious on-screen murder I have ever seen:

After being called to the scene and looking under the container, our hero Eberhofer looked “as pale as a winter potato dumpling,” hence the title.

This one has two hilarious musical numbers (WARNING: not safe for work, children, and people with good taste), and–I feel this is important–we learn that the Nudelsalat at the swingers’ club in Niederkaltenkirchen is homemade.

Schweinskopf al dente (2016)

Sebastian Bezzel and Simon Schwarz, two of the lead actors, also have a show on the Bayerischer Rundfunk where they travel around Bavaria in an RV and meet people with interesting, unusual jobs or projects that do social good. I liked the segment about the Barber Angels, who spend a couple days a month giving free haircuts and products to people who are homeless or living in shelters.

In this installment, an escaped convict has threatened to kill Eberhofer’s boss, who hides on the farm and smokes a lot of his father’s weed. Hilarity ensues. While dealing with all this, his on-and-off Gspusi Suzi goes to Italy to live with another man.

More personal life than crime solving, but that’s the series.

Grießnockerlaffäre (2017)

A secret from his grandmother’s past wanders onto the farm, shortly after Eberhofer is arrested for the murder of his supervisor. Of course it all ends well for our hero.

Sauerkrautkoma (2018)

Der Eberhofer Franz finally succumbs to the pressure to put a ring on Suzi’s finger. Oh, and there’s a dead au-pair in the trunk of his father’s car. And he’s forced to move to Munich to live in a closet-sized concrete shitbox with Birkenberger, to work for the woman who tried to put him away for murder. Hilarity ensues.

My favorite character, Flötzinger, usually serves as comedic background, but in this installment he provides crucial help for solving the case.

Leberkäsjunkie (2019)

Suzi and Franz have split up, but they are still committed to co-parenting their son, Paul, who’s coming up on a year old. His birthday party is cute.

In the course of investigating a murder-arson (the priest from Braunschlag is a suspect), Ebenhofer and Birkenberger visit Landshut twice, parking in front of a sewing store. Hmmmm.

The Trailer For The Next One

Starts this week. Might go see it; might wait until it’s on TV.

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

arte, Deutsch
I like Dana Andrews, and I’m starting to like Frederic March, but the real star of this film about veterans having difficulties returning to their civilian life after WWII is Harold Russell. He lost both of his hands in a training accident, but became so proficient with prosthetic hooks the Army used him in a training film, where studio honcho Samuel Goldwyn saw him and recommended him for this movie.

(After winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Russell quit Hollywood, got a college degree, and led AMVETS for three terms.)

It’s long, but it didn’t feel long; Hoagy Carmichael contributes some tunes and there is a great sad scene of scrapped warplanes at the end.

Highly recommended. Make the kids watch it, too, to see what life was like for their great-grandfathers.

The Old Man and the Sea (1958)

Cable, original English
I was not excited about watching this–I have a vague impression that my high school English class read it aloud together, someone please confirm or refute!–but I enjoyed it. Beautiful camera work, good story. Spencer Tracy (with two usable arms).