Movies on a plane and *and* in a theater. Crazy days.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
arte Mediathek, original English
Everything I said in my previous post.
On this umpteenth viewing, I just now noticed that the Dude is parroting GWHB talking on TV about the Gulf War. “This aggression will not stand.”
Man.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)
Kino, original English
Finally back in a Kino. And on a Monday – there were no original-language showings on the weekend.
It feels like two episodes. In the first Mando finds/retrieves a guy for the bounty and in the second he rescues some friends. Half the first ep felt like an homage to Blade Runner (or maybe it’s just a copy).
The music was absolutely spectacular. I was constantly aware of the mood, especially when I had my eyes closed because the screen was too bright. And it was a full range of moods, the story took us everywhere.
I also laughed a lot, and not only every time the Anzelians were on screen. In their tiny ship, rushing in to save the day with Sigourney Weaver. Plus the Easter eggs for us elderly vintage fans – creatures from the Dejarik chess game, Anthony Daniels on the air-traffic control.
But mostly we were just there for Grogu, who did not disappoint.
Das Kanu des Manitu (2025)
Netflix, original Deutsch
“Hey, how about a sequel after 25 years” paid off for Tom Cruise, so why not also for Bully Herbig?
There was a lot of consternation from the usual joyless scolds about how could a Bavarian comedian play an Apache (and his gay twin brother) in %CURRENT_YEAR%?!?!11!! but as the story unfolds we learn that [possible spoiler]: Abahachi and his brother were adopted into the tribe after being orphaned at birth–father was killed in a Camanche attack on a wagon train and their mother died in childbed. And this story was told by an actual Apache, surrounded by a few dozen more, named individually in the credits even though they didn’t speak. That’s how you do it, that’s how you can be allowed to make a movie in Germany in 2025. Chapeau!
I digress. The “plot” parallels the plot of the original, evil white people seeking a relic that can give them great riches (Sky du Mont repeats as arch-villain Santa Maria), and Abahachi and Ranger have a crazy adventure with their friends to stop them. Lots of Naked Gun-style humor, lots of physical gags and punny jokes (also managed to make fun of France). I laughed my fool ass off. Even understood some of the Bavarian insults w/o the subtitles.
(I laughed more than Mr Radish, who was saddened that Christian Tramitz “looked old”, but why shouldn’t he? He’s over 70, and his character Ranger has been living in the desert southwest for decades, in the 19th-century sun. I suppose it’s a reminder that we’re all revolving around the sun together.)
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Airplane, original English
The movie catalog on Flight 952 with service to Chicago was thin, and the first two hours of every transatlantic flight is a constant series of interruptions for announcements and meal service (I had the beef goulash), so I decided to start with a classic I can quote in my sleep.
Everything I said in 2023, but this time with all the actors’ real voices. The music is so good.
Micro Budget (2024)
Airplane, original English
After they turned down the cabin lights, a low-budget indie film about making a low-budget indie film, mockumentary-style, from some guys who wrote for TV shows I have never seen (they also direct, act, and cast family and co-workers in smaller roles, as one does).
Terry moves his nine-months-pregnant wife from Iowa to Los Angeles, into a vacation rental that explicitly does not allow movie-making, and proceeds to burn their life’s savings, money from her parents, and their credit cards on a script he wrote–while simultaneously under-paying the cast and crew (the caterer brings them cold leftovers from other jobs). The cast all live in the rental, the wife cooks and cleans for them as well as acting in the film, and Terry is completely oblivious to how everything works–financing, shooting schedules, babies.
Some funny gags about diversity quotas, trendy fad diets, streaming services, and the industry in general. Iowa comes in as the butt of the jokes about four times too often. Cameos from Barney Miller (really!) and Seal, and a poignant “twist” ending. If you like indie mockumentaries, go for it. I was vaguely disappointed, as I am with so many Movies About Making Movies, but didn’t regret the choice.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
Airplane, original English
Much better than the last time I saw it.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Airplane, original English
Kind of dragged a little bit, or maybe I had just been trapped in that seat too long.
Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) (1998)
Netflix, original Deutsch
I downloaded some German stuff to watch in Iowa so I wouldn’t lose my flow (mostly my soapBavarian language and culture lessons). Due to jet lag I needed three nights to get through it, but it was a re-watch. Backstory here. This time I noticed Joachim Król, not sure how I missed him before.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
On-demand (TCM), original English
Close Encounters is the only Spielberg film the Stadtbibliothek Freising doesn’t have. In the five years I’ve been looking, I haven’t seen it pop up on German TV (government, free, or cable) or any of our streamers. I mentioned it to my dad, in case he could get it from the Fort Dodge library for me (they don’t have it either), and he suggested checking their cable on-demand service. Voila. TCM had Spielberg in to talk about his work ahead of the release of Disclosure Day, and I caught it on the last day it was available.
This was a rewatch, but after twenty years I had forgotten a lot of the details. I think it holds up, allowing for the advanceschanges in automotive and communications technologies. Some of the computerized special effects look dated, but the practical effects are flawless.
I did have some quibbles with his Indiana geography–neither US 40 (the National Road) nor the Indiana Toll Road are anywhere near Muncie–but they only brought me out of the headspace for a few minutes. Did not affect my enjoyment of the remainder of the movie.
