At the turn of the year, Tom Holland topped the German cinema charts as Spider-Man. He could do the same now as a treasure hunter in “Uncharted”. However, Robert Pattinson, who flutters onto the screen this week as “The Batman”, could now intervene. A cinema event that fans have been waiting for for a long time.
Otherwise, two musicals will start this week with “Cyrano” and “Coppelia” in the cinemas. Although “Cyrano” will certainly win over the audience’s favor because the main role is played by the charismatic Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”). And with “The Card Counter” an old master from Hollywood is back: Paul Schrader.
“The Batman” – The dark avenger returns
THE STORY: Billionaire Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) by day and Batman by night to fight crime in Gothum City. The city is ruled by corruption. Edward Nashton (Paul Dano), who has succumbed to insanity, no longer wants to tolerate this and starts murdering as the Riddler.
THE STARS: Robert Pattinson (“Twilight”) is the sixth Batman actor to spread his wings in cinemas in 33 years. Zoë Kravitz (“Fantastic Worlds”) is trying her hand as the new Catwoman after Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry. Paul Deno (“Love & Mercy”) follows Jim Carrey (“Batman Forever”) and is already subscribed to weird guys.
THE DIRECTOR: Matt Reeves previously directed the last two “Planet of the Apes” films, but landed his first hit in 2008 with the monster spectacle “Cloverfield”.
BG RATING: Actually, the new Batman doesn’t have more to tell than his predecessors. Rolled out to three hours, but that requires a lot of patience. The gloomy scenes and the rousing music score (177 min., free from the age of 12) are impressive.
“Cyrano” – With a sharp blade and sharp words
THE STORY: Cyrano (Peter Dinklage) is just as masterful with his sword as he is with words. A whole man if he weren’t so small. That’s why he doesn’t dare to confess his love to the beautiful Roxanne (Haley Bennett). But two other men are also courting her. Cyrano no longer sees a chance for himself.
THE STARS: Since his role as Tyrion Lannister in the series “Game of Thrones” Peter Dinklage has been a world star. His wife Erica Schmidt adapted the verse drama “Cyrano de Bergerac” again for the cinema and immediately thought of her husband. Haley Bennett (“Into the Heart”) is both an actress and a singer. Ben Mendelsohn played the villain in Rogue One and Ready Player One.
THE DIRECTOR: Joe Wright with historical dramas like “Pride and Prejudice” and “Atonement”. He then shot the thriller “Wer ist Hannah?” in Berlin and most recently impressed with his Winston Churchill portrait “The Darkest Hour”.
BG RATING: So far, Cyrano de Bergerac has been known to have a long nose, but stars like Gerard Depardieu and Steve Martín (“Roxanne”) first had to put it on. Peter Dinklage therefore seems so much more authentic with his portrayal. In addition to the great musical numbers, Dinklage is the big plus of the film (124 min., free from the age of 12).
“The Card Counter” – Between Guilt and Punishment
THE STORY: Ex-soldier William Tell (Oscar Isaac) travels from city to city to play poker in casinos. He masters card counting, he keeps his stakes low so as not to attract attention as a permanent winner. When he meets young Cirk (Tye Sheridan), he wants to use him in an act of revenge. Which confronts Tell with his own culpable past.
THE STARS: Oscar Isaac shines in blockbusters like “Star Wars” and “Dune” as well as in arthouse films like “Inside Llewyn Davis”. Tye Sheridan has starred in Spielberg’s Ready Player One and has appeared in recent X-Men films.
THE DIRECTOR: As a screenwriter (“Taxi Driver”), Paul Schrader achieved cult status. But he has also been in the business as a director for a long time and has shot “A Man for Hours”, “Cat People” and “Mishima”, among others.
BG RATING: A moving character study that deviates from usual gamer films. Schrader’s not really about tension at the poker table, but about the inadequacy of people between guilt and punishment – excellently played by Oscar Isaac (114 min., free from 16).
The Special Movie: “The Stolen”
THE STORY: The gold rush broke out in New Zealand in the 1860s. When the English immigrant Charlotte (Alice Eve) has her baby stolen, she has to enter the strange world of fortune seekers and crooks. But she can hold her own and also has to deal with her child’s kidnapper.
THE STARS: Alice Eve played an immigrant alongside Harrison Ford in Crossing Over. Most recently, she shone alongside Nicole Kidman in Bomshell. Jack Davenport (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) has a supporting role.
THE DIRECTOR: Niall Johnson landed his biggest hit in 2095 with “Murder in the Vicarage”.
BG RATING: This New Zealand western only reaches German cinemas after five years. “The Stolen” is quite exciting and moving. And how magnificent New Zealand landscapes look on screen already took our breath away in “The Lord of the Rings” (102 min., free from 12).
Cinema for kids: “Coppelia”
THE STORY: The pretty Swan (Michaela DePrince) has fallen in love with Franz (Daniel Camargo). But happiness is short-lived. because dr Coppelius (Vito Mazzeo) is a newcomer to the city, and with him Coppelia, a female artist who casts a spell over Franz.
THE STARS: The first big screen role for the famous ballet dancer Michaela DePrince. Daniel Camargo was a member of the Stuttgart Ballet until 2016 and stood in front of a film camera for the first time.
THE DIRECTORS: Jeff Tudor has directed 20 dance films including Mata Hari and Cinderella. His co-directors Steven de Beul and Ben Tesseur are still in the early stages.
BG RATING: A mix of real and animated film as we know it from Disney’s “Mary Poppins” and “Roger Rabbit”. Based on the ballet “Coppélia” by Léo Delibes, the film then goes its own way. In the beginning there is still something magical, but then the whole thing comes to a standstill and only seems like filmed theater (82 min., free from 0).