Who Am I - Kein System Ist Sicher (No System Is Safe)

/

My husband's barber recommended us this German thriller about a young, genius hacker, who finds himself drawn into a "dark net" through a subversive hacker group. 

At some point during the movie you will be reminded of another one, which I don't want to name here because it could be a spoiler. That, I thought, was the only real flaw of the movie. Don't forget I told you. (If you really should not guess what movie I am talking about and you start gazing into the distance for minutes as if you can read the answer in the air then don't hesitate to drop me a line and I'll tell you the title of the other movie.)

I liked the cast, I liked the language, and I thought that the movie had a smart storyline and was not disappointing until the very end. 

The style felt more like an American movie that's successfully trying to be a little European, rather than being a German movie that's trying to be American. It's okay if you have lost me there. See what you make of it AFTER you watch the movie given that you like and have seen a couple of German movies.

I'm not a hacker. I don't know much about computers. In fact, I panic over any anomaly that appears on my desktop. Therefore, I'm sure that some geeks might cringe here and there because some details in the plot are not accurate. Blessed are the ignorant, like me. 

What I thought was brilliantly done was the visualisation of the communication in the hacker net world, especially for someone who has a hard time grasping the Internet world. 

Also, as the title says - No System Is Safe - the plot gets you to think about how we need to prepare ourselves for how we will pay for our digital conveniency in the years to come. 

 

How to Talk To A Widower

/

I love my aunt’s taste in books and movies, probably because she has shaped me profoundly in my teenager years with the books she gave me as presents and the movies and TV shows we watched together.

From Arthur Miller, Truman Capote (not necessarily Breakfast at Tiffany’s but more his relationship with murderer Perry Smith in the book In Cold Blood) to Charles Bukowski, and TV series like Al Bundy, and The Golden Girls to Hitchcock movies, Taxi Driver and Angel Heart (when Mickey Rourke was still handsome as hell).

When I was on vacation in Germany, I asked my aunt for some book recommendations for killing time on train rides and she didn’t disappoint me.

She recommended How To Talk To A Widower by Jonathan Tropper.

 

Doug Parker is a widower at the age of twenty-nine trying to deal with his grief. His egocentric funny family, life in a suburb, and sixteen year-old stepson are part of the story.

 

People compare him to Nick Hornby who wrote About A Boy and High Fidelity, for example.

 

What I enjoyed reading this book was little passages of sharp observations of contemporary life situations mixed with a lighthearted wisdom, British humor (in the sense of making you love a loser for not taking himself too serious), well-dosed pinches of sarcasm, and a touch of Hollywood romantic comedy. He is American after all. 

 

Grief is a topic most people don’t know how to deal with. And for the ones grieving it is a lifetime process to live with the loss of a loved one, even if (or especially because) the relationship was difficult.

It’s a sensitive topic but, if I may say, I think that the book does a fine job in describing grief while constantly telling little stories that make you laugh out loud.

 

I won’t be surprised when Hollywood turns up with a movie script for Jonathan Tropper’s book.

I’m looking forward to reading more from him. 

My Life In China

/

Due to my own Kurdish background, especially nowadays with all the political trouble in East Turkey, I get so caught up in trying to understand the Turkish and Kurdish society in Germany and my family’s story of immigration, that I’m thankful for having stumbled over this beautiful documentary by Chinese-American Kenneth Eng in order to see beyond my owns people’s identity struggle.

 

In this personal story Eng describes how every immigrant family has someone who leaves their native country behind in search for a better life.

 

Many times the young Chinese-American has listened to his father’s story about walking for seven days and six nights, before swimming for four hours to Macao to escape communism in 1966. This time he decides to return to China with his father.

 

I was very moved by Eng’s natural talent of capturing emotions, and moments.

 

In the documentary he does a splendid job in connecting the audience with his father and himself, even though he is mostly behind the camera, while telling not only his own family story but also the story of immigration as a whole.

 

 

My Life In China

Carol

/

Carol

I tell you what my first judgmental thought is when I think of Carol: A lesbian story. Of course, there is much much more I want to say about this movie … So, please hold on.

When my friend and I decided to go see Carol, we had little time before the next show nearby, but just taking one look at the poster with Cate Blanchett, who is great in any movie, we knew for sure the night was going to be free from disappointment.

And we were right.

Until around the very first kiss though, we had not really seen it coming that it was a love story between two women, and the fact that that took us both by surprise (we both looked at each other in the dark with a smiling No-way!-face) was a funny moment I won’t forget and will always associate with Carol.


On that note, it’s maybe not a bad idea to go watch a movie without having read any summaries or reviews. It’s quite refreshing.


The Price of Salt: OR Carol
￥ 1,269
By Patricia Highsmith
Buy on Amazon

Carol is based on Patricia Highsmith’ book The Price of Salt.

 

Set in the 1950s in New York City, the movie tells the story of a young sales clerk with a soon to blossom talent for photography (Rooney Mara) and her relationship with a wealthy elegant lady (Cate Blanchett), who is going through a difficult divorce.

 

I hate giving away too much. I usually just want to describe how a movie made me feel.

 

I enjoyed the beautiful screenplay, the costumes, the décor and the sort of testimonial to 1950s movies with a new touch. It felt like a walk through an art museum on a lazy afternoon – cozy, recharging, and silently occupying one's mind. But I have to say that, despite the great performances of both actresses, the characters didn’t fully touch me.

Then again, I think, characters don’t always have to do that in order for someone to walk out of the cinema with a satisfied feeling. 

 

 

Chick Lit

/

In my opinion Lisa Kleypas is the best historical chick lit author I've ever read. I don't get tired of her style.

Did you have a stressful month at work? Do you just want to unwind for a couple of hours by reading a predictable love story packed with humour, vivid character description and lots of jaw-dropping romantic sex scenes? Then she is your woman.  

I also love how she connects her books by sharing characters - in one book the woman is a supporting character and in the next one she is the protagonist.

Warning: It is very difficult to put the book down once you have started.  You may easily find yourself reading until you hear birds singing in the wee hours of the morning. Though you read the book to relax you will need a day off to make up for the lack of sleep. 

If you decide to start reading her books I recommend to start with the Wallflower Series.

Begin Again

/

I liked the movie very much. Check out my short post on it in my "on screen". The soundtrack was cute-romantic, light but deep.

Begin Again: Music from and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture
￥ 1,329
By Various Artists, Keira Knightley, CeeLo Green, Cessyl Orchestra, Adan Levine
Buy on Amazon

Below is a clip from the movie, where Keira Knightly sings "Coming Up Roses". It's not my favourite song, though I like ALL songs on the album. I chose this one because it's not a movie spoiler and it gives you an idea of what type of music you can expect. 

Begin Again

/
Begin Again: Music from and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture
￥ 1,320
By Various Artists, Keira Knightley, CeeLo Green, Cessyl Orchestra, Adan Levine
Buy on Amazon

This musical comedy-drama was a nice surprise and felt like a walk in the park (and I don't mean the idiom "walk in the park"). It was refreshing and filled me with good energy. It was cute, smart, creative and the lyrics and soundtrack was like topping the walk in the park with an ice cream. 

Check out the soundtrack in "music".