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Reviews
Führer Ex (2002)
More about escaping from the east than escaping Neo-Nazism
Fuehrer Ex is a film about East German Teens living in East Berlin in 1986. The Story revolves around 2 Characters, Heiko, Who looks up to his best friend Tommy, and Tommy who is obsessed with escaping East Berlin to the west. Tommy got himself arrested, because of Anti-Communist Behavior. In Prison Tommy got introduced to Neo-Nazism, and was released as a radical who wanted to convince Heiko of his new found religion. Heiko had no interest, but still remained a friend to Tommy, even after Tommy slept with his girlfriend. Tommy Convinced Heiko to escape to the west. But they got busted and send to prison. In prison Tommy Joined the Skin head Gang, while Heiko was being raped and abused by fellow inmates. Tommy still tried to protect Heiko, even though Heiko did not join the skinhead gang. One day heiko decided that he had enough of being raped, so he stabbed one of his cell mates, and ended up in solitary confinement. One of the prison supervisors blackmailed Tommy, by either informing the state of the neo-Nazi movement, or his friend heiko will be left in solitary confinement to rot. Tommy agreed with the Stasi and Heiko Joined the Neo-Nazi Group. Tommy then escaped Prison and made it to the east, while Heiko was left behind. Since Heikos protection was now gone, he became really involved with the Neo Nazis. Years pass and the wall fell in 1989. Tommy returned to East Berlin to find Heiko, but he as become a leader in the Neo-Nazi Community, in the meantime it seams that Tommy curved his neo-Nazi views. Heikos superiors had a copy of Tommy's Stasi File and discovered that Tommy was working for the state as an informant; they marked Tommy as a traitor and ordered heiko to kill Tommy. When heiko confronted Tommy, Tommy told heiko that he went over the top, and told him to forget the Nazis and run off to Australia with him. Then Tommy was killed by the neo-Nazi gang and the film ended with Heiko walking through the streets, just like Mark did at the end of Trainspotting.
The Film was good in a sense of its graphic depiction of East German life, and prison violence. The ending was kind of week, and the story took a long time to get to its point. it has its similarities with History EX, but really it was a different story.
Marienhof (1992)
A Guilty Pleasure
First let me start of by saying that I love this program. I have been watching it ever since I got German TV in the States. So about 2 years now.
Marianhof is a Daily German Soap opera, set in Colene. Although I love this show, I do have to admit that the producers have been pretty sloppy with it at times. It has is cheesy moments, and last year when one of the actors left the show, the producers thought it would be a good idea to continue the character with a different actor. But the Producers quickly realized that the new Dino was not accepted by its fans, and the producers had Dino move out of the country.
All and all I love this program. What I like most about it is that all the characters seam more realistic that traditional soap characters. Everyone is from the working class; you don't have the super rich oil tycoons, like you have in American soaps.