Writer and Director, Nora Fingscheidt and me... Los Angeles, CA- - Being a member of the Screen Actors Guild I am blessed to get to see a lot of films and meet the creative forces behind them. That’s exactly what happened tonight as I saw a German film, System Crasher .   It was a project dreamed up by a lovely young film student by the name of Nora Fingscheidt .   The film began seven years ago as a thought that has culminated in an Oscar competing film in the best foreign film category.  The entire cast was captivating.  The film stars nine-year-old, Helena Zengel as Benni , a young, somewhat abandoned child.  This child is under care of the government and they can hardly cope with her.  She’s a bright girl and is fiercely independent.  Benni's real problem is obvious she has been denied a two parent household and all of the love and attention that every child deserves. She’s considered a System Crasher.  Benni has somew...

  Political assassination is a sensitive subject especially for those that believe in their government and support their leaders. Hindsight can make heroes or villains out of those who take the law into their own hands to end evil regimes.   13 Minutes is about an assassin that saw his absolute social responsibility to kill a very popular politician, Adolf Hitler. It was November of 1939 when carpenter and metal worker, Georg Elser , 36 undertook the killing of the most protected man in the world.   Elser had associated with Communists and had joined a workers union.   Elser considered Hitler both a criminal and a Gypsy.   He felt the ambitious dictator was dangerous for humanity. Elser hatched a clever plot to plant a bomb behind the speaker’s platform at the popular Burgerbraukeller Hall where Hitler gave an annual longwinded speech.   Elser was able to sneak into the venue at night spending two months rebuilding a wood and plaster column co...

Los Angeles, CA—I love German films because they helped me learn the German language when I was a young Army medical corpsman serving in that great nation.  Today German films and TV series are simply terrific!   Toni Erdmann is a favorite and the shoe-in for the Best Foreign Film Oscar Award. It's in German, Romanian and English.   Of course The film is sub-titled in English.   I had to see what the major film festival's buzz was all about. I won’t spoil it for you but will tell you it’s about a somewhat lonely old curmudgeon, Winfried Conradi aka Toni Erdmann (Peter Simonischeck) who refused to grow up.   Our aging protagonist is never at a loss for a prank or joke and he longs to bring his successful and beautiful role model daughter, Ines Conradi, (Sandra Huller) back into his life.  Our hero invades his daughter’s life as she is working hard on an Important business trip to Romania.  Needless to say the complications pile up in ...

Pacific Palisades, CA —At Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard high on a hill with a stunning view overlooking the ocean is Villa Aurora .   This was once the playground of film icons such as Marlene Dietrich and Charlie Chaplin .   Today Villa Aurora is an exciting artist’s residence, owned by the German government.   It’s contributions to art, music and film is immeasurable.   The same could be said here for the German government.    The partnership between American and German filmmakers has brought thrilling film after film to both European and American audiences, On Saturday February 21 st German Film s, Villa Aurora (Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles) and the Consulate General of The Federal Republic of Germany will host its Pre-Oscar event.   In honor of the German Oscar® nominees: This year they will be honoring the following: Director Wim Wenders -   nominated for THE SALT OF THE EARTH as Best Documentary Feature Team...