Reader Spotlight: Patrick in Germany
Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 1:29PM 
We're getting to know the Film Experience community one-by-one. This is going to take us forever! (That's a good thing. Thank you so much for being part of such a big vibrant fanbase.) Today we're talking to Patrick who lives in Germany and writes for DieAcademy.de, a German site devoted to our favorite awards show.
Hi, Patrick. How long have you been reading The Film Experience?
Maybe 6 years? I like this site so much since it's always interesting topics and wonderful to read.
I know you're really into the Oscars but how about the Lolas, Germany's own movie awards. Which German stars do you recommend our international readers get to know?
The Lolas are not as big of a deal as they should be, but I love some German actors who are still too unknown abroad but doing great work all the time, like: Sibel Kikelli (two time Lola winner for Gegen die Wand & Die Fremde), Susanne Lothar (a three time Lola nominee who died last year) and maybe the best young German actor of our generation August Diehl (who you've seen in Inglourious Basterds and Salt but he's been nominated for the Lola three times and won for "23"). It would be a great pleasure to read a post about any of them.
Two current German greats: August Diehl & Sibel Kekilli
Hey, surely you've noticed my love for Sibel Kekilli. So great every time (though it was weird to see her do that romantic comedy What a Man)
Yes I noticed that. I think she was the best of the cast in What a Man, too but not a good movie. But Head-On. What a performance!
Agreed. Name your three favorite movies in the following genres. Horror, Comedy, Drama, Musical and SciFi. Go...
Horror: The Exorzist, Psycho, Silence of the Lambs (if I put it into this genre)
Comedy: Some Like It Hot, Tootsie, Pillow Talk
Drama: The Godfather (1 & 2), American Beauty, All about Eve (if I could choose 5: Sunset Boulevard and The Hours)
Musical: West Side Story, Chicago, Moulin Rouge!
Sci-Fi: Alien & Aliens, Blade Runner, Terminator (1 & 2).
Do you care about a significant other's taste in movies?
The Answer ist YES! It sounds a bit overdone, but I have a problem with guys, who don't like Kate Winslet in general or have mainstream taste of movies and don't feel complex emotions. The movie that comes to mind is Brokeback Mountain. This movie is not about a gay couple, its about love and why two people can't be together because of external and internal circumstances. Heartbreaking! But I think some hearts are too cold to feel that and that is not what I am looking for. (I hope most readers will know what I mean?)
Patrick with his great love Kate Winslet
I understand you are kind of a lot obsessed with Kate Winslet. What other actors/actresses really grab you?
Julianne Moore. She's still so underappreciated it makes me burst me into tears. I also love Bette Davis, Thelma Ritter, Sean Penn, most of the work of Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams, the 70s and 80s Work of Meryl Streep (but getting tired of her work after the brilliant Angels of America), Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling and many more.
Take an Oscar away. Regift it.
Only one? I love the Oscars, but wanna change so much, especially the Oscars for Kim Basinger & Catherine Zeta-Jones (both to Julianne Moore). The biggest fault from the last decade was the Oscar for Tom Hooper's Direction of The King´s Speech. TKS was good, but the direction was TV-Movie-Material I think and The Social Network is by miles superior! If Colin Firth had pick up Best Actor Oscar the Year before for his brilliant performance in A Single Man maybe he wouldn't have won Frontrunner Status and The Kings Speech wouldn't win Best Picture and Director??? When Kathryn Bigelow announced Hooper as the "winner" it was the only time I completely lost interest in the other awards for the evening; it STILL hurts!
Previous Reader Spotlights
And our imaginary Honorary Reader Oscars go to...
lovely ladies: Mysjkin, Lynn Lee, Ester, Leehee, Jamie and Dominique
(and yes we need to hear from more of the girls)
dashing gents: Christian, Lucio, Joey Moser, Zé Vozone, Tony T, Andy Hoglund, Ferdi, K.M. Soehnlein, Sergio, Borja, John, Chris, Peter, Ziyad, Andrew, Yonatan, Keir, Kyle, Vinci, Victor, Bill, Hayden, Murtada, Cory, Walter, Paolo, and BBats
Reader Comments (14)
Patrick is a hottie...
Your desire to remove the Oscar from the clutches of Catherine Zeta Jones endears you to me.
I was just thinking the other day about how I have become somewhat bored with Kate Winslett of late. On the plus side, many of his favorite films are also mine.
I get so sad whenever I remember Susanne Lothar. She was an excellent actress and died way too young.
I love Bette Davis - one hell of an actress. I still rewatch many of her films
where she was simply brilliant --- Little Foxes, Jezebel, Dark Victory, Now
Voyager, All About Eve, The Letter, Baby Jane...many more...
Three favourites by genre:
Horror: Eraserhead, M (on days when I count it), Bride of Frankenstein, (on days when I don't count M) The Night of the Hunter (If five if I count M: Come and See) (If five if I don't count M: Come and See and either Evil Dead 2 (though unlike Bride of Frankenstein, the blend is so close to 50/50 that I don't know if you would be doing it any service marking it as anything other than the genre fusion label of "horror-comedy") or Los Olvidados)
Comedy: Dr. Strangelove, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Man who Would be King (lovingly shot, FAR ahead of it's time satire!) (If five: Amelie, Local Hero)
Drama: Pandora's Box, Bicycle Thieves, It's a Wonderful Life (if five: Edward Scissorhands, Before Sunset)
Musical (Live Action, singing primarily not literally happening): Singin' in the Rain, Funny Face, Grease)
Musical (Animated, Same Restriction): Snow White, South Park BL&U, The Lion King
Musical (No retrictions on how "literal" the music is in context or the presented medium): Singin' in the Rain, This is Spinal Tap, Snow White. (If five: South Park BL&U, The Lion King)
Sci-Fi: Brazil, A Clockwork Orange, Blade Runner (if five: T2 and Alien)
ITA, Mark. Bette should have been the first to win Best Actress three times. I read somewhere she really wanted that. After Hepburn did it, she said she didn't care anymore. What a lady.
Patrick, Peggy Sue: Susanne Lothar was maybe the best German actress of our days, and I was shocked beyond words when I heard of her death last year. The horrible thing is, while there was never an official statement or even as much as public speculation about this, I'm almost convinced it was a suicide. She died one day before the fifth anniversary of her husband's (Ulrich Mühe) death. She left behind two teenage children, and with all respect to her as an actress and sympathy as someone who has lost a loved one, I must say I find this an irresponsible thing to do as a parent. R.I.P. both of them nonetheless!
Interesting about being tired of Streep's work after 'Angels in America'. I hate to say it, but I kinda agree. Other than 'The Devil Wears Prada', I didn't quite care for most of her roles since most of them are similar in terms of tone to me.
I wish I could read German, so I can read your Oscar blog since I dropped a few after this season.
Love that out of 15 films, only one of his favorites from each genre is from this century.
Per usual, liking reading about a fellow reader. When is it my turn? :P
I like and support the Kate Winslet fandom. She still has so much potential. I am a little worried about her going into franchise things like "Divergent," but it is such a cruel time for women over 35. I also find it amusing that Patrick believes Meryl Streep peaked with Angels in America. My God, I hope not. Streep has been inspirational for so many actors, writers and directors.
@Mark: We will make a Voting about our Favorite Bette Davis Movies, soon I guess. Hope you will join that.
You can switch our side from "german" to english". Its not professional english, but I think it works. Try it! ;-)
I am a little bit afraid too, about the last choice of Kate (Contagion, Movie 43 (really?)), but Carnage and Mildred Pierce were great, but only 4 Projects (incl. 2 Short appearences) in 4-5 Years are frustrating for a fan of her and I dont want to see her as frustrated housewifes again, I love her choices from 2001-2004. Hope more of that. She has to work with Tarantino, Scorsese, with Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman - that would be great I think.
Great Interview with a great guy. ;)
I like the idea with the Three-Favorite-Movies-Question. Will stole this for our Team-Q&A-Site ;-)
And a Tarantino-Movie with Kate Winslet? Mhm... i don't know... tricky... and what was wrong with "Contagion"? Good Movie. And Kate hat more screentime than Gwyneth Paltrow. ;-)
Sorry for my very bad english. :D
I love your comment about Brokeback Mountain, especially the point about internal circumstances. The film deals with the issues of identity and self acceptance in such an acute and moving way! I totally approve of using it as a litmus test for potential partners :)
Okay, Contagion was a good Movie, but not a Project after a post Oscar win I think! ;-) Kate could do a crazy bitch, see Romance & Cigarettes - she was VERY funny in that and different from other performances. She still is. She lost herself in 99% of her roles and thats what I love about her and Streep in the 70s and 80s. When I see Streep now, I often think that Meryl is acting, thats equal to LeoDiCaprio, which I always like to see, but its too much Leo in his performances and not a chameleon Actor, like Walter Brennan, Daniel Day-Lewis, Stanley Tucci and others.
And I HATE, that I forgot to list my Muse Marion Cottilard!!! I love her since La vie En Rose and was ecstatic that she won the oscar for that remarkable performance, (maybe the best of the last decade with Mo´nique in Precious from the Ladies) and I hate that she´s been snubbed for oscar noms for Nine (in supporting, forget Cruz, the Star of Nine was Cottilard) and Rust & Bone! The Best Performance last Year with the great Emannuelle Riva for her heartbreaking turn in Amour! My grandmother died for 2 Weeks and was dement also and I think the Portrait of Riva was pitch perfect! It was hard to see, but my sweet grandmother was very similar to Rivas Anne. Rest in Peace my Lullaby! ;-*