Monuments Men
by Shelly Schoeneshoefer

George Clooney, USA, GB, Germany, 2013

Why go to the Berlinale? Is it for all the wonderful films that cover serious political issues or to feel the energy of the city as the cinemas fill up with audiences. No! We all go to see George Clooney! Or at least to get a glimpse of him. Or maybe even have the chance of seeing him in a bar or breathe the air that he breathed out as he makes his way through the town. It certainly wasn't to see his last film which carries a grandiose title and an important art historical message about rescuing western culture from the evil Nazi empire. One expected that this film would be a serious drama but was only confronted with a ridiculous comedy with bad music. But that did not stop his fans or the journalists acting like complete idiots just to get that glimpse. It seems that George can make any kind of film he wants and it doesn't matter if it is any good or not. He is in Berlin. The film itself is based on a true story about men and women art curators, museum directors and historians who risk their lives to save this art from disappearing and in good faith attempted to return the art to the rightful owners. The film collected a group of comedians and well-known actors and actresses but that couldn't even save this film from falling flat on its face.  So if you didn't make it to Berlin to see George, I would skip this film all together and save your money for next year.