The Reader, and WW2 pictures

[claidheamhmor]

The Reader

Last night we went off to see The Reader at Rosebank Mall. I must say, I was somewhat disappointed. Kate Winslet (nude) was hot (at least in the early parts of the movie), but I found the film rather lacking in emotion, character or pace. Ralph Fiennes pretty much snoozed through his scenes; a more boring and emotionless character one cannot imagine (except for me, but then, I'm not a character in a movie). The actor who played the boy who read to Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet's character), David Kross, did pretty well. The story had no decent tale of repentance or change or love, and the characters did what seemed like strangely uncharacteristic things. I really wanted to like the movie, but it was far too long and pointless.

On the positive side, I think the movie captured the sense of Germany from the 1950s to the 1990s very well; it felt authentic and gritty in the right ways. It may be worth watching purely for that.

World War II in Colour

Now, for the World War 2 buffs, seeing as we're on the topic, take a look at this: World War II in Colour. It's an interesting collection of photographs taken during the war, of people, places and equipment.

For example, here are a couple of thumbnails:

Rudel's gunbird: The Stuka flown by Hans-Ulrich Rudel, one of the most successful combat pilots of all time; he destroyed more military hardware than many modern armies even have.

Major Erich Hartmann, highest-scoring fighter ace of all time, with 352 kills.