FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Dawson's Creek 

Kevin Williamson is synonymous with the teen films of the 90s like no other, whether in cinema as the writer of Scream or on television as the creator of Dawson's Creek. (Although many would probably consider his Vampire Diaries (2009) to be the most important Kevin Williamson work). You notice we are in the middle of the Kevin Williamson teen universe. Anyway, Dawson's Creek was considered a controversial teen drama with indie traits in the late 90s. And on television! Even the pilot addresses: sex with teachers, the stigma of virginity, homosexuality (was this actually on the agenda of teen movies before Dawson's Creek?) and dysfunctional families - but the recurring question is: can women and men just be friends? Dawson's Creek introduces teenagers who sound quite precocious today. And isn't it all a bit sensationalist and overly melodramatic? And would one's own life one day really turn out like Dawson's Creek? Enter Dawson Leery wearing cargo shorts. How did Dawsons manage to make friends in the first place? And how did he manage to date Joey Potter? Dawson's Creek is about angsty teenagers. Those like Dawson, who fear any change and would prefer to stay in their nursery forever. Kevin Williamson created teenagers who wisely fantasise about the future and ask life's big questions at 16! So Dawson lives close to his family and friends in the picturesque coastal town of Capeside, Massachusetts, which doesn't exist. Dawson wants to be a filmmaker when he grows up. Like Steven Spielberg or Kevin Williamson. Of course, the 90s are the age of teen horror films (Williamson's Scream), Buffy or Beverly Hills 90210. But none of these productions flattered teen self-esteem as much as Dawson's Creek: these teenagers speak in long, well-considered sentences, are well versed in pop culture, are sensitive and capable of intense self-reflection. They suffer unrequited love, innocently dote on each other. They fall in and out of love (and speak in these extraordinarily long sentences). And Dawson Leery? Back in 1998, no one actually liked him. Dawson is self-absorbed, moody and confused. But we are left with Joey Potter, daughter of a dead mother and a criminal father. Or the "bad girl" from New York, Jen Lindley, who takes drugs and was caught having sex by her parents. The punishment: off to Capeside to her grandmother. But most people like Pacey Witter, who has the charisma Dawson lacks. Fortunately, Pacey is the least prone to monologues about his state of mind. Together, at any rate, they provide a convincing picture of teenage yearnings. Doesn't that sound nicely nostalgic? And who knows, maybe they are even capable of real friendships between girls and boys?

FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Lucky 

Lucky starts with a series of shots of the Arizona desert. With cactuses reaching into the sky and a turtle crawling through the sand. Then we experience their human equivalent: It is Harry Dean Stanton as Lucky. No, not AS Lucky. Harry Dean Stanton IS Lucky, as the movie poster says. Harry Dean Stanton, then 89 years old and deceased before the film was released. During the following 88 minutes we will spend almost every moment together with Lucky. A veteran from World War II, retired a long time ago. Lucky has friends, but he often snubs them. He has his routine and as with most old people, this routine shapes his everyday life. During his walks, he stops in a cafe, talks to the owner (Barry Shabaka Henley) and a waitress (Yvonne Huff), who behaves almost like a daughter. We get to know his tiny home and his favourite bar. In the morning Lucky does some pushups to stay fit. Lucky achieves his depth with the shots of Harry Dean Stanton in front of a panorama that would adorn any western. Lucky is about death and fear of death. It's about loneliness and the will to stay healthy. It's about decisions that have never been made. Lucky regrets a lot. This is probably mainly because he prefers to argue with people rather than just talk to them. He is never open and he is certainly not vulnerable. Essential: Lucky's atheism, which in turn reveals a lot about his relationship to death. "Friendship is essential to the soul"; explains his friend Paulie at the bar. Lucky disagrees. She doesn't exist. The friendship? No, the soul. Lucky is also about friendship and this becomes most obvious in the conversations with Lucy's friend Howard (David Lynch). We remember: Harry Dean Stanton IS Lucky and Lynch Harry Dean Stanton's friend and something like his house director. Lucky is one of those men who doesn't want to make new friends at some point in their lives. All the more surprising for us and himself when he opens up to younger people! I've seen so many American movies trying to be Lucky. They play in small towns or in neighborhoods that meet in bars. Full of eccentrics, of course. But only very few of them are as elegant as Lucky and above all as safely staged! This was not necessarily predictable, as Lucky was shot by actor John Carroll Lynch (not related). That's because he trusts Harry Dean Stanton completely. That's why he succeeds in scenes like the one in which Lucky smokes and thinks about cigarettes at night. One of Johnny Cash's late songs is on. One of the songs Cash recorded in the face of death. Harry Dean Stanton's tanned face acts like a film in the film. We experience a whole life in this face! Certainly one of the most powerful scenes I've ever seen. Somehow I had the feeling that I had actually known him. We get to keep this scene as Harry Dean Stanton's estate.