maren ade – The Comedy Bureau

Toni Erdmann Dominates German Lola Awards

May 1, 2017

lola awards, maren ade, peter simonischek, sandra huller, toni erdmann

Toni Erdmann Dominates German Lola Awards

While not getting any love at the Oscars or BAFTAs, the fantastic dramedy Toni Erdmann picked up six Lola Awards (Germany’s version of The Oscars) last week. That includes well deserved wins for best director, best screenwriter, best actor, best actress, and best editing.

If you haven’t seen Toni Erdmann, it’s possibly one of the most heart warming R-rated comedies in recent memory and hopefully this awards sweep will convince you to give it a watch soon.

Toni Erdmann Might Be the R Rated Comedy to Bring Families Together

December 24, 2016

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foreign comedy, germany, maren ade, toni erdmann

German comedy Toni Erdmann from writer/director Maren Ade is racking up plenty of nominations and wins this awards season and deservedly so.

Somehow, it manages to be an R-rated comedy, thanks to some downright hysterical nude scenes, but also manages to be incredibly sweet and gleefully strange. In fact, it’s quite a heartwarming story about an estranged daughter played by Sandra Hüller reconnecting with her father who just happens to be a top shelf goofball played by Peter Simonischek.

As far as foreign comedies go, Toni Erdmann stands tall this year with our other favorites, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and The Lobster.

Starting on Christmas Day, Toni Erdmann will starts playing in theaters, such as the Nuart in West LA, in limited release.

Independent Spirit Awards Give Nominations to Other People, Morris From America, Swiss Army Man

November 22, 2016

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chris kelly, daniel kwan, daniel scheinert, jean of the joneses, john cassavetes, josh locy, maren ade, morris from america, other people, stella meghie, swiss army man, toni erdmann

Independent Spirit Awards Give Nominations to Other People, Morris From America, Swiss Army Man

Like many awards shows in awards season, The Independent Spirit Awards deals heavily in drama with their nominations. That being said, they do usually acknowledge some comedic leaning works and this year is no different as you can see below.

John Cassavetes Award
Hunter Gatherer-Josh Locy

Best First Feature
Swiss Army Man-Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Other People-Chris Kelly

Best First Screenplay
Other People-Chris Kelly
Jean of the Joneses-Stella Meghie

Best Supporting Male
Morris From America-Craig Robinson

Best International Film
Toni Erdmann-Maren Ade

For our money, Chris Kelly’s Other People floored us and Craig Robinson might have given one of his best performances to date in Morris From America.

This upcoming Film Independent Spirit Awards will air live on IFC on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017 at 2PM PST.

See the full list of Spirit Awards nominees at the link above.

Watch Trailer for Offbeat German Father Daughter Comedy “Toni Erdmann”

October 18, 2016

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germany, maren ade, sony pictures classics, toni erdmann

The plot of a father enacting an alter-ego in order to spend some more time with his daughter sounds like something Arrested Development would do. Yet, German comedy Toni Erdmann from director writer/director Maren Ade follows that premise in a much more grounded, but seemingly still funny way.

You can see that for yourself in the trailer for Toni Erdmann, then look for it in theaters here in the States around Christmas time thanks to Sony Pictures Classics.