Kino+ 603 | Von HANGOVER bis HOSTEL: Die besten URLAUBSFILME

Holiday Films, from Italy to Mars

The Kino+ panel treats “holiday film” as a wonderfully elastic category. Some picks offer sunny escapes; others involve stressful trips—or, in one case, a holiday on Mars.

The presenters begin by swapping vacation stories: one recalls a relaxing family visit to Latvia, another praises the sleep-inducing Danish beds, and another describes a packed trip through Japan that included Tokyo Disneyland.

Film Picks

• Dirty Dancing earns shared approval for its summer-camp atmosphere, first-love story, and dancing. One presenter admits they only saw it for the first time last year, but was impressed even without the nostalgia.
• Call Me by Your Name and Pixar’s Luca make the case for an Italian holiday, with sun-drenched scenery, food, bikes, and a Riviera Vespa race.
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is praised as a breezy blockbuster that tours exotic locations, especially in its spectacular Dubai sequence.
• The Hangover captures the reckless fun—and potential nightmare—of a bachelor-party trip. The group debates the increasingly dark sequels, with one presenter defending the trilogy as a steadily evolving story.
• Hostel is the most provocative pick: its first half plays like a boozy student getaway before turning into torture horror. The joke is that it can stand in for every terrible vacation—and that Slovakia was supposedly chosen because American audiences didn’t know it.
• Total Recall qualifies because, if vacation means escapism, why not travel to Mars? Moonraker gets a more traditional travel pitch, with glamorous locations such as Venice and Rio.
• American Pie 2 is remembered as a bittersweet friends’ getaway, full of nostalgia for school days and the feeling that a carefree moment is slipping away.
• The Way Way Back, the closing recommendation, is a warm coming-of-age story about a teenager who finds confidence and a mentor while working at a water park. Its awkward vacationing adults provide plenty of comedy.

Tangents and Travel Stories

The tangents are as entertaining as the recommendations. The panel jokes about how broad the category has become, debates Adam Sandler’s appeal, and swaps increasingly anxious stories about flying—including turbulence that sent a plane’s meal trays flying.

One presenter is so nervous on flights that they keep asking whether they’re about to die. Another’s advice is essentially to avoid watching Final Destination before boarding.

Presenters

Antje, Timo, and Yves.