THE BIG FIX- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “While turning their cameras on the devastating 2010 oil spill that pumped 779,037,744 liters of crude oil and other contaminants into the Gulf of Mexico, filmmakers Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell unearth a stunning stream of corruption.”
12/2/11- Good review in today’s NY Times and other good ones as well. TRDB.
Add comment December 2nd, 2011
A JOURNEY IN MY MOTHER’S FOOTSTEPS- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Since the 1970’s, Jessie Rosenmeier has worked as an activist to improve the lives of orphans and street children in India, primarily in the cities of Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. Through her volunteer work approximately 400 children have gone in adoption to Denmark, schools, orphanages and sponsorship programs have evolved. Hoping to understand her mother’s choices, Dina Rosenmeier, the youngest of her 6 children, sets out on a journey in her footsteps.” Very mixed reviews- Rotten Tomatoes liked it and the NY Times did not. TRDB.
Add comment December 2nd, 2011
LADS AND JOCKEYS- 2008. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In a small village near Paris, 14-year-old boys and girls enter the training center for future lads and jockeys. For these young pupils, the transition between the family environment and this new world is brutal. Though sharing the world of teenagers – flirting, cell phones and PlayStation – they enter a world where the comfort of the horses comes before that of the human. This documentary film tells the story of Steve, Florian and Flavien during their first year of apprenticeship. It leads to Flavien’s first race, which officially puts him in the restricted world of jockeys.”
12/2/11- OK review in today’s NY Times but not elsewhere. TRDB.
Add comment December 2nd, 2011
UNDER FIRE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Combat footage, intense interviews with reporters from around the world and commentary by psychiatrist Anthony Feinstein, who specializes in treating journalists, shed light on the traumas faced by those who risk their lives to report from war zones.”
12/2/11- Excellent reviews in general and a good one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment December 2nd, 2011
UNDER CONTROL- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “This striking, beautifully composed, and undeniably timely documentary takes viewers into the heart of a series of German nuclear power plants, unveiling a surreal, technologically bewildering realm whose bright, sleek, seemingly highly controlled appearance belies the dangerous,destructive forces involved. We see glisteningly bright control rooms, decontamination locks, and smoke-screen devices, and enter the depths of the mineral deposits, all of which reflect the superhuman rationality that is supposed to contain and channel the power of the nuclear fission.” OK early reviews. TRDB.
12/2/11- OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment December 2nd, 2011
KHODORKOVSKY- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Mikhail Khodorkovsky was once the richest man in Russia. Today, he’s one of the world’s most famous political prisoners. A story of Shakespearean proportions, The New York Times has reported on Khodorkovsky in both its news and op-ed pages. Fascinating interviews with Khodorkovsky (sometimes sitting in a glass box in the courtroom), members of his family, and others portray a country transformed from its moribund Communist past to one in which power-hungry politicians are abetted by a corrupt, drunken and cynical younger generation. Stark black and white animated sequences help tell an amazing back-story that plays like a political thriller.” Very good reviews. TRDB.
12/2/11- Non descript review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment November 30th, 2011
IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND: THE WEISSENSEE JEWISH CEMETARY- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In Heaven, Underground: The Weissensee Jewish Cemetery is an enchanting journey into history that celebrates life and the immortality of memories. North of Berlin’s noisy city centre, surrounded by a jungle of trees and lush foliage, lies the peaceful and secluded 130-year-old Weissensee Jewish Cemetery, the oldest Jewish cemetery still in use in Europe. Its one hundred acres hold 115,000 graves and a meticulous archive record. The cemetery has never closed, and was one of the few institutions to remain in Jewish hands during the Nazi regime. Award-winning director Britta Wauer’s charming portrait creates a serene experience following a delightful array of characters from around the world: mourners, tourists, a young family residing at the cemetery, a third-generation gravedigger and an ornithologist studying rare birds of prey.”
11/18/11- Very good reviews in today’s NY Times and elsewhere too. TRDB.
Add comment November 18th, 2011
DZI CROQUETTES- 2009. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “The Dzi Croquettes was a Brazilian theater group that through talent, irony and humor confronted the Brazilian government and its violent dictatorship. They were banned and censored by the military regime, but still revolutionized the gay movement worldwide, changing the language of theater and dance for an entire generation. Their history embraces Brazilian pop culture of the 1970s and 1980s, the violent years of dictatorship in Brazil, the sexual revolution, the beginning of the AIDS era, and, above all, the enormous legacy that would remain unforgettable to every single person that had the opportunity to see their work. They were loved and admired by luminaries such as Mick Jagger, Jeanne Moreau, Omar Sharif, Maurice Béjart, Josephine Baker and Liza Minnelli, who became a personal friend and played a major role in bringing them to Paris and subsequently to fame. Américo Issa, the father of this film’s director, worked with the group from 1970 to 1978. ”
11/18/11- Good reviews in general but only a fair one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment November 18th, 2011
GARBO: THE SPY- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “Using interviews, archival footage and clips from old movies, director Edmon Roch tells the fascinating tale of Juan Pujol, a Spaniard who, under the codename Garbo, worked as a double agent during World War II and helped the Allies win the war.”
11/18/11- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
1/4/12- Just saw this in Florida and I liked it. TRDB. At the Theater.
Add comment November 18th, 2011
BURIED PRAYERS- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In April and May 1943, thousands of survivors of the Warsaw ghetto uprising were held in the Maidanek death camp. Realizing they were being selected for death, these innocent families chose to surreptitiously bury the personal objects in their possession six inches beneath the earth’s surface in a collective act of courage, defiance and hope. Based upon unique witness testimony, an international team of survivors and experts from Australia, USA, Germany, Israel, Italy, and England were able to organize an archeological expedition to unearth these relic keepsakes that have remained hidden for 63 years. Over 80 significant pieces of jewelry and other items were recovered and deposited with the Maidanek State Museum, making it the largest reported recovery of valuables in a death camp to date.”
11/18/11- A fairly good review in today’s NY Times and I’ve seen a few other good ones as well. TRDB.
Add comment November 18th, 2011