Posts filed under 'Drama/Romance'
FIREWORKS WEDNESDAY- Premise by Netflix. “As fireworks light the sky on the eve of the Persian New Year, a young Iranian maid named Rouhi begins a new job working for a middle-class couple whose marriage is on the verge of implosion. The tension mounts when Rouhi’s employer decides to use her as a spy to determine whether her husband is being unfaithful. Asghar Farhadi directs this Farsi-language drama that offers a rare glimpse of private life in modern-day Iran.”
3/10- Another interesting slice of life from Iran and I liked it. TRDB.
Tags: drama
March 23rd, 2010
A WORLD APART- Premise by Netflix. “This powerful examination of apartheid stars Barbara Hershey as South African journalist Diana Roth, a white woman jailed for her political activism. Diana’s fierce commitment to the cause is unfathomable to her 13-year-old daughter (Jodhi May), who feels hurt by and resentful of her mother’s intense focus on issues outside the family. Escalating events push mother and daughter into a climactic confrontation in this drama based on true events.”
3/10- I liked this movie especially knowing that it was a basically true story. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: docudrama
March 21st, 2010
MANUELA AND MANUEL- 2007. Premise by Netflix. “When her best friend, Coca (Elena Iguina), finds herself pregnant after a casual fling, unlucky-in-love drag queen Manuela (Humberto Busto) helps Coca face her disapproving family by embracing a male identity, Manuel, and posing as the baby’s father. But things go sideways when Manuela discovers that the baby’s real daddy is a regular at the gay club where she works. Raúl Marchand Sánchez directs this screwball comedy.” OK reviews.
9/10- Very funny and poignant as well. Lots of interesting and funny secondary characters. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Comedy, drama
March 19th, 2010
CHLOE- 2009. Netflix had this to say–“Suspecting her husband, David (Liam Neeson), of infidelity, doctor Catherine (Julianne Moore) hires sexy escort Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) to seduce him and test his faithfulness. But as Catherine checks in on Chloe’s encounters with David, Chloe’s reports become increasingly lurid. Soon, the relationships between all three intensify in unexpected ways. Renowned filmmaker Atom Egoyan directs this psychological drama.” Only fair reviews for this film, called by one reviewer a B- List film with an A- List cast.
8/10- A mediocre story with top talent makes this film somewhat enjoyable. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama
March 19th, 2010
IN A DAY- Premise by Netflix. “Ashley Branstead (Lorraine Pilkington), a struggling musician living in London, begins what appears to be an unpleasant morning. Then, she meets Michael (Finlay Robertson), a quirky stranger who persuades her to join him in a day of indulgent amusements and stimulating conversation. Directed by newcomer Evan Richards, this whimsical romantic indie drama has bagged a host of awards on the festival circuit and earned Richards kudos from the press.”
3/10- I watched this and got more and more into it over the course. Good acting and script. TRDB.
March 19th, 2010
TWO WOMEN- Premise by Netflix. “Fereshteh (Niki Karimi) is promised to a traditional man from her village, and her newlywed life is fraught with abuse. This contrasts sharply with the life of Roya (Marila Zare’i), a friend of Fereshteh’s who retains her independence by living in the city. Writer-director Tahmineh Milani who would later be imprisoned for the images she put in films such as this one, a revealing work about women’s roles and lives in contemporary Iran.”
3/10- A very realistic movie about the plight of many women in Iranian society. I liked the movie very much. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 15th, 2010
MOTHER- Premise by Netflix. “A murder rocks a South Korean town and suspicion quickly falls on a reclusive, mentally challenged — and alibi-free — young man (Bin Won). When an inept public defender botches the boy’s case, his mother (Hye-ja Kim) sets out to prove her son’s innocence. Acclaimed director Joon-ho Bong (Memories of Murder) explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her child in this atmospheric crime thriller.” OK review in NY Times.
3/10- While a bit slow, the wonderful acting and the story itself made this a very good movie. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 15th, 2010
CHILDREN OF INVENTION- Premise by Netflix. “Evicted from their home, the Cheng family squats in a model apartment in an unfinished Boston building. But when mother Elaine (Cindy Cheung) is arrested for her accidental involvement in a pyramid scheme, young Raymond (Michael Chen) and Tina (Crystal Chiu) are left to fend for themselves. Now, Raymond must devise a plan to take care of his little sister in this stirring drama, an official selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.” Mostly good reviews and a few very good ones.
8/10- A very good drama with wonderful acting, especially the children. I liked it a lot. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama
March 15th, 2010
THE STONING OF SORAYA M- Premise by Netflix. “Set in 1986 Iran at the start of Khomeini’s reign, director Cyrus Nowrasteh’s drama tells the true story of Soraya (Mozhan Marnò), whose husband plots to have her falsely accused of adultery so he can divorce her and marry a young girl. French journalist Freidoune (Jim Caviezel) is pulled into Soraya’s tragic story when he meets a desperate woman named Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo).”
3/10- The movie feels more like a lecture than true drama and I didn’t want to stick around for the 20 minute stoning scene. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 15th, 2010
SERVICE- 2008. Premise by Netflix. “While the Pineda family matriarch, Nanay Flor (Gina Pareño), brings suit against her bigamist husband, the rest of her brood struggle with their own demons as they operate a run-down porno theater in the Philippines in director Brillante Mendoza’s drama. The goings-on include one son (Coco Martin) dealing with a boil on his butt as another pair of siblings contemplates incest, all amid the seedy sexual shenanigans of the theater’s clientele.”
3/10- The movie was very, very slow but did show a slice of life in this poor, sex trade community. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 15th, 2010
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