Posts filed under 'All Reviews'
THE FIRST GRADER- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Based on a true story, this inspirational drama profiles the amazing determination of 84-year-old Kenyan Kimani N’gan’ga Maruge (Oliver Litondo), a Mau Mau freedom fighter who wants to take advantage of a new universal education decree by learning how to read. Although he faces governmental bureaucracy and tribal racism, Maruge’s cause is eventually championed by teacher Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris), who is set on erasing illiteracy in Kenya.” Winner at 2011 Palm Springs Film Festival. A few reviews and they are mainly negative saying that the movie did not do justice to the importance of the subject. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
January 17th, 2011
I AM- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Hollywood comedy director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) gets contemplative in this documentary, which finds him conversing with prominent philosophers and spiritual leaders about what ails our world and how we can improve it. Traveling the globe to conduct his in-depth interviews, Shadyac finds insights and inspiration from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, historian Howard Zinn, philosopher Noam Chomsky and other luminaries.” Winner at 2011 Palm Springs Film Festival. OK review in NY Times on 3/18/11.
Tags: documentary
January 17th, 2011
SOUND OF NOISE- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “This intriguing comedy follows six renegade musicians trying to fill their Swedish hometown with sound, even if they have to wreak a little havoc to hit the right notes. But hot on their trail is tone-deaf, music-hating policeman Amadeus Warnebring (Bengt Nilsson). While the six percussionists appropriate public areas and items to make their music, Warnebring wrangles with his demanding family and a boss intent on arresting every local musician.”
3/9/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: Comedy, drama
January 17th, 2011
NOTHING’S ALL BAD- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “In the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, a group of mostly self-taught musicians assembles in the capital city of Kinshasa to play in Central Africa’s only orchestra, founded and conducted by pilot Armand Diangienda. Filmmakers Martin Baer and Claus Wischmann follow the Kinshasa Symphony as it rehearses for an Independence Day celebration the musicians hope will inspire their countrymen to share in their creative and collaborative spirit.” Winner at 2011 Palm Springs Film Festival.
Tags: Comedy, drama
January 17th, 2011
KINSHASHA SYMPHONY- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “In the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, a group of mostly self-taught musicians assembles in the capital city of Kinshasa to play in Central Africa’s only orchestra, founded and conducted by pilot Armand Diangienda. Filmmakers Martin Baer and Claus Wischmann follow the Kinshasa Symphony as it rehearses for an Independence Day celebration the musicians hope will inspire their countrymen to share in their creative and collaborative spirit.” Winner at 2011 Palm Springs Film Festival.
Tags: documentary
January 17th, 2011
POTICHE- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Director François Ozon spins a deft social comedy of the French bourgeoisie starring some of that country’s most celebrated actors, including Gérard Depardieu, Catherine Deneuve and Fabrice Luchini. After Suzanne Pujol’s (Deneuve) husband has a heart attack, she must take charge of the umbrella factory he manages. The resulting clashes between the genteel Suzanne and the Marxist union boss (Depardieu) generate plenty of riotous class conflict.” Winner at 2011 Palm Springs Film Festival this movie has received very good professional reviews and average audience reviews. TRDB.
4/11- A delightful French farce and I recommend it. DeNeuve is magnifique. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: Comedy, Foreign
January 17th, 2011
THE WHISTLEBLOWER- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Sent to Bosnia to train cops in the aftermath of that country’s brutal civil war, American policewoman Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz) uncovers evidence that U.N. peacekeepers are complicit in a flourishing sex-trafficking trade. But when she brings her allegations to light, she discovers that her foes are more powerful than the law. Based on a true story, this thriller from director Larysa Kondracki co-stars Monica Bellucci and David Strathairn.” Winner at 2011 Palm Springs Film Festival.
7/21/11. I saw the coming attractions recently and I plan to see it. TRDB.
9/1/11- I just could not get into the characters and felt that the film was overly dramatic at times. I was also surprised at how naive the lead character was. The NY Times called the screenplay choppy and fumbling and trying to deal with too many characters. This is an important topic and should have been a documentary. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: drama
January 17th, 2011
EVEN THE RAIN- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “In this provocative film-within-a-film, director Sebastián (Gael García Bernal) heads to Cochabamba, Bolivia, to shoot a film about Christopher Columbus’s trespasses in the New World, only to find the locals protesting present-day exploitation of the poor. Sebastián is sympathetic to the cause, but realities collide when lead actor Daniel (Carlos Aduviri), cast as a rebel against the Spanish, becomes a key figure in the current demonstrations.” Winner at 2011 Palm Springs Film Festival.
3/11- An excellent depiction of the moral conflicts involved in this type of situation. Well acted and I loved the movie. TRDB. Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 17th, 2011
DESERT FLOWER- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Sherry Horman directs this drama based on the real-life story of Waris Dirie (Liya Kebede), a poor girl who flees an arranged marriage in Somalia, winds up in London and becomes one of the world’s most recognizable supermodels. As her star rises, Dirie speaks out against the practice of female genital mutilation, a trauma she experienced as a girl. Timothy Spall co-stars as the photographer who “discovered” Dirie working in a fast food joint.” Winner at Palm Springs Film Festival, 2011. Good review in NY Times on 3/18/11.
7/20/11- One reviewer said that this movie would have been better as a documentary and I agree. I feel that the screenplay was overly simplistic and even silly at times and the change in tone of the movie with the last scene did not sit right with me but I lasted the entire movie because I knew it was basically a true story. Recommended with some reservation. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: docudrama
January 17th, 2011
LIVING FOR 32- 2010. Premise by Rotten Tomatoes. ” Living for 32 is the inspirational story of Colin Goddard, a survivor of the tragic gun shooting massacre which occurred on the Virginia Tech campus,… Living for 32 is the inspirational story of Colin Goddard, a survivor of the tragic gun shooting massacre which occurred on the Virginia Tech campus, April 16th, 2007. The winning combination of Colin’s passion, charisma and optimism has commanded the attention of the American public and media since the devastating incident which left 32 dead and 17 injured. In Living for 32, Colin shares an intimate account of terror he and his classmates endured and the courageous journey of renewal and hope he chose to pursue.” No reviews as yet.
Tags: documentary
January 16th, 2011
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