Posts filed under 'All Reviews'
BABIES- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Documentary filmmaker Thomas Balmes charts the simultaneous early development of four babies from different parts of the world, illustrating what makes human life unique, similar and precious wherever it occurs. Training his camera on newborns Hattie from San Francisco, Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia and Mari from Tokyo, Balmes captures every moment, from their first screaming breaths to their first tentative steps.” Fairly good reviews.
9/10- Interesting and informative documentary but could have been shorter than the already short 79min. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: documentary
April 26th, 2010
A SIMPLE CURVE- Premise by Netflix. “Torn between continuing as the woodworking partner of his father, Jim (Michael Hogan), and striking out on his own, Caleb (Kris Lemche) sees an opportunity when Jim’s old buddy (Matt Craven) comes to their small town with a proposition. But Jim’s stubborn idealism may quash the deal. A new relationship with single mom Lee (Pascale Hutton) also complicates things for Caleb in this moving drama set in the mountains of British Columbia.”
4/10- A bit preachy at times but I still enjoyed it. TRDB. Netflix.
April 19th, 2010
BLESSED IS THE MATCH: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF HANNAH SENESH- Premise by Netflix. “Joan Allen narrates this riveting portrait of Hungarian poet Hannah Senesh, a remarkable woman who risked her own life to parachute behind enemy lines — enduring capture, torture and, ultimately, death — to rescue Jews from Nazi persecution. Ahead of her time and on a mission of incredible odds, Senesh ultimately became a martyr in Israel, evoking the spirit of warrior-heroine Joan of Arc and earning the gratitude of those she saved.”
4/10- This documentary was very well done and I highly recommend it. TRDB.
Tags: Documentary/History
April 16th, 2010
35 SHOTS OF RUM- Premise by Netflix. “This heartfelt slice-of-life drama by filmmaker Claire Denis tells the story of widower Lionel (Alex Descas), a train driver, and his grown daughter, Sophie (Mati Diop). The two spend most of their time together, but change is in the cards. A neighbor (Grégoire Colin) becomes attracted to Sophie, a family friend retires and Lionel tries to maintain a friendship with his ex-girlfriend (Nicole Dogue).”
4/10- This film got uniformly excellent reviews but I can not see why. Boring as hell and I would have turned it off if not for the reviews. Nothing of significance happens. TRDB.Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 16th, 2010
EASY A- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “High school is the setting for this freewheeling comedic twist on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 19th-century novel The Scarlet Letter. Ambitious student Olive (Emma Stone) decides to boost her popularity by pretending to be the school slut. As the school’s swirling rumor mill increases both her notoriety and her finances, Olive enjoys her newfound status but eventually must decide which is more important: popularity or self-esteem.” Fairly good reviews.
12/10- Sounds stupid but actually was fun. Only problem for me was that all of the “high school” students looked like they were in their late 20’s. TRDB. Netflix.
April 6th, 2010
ALI ZAOUA- 2000. Premise by Netflix. “Ali, Kwita, Omar and Boukber are a group of urchins living on the hard streets of Casablanca, their everyday lives filled with violence, begging and indifference. To survive, the four youths create a bond of friendship and family among them, but that bond is soon cut short by a senseless tragedy. This highly acclaimed drama from Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch reminds us of the power of hope and dreams even in the harshest of circumstances.”
3/10- Boring and I turned it off after 20 minutes. TRDB.
March 29th, 2010
WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE- Premise by Netflix. “Inspired by a homeless man’s story, Yosuke (Koji Yakusho), an unemployed businessman, travels to a remote seaside village where a golden Buddha stolen from a Kyoto temple is supposedly hidden. Instead, Yosuke finds Saeko (Misa Shimizu), a woman with an odd affliction: She fills up with water, and when she’s full, she leaks … and the only way to express the fluid is to make love.”
3/10- A little different to say the least but I enjoyed it. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 25th, 2010
A TOWN CALLED PANIC- Premise by Netflix. “Tag along for the small-town adventures of plastic toys Cowboy (voiced by Stéphane Aubier), Indian (Bruce Ellison) and Horse (Vincent Patar) when they buy 50 million bricks, setting into motion a crazy chain of events at their rambling rural home. Now trekking across distant lands, they end up in another world pludged under water in this film based on the Belgian television series of the same name. Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar direct.” Very good reviews.
March 19th, 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
JUST SAY LOVE- Premise by Zap2it. “Two lovers explore the nature of their relationship.” No reviews as yet.
March 19th, 2010
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