COCO BEFORE CHANEL- Premise by Rotten Tomatoes. “Coco Before Chanel is the story of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who began her life as headstrong orphan, and through an extraordinary journey became the legendary couturier who embodied the modern… Coco Before Chanel is the story of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who began her life as headstrong orphan, and through an extraordinary journey became the legendary couturier who embodied the modern woman and became a timeless symbol of success, freedom and style. The film portrays the formative years of Chanel’s life, the years of Chanel spent discovering and inventing herself.” Mixed reviews, mostly good.
11/16/09– Saw this and liked it.
Tags: docudrama, documentary, Foreign
October 1st, 2009
OCT. 1, 2009
DEAR FRIENDS-
ONE NEW MOVIE for me this week at the-
THEATRE-
1) BRIGHT STAR- By Jane Campion. About the romantic poet John Keats and the period before his death at age 25. I found the movie boring and cannot recommend it. 9/09
VIEWED AT HOME-
1) BODY HEAT- 1981. Written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke. Hurt begins a relationship with Turner, the wife of a rich businessman. They eventually plot how they can be together. Plot twists make this an exciting movie and I liked it. Netflix. 9/09
2) THE LEAST OF THESE- 2009. By Clark and Jesse Lyda. A documentary about T. Don Hutto, a detention center for illegal immigrants in Texas and the deplorable conditions for these inmates, many of whom are innocent children. A sizable portion of the inmates are in this country seeking asylum and NOT here for economic reasons. Very good. 9/09
3) THE COUNTRY TEACHER- 2008. Czech Republic. Directed by Bohdan Slama and starring Pavel Liska and Zuzana Bydzovska. About a troubled man who ventures to the Czech countryside from Prague to teach in a rural school. Very good and I’d recommend seeing it. Netflix Streaming. 9/09
4) TREELESS MOUNTAIN- 2008. China. Written and directed by So Yong Kim. About 2 young girls who are placed with an aunt they don’t know after their mother packs up and leaves. Clearly one of the slowest movies in history but the girls were appealing enough that I couldn’t turn it off. Worth seeing only with the patience of a saint. Netflix Streaming. 9/09
5) THE WINDOW- 2008. Argentina. Directed by Carlos Sorin. About an elderly man, played by Antonio Larreta, who is apparently waiting to die but at the moment is waiting for his son, a concert pianist, who he has not seen in a long time, to arrive from Europe. He has his piano tuned and prepares an old bottle of champagne. Most of the movie took place in his room with his connection to the outside world through a large window. Despite being very slow I liked the movie. Netflix Streaming. 9/09
__________________________________________________________________________________________
COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, OCT. 6-
1) ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL- Premise by Netflix. “Formed by two 14-year-olds in the 1970s, Canadian heavy metal band
Anvil influenced the great acts that followed, such as Anthrax and Metallica. This documentary joins
Anvil‘s now middle-aged founders as they recover from a disastrous tour of Europe. Hoping to end their youthful dreams and careers on a high note,
Robb Reiner,
Steve “Lips” Kudlow and the band set out to record their 13th album, “This Is Thirteen.”
Very good reviews.
2) BEAUTY IN TROUBLE- Premise by Netflix. “After a natural disaster forces her husband (
Roman Luknár) into crime to make ends meet, a beautiful young wife (
Anna Geislerová) faces a thorny choice: stand by her man and endure a spartan existence, or take a chance on a wealthy suitor (
Josef Abrham) who promises her security, if not passion. Czech director
Jan Hrebejk helms this richly layered, character-driven drama co-starring
Jana Brejchova and
Jirí Schmitzer.”
I saw this and liked it a lot.____________________________________________________________________________________
OPENING AT THEATRES THIS WEEK-
1) AFTERSCHOOL- Premise by Zap2it. “A prep-school student accidentally films the drug-related deaths of two classmates, then is asked to put together a memorial video.” Mixed reviews, mostly positive, but all said it was “different.”
2) INTIMATE ENEMIES- This is what Rotten Tomatoes said-“Here the story of the French-Algerian war is shown through the eyes of a soldier whose opinion of the conflict is transformed by his experiences in combat.” No reviews available yet.
3) A SERIOUS MAN- Premise by Zap2it. “Larry Gopnik is a physics professor at a 1960s university, and his life is coming apart at the seams. His wife is leaving him, his jobless brother has moved in, and someone is trying to sabotage his chances for tenure. Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis, but whether anyone can help him overcome his many afflictions remains to be seen.” Mostly positive reviews for this new one by the Coen brothers.
4) WAKE UP SID- Premise by Zap2it. “A carefree guy begins a relationship with an unlikely woman.” Apparently he is a playboy type and she is very plain. No early reviews.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
FLORIDA- At the Emerging Cinemas of Lake Worth–
1) IRENE IN TIME- Premise by Rotten Tomatoes. “Indie director Henry Jaglom (DÉJÀ VU) helms this unconventional drama about the relationships between fathers and daughters. However, IRENE IN TIME goes beyond just the present and examines the… Indie director Henry Jaglom (DÉJÀ VU) helms this unconventional drama about the relationships between fathers and daughters. However, IRENE IN TIME goes beyond just the present and examines the effects that this bond will have on the daughters’ romantic futures. This movie got only fair reviews but it sounds interesting to me.
2) LORNA’S SILENCE- Premise by Rotten Tomatoes. “The destiny of a woman caught between love and the law of the underworld. Lorna, (Arta Dobroshi), a young Albanian woman living in Belgium, has her sights set on opening a snack bar with her… The destiny of a woman caught between love and the law of the underworld.” Very good reviews and I would plan to see this one.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
BOB’S PICKS IN THE BURBS-
1) CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY- Jacob Burns, Bethel, Clearview 100, Danbury, Saw Mill Hawthorne. I’ll definitely see this one although I’m NOT a big fan of Michael Moore.
2) MY ONE AND ONLY- Bethel. Light fluff but OK.
3) JULIE AND JULIA- Bethel. Mixed reviews. About the famous chef Julia Childs.
4) THE INFORMANT!- Bethel, Danbury, Saw Mill Hawthorne.The movie was just OK. See anything else.
5) BRIGHT STAR- Bethel, Garden Cinema Norwalk, Clearview 100, Saw Mill Hawthorne. See “above.” I saw this and did not like it.
6) PARIS- Garden Cinema Norwalk, Clearview 100. A love story about Paris. I know a few people who have seen this and found it boring.
7) AMREEKA- Clearview 100. I saw this and liked it a lot.
8)THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE- Saw Mill Hawthorne. I saw this and it was OK.
_________________________________________________________________________________
COMCAST ON-DEMAND-
1) A QUIET MARRIAGE- Sounds interesting.
2) AWAY WE GO- (Now on Netflix)- Just OK reviews.
3) FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN- Mixed reviews.
4) FLAME & CITRON- Saw it and liked it.
5) GOODBYE SOLO- Saw it and liked it.
6) IN THE LOOP- Mixed reviews.
7) JULIA- I saw it and it was fair.
8)LYMELIFE- (Now on Netflix) Saw it and liked it.
9) STILL WALKING- Great reviews.
Link to Cablevision-
http://www.optimum.net/VOD/movies?cat=Movies+On+Demand%2FIndependent+Films%2FIFC+In+Theaters.
THAT’S IT FOR NOW-
THE REEL DR BOB
October 1st, 2009
AFTERSCHOOL- 2008. Premise by Netflix. “Bullied prep school loner Robert (Ezra Miller) captures his classmates’ various escapades on video, but when he winds up filming two girls fatally overdosing on cocaine, his footage plays a role in the emotional fallout within the school community. As the students and faculty at the sheltered academy try to cope with the tragedy, many spiral into despair. Antonio Campos directs this film, which explores the ethics of voyeurism.” Mixed reviews, mostly positive, but all said it was different.
9/10- I agree! Different it is and I liked it. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama
September 28th, 2009