AMERICAN AUTUMN: AN OCCUDOC- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “From the start, Occupy Wall Street was never just another protest movement, as revealed in this documentary that chronicles the event in three cities. Follow the organizers in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., from grass roots to police clashes.”
9/28/12- Mixed reviews in general and an OK one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment September 28th, 2012
PRIMUM NON NOCERE– FIRST DO NO HARM- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Refuting common beliefs about blood transfusions, global experts share cutting-edge evidence that transfusions may not always be as safe as previously thought, and that issues like DNA and chromosome transfers can be hazardous.”
9/28/12- Mixed reviews. The NY Times called this documentary one-sides. TRDB.
Add comment September 28th, 2012
HEAD SHOT- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A darkly turbulent crime noir from Thai new wave director Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Headshot is an existential thriller, ripe with shadowy paranoia that will turn your world upside-down, literally. This disorienting game of cat and mouse is played out in present-day Thailand, where corruption runs rampant and the good die young. When Tul, a straight-laced cop, is blackmailed by a powerful politician he soon becomes disillusioned by the state of human nature and, in his vengeful condition, is recruited to become a hitman for an iconoclastic group aimed at eliminating those who are above the law. But when a devastating blow turns Tul’s vision upside-down, he finds himself engulfed by doubt, unaware of whether the condition is medical or a result of karmic retribution.”
9/28/12- The NY Times liked it in today’s review but it has received mixed reviews from other critics. TRDB.
Add comment September 28th, 2012
SIX MILLION AND ONE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Past present and future mix in this eloquent, intense and surprisingly humorous portrait of documentary filmmaker David Fisher and his siblings, as they retrace the footsteps of their late father-a Holocaust survivor who was interned in Gusen and Gunskirchen, Austria. David’s journey takes him to the U.S., where he meets American WWII veterans who participated in the liberation of his father and Gunskirchen camp. This sparks a remarkable journey to Austria by the Fisher siblings. They joke, kibitz and quarrel, and remind us that history and memory require active discussion among the later generations.”
9/28/12- This sounds very interesting but I could not find any professional reviews as yet. Audiences have loved it. TRDB.
Add comment September 28th, 2012
HARVEST OF EMPIRE- Synopsis by Netflix. “This documentary traces the history of U.S. relations with Latin America and draws strong links to America’s current immigration crisis. Decaying economies in much of Latin America are viewed as the result of ill-conceived U.S. policies.”
9/28/12- An OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment September 28th, 2012
PUSHER- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Based on the edgy and explosive series by visionary director Nicolas Winding Refn, Pusher stars Richard Coyle as a drug dealer who grows increasingly desperate over the course of a week after a botched deal lands him in the merciless clutches of a ruthless crime lord. The more desperate his behavior, the more isolated he becomes until there is nothing left standing between him and the bullet his debtors intend to fire his way.”
10/26/12- A good review in today’s NY Times but reviews are very mixed and some said that it was not as good as the original. TRDB.
Add comment September 28th, 2012
THE SESSIONS- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “After spending years in an iron lung, a man decides he wants to explore his sexuality for the first time, and hires a surrogate to aid the goal. Through their intensifying relationship, this indie drama illustrates the many forms love can take.”
Very good early reviews. TRDB.
10/19/12- Excellent review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/3/12- I found this movie alternately touching, sad, funny and very moving. TRDB. Theater.
Add comment September 26th, 2012
THE FLAT- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When Arnon Goldfinger’s grandmother died at 98, he was charged with cleaning out her Tel Aviv apartment, where he made a shocking discovery. The filmmaker plays detective as he sorts through decades of the Holocaust survivor’s letters and photos.”
10/19/12- A very good review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
10/28/12- A well done documentary that again makes us wonder that when it comes to the Holocaust there is no end to the number of stories. TRDB. Comcast On-Demand.
Add comment September 26th, 2012
HERE COMES THE BOOM- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When cutbacks threaten his high school’s music program, physics teacher Scott Voss decides to moonlight as a mixed martial arts fighter in order to raise the money that would save the program.”
10/12/12– Just an OK review for this movie that was called “harmless fun.” TRDB.
Add comment September 26th, 2012
EXCUSE ME FOR LIVING- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “EXCUSE ME FOR LIVING is the story of Dan Topler (TOM PELPHREY), a rich, smart, suicidal twenty-something who dropped out of medical school to pursue his own drug habit. Well provided for and a bit coddled, he refuses to grow up or get happy. After a suicide attempt on the George Washington Bridge lands him in an upscale rehabilitation clinic, Dr. Jacob Bernstein (ROBERT VAUGHN) takes him under his wing. The doctor issues these commands: obey the no-drugs rules, and join the geriatric temple men’s group he leads-or face incarceration. Despite Dan’s negative attitude attending the seniors’ club, he finds he’s among accomplished men and becomes engrossed with their lives. Meanwhile, Dan’s prep school friends continue to lure Dan to bacchanals. Dan’s addiction and tired mind can’t resist the drugs, booze, and women, until he becomes smitten with Laura (MELISSA ARCHER), Dr. Bernstein’s daughter. Resolving to turn his life around, he confronts his friends and begins to listen at his group sessions, eventually realizing he has more to offer and to learn than he ever knew.”
No reviews as yet. TRDB.
Add comment September 26th, 2012