THE LION OF JUDAH- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Recounting painful memories from his past, Holocaust survivor Leo Zisman leads a group of young people through Poland — and the remains of Auschwitz. Along the way, they learn that anti-Semitism still lingers in the region.”
8/10/12- A so-so review in today’s NY Times and from others as well. TRDB.
Add comment August 10th, 2012
MAX AND THE JUNKMEN- 1971. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Claude Sautet’s elegant and sophisticated crime drama stars the great Michel Piccoli as Max, a Paris detective hellbent on justice at any cost after watching one too many wily criminals slip through his fingers. Following a chance encounter with Abel (Bernard Fresson), an Army buddy now working as a scrap collector (most of whose “scrap” just happens to be stolen), Max decides to lure Abel and his gang into committing a bank robbery … so that he can then catch them red-handed. So Max poses as a wealthy banker and begins a series of illicit rendezvous with the high-class prostitute Lily (Romy Schneider), who happens to be Abel’s girlfriend, carefully dropping hints about a bank that’s just waiting to be knocked over. But there’s one thing the cold-hearted Max doesn’t factor into his diabolical scheme: the possibility of falling in love.
8/10/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment August 10th, 2012
GOATS- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When 15-year-old Ellis departs from his home in Tucson for an elite East Coast prep school, he must leave behind his New Age mother and his goat herder mentor, Goat Man, to forge a new life with his estranged father and new stepmother.”
8/10/12- Awful reviews in general and in today’s NY Times as well. TRDB.
Add comment August 10th, 2012
THE CAMPAIGN- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Plenty of mud gets slung when an inexperienced contender backed by two plotting benefactors goes up against a longtime North Carolina congressman in a ruthless battle to win a House of Representatives seat.”
8/10/12- Normally I don’t review this type of movie but with elections coming this November it might be of particular interest. The film has received just OK reviews including the one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment August 10th, 2012
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Questions of race, identity and heritage are explored through the lives of young American women growing up as adoptees from China. These four distinct individuals reflect on their experiences as members of transracial families.”
8/24/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times but fairly good critical reviews otherwise. Audience reviews are mixed. TRDB.
Add comment August 7th, 2012
HIGH GROUND- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Eleven wounded warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan join an expedition to climb the 20,000-foot Mount Lobuche. Led by blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer and a team of Everest summiters, they set out on an emotional climb to reach the top.”
11/2/12-Great reviews including the one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment August 7th, 2012
GIRLFRIEND BOYFRIEND- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “When three rebellious students leave their hometown to pursue their lifelong dreams in the big city, their relationships start to face the pressures of real life as the 1980s Taiwanese sociopolitical reformation movement unfolds in the background.”
8/3/12- Great review in today’s NY Times but just OK reviews by other critics. Audiences have loved it. TRDB.
Add comment August 3rd, 2012
SUSHI: THE GLOBAL CATCH- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Sushi, a cuisine formerly found only in Japan, has grown exponentially in other nations, and an industry has been created to support it. In a rush to please a hungry public, the expensive delicacy has become common and affordable, appearing in restaurants, supermarkets and even fast food trailers. The traditions requiring 7 years of apprenticeship in Japan have given way to quick training and mass-manufactured solutions elsewhere. This hunger for sushi has led to the depletion of apex predators in the ocean, including bluefin tuna, to such a degree that it has the potential to upset the ecological balance of the world’s oceans, leading to a collapse of all fish species.”
8/3/12- A fair review in today’s NY Times and by other critics as well. Audiences have not liked it. TRDB.
Add comment August 3rd, 2012
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYS- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “During his summer vacation, “Wimpy Kid” Greg Heffley, the hero of the phenomenally successful book series, hatches a plan to pretend he has a job at a ritzy country club – which fails to keep him away from the season’s dog days, including embarrassing mishaps at a public pool and a camping trip that goes horribly wrong.”
8/3/12- An OK review in today’s NY Times but weak professional reviews in general. Audiences have liked it. TRDB.
Add comment August 3rd, 2012
DREAMS OF A LIFE- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Filmmaker Carol Morley tells the strange story of Joyce Vincent, whose body was found in her tiny studio flat three years after she died. How did an outgoing 38-year-old with no shortage of friends and family just disappear from the world?”
8/3/12 A weak review in today’s NY Times but other critics have liked it. The Times called it frustrating and that it left too many blanks in the story. TRDB.
Add comment August 3rd, 2012