MUSICAL CHAIRS- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Armando and Mia couldn’t be less alike, but they’re united by their shared love of ballroom dancing … That is, until an accident changes Mia’s life. Now, Armando pours everything into helping Mia become a champion wheelchair dancer.”
3/23/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment March 23rd, 2012
COME ON EILEEN- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Eileen is a mother of two children, who are both about to fly the nest. Summer stretches out in front of the family who, except for Eileen, have plans to go abroad, to a festival, to their dad’s wedding. A new relationship suddenly comes into her life, and briefly she blooms. However Bill the new boyfriend, a pot smoking ex cricketer has his own problems. Their fling opens the door to insecurity and paranoia for Eileen, and one day under the guise of celebrating her new “love” she has a drink. Once she starts she doesn’t stop… The film treads a constant line between darkness and humour as it moves from its beginning in a sedate suburban cricket club to its conclusion at a music festival.”
3/23/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment March 23rd, 2012
THE HUNGER GAMES- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In a dystopian future ruled by a totalitarian regime, resourceful Katniss and her partner Peeta represent their district in the lethal Hunger Games, a televised survival competition in which teenage contestants hunt each other to the death.”
3/23/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment March 23rd, 2012
21 JUMP STREET- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In the action-comedy 21 Jump Street, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school. As they trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a violent and dangerous drug ring. But they find that high school is nothing like they left it just a few years earlier – and neither expects that they will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind.”
3/16/12- This one sounds ridiculous but has actually received very good reviews inclusing one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment March 16th, 2012
THE WISE KIDS- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In a Baptist church community in Charleston, South Carolina, three teenage friends contemplate the next stage of life. There’s Brea, an introspective pastor’s daughter experiencing debilitating doubt; the hyperactive Laura, Brea’s best friend and a devout believer; and Tim, the open-hearted son of a single father, confronting his homosexuality for the first time. Weaving comedy and drama, The Wise Kids is is a character-driven coming-of-age story with an extraordinarily talented young cast.”
3/16/12- Very good review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
Add comment March 16th, 2012
FREE MEN- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In German-occupied Paris, a young unemployed Algerian named Younes (played by break-out star, Tahar Rahim) earns his living as a black marketeer. Arrested by the French police but given a chance to avoid jail, Younes agrees to spy on the Paris Mosque. The police suspect the Mosque authorities, including its rector Ben Ghabrit, of aiding Muslim Resistance agents and helping North African Jews by giving them false certificates. At the Mosque, Younes meets the Algerian singer Salim Halali, and is moved by Salim’s beautiful voice and strong personality. When Younes discovers that Salim is Jewish, he stops collaborating with the police and gradually transforms from a politically ignorant immigrant into a fully-fledged freedom fighter.”
3/16/12- Mixed reviews in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
4/14/12- I saw this as part of the 2012 Jewish Film Festival at the Jacob Burns Film Center and liked it very much. TRDB.
Add comment March 16th, 2012
PRAY FOR JAPAN- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Pray for Japan is a feature length documentary film I began when volunteering in Tohoku, Japan after the earthquake and tsunami tragedy. I shot 40 hours of footage over 5 weeks in Tohoku, interviewing over 30 people – from victims to volunteers. The goal of the film is to share with the world the same inspiration I felt from meeting these real-life heroes. No matter how difficult, how insurmountable was the challenge they faced, these people overcame. The battle to rebuild Tohoku and Japan continues – and the world must not forget their story.”
3/16/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment March 16th, 2012
DISSOLUTION- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Loosely inspired by Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Menkes’s most recent film combines an almost surreal fairy-tale energy with brutal black-and-white realism to explore the condition of violence that permeates contemporary Israeli society. Shot in Yafo (the predominantly Arab area of Tel Aviv), the movie follows the moral collapse and first glimmer of redemption, of a young, morose Israeli Jew, played brilliantly by Didi Fire.”
3/9/12- Excellent review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment March 9th, 2012
THE DECOY BRIDE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a Hollywood actress travels to a tiny Scottish island to get married, the paparazzi follow her, prompting her to flee in frustration. Her handlers decide to stage fake nuptials to dupe the press and hire a local girl to play the bride.”
3/9/12- Poor reviews in general but an OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment March 9th, 2012
SHAKESPEARE HIGH- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Featuring input from actor Kevin Spacey and other program alumni, this documentary follows a diverse group of underprivileged California youth as they escape the violence of their neighborhoods by participating in a renowned Shakespeare competition.”
3/9/12- Very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment March 9th, 2012