A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY- 1991. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Set in Taiwan during the year 1960, a talented but self-centered student refuses to compromise his moral standards with anyone — teachers, friends, parents or girlfriend.”
11/26/11- Great reviews for this 4 hour long movie. TRDB.
Add comment November 26th, 2011
THE ARTIST- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This modern-day silent film artfully recounts the poignant end of the silent-movie era in the late 1920s. The story contrasts the declining fortunes of a silent-screen superstar with his lover’s rise to popularity as a darling of the “talkies.”
11/26/11- Great reviews including one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
12/24/11- I liked this movie very much. Very creative, well acted and an interesting story as well. TRDB. At the theater.
Add comment November 26th, 2011
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a young computer hacker is tasked with investigating a prying journalist, their separate missions become entangled amid a decades-old conspiracy. David Fincher directs this English adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel.” Very good reviews for this remake only 2 years after the 1st. one. TRDB.
Add comment November 23rd, 2011
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “The strained relationship between a mother and her teenage son turns tragic when the boy engineers a massacre at his high school, and the mother is forced to ask how much blame she deserves for the heartbreaking event.” Great early reviews. TRDB.
12/9/11- Excellent review in today’s NY Times and very good ones elsewhere. TRDB.
2/8/12- This movie was extremely difficult to watch and was very depressing at many levels but was very well done with great acting and really packed a punch. Call me before you see it!!! TRDB. At the Theater.
Add comment November 22nd, 2011
W.E.- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Madonna directs this romantic drama that examines the parallel lives of famous divorcée Wallis Simpson and Wally Winthrop, a young 1990s housewife. Wally yearns to have a romance as dramatic as Wallis’s but discovers that history can be misleading.” Only a few reviews and they are poor. TRDB.
2/3/12- Review in today’s NY Times that I could not interpret. TRDB.
Add comment November 22nd, 2011
NEW YEAR’S EVE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this star-studded romantic comedy, the fates of a diverse group of New Yorkers are wound together on New Year’s Eve — including one expectant couple hoping their baby will be the first to be born in the Big Apple after midnight.” Very good audience reaction so far but no professional reviews available. TRDB.
Add comment November 22nd, 2011
SHAME- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Thirtysomething New Yorker Brandon is outwardly reserved, but inside is seething with an overwhelming sexual addiction. When his tempestuous and much-loved younger sister invades his life, Brandon struggles to escape his self-destructive behavior.” Very good reviews. TRDB.
12/2/11- Just a weakly positive review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/12- Here’s what Rotten Tomatoes had to say—“Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon’s insular life spirals out of control.
5/16/12- An interesting study of yet one more type of addiction with all of the heartaches in brings for friends and relatives. TRDB. Netflix.
Add comment November 18th, 2011
IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND: THE WEISSENSEE JEWISH CEMETARY- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In Heaven, Underground: The Weissensee Jewish Cemetery is an enchanting journey into history that celebrates life and the immortality of memories. North of Berlin’s noisy city centre, surrounded by a jungle of trees and lush foliage, lies the peaceful and secluded 130-year-old Weissensee Jewish Cemetery, the oldest Jewish cemetery still in use in Europe. Its one hundred acres hold 115,000 graves and a meticulous archive record. The cemetery has never closed, and was one of the few institutions to remain in Jewish hands during the Nazi regime. Award-winning director Britta Wauer’s charming portrait creates a serene experience following a delightful array of characters from around the world: mourners, tourists, a young family residing at the cemetery, a third-generation gravedigger and an ornithologist studying rare birds of prey.”
11/18/11- Very good reviews in today’s NY Times and elsewhere too. TRDB.
Add comment November 18th, 2011
DZI CROQUETTES- 2009. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “The Dzi Croquettes was a Brazilian theater group that through talent, irony and humor confronted the Brazilian government and its violent dictatorship. They were banned and censored by the military regime, but still revolutionized the gay movement worldwide, changing the language of theater and dance for an entire generation. Their history embraces Brazilian pop culture of the 1970s and 1980s, the violent years of dictatorship in Brazil, the sexual revolution, the beginning of the AIDS era, and, above all, the enormous legacy that would remain unforgettable to every single person that had the opportunity to see their work. They were loved and admired by luminaries such as Mick Jagger, Jeanne Moreau, Omar Sharif, Maurice Béjart, Josephine Baker and Liza Minnelli, who became a personal friend and played a major role in bringing them to Paris and subsequently to fame. Américo Issa, the father of this film’s director, worked with the group from 1970 to 1978. ”
11/18/11- Good reviews in general but only a fair one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment November 18th, 2011
GARBO: THE SPY- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “Using interviews, archival footage and clips from old movies, director Edmon Roch tells the fascinating tale of Juan Pujol, a Spaniard who, under the codename Garbo, worked as a double agent during World War II and helped the Allies win the war.”
11/18/11- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
1/4/12- Just saw this in Florida and I liked it. TRDB. At the Theater.
Add comment November 18th, 2011