CONNECTED- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Tiffany Shlain explores the visible and invisible connections linking major issues of our time — including the environment, consumption and technology — while searching for her place in the world during a transformative time in her life.” Mediocre audience reviews and no professional reviews as yet. TRDB.
Add comment September 14th, 2011
BACK DOOR CHANNELS: THE PRICE OF PEACE- 2009. “This provocative documentary draws back the curtain on the Camp David peace summit, which set the stage for the future of Middle East relations. Though each party had its own agenda, it remains a landmark confluence of modern leadership.” Sounds interesting but poor early reviews. TRDB.
9/16/11- OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment September 14th, 2011
BURKE AND HARE- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Director John Landis rolls out his first feature film in more than a decade with this black comedy based on the true exploits of two 19th-century body snatchers, played by Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis. When Burke and Hare‘s successful business — selling corpses to the Edinburgh Medical College for dissection — is hampered by a supply shortage, the men are forced to take drastic measures. Isla Fisher and Tim Curry also star.”
9/9/11- Only a fair review in today’s NY Times and worse elsewhere. TRDB.
Add comment September 12th, 2011
LIFE IN A DAY- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “On July 24, 2010, thousands of people around the world joined together to document mundane and remarkable everyday life in a single day. Filmmaker Kevin MacDonald led a team of editors to condense more than 4,500 hours of footage and 80,000 clips into a portrait of life as it is lived on Earth. From dense cities to remote and forbidding landscapes, the myriad varieties of human experience are celebrated and revealed.” Fairly good reviews for this documentary. TRDB.
Add comment September 12th, 2011
BEWARE THE GONZO- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Eddie “Gonzo” Gilman (Ezra Miller) is the head geek at his high school — and determined to do something about it. When Gavin (Jesse McCartney), the popular editor of the school paper, fires him, Eddie obtains revenge by establishing an underground paper of his own. The paper’s success surprises Eddie and the misfits he’s assembled to publish it, and Eddie soon finds himself riding a wave of acclaim that threatens to turn him into another Gavin.”
9/9/11- Poor professional reviews in general and in today’s NY Times but excellent audience reaction. TRDB.
Add comment September 12th, 2011
THE HIGH COST OF LIVING- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Well-to-do housewife Nathalie (Isabelle Blais) eagerly awaits the birth of her first child, while elsewhere in Montreal, small-time drug dealer Henry (Zach Braff) plans his next score. One night, their contrasting lives become intertwined when Henry hits Nathalie with his car. He flees the scene but later tries to make amends — without revealing his culpability. As their friendship grows, the remorseful Henry fears Nathalie will learn the truth.”
9/9/11- Fair review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/1/11- Somewhat predictable, especially the ending but I enjoyed elements of this film and I can recommend it with qualifications. TRDB. Netflix.
Add comment September 12th, 2011
WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM- 2008. Synopsis by Netflix. “Starting this coming-of-age documentary in her own hometown, filmmaker Heather Courtney follows a tight-knit group of friends who grow up together, sign up for the National Guard and are subsequently sent to Afghanistan.”
9/9/11- Very good early reviews and a good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment September 12th, 2011
THE INHERITORS- 2008. Synopsis by Netflix. “Eugenio Polgovsky journeys deep into the Mexican countryside to film this documentary chronicling the hardships of children who spend their days in relentless manual labor in order to help feed their families. Polgovsky exposes the chronic injustice of a system that forces youngsters to make bricks, weave cloth and harvest crops instead of attending school, but he also reveals how these children find moments of joy in the bleakest conditions.”
9/9/11- Good review in today’s NY Times and very good professional reviews in general. TRDB.
Add comment September 12th, 2011
FORDSON- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Dearborn, Mich., is home to the largest population of Muslims outside the Arab world. This documentary focuses on the Muslim members of the Fordson High School football team, who must overcome intolerance and bigotry as they prepare for victory. As the players observe the final 10 days of Ramadan, a holiday marked by fasting, they must depend on one another and their own faith to make their mark on this most American sport.”
9/9/11- Good review in today’s NY Times and very good audience reactions so far. TRDB.
Add comment September 12th, 2011
WE WERE HERE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “The AIDS crisis forever changed gay culture in San Francisco, as examined in this absorbing documentary from David Weissman, who explores the disease’s impact on five individuals. Vintage film clips accompany their sobering stories. Co-director of The Cockettes, Weissman contrasts the 1960s and ’70s-era joy and revelry depicted in that film with the sorrow, outrage and activism that followed in the 1980s and beyond.”
9/9/11- Great reviews in general and in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment September 12th, 2011