Posts filed under 'Coming or Opening in the Next Week'
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “After escaping from a violent cult in rural New York, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) tries to reconnect with her estranged sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), and Lucy’s well-to-do husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy), but the brainwashing she endured continues to prevent her from forming an identity of her own. Overwhelmed with paranoia, guilt and shame, Martha isolates herself until Lucy begins to suspect her sister’s emotional trauma has deeper underlying causes.” Winner at Sundance 2011.
10/21/11- Only a fair review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/8/11- An interesting and very well acted psychological thriller and I liked it. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: drama
January 30th, 2011
BUCK- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Buck Brannaman, inspiration for “The Horse Whisperer,” is revealed as a complex figure in this documentary by Cindy Meehl. The master horseman reveals details of his troubled childhood and his dawning awareness of new ways that humans and horses might work with one another. As Buck learns more about horses, he finds that the ways we communicate with our animal companions offer lessons on how we relate to fellow human beings.” At Sundance 2011.
7/8/11- An excellent documentary where we see the man in action and we learn about life events that made him what he is. Definitely recommended. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: documentary
January 30th, 2011
SENNA- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “This fast-paced documentary profiles Ayrton Senna, one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One racing, and a hero in his native Brazil. Using only archival footage, director Asif Kapadia examines the idealistic Senna‘s inspiring legend. Charismatic, compassionate and a dedicated risk-taker, Senna was known for his integrity in a sport often fraught with cutthroat politics, and also for the deep religious faith that gave him purpose.” At Sundance 2011.
A good (not great) review in the NY Times on 8/12/11. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
January 30th, 2011
SEPTIEN- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Writer-director Michael Tully also stars in this quirky tale of broken ties as Cornelius Rawlings, a long-absent son who returns to his dead parents’ farm to reunite with his surviving siblings. His brother Ezra (Robert Longstreet) is a Jesus freak, while his brother Amos (Onur Tukel) embraces Satan and sports. Meanwhile, Cornelius is content to call getting alternately drunk and high a form of living.” At Sundance 2011. OK audience and professional reviews. TRDB.
Tags: drama
January 29th, 2011
PAGE ONE: A YEAR INSIDE THE NY TIMES- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “Documentarian Andrew Rossi goes inside the New York Times to examine how the venerable paper and its reporters are responding to the massive changes in how news is gathered, analyzed and dispersed. Is there any future for newsprint? The creative process of journalism is also dissected, with journalists David Carr, Brian Stelter and many others providing insight into their writing processes and where they think the news business is headed.” At Sundance 2011. Fairly good audience reactions. TRDB.
7/15/11- Excellent documentary that we all need to listen to as newspapers with shrinking revenues fold right and left. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: documentary
January 29th, 2011
ANOTHER EARTH- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Shortly after a strange, Earth-like planet is discovered, gifted astrophysics student Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling) accidentally slams her car into the vehicle of John Burroughs (William Mapother), killing his family. After some time, Rhoda and John begin an unlikely romance. But Rhoda starts to wonder what would happen if she could actually visit the new planet in director Mike Cahill’s romantic sci-fi drama.” At Sundance 2011. Sounds interesting and good reviews as well. TRDB.
1/15/12- A few interesting parts but basically fairly ridiculous. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: sci-fi
January 23rd, 2011
CIRCUMSTANCE- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “Iranian teens Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) and Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) explore their forbidden attraction to one another against the backdrop of modern-day Tehran’s subcultures. Atafeh’s brother, Mehran (Reza Sixo Safai), returns home after drug rehab and is soon dismayed by his sister’s newfound sense of liberation. Giving up on his dreams to become a classical musician, Mehran joins the morality police, causing deeper rifts in the family.” Mentioned in NY Times on 1/22/11 re Sundance.
8/27/11- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
9/19/11- A very good drama that clearly depicts the dangers of living in such a repressive society. Good acting and the movie seemed real. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 23rd, 2011
HIGHER GROUND- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “Vera Farmiga stars in and directs this sensitive and searching chronicle describing a woman’s lifetime journey of faith — one that initially leads her to join a fundamentalist sect and then leave it again years later. Adapted from the spiritual memoir This Dark World by Carolyn Briggs, the film looks deeply into human doubt and certainty, and the challenge of trying to match our lives with our spiritual beliefs.” Mentioned on 1/22/11 in NY Times re Sundance.
8/23/11- I’ve seen just a few reviews and they are weak. TRDB.
9/2/11- Just saw this film and liked it very much. Farmiga is great and also did a wonderful job directing this movie. I’d recommend it to you. TRDB.
Tags: drama
January 23rd, 2011
THE DETAILS-2010. Premise by Netflix. “After discovering that his lawn has been completely destroyed by raccoons, frustrated Jeff (Tobey Maguire) foolishly cheats on his wife, Nealy (Elizabeth Banks), which leads to a series of agonizing predicaments involving his best friend’s husband (Ray Liotta) and next-door neighbor (Laura Linney). Written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes, this dark comedy also stars Kerry Washington, Sam Trammell and Dennis Haysbert.” Showing at Sundance 2011– no reviews yet.
Tags: Comedy, drama
January 21st, 2011
THE HOUSEMAID- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “A wealthy family’s new maid, Eun-yi (Do-yeon Jeon), attracts the attention of Hoon (Jung-Jae Lee), the man of the house, and a fiery affair develops between them. But although Hoon signs Eun-yi’s checks, he’s not the one controlling the relationship. One secret leads to another, until Eun-yi threatens to destroy the entire family. This update of the 1960 chiller was an Official Selection of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.” Fair review in NY Times on 1/21/11.
2/11- Very well done until the ending which seemed incomprehensible to me. Worth seeing however. TRDB. On Concast On-Demand straight from Sundance 2011.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 21st, 2011
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