GEBO AND THE SHADOW- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Gebo is a poor but virtuous Lithuanian man who lives with his sullen wife and devoted daughter-in-law; his only son Joao vanished years earlier. When Joao shows up again, the blessing of his return is soon followed by brazen theft from his father.”
5/28/14- Very good reviews including the one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment May 28th, 2014
WORDS AND PICTURES- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “A picture is worth a thousand words — or is it? That’s the question prep school students must answer as their teachers egg them on in this diverting romantic comedy starring Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche as the instructors who spark the debate.”
5/23/14- Weak reviews. TRDB.
Add comment May 24th, 2014
A WORLD NOT OURS- 2014- Synopsis by Netflix. “Palestinian refugee camp Ain al-Hilweh has housed more than 70,000 people for over 60 years. Filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, who grew up in the camp, uses home video, family archives and historical footage to explore three generations of exiles.”
5/23/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
Add comment May 24th, 2014
THE LOVE PUNCH- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Richard and Kate might be divorced, but they still share a retirement nest egg. So when it goes missing, they go after the financier they hold responsible by staging a heist on the Côte d’Azur.”
5/23/14- Weak reviews. TRDB.
Add comment May 23rd, 2014
LILA, LILA- 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Popular German actor Daniel Brühl plays David Kern, a socially awkward waiter who works a dead end job in a chic cafe. One day he stumbles upon the biggest break of his life, an unpublished manuscript which he finds in a jammed nightstand drawer.”
5/23/14- Weak reviews. TRDB.
12/21/14- I enjoyed the movie. It certainly was not a great tale but very good acting made the movie. I especially liked the final book reading at the end. TRDB. Netflix.
Add comment May 23rd, 2014
GRAND DEPART- 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A tender coming of age story of two brothers thrown into turmoil by their father’s declining health, GRAND DÉPART reveals a young man looking to his future, while struggling with his past. Between his domineering brother Luc (Jérémie Elkaïm) and his incorrigible father (César winner Eddy Mitchell), Romain (Pio Marmaï) finds that he can’t go on being the boy who does what is expected of him.”
5/23/14- Weak reviews in general. The NY Times sort of liked it. TRDB.
Add comment May 23rd, 2014
THE DANCE OF REALITY- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky weaves the story of his early years with mythical themes, recounting his unhappy childhood and how he was molded by a tyrannical communist father and free-spirited mother amid a landscape of political turmoil.”
5/23/14- Great professional reviews. The NY Times called it “something close to a masterpiece.” TRDB.
Add comment May 23rd, 2014
BLENDED- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “What’s worse than a dreadful blind date between two single parents? Crossing paths once again — but this time at a vacation resort with their kids in tow. This is the predicament in which Jim and Lauren find themselves in this romantic comedy.”
5/23/14- Awful reviews from critics but audiences have mostly liked it. TRDB.
Add comment May 23rd, 2014
THE ANGRIEST MAN IN BROOKLYN- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Informed that he has a brain aneurysm and only 90 minutes left to live, bad-tempered Brooklynite Henry Altmann embarks on a frenzied excursion all over town to mend fences with everyone he’s alienated.”
5/23/14- Awful reviews from nearly everybody. TRDB.
Add comment May 23rd, 2014
A PEOPLE UNCOUNTED- 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A People Uncounted tells the true story of the Roma, commonly referred to as Gypsies-a people who have been both romanticized and vilified in popular culture and who have endured centuries of intolerance and persecution in Europe, including an estimated 500,000 who were murdered in the Holocaust. A People Uncounted documents their colorful but often difficult lives, including how their present state has been shaped by the tragedies of the past.”
5/16/14- Very good reviews all around. TRDB.
Add comment May 18th, 2014