BRIEF REUNION- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Successful businessman Aaron Clark has his 40th birthday wrecked by his no-good former classmate Teddy, who also begins stalking Aaron and his wife. Unable to contain Teddy’s sinister invasion of his life, Aaron finally arrives at his breaking point.”
1/18/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
Add comment January 18th, 2013
BROKEN CITY- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “After private detective Billy Taggart informs the mayor of New York that his wife is having an affair, the woman’s lover turns up dead. In short order, the PI learns that his mayor boss is at the center of some very shady real estate dealings.”
1/181/13- An OK review in today’s NY Times calling it a solid B movie. Others have disliked it. TRDB.
Add comment January 18th, 2013
HAPPY PEOPLE: A YEAR IN THE TAIGA- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Venerated documentarian Werner Herzog teams with director Dmitry Vasyukov for this observant look at life along the River Yenisei in northern Russia, where the industrious inhabitants of a rural village truly live off the land.”
1/25/13- A few mixed reviews so far and from today’s NY Times as well. TRDB.
Add comment January 17th, 2013
GANGSTER SQUAD- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When notorious East Coast mob boss Mickey Cohen looks to set up his operations in L.A., it’s up to a group of hard-nosed LAPD cops to take him down. Based on true events, this ’40s-era crime drama is directed by Ruben Fleischer.”
1/11/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times and everywhere else as well. TRDB.
Add comment January 17th, 2013
FAIRHAVEN- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Jon is on a journey of introspection and launching a writing career when an unexpected visit from two old pals derails his train of thought. As the three travel down memory lane, Jon learns more about himself than he ever could as a writer.”
1/11/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. Others have not been as good. TRDB.
Add comment January 17th, 2013
FRACKNATION- 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “There are two sides of every story and then there is the truth. FrackNation is the film that will tell the truth about fracking. People across the US told us that everything we had heard about fracking was wrong. They say that anti-fracking campaigns, one-sided media coverage and moratoriums and bans have damaged the lives of thousands of people who are now desperate to have their voices heard.”
1/11/13- A good review in today’s NY Times saying that the film described the complexity of the situation very well. Others called it too one-sided. TRDB.
Add comment January 17th, 2013
UPRISING- 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In January 2011, millions of Egyptians took to the streets in a spontaneous eruption against thirty years of oppression under the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Communicating via Facebook and Twitter, the largely peaceful protesters braved tear gas, beatings, and live bullets in the hope of facing down security forces and overthrowing the government. Over eight hundred lost their lives, and several thousand were arrested and tortured by security forces. UPRISING tells the story of the Egyptian revolution from the perspective of its leadership and key organizers, their struggle for freedom against tremendous odds, their sacrifice, and the courage and ingenuity that allowed them to succeed.”
1/11/13- A very good review for this documentary in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
Add comment January 17th, 2013
LET MY PEOPLE GO- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A sweet and hilarious fusion of gay romantic comedy, Jewish family drama and French bedroom farce, Mikael Buch’s Let My People Go! follows the travails and daydreams of the lovelorn Reuben (Nicolas Maury), a French-Jewish gay mailman living in fairytale Finland (where he got his MA in “Comparative Sauna Cultures”) with his gorgeous Nordic boyfriend. But just before Passover, a series of mishaps and a lovers’ quarrel exile the heartbroken Reuben back to Paris and his zany family-including Almodovar goddess Carmen Maura as his ditzy mom, and Truffaut regular Jean-François Stévenin as his lothario father. Scripted by director Mikael Buch and renowned arthouse auteur Christophe Honoré (Love Songs), Let My People Go! both celebrates and upends Jewish and gay stereotypes with wit, gusto and style to spare.
1/11/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
Add comment January 17th, 2013
MY BEST ENEMY- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “As Hitler’s army invades Austria, a Jewish art dealer’s son tries to turn the tables after he is betrayed by his friend, now a Third Reich stooge. In an audacious plot, the prisoner and aspiring Nazi swap identities to recover a priceless drawing.”
1/11/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times and with most of the other critics as well. TRDB.
Add comment January 17th, 2013
MY BROOKLYN- 2012- Synopsis by Netflix. “Kelly Anderson was drawn to Brooklyn by cheap housing and a progressive scene. Three decades later, she’s documenting the burrow’s changes. A “gentrifier” herself, the filmmaker explores how the ‘hood is being reshaped along lines of race and class.”
1/4/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment January 4th, 2013