STAND UP GUYS- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “This tough-guy comedy follows the rambunctious reunion between three retired gangsters and their reminiscences of wild times and crimes gone by. Energized by their own memories, the drunken friends unwisely undertake a reckless criminal adventure.”
12/14/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere. TRDB.
Add comment December 15th, 2012
WAGNER & ME- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Actor and writer Stephen Fry explores a personal paradox: he’s Jewish, but adores the music of Richard Wagner, Hitler’s favorite composer. Fry meets Wagner’s descendants, plays his piano and visits key places in Wagner’s life in a quest for answers.”
12/7/12- Critics have liked this film. Today’s NY Time review was difficult to interpret. TRDB.
Add comment December 13th, 2012
WAITING FOR LIGHTNING- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “WAITING FOR LIGHTNING is the story of Danny Way, the skateboarder whose dream was to jump China’s Great Wall on a skateboard. It’s a film about how much abuse the body can sustain, how deep you have to dig to survive the challenges life presents, and how high and far dreams can fly. In his quest for greatness, Way continues to shape the very sport which helped save his own life.”
12/7/12- The NY Times called this movie boring but others were not as generous. TRDB.
Add comment December 13th, 2012
THE SHEIK AND I- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When he’s commissioned to make a movie for a Middle Eastern biennial, director Caveh Zahedi turns out a satirical film that makes fun of the sheik. Soon, his work is banned and he’s threatened with a fatwa.”
12/7/12- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment December 13th, 2012
SAHKANAGA- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In 2002, over 300 bodies were discovered on the property of the Tri-State Crematory in the Appalachian foothills of northwest Georgia, thrusting an unassuming, tight-knit community into the international spotlight. SAHKANAGA (meaning “Great Blue Hills of God” in Cherokee, pronounced “sock-uh-nogga”) imagines this event from the perspective of Paul, a teenager who stumbles upon the first body.”
12/7/12- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment December 13th, 2012
HONOR FLIGHT- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Honor Flight is a heartwarming, feature-length documentary about a Midwest community joining together to honor World War II veterans one last time. The film follows a devoted team of volunteers as they race against the clock to send every WWII veteran on an Honor Flight to see the war memorials in Washington, DC. The more they do, the more their cause takes on a life of its own.”
12/7/12- Good review in general but the NY Times panned it in today’s review, calling it exploitive. TRDB.
Add comment December 13th, 2012
DELHI SAFARI- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “The residents of the national park welcome a bright sunny morning, birds singing away merrily, animals running around with joy. A distant thunder breaks the silence and a closer look reveals the jungle being raided by man and machine destroying everything in its path. The night has a very tense air as all the animals gather around with fear in their heart, discussing their fate of losing their habitat to human beings.”
12/7/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment December 13th, 2012
YOUNG AND WILD- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Seventeen-year-old Daniela is obsessed with sex. But her self-proclaimed “pussy in flames” is in direct conflict with her well-to-do, strict evangelical family in Santiago, Chile. She finds an outlet by detailing her naughty ruminations and exploits on her blog “Young & Wild” to her eager online followers. She dates handsome and pious Tomas, but maybe Antonia, the really cute girl at work, is more her speed. As she struggles to balance both relationships, Daniela learns that having it all – sex, love and eternal salvation – is more complicated than she ever imagined.”
11/30/12- A weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment November 30th, 2012
SHADY LADY- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1943 the B-24 bomber “Shady Lady” attempted the longest bombing mission in history, from Darwin, Australia, to Borneo and back again. Decades after it crashed in the desert during its return, local Aborigines restore the plane to flying shape.”
11/30/12- Poor reviews all around. TRDB.
Add comment November 30th, 2012
WALK AWAY RENEE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In WALK AWAY RENEE, Caouette embarks on a road trip to move his mentally ill motherRenee across the country. As they encounter roadblocks in the present, we begin to flash back to moments from the past, giving us insight into this anything-but-ordinary mother/son relationship. Through musical montage, psychedelic sequences and real and imagined circumstance, the film raises questions about love, sacrifice, and the reality in which we live.”
11/30/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times and in general. TRDB.
Add comment November 30th, 2012