THE TURIN HORSE- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Hungarian director Béla Tarr helms this black-and-white drama about an aging farmer, his daughter and his horse, which picks up just after famed German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche shields the animal from the farmer’s whip.” Good early reviews. TRDB.
2/10/12- Very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment January 31st, 2012
FIVE TIME CHAMPION- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Julius, a homegrown young scientist from Texas, strives to understand both earthworms and his own fractured life. Overshadowing his mother’s and grandfather’s infidelity and the growing apathy of his only friend is the father who left years before.”
1/27/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment January 29th, 2012
AFTER FALL, WINTER- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “He’s a writer in exile with a taste for S & M. She’s a caregiver for the terminally ill who moonlights as a dominatrix. A match made in heaven? Perhaps not, but when the two meet in Paris, their weeklong relationship has long-term repercussions.”
1/27/12- Awful review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment January 29th, 2012
SCALENE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A perceptual thriller told from three points-of-view revolving around the rape of a female college student by a mentally handicapped man and his mother’s subsequent revenge after his incarceration.”
1/20/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment January 20th, 2012
CONTRABAND- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When his brother-in-law runs afoul of a drug lord, family man Chris Farraday turns to a skill he abandoned long ago — smuggling — to repay the debt. But the job goes wrong, and Farraday finds himself wanted by cops, crooks and killers alike.”
1/13/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere. TRDB.
Add comment January 13th, 2012
FOOTNOTE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Long-buried tensions erupt in this witty drama, which follows the strained relationship between a reserved Talmudic scholar and his ambitious son — both professors at the same university — when the father wins a prestigious award the son covets.”
I saw this at the Palm Springs Film Festival 2012 and loved it. It was one of the 5 nominees for Best Foreign Film. TRDB.
3/9/12- Great review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment January 13th, 2012
CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Bashful greeting card store employee Jane (Lisa Haas) falls in love with Zoinx (Susan Ziegler), who just happens to hail from outer space. Soon, their romance gets disrupted by two Men in Black (Dennis Davis and Alex Karpovsky) who seek to uncover a wide-scale invasion of lesbian aliens. Jackie Monahan, Cynthia Kaplan, Clay Drinko and Rae C. Wright also star in this comedy by director Madeleine Olnek.”
1/6/12- This one sounds a bit different but has received good reviews including one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment January 6th, 2012
THE HUNTER- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Recently released from prison, Ali (writer-director Rafi Pitts) attempts to make the most of his return to Tehran, amidst much talk of the upcoming elections and promises of change. Forced to work nights, he still tries to spend as much time as he can with his wife and their young daughter, escaping the stress of urban life through hunting trips to the secluded forest north of the city. But one day, Ali’s family goes missing-and after a long and fruitless experience with the police, Ali’s own search for his missing daughter ends in horror, pushing him over the edge into an act of terrible violence. He flees the city, pursued by the police, but soon the line between hunter and hunted becomes difficult to define.”
1/4/12- Very good review in today’s NY Times but otherwise only average reviews. TRDB.
9/1/12- Slow but interesting and I liked it. TRDB. Netflix.
Add comment January 5th, 2012
IT’S ABOUT YOU- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Photographer Kurt Markus makes his first foray into film by chronicling the recording of John Mellencamp’s T-Bone Burnett-produced album “No Better than This,” which took place during the rocker’s 2009 tour with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson.”
1/4/12- Good review in today’s NY Times and a few other good ones as well along with a load of poor ones. TRDB.
Add comment January 5th, 2012
THE PILL- 2011. Synoopsis by Netflix. “After a drunken one-night stand, uptight Fred spends the day with offbeat Mindy to ensure she takes both doses of the morning-after pill — and finds himself pulled into a whirl of wacky and awkward adventures in this delightful comedy.”
12/16/11- Poor review in today’s NY Times but some very good reviews as well including great audience reviews. TRDB.
Add comment December 16th, 2011