Posts filed under 'Opening Regionally or Nationwide'
OVER YOUR CITIES GRASS WILL GROW- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Modern artist Anselm Kiefer and his monumental landscape creation at Barjac, France — a vast complex including lakes, bridges, caves and galleries displaying Kiefer’s other work — are the focus of this documentary from Sophie Fiennes. The artist’s ruminations on the creative process and his aims and ambitions are intercut with a careful study of the art itself, shining a spotlight on the processes at work in Kiefer’s expanding mini-universe.” Mixed reviews, some calling it interesting and others calling it a slumberous bore. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
October 6th, 2011
THE CATECHISM CATACLYSM- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Father Billy (Steve Little), a young priest whose relationship to the church has soured, gets his high-school friend, Robbie (Robert Longstreet), to accompany him on a canoe trip, where they proceed to reminisce about their glory days in various rock bands. As dark settles and they come to realize they’ve lost their way, the night promises a bizarre turn of events neither of them could have seen coming. Todd Rohal directs.” I love road trips but this one got awful reviews. TRDB.
Tags: drama
October 3rd, 2011
FOOTLOOSE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This musical remake of the infectious 1984 hit finds dance-lovin’, big-city kid Ren MacCormack stuck in a small town where dancing is illegal. As he rebels against the town and its influential Rev. Moore, Ren falls for the pastor’s lovely daughter.” Mixed early reviews. TRDB.
10/14/11- Poor review in today’s NY Times and even some of the positive reviews I read were qualified. I don’t plan to see it. TRDB.
Tags: Drama/Romance
October 3rd, 2011
MY JOY- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a wrong turn takes truck driver Georgy (Viktor Nemets) into unfamiliar Russian countryside, he’s drawn into the mix of strange locals, including corrupt cops, a war veteran, a prostitute and a mysterious Gypsy woman — all of whom may lead him to a dead end. Russian documentary filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa directs this drama, a Cannes festival entry that co-stars Olga Shuvalova and Vlad Ivanov.”
9/30/11- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
4/9/12- Incredibly boring with little if any thread holding the mess together. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
October 2nd, 2011
AMERICAN TEACHER- 2011. Synopsis by RottenTomatoes. “American Teacher is the feature-length documentary created and produced by Vanessa Roth, Nínive Calegari, Dave Eggers, and Brian McGinn. The film includes a musical score by Thao Nguyen and is narrated by Matt Damon. The film chronicles the stories of four teachers living and working in disparate urban and rural areas of the country. Their stories are told through a mixture of footage and interviews with students, families, and colleagues, as well as the teachers themselves.”
9/30/11- Fair review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
October 2nd, 2011
THERE WAS ONCE….- 2011. Synopsis by RottenTomatoes. “Mrs. Gyongyi Mago is a high school teacher in Kalocsa, Hungary. While looking for a subject for her dissertation she discovered a forgotten part of local history, the Jewish community that once thrived but is now non-existent in her city. She is not Jewish. Engaging her students in her research, she teaches tolerance and fights prejudice in her classroom. Her quest is set against a background of renewed racial tensions, growing intolerance and the recurrence of neo Nazism in Hungary today.”
9/23/11- An OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
September 24th, 2011
JOURNEY FROM ZANSKAR- 2011. Synopsis by RottenTomatoes. “Zanskar is the last remaining original Tibetan Buddhist society with a continuous untainted lineage dating back thousands of years. In nearby Tibet and Ladakh, in Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal, traditional Tibetan Buddhist culture is either dead already or dying. The horror of Chinese government design in Tibet is being matched by the destruction of global economics elsewhere. Zanskar, ringed by high Himalayan mountains in northwest India, one of the most remote places on the planet, has been safe until now. But that’s changing. In 3-5 years a road connecting Padum, the heart of Zanskar, with Leh, the heart of neighboring Ladakh, will be finished. Will the native language, culture, and religious practice be able to survive?”
9/23/11- An OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
September 24th, 2011
INCENDIARY: THE WILLINGHAM CASE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This provocative exposé revisits the case of Cameron Todd Willingham — executed for the arson deaths of his family — to probe scientists’ criticism of the investigation as well as the fighting stance of Texas forensics commissioner John Bradley.” Great audience reviews. TRDB.
10/7/11- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
September 23rd, 2011
BERLIN 36- 2011. Synopsis by RottenTomatoes. “Based on the true story of Gretel Bergmann who unwittingly became the biggest threat to the Nazi Party in 1936. Berlin was hosting the summer Olympic Games and Gretel was one of Germany’s best gold medal contenders. She was also Jewish. Her skill and ethnicity undermined the Nazi belief that Aryans were the superior race, so the German authorities schemed to replace Gretel with another woman — but “she” had a secret that, if uncovered, could be even more embarrassing to the Nazis.”
9/16/11- Poor review in today’s NY Times but the premise, which includes some gender issues as well, did seem interesting. TRDB.
Tags: Documentary/History
September 16th, 2011
SILENT SOULS (2011)- Synopsis by Netflix. “In accordance with traditional customs, devastated Miron (Yuriy Tsurilo) embarks on a road trip to spread his deceased wife’s (Yuliya Aug) ashes. Joined by his friend Aist (Igor Sergeyev), the mournful widower shares intimate details about their love life, which allude to an underlying tension. Directed by Aleksei Fedorchenko, this subtle drama delicately explores powerful themes such as grief and memory.”
9/16/11- Great review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3/30/13- A slow, deliberate drama about saying goodbye to loved ones and to customs. I liked it. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
September 16th, 2011
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