LIFE OF PI- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Based on Yann Martel’s best-selling novel, this coming-of-age tale recounts the adventures of Pi, an Indian boy who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with only some zoo animals for company.”
Excellent reviews. TRDB.
1/2/13- I enjoyed this movie very much especially the creative cinematography. See it in 3D if you can. TRDB. At the Theater.
Add comment November 11th, 2012
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “After a four-year stay in a psychiatric institution, former teacher Pat Peoples has no choice but to move back in with his mother. While he’s trying in vain to reunite with his wife, Pat meets another woman fated to change his life.”
Very good reviews. TRDB.
11/16/12- Very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
12/4/12- A very enjoyable piece of fluff that had a few lessons about life as well. TRDB. Theater.
Add comment November 11th, 2012
A BOTTLE IN THE GAZA SEA- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Tal is a 17-year-old Frenchwoman who has settled in Jerusalem with her family. She writes a letter expressing her refusal to accept that only hatred can reign between Israelis and Palestinians. She slips the letter into a bottle, and her brother throws it into the sea near Gaza, where he is carrying out his military service. A few weeks later, Tal receives an e-mail response from a mysterious “Gazaman,” a young Palestinian named Naïm. And thus begins a turbulent but tender long-distance friendship between two young people that are separated by a history they are trying both to understand and change. This engrossing and hopeful drama starring Hiam Abbas is based on the award-winning novel by Valérie Zenatti.”
11/8/12- There is an article in today’s NY Times about this film that is playing in the “Other Israel Film Festival” in NY. TRDB.
1/4/13- An OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
4/14/13- I felt that the characters were interesting, the acting was very good and the film conveyed a message of hope despite all of the misery involved. See this film if you get the chance. TRDB.
Add comment November 9th, 2012
A LATE QUARTET- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Tempers flare, old jealousies reignite and new passions are sparked when the members of a world-renowned string quartet are preparing to celebrate their 25th anniversary and learn that their leader must step down due to a grim medical diagnosis.”
11/2/12- A fairly good review in today’s NY Times, especially for the actors. Other critics have liked it as well and so have audiences. TRDB.
11/11/12- I enjoyed this movie very much. Great acting and a good story with a touching screenplay. A bit of schmaltz at the end was unnecessary. TRDB. At the Theater.
Add comment November 4th, 2012
THE OTHER SON- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “”The Other Son” is the moving and provocative tale of two young men — one Israeli, the other Palestinian — who discover they were accidentally switched at birth, and the complex repercussions facing them and their respective families. Joseph (Jules Sitruk), an 18-year-old musician preparing to join the Israeli army for his mandatory military service, lives at home in a comfortable suburb of Tel Aviv with his parents, France-born physician Orith (Emmanuelle Devos) and Israel-born army commander Alon Silbers (Pascal Elbé). A blood test for Joseph’s military service reveals that he is not their biological son. During the Gulf War Joseph was evacuated from a clinic along with another baby, and the pair were given back to the wrong families. While Palestinian Joseph went to Tel Aviv with the Silbers, their actual Jewish son, Yacine (Medhi Dehbi), was brought to the West Bank by an Arab couple, Said (Khalifa Natour) and Leila (Areen Omari). The revelation turns the lives of the two families upside-down, forcing them to reassess their respective identities, values, and beliefs.”
10/26/12– A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
10/28/12- I liked this movie very much. Great acting and a different slant on a premise that has been done before. The film was very well done especially and dealing with the sensitivities regarding this region of the world. Highly recommended. TRDB. At the Theater.
Add comment October 6th, 2012
SISTER- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Every day, impoverished 12-year-old Simon sneaks into a posh Swiss ski resort, where he helps himself to the gear of wealthy tourists. Benefitting from his thievery is his lazy older sister, Louise, who refuses to live up to her responsibilities.”
Rotten Tomatoes said- “Simon (Kacey Mottet Klein) lives with his older sister (Léa Seydoux) in a housing complex below a luxury Swiss ski resort. With his sister drifting in and out of jobs and relationships, twelve-year-old Simon takes on the responsibility of providing for the two of them. Every day, he takes the lift up to the opulent ski world above, stealing equipment from rich tourists to resell to the local kids down in the valley. He is able to keep their little family afloat with his small-time hustles and his sister is thankful for the money he brings in. But, when Simon partners with a crooked British seasonal worker, he begins to lose his boundaries, affecting his relationship with his sister and plummeting him into dangerous territory.
10/5/12- Very good reviews from the NY Times and from most other critics as well. TRDB.
10/24/12- This movie gave a good depiction of the despair of the characters and therefore was a bit difficult to watch at times. All in all I’d say that I did like it. TRDB. At the Theater.
Add comment October 6th, 2012
THE SESSIONS- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “After spending years in an iron lung, a man decides he wants to explore his sexuality for the first time, and hires a surrogate to aid the goal. Through their intensifying relationship, this indie drama illustrates the many forms love can take.”
Very good early reviews. TRDB.
10/19/12- Excellent review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/3/12- I found this movie alternately touching, sad, funny and very moving. TRDB. Theater.
Add comment September 26th, 2012
ARGO- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1979, when Iranian militants seize the American embassy, six Americans slip into the Canadian embassy for protection, prompting the CIA to concoct an elaborate plot to rescue them by pretending that they are filmmakers rather than diplomats.”
Excellent reviews. TRDB.
10/25/12- A fascinating and apparently true story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. TRDB. At the Theater.
Add comment September 26th, 2012
NO- 2012- Synopsis by Netflix. “In this engaging drama from Chile, Gael García Bernal portrays René Saavedra, a hot-shot ad executive who creates a controversial media campaign opposing military dictator Augusto Pinochet during the referendum on his presidency in 1988.”
Very good reviews so far. TRDB.
2/15/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3/12/13-I enjoyed the basic premise of voter impowerment and of course the history lesson but I felt that the movie was a bit tedious at times and I also agree with one critic who called the movie “gimmicky.” TRDB.
Add comment September 5th, 2012
BARBARA- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1980 East Germany, Barbara, a doctor, is reassigned to a small rural hospital as punishment for trying to find work in the West. Biding time until her lover can help her defect, Barbara begins to suspect that her new boss knows of her plans.”
12/21/12- Great review in today’s NT Times and elsewhere too. TRDB.
3/4/13- I saw this movie today and liked it despite it’s slow moving plot. Not for everybody however. TRDB. Theater.
Add comment September 5th, 2012