Posts filed under 'Seen at the Theater'
CATFISH- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman document the strange series of events that unfolds when a gifted 8-year-old artist named Abby contacts Nev, a 24-year-old photographer (and Schulman’s brother), through Facebook. After Abby sends Nev a remarkable painting based on one of his photos, Nev begins corresponding with her family — including her seductive 19-year-old sister. Realizing that something’s not quite right, Nev sets out to uncover the truth.” Good reviews.
10/10- A very unusual human drama involving privacy and identity on the internet. I liked it a lot. This movie is a sleeper. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: documentary
September 15th, 2010
THE BLACK SWAN- 2010. Premise by Netflix. ” In this supernatural thriller from director Darren Aronofsky, ambitious New York City ballet dancer Nina (Natalie Portman) lands a key role in “Swan Lake,” but soon finds her dreams of stardom threatened by rival ballerina Lilly (Mila Kunis). As the contentious rivalry between the dancers intensifies, Nina’s obsession descends into paranoia, delusion and more. Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey and Vincent Cassel co-star.” Very good reviews.
12/10-A very suspenseful and disturbing movie with enough to keep Freud busy for years. I liked it. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: drama
September 7th, 2010
THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES- Premise by Netflix. “A startling discovery comes to light for retired Argentine criminal investigator Benjamín Espósito (Ricardo Darín) as he pens a biographical novel about the unsolved case of a young newlywed’s brutal rape and murder years ago. Past and present intertwine for Espósito and colleague Irene Menéndez Hastings (Soledad Villamil) in director Juan José Campanella’s Oscar-winning character study in which justice, pain and love collide.”
8/10- Interesting and well acted but I felt that the plot was full of holes. The back and forths were well done and not confusing. TRDB.
Tags: Mystery
August 30th, 2010
LAST TRAIN HOME- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Every year, 200 million Chinese peasants embark on a distant, arduous journey to visit family and celebrate the greatness of China. But as we learn through one family’s odyssey, just getting a train ticket can be an ordeal of Orwellian proportions. First-time Chinese-Canadian director Lixin Fan makes no judgments, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about this heavily ritualized act.” Great reviews.
10/10- Barebones documentary, no talking heads and the viewer is left to his own thoughts. I liked it. TRDB.
Tags: documentary
August 28th, 2010
NORA’S WILL- 2010. Premise by Rotten Tomatoes. “Before dying, Nora hatches a plan to make her ex-husband José take care of her corpse, but she is missing something. The only flaw in the plan–a mysterious photograph forgotten under the bed–will lead to an unexpected outcome.” I’ve seen only 2 reviews but both were positive.
4/11- I liked this movie very much. Seen at the Westchester Jewish Film Festival. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 21st, 2010
VITUS- 2006. Premise by Netflix. “Pushed to succeed and live up to his parents’ ambitions at an early age, young Vitus (played by Fabrizio Borsani and Teo Gheorghiu) is a virtual genius and a prodigy at the piano. But as Vitus grows older, he decides on a different path: one that leads to an ordinary childhood. Julika Jenkins and Urs Jucker co-star in writer-director Fredi M. Murer‘s heartfelt tale, which won the Swiss Film Prize for Best Film of 2007.”
8/10- I saw this almost three years ago and said then as now that despite numerous poor reviews I thought that this was a wonderful story about a child prodigy and his quest to be “normal.” Also an excellent performance by Bruno Ganz as the grandfather and the savior of this boy. TRDB. At the Heritage Hills Film Club.
Tags: docu
August 15th, 2010
AJAMI- Premise by Netflix. “When their uncle wounds an important clan member, 13-year-old Nasri (Fouad Habash) and his older brother, Omar (Shahir Kabaha), fear he has put their whole family in terrible danger in this moving, Oscar-nominated drama set on the West Bank. A truce is arranged, but Omar must start selling drugs to pay the fine he now owes. Meanwhile, a number of other locals struggle to negotiate the political and social tinderbox of Jaffa’s Ajami neighborhood.”
Very good reviews but I found it fairly sterile and could not get into the main characters. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 12th, 2010
ANIMAL KINGDOM- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “When his mother dies suddenly, a 17-year-old boy (James Frecheville) finds himself drawn into the clutches of a diabolical criminal family, until a good-hearted detective (Guy Pearce) makes a concerted effort to change the boy’s fate. Australian writer-director David Michôd‘s first feature-length drama won the World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.” Great reviews.
9/10- Violent, poignant and very well acted. I liked it. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 8th, 2010
GREEN ZONE- Premise by Netflix. “U.S. Defense Intelligence Agent Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear) doesn’t want to hear what Army Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) has to say about not finding the weapons of mass destruction — evidence that could launch a war — he’s been sent to Iraq to unearth. Why the cover-up? Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s exposé Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone inspired this frenetic wartime drama. Paul Greengrass directs.GREEN ZONE”
3/10- I usually do not go for this type of rockem-sockem type war movie but this one packed the important message noted above. Very realistic if a little too drawn out at times. TRDB.
Tags: war
August 1st, 2010
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “The children of same-sex parents Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) become curious about the identity of their sperm-donor dad (Mark Ruffalo) and set out to make him part of their family unit, with frequently comical results. With his arrival, the household dynamics quickly become complicated, and nobody’s quite sure where or how he fits in, if at all.” Excellent reviews.
7/10- Great acting, great script and great idea make this a must see. Really about how couples slog through life at times, gay or straight. I loved the movie. TRDB.
Tags: Drama/Romance
July 23rd, 2010
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