Posts filed under 'Seen at the Theater'
GET LOW- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek team up to tell the true story of Felix “Bush” Breazeale, a Tennessee loner who planned his own funeral in 1938 while he was still around to attend — and enjoy — the proceedings. Also starring Bill Murray and Lucas Black as the co-proprietors of the funeral home, the dramatic thriller was penned by the screenwriting team of C. Gaby Mitchell (Blood Diamond) and Chris Provenzano (“Mad Men”).” Great reviews.
8/10 To my surprise I did like this movie even though it was clearly a vehicle for Duvall to shine once more. I have never liked Murray outside of the comic role and didn’t here either. TRDB.
Tags: drama
July 21st, 2010
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME- Premise by Netflix. “Single mom Sammy Prescott (Laura Linney) is already preoccupied with raising her son (Rory Culkin), who’s become sullen — and curious about his missing dad — when her wayward brother, Terry (Mark Ruffalo), appears, instantly bonding with the boy and instigating a perilous father-son reunion. Meanwhile, Sammy is embroiled in a half-hearted affair with her new boss (Matthew Broderick). This Oscar-nominated drama won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize.”
I liked this movie a lot. TRDB.
Tags: drama
July 12th, 2010
JUNO- Premise by Netflix. “Facing an unplanned pregnancy while she’s still in high school, quirky teen Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) devises a plan to locate her unborn baby’s perfect adoptive parents. But the seemingly ideal couple (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) Juno chooses still has some growing up to do. Michael Cera co-stars in this offbeat coming-of-age comedy with an Oscar-winning original screenplay penned by Diablo Cody.”
7/10- Great story, great acting and I liked this movie a lot. TRDB.
Tags: drama
July 12th, 2010
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE- Premise by Netflix. “Disaster hits Millennium magazine when publisher Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) launches an exposé of the Swedish sex trade, leading to the deaths of two staffers and then to the police pursuit of a third — tech expert Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) — as the prime suspect. In Part 2 of the trilogy, based on the action novels of Stieg Larsson, the vampiric Salander vanishes as Blomkvist digs deep into a possible conspiracy.” Mostly good reviews.
7/10- I was bored as hell. It was initially hard to tell who was who and I never recovered. See “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” twice instead. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Mystery
July 2nd, 2010
LEBANON- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “In this claustrophobic drama by first-time director Samuel Maoz — a veteran of the early ’80s Israel/Lebanon conflict in which the film is set — four Israeli soldiers command a tank in a situation that becomes increasingly tense and chaotic. Like Das Boot before it, most of the action is confined to the stark interiors of that tank, as the men wrestle with fear, anger and their own consciences in the face of possible death and worse.” Very good early reviews.
9/10- Yet one more piece of evidence that war is definitely hell, this time involving a bunch of very frightened Israeli soldiers fighting in the confined space of the tank. I liked it very much but be aware that this is not for the faint of heart. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
June 30th, 2010
EVERLASTING MOMENTS- Premise by Netflix. “After marrying charming but coarse Sigfrid (Mikael Persbrandt), Maria (Maria Heiskanen) finds that her life isn’t the fairy tale she expected, as her husband gradually becomes more brutal. But when she becomes involved in photography, Maria gains a new lease on life. Filmmaker Jan Troell based this Golden Globe-nominated drama on a manuscript written by his wife, Agneta Ulfsäter-Troell, chronicling the events of her ancestors in the early 20th century.” I saw this and liked it very much. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
June 16th, 2010
I AM LOVE- Premise by Netflix. “Oscar winner Tilda Swinton shows off her multilingual skills in this Italian melodrama, in which family dissension, unbidden desire and other tensions bubble to the surface during the patriarch’s birthday party. When the seemingly picture-perfect Recchi family gathers at the family manse to celebrate the great old man, the veneer of civility falls quickly away in director Luca Guadagnino‘s lush, atmospheric film.”
6/10- Beautifully photographed, very good story with good acting. I enjoyed this one very much. Highly recommended!! TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
June 13th, 2010
MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON- Directed by Stephane Brize and starring Sandrine Kiberlan, Vincent Lindon and Aure Atika. Good review in NY Times 5/28/10
6/10- A wonderful drama about a working class man who develops an unlikely and unexpected romance with his son’s school teacher. I loved it. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
May 28th, 2010
FOR MY FATHER- Premise by Netflix. “Strapped into a vest of explosives, young Palestinian Terek (Shredi Jabarin) enters Tel Aviv on a suicide mission to restore his father’s honor. But a faulty fuse leaves him stranded among Israelis, and he begins to question his ingrained beliefs about his enemy. While he waits the weekend for a repair, he meets beautiful Keren (Hili Yalon). Still wearing his remote-controlled bomb, Terek must decide his fate before a decision is made for him.”
5/10- The movie is a slice of life and is OK only if you can suspend reality for a while. TRDB.
May 24th, 2010
FAIR GAME- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “After her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), writes op-ed columns accusing the Bush administration of misleading the public to justify invading Iraq, Valerie Plame Wilson’s (Naomi Watts) status as a covert CIA agent is leaked by administration officials. Based on events described in Plame Wilson’s memoir, this drama explores the political scandal that led to the conviction of Lewis “Scooter” Libby.” Fair review in NY Times on 11/5/10.
11/10- This movie was very well done and packed a wallop. I liked it a lot. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: docudrama
May 21st, 2010
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