Posts filed under 'Seen On Netflix'
UDAAN- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “UDAAN- Premise by Netflix. “After spending eight long, lonely years in a boarding school, Rohan (Rajat Barmecha) returns to his industrial hometown in India, where he must decide whether to follow his own dreams or acquiesce to his imperious father’s (Ronit Roy) plans for his future. As he begins work at his father’s steel factory and ponders his ambition to become a writer, Rohan also tries to build a relationship with the younger half-brother he didn’t even know existed.” Good review in NY Times on 7/27/10.
10/10- This movie, contrary to several excellent reviews, was just OK. Too long and too tedious for me. Top it off with a Hollywood ending. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
July 10th, 2010
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS- Premise by Netflix. “Revisit a pivotal point in American history in this documentary that chronicles Pentagon insider Daniel Ellsberg’s daring endeavor to leak top-secret government papers that disclosed shocking truths about the Vietnam War and Nixon’s presidency. Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith direct this absorbing, Oscar-nominated account that features compelling interviews with Ellsberg, retired New York Times editor Max Frankel and other key figures.” Great reviews.
7/10- Very good documentary that describes a tumultuous period in our country’s history. Highly recommended. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Documentary/History
July 10th, 2010
AMERICANO- Premise by Netflix. “Joshua Jackson moves on from the teenage angst of “Dawson’s Creek” in this coming-of-age drama from first-time director Kevin Noland. Before beginning a conservative career as a buttoned-up businessman, a recent college graduate (Jackson) decides to participate in the world-famous running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, where he meets a beautiful local (Leonor Varela) and an expatriate barkeep (Dennis Hopper) who change his life forever.”
7/10- A travelogue of Pamplona and very little else. TRDB.
Tags: Drama/Romance
July 10th, 2010
AMERICAN SON- 2008. Premise by Netflix. “While visiting home for Thanksgiving, 19-year-old Marine Mike Holland (Nick Cannon) begins an unexpected romance, clashes with family and old friends and confronts his fears about his imminent deployment to Iraq. An emotional roller coaster, Mike’s four-day holiday leave finds the young man reassessing past relationships, forging a new love and coming to grips with his own mortality. Melonie Diaz, Jay Hernandez and Chi McBride co-star.” Fairly good reviews.
7/10- I liked the film as it portrayed one more casualty of war. Well acted and realistic. TRDB.
Tags: drama
July 8th, 2010
ACCORDING TO GRETA- Premise by Netflix. “Dumped on her grandparents (Ellen Burstyn and Michael Murphy) for the summer by her indifferent mother (Melissa Leo), acerbic and self-destructive teenager Greta (Hilary Duff) disrupts the elderly couple’s staid life on the Jersey Shore in this coming-of-age melodrama. But eventually, a romance with a charming short-order cook (Evan Ross) and the unconditional love of her grandparents help Zoe face down her demons.”
7/10- Cute story and decent script made this movie enjoyable and made up for a weak ending. Grandparents were fun too. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: Drama/Romance
July 7th, 2010
THE EXPLODING GIRL- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Zoe Kazan carries this indie romance from writer-director Bradley Rust Gray with her finely nuanced performance as Ivy, a college student who uses her Brooklyn spring break sojourn to reevaluate her life and loves. With her current relationship fizzling out via cell phone, Ivy finds herself rethinking her longtime platonic friendship with best pal Al (Mark Rendall). Franklin Pipp and Maryann Urbano co-star.” Fairly good reviews.
9/10- Not much happens in this drama but the sincerity of the script and the fine natural acting made it enjoyable. TRDB. Netflix Streaming and also on DVD.
Tags: Drama/Romance
July 5th, 2010
LA MISSION- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Ultra-macho ex-con Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) learns the true meaning of being a father when he discovers his son (Jeremy Ray Valdez) is gay. Rivera turns violent at first, but when a beautiful neighbor (Erika Alexander) helps him see through his anger, he begins to reconcile his long-held beliefs. Peter Bratt (Benjamin’s brother) writes and directs this compelling drama, while Max Rosenak and Talisa Soto co-star.” Weak reviews.
8/10- While portions of this movie were cliched there were some very interesting and poignant moments. Worth a look. TRDB.
Tags: drama
July 5th, 2010
GREENBERG- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “At a crossroads in his life in New York, Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) takes some time to figure things out and travels to Los Angeles, where he house-sits for his brother and forges an unlikely bond with his brother’s assistant, Florence (Greta Gerwig). Acclaimed director Noah Baumbach‘s (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding) finely observed relationship comedy also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rhys Ifans.” Fairly good reviews and this film stayed in theaters for a while with good attendance. TRDB.
8/10- A quirky drama that held my interest and I’d recommend it. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Drama/Romance
July 5th, 2010
TERRIBLY HAPPY- Directed by Ruben Ganz. Premise by Netflix. “When Copenhagen cop Robert (Jakob Cedergren) winds up in the isolated town of Skarrild, he plans to bide his time recovering from his disreputable past so he can return to the city. But life in Skarrild is anything but peaceful in this tense thriller set in Denmark. As Robert becomes drawn into the odd local happenings, he also finds himself protecting mysterious beauty Ingerlise (Lene Maria Christensen) from her abusive husband.” Very good reviews.
A mystery thriller from Denmark that had me on the edge of my seat. Somewhat creepy and definitely not for everybody. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign, Mystery
July 4th, 2010
ONLY WHEN I DANCE- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “To achieve their shared dream of becoming ballet superstars, two young black dancers from the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, must overcome poverty, prejudice and incredible odds — a journey captured in this inspiring documentary. Filmmaker Beadie Finzi chronicles the day-to-day struggles of these gifted performers as they challenge the notion that ballet is the province of the wealthy, white elite.” OK review in NY Times.
12/10- Very good documentary and I enjoyed it very much. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: documentary
July 2nd, 2010
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