Posts filed under 'Seen On Netflix'
TWO WOMEN- Premise by Netflix. “Fereshteh (Niki Karimi) is promised to a traditional man from her village, and her newlywed life is fraught with abuse. This contrasts sharply with the life of Roya (Marila Zare’i), a friend of Fereshteh’s who retains her independence by living in the city. Writer-director Tahmineh Milani who would later be imprisoned for the images she put in films such as this one, a revealing work about women’s roles and lives in contemporary Iran.”
3/10- A very realistic movie about the plight of many women in Iranian society. I liked the movie very much. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 15th, 2010
CHILDREN OF INVENTION- Premise by Netflix. “Evicted from their home, the Cheng family squats in a model apartment in an unfinished Boston building. But when mother Elaine (Cindy Cheung) is arrested for her accidental involvement in a pyramid scheme, young Raymond (Michael Chen) and Tina (Crystal Chiu) are left to fend for themselves. Now, Raymond must devise a plan to take care of his little sister in this stirring drama, an official selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.” Mostly good reviews and a few very good ones.
8/10- A very good drama with wonderful acting, especially the children. I liked it a lot. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama
March 15th, 2010
THE STONING OF SORAYA M- Premise by Netflix. “Set in 1986 Iran at the start of Khomeini’s reign, director Cyrus Nowrasteh’s drama tells the true story of Soraya (Mozhan Marnò), whose husband plots to have her falsely accused of adultery so he can divorce her and marry a young girl. French journalist Freidoune (Jim Caviezel) is pulled into Soraya’s tragic story when he meets a desperate woman named Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo).”
3/10- The movie feels more like a lecture than true drama and I didn’t want to stick around for the 20 minute stoning scene. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 15th, 2010
SERVICE- 2008. Premise by Netflix. “While the Pineda family matriarch, Nanay Flor (Gina Pareño), brings suit against her bigamist husband, the rest of her brood struggle with their own demons as they operate a run-down porno theater in the Philippines in director Brillante Mendoza’s drama. The goings-on include one son (Coco Martin) dealing with a boil on his butt as another pair of siblings contemplates incest, all amid the seedy sexual shenanigans of the theater’s clientele.”
3/10- The movie was very, very slow but did show a slice of life in this poor, sex trade community. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 15th, 2010
SHELTER ME- Premise by Netflix. “Lovers Anna (Maria de Medeiros) and Mara (Antonia Liskova) find their carefree lives turned upside down when, upon returning home from vacation, they discover a young Moroccan named Anis (Mounir Ouadi) has stowed away in the trunk of their car to cross the border into Italy. Forming a makeshift family, the trio soon finds the pressures of the outside world threatening to ruin the delicate relationships they’ve forged with one another.”
3/10- I really enjoyed this movie. Great acting by the women especially. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 11th, 2010
THE QUEEN AND I- 2008. Premise by Netflix. “Nahid Persson Sarvestani‘s thought-provoking documentary about her friendship with Queen Farah, the wife of the Shah of Iran, demonstrates how even those at most odds — politically, idealistically — can find middle ground and understanding. The royal answers questions about her husband’s repressive principles, and the conversation becomes political and highly personal. Included with the film is a short called Liberation.”
3/10- A great documentary about the woman but also about the director and how she changes her views about the subject and herself during the making of the film. LOVED IT!! TRDB.
March 4th, 2010
PAA- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Real-life father and son reverse roles in this drama featuring Bollywood idol Amitabh Bachchan, who portrays a youth with a rare condition that causes him to age rapidly. Abhishek Bachchan stars as the boy’s dad, who helps him cope with the illness. Filming in India and England, writer-director R. Balki delivers a heartwarming story about both childhood and fatherhood. Vidya Balan co-stars as the boy’s mother.”
2/10- This was pure Bollywood, music and all but with all the ham I still liked it. TRDB.
February 22nd, 2010
DEATH IN LOVE- 2008. Premise by Netflix. “During World War II, a Jewish woman (Jacqueline Bisset) had an affair with a Nazi war criminal. Decades later, her two sons live in the emotional shadow of this tryst. One (Josh Lucas) drifts through life until a he’s befriended by a charming co-worker (Adam Brody); the other (Lukas Haas) is unable to flee his stifling relationship with his mother. When the war criminal reemerges, all must confront the past and new directions for the future.
1/23/10- Very unusual movie that didn’t really come together but had an impact on me. TRDB.
Tags: drama
January 24th, 2010
VAGABOND- 1985. Premise by Netflix. “In the south of France one winter, a young woman, Mona (Sandrine Bonnaire), is found frozen to death in a ditch. Through flashbacks and interviews, writer-director Agnes Varda paints a fractured portrait of Mona’s final weeks as she camps alone and falls in with various men and women, many of whom try to give her life direction. Others do not have her best interests at heart, as they project their own needs and problems onto her.”
1/20/10- I liked this movie, especially the interesting technique of doing the movie via flashbacks with people whose path she crossed during her last month of life. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 20th, 2010
Premise by Netflix. “Belfast hood Martin (Jim Sturgess) is recruited by a British agent (Ben Kingsley) to infiltrate the IRA during the height of the Northern Irish conflict and quickly becomes embroiled in a dangerous game that could cost him his life if his secret is found out. As other informers are brutally murdered, Martin starts to look for a way out, but his handler urges him to stay undercover in this taut political thriller based on a true story.”
1/10- I needed but couldn’t get sub-titles for this Irish movie and turned it off after 20 minutes. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 5th, 2010
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