Posts filed under 'Seen On Netflix'
THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Dominic Cooper stars as Uday Hussein — Saddam Hussein’s depraved, decadent elder son — and as Latif Yahia, the army lieutenant forcibly drafted to be his body double, in this drama based on Yahia’s autobiographical novel. With his family’s fate on the line, Yahia surrenders his identity to embody the hated figure but gains a conspirator in Uday’s concubine, Sarrab (Ludivine Sagnier), as he plots his escape.”
The movie is discussed in a NY Times article (not a review) on 7/24/11. TRDB.
11/4/11- Weak reviews– some hating this movie and others saying it was OK. I had planned to see it but now I think I’ll skip it. TRDB.
11/29/11- I shouldn’t have given this one a try. What garbage, from the acting with phony accents to the gangster like action. Miss this one! TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama
July 24th, 2011
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This raucous rom-com chronicles the relationship of two busy singles, Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis), who agree to include sex in their friendship — minus the emotions and commitment. But things get complicated when Dylan (inevitably?) falls for his gal pal. Patricia Clarkson co-stars as Jaime’s hip mom and Woody Harrelson plays Dylan’s practical confidante, who advises him to man up when he pursues the newly dating Jamie.” Actually got an OK review from NY Times on 7/22/11. TRDB.
1/24/12- Despite the good reviews and a few funny situations I thought the movie was ridiculous and I turned it off midway. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Comedy, drama, Romantic Comedy
July 23rd, 2011
GUNLESS- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Fleeing the law, infamous bandit Montana Kid (Paul Gross) heads north to hide out in Barclay’s Brush, Canada (population 17), where nobody seems to understand the code of the Old West. For starters, the gunfighter is amazed to find that nobody even owns a pistol. The Kid slowly warms to the town, and especially to the sassy and outspoken Jane (Sienna Guillory), but is forced to strap on his six-gun when the posse comes looking for him.” Only fair reviews so far. TRDB.
8/9/11- Ridiculous!! TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama
July 21st, 2011
BEATS RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Filmmaker Michael Rapaport goes behind the scenes with this documentary to chronicle the tumultuous group dynamics that have driven influential, genre-bending hip-hop sensations A Tribe Called Quest to the heights of success. Filmed during a 2008 reunion tour, this movie includes candid input from band members, including Q-Tip, along with testimonies by other artists such as Kanye West to Tribe‘s enduring musical legacy.” Very good reviews. TRDB.
11/3/11- Mostly good reviews but I have NO interest in the band and even LESS interest in the music. I found it very difficult to get into the movie and turned it off fairly early. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: documentary
July 19th, 2011
THE INTERRUPTERS- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This powerful documentary follows a group called CeaseFire, which is dedicated to wiping out urban violence. Begun by epidemiologist Gary Slutkin, CeaseFire treats violence like an infection and seeks to eradicate the root cause before it can spread. Based in Chicago and staffed by many former gang members, “the interrupters” attempt to prevent the shootings and assaults that are prompted by tit-for-tat retaliation, despite the personal dangers.” Good early reviews. TRDB.
7/29/11- Good review in the NY Times today. TRDB.
3/12/12- A meaningful documentary about a system to interdict the violence cycle but as one reviewer put it– “great access to the subjects but the movie was repetitive and depressing.” TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: documentary
July 16th, 2011
GIRLFRIEND- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Evan (Evan Sneider), a genial young man with Down syndrome, lives with his adoring mother, Celeste (Amanda Plummer), but is self-sufficient, holding a job and longing for a real relationship with the object of his high school crush: a single mother named Candy (Shannon Woodward). When he suddenly comes into some money, Evan begins to support Candy, who is still entangled with her abusive ex, Russ (Jackson Rathbone), as well as a married lover.” OK review in NY Times on 7/15/11 but awful reviews in general. TRDB.
9/14/12- Despite a creative beginning to this film it became formulaic and lost momentum. Still OK. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: Drama/Romance
July 15th, 2011
THE WAVE- 2008. Synopsis by Netflix. “To give his students a real-world example of how dictatorships can grow powerful, high school teacher Rainer (Jürgen Vogel) starts a social experiment that assigns some of his students a strong advantage while leaving others subservient and powerless. The classroom exercise spreads to the rest of the school, where it mushrooms into violence, discrimination and the abuse of power.” Some great reviews, some OK and a few poor. TRDB.
11/29/11- A very powerful movie that gave me the creeps. Important to see! TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
July 11th, 2011
THE NEW WORLD- 2005. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set in 1607 at the founding of theJamestown Settlement, Terrence Malick’s epic adventure chronicles theextraordinary actions of explorer John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Native American princess Pocahontas (Q’Orianka Kilcher). As English settlers and Native Americans clash, Smith and Pocahontas find their worlds colliding and their hearts entwined, but ancestral loyalty may tear them apart. Christian Bale and Christopher Plummer co-star.”
7/2/11- Malick’s last movie until Tree of Life got average reviews and I didn’t particularly care for it. I found it unnecessarily mysterious and pretentious. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: docudrama
July 2nd, 2011
THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER- 2010. Syopsis by Netflix. “It’s the last night of summer vacation, and four high school friends face personal and interpersonal crossroads. As they wander the streets of suburban Detroit, each also takes the first tentative steps into the baffling world of adulthood. Recklessly chasing love and adventure, the teens end up with memories that will last a lifetime in this charming, thought-provoking debut feature from writer-director David Robert Mitchell.” Very good professional reviews but average audience reaction. TRDB.
12/9/11- I’m with the pros on this one– I thought it was unique and very interesting. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama
June 25th, 2011
BAD TEACHER- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Cameron Diaz stars as Elizabeth Halsey, a scheming and coarse-tongued middle school teacher who gets dumped by her wealthy boyfriend and rebounds by sinking her claws into a handsome substitute teacher (Justin Timberlake). There’s just one problem, though: He’s already dating Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), the most revered teacher on campus. And Ms. Squirrel is not at all eager to hand over her beau, who is slated to inherit his family’s fortune.”
6/24/11- Sounds stupid but has received some good reviews including the NY Times today. TRDB.
11/10/11- I got this movie for a few laughs but I got nothing and turned it off. Awful! TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Comedy, drama
June 25th, 2011
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