STRAY DOGS- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Through beautifully composed scenes of a modern urban landscape, this moving family portrait follows the odyssey of a father and his two children living on the fringes of Taipei, offering glimpses into their past and a vision of a brighter future.”
9/12/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
Add comment September 15th, 2014
THE QUITTER- 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “When a failed baseball player’s ex-girlfriend moves back to the neighborhood with her seven-year-old daughter, he realizes he carries more regrets than how he handled his baseball career. What follows is his earnest, awkward, and at times hilarious fight to become the father he never was.”
9/15/14– I’ve seen just 4 reviews– 3 up including the NY Times and 1 down. Sounds good to me. TRDB.
Add comment September 15th, 2014
HONEYMOON- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Soon after arriving at a secluded woodland cabin, a honeymooning couple sees their bliss evaporate when a sleepwalking incident leads to increasingly odd behavior by the bride — and mounting paranoia on the part of her groom.”
9/12/14- Sounds unusual but this movie has received good reviews. The NY Times liked it. TRDB.
Add comment September 15th, 2014
THE FRONTIER- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “After a prolonged estrangement, a boozy retired professor contacts his son to encourage a face-to-face meeting between them. Despite father and son’s best efforts, however, old tensions soon begin to resurface.”
9/12/14- Very weak reviews from all sources. TRDB.
Add comment September 15th, 2014
THE DROP- 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “THE DROP is a new crime drama from Michaël R. Roskam, the Academy Award nominated director of Bullhead. Based on a screenplay from Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), THE DROP follows lonely bartender Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) through a covert scheme of funneling cash to local gangsters – “money drops” in the underworld of Brooklyn bars. Under the heavy hand of his employer and cousin Marv (James Gandolfini), Bob finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry.”
9/15/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
9/19/14- I enjoyed the movie– didn’t love it. In particular I liked the different characters who felt like caricatures to me. Also fun seeing James Gandolfini in his last role. TRDB.
Add comment September 15th, 2014
ARCHEOLOGY OF A WOMAN- 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In ARCHAEOLOGY OF A WOMAN, Margaret (Sally Kirkland), a feisty, tormented former newspaper columnist, fights to protect her freedom in spite of the dementia she cannot control. After an episode in a shopping plaza parking lot where she is unable to find her car and is driven home by the police, her daughter Kate (Victoria Clark), an aspiring New York City chef, is beckoned upstate to her mother’s aide.”
9/8/14– Mixed professional reviews yet but the concept sounds good. TRDB.
Add comment September 8th, 2014
WETLANDS- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Antisocial teen Helen’s only interest in other people is reuniting her divorced parents, and a freak shaving accident may hold the answer. During a short hospital stay, she uses her outsized personality to unite the staff in her mission.”
9/7/14- Very good reviews for what sounds like a foolish story. The NY Times liked it as well. TRDB.
1/21/15- While the plot may be somewhat familiar I can guarantee you that the film is NOT. Very creative, vulgar at times and very original!!TRDB.
Add comment September 7th, 2014
KELLY & CAL- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Struggling with the challenges of parenthood, a dispirited young mother finds an unlikely friend and confidante in her paralyzed teenage neighbor. But when their relationship crosses the line, she starts to consider the consequences.”
9/7/14- Mixed reviews from professional and from audiences as well. TRDB.
1/9/15- I enjoyed the movie even though, as one reviewer said, the end got a little soapy. The movie took a theme that has been worked on pretty well over time and managed to make it interesting. TRDB. Netflix.
Add comment September 7th, 2014
THE SKELETON TWINS- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “When near-death experiences on the same day motivate estranged twins Milo and Maggie to reunite, they’re forced to reevaluate their empty lives as they attempt to mend the long-broken bond between them.”
9/3/14- Reviews are very positive for this drama. TRDB.
9/19/14- I enjoyed this movie very much and except for a bit of Hollywood it seemed very realistic and poignant to me. TRDB.
Add comment September 3rd, 2014
WETLANDS- 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Eighteen year-old Helen Memel (Carla Juri) likes to skateboard, masturbate with vegetables and thinks that body hygiene is greatly overrated. Struggling with her parents’ divorce, she spends her time experimenting and breaking one social taboo after the other with her best friend, Corinna (Marlen Kruse). When a shaving accident lands her in the hospital, she sees it as a way to reconcile her parents, but ends up forming an unlikely bond with her male nurse, Robin (Christoph Letkowski) in the process.”
9/1/14- Uniformly good reviews for this unusual sounding comedy/drama. An article about this film and about Juri appears in the Arts and Leisure section of the NY Times on Aug. 31. TRDB.
Add comment September 1st, 2014