CHENNAI EXPRESS- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “What could have been a sad journey turns into a joyful one for Rahul when he falls in love with a woman en route to submerging his grandfather’s ashes. Exotic landscapes and rousing musical numbers follow as the pair traverses South India.”
8/9/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times for this Bollywood. TRDB.
Add comment August 9th, 2013
BLOOD- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Living in the shadow of their police chief father, two detective brothers commit the ultimate crime while interrogating a suspect, and the fear of being caught turns their lives into a downward spiral of guilt and paranoia.”
8/9/13- Poor reviews all around but several critics brought out some good points in the film. TRDB.
Add comment August 9th, 2013
OLD CATS- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Now in her 70s, Isadore (Bélgica Castro) begins to realize that her mental faculties are failing. However, she’s determined to hide this fact from her domineering daughter Rosario (Claudia Celedón), whom she fears will take advantage of her. Indeed, both Rosario and her no-good druggie girlfriend (Catalina Saavedra) would like nothing more than to steal Isadore’s flat. But Isadore also shows some cunning in this black-humored domestic farce.”
8/8/13- Good reviews for this movie written and directed by the same man who did “The Maid.” TRDB.
Add comment August 8th, 2013
LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker delivers a powerful performance as Cecil Gaines, who served as the White House butler under eight presidents. His three decades of service unfold against a backdrop of unparalleled change in American history.”
8/6/13- Very good reviews. TRDB.
8/16/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
8/25/13- Although I did enjoy parts of this movie, I was disappointed with the film as a whole. I thought it was a lackluster story about the butler used as a vehicle for a very powerful piece of history and it just didn’t seem to fit for me. The acting carried the movie. TRDB.
Add comment August 6th, 2013
JOBS- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Ashton Kutcher delivers a tour de force performance as Apple founder Steve Jobs in this biopic that spans three decades of the entrepreneur’s life. The story follows Jobs from the obscurity of a Palo Alto garage to global fame as a technology icon.”
8/6/13- Early reviews are weak. TRDB.
8/16/13- A poor review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3/20/14- The poor reviews are well deserved. Stupid movie and I turned it off. TRDB.
Add comment August 6th, 2013
AUSTENLAND- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Jane Hayes is so taken with Jane Austen’s novels that she decides to splurge on a trip to an English resort that caters to Austen fans. But when the authentic period romance Jane was promised proves unacceptable, she acts to alter her fate.”
8/6/13- Mixed early reviews. TRDB.
8/16/13- A poor review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment August 6th, 2013
AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “After escaping prison, Bob Muldoon begins a search for his girlfriend and young daughter, but their reunion doesn’t go as planned: He took the rap for a crime she committed, but now she’s involved with a lawman from their past.”
8/6/13- Mixed reviews with some very good ones and some really poor ones too. TRDB.
8/16/13- A negative review in today’s NY Times saying that the film was unconvincing. TRDB.
12/30/13– This movie had a dreamlike quality to it which made it a bit different but I did like it. Netflix.
Add comment August 6th, 2013
THE PATIENCE STONE- 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes said- “Author Atiq Rahimi’s adapts his own bestselling novel about a Muslim woman whose paralyzed husband unconsciously assumes the role of a magical force, which shields her from the sorrows of life in her war-torn village. Her unnamed Middle Eastern country caught up in an insurrection, the loyal, thirtysomething wife faithfully sits watch over her vegetative husband, who has been all but forgotten by his brothers and fellow Jihadists. Over time, she gathers the courage to tell her husband all of the things she had remained silent about during their 10 years of marriage. Throughout the course of these missives, she speaks frankly of the disappointments, sorrows, and sacrifices that have made her life so difficult throughout the previous decade. Only weeks later, when the isolated wife enters into a relationship with a young soldier, does she begin to reveal the woman who she had kept locked up deep inside ever since the day she was married.”
8/6/13- Very good early reviews and I’ll definitely try to see this one. TRDB.
8/14/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3/16/14-A marvelous, insightful movie that one critic called a cry from beyond the veil. Should be a must-see by anyone who cares about oppressed people.TRDB.
Add comment August 6th, 2013
PRINCE AVALANCHE- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “While repainting traffic lines along a burnt-out stretch of rural highway, a mismatched pair — straightlaced Alvin and his girlfriend’s harebrained brother, Lance — form an unlikely bond that builds upon their differences.”
Rotten Tomatoes had this to say– “Driven by striking performances from Rudd and Hirsch, Prince Avalanche is an offbeat comedy about two men painting traffic lines on a desolate country highway that’s been ravaged by wildfire. Against this dramatic setting, the men bicker and joke with each other, eventually developing an unlikely friendship. Funny, meditative and at times surreal, Prince Avalanche features a score by Explosions in the Sky and David Wingo, and was shot by frequent Green collaborator Tim Orr was. Loosely adapted from Either Way, an Icelandic film by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson.”
8/3/13- Good reviews all around. TRDB.
8/9/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
8/15/13- Not really a road movie but these 2 guys were working on a road. A good story about male bonding and I enjoyed it very much. TRDB. Comcast On-Demand.
Add comment August 3rd, 2013
LOVELACE- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Amanda Seyfried stars as adult film icon Linda Lovelace, a woman coerced into and abused by the porn industry before taking charge of her life. The supporting cast includes all manner of Hollywood A-listers stepping into meaty roles.”
8/9/13- A mixed review in today’s NY Times and from other critics as well. TRDB.
11/12/13- A fairly realistic movie that presented well the seedy nature of the industry. I liked it. TRDB.
Add comment August 3rd, 2013