THE AWAKENING- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “In post-World War I England, a boarding school haunted by a boy’s ghost calls on Florence Cathcart, who disproves hoaxes for a living. But Cathcart senses something truly strange about the school, leading her to question her belief in the rational.”
8/17/12- Weak reviews all around and in today’s NY Times as well. TRDB.
Add comment August 17th, 2012
THE GOOD DOCTOR- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Martin Blake, a young doctor setting out to establish his reputation, falls into an illicit romance with teenage patient Diane. When a colleague learns of the forbidden relationship, he uses the information to blackmail Dr. Blake for drugs.”
8/31/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
1/28/13- Trash and I turned it off. TRDB.
Add comment August 16th, 2012
FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL…- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Fate lands former college rivals Lauren and Kate together in the same apartment, where they launch a phone sex line to make ends meet. As business booms, the unlikely partners find themselves too busy (and too successful) to harbor old grudges.”
Sounds a bit dumb but this film has gotten very good reviews. TRDB.
8/31/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
4/15/13- This movie sounded dumb to me but I gave it a try because of a few good reviews. Miserable and I turned it off. TRDB.
Add comment August 16th, 2012
BREATHING- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “A probationary job at a morgue leads a rootless teen delinquent to question his origins and launch a search for the mother he never knew. It all begins with the lifeless body of a woman who shares his family name but turns out to be a stranger.”
8/31/12- Excellent reviews in general and in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
12/4/14- I really enjoyed this movie. Acting was excellent and the story was an original way of handling a topic that has been worked before. TRDB.
Add comment August 16th, 2012
LITTLE BIRDS- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Lily (Juno Temple) and Alison (Kay Panabaker) struggle to overcome the boredom of being teenagers in a small town in this drama directed by Elgin James. Lily yearns to escape the confines of her surroundings, while Alison finds comfort in the familiar. When they meet three street kids and follow them to Los Angeles, the girls learn just how far they’re willing to go to find their freedom and remain friends.”
8/29/12- Just a fair review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
1/19/13- A weak plot story but it was difficult to not get involved with these characters and their plight with boredom and dysfunctional families and where it can lead. TRDB. Netflix.
Add comment August 15th, 2012
KORCZAK- 1990. Synopsis by Netflix. “This film examines the life of renowned pediatrician, writer and teacher Henryk Goldzmit, who wrote under the name Janusz Korczak. As the Nazis invade Poland, Korczak does everything in his power to protect children from a dire fate.”
Very good reviews for this movie. TRDB.
Add comment August 11th, 2012
ROSETTA- 1999. Synopsis by Netflix. “Desperate to escape the wretched trailer she shares with her alcoholic mother, 18-year-old Rosetta (Emilie Dequenne, who won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival) goes through many trials in an attempt to find a job — or even a friend. This powerful Belgian film’s stark portrayal of poverty led to a change in the teen labor laws of that country. Rosetta received an Independent Spirit Award nomination and won the Cannes Golden Palm.”
Very good reviews for this movie. TRDB.
Add comment August 11th, 2012
ALMAYER’S FOLLY- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This affecting adaptation of a Joseph Conrad novel follows the efforts of a Western trader in 1950s Malaysia to ensure a lush life for his daughter. Instead, he finds that his plans may lead to her ruin by the young man hired to work for him.”
8/10/12- Excellent professional reviews in general as well as in today’s NY Times. Audiences have not like the movie. TRDB.
Add comment August 10th, 2012
MAX AND THE JUNKMEN- 1971. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Claude Sautet’s elegant and sophisticated crime drama stars the great Michel Piccoli as Max, a Paris detective hellbent on justice at any cost after watching one too many wily criminals slip through his fingers. Following a chance encounter with Abel (Bernard Fresson), an Army buddy now working as a scrap collector (most of whose “scrap” just happens to be stolen), Max decides to lure Abel and his gang into committing a bank robbery … so that he can then catch them red-handed. So Max poses as a wealthy banker and begins a series of illicit rendezvous with the high-class prostitute Lily (Romy Schneider), who happens to be Abel’s girlfriend, carefully dropping hints about a bank that’s just waiting to be knocked over. But there’s one thing the cold-hearted Max doesn’t factor into his diabolical scheme: the possibility of falling in love.
8/10/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment August 10th, 2012
GOATS- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When 15-year-old Ellis departs from his home in Tucson for an elite East Coast prep school, he must leave behind his New Age mother and his goat herder mentor, Goat Man, to forge a new life with his estranged father and new stepmother.”
8/10/12- Awful reviews in general and in today’s NY Times as well. TRDB.
Add comment August 10th, 2012