Posts filed under 'Drama'

STARRY STARRY NIGHT

STARRY STARRY NIGHT- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “When Mei falls in love with Jay, a new transfer student at her school, love at first sight takes hold, providing her first journey into adulthood and what soon becomes her fondest childhood memory. Amongst her parents’ divorce and bickering and her grandfather’s death, Mei finds solace in Jay even as they begin a perilous journey into the mountainous wilderness to find her grandparents’ home. As they venture into the starry, starry night, they get lost in a storm that leads them towards a greater destination.”

7/6/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

Add comment July 6th, 2012

LAST RIDE

LAST RIDE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In Last Ride, a desperate father takes his ten year old son, Chook, on the run after committing a violent crime. As the two journey into the desert and an unknown future, their troubled relationship and the need to survive sees them battling the elements and each other. Chook eventually takes control and the choice he is forced to make has a devastating effect on both their lives.”

7/6/12– Good review in today’s NY Times and by the critics in general. Audiences have liked it as well. TRDB.

7/31/12- An interesting Australian drama with beautiful scenery and I’d recommend it. TRDB. Comcast On-Demand.

Add comment July 6th, 2012

SAVAGES

SAVAGES- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry-raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town…until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Hayek), and her brutal enforcer, Lado (Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon-with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (Travolta)-wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel.”

7/6/12- Good review in today’s NY Times but only average reviews in general. Audiences have liked it. TRDB.

7/9/12- Generally this is not my kind of movie as the film was way over the top in violence, blood and gore but I actually was surprised at how I got sucked into the different personalities involved. A qualified recommendation. At the Theater.

Add comment July 6th, 2012

TIGER EYES

TIGER EYES- 2012. Synopsis by IMDB. “After Davey’s father is killed in a hold-up, she and her mother and younger brother visit relatives in New Mexico. Here Davey is befriended by a young man who helps her find the strength to carry on and conquer her fears.”

This film won “Best Feature” at the Palm Beach International Film Festival in April 2012. No reviews available. TRDB.

Add comment July 3rd, 2012

KUMARE

KUMARE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A provocative social experiment-turned-documentary, Kumare follows American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi as he transforms himself into a wise Indian guru, hoping to prove the absurdity of blind faith. Instead, he finds himself forging profound connections with people from all walks of life — and wondering if and when to reveal his true self. Will his followers accept his final teaching? Can this illusion reveal a greater spiritual truth? Winner of South by Southwest’s Audience Award, Kumare is an insightful look at faith and belief.”

Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

Add comment June 30th, 2012

ALPS

ALPS- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “With Alps, director Yorgos Lanthimos brings to the screen the story of a group of people who specialize in playing the role of deceased people to anyone (usually relatives, friends or colleagues of the deceased) willing to pay for their services. Their company, called Alps, is managed by Mont Blanc (Aris Servetalis), a strict boss who keeps his employees under a close watch. But when the company’s nurse (Aggeliki Papoulia) decides to get off her scripted routine, this eccentric group starts falling to pieces.”

Fair professional reviews and fair audience reaction as well. TRDB.

12/4/12- I can’t decide if this movie was more weird than boring or the other way around. Skip it!! TRDB. Netflix.

Add comment June 30th, 2012

UNION SQUARE

UNION SQUARE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “An unexpected reunion between estranged sisters, one is on the verge of marriage; the other is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Both struggle with truths they’re hiding from each other – and from themselves. Jenny has rejected her tumultuous family and cut off communication, seeking a more ordered life far from her roots in the Bronx. And she’s almost ready to commit to her longtime fiancé when her sister Lucy – the personification of all that Jenny has been trying to flee – surprises her at a critical time. Lucy and Jenny’s combustible reunion brings both of them to unforeseen places, shattering and reconstructing the worlds they have both carefully constructed.”

Awful early reviews. TRDB.

Add comment June 30th, 2012

TRISHNA

TRISHNA- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Self-effacing British auteur Michael Winterbottom sets his unique spin on Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles against a contemporary Indian backdrop. Freida Pinto stars as the titular Trishna, a young woman who is seduced by the wealthy son of a property developer. As the romance develops, their relationship also becomes increasingly sordid and volatile.”

Good early professional reviews but weaker audience ones. TRDB. 

7/17/12- An OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

11/8/12- This movie was more Bollywood than I expected and for me was just fair. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

Add comment June 30th, 2012

A BURNING HOT SUMMER

A BURNING HOT SUMMER- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Loosely evoking Godard’s Contempt, A Burning Hot Summer examines the once-happy marriage between brooding painter Frédéric (Louis Garrel) and his movie-star wife Angèle (Bellucci) as it hits the rocks. When another young couple-actors Paul (Jérôme Robart) and Elisabeth (Céline Sallette)-joins them on a Roman holiday, tensions and passions flare. The film features a score by the Velvet Underground’s John Cale, with the legendary Maurice Garrel (the director’s father) in his final role.”

6/29/12- Poor reviews in general but a good one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

10/17/14- Boring for most of the film but I stuck it out. TRDB.

Add comment June 29th, 2012

BUSONG

BUSONG- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In Busong, Alessandra de Rossi plays Punay, who is born with wounds on her feet and cannot step on the earth. Her brother, Angkarang, carries her through a hammock, as he searches the changing landscape of Palawan in hopes of finding a healer who can cure Punay. Different people help him carry his sister along the way – a woman looking for her husband, a fisherman who lost his boat, and a young man who is searching for himself – and each one meets their fate.”

6/29/12- A fairly good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

Add comment June 29th, 2012

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