Posts filed under 'Drama'
21 JUMP STREET- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In the action-comedy 21 Jump Street, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school. As they trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a violent and dangerous drug ring. But they find that high school is nothing like they left it just a few years earlier – and neither expects that they will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind.”
3/16/12- This one sounds ridiculous but has actually received very good reviews inclusing one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: drama
March 16th, 2012
THE WISE KIDS- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In a Baptist church community in Charleston, South Carolina, three teenage friends contemplate the next stage of life. There’s Brea, an introspective pastor’s daughter experiencing debilitating doubt; the hyperactive Laura, Brea’s best friend and a devout believer; and Tim, the open-hearted son of a single father, confronting his homosexuality for the first time. Weaving comedy and drama, The Wise Kids is is a character-driven coming-of-age story with an extraordinarily talented young cast.”
3/16/12- Very good review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
Tags: drama
March 16th, 2012
FREE MEN- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In German-occupied Paris, a young unemployed Algerian named Younes (played by break-out star, Tahar Rahim) earns his living as a black marketeer. Arrested by the French police but given a chance to avoid jail, Younes agrees to spy on the Paris Mosque. The police suspect the Mosque authorities, including its rector Ben Ghabrit, of aiding Muslim Resistance agents and helping North African Jews by giving them false certificates. At the Mosque, Younes meets the Algerian singer Salim Halali, and is moved by Salim’s beautiful voice and strong personality. When Younes discovers that Salim is Jewish, he stops collaborating with the police and gradually transforms from a politically ignorant immigrant into a fully-fledged freedom fighter.”
3/16/12- Mixed reviews in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
4/14/12- I saw this as part of the 2012 Jewish Film Festival at the Jacob Burns Film Center and liked it very much. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 16th, 2012
OBSELIDIA- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this earnest indie romance, a librarian who believes that love is an obsolete concept meets a projectionist who believes just the opposite amid the vast and silent landscapes of Death Valley.” Fair reviews at best. TRDB.
3/14/12- A bit preachy at times but still interesting and I liked it. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama
March 14th, 2012
JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Siblings Jay and Mark Duplass direct this stoner comedy focusing on two brothers — one a moderate success, the other still living with Mom. A trip to the store for glue, however, turns into an encounter with destiny for the stay-at–home slacker.” Mostly very good reviews. TRDB.
3/16/12- OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
7/8/12- Poignant and funny and I recommend it. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: Comedy, drama
March 13th, 2012
ATTENBERG- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Part of the new wave of Greek cinema, Attenberg is an offbeat coming-of-age film. 23-year-old Marina is living in a small, factory town by the sea where her once-visionary architect father, has returned to die. Finding the human species foreign, she keeps her distance, choosing to observe mankind through Sir David Attenborough’s mammal documentaries and the songs of Suicide. While preparing for her father’s impending death, Marina discovers her own sexuality through lessons from her only friend, Bella, and a visiting engineer. Equal parts abstract theater and melodrama, Attenberg sincerely and humorously navigates the defining moments in life.”
3/9/12- Very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/25/13- I enjoyed this somewhat strange foreign drama. The acting was excellent. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 9th, 2012
DISSOLUTION- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Loosely inspired by Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Menkes’s most recent film combines an almost surreal fairy-tale energy with brutal black-and-white realism to explore the condition of violence that permeates contemporary Israeli society. Shot in Yafo (the predominantly Arab area of Tel Aviv), the movie follows the moral collapse and first glimmer of redemption, of a young, morose Israeli Jew, played brilliantly by Didi Fire.”
3/9/12- Excellent review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 9th, 2012
THE DECOY BRIDE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a Hollywood actress travels to a tiny Scottish island to get married, the paparazzi follow her, prompting her to flee in frustration. Her handlers decide to stage fake nuptials to dupe the press and hire a local girl to play the bride.”
3/9/12- Poor reviews in general but an OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: Comedy, drama
March 9th, 2012
OCTOBER BABY- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “As the curtain rises, Hannah hesitantly steps onto the stage for her theatrical debut in college. Yet before her first lines, she collapses. Countless medical tests all point to one underlying factor: Hannah’s difficult birth. This revelation is nothing compared to discovering that she was actually adopted . . . after a failed abortion attempt. Bewildered, angered and confused, Hannah embarks on a journey with Jason, her oldest friend. In the midst of her incredible journey to discover her hidden past and find hope for her unknown future, Hannah sees that life can be so much more than what you have planned.”
Fairly good early audience reviews but awful professional ones. TRDB.
3/23/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/21/12- This movie really tried but didn’t quite make it. I did see it through, however. TRDB.
Tags: drama
March 8th, 2012
THE SALT OF LIFE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Rather than living the good life he’d imagined, newly retired Gianni spends his days running errands for those around him. Bemoaning his fate, he decides to take a mistress — a task that proves easier said than done in this wistful comedy.” Very good reviews including the NY Times. TRDB.
3/11/12- A delightful comedy with a cute story. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
March 7th, 2012
Newer Posts
Older Posts