Posts filed under 'Drama'
HEARTBEATS- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Lush cinematography and poetic images highlight this coming-of-age tale about two best friends, Mary (Monia Chokri) and Francis (Xavier Dolan), who meet a charismatic wanderer named Nick (Niels Schneider) and suddenly find their longtime friendship tested to its limits. As the love triangle between the three intensifies, Mary and Francis vie for Nick’s affections in this intense story from Dolan, the Canadian prodigy who writes and directs.” Reviews more positive than negative and a few very good.
7/31/11- Not much to this French movie and I turned it off midway through. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
February 14th, 2011
CARANCHO- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “A car accident on the streets of Argentina brings Luján (Martina Gusman) and Sosa (Ricardo Darín) together: she’s a doctor caring for the critically wounded driver, he’s a smooth-talking ambulance chaser with an eye on the dying man’s money. Passion draws them together, but in a nation rife with such accidents, love alone may not conquer their differences. Pablo Trapero’s thoughtful film is an Official Selection of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.” Very good early reviews. TRDB.
6/21/11- A little too long and way too many car crashes but the story is interesting and definitely a slice of life. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
February 4th, 2011
INCENDIES- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “When their mother’s (Lubna Azabal) will implores them to deliver letters to the father they thought was dead and a brother they never knew about, twins Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) journey to the Middle East and attempt to reconstruct their family’s hidden history. Adapted from a Wajdi Mouawad play, director Denis Villeneuve’s drama flashes back to intense scenes set during the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s.” Showed at HIFF 2010. Great professional reviews and very good audience response as well. TRDB.
5/15/11- This movie was done in a most realistic fashion with great acting and superb direction. While it was often difficult to watch I thought that it was a great movie. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
February 1st, 2011
IN A BETTER WORLD- (Haevnen) 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Danish director Susanne Bier delves into the realm of fathers, sons and their perceived burden of male responsibility with this Golden Globe-winning drama about the interplay between two dysfunctional families. With his father (Mikael Persbrandt) working abroad, bullied Elias (Markus Rygaard) finds solace in a budding friendship with a volatile new student (William Jøhnk Nielsen). But the boys’ shared revenge only seems to invite more violence.” Won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. TRDB.
4/11- A wonderful movie, difficult to watch at times, with several important messages. In particular about the different ways of handling conflict and the limits of each manner. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
February 1st, 2011
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “After escaping from a violent cult in rural New York, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) tries to reconnect with her estranged sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), and Lucy’s well-to-do husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy), but the brainwashing she endured continues to prevent her from forming an identity of her own. Overwhelmed with paranoia, guilt and shame, Martha isolates herself until Lucy begins to suspect her sister’s emotional trauma has deeper underlying causes.” Winner at Sundance 2011.
10/21/11- Only a fair review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/8/11- An interesting and very well acted psychological thriller and I liked it. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: drama
January 30th, 2011
THE LIE- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Sometimes, you reeeeally don’t want to go to work. And sometimes that feeling is so strong that you’ll do anything to get out of it — even if that means telling a lie that has the power to completely change the trajectory of your life. Joshua Leonard (who co-starred in the indie breakout hit The Blair Witch Project) makes his directorial debut with this indie drama based on a short story by T.C. Boyle.” Winner at Sundance 2011.
A few good early reviews. TRDB.
11/18/11- An excellent review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
2/24/12- A very well acted and interesting story about relationships, particularly spousal, and mid- course corrections in life. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama
January 30th, 2011
KINYARWANDA- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “In this first-ever dramatic feature produced by Rwandans, the events of the horrific 1994 genocide are personalized through six intertwined stories. As the violence rages, mosques become a haven for Rwandans of all affiliations seeking protection. Director and writer Alrick Brown seeks the gray areas in this dark period of history, finding all-too-human motivations and resilience in the face of unimaginable catastrophe.” At Sundance 2011. Excellent reviews. TRDB.
6/17/12- One more of the Rwanda genocide movies but this one presents a complex question when it examines forgiveness. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 30th, 2011
UNCLE KENT- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “Kent (Kent Osborne), a pothead cartoonist working from his Los Angeles home, invites Kate (Jennifer Prediger), a New York journalist he met on a chat site, for a weekend visit. He’s sure that they’ll end up sleeping together, but Kate seems to have other things on her mind. Sexual escapades — even a threesome — abound, but the matchup of Kent‘s dreams is always just out of reach. Writer-director Joe Swanberg co-stars.” At Sundance 2011.
8/11/11- I found the movie remotely interesting but the main character should have outgrown this lifestyle years ago. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama
January 29th, 2011
HERE- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “When he travels to Armenia to make a set of hyperaccurate, satellite-based maps of the country, professional cartographer Will Shepard (Ben Foster) falls in with Gadarine Najarian (Lubna Azabal), a disaffected photographer trying to reconnect with her roots. Deciding to travel the country together, the pair embark on an unsettling journey of discovery into the Armenian landscape and into their solitary lives. Braden King directs this drama.” Mentioned in NY Times on 1/22/11 re Sundance.
4/13/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. OK reviews by other critics and only fair audience response. TRDB.
8/10/12- I found this movie interesting if a little pretentious with some of the extra voice-overs by Peter Coyote. Good acting and a good story however. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 23rd, 2011
ANOTHER EARTH- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Shortly after a strange, Earth-like planet is discovered, gifted astrophysics student Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling) accidentally slams her car into the vehicle of John Burroughs (William Mapother), killing his family. After some time, Rhoda and John begin an unlikely romance. But Rhoda starts to wonder what would happen if she could actually visit the new planet in director Mike Cahill’s romantic sci-fi drama.” At Sundance 2011. Sounds interesting and good reviews as well. TRDB.
1/15/12- A few interesting parts but basically fairly ridiculous. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: sci-fi
January 23rd, 2011
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