FILM REVIEWS #458
May 29th, 2013
5/4/13- Very good early reviews. TRDB.
5/17/13- Fairly good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/25/13- I liked this movie very much. Very good acting and an insightful screenplay. TRDB.
10/12/12- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/23/12- A fairly good portrayal of the difficulty of battling addiction particularly when both members of a couple need help and only one goes for help. TRDB. Netflix.
2) SCHEHERAZADE, TELL ME A STORY– 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “When her husband (Hassan Saeed) asks her to tone down the subversive political rhetoric on her program, Egyptian talk show host Hebba (Mona Zaki) draws even more heat by beginning a series that explores the experience of women in contemporary Egypt. As three women speak out about the mistreatment they’ve suffered in a deeply patriarchal society, Hoda must contend with her own disintegrating marriage. Yousry Nasrallah directs this drama.”
Very good review in NY Times on 8/12/11. TRDB.
5/24/13- A very powerful, well acted drama that I recommend to all of you. TRDB. Netflix.
3) ORCHESTRA OF EXILES– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “This inspiring documentary focuses on Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman, who rescued hundreds of Jews from the holocaust and founded the globally renowned orchestra that would eventually become the Israel Philharmonic.”
10/26/12- Fairly good review in today’s NY Times and by most professional critics as well. Audiences have uniformly enjoyed it. TRDB.
5/24/13- I liked this documentary very much as it once again showed the will of the Jewish people to not only live but to thrive as well. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
4) 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. Netflix Streaming.
5) HITLER’S CHILDREN– 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “This documentary is about the descendants of the most powerful figures in the Nazi regime: men and women who were left a legacy that permanently associates them with one of the greatest crimes in history. What is it like for them to have grown up with a name that immediately raises images of murder and genocide? How do they cope with the fact that they are the children of … literally, not just metaphorically.”
11/16/12- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
5/28/13- A fascinating topic but the film didn’t really hold my interest. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
2) THE LAST RIDE– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “A young college student agrees to drive volatile country music star Hank Williams to a concert, never guessing he’ll be the last one to see him alive. Along the way, he gets a glimpse into the mind of a troubled legend.”
OK reviews so far from audiences but nothing yet from professionals. TRDB.
6/22/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times- they said that you need to be a Hank Williams fanatic to enjoy this one. TRDB.
3) BROOKLYN CASTLE– 2012. “Brooklyn’s I.S. 318 is home to America’s best junior high school chess team, but budget cuts are threatening to undermine the team’s success. This inspiring documentary goes inside the fight to keep chess alive and well at the struggling school.”
10/19/12- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/14/13- This documentary lacked the passion of some other documentaries involving kids trying to succeed by competing but it still was very good and informative. TRDB.
2) EPIC– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Magically transported to an enchanted forest, a teenage girl joins forces with a scruffy group of residents fighting a battle against evil — and soon realizes they must win to save both their world and hers.”
5/24/13- Mediocre reviews for this animated movie in general and from the NY Times in today’s review. TRDB.
3) NANCY, PLEASE– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “A doctoral candidate who just moved in with his girlfriend wages a maddening war with his former roommate to reclaim an important book he left behind. But Nancy has no intention of giving Little Dorrit back.”
5/24/13- All of the critics (including the NY Times today) liked it but none raved about it. Audiences have liked it as well. TRDB.
4) A WEDDING INVITATION– 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “High school sweethearts QiaoQiao and Li Xing are about to graduate from university and Li Xing surprises QiaoQiao with a marriage proposal. QiaoQiao, however, declines the proposal, offering rash arguments as to why he’s not ready. Little does he know, QiaoQiao has a devastating secret.”
5/24/13- Weak reviews from the few that have critiqued this film including the NY Times. TRDB.
2) HANNAH ARENDT– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “After fleeing Nazi Germany for the United States, a Jewish-German philosopher accepts an assignment from the New Yorker to cover the trial of an infamous war criminal, resulting in an article that ignites controversy all over the world.”
5/14/13- Mixed early reviews. TRDB.
3) THE KINGS OF SUMMER– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Chafing under his widowed father’s control, Joe Toy invites a friend and an offbeat new kid to help him build his own house in the nearby woods. Now that the trio is finally free from parents and responsibility, what’s next?”
5/14/13- Great reviews!! TRDB.
4) SHADOW DANCER– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Collette, a single mother and career IRA terrorist, is captured after an abortive bombing in London and faces an excruciating ultimatum. She can either turn against her lifelong compatriots or go to prison and be separated forever from her son.”
5/14/13- Excellent early reviews. TRDB.
5) TRIUMPH OF THE WALL– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Director Bill Stone sets out to document a novice stonemason’s construction of a 1,000-foot wall in rural Quebec, but his plans soon begin to unravel. When the mason realizes he’s in over his head, the film becomes a comic chronicle of determination.”
5/14/13- Only a few reviews and they are poor. TRDB.
12) FLIGHT- Good reviews
13) GIMME THE LOOT- Good reviews
21) PARENTAL GUIDANCE- I enjoyed it but it was not great
28) THE SESSIONS- I loved this movie
29) SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS- I didn’t care for the movie
34) TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE- Not great but I did like it
35) WAITING FOR LIGHTNING- The NY Times called this movie boring
DirecTV- www.directv.com/DTVAPP/listing/ppvMovies.jsp
Time Warner Link- www.twondemand.com
5/3/13- Great review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/4/13- Very good early reviews. TRDB.
5/17/13- Fairly good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/25/13- I liked this movie very much. Very good acting and an insightful screenplay. TRDB.
2) MUD- Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Two Mississippi teens, Ellis and Neckbone, meet a mysterious drifter named Mud hiding on a deserted river island and get caught up in his tangled web of tall tales about bounty hunters, crimes of passion, lost love and a perfect woman named Juniper.”
4/19/13- Very good reviews so far. TRDB.
4/26/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
4/27/13- As far as I’m concerned this movie could have been titled “Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Meet Rambo. What a waste! TRDB.
3) THE GREAT GATSBY– Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Leonardo DiCaprio stars as literary icon Jay Gatsby in this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel. Fascinated by the mysterious, affluent Gatsby, his neighbor Nick Carraway bears witness to the man’s obsessive love and spiral into tragedy.”
5/3/13- A poor review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5) THE ICEMAN– Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “This thriller based on a true story follows Richard Kuklinski, who killed more than 100 people for the mob — and his own pleasure — between 1964 and 1986. Despite his prolific violence, Kuklinski was a devoted husband and father of two daughters.”
Early reviews look good for this docudrama including a NY Times review on 5/3/13. TRDB.
5/1/13- A riveting performance by Michael Shannon as the contract killer Richard Kuklinski places this movie at a suspenseful level and keeps it there. TRDB.
6) RENOIR– Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1915, elderly painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir is crippled by both loss and arthritis, but when vibrant teenager Andrée brightens his life, he finds new purpose — as does his son Jean, a wounded soldier who is inspired by Andrée’s love of cinema.”
3/29/13- A good review in today’s NY Times emphasizing the visual aspect of the film. TRDB.
4/5/13- I enjoyed the story, the acting and the beautiful photography. TRDB.
7) STORIES WE TELL– Jacob Burns. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Using a mix of interviews and sly home movies, Sarah Polley creates an intriguing profile of her family, especially her mother, Diane, who died when Polley was 11 years old. In a family of storytellers, does the truth depend on who does the telling?”
4/29/13- Excellent reviews. TRDB.
5/10/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/21/13- An interesting documentary about family relationships and specifically what Sarah Polley learned about her family by letting people tell the story. Done in a creative manner- could have been a bit shorter. TRDB.
For Independent Films in Palm Beach County go to www.lakeworthplayhouse.org
For Films everywhere go to- www.fandango.com
Entry Filed under: Old Newsletters
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