FILM REVIEWS #462
June 27th, 2013
5/3/13- Great review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
6/21/13- This very good movie was also very difficult to watch most of the time. It was well acted and you have to enjoy the spirit of Maisie who always seemed to “go with it” despite what went on around her and to her. A bit of a Hollywood ending! TRDB.
6/21/13- I have to agree with the “NO” votes. Bad, bad and I turned it off. TRDB. Netflix.
2) DOWN THE SHORE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “After Susan (Maria Dizzia) dies from a terminal illness in Paris, her tour guide journeys to New Jersey to deliver Susan’s ashes and a letter to her brother, Bailey (James Gandolfini). The letter triggers revelations of dark secrets, murder and betrayal. The shocking news shakes up the lives of Bailey, his old friend, Wiley (Joe Pope), and Wiley’s wife — and Bailey’s ex-lover — Mary (Famke Janssen) in this gritty drama.”
4/5/13- Fair professional reviews in general and in today’s NY Times but audiences have liked this film very much. TRDB. Netflix.
6/24/13- If James Gandolfini (the star of this movie) hadn’t died last week I would have turned this movie off. Ridiculous screenplay made only somewhat believable by Gandolfini’s acting. TRDB. Netflix.
3) SUPPORTING CHARACTERS– 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Crack film editors Nick and Darryl are hired to save a movie in desperate need of their skills, a gig that turns out to be filled with bad luck. Both men’s relationships are upended and their partnership is tested by the film’s delusional director.”
1/25/13- Good review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
6/25/13- I enjoyed this low budget movie about personal relationships and professional relationships. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
2) THE GIRL- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “While transporting illegal immigrants across the Texas border, a cash-strapped single mother finds herself caring for a young Mexican girl. Along the way, she’s forced to reexamine her life with a critical eye.”
12/14/12- Fair reviews in today’s NY Times and by other professional critics as well. Audiences have not liked this film but it does sound interesting. TRDB.
3) 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.
2) BERT AND ARNIE’S GUIDE TO FRIENDSHIP– 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Helmed by first time director, Jeff Kaplan, “Bert and Arnie’s Guide to Friendship” follows the romantic misadventures of Bert Sheering (Matt Oberg – Comedy Central’s “Ugly Americans”), a sophisticated, yet sexually repressed author and Arnie Hubert (Stephen Schneider – NBC’s “Best Friends Forever”), a no-nonsense executive and unabashed ladies man. When Bert discovers that Arnie is sleeping with his wife, this modern day odd couple are launched into a journey filled with comedy, romance and ultimately, friendship.”
6/21/13- Miserable professional reviews but audiences have liked it. TRDB.
3) KUICHISAN– 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this earnest drama, a 10-year-old island boy wanders through the tumbledown streets of Koza, Japan, looking for the meaning of life. At the same time, an American tourist adrift in the city embarks on a similar quest for answers.”
6/21/13- Just a few reviews and they are mixed. Today’s NY Times liked it but thought it was too long and wilted at the end. TRDB.
4) THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “This intriguing documentary examines society and the path to its future, starting with the notion that none of us asks to be born. Top minds discuss how our personal needs affect our choices, which in turn shape culture as a whole.”
6/21/13- A poor review of the movie if not the topic in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5) RUSHLIGHTS– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Young lovers Billy and Sarah journey from L.A. to Texas with plans to make a false claim to the valuable assets left behind by a dead friend. But when their voyage brings them to Tremo, Texas, they find a bizarre and sinister world awaiting them.”
6/21/13- Uniformly miserable reviews. TRDB.
6) SOMM– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Filmed in six countries over a two-year period, this documentary follows four sommeliers as they embark on an all-consuming course of study for the prestigious (and nearly impossible to pass) Master Sommelier exam.”
6/21/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times and mixed professional reviews at best. Audiences, however, have liked the movie. TRDB.
7) THREE WORLDS– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “A fatal hit-and-run accident leaves a man with crushing guilt, a grieving wife with anger and a witness caught between the two. As tragedy connects the disparate lives of three people, each must come to terms with a new reality and one another.”
6/21/13- This movie got a good review in today’s NY Times. Others haven’t been as good. TRDB.
2) COPPERHEAD– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Believing that the North can’t win the Civil War, upstate New York farmer Abner Beech advocates for a negotiated peace with the South. Though Beech earns the violent disapproval of his neighbors, he demands his right to free speech.”
6/14/13- No Reviews as yet. TRDB.
3) MUSEUM HOURS– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When Anne arrives in Vienna to visit an ailing relative, she takes refuge in the Kunsthistorisches Museum and befriends Johann, a guard. Director Jem Cohen blends fiction and documentary in this meditation on how art and the world shape each other.”
6/14/13- No reviews as yet but this sounds interesting. TRDB.
12) FLIGHT- Good reviews
14) GRACELAND- Good reviews
20) PARENTAL GUIDANCE- I enjoyed it but it was not great
26) THE SESSIONS- I loved this movie
27) SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS- I didn’t care for the movie
DirecTV- www.directv.com/DTVAPP/listing/ppvMovies.jsp
Time Warner Link- www.twondemand.com
6/21/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
2) 20 FEET FROM STARDOM– Bethel, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Get a behind-the-scenes look at the world of backup vocalists in this documentary that weaves interviews with legendary singers like Bruce Springsteen and Bette Midler with the comments of those whose voices support them.”
6/5/13- A few early reviews for this documentary, some positive and some negative. TRDB.
6/14/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3) SONG FOR MARION (UNFINISHED SONG)- Jacob Burns. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “With his wife Marion terminally ill, 72-year-old Arthur sees a future that’s nothing but grim. But when he takes Marion’s place in their church’s very unconventional choir, he begins to find joy in life again.”
6/7/13- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.
6/21/13- An OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/31/13- Just an OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
2) MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING– Jacob Burns, Bethel, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In Joss Whedon’s modern take on the Shakespearean comedy, Claudio’s love for the beautiful Hero makes him a target of his friend Benedick’s mockery. But as Benedick trades barbs with Hero’s cousin Beatrice, he just may be falling in love.”
6/7/13- Very good reviews from multiple sources including the review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3) BEFORE MIDNIGHT– Jacob Burns, Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Before Midnight is an upcoming American romance drama film and the sequel to Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004). Like its predecessors, the film was directed by Richard Linklater. As with the previous film, Linklater shares screenplay credit with both actors from the movies, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy”
5/13/13- Uniformly excellent reviews. TRDB.
5/24/13- An excellent review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
6/11/13- An excellent movie that beautifully depicted the tensions that exist between spouses even when they deeply love each other. TRDB.
4) FILL THE VOID– Jacob Burns, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Eighteen-year-old Shira (Hada Yaron) is the youngest daughter of the family and is about to be married off to a very promising young man of the same age. On Purim, her twenty-eight-year-old sister, Esther (Renana Raz), dies during childbirth, leaving her husband to care for the child and postponing Shira’s promised match. When the girls’ mother finds out that Yochay may leave the country with her only grandchild, she proposes a match between Shira and the widower, which leaves Shira to choose between her heart’s wish and her family’s wish to keep the child with them.
5/14/13- I saw this excellent movie as part of a Jewish Film Festival this year. I definitely recommend it. TRDB.
5) THE BLING RING– Saw Mill Hawthorne, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Based on fact, this comic thriller tracks the saga of the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, who used the Web to time their robberies of stars’ homes. The teenage band stole millions in cash, jewelry and other items from victims including Paris Hilton.”
6/14/13- Mixed reviews in general and a weak one in today’s NY Times. 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
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>
Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed