The Reel Dr. Bob

SEPTEMBER 24. 2009

DEAR FRIENDS-

TWO NEW MOVIES for me this week at the-

THEATRE-

1) AMREEKA- 2009. Written and directed by Cherien Dabis and starring Nisreen Faour and Hiam Abbass (Lemon Tree). About a divorced mother and her teenage son who move from Bethlehem in the West Bank to a small town in Illinois and their subsequent difficulties in adjusting. Amreeka is the Arabic word for America. Very good acting and very realistic as well. I liked it a lot. 9/09

2) THE INFORMANT- 2009. By Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon. A satire about a corporate whistleblower who has been less than truthful in the details. I thought the movie was just OK- a little too long and repetitive. The plot swings reminded me of “Catch Me If You Can” with Leonardo Di Caprio but not nearly as good. 9/09

HOME-

1) EXPIRED– 2007. Written and directed by Cecilia Miniucci. Starring Samantha Morton. About a lonely young woman who meets a weird social misfit. She has a brief interlude from her lackluster life. The movie was just OK. Netflix Streaming. 9/09

2) KABEI: OUR MOTHER– 2008. Directed by Yoji Yamada and starring Sayuri Yoshinaga, the movie is based on the writings of Teruyo Nogami. A beautiful story about a woman in 1940 Japan whose husband is jailed for “treason” when he speaks against Japanese aggression. The film is about how she survives and cares for her family while he is in prison. Great movie! Netflix. 9/09

3) EASY VIRTUE– 2008. Written and directed by Stephan Elliott and starring Jessica Beal, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ben Barnes. Barnes marries an “unruly” American and brings her back to his English country estate . The family is not ready to accept her and in fact do all they can to get rid of her. The film was just OK. Netflix. 9/09

4) THE VILLAGE BARBERSHOP-  Starring John Ratzenberger as a beer drinking, horse betting aging barber who is forced to hire a woman barber (Shelly Cole) when his partner dies unexpectedly. Stupid movie and I turned it off. 9/09. Netflix.

5) TRUMBO- 2007. A very interesting documentary about Dalton Trumbo, the writer, created with several movie actors reading his letters along with the usual talking heads. Lots of detail about the blacklisting of actors and screenwriters by the movie industry and it’s effect on them personally. A good documentary if a little repetitive. Netflix. 9/09

6) TULPAN- 2008. By Sergei Dvortsevoy. A docudrama about the nomadic sheepherders of Kazakh. Interesting photography of barren landscapes and I can still taste the dust. I liked the film but be prepared that it’s very slow moving. Netflix Streaming. 9/09

COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, SEPT. 29-

1) THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE- Premise by Netflix. “Play Preview Filmed in about two weeks on a budget of less than $2 million, director Steven Soderbergh‘s experimental feature focuses on the life of a high-priced New York City call girl, played by bona fide porn star Sasha Grey. The movie tells its tale in nonlinear fashion, throwing random scenes at the viewer, who must piece together the puzzle to understand the story. Other than Grey, the actors are nonprofessionals who improvised many of their scenes.” Mixed reviews. I’ll see it.

2) AWAY WE GO-  Premise by Netflix. “Buoyed by the news that they are expecting their first baby, Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) embark on a journey to locate the perfect place on the planet to raise their child. But their quest inevitably yields many unexpected surprises. Sam Mendes directs this quirky comedy while Allison Janney, Catherine O’Hara, Josh Hamilton, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeff Daniels co-star.” Just OK reviews but the premise is interesting enough for me to give it a try.

3) THE BROTHERS BLOOM- Premise by Netflix. “The Brothers Bloom made a name for themselves as the world’s best con men. Now, the younger (Adrien Brody) is ready to retire on the millions the pair has swindled. But when his brother (Mark Ruffalo) lures him into one last job, he reluctantly agrees. What he hasn’t counted on, though, is falling for their mark, an adventure-seeking heiress (Rachel Weisz). Robbie Coltrane and Babel’s Rinko Kikuchi co-star.” Mixed reviews.

4) SHRINK- Premise by Netflix. “In the wake of a personal tragedy, Hollywood’s psychiatrist to the stars (Kevin Spacey) devolves into a slovenly pothead and worries he’s become incapable of helping his patients in this sharp indie drama that premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The film also stars Saffron Burrows, Robin Williams, Jack Huston, Griffin Dunne, Gore Vidal, Robert Loggia, Dallas Roberts and Mark Webber as the shrink’s diverse brood of showbiz clientele.” Awful reviews and I plan to miss this one.

5) MANAGEMENT- Premise by Netflix. “Play Preview Golden Globe winner Jennifer Aniston stars in this comedic tale as a traveling art saleswoman who makes the mistake of her life when she shares a one-night stand with a dim-witted motel manager (Steve Zahn) who takes to following her all around the country. Woody Harrelson and Fred Ward also star in this romantic comedy from writer-director Stephen Belber.” Sounds like a waste of time and I’ll pass.

OPENING THIS WEEK- I reviewed these last week. See Newsletter #294

FLORIDA- At the Emerging Cinemas of Lake Worth-

1) CLOUD 9- Premise by IMDB. “A romantic drama about a woman who enters into an affair after 30 years of marriage.” Very good reviews.

2) IT MIGHT GET LOUD- Premise by IMDB. “A documentary on the electric guitar from the point of view of three significant rock musicians: the Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White.” Good reviews.

COMCAST ON-DEMAND-

1) A QUIET MARRIAGE

2) FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN

3) GOODBYE SOLO- Saw this and liked it.

4) JULIA

5) LYMELIFE

6) FLAME & CITRON- Saw it and liked it. About 2 men who kill Nazis.

7) PARIS- With Juliette Binoche and is a love story about Paris.

Link for Cablevision-

BOB’S PICKS IN THE BURBS-

1) THE COVE- Bethel. Saw it and liked it a lot.

2) MY ONE AND ONLY- Bethel, Clearview 100. Haven’t seen it but heard it was cute fluff.

3) THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE- Bethel, Garden Cinema Norwalk, Saw Mill Hawthorne. Saw it and found it just OK.

4) THE INFORMANT!- Bethel, Danbury, Saw Mill Hawthorne

5) JULIE AND JULIA- Bethel, Danbury, Saw Mill Hawthorne. Mixed reviews.

6) BRIGHT STAR- Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk, Jacob Burns, Saw Mill Hawthorne.Mixed reviews, mostly positive.

7) AMREEKA- Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. Saw it and liked it.

8)PARIS – Jacob Burns, Garden Cinema Norwalk. Fairly good reviews and supposedly a love story about Paris.

9) (500) DAYS OF SUMMER- Saw Mill Hawthorne. Saw it and liked it.

THAT’S IT FOR NOW-

THE REEL DR BOB