FILM REVIEWS #478
November 7th, 2013
9/28/13- Excellent reviews although A.O. Scott from the NY Times wrote a negative review after this film won at Cannes. TRDB.
11/2/13- Great acting by the two lead women and a lot of graphic lesbian sex have contributed to making this movie, the winner of the Palme d’Or Award in Cannes, the most talked about movie in a long time. The story itself was very good as well and I recommend the film. TRDB.
2) 12 YEARS A SLAVE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “The autobiography of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was abducted from New York state and sold into slavery in the mid-1800s, serves as the basis for this historical drama. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Northup, and Brad Pitt plays an abolitionist.”
9/29/13- Excellent reviews. TRDB.
10/18/13- A glowing review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/6/13- Overall I enjoyed this movie as this is clearly a story needing to be told. The acting was wonderful. Throughout the movie I couldn’t help thinking about this as another Holocaust movie with the dehumanizing, the oppression, the splitting of families and the often random nature of the violence inflicted on the victims, in this case Blacks. My only objection was that too many scenes seemed the same to me, each showing the difficult daily life on the plantation in one form or another. TRDB.
10/31/13- I think that this movie couldn’t decide if it was to be funny or serious but there was enough of each and I thought it was OK in general. Also, I like Julianne Moore. TRDB.
2) AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When the comely and intriguing Namik stands him up for a date, filmmaker Terence documents his confusion in a short film that he later shows to her. When Namik isn’t impressed, Terence decide to turn the movie into a full exploration of his feelings.”
4/21/13- Mixed early reviews but many more positive than negative. TRDB.
4/26/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/1/13- This movie was very creative but I found it really boring and could not get into it at all. TRDB.
3) ADMISSION- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “While scouting applicants at an experimental high school, Ivy League admissions officer Portia Nathan discovers that the school’s founder is her former college classmate John Halsey — and that she may have a connection to one of his students.”
3/14/13- Mixed reviews at best. TRDB.
3/22/13- A barely OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/4/13- A few bright spots in an otherwise weak story. Don’t bother. TRDB.
4) OUT IN THE DARK– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Sparks fly when Roy, an Israeli lawyer, and Nimr, a Palestinian graduate student, meet at a bar in Tel Aviv. But their budding relationship is threatened when Nimr’s student visa is revoked and he faces deportation.”
9/27/13- Mixed reviews, more positive than negative. The NY Times liked it very much. TRDB.
11/5/13- An interesting and very well acted movie bringing to light yet another difficult aspect of life in the Middle East. TRDB.
6/21/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
6/30/13- A riveting thriller that according to one critic is about politics, love and betrayal. I can’t agree more. TRDB.
12/21/12- Great review in today’s NT Times and elsewhere too. TRDB.
3/4/13- I saw this movie today and liked it despite it’s slow moving plot. Not for everybody however. TRDB. Theater.
3) PARADISE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “The comedy follows a sheltered young woman (Julianne Hough) who loses her faith after a plane crash and decides to go to Las Vegas to experience the wild side of life. On her journey, she meets unlikely companions (Russell Brand and Octavia Spencer) who inadvertently help her find her true self.”
9/29/13- Poor early reviews. TRDB.
4) FRANCES HA– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Determined to make it as a modern dancer in New York, young Frances Ha pursues her unlikely goal with more enthusiasm than natural talent. The rest of the time, she and her sardonic best friend, Sophie, put off growing up for as long as they can.”
9/5/12- Mentioned briefly in the NY Times as being shown at the Telluride Film Festival this September. 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.
5) I DECLARE WAR– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “A once-friendly game of war between two groups of 13-year-olds takes on sinister overtones when an enemy soldier goes rogue and kidnaps the best friend of the opposing side’s commander.”
8/14/13– Surprisingly good reviews. TRDB.
6) DEALIN’ WITH IDIOTS– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Comedian Max Morris decides to take on the challenge of managing his son’s youth baseball team, which also means taking on the kids’ parents. Jeff Garlin directs and stars in this semi-improvised comedy about youthful and grown-up ambition.”
10/16/13- Poor reviews from most critics. TRDB.
7) BLACKFISH– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “This fascinating documentary examines the life of performing killer whale Tilikum — who has caused the deaths of several people while in captivity — and questions the safety and humaneness of confining these intelligent creatures.”
7/3/13- Just a few reviews and they are all good. TRDB.
7/19/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
8) PRINCE AVALANCHE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “While repainting traffic lines along a burnt-out stretch of rural highway, a mismatched pair — straightlaced Alvin and his girlfriend’s harebrained brother, Lance — form an unlikely bond that builds upon their differences.”
Rotten Tomatoes had this to say– “Driven by striking performances from Rudd and Hirsch, Prince Avalanche is an offbeat comedy about two men painting traffic lines on a desolate country highway that’s been ravaged by wildfire. Against this dramatic setting, the men bicker and joke with each other, eventually developing an unlikely friendship. Funny, meditative and at times surreal, Prince Avalanche features a score by Explosions in the Sky and David Wingo, and was shot by frequent Green collaborator Tim Orr was. Loosely adapted from Either Way, an Icelandic film by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson.”
8/3/13- Good reviews all around. TRDB.
8/9/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
8/15/13- Not really a road movie but these 2 guys were working on a road. A good story about male bonding and I enjoyed it very much. TRDB.
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1) ABOUT TIME– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “A young man who comes from a family of time-travelers changes history for the better in this romantic comedy from director Richard Curtis. During one of his trip to the past, he falls for a woman played by Rachel McAdams.”
10/29/13- A poor review in today’s NY Times and mediocre reviews at best from everyone else. TRDB.
2) AFTERMATH- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Two decades after migrating to America, Chicagoan Franek returns to his native Poland only to find things deeply amiss in his family and town. With his brother, Jozek, who stayed behind, Franek sets out to discover the community’s collective secret.”
11/1/13- Mixed reviews by the critics but audiences have liked it. The review in today’s NY Times is ambiguous but I thought it was good. TRDB.
3) BEHIND THE BLUE VEIL– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “As outside forces threaten the Tuareg’s 2,000-year roam across the Sahara, a chief’s son uses unusual methods to preserve their way of life. This documentary examines the Tuareg’s plight and how one man’s quest may turn the tide.”
11/1/13- A good review in today’s NY Times but one critic said that this movie would play better as a 1 hour T.V. documentary. TRDB.
4) BIG SUR– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the wake of his literary success, Beat writer Jack Kerouac retreats to a small cabin in California’s Big Sur to try and sort out his life. When isolation leads him to take a break in San Francisco, he’s soon involved with his buddy’s mistress.”
11/1/13- Today’s NY Times gave this a good review but most other critics said it was pretty bad. TRDB.
5) FOLLOWING THE NINTH– 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. ” FOLLOWING THE NINTH is an inspirational film about Beethoven’s Choral Symphony, its majestic power to liberate us, to shield us against suffering, to provide hope and resilience during dark times. Filmed on five continents and in 12 countries, FOLLOWING THE NINTH is the story of four lives that have been transformed and repaired by the music, expressed most vividly in the prophecy of the Ode to Joy: “Alle Menschen werden Brüder”(All Men Will Be Brothers).”
11/1/13- I’ve seen just 2 reviews, both good, including the review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
6) IMMIGRANT– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Writer-director Barry Shurchin crafted this bittersweet drama from his memories of immigrating to the United States from the Soviet Union in the 1970s. When 9-year-old Daanyik loses his father, his family must find a way to survive in New York City.”
11/1/13- An awful review in today’s NY Times. I couldn’t find any other reviews. TRDB.
7) LAST LOVE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “A widowed professor living alone in Paris sees no meaningful future for himself until he meets a free-spirited young dance instructor. From their first meeting, each instinctively provides what the other so desperately needs: someone to call family.”
11/1/13- A very poor review in today’s NY Times and from nearly all professional critics as well. TRDB.
8) LAST VEGAS– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Four sixtysomething pals — Billy, Paddy, Archie and Sam — gather in Las Vegas to celebrate Billy’s upcoming nuptials with the intention of running wild for four straight days. But Sin City has gotten a lot crazier than they could’ve ever imagined.”
11/1/13- Awful reviews. TRDB.
9) MUSICWOOD– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Alarmed by the logging of the Sitka spruce wood their craft depends on, a group of professional guitar makers travels to Alaska to save the trees. Their cause is complicated by the fact that American Indians hold timber rights to the lands at issue.”
11/1/13- This movie got a very good review in today’s NY Times. Audiences have liked it very much also. TRDB.
10) ONE PM CENTRAL STANDARD TIME– 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Highlights the journalistic standards of Walter Cronkite and the challenges he and other news people faced in gathering and delivering the news of the JFK assassination.”
11/1/13- Poor reviews in general including the one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11) THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. Director Sophie Fiennes and philosopher Slavoj Zizek team up for this intriguing documentary that uses their interpretations of a potpourri of movies to create a journey into the epicenter of ideology.”
11/1/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times but most other critics have enjoyed it. TRDB.
12) RUNNING FROM CRAZY– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Plagued by her family’s history of mental illness, including the suicides of her uncle Ernest and her sister Margaux, actress Mariel Hemingway becomes an advocate for suicide prevention and strives to find balance in her life.”
11/1/13- A good review in today’s NY Times but mixed reviews in general. TRDB.
13) THESE BIRDS WALK– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “This inspiring documentary profiles both legendary humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi and a young boy named Omar, who has fled his abusive family. Living at one of Edhi’s orphanages in Karachi, Pakistan, Omar attempts to find safety and peace.”
11/1/13- Very good reviews from everybody including the one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
2) THE BOOK THIEF– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Young Liesel steals books to teach herself to read, giving her refuge from the horrors of Nazi Germany and her cold foster parents. When not reading, she forms a bond with the Jewish man her adoptive family is hiding in their home.”
10/16/13- I have found only 1 review and it’s very good. TRDB.
3) THE GHOSTS IN OUR MACHINE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “The work of photographer Jo-Anne McArthur drives this film about the marginalized role of animals in modern society. Her images capture animals used for food, product testing, clothing and more to reveal the sentience of these nonhuman beings.”
10/16/13- Very good early reviews. TRDB.
4) GO FOR SISTERS– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Just out of prison, Fontanye discovers that her parole officer is Bernice, a former friend. Bernice takes it easy on Fontanye, and in turn, the ex-con promises to help find Bernice’s son Rodney, who disappeared near the Mexican border.”
10/16/13- A few reviews and they are mixed. TRDB.
5) HOW I LIVE NOW– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “While on vacation in rural England, American teen Daisy slowly comes to appreciate the people around her and soon falls in love with local boy Edmund. Daisy’s summer idyll comes to an abrupt end when rumors of World War III become a reality.”
10/16/13- Mixed reviews, more positive than negative. TRDB.
6) REACHING FOR THE MOON– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “When American poet Elizabeth Bishop makes an inspiring visit to Rio, she catches the eye of an old friend’s lover, Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares, and begins to blossom under her attention, changing in ways she never imagined.”
10/16/13- Good early reviews. TRDB.
7) THE WIND RISES– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Master animator Hayao Miyazaki spins a decades-spanning tale inspired by the life of Jirô Horikoshi, designer of the World War II fighter plane the Zero. Too nearsighted to become a pilot, Jirô settles for building planes, with spectacular results.”
10/16/13- Good reviews. TRDB.
8) APPROVED FOR ADOPTION– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Adopted by a Belgian family as a child and now in his 40s, cartoonist Jung Henin returns to his native Korea to find his biological mother. Woven into his search are animated vignettes that chronicle his memories of childhood in his native land.’
11/3/13- I have seen just 3 professional reviews and they are all good. TRDB.
9) AT BERKELEY– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Documentarian Frederick Wiseman turns his cameras on one of America’s best-known schools to expose tensions over rising tuition and slashed budgets. University leaders discuss the crisis as the film captures protests and the effects of cutbacks.”
11/3/13- Excellent reviews for this documentary that is over 4 hours. TRDB.
10) THE GHOSTS IN OUR MACHINE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “The work of photographer Jo-Anne McArthur drives this film about the marginalized role of animals in modern society. Her images capture animals used for food, product testing, clothing and more to reveal the sentience of these nonhuman beings.”
11/3/13- Early reviews by audiences are very positive but the few professional reviews I’ve seen are poor. TRDB.
11) FINDING MR. RIGHT-2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A pregnant Beijing mistress comes to Seattle to give birth to her child, and learning the meaning of humility when she befriends a humble maternity ward driver while awaiting the arrival of her negligent sugar daddy. From the moment she arrives in Seattle, Wen Jiajia Tang Wei) is positively insufferable. Berating everyone at the nursing ward as she casually flaunts her wealth, Wen quickly alienates herself from the staff and patients alike. The only one who can tolerate her is reserved driver Frank (Wu Xiu-Bo), and that’s only because he’s too polite to put her in her place. Meanwhile, an unexpected development prompts gold-digging Wen to reflect on her attitude and reassess her priorities.”
11/3/13- No reviews yet. TRDB.
12) L.A. SUPERHEROES– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Struggling to get by in Los Angeles’ pitiless entertainment economy, immigrant actress Helena takes a big — and illegal — risk to get a green card. After she gets caught, Helena gives out information on her friends that could come back to bite her.”
11/3/13- Just a few professional reviews and they are poor. TRDB.
13) MEDORA– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “As four high school basketball players from rural Medora, Indiana, struggle to end their team’s losing streak, the residents of their formerly booming community refuse to give up on their declining town in this inspiring documentary.”
11/3/13- A few early reviews are good. TRDB.
14) PEOPLE OF A FEATHER– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Featuring groundbreaking footage from seven winters in the Arctic, People of a Feather takes you through time into the world of Inuit on the Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay connecting past present and future.”
11/3/13- I’ve seen just 2 reviews and they are both good. TRDB.
15) THE MOTEL LIFE– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this affecting indie drama, two luckless brothers — inseparable because of a pledge they made to their dying mother — are forced to take it on the lam after one of them is involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident.”
11/3/13- Mixed reviews with more up than down. TRDB.
10/11/13- The NY Times gave this documentary a very good review today. TRDB.
10/25/13- Poor review in today’s NY Times and mixed reviews at best from others. TRDB.
2) LAST LOVE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “A widowed professor living alone in Paris sees no meaningful future for himself until he meets a free-spirited young dance instructor. From their first meeting, each instinctively provides what the other so desperately needs: someone to call family.”
11/1/13- A very poor review in today’s NY Times and from nearly all professional critics as well. TRDB.
3) A PERFECT MAN- 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “On the cusp of their ninth anniversary, James and Nina seem to have the perfect marriage and ideal lives – an affluent life in Amsterdam, lucrative jobs and adoring friends. Yet when Nina discovers James’s infidelity with a mutual friend of theirs after a long line of extramarital affairs, it’s the final straw, shattering whatever illusions they’ve created about their relationship and leaving them separated. Heartbroken about their separation, a stroke of luck leads Nina to impersonate James’s chatty travel agent on the phone, and he’s soon pouring his heart out and unwittingly falling for his wife all over again as they discuss the uncertainty of love and the eternal misunderstanding between men and women.”
11/1/13– A really poor review in today’s NY Times. I’ve seen one other professional review and it was good. Audiences have liked it very much. TRDB.
4) CBGB– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Renewing the legend of one of New York’s most storied nightclubs, this raucous drama features the punk and rock legends who made CBGB famous. While the club’s owner had hoped to open CBGB as a country venue, it soon became something quite different.”
10/11/13- Poor reviews from nearly all critics including the NY Times. TRDB.
DirecTV- www.directv.com/DTVAPP/listing/ppvMovies.jsp
Time Warner Link- www.twondemand.com
10/18/13- Great review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/6/13- Overall I enjoyed this movie as this is clearly a story needing to be told. The acting was wonderful. Throughout the movie I couldn’t help thinking about this as another Holocaust movie with the dehumanizing, the oppression, the splitting of families and the often random nature of the violence inflicted on the victims, in this case Blacks. My only objection was that too many scenes seemed the same to me, each showing the difficult daily life on the plantation in one form or another. TRDB.
2) BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Determined to fall in love, 15-year-old Adele focuses on Thomas. But it’s a blue-haired girl she meets on the street who really piques her interest. Soon, Adele begins exploring her desire for girls as she negotiates her way to becoming a woman.”
Rotten Tomatoes had this to say– “A 15-year-old girl finds her naïve perceptions of human sexuality challenged upon meeting a blue-haired girl who encourages her to assert her individuality in director Abdel Kechiche’s deeply perceptive drama. The recipient of the prestigious Palme d’ Or at the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival, Blue is the Warmest Color stars Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux.”
9/28/13- Excellent reviews although A.O. Scott from the NY Times wrote a negative review after this film won at Cannes. TRDB.
11/2/13- Great acting by the two lead women and a lot of graphic lesbian sex have contributed to making this movie, the winner of the Palme d’Or Award in Cannes, the most talked about movie in a long time. The story itself was very good as well and I recommend the film. TRDB.
10/11/13- The movie was well done and helped along by the knowledge that it was taken from a true story. Tom Hanks did his usual good job. I enjoyed the last 15min. the most. TRDB.
10/18/13- Great review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
6) ENOUGH SAID– Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury, Clearview 100. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini star in this charming comedy about a divorced woman venturing into a relationship with a sweet man. But things get tricky when she discovers the man she’s dating is the hated ex-husband of her new best friend.”
9/24/13- Excellent reviews from nearly everyone. TRDB.
9/29/13- With a very good script, very good acting and with great chemistry between the two main actors this movie seemed like real life with all of its conflicts. TRDB.
7) GRAVITY– Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “As a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission embarks on a space walk with a seasoned astronaut, debris strikes their craft and destroys it — leaving the two floating through space tethered together, with no connection to Earth.”
10/2/13- Very good reviews and this film has been well received at festivals too. TRDB.
10/4/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
10/11/13- Kind of a weak story but the special effects are definitely worth the price of admission. 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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