The Reel Dr. Bob

DEAR FRIENDS:

 

YOU CAN ACCESS THIS NEWSLETTER AND OLD REVIEWS AT- www.thereeldrbob.com

 

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

 

1) HAUTE CUISINE– Netflix Streaming

2) THE COUNSELOR– At the Theater

3) LOVELACE– Netflix

 

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT THE THEATER-

 

1) THE COUNSELOR– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Michael Fassbender stars in this thriller penned by iconic novelist Cormac McCarthy as an attorney who mistakenly believes he can dabble in the drug business without any consequences — only to find himself drowning in a nightmarish downward spiral.”10/25/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

11/7/13- There are as many strong negative reviews as strong positive reviews about this movie. One critic called it a lot of  “naughty fun” and I’d have to agree. Despite the violence I really liked the various characters, most played by name stars. TRDB.

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT HOME-

 

1) HAUTE CUISINE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Based on real characters and lives, this food-rich drama recounts Hortense Laborie’s experiences as personal chef for the president of France. After reluctantly accepting the job, Hortense braves the intimidating atmosphere of the Elysee Palace.”8/6/13- Very good early reviews for this film. TRDB.

9/20/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times but mixed reviews in general, more positive than negative. TRDB.

11/7/13- I enjoyed this French movie quite a bit, especially the food. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

2) LOVELACE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Amanda Seyfried stars as adult film icon Linda Lovelace, a woman coerced into and abused by the porn industry before taking charge of her life. The supporting cast includes all manner of Hollywood A-listers stepping into meaty roles.”

8/9/13- A mixed review in today’s NY Times and from other critics as well. TRDB.

11/12/13- A fairly realistic movie that presented well the seedy nature of the industry. I liked it. TRDB. Netflix.

3) AS I LAY DYING- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Writer-director James Franco’s ambitious take on William Faulkner’s classic novel chronicles the sobering story of a poor Southern clan carrying out the family matriarch’s dying wish to be buried in a distant town”

10/11/13- The NY Times gave this a good review but most critics did not like it. TRDB.

11/11/13- I didn’t like it and managed to watch almost half before turning it off. TRDB. Netflix.

4) COMPUTER CHESS– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “This comedic period piece set before PCs became commonplace centers on a 1980s chess tournament in which human competitors get their first crack at testing their skills against a machine.”

7/3/13- Just a few reviews and they are good. TRDB.

11/11/13- Reviews may have been good but I found the movie to be incredibly boring and I turned it off quickly. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

5) FLIGHT– 2012- Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In this action-packed mystery thriller, Academy Award winner, Denzel Washington stars as Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot, who miraculously crash lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault and what really happened on that plane?”

Very good reviews. TRDB.

11/2/12- Very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

 11/13/13- A ridiculous screenplay early on and I almost turned it off shortly after the plane crash. It did get a little better. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

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COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, NOV. 19-

 

1) PASSIONE- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “The glorious metropolis of Naples, Italy, is the star of this unusual film from director John Turturro, who crafts a scintillating blend of historical footage, re-enactments and music videos to explore the city’s musical past, present and future. The many cultural influences converging on the city are examined, as are the ways in which music expresses the passions, tragedies and everyday events experienced by the locals throughout the centuries.”

 

2) CRYSTAL FAIRY– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “A self-absorbed young American traveling in Chile plans a journey with his pals to find a legendary hallucinogenic cactus. But when he invites the free-spirited Crystal Fairy along, they find themselves locked in a battle of wills.”7/12/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. Others have liked it as well. TRDB.

3) 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.”8/6/13- Good reviews all over. TRDB.

4) THE WAY, WAY BACK– 2013. Synopsis by IMDB. “Over the course of his summer break, a teenager comes into his own thanks in part to the friendship he strikes up with one of the park’s managers.”8/26/12- An article (not a review) about this movie in today’s NY Times– Arts and Leisure section. TRDB.

11/8/13- This movie is back On-Demand and received good reviews. TRDB.

5) THE TO DO LIST– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this racy ensemble comedy, sexually inexperienced high school graduate Brandy Klark comes up with a list of erotic activities she’d like to work her way through before heading off to college in the fall.”7/26/13- A surprisingly good review good review in today’s NY Times but only fair ones in general. TRDB.

6) AND WHILE WE WERE HERE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Jane accompanies her cellist husband to Naples and spends her days trying to shake a case of writer’s block while he’s in rehearsal. She hoped the trip would help their troubled marriage, but she finds unexpected romance with a young American ex-pat.”9/13/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times and mixed reviews in general, more negative than positive. TRDB.

7) ALL IS BRIGHT– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Lie, cheat, steal: It’s all part of the holiday spirit for two men when they try to make a quick buck selling Christmas trees. For ex-con Dennis, it’s a chance to go straight, and for charmer Rene, it’s a chance to build a future with Dennis’s ex.”

10/4/13- Mixed reviews, more negative than positive but the NY Times liked it. TRDB.

 

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OPENED LAST FRIDAY-NOV .8- IN ADDITION TO THE MOVIES I WROTE ABOUT ON

NOV. 7-

 

1) BLOOD AND TIES– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “A young woman sees a movie about a real-life unsolved kidnapping and murder of a boy, and suspects that her father is the anonymous perpetrator. Her horror is compounded when a man from her father’s past suddenly appears.”11/8/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times but this movie sounds interesting. Audiences have liked it. TRDB.

2) CAUCUS– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “This documentary reveals a 2011 Iowa Caucus that TV audiences didn’t see, capturing the Republican presidential candidates on the campaign trail. The film features candid moments with Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and others.”

11/8/13- A very good review from the NY Times today and from other critics as well. Audiences have liked it very much. TRDB.

3) GREAT EXPECTATIONS– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Fate — with a little help from a mysterious unnamed benefactor — whisks young orphan Pip from poverty to a life of unexpected wealth. Filmmaker Mike Newell brings 19th-century London to life as never before in this adaptation of Dickens’s classic.”

11/8/13- Fairly good reviews in general but the NY Times panned it in today’s paper. TRDB.

4) IT’S ME, IT’S ME– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Hitoshi spirals into a bizarre identity crisis when a simple prank causes multiple versions of himself to start showing up all over town! His quest to make sense of the event takes a dark turn when a few of the duplicates start stalking the others.”

11/8/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. I saw 2 other reviews, one up and one down. TRDB.

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OPENING THIS WEEK- NOV.15-

 

1) CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Led to Romania by haunting visions, young American Charlie Countryman falls hard for an alluring cellist whose father has recently died — and whose violent past could bring about his own demise.”11/5/13- Weak early reviews. TRDB.

2) DEAR MR. WATTERSON– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Nearly two decades after the last original “Calvin and Hobbes” was published, this documentary examines the comic strip’s enduring legacy. Fans and cartoonists such as Berke Breathed of “Bloom County” discuss the strip’s impact and timeless appeal.”11/14/13- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

3) THE FALL OF 1980- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “On the brink of turning 30, Tom invites six of his closest friends to celebrate his engagement. But it’s a reunion that awakens bittersweet memories, giving the group a chance to say goodbye to their youth and greet middle age together.”11/5/13- No reviews as yet. TRDB.

4) FAUST– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “The legendary German tale is transplanted to the 19th century, where the title character — a thinker and iconoclast — makes a deal with the devil and trades away his soul for limitless scientific knowledge.”11/5/13- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

5) GEOGRAPHY CLUB– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Looking for a haven from the social hell of high school, the teens in this dramedy form a social club they know no one else will join. Here, it doesn’t matter that Min and Terese are more than just friends, or that the quarterback is seeing a guy.”11/5/13- I’ve seen just 1 review and it is positive. TRDB.

6) THE GREAT BEAUTY– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “As charming 65-year-old journalist Jap Gambardella writes about Rome’s culture and social life, he reflects with bitterness on the passions of his lost youth, even as he paints a complex portrait of the lovely and ancient city.”11/5/13- Very good reviews. TRDB.

7) LA GRAN FALACIA– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “This documentary examines the socioeconomic and political state of modern-day Puerto Rico, and how its people are the key to improvement. The film argues that the citizens’ understanding of the nation’s ills is the first step toward change.”11/5/13- No reviews at this time. TRDB.

8) JUNCTION– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Four meth addicts who are planning a quick burglary to fund their next fix discover a dark secret when they break into an upscale house. The stakes are raised when the homeowners return, and the robbery turns into a hostage crisis.”11/5/13- Poor early reviews. TRDB.

9) LION ARK– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “The daring rescue of 25 lions from illegal Bolivian circuses, an event caught on tape, forms the centerpiece of this provocative documentary. The film also presents footage from the undercover sting that led to the nation’s ban on animal acts.”11/5/13- Just 1 review so far and it’s good. TRDB.

10) NEBRASKA- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a cantankerous old boozer thinks he’s won a magazine sweepstakes prize, his son reluctantly takes a road trip with him to claim the fortune. As they drive from Montana to Nebraska, they visit friends and relatives to whom the dad owes money.”11/5/13- Good reviews. TRDB.

11) SPECIESISM: THE MOVIE– 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Modern farms are struggling to keep a secret. Most of the animals used for food in the United States are raised in giant, bizarre factories, hidden deep in remote areas of the countryside. Speciesism: The Movie director Mark Devries set out to investigate. The documentary takes viewers on a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening adventure, crawling through the bushes that hide these factories, flying in airplanes above their toxic “manure lagoons,” and coming face-to-face with their owners.”11/6/13- Early reviews are very good. TRDB.

12) SUNLIGHT JR.- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Hard times befall an already struggling convenience-store clerk and her paraplegic boyfriend when they’re evicted from the seedy motel they call home, and she loses the job that barely supports them.”11/5/13- Very good reviews. TRDB.

13) 12-12-12- 2013. Synopsis by IMDB- “A behind-the-scenes look at the televised benefit concert to raise relief funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.”11/14/13- Mixed reviews, more good than bad. TRDB.

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FLORIDA- At the Stonzek Theater Lake Worth Playhouse-

 

1) A TOUCH OF SIN- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Weaving together four stories of people living in different Chinese provinces, this drama follows a miner protesting corruption, a migrant worker with a gun, a factory drone always drifting to a new job and a receptionist who’s been assaulted.”10/4/13- Excellent reviews all around. The NY Times liked this movie very much and so did audiences. TRDB.

2) THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY-  2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Weaving together four stories of people living in different Chinese provinces, this drama follows a miner protesting corruption, a migrant worker with a gun, a factory drone always drifting to a new job and a receptionist who’s been assaulted.”10/4/13- Excellent reviews all around. The NY Times liked this movie very much and so did audiences. TRDB.

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COMCAST ON-DEMAND-

 

NEW-

 

1) 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.”11/8/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times and from most other critics as well. TRDB.

2) 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.

11/8/13- A poor review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

3) THE WAY, WAY BACK– 2013. Synopsis by IMDB. “Over the course of his summer break, a teenager comes into his own thanks in part to the friendship he strikes up with one of the park’s managers.”

8/26/12- An article (not a review) in today’s NY Times– Arts and Leisure section. TRDB.

11/8/13- This movie is back On-Demand and received good reviews. TRDB.

 

REPEATS-

 

 

Cablevision Link– http://www.optimum.net/VOD/movies?cat=Movies+On+Demand%2FIndependent+Films%2FIFC+In+Theaters

 

DirecTV- www.directv.com/DTVAPP/listing/ppvMovies.jsp

Time Warner Link- www.twondemand.com

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BOB’S PICKS IN THE SUBURBS-

 

NEW IN THE BURBS-

 

1) DALLAS BUYERS CLUB– Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury, Clearview 100. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Loosely based on true events, this drama follows Ron Woodroof, who refuses to accept he’ll die in 30 days when he’s diagnosed with AIDS in 1986. He extends his life and eventually helps many other AIDS patients by smuggling medications from abroad.”10/16/13- Very good reviews for this Indie drama. TRDB.

11/1/13- The review in today’s NY Times gave this movie an OK review but said that it lacked passion and “played it safe.” TRDB.

REPEATS-

 

1) 12 YEARS A SLAVE– Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. ” 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- Very good reviews from all critics. TRDB.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)  CAPTAIN PHILLIPS– Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this exciting adventure based on true events that made international headlines, Tom Hanks portrays Capt. Richard Phillips, who is taken hostage by Somali pirates after they hijack his cargo ship, and the U.S. Navy’s efforts to rescue him.”

10/11/13- This movie, starring Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips, has received excellent reviews but one critic said that it was a Hollywood style “A Hijacking”, a movie that I saw a few months ago that had a similar theme and was excellent. The NY Times liked it also. 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.

3) ALL IS LOST– Bethel, Danbury, Clearview 100. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this harrowing drama — which has no dialogue — Robert Redford portrays a man stranded alone at sea, courageously battling a ferocious storm as he struggles to survive with just a sextant and maritime maps to guide him.”

9/29/13- Very good reviews from all critics. TRDB.

10/18/13- Great review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

4) ENOUGH SAID– Saw Mill Hawthorne, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 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. 

5) KILL YOUR DARLINGS– Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1944, budding poet Allen Ginsberg falls under the spell of Columbia classmate Lucien Carr, who introduces him to the nascent Beat movement, as well as fellow libertines Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs.”

9/29/13- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

6) ABOUT TIME– Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 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.

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.

8)BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR– Garden Cinema Norwalk. 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.