The Reel Dr. Bob

JUNE 26, 2014

DEAR FRIENDS:

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

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) INCH’ALLAH– Netflix Streaming

2) JOE- Netflix

3) OBVIOUS CHILD– At the Theater

4) THE INVISABLE WOMAN– Netflix

5) APENAS O FIM- Netflix Streaming

6) BOY- Netflix Streaming

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MOVIES I SAW LAST WEEK AT THE THEATER-

1) OBVIOUS CHILD– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “After being fired from her job and dumped by her cheating boyfriend, a comedian bottoms out and has a drunken one-night stand with a nice guy who’s not her type. Weeks later, she finds out she’s pregnant.”6/6/14- Very good reviews, including the review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

6/23/14- I liked this movie — I’d call it a “slice of life” romantic comedy. TRDB.

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MOVIES I SAW LAST WEEK AT HOME-

1) INCH’ALLAH– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “A Canadian obstetrician living in Israel makes multiple passes through heavily guarded checkpoints to get to her job at a women’s health clinic in Palestine. But political tensions take on personal overtones when she befriends a pregnant patient.”8/16/13- A weak review in today’s NY Times and mixed ones in general, some loving it and some calling it contrived at best. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

6/20/14- A thought provoking drama that uses minimal dialogue and maximum acting to convey the story. I liked it but it is controversial for sure. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

2) JOE- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “When ex-con Joe hires 15-year-old Gary to help clear trees for a lumber company, he doesn’t expect to become a father figure for the abused boy. When Gary runs away from home, Joe becomes his protector, a role overshadowed by his own troubled past.”

4/8/14- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

4/11/14- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

6/22/14- After a slow start the movie became interesting with a good acting job by Nicholas Cage for a change. Worth a viewing. TRDB. Netflix.

3) THE INVISIBLE WOMAN– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in this drama about the affair Charles Dickens began with a teen actress while at the height of his career. Felicity Jones plays the young thespian who catches Dickens’s eye, and Kristin Scott Thomas plays her mom.”

12/3/13- Mixed reviews but more good than bad. TRDB.

6/24/14- Very, very slow but I did see the whole thing. Just OK. TRDB. Netflix.

4) APENIS O FIM- 2008. Synopsis by Netflix. ” student has one hour to change his girlfriend’s mind about ending their relationship in this romantic winner of the inaugural Premio Netflix prize.”

6/24/14- I enjoyed the movie but found it very sad as the couple seemed pretty well suited to each other. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

5) BOY– 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Filmed in his native New Zealand, this comedy from writer-director Taika Waititi (Eagle vs. Shark) follows 11-year-old Boy and his younger brother, Rocky, whose rich fantasy lives are stopped cold when their father returns home after years away. Although Boy has imagined that his father (Waititi) is a dashing, accomplished hero who is related to Michael Jackson, in reality he is a failed gangster seeking to restore his family’s faith in him.” Good audience reviews. TRDB.

3/2/12- Excellent review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

6/26/14– I enjoyed this film much more than the premise would indicate. Great acting by the kid (Boy). TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

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COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, JULY 1-

1) LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON–  2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) is a successful Tokyo architect who works long hours to provide for his wife, Midori (Machiko Ono) and six-year-old son, Keita. But when a blood test reveals Keita and another baby were switched at birth, two very different families are thrown together and forced to make a difficult decision while Ryota confronts his own issues of responsibility and what it means to be a father. LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON extends the Japanese cinema tradition of familial exploration to deliver a gentle and moving story of personal redemption that playfully navigates its way through the drama.”1/17/14– An excellent review in today’s NY Times and from others as well. TRDB.

3/12/14- An superb portrayal of what “family” means. Wonderful acting by all and definitely a must-see.” TRDB.

2) THE LUNCHBOX– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “When Mumbai’s eerily reliable lunchbox delivery service erroneously sends a meal prepared by a young housewife to a lonely widower on the brink of retirement, the mistake ignites an exchange of notes and mutual fantasy between them.”2/28/14-Very good reviews in general. I’ll see it. TRDB.

4/12/14- A sensitive movie about several lonely people. I enjoyed it very much. TRDB. 

3) SISTER– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Every day, impoverished 12-year-old Simon sneaks into a posh Swiss ski resort, where he helps himself to the gear of wealthy tourists. Benefitting from his thievery is his lazy older sister, Louise, who refuses to live up to her responsibilities.”

10/5/12- Very good reviews from the NY Times and from most other critics as well. TRDB.

10/24/12- This movie gave a good depiction of the despair of the characters and therefore was a bit difficult to watch at times. All in all I’d say that I did like it. TRDB.

4) A SHORT HISTORY OF DECAY– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “With his future as a writer in ruins and his girlfriend gone, Nathan Fisher travels to Florida to help take care of his ailing parents. There, Nathan meets a manicurist who may be able to help him put things in perspective and step up to the plate.”

5/16/14- Fairly good reviews for this comedy. TRDB.

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OPENING THIS WEEK- (6/20 and 6/27)

1) LE CHEF– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “The friction between gourmet chef Alexandre Lagarde and his interfering boss threatens to ruin Lagarde’s reputation and lose him his position. ‘6/20/14- Fair reviews at best from critics and audiences as well. The NY Times had a mixed review but more negative than positive. TRDB.

2) VENUS IN FUR– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway play by David Ives, which itself was based on Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s groundbreaking novella, VENUS IN FUR is the latest film from master filmmaker Roman Polanski. Alone in a Paris theater after a long day of auditioning actresses for his new play, writer-director Thomas (Amalric) complains that no actress he’s seen has what it takes to play the lead female character: a woman who enters into an agreement with her male counterpart to dominate him as her slave.”

6/16/14- Very good reviews in general and the NY Times liked it as well. TRDB.

3) EXHIBITION– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Married artists H and D decide to sell the modernist London home that’s been their refuge from the outside world (and each other) for 18 years. The decision affects them both in unexpected ways, and even forces them to reexamine their relationship.”

6/20/14- Good reviews by critics, including the NY Times and fairly good reviews from audiences. TRDB.

Not Recommended–

1) COHERENCE– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a comet causes a neighborhood to lose power, four couples gathered for a dinner party investigate a nearby house whose lights are still on.”6/20/14- Good reviews in general. The NY Times made it sound like a failed horror movie. I think I’ll skip it. TRDB.

2) FONZY– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “José Garcia plays Diego Costa, who, 20 years ago, using the nickname Fonzy, regularly donated his sperm for research purposes. Now aged 42, Diego delivers fish for his family’s firm, and lives like a fun-loving teenager. But when his girlfriend Elsa announces she’s pregnant, his past starts to catch up with him.”

6/20/14- Critical review was only slightly better than audience reviews and that’s not saying much. The movie sounds like 2 others this year. TRDB.

3) NO TEARS FOR THE DEAD– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Gon is a hitman, abandoned by his mother shortly after immigrating to America. Wracked by guilt for accidentally killing an innocent young girl, the situation becomes even thornier when his boss assigns him the job of killing her mother.”

6/20/14- I’ve seen just 3 reviews– 2 down and 1 up. TRDB.

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FLORIDA- At the Stonzek Theater Lake Worth Playhouse-

1) STAND CLEAROF THE CLOSING DOORS- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “After he’s chided for skipping class, autistic 13-year-old Ricky escapes his life for a journey on the subway, spending days underground. As his family carries out a desperate search for him on the surface, Hurricane Sandy approaches the city.”5/23/14- Very good professional reviews and OK audience ones too. TRDB.

2) CHINESE PUZZLE- 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A 40-year-old father of two, still finds life very complicated. When the mother of his children moves to New York, he can’t bear them growing up far away from him and so he decides to move there as well.”5/16/14- Fairly good reviews from critics including the NY Times and mostly good reviews from audiences. TRDB.

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COMCAST ON-DEMAND-

NEW-

1) VENUS IN FUR– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway play by David Ives, which itself was based on Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s groundbreaking novella, VENUS IN FUR is the latest film from master filmmaker Roman Polanski. Alone in a Paris theater after a long day of auditioning actresses for his new play, writer-director Thomas (Amalric) complains that no actress he’s seen has what it takes to play the lead female character: a woman who enters into an agreement with her male counterpart to dominate him as her slave.”6/16/14- Very good reviews in general and the NY Times liked it as well. TRDB.

REPEATS-

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BOB’S PICKS IN THE SUBURBS-

NEW IN THE BURBS-

1) THE NANCE– Clearview 100. 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “THE NANCE recreates the naughty, raucous world of burlesque’s heyday and tells the backstage story of Chauncey Miles and his fellow performers.”6/24/14- No reviews as yet. TRDB.

2) VENUS IN FUR– Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway play by David Ives, which itself was based on Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s groundbreaking novella, VENUS IN FUR is the latest film from master filmmaker Roman Polanski. Alone in a Paris theater after a long day of auditioning actresses for his new play, writer-director Thomas (Amalric) complains that no actress he’s seen has what it takes to play the lead female character: a woman who enters into an agreement with her male counterpart to dominate him as her slave.”

6/16/14- Very good reviews in general and the NY Times liked it as well. TRDB.

3) THE GRAND SEDUCTION– Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “The cash-strapped burg of Tickle Cove must persuade a doctor to move to town if they want a plastics manufacturer to build a new factory there. But selling the advantages of the tiny Newfoundland village to a young professional won’t be easy.”

5/30/14- Good reviews. TRDB.

REPEATS-

1) IDA– Bethel, Clearview 100. 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Raised in a Catholic orphanage during the Nazi occupation of Poland, Anna is poised to join the order when she learns she has a surviving aunt. But visiting the woman before taking her vows uncovers some inconvenient truths about her heritage.”

ENJOY!!

THE REEL DR. BOB