FILM REVIEWS #504
July 3rd, 2014
6/29/14- I enjoyed this documentary very much. As noted above, this event was really the early stage of sexual harassment awareness in the workplace. TRDB.
2) ROB THE MOB– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Looking for easy money, a criminal couple sticks up New York City’s top mobsters at their gun-free social clubs. In the process, the pair comes across a complete list of Mafia members — and promptly becomes targets of the gangsters and the FBI.”
3/21/14- Good reviews and the NY Times liked it. TRDB.
6/30/14- A very entertaining movie without the usual guns of a Mafia movie. TRDB.
3) 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.
7/2/14- The only character I believed was one of the two dogs. There were a few creative aspects to the movie but you can skip it. TRDB.
2) JODOROWSKY’S DUNE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the mid-1970s, director Alejandro Jodorowsky was determined to make a film version of Dune, Frank Herbert’s landmark science-fiction novel. This documentary recounts Jodorowsky’s efforts to gather a crew and find funding for the project.”
3/21/14- Very good reviews for this movie. The NY Times liked it also. TRDB.
3) BAD WORDS– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Blessed with a photographic memory but no high school education, Guy Trilby discovers that he’s eligible to enter spelling bees intended for children. As Guy steamrolls his pre-teen competition, a journalist tries to find out what motivates him.”
3/14/14- Good reviews in general and the NY Times liked it as well. TRDB.
4) NYMPHOMANIAC: VOLUME 1- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “A self-diagnosed nymphomaniac reveals a lifetime of sexual experiences to a man who saves her from being beaten in an alley. As the aging but charming bachelor tends to the woman, she shares erotic details of encounters from her youth to her present.”
3/21/14- Very good reviews for Lars von Trier’s latest. The NY Times liked it also. TRDB.
5) NYMPHOMANIAC: VOLUME 2- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “The second half of Lars von Trier’s epic follows self-diagnosed nymphomaniac Joe as she chronicles her adult years to the man who saved her from a beating. Her tales include new conquests, both male and female, in her search for fulfillment.”
4/4/14- Mixed reviews– more positive than negative. TRDB.
6) LE WEEK-END– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Returning to Paris long after their honeymoon there, a British couple hopes to rediscover the magical feelings of their early years together. There, they meet an old friend whose perspectives on love and marriage help them recover what was lost.”
3/14/14- Good reviews from critics– audiences so-so. TRDB.
4/7/14– I enjoyed this ultimately sad movie about people’s relationships with their spouses. TRDB.
7) MAIDENTRIP– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Critics called her delusional. Child welfare agents tried to intervene. But Laura Dekker would not be denied her shot at sailing round the world. This documentary captures the 14-year-old’s solo feat through footage she shot on her two-year voyage.”
1/17/14- A good review in today’s NY Times but they commented that sailing alone Laura obviously could not film the real action while dealing with it. TRDB.
8) TEST– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “As the newest member of an exciting contemporary dance company in San Francisco, young Frankie navigates gay life in the big city as he grapples with a homophobic choreographer and develops an intense relationship with a fellow dancer.”
6/13/14- Very good reviews from critics and audiences. TRDB.
2) BEGIN AGAIN– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Moving to New York City proves disastrous for a young singer after her boyfriend yields to the temptation of another woman. But opportunity comes knocking when she meets a recently axed music producer looking to launch her career — and save his own.”
6/27/14– Fairly good reviews by critics and audiences. The NY Times did not like it. TRDB.
3) BOUND BY FLESH– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Perhaps the most famous conjoined twins of all time, the Hiltons became a vaudeville sensation before falling on hard times and dying in poverty. This absorbing documentary follows their unique life, which was fraught with exploitation and hardship.”
6/27/14- Very good reviews by critics and OK ones by audiences. TRDB.
4) THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY- THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “After he helped design the original Internet protocol RSS, programming legend Aaron Swartz became an ardent information activist. This probing documentary details what became of his wide-open future after he was charged with computer fraud.”
6/27/14- Excellent reviews from critics and audiences alike. TRDB.
5) JACKPOT– 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Driven by a fairly outrageous proposition, this blood-soaked comedy opens with Oscar Svendson waking up in the middle of a grisly murder scene. Oscar tries to prove his innocence to the police with the tale of a huge lottery win that went very wrong.”
6/27/14- Today’s NY Times gave this one a mixed review. I couldn’t find other reviews. TRDB.
7) SIDDARTH– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “After sending his 12-year-old son away to work, impoverished street merchant Mahendra Saini launches a search for the boy when he doesn’t return on the expected date. But Mahendra has no money and no picture of his child, hampering the hunt.”
6/27/14– Good critical review but audiences didn’t care for it. TRDB.
8) SNOWPIERCER– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “The Earth’s remaining inhabitants are confined to a single train circling the globe as revolution brews among the class-divided cars. Based on a French graphic novel and set in a new ice age, this futuristic thriller stars a top-notch ensemble cast.”
6/27/14- Very good reviews from critics and fairly good ones from audiences as well. TRDB.
9) UNRELATED– 2008. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Deeply disappointed with her life in middle age but unsure of what actions she should take to remedy her malaise, a forty-something woman named Anna (Kathryn Worth) is forced to acknowledge her inner turmoil after arriving at the holiday home of a bourgeois family and becoming distracted by the youthful energy in the home.”
6/27/14- Very good professional reviews and fairly good audience reviews. The NY Times liked it very much. TRDB.
Not Recommended-
1) LA BARE– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Magic Mike actor Joe Manganiello makes his directorial debut with this absorbing documentary profiling the dancers at a Dallas male strip club, where elaborate choreography, punishing physical regimens and showmanship are demanded of every performer.”
6/27/14- Weak reviews. TRDB.
2) THEY CAME TOGETHER– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this semi-spoof of romantic comedies, candy company exec Joel falls for Molly, who owns a corner candy store he’s tasked with closing. Their road to romance is filled with oddball obstacles, not the least of which is Molly’s utter hatred for Joel.”
6/27/14- Weak reviews all around. TRDB.
2) LIFE ITSELF– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Follow Roger Ebert from his school newspaper days to his status as America’s premier film critic in this documentary drawn from his memoir.”
6/23/14- Great reviews. TRDB.
2) WHITEY: USA VS. JAMES J. BULGER– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Acclaimed documentarian Joe Berlinger lays bare the real story of South Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger, including his sensational 2013 trial.”
6/27/14- A very good review in today’s NY Times and OK reviews by other critics. Some really bad ones too. Audiences have liked it more. TRDB.
5) DANCING IN JAFFA- I liked this one very much
6) DECODING ANNIE- Good reviews
Time Warner Link- www.twondemand.com
6/8/14- A Hollywoodish feel good movie that made me feel good. TRDB.
2) 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.”
5/2/14- Excellent reviews all around including the one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5/23/14– Difficult to watch at times but a very interesting story. Definitely recommended. TRDB.
3) JERSEY BOYS- Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Adapted from the hit Broadway musical, this nostalgic look at the Four Seasons and their bumpy offstage lives stretches across four decades.”
6/13/14- Mixed reviews by critics although audiences have liked it. TRDB.
4) OBVIOUS CHILD– Jacob Burns. Bethel. 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.
5) VENUS IN FUR– Clearview 100, 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.
6) VIOLETTE– Clearview 100. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Impoverished writer Violette Leduc finds a mentor in best-selling author Simone de Beauvoir, who champions her work and encourages her art. But while the two become lifelong friends, Violette yearns for something more.”
6/13/14- Fairly good reviews from critics but poor ones from audiences. TRDB.
7) BEGIN AGAIN– Jacob Burns, Danbury, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Moving to New York City proves disastrous for a young singer after her boyfriend yields to the temptation of another woman. But opportunity comes knocking when she meets a recently axed music producer looking to launch her career — and save his own.”
6/27/14– Fairly good reviews by critics and audiences. The NY Times did not like it. TRDB.
8) THE FAULT IN OUR STARS– Danbury. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Teenager Hazel, who has pushed people away since her cancer diagnosis, reluctantly joins a support group, where she bonds with a boy named Gus. Together, they face the challenge of building a relationship under the shadow of terminal illness.”
6/6/14- Very good reviews even though a few reviewers called it schmaltzy. TRDB.
9) SNOWPIERCER– Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “The Earth’s remaining inhabitants are confined to a single train circling the globe as revolution brews among the class-divided cars. Based on a French graphic novel and set in a new ice age, this futuristic thriller stars a top-notch ensemble cast.”
6/27/14- Very good reviews from critics and fairly good ones from audiences as well. TRDB.
10) 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.
For Independent Films in Your Neighborhood go to- www.emergingpictures.com
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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