FILM REVIEWS #512
September 4th, 2014
8/28/14- A coming of age story that was OK, more because of the acting than because of the story. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
2) FIVE DANCES– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Real dance phenoms show their acting chops in this tale about Chip, a prodigy from Kansas hoping to make it big in New York City. Chip’s first weeks of rehearsal are marked by triumphs and setbacks both in his personal life and in the studio.”
10/4/13- Just a few professional reviews for this documentary and they are poor. Today’s NY Times did not like it. TRDB.
8/31/14- Really a story about a young dancer, recently moved to NY, and how he attempts to fit in professionally and personally. I enjoyed the movie and especially the dancing which was the best part. TRDB.
3) GUINEVARE- 1999. Synopsis by Netflix. “On the verge of a breakdown at her sister’s wedding, a Harvard-bound teen finds the love she seeks in a photographer who’s as old as her parents.”
9/3/14- A fairly weak story that I and most critics liked anyway. Sarah Polley as the lead was very good. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
5/23/14– Difficult to watch at times but a very interesting story. Definitely recommended. TRDB.
2) FED UP– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Childhood obesity has become an ever-more serious medical issue in the United States. This eye-opening documentary examines the underlying causes behind the epidemic, including the marketing strategies of major U.S. food producers.”
5/9/14- Good reviews from both critics and audiences. TRDB.
3) TEENAGE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “With narration by actors Jena Malone, Ben Whishaw, Julia Hummer and Jessie Usher, filmmaker Matt Wolf explores the origins of the modern-day “teenager” — a demographic that didn’t even exist until the mid-20th century.”
3/14/14- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.
4) THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Reading from letters, journals and memoirs, Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger and others help narrate this little-known tale of a handful of European dreamers whose relocation to the Galapagos Islands in the 1930s took a tragic turn.”
4/4/14- Reviews have been mixed but more positive than negative. TRDB.
5) BORGMAN– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “A self-important suburban family gets a rude awakening in this dark fable with the arrival of Camiel Borgman to their neighborhood. Their new neighbor infiltrates himself into their lives … but is it possible that he’s the devil?”
6/6/14- Fairly good reviews including the one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
6) PALO ALTO– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Based on a collection of short stories by James Franco (who also stars), this perceptive drama follows a group of disaffected teens in a wealthy California town who have money to burn but little parental supervision — and even less direction.”
5/9/14- Very good reviews. The NY Times liked it also. TRDB.
7) WHO IS DAYANI CRISTAL?- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the oppressive desert heat, Arizona authorities find a man’s decomposing body with only one clue to his identity: a tattoo reading “Dayani Cristal.” Gael García Bernal portrays the unknown man in dramatic segments of this intriguing documentary.”
4/25/14- Mixed reviews but more positive than negative. The NY Times liked it and so did audiences. TRDB.
8) THE EMPTY HOURS– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “On the desolated coast of Veracruz, 17 year-old Sebastián takes over running his uncle’s small and cozy rent-by-the hour motel. There he meets Miranda, a regular customer who comes to the motel to meet a lover who always keeps her waiting. As Sebastián and Miranda get to know each other, an ambiguous game of seduction begins between them.”
7/11/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
3/21/14- A moving drama with very interesting characters and wonderful acting. Really a story about how one person can influence your life and its often not family. TRDB.
2) THE GERMAN DOCTOR– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a young family opens a lakeside lodge in Patagonia, they have no idea that their first guest will be a Nazi war criminal. Unbeknownst to them, the charming doctor so entranced with 12-year-old Eva is none other than Josef Mengele.”
3/18/14- Good reviews for this movie. TRDB.
4/25/14– The NY Times liked this movie as did audiences and most other critics. TRDB.
2) SECOND OPINION: LAETRILE AT SLOAN-KETTERING-2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “The War On Cancer, launched in the early 1970s, set the stage for a massive influx of new ideas in fighting the disease of cancer. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, America’s leading cancer research center at the time, was assigned the task of testing an unconventional therapy called “Laetrile” in an effort to curb the public’s “false hope” in the alleged “quack” therapy. Ralph W. Moss PhD, a young and eager science writer, was hired by Sloan-Kettering’s public relations department in 1974 to help brief the American public on the center’s contribution to the War On Cancer. One of his first assignments was to write a biography about Dr. Kanematsu Sugiura, one of the Center’s oldest and leading research scientists as well as the original co-inventor of chemotherapy.”
8/29/14- OK reviews by critics and audiences have liked it very much. TRDB.
3) SHADOWS FROM MY PAST– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In 1940 Gita Weinrauch Kaufman escaped from Austria with her immediate family the day they were to be transported to Dachau Concentration Camp. More than 50 years later, she returned to Vienna with her husband and co-director, Curt Kaufman, to ask the question: Is present-day Austria truly different from the country from which she fled?”
8/29/14- Just 3 reviews– 2 up, including today’s NY Times and 1 down. It sounds interesting and I will try to see it. TRDB.
2) LAST WEEKEND– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “A matriarch (Patricia Clarkson) asks her adult sons to visit their gorgeous Lake Tahoe home for a final weekend before she sells it, but it quickly becomes a comical disaster.”
8/29/14- Poor reviews. TRDB.
3) THE NAKED ROOM– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “The location: a pediatric therapist’s office. The characters: severely depressive child patients and their anguished parents. In Nuria Ibáñez’s fascinating and acclaimed documentary, the austere interior of a Mexico City hospital is the setting for a profoundly moving and educational film.”
8/29/14- I’ve seen 3 reviews- 2 down including the NY Times and 1 up. TRDB.
4) THE STRANGE COLOR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set in a luscious art-nouveau apartment house in Brussels, this dizzying thriller begins with a businessman coming home to find his wife missing. But as he attempts to unravel the mystery, he finds himself plunged him into a surreal world.”
8/29/14- Poor reviews by critics and audiences as well. TRDB.
5) THROUGH A LENS DARKLY– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “This documentary examines how black photographers have used the medium since its inception as an implement for social change. The film presents examples from Anthony Barboza, Deborah Willis, Glenn Ligon, Carrie Mae Weems and other notable figures.”
8/30/14- Weak reviews. TRDB.
1) GOD HELP THE GIRL– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “This musical by Stuart Murdoch — of the indie band Belle and Sebastian — follows Eve, whose gift for songwriting sees her through a troubled life. Her talent takes her to Glasgow, where she finally meets others who share her passion.”
8/25/14- Good reviews. TRDB.
2) LEVITATED MASS– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 2012, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art installed Michael Heizer’s sculpture Levitated Mass — a 340-ton boulder perched atop a trench. This film traces the piece’s journey — from conception to the monolith’s 11-day transport from Riverside.”
8/25/14- Two reviews and they are both good. TRDB.
3) NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Baseball history is rich with heroic lore, but no tale may be stranger than that of Pittsburgh Pirates ace Dock Ellis throwing a no-hitter while high on LSD. This absorbing documentary looks at his stormy career and the life he found after baseball.”
8/25/14- Very good early reviews. TRDB.
4) THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Told from two perspectives in two independent chapters, this engrossing drama depicts the dissolving union of Eleanor and Conor, who begin drifting apart in the wake of a tragic and traumatizing event.”
8/25/14- Excellent reviews. TRDB.
5) THE GREEN PRINCE– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a top leader in Palestine’s militant Hamas movement, spends a decade working as a mole for Israeli intelligence. In this gripping true-life drama, Yousef lives each day in immediate danger of torture and execution.”
8/25/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
6) I AM ELEVEN– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Australian filmmaker Genevieve Bailey travelled the world for six years talking with 11-year-olds to compose this insightful, funny and moving documentary portrait of childhood. From an orphanage in India, to a single-parent household in inner-city Melbourne, to bathing with elephants in Thailand, I AM ELEVEN explores the lives and thoughts of children from 15 countries.”
8/25/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
2) FRONTERA- 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Set in the tumultuous Border area of Arizona and Mexico, Frontera follows the events that take place after a former Arizona Sheriff’s wife (Amy Madigan) is killed while riding on their Ranch property. It would appear a Mexican man (Michael Pena) crossing in to the US illegally is at fault. As former Sheriff (Ed Harris) and current Sheriff (Aden Young) search for answers, lives are changed forever.”
9/3/14- Professional reviews are mixed at best. TRDB.
3) IDENTICAL– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Identical twin brothers (both played by Blake Rayne) are separated at birth during the Great Depression. Their parents (Brian Geraghty, Amanda Crew) just cannot afford to give them both a life beyond poverty, so one is adopted by loving family. Despite their very different upbringings, the boys’ shared passion for music causes their lives to unknowingly intersect as they experience a powerful and mysterious connection often felt by twins.”
8/25/14- No reviews as yet. TRDB.
4) MY OLD LADY– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline) is a down-on-his-luck New Yorker who inherits a Parisian apartment from his estranged father. But when he arrives in France to sell the vast domicile, he’s shocked to discover a live-in tenant who is not prepared to budge. His apartment is a viager – an ancient French real estate system with complex rules pertaining to its resale – and the feisty Englishwoman Mathilde Girard (Maggie Smith), who has lived in the apartment with her daughter Chloe.”
8/25/14- No reviews as yet. TRDB.
5) BIRD PEOPLE– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “When two strangers yearning to escape their discontented lives eventually cross paths in a Paris airport hotel, neither of them is prepared for the series of surprises that follow their chance meeting.”
8/25/14- Just 3 reviews– 2 down and 1 up. We’ll see. TRDB.
6) TAKE ME TO THE RIVER– 2014. “Narrated by actor Terrence Howard, this engaging documentary centers on the legacy of the Memphis music scene as intergenerational artists — from bluesmen to rappers — are brought together to collaborate on a historic new album.”
8/25/14- No reviews as yet. TRDB.
1) FINDING FANNY– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Five Goans set off on a road trip in search of an old postman’s childhood love, Stefanie “Fanny” Fernandes, though nobody knows whether she’s alive or dead or just a figment of someone’s imagination.”
9/3/14- No reviews as yet. TRDB.
2) THE SKELETON TWINS– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “When near-death experiences on the same day motivate estranged twins Milo and Maggie to reunite, they’re forced to reevaluate their empty lives as they attempt to mend the long-broken bond between them.”
9/3/14- Reviews are very positive for this drama. TRDB.
6) THE DOG- OK reviews
Time Warner Link- www.twondemand.com
2) THE LAST OF ROBIN HOOD– Clearview 100. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Kevin Kline stars as an aging Errol Flynn in this biopic that chronicles the womanizing actor’s relationship with teenager Beverly Aadland. The film examines Beverly’s mother’s role in the affair and the private demons behind Flynn’s reputation.”
9/3/14- Very weak professional reviews and audiences give mixed reviews- about equal up and down. TRDB.
8/11/14- Richard Linklater has really done it. I enjoyed this movie very much and the continuity of the same people acting through the years made this film very real and certainly unique. TRDB.
4) CHEF– Saw Mill Hawthorne. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “When chef Carl Casper’s plans for opening a restaurant in Los Angeles fail to pan out, he returns home to Miami and debuts a food truck instead. While trying to regain his zest for cookery, Carl also tries to mend his fractured family ties”
5/9/14- Very good professional and audience reviews. TRDB.
5) A MOST WANTED MAN– Saw Mill Hawthorne. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “A half-Russian, half-Chechen man, brutalized by torture, arrives in Hamburg, where he seeks a British banker’s help in recovering his father’s estate. But the man may not be all he seems to be in this riveting adaptation of John le Carré’s novel.”
7/8/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
8/16/14- I found this movie confusing at first. The acting was great and propelled the movie which was more ordinary. This was Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last completed film before his untimely death. TRDB.
6) CALVARY– Jacob Burns. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “An anonymous man comes to Father James in confession and vows to kill him in one week, simply because the priest is himself a good man. The father spends the week contemplating good and evil, viewing his small Irish community with new eyes.”
7/27/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
8/20/14- A wonderful drama with enough tension to keep you on edge. TRDB.
7) THE TRIP TO ITALY– Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Following in the footsteps of the great romantic poets, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon traverse the Italian countryside musing about life and love. Work enters the conversation as well in this largely improvised sequel to the roadtrip comedy “The Trip.”
8/15/14– Good reviews including the one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
8/22/14- I enjoyed the movie but with the views and food from the Italian coast it’s hard not to. TRDB.
8) CANTINFLAS– Danbury. 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Cantinflas is the untold story of Mexico’s greatest and most beloved comedy film star of all time. From his humble origins on the small stage to the bright lights of Hollywood, Cantinflas became famous around the world – one joke at a time.”
9/4/14- I’ve seen just 4 reviews and they are poor. TRDB.
9) BEGIN AGAIN– Danbury. 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.
7/6/14- A well done fun movie with great music and very likable characters. I liked it very much. TRDB.
10) LIFE OF CRIME– Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “After kidnapping a rich property developer’s wife and holding her for ransom, two small time crooks discover that their plan has a major flaw: their hostage’s philandering husband is in no rush to free her from captivity.”
8/28/14- Mixed reviews with some good and some very bad. 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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