FILM REVIEWS #514
September 25th, 2014
9/19/14- I enjoyed the movie– didn’t love it. In particular I liked the different characters who felt like caricatures to me. Also, fun seeing James Gandolfini in his last role. 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.
9/19/14- I enjoyed this movie very much and except for a bit of Hollywood it seemed very realistic and poignant to me. TRDB.
3) MAY IN THE SUMMER– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “May travels to Jordan for her wedding to Ziad, a fellow Arab American, but faces the disapproval of her mother, a converted evangelical Christian who doesn’t want her daughter marrying a Muslim man.”
8/22/14- Mixed reviews from critics and good ones from audiences. TRDB.
9/19/14- I enjoyed this movie, especially the relationship between the main character May and her sisters. TRDB. At the Jacob Burns Film Center as part of the Arab Film Festival.
4) FACTORY GIRL– This movie is about an extended Egyptian family and brings up the many differences in the treatment of women between East and West.
9/20/14- A good movie with an accurate depiction of the difficulties of being female in Arab countries. Very good acting and very realistic. TRDB. At the Jacob Burns Film Center as part of the Arab Film Festival.
5) 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.
9/21/14- I got into this movie early on and very much enjoyed it despite a few loose ends in the story. I’ll be interested in what readers think of it. TRDB.
6) BEFORE SNOWFALL– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “When his sister flees her arranged marriage, young Siyar is expected to seek her out and bring her back to restore his family’s honor. Siyar’s pursuit takes him from Kurdistan to Istanbul — where he first begins to doubt his mission.”
9/23/14- A different type of “road trip” that shows how Siyar’s local community, working together with members abroad, tries to help him complete his mission. A great first few minutes, a little slow in the middle with a good last half hour. Well worth seeing. TRDB. At the Arab Film Festival at Jacob Burns Film Center.
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1) AT MIDDLETON– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “When uptight surgeon George and free-spirited retailer Edith accompany their teenagers on a tour of Middleton University, their initial dislike of each other turns into a possible romance as they split from the group on their own adventures.”
2/5/14- Mixed reviews. TRDB.
9/19/14- This movie mixes some trivial portions with some excellent material and I did enjoy it. I also liked Vera Famiglia and Andy Garcia. TRDB. Netflix.
2) JUST A SIGH- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “During a break between performances in Calais, French theater actress Alix meets an enigmatic English man on the train to Paris — and the two wind up having a passionate encounter that may change both their lives.”
3/21/14- Mixed reviews including some awful ones but the movie sounds interesting. The NY Times did like it. TRDB.
9/21/14- I enjoyed the movie, especially the way information came out in layers. Emmanuelle Devos was her usual wonderful. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
3) 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.”
4/25/14– The NY Times liked this movie as did audiences and most other critics. TRDB.
9/23/14- I found this movie both interesting and disturbing and wondered throughout where this fictionalized film would take us. TRDB. Netflix.
2) COLD IN JULY– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a man kills a home invader in self-defense, the burglar’s father begins threatening the victim’s young son. But soon, both men will become embroiled in a mystery that eclipses the violence and rage already in play.”
7/5/14- Very good reviews from both critics and audiences. TRDB.
3) LUCKY THEM– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Seattle music journalist Ellie Klug is ordered to write a feature on her ex-boyfriend, celebrated musician Matthew Smith, who disappeared 10 years earlier, but her reluctant mission is complicated by the presence of Charlie, an amateur documentarian.”
5/30/14- Good reviews. TRDB.
4) WOLF– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “After his release from prison, Dutch-Moroccan kickboxer Majid tries to turn his life around using his talent for fighting. But he soon finds himself sucked into a criminal world so violent and crushing that it may destroy him.”
5/23/14- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.
5) FREE THE MIND– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “This documentary follows the efforts of neuroscientist Richard Davidson as he prescribes yoga and meditation in an attempt to ease the suffering of two war veterans with PTSD and a child with anxiety and ADHD.”
5/3/13- A mixed review at best in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
8/29/14- Better reviews from the critics as of today, 15 months later. TRDB.
Not Recommended-
1) HELLION- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “When 13-year-old delinquent Jacob lures his little brother, Wes, into trouble, the state sends the younger boy to live with an aunt. Now Jacob and his recently widowed father struggle to reform their lives and put their family back together.”
6/13/14- Weak professional reviews and only slightly better audience reaction to this movie. TRDB.
2) IVORY TOWER– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Spotlighting the upward spiral in college tuition fees since the 1970s, this sober documentary questions the true value of such costly education. Interviews with academic experts and online education pioneers bring to light emerging alternatives.”
6/13/14– Fairly good critical review but audiences have disliked this movie uniformly. TRDB.
2) FORT BLISS– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “After Army field doctor Maggie Swann returns from a long and grueling tour in Afghanistan, she finds that her absence has fractured her bond with her 5-year-old son. As she begins to heal the breach, Maggie learns that she’s being redeployed.”
9/19/14- Mixed reviews. Audiences have like it more than the critics. I saw the lead actress of this movie, Michelle Monaghan, in the movie “Trucker” a few years ago and thought that she was terrific in the role. I’ll look forward to seeing this one. TRDB.
3) HOLLIDAYSBURG– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “HOLLIDAYSBURG is a coming-of-age comedy about finding love, and the thrilling first moments of adulthood. When high school friends reunite over their first holiday break during college, they discover just how much they have changed while their town of Hollidaysburg has stayed the same.”
9/25/14- Lots of good reviews from critics and from audiences as well. The NY Times liked it. TRDB.
4) A LIFE IN DIRTY MOVIES– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “With his days as a master porn-film director far behind him, 88-year-old Joseph W. Sarno dreams of putting together one more blue production but discovers that the pornography business has changed mightily in the past 40 years.”
9/19/14- Excellent reviews for this documentary from the critics– less so from audiences. TRDB.
5) PUMP– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the wake of World War II, consumer tastes and government policy steered the United States into a fateful reliance on oil-fueled technology. This sobering documentary explains why and how Americans must end this addiction.”
9/19/14- Mixed reviews by critics but audiences have liked it very much. TRDB.
6) STOP THE POUNDING HEART– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “This dramatic portrait of a family of devout Christians living in Texas uses non-actors in familiar surroundings to relate an intimate tale. When daughter Sara meets young bull-rider Colby, her emotions bring her into direct conflict with her faith.”
9/19/14- Very good reviews from critics and OK ones from audiences. TRDB.
7) SWIM LITTLE FISH SWIM– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Leeward and Mary are a neurotic postmodern couple who insist on calling their 3-year-old daughter by two different names: Rainbow and Maggie. When they offer a temporary home to young French artist Lilas, the family dynamic becomes even trickier.”
9/19/14- Mixed reviews from critics and viewers alike- more positive than negative. TRDB.
8) TRACKS- 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Mia Wasikowska is affecting as adventurer Robyn Davidson, who crossed the Australian desert alone — and on foot — in 1977. Drawn from Davidson’s memoir, this drama depicts her arduous journey and explores her reasons for undertaking it.”
8/18/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
9) A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES– 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Based on Lawrence Block’s bestselling series of mystery novels, A Walk among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the PI learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of twisted crime…nor will it be the last.”
9/19/14- OK reviews from critics and audiences alike. TRDB.
NOT RECOMMENDED-
1) BRUSH WITH DANGER– 1014. Synopsis by Netflix. “Two undocumented immigrants to America, a brother and sister, struggle to get by in an unfamiliar world until the girl’s paintings catch the eye of an art broker who wants to sell them. But his spurious dealings lead the siblings down a dark path.”
9/19/14- Poor early reviews. TRDB.
2) LIFE’S A BREEZE– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the process of making over aging matriarch Nan’s ratty apartment, a cash-strapped Irish clan inadvertently discards her mattress that’s stuffed with nearly one million euros. The question now is: where do old mattresses go to die?”
9/19/14- Very poor reviews in general with a smattering of good ones. TRDB.
3) RECLAIM– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “While visiting Puerto Rico to complete the process of adopting a 7-year-old Haitian refugee, a young American couple becomes entangled in a bewildering web of duplicity when the child is kidnapped.”
9/19/14- Terrible reviews from everybody. TRDB.
4) THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “In accordance with Jewish custom, four siblings gather to sit shivah after their father’s death but are soon bickering and renewing old grudges. Brought together for the first time in years, the quarrelsome brood is in for a weeklong emotional duel.”
9/19/14- Poor reviews from critics and just OK ones from audiences. TRDB.
5) THE ZERO THEOREM– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the near future, Qohen spends his days working for a boss named Management and his nights waiting for a phone call that will explain his existence. Terry Gilliam puts his characteristic bizarre spin on modern life in this sci-fi comedy.”
9/19/14- Very weak reviews. TRDB.
6/23/14- I liked this movie very much– I’d call it a “slice of life” romantic comedy. TRDB.
3) 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, slightly more + than -. TRDB.
Not Recommended-
1) LIFE’S A BREEZE– 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the process of making over aging matriarch Nan’s ratty apartment, a cash-strapped Irish clan inadvertently discards her mattress that’s stuffed with nearly one million euros. The question now is: where do old mattresses go to die?”
9/19/14- Very poor reviews in general with a smattering of good ones. TRDB.
4) THE DOG- OK reviews
Time Warner Link- www.twondemand.com
REPEATS-
1) MY OLD LADY– Jacob Burns, Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 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.”
9/16/14- Fair critical review but audiences have liked it more. TRDB.
2) THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY– Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 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.
9/21/14- I got into this movie early on and very much enjoyed it despite a few loose ends in the story. I’ll be interested in what readers think of it. TRDB.
3) LOVE IS STRANGE– Bethel, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2014. Synopsis by Netflix. “After 28 years together, Ben and George finally get hitched. But when the marriage raises controversy at the school where George works, he’s fired. Unable to afford their New York City apartment, the couple is forced to live apart.”
8/12/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
9/16/14- Very well done movie with fine acting from Alfred Molina and John Lithgow. TRDB.
4) THE SKELETON TWINS– Jacob Burns, Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 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.
9/19/14- I enjoyed this movie very much and except for a bit of Hollywood it seemed very realistic and poignant to me. TRDB.
5) THE DROP– Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 2014. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “THE DROP is a new crime drama from Michaël R. Roskam, the Academy Award nominated director of Bullhead. Based on a screenplay from Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), THE DROP follows lonely bartender Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) through a covert scheme of funneling cash to local gangsters – “money drops” in the underworld of Brooklyn bars. Under the heavy hand of his employer and cousin Marv (James Gandolfini), Bob finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry.”
9/15/14- Very good reviews. TRDB.
9/19/14- I enjoyed the movie– didn’t love it. In particular I liked the different characters who felt like caricatures to me. Also fun seeing James Gandolfini in his last role. TRDB.
6) THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY– Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. Synopsis by Netflix. “Relocating from India to a quiet village in the south of France, chef Hassan Kadam and his family open a restaurant called Maison Mumbai. But when their business starts to thrive, a competing restaurateur launches a war between the eateries.”
8/5/14- Reviews are weak from most critics. I’ve seen the coming attractions and I’d have to agree. TRDB.
7) THE TRIP TO ITALY- 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.
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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