The Reel Dr. Bob

FILM REVIEWS #338

August 25th, 2010

  AUGUST 25, 2010

DEAR FRIENDS:  

Please use www.thereeldrbob for information about individual movies.  

NEWS–  I WAS ASKED TO BE A JUDGE AT THE FIRST L-DUB (LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA) FILM FESTIVAL AT THE STONZEK THEATER OF THE LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE IN A FEW WEEKS. THE FESTIVAL WILL CONSIST OF FEATURES, SHORTS, ANIMATED AND DOCUMENTARIES. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT AND I’LL REPORT BACK AFTERWARDS.  CHECK IT OUT AT www.lakeworthplayhouse.org. AND-

PLEASE CONSIDER COMING IF YOU’RE IN FLORIDA.  

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES FOR THE WEEK-  

1) LA MISSION- Netflix.

2) OFF AND RUNNING- Netflix Streaming.

3) THE CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION- Netflix.   ________________________________________________________________________________________   MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT THE THEATER-  

1) GET LOW- Premise by Netflix. “Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek team up to tell the true story of Felix “Bush” Breazeale, a Tennessee loner who planned his own funeral in 1938 while he was still around to attend — and enjoy — the proceedings. Also starring Bill Murray and Lucas Black as the co-proprietors of the funeral home, the dramatic thriller was penned by the screenwriting team of C. Gaby Mitchell (Blood Diamond) and Chris Provenzano (“Mad Men”).” Great reviews.  

 8/10 To my surprise I did like this movie even though it was clearly a vehicle for Duvall to shine once more. I have never liked Murray outside of the comic role and didn’t here either. TRDB.   _________________________________________________________________________________________   MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT HOME-  

1) LA MISSION- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Ultra-macho ex-con Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) learns the true meaning of being a father when he discovers his son (Jeremy Ray Valdez) is gay. Rivera turns violent at first, but when a beautiful neighbor (Erika Alexander) helps him see through his anger, he begins to reconcile his long-held beliefs. Peter Bratt (Benjamin’s brother) writes and directs this compelling drama, while Max Rosenak and Talisa Soto co-star.” Weak reviews.

8/10- While portions of this movie were cliched there were some very interesting and poignant moments. Worth a look. TRDB. Netflix.

2) OFF AND RUNNING- Premise by Netflix. “African American teen Avery Klein-Cloud has white Jewish lesbian parents, an older Puerto Rican brother and a younger Korean brother. As she tries to contact her biological mother, Avery risks alienating the adoptive family she’s always loved. Examining the complexities of race, identity and family, filmmaker Nicole Opper’s compelling documentary follows Avery as she wrestles with the consequences of researching her roots.” Very good reviews.

8/10- An interesting documentary, in particular the difficulty this young Black woman had in understanding being black after being raised in a Jewish family. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

 3) THE CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION- Premise by Netflix. “After duping school officials into awarding him a grant to write a biography on novelist Jules Gund, grad student Omar Razaghi (Omar Metwally) is forced to travel to Uruguay to get legitimate authorization from the late author’s three executors. Directed by James Ivory (A Room with a View), this moving adaptation of author Peter Cameron’s novel of the same name also stars Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney and Charlotte Gainsbourg.” Very good reviews.

8/10- The “old world” that Omar gets himself into is the most interesting part of the film. I liked it. TRDB. Netflix.

4) THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD- Premise by Netflix. “On a train crossing the Manchurian desert, an unlikely trio — good bounty hunter Park Do-won (Woo-sung Jung), bad gangster Park Chang-yi (Byung-hun Lee) and weird train robber Yoon Tae-goo (Kang-ho Song) — unite to find a treasure map’s promised loot. Racing through the unforgiving landscape, they stay one step ahead of rivals and the Japanese army. Ji-woon Kim directs this Sergio Leone-inspired adventure.” Mixed reviews, more good than bad.

8/10- A comedy that was bad and weird and I turned it off rather than suffer for 2 hours. TRDB. Netflix.

5) SPRING 1941- 2008. Premise by Netflix. “After Germany invades Poland and the Nazis order the confinement of all local Jews in the ghetto, medical doctor Artur Planck (Joseph Fiennes) manages to flee with his family, seeking refuge at the farm of Emilia (Kelly Harrison), their former grocer. With the Planck family hiding in her attic, Emilia finds her feelings for the physician growing stronger than she wants, or can control — despite the dangers of the situation.”

8/10- One of the worst Holocaust movies I’ve seen. Poor acting, poor obvious script and terrible accents turned me off so I turned it off. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

_________________________________________________________________________________________   COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, AUG. 31-  

1) A QUIET LITTLE MARRIAGE- Premise by Netflix. “With her dad descending into an Alzheimer’s haze and a junkie for a brother-in-law, happily married Olive (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) decides that the answer to life’s problems is a baby — too bad her spouse (Cy Carter) doesn’t agree. But with the missus poking holes in her diaphragm and hubby spiking her coffee with birth control pills, love may not conquer all in this Slamdance Film Festival award winner. Jimmi Simpson and Charlie Day also star.” Good reviews.   _________________________________________________________________________________________   OPENING LOCALLY, REGIONALLY OR NATIONALLY THIS WEEK-  

1) THE MILK OF SORROW- Premise by Netflix. “Stricken with a pathological fear she contracted from her mother’s breast milk — the “milk of sorrow,” a condition suffered by women who were raped during Peru’s civil wars — Fausta (Magaly Solier) goes to extreme lengths to protect her own sexuality and safety. But when her anguished mother finally dies, Fausta finds herself compelled to embark on a frightening journey that could lead her to freedom and wholeness. Claudia Llosa directs this Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film.” Good reviews.   _________________________________________________________________________________________   FLORIDA- At the Emerging Cinemas of Lake Worth  

1) NORA’S WILL- Premise by Rotten Tomatoes. “Before dying, Nora hatches a plan to make her ex-husband José take care of her corpse, but she is missing something. The only flaw in the plan–a… Before dying, Nora hatches a plan to make her ex-husband José take care of her corpse, but she is missing something. The only flaw in the plan–a mysterious photograph forgotten under the bed–will lead to an unexpected outcome.” I’ve seen only 2 reviews but both were positive.  

2) WILD GRASS- Premise by Netflix. “When the bag of amateur pilot Marguerite Muir (Sabine Azéma) is stolen and its contents are strewn over a parking lot, fate sets into motion an intriguing sequence of events involving the pilot, a dentist and a mysterious man (André Dussollier) who finds her wallet. French new wave pioneer Alain Resnais adapts the Christian Gailly novel into a stirring drama, which screened in competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.” Fair reviews.   _________________________________________________________________________________________   COMCAST ON-DEMAND— MOVIES OF INTEREST  

 NEW-  

1) BABIES- Premise by Netflix. “Documentary filmmaker Thomas Balmes charts the simultaneous early development of four babies from different parts of the world, illustrating what makes human life unique, similar and precious wherever it occurs. Training his camera on newborns Hattie from San Francisco, Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia and Mari from Tokyo, Balmes captures every moment, from their first screaming breaths to their first tentative steps.” Fairly good reviews.  

2) CAIRO TIME- Premise by Netflix. “When magazine editor Juliette (Patricia Clarkson) travels to Cairo to meet her diplomat husband, Mark (Tom McCamus), she learns from his friend Tareq (Alexander Siddig) that Mark has been delayed. As Tareq introduces her to the city and its customs, an unexpected attraction arises between them. Juliette soon grows accustomed to life in Cairo while she and Tareq try to find the best way to deal with their complex feelings in this romantic drama.” Mostly good reviews. NY Times felt it was good but a bit timid.

8/10- I felt that the movie was poorly scripted and the characters weak, particularly the waif-like Patricia Clarkson whose acting I generally enjoy. Too many lessons about the Muslim culture. TRDB.

3) THE CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION- Premise by Netflix. “After duping school officials into awarding him a grant to write a biography on novelist Jules Gund, grad student Omar Razaghi (Omar Metwally) is forced to travel to Uruguay to get legitimate authorization from the late author’s three executors. Directed by James Ivory (A Room with a View), this moving adaptation of author Peter Cameron’s novel of the same name also stars Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney and Charlotte Gainsbourg.” Very good reviews.

8/10-  The “old world” life that Omar gets himself into is the most interesting part of the film. I liked it. TRDB. Netflix.

4) LIFE DURING WARTIME- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Filmmaker Todd Solondz revisits his Happiness characters in this tale about three sisters, Trish (Allison Janney) and Joy (Shirley Henderson), each married to degenerate men, and estranged Helen (Ally Sheedy), as they ponder the virtues of forgiving and forgetting. As Joy visits Trish to escape problems with her perverted, druggy husband, Trish is unaware that her own ex-husband, a pedophile whom she’s claimed is dead, is now out of prison.” Good reviews.

8/10- This movie is so different than anything you’ve seen before. Good acting and an unusual way of handling some contemporary issues. TRDB. Comcast On-Demand.

5) SOUL KITCHEN- Premise by Netflix. “Young restaurant owner Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos) decides to revamp Soul Kitchen, his dumpy diner, but the customer response isn’t what he was hoping for. To make matters worse, his girlfriend (Anna Bederke) flies off to Shanghai, and the tax collector comes knocking. But with the help of an inspired new chef (Birol Ünel), Zinos still has a chance at redemption. German director Fatih Akin delivers a riotous modern romantic comedy.” The reviews I read all barely liked the movie- none liked it a lot.

6) YOO-HOO MRS. GOLDBERG- Premise by Netflix. “The history of “The Goldbergs” — and the massive appeal and influence of its Jewish American main character — is explored in this fascinating documentary from filmmaker Aviva Kempner. Though she is not a household name today, Molly Goldberg — the indelible creation of writer and performer Gertrude Berg — was one of the most popular characters on radio and television from the 1930s to the ’50s.” Good reviews.

7) MAP OF THE SOUNDS OF TOKYO- Premise by Netflix. “When the daughter of prominent Tokyo businessman Mr. Nagara (Takeo Nakahara) commits suicide, Nagara’s heartbroken employee Ishida (Hideo Sakaki) hires part-time hit woman Ryu (Rinko Kikuchi) to kill the man (Sergi López) perceived as responsible for the daughter’s death. Meanwhile, a curious sound engineer becomes obsessed with Ryu and her life in this lyrical and mysterious drama from acclaimed Spanish director Isabel Coixet.” Fair early reviews at best.

REPEATS-  

1) 8: THE MORMON PROPOSITION- Haven’t Seen It

2) A SINGLE MAN- Recommended

3) A YEAR AGO IN WINTER- Haven’t Seen It

4) AVATAR- Haven’t Seen It

5) BLUEBEARD- Haven’t Seen It

6) CITY ISLAND- Back again and I’d recommend it

7) CRAZY HEART- Recommended

8)CREATION- Recommended 

9) THE GHOST WRITER- Recommended

10) GREEN ZONE- Recommended

11) GREENBERG- OK

12) HELEN- Haven’t seen it

13) HERE AND THERE- Recommended

14) HEY HEY IT’S ESTHER BLUEBERGER- I liked it

15) INVICTUS- Just OK

6) IT’S COMPLICATED- Recommended

17) JUNO- Back again- I liked it

18) KISSES- Good reviews

19) LA MISSION- Back again-  I liked it

20) LET IT RAIN- Just OK

21) MOTHER- I liked it

22) MULTIPLE SARCASMS- Bad!

23) MY NAME IS KHAN- I liked it

24) PIRATE RADIO- Just OK

25) THE EXPLODING GIRL- Haven’t seen it

26) THE EXTRA MAN- Haven’t Seen It

27) THE GREATEST- Recommended

28) THE WHITE RIBBON- Very popular but I found it weird and didn’t like it

29) UP IN THE AIR- Recommended  

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   _______________________________________________________________________________________   BOB’S PICKS IN THE SUBURBS- (Westchester and Fairfield Counties)  

NEW-  

1) THE CONCERT- Garden Cinema Norwalk. Premise by Netflix. “The winner of two César Awards, this uplifting comedy focuses on Andrei Filipov (Aleksei Guskov), a Russian conductor whose music career was cut short by politics. Now an alcoholic janitor, Filipov seizes a chance to reunite his orchestra and reclaim his life. Using a purloined invitation to a Parisian festival as incentive, Filipov gathers his rag-tag musicians and a French violinist (Mélanie Laurent) to realize his long-cherished dream.” A few very positive reactions but more fairly negative ones. The story sounds interesting and I’ll give it a try. TRDB.  

2) MAO’S LAST DANCER- Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. Premise by Netflix. “A delegation from Madame Mao’s Beijing Dance Academy selects 11-year-old peasant villager Li Cunxin to study ballet in far-off Beijing, where he trains for seven grueling years to become one of China’s greatest dancers. His efforts win him the opportunity to dance in America, opening his eyes to a new love and the possibility of a dramatic defection from China in this remarkable true story based on Cunxin’s autobiography.” Fairly good reviews but a few said the movie was too timid. TRDB.  

REPEATS-  

1) GET LOW- Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Garden Cinema Norwalk. Premise by Netflix. “Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek team up to tell the true story of Felix “Bush” Breazeale, a Tennessee loner who planned his own funeral in 1938 while he was still around to attend — and enjoy — the proceedings. Also starring Bill Murray and Lucas Black as the co-proprietors of the funeral home, the dramatic thriller was penned by the screenwriting team of C. Gaby Mitchell (Blood Diamond) and Chris Provenzano (“Mad Men”).” Great reviews. 8/10 To my surprise I did like this movie even though it was clearly a vehicle for Duvall to shine once more. I have never liked Murray outside of the comic role and didn’t here either. TRDB.  

2) CAIRO TIME- Bethel, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. Premise by Netflix. “When magazine editor Juliette (Patricia Clarkson) travels to Cairo to meet her diplomat husband, Mark (Tom McCamus), she learns from his friend Tareq (Alexander Siddig) that Mark has been delayed. As Tareq introduces her to the city and its customs, an unexpected attraction arises between them. Juliette soon grows accustomed to life in Cairo while she and Tareq try to find the best way to deal with their complex feelings in this romantic drama.” Mostly good reviews. NY Times felt it was good but a bit timid.

8/10- I felt that the movie was poorly scripted and the characters weak, particularly the waif-like Patricia Clarkson whose acting I generally enjoy. Too many lessons about the Muslim culture. TRDB.

3) THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT- Clearview 100, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Garden Cinema Norwalk. Premise by Netflix. “The children of same-sex parents Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) become curious about the identity of their sperm-donor dad (Mark Ruffalo) and set out to make him part of their family unit, with frequently comical results. With his arrival, the household dynamics quickly become complicated, and nobody’s quite sure where or how he fits in, if at all.” Excellent reviews.

7/10- Great acting, great script and great idea make this a must see. Really about how couples slog through life at times, gay or straight. I loved the movie. TRDB.

4) FAREWELL- Bethel. 2009. Premise by Netflix. “In this thinking man’s spy thriller, KGB agent Sergei Grigoriev (Emir Kusturica) plans to hand over hard evidence that proves the depth of his agency’s penetration of U.S. intelligence, in a one-man crusade to bring down the Soviet empire. French engineer Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet) is drawn into this web of espionage against his will, but proves a surprisingly resourceful operative in the process.” Mostly good reviews.

5) THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE- Clearview 100. Premise by Netflix. “Disaster hits Millennium magazine when publisher Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) launches an exposé of the Swedish sex trade, leading to the deaths of two staffers and then to the police pursuit of a third — tech expert Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) — as the prime suspect. In Part 2 of the trilogy, based on the action novels of Stieg Larsson, the vampiric Salander vanishes as Blomkvist digs deep into a possible conspiracy.” Mostly good reviews.

7/10- I was bored as hell. It was initially hard to tell who was who and I never recovered. See “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” twice instead. TRDB.

For Independent Films in Your Neighborhood go to- www.emergingpictures.com 

For all films go to- www.fandango.com

THAT’S IT FOR NOW-
THE REEL DR BOB
The Reel Dr. Bob

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