FILM REVIEWS #667
November 16th, 2017
6/2/17- Very good reviews by the critics and fair ones from audiences. I plan to see it. TRDB.
11/13/17- I thought this movie was excellent and I highly recommend it. TRDB. Amazon Prime.
5/15/15- Reviews for this movie are mediocre with a few good ones noted. It sounds interesting to me and I’ll give it a try. TRDB.
2) STEFAN ZWEIG: FAREWELL TO EUROPE- 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this fact-based drama, Jewish author Stefan Zweig flees his native Austria to escape the threat of Nazism, eventually settling in Brazil. Watching from afar as his beloved homeland is destroyed, Zweig finds that a life in exile is no life at all.”
5/12/17- Excellent reviews. TRDB.
3) PAST LIFE– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “With a keen sense of characterization, this moving drama follows two Israeli sisters — one an aspiring composer, the other a journalist — who dredge up dark family secrets when they attempt to learn the truth about their Holocaust-survivor father.”
6/2/17- Very good reviews by the critics and fair ones from audiences. I plan to see it. TRDB.
11/13/17- I thought this movie was excellent and I highly recommend it. TRDB. Amazon Prime.
4) MY JOURNEY THROUGH FRENCH CINEMA- 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Renowned director Bertrand Tavernier takes viewers on an enlightening tour of French cinema — from its humble roots in the 1930s to the revolutionary impact of the New Wave, including Tavernier’s own first feature, “The Clockmaker.”
6/23/17– Great reviews.
5) FROM THE LAND OF THE MOON– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this absorbing adaptation of novelist Milena Agus’ “Mal de Pierres,” passionate Frenchwoman Gabrielle finds herself torn between the man she’s expected to wed and a disarming veteran of World War II.”
7/28/17- The premise sounds interesting but reviews have been negative– better from audiences than from the critics. I’d try it. TRDB.
6) GOOD TIME– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “When an ill-fated bank robbery attempt puts his brother behind bars, Constantine Nikas begins a frenzied all-night scramble to get his sibling out of lockup while trying to stay one step ahead of a police manhunt himself.”
8/11/17- I usually don’t recommend movies of this sort but this one received excellent reviews– with a few notable exceptions. TRDB.
7) CROWN HEIGHTS– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Wrongly pegged as the perpetrator of a shooting, 18-year-old Colin Warner spends 20 years in prison — even though the real killer eventually comes forward. But Colin’s best friend, Carl King, never stops fighting to free him.”
8/18/17- Fair reviews but it sounded interesting to me and I’ll probably see it. TRDB.
8) BEACH RATS– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Teenage Frankie isn’t sure what he wants other than to escape from his dreary home life. In his quest to find himself — and to have some fun — he begins hooking up with older men while also pursuing a relationship with a prospective new girlfriend.”
8/25/17- Very good reviews from the critics and fair ones from audiences. TRDB
9) THE VILLAINESS– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Trained as an assassin in China, Sook-hee is coerced by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service to become a sleeper agent. Taking on a new identity, she lives a regular life and executes missions — until her latest assignment changes everything.”
8/25/17- Good reviews by the critics and OK reviews by audiences. I’d see it even though it sounds like “La Femme Nikita”. TRDB.
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COMING TO NETFLIX ON TUESDAY, NOV. 28-
1) LOST IN PARIS– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “When her elderly Aunt Martha in Paris asks for help, Canadian librarian Fiona sets off for France, but by the time she arrives, Martha has vanished. While searching for her, Fiona crosses paths with a pesky vagabond — and can’t seem to shake him.”
6/16/17- Very good reviews by the critics– audiences did not like it. I’d try it. TRDB.
7/14/17- At times hilarious, this was a creative and energetic farce. I liked it but many won’t. TRDB.
2) FALSE CONFESSIONS– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Secretly enamored with well-heeled widow Araminte, penniless but well-born Dorante lands a job as her private secretary. Abetted by her manservant, Dorante attempts to arouse reciprocal feelings in Araminte.”
7/14/17- Terrible reviews despite Isabelle Hupert as the lead. TRDB.
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11/10/17- Excellent reviews by all. TRDB.
2) SANTA & ANDRES– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1983 Cuba, gay novelist Andrés has been exiled to the countryside and barred from publishing because of his sexuality and ideology. When the government sends a “watcher” to keep tabs on him during a political rally, the two form an unlikely bond.
11/10/17- Good reviews. TRDB.
3) FLESH AND BLOOD– 2107. Synopsis by Netflix. “Director Mark Webber uses the rough-and-tumble neighborhood of his youth — and his family as actors — to tell the story of a young man returning home from prison to start life anew. But it’s no easy task when all the family dysfunction remains.”
11/10/17- Very good reviews from the critics and excellent ones from audiences. TRDB.
4) DESTINATION UNKNOWN– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this searing historical documentary, 12 survivors of the Nazi death camps in World War II share their painful memories, along with the often-incredible stories of their struggles to make new lives for themselves after the war.
11/10/17- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.
5) I REMEMBER YOU– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this unsettling tale, an elderly woman’s suicide and the renovation of a rundown house by three young urbanites — seemingly unconnected events — are linked by a 60-year-old secret that’s the key to a string of frightening paranormal occurrences.”
11/10/17- Fair reviews. TRDB.
6) INTENT TO DESTROY: DEATH, DENIAL, & DEPICTION– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “As an epic movie about the 1915 Armenian genocide goes into production, filmmaker Joe Berlinger embeds himself with the crew to shoot a documentary about the challenges of telling a story that the Turkish government is still trying to suppress.”
11/10/17- Great reviews. TRDB.
7) WINDOW HORSES– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Rosie Ming (voiced by Sandra Oh – Grey’s Anatomy, Sideways), a young Canadian poet, is invited to perform at a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran, but she’d rather go to Paris. She lives at home with her over-protective Chinese grandparents and has never been anywhere by herself. Once in Iran, she finds herself in the company of poets and Persians who tell her stories that force her to confront her past: the Iranian father she assumed abandoned her and the nature of poetry itself. The film is about building bridges between cultural and generational divides. It’s about being curious. Staying open. And finding your own voice through the magic of poetry.”
11/10/17- Excellent reviews. TRDB.
Not Recommended-
1) NO STONE UNTURNED– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “This compelling documentary revisits the 1994 murder of six Irishmen who were watching a World Cup soccer match in their local pub. Filmmaker Alex Gibney’s re-examination of the unsolved crime unearths evidence of government complicity and cover-up.”
11/10/17- Fair reviews at best for this documentary. TRDB.
11/10/17- Excellent reviews by all. TRDB.
10/27/17- Excellent reviews by the critics and OK ones from audiences. TRDB.
10/27/17- Excellent reviews by the critics and OK ones from audiences. TRDB.
10/27/17- Excellent reviews by the critics and OK ones from audiences. TRDB.
10/15/17- Very good critical review – audiences were less enthusiastic. TRDB.
10/27/17- Excellent reviews by the critics and OK ones from audiences. TRDB.
11/15/17- Excellent reviews. TRDB.
Entry Filed under: Old Newsletters
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