The Reel Dr. Bob

MARCH 22, 2018

DEAR FRIENDS:

YOU CAN ACCESS THIS NEWSLETTER AND PAST REVIEWS AT MY WEBSITE- www.thereeldrbob.com

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) THE FLORIDA PROJECT– Netflix Disc.

2) BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY– At the Theater.

3) FREE SAMPLES– Netflix Disc.

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT THE THEATER-

1) THOROUGHBREDS– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Childhood friends recently reunited, teenagers Amanda and Lily make an unlikely but inseparable pair. When Lily’s stepfather threatens to pack her off to reform school, the girls cook up a plan to kill him.”

3/6/18- Very good reviews. TRDB.

3/16/18- The whole is less than the sum of its parts. Some aspects of the movie were interesting but I can’t say that I’d recommend it. TRDB.

2) BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Remembered as one of the most ravishing stars of her day, screen legend Hedy Lamarr had brains and beauty — which are on full display in this illuminating documentary that spotlights her World War II-era coinvention of wireless communication forms.”

11/23/17- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT HOME-

1) THE FLORIDA PROJECT- 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Living within sight of Disney World’s glittering attractions, the children of families residing in tacky motels near the megapark create their own magical world together, led by the spirited 6-year-old Moonee.

10/6/17- Excellent reviews by the critics and very good ones by audiences. TRDB.

3/15/18- An engaging movie about poverty in the midst of middle class America, this time in Orlando, right near the opulence of DisneyWorld. TRDB.

2) FREE SAMPLES– 2003. Synopsis by Netflix. “Jillian has dropped out of law school and migrated to Los Angeles in this comedy about deferred adulthood and the romantic hazards of heavy drinking. But a day spent doling out ice cream samples to the Angelenos dramatically changes her attitude.”

6/7/17- Mixed reviews in general and in today’s NY Times as well. TRDB.

3/19/18- Almost embarrassed to say this but I liked it. TRDB. Netflix Disc.

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COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, MARCH 27-

1) PERMISSION- 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Anna and Will are heading for marriage when Anna’s brother and his boyfriend suggest that the couple get more sexual experience before making lifetime commitments. But when they step outside their exclusive relationship, things don’t go as expected.”

2/9/18- Fair reviews– definitely more positive than negative. TRDB.

2) THE FENCER– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this fact-based drama set in the 1950s, Estonian fencer Endel Nelis takes up residence in the remote town of Haapsalu to evade the Russian secret police. But after he finds fulfillment teaching his sport to children, his past catches up with him.”

7/21/17- Very good reviews for this foreign drama. TRDB.

3) DOLORES– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the early 1960s, Dolores Huerta cofounded the first farm workers’ union in America, yet after Cesar Chavez’s death, she was forced out of the union’s all-male leadership. This documentary charts her fight for workers’ rights and gender equality.”

9/1/17- Great reviews. TRDB.

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OPENED LAST FRIDAY-

1) KEEP THE CHANGE– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this offbeat romantic comedy, David is wealthy, charismatic and autistic. When an inappropriate comment lands him in a court-mandated support group, he meets quirky young Sarah — and love begins to blossom.’

11/22/17- I LOVED the movie– starring my niece Samantha Elisofon. TRDB.

3/16/18- Excellent reviews all around. Read Glenn Kenny’s review (NY Times)  which  is by far the most compelling. TRDB. 

2) LOVE, SIMON 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Closeted gay teen Simon is mortified when his classmate Martin gets hold of Simon’s intimate email to his online love. With the prospect of humiliation looming, Simon reluctantly agrees to help Martin get closer to Abby, Simon’s female best friend.”

3/16/18- Mostly good reviews but none great. TRDB.

3) MAINELAND– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “This coming-of-age documentary follows two children from affluent Chinese families, both sent to get a Western education at a boarding school in Maine. Feeling displaced and bewildered, the teens try to find their places amid unfamiliar surroundings.”

3/16/18- Very good reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

4) 12 DAYS– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Under French law, people involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital must be brought before a judge within 12 days. As this documentary reveals, the brief interview that takes place can mean the difference between liberty and confinement.”

3/16/18- Very good reviews for this movie. TRDB.

5)  ALLURE– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “While trying to overcome her miserable past, 30-year-old Laura meets teenage Eva, a client’s daughter suffocating under her mother’s discipline. Laura and Eva quickly bond, but what seems to be compassion for Eva soon becomes Laura’s obsession.”

3/16/18- I’ve seen just 4 reviews- 2 up and 2 down.  I’d give it a try. TRDB.

6) NO LIGHT AND NO LAND ANYWHERE– 2018. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Grieving her mother’s death and her own failing marriage, Lexi boards a plane from London to Los Angeles in search of the estranged father who abandoned her when she was three-years-old. Based out of a seedy Hollywood motel, she follows a tenuous trail of breadcrumbs, beginning with his aging former in-laws, collecting numbers and addresses in the hopes that one will lead to her father. Along the way, she establishes other unexpected connections: her father’s ailing former second wife, her bitter half-sister Tanya and her caregiver girlfriend, and two local barflies.”

3/16/18- I’ve seen just 1 review and it is mixed. TRDB.

7) DEAR DICTATOR– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “When island-nation dictator Anton Vincent gets run out of office, he takes refuge in the garage of his 16-year-old American pen-pal, Tatiana Mills. Before long, he’s teaching his young protégé how to dethrone the mean girls and rule her school.”

3/16/18- Awful reviews and recommended only because Sir Michael Caine is one of the stars. TRDB.

8) JOURNEY’S END– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set in March 1918, this tense World War I drama focuses on a small group of British soldiers in the trenches at Mont Saint-Quentin, France, who know exactly what’s coming: a massive German offensive. But what they don’t know is when.”

3/16/18- Excellent reviews from all sources. TRDB.

9) RAMEN HEADS– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “For most Westerners, ramen means a quick and simple meal. But for Osamu Tomita, Japan’s most respected ramen chef, the noodle dish is part of a culinary tradition that goes back centuries, as detailed in this fascinating documentary.”

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BOB’S PICKS IN WESTCHESTER AND FAIRFIELD COUNTIES-

NEW IN THE BURBS-

1) UNSANE– Bethel. 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Shot in secret on an iPhone in just over one week, this experimental tale from director Steven Soderbergh focuses on a woman who finds herself committed to a mental asylum, where she will confront her greatest fear.”

3/21/18- Fairly good reviews for this drama/mystery. TRDB.

2) THE LEISURE SEEKER– Bethel, Garden Cinema Norwalk. Poor reviews despite an all-star cast

3) FLOWER– Clearview 100. 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “After befriending Luke, the troubled son of her mother’s new beau, sexually adventurous teen Erica learns that a teacher molested Luke years ago. Looking to punish the predator, Erica concocts an elaborate plan — but it goes horribly awry.”

3/16/18- Fair reviews from the critics but excellent ones from audiences. TRDB.

4) THE DEATH OF STALIN– Jacob Burns, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk

5) ITZHAK– Clearview 100.  Fair reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

REPEATS-

1) A FANTASTIC WOMAN– Bethel. Great movie and it won Best Foreign Film

2) RED SPARROW– Bethel, Danbury.Weak reviews

3) 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE– Bethel, Danbury, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. Poor reviews

4) THOROUGHBREDS- Danbury, Clearview 100.

3/16/18- The whole is less than the sum of its parts. Some aspects of the movie were interesting but I can’t say that I’d recommend it. TRDB.

5) THREE BILLBOARDS– Garden Cinema Norwalk. A good movie- I enjoyed it but certainly not a great one

6) THE SHAPE OF WATER– Danbury. Loved it!!

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BOB’S PICKS IN PALM BEACH COUNTY-

A) THE MOVIES OF LAKE WORTH-

1) THE LAST SUIT (EL ULTIMO TRAJE)- 2018. Synopsis by IMDB. “Abraham Bursztein, an 88 years old Jewish tailor, runs away from Buenos Aires to Poland, where he proposes to find a friend who saved him from certain death at the end of World War II.”

2) THE LEISURE SEEKER– Weak reviews despite an all star cast

3) 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBLE– Poor reviews

4) ITZHAK– Fair reviews

5) 1945- A very interesting movie that I recommend

6) BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY– I liked this movie very much

7) RED SPARROW– Weak reviews

B) THE MOVIES OF DELRAY- SAME AS LAKE WORTH

C) THE STONZEK THEATER AT THE LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE-

1) DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN?- 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1946, filmmaker Travis Wilkerson’s great-grandfather S.E. Branch killed an unarmed black man but was never convicted of the crime. Looking to find the facts behind the case, Wilkerson travels to the rural Alabama town where the murder occurred.”

3/21/18- Very good reviews. TRDB.

2) THE PARTY–A comedy of the absurd. Entertaining most of the time with very well known actors. It’s worth seeing but don’t rush out. TRDB.

D) THE LIVING ROOM THEATERS AT FAU IN BOCA RATON-

1) THE LAST SUIT (EL ULTIMO TRAJE)- 2018. Synopsis by IMDB. “Abraham Bursztein, an 88 years old Jewish tailor, runs away from Buenos Aires to Poland, where he proposes to find a friend who saved him from certain death at the end of World War II.”

2) A FANTASTIC WOMAN– Great movie and it won for Best Foreign Film

3) 1945- A very good movie

4) ITZHAK– Fair reviews

5) OH LUCY!- Fairly good reviews

6) THE LEASURE SEEKER– Weak reviews

7) LOVELESS– Good reviews for this drama

ENJOY!!

THE REEL DR. BOB