FILM REVIEWS #685- 2
March 29th, 2018
1) THE DISASTER ARTIST– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Opening to blistering reviews in 2003, “The Room” has since become a so-bad-it’s-good cult classic. This showbiz spoof provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film and the friendship between the director and star who propelled it.”
11/30/17- Excellent reviews for this comedy. TRDB.
3/22/18- I enjoyed this nutty movie very much. TRDB. Netflix Disc.
2) ONLY THE BRAVE– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “This action-drama chronicles the true story of 19 elite firefighters from Arizona’s Prescott Fire Department who lost their lives in June 2013 while battling the Yarnell Hill wildfire that was ignited by lightning.”
10/20/17- Excellent reviews by nearly everyone. TRDB.
3/25/18- An excellent movie– enjoyed it thoroughly. TRDB. Netflix Disc.
3) 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.
3/27/18- Mostly negative reviews but I liked it despite some problems with the screenplay. I love Marian Cotillard. TRDB.
1) LIKE ME– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In search of celebrity at any cost, young loner Kiya begins recording bizarre and often repellent “real life” episodes for an online audience that swells to viral proportions. But the effect on Kiya’s life soon becomes nightmarish.”
1/26/18- Good to “very good” reviews. TRDB.
2) THE BOY DOWNSTAIRS– 2018- Synopsis by Netflix. “Returning to New York City after living in London, aspiring writer Diana begins the nightmarish effort to find an apartment. When she finally finds the ideal digs, there’s one catch: The man whose heart she broke lives one floor below.”
2/15/18- Mixed reviews at best but I’d give it a try. TRDB.
1) ISLE OF DOGS– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Featuring a star-studded voice cast and set against the landscape of rural Japan, this animated adventure follows a game young boy on his long and often-dangerous search to find his beloved dog.”
3/23/18- Excellent reviews for this animated movie. TRDB.
2) ISMAEL’S GHOSTS– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “While preparing to shoot a movie about a diplomat’s life, director Ismaël Vuillard gets an unexpected visit from his long-dead lover Carlotta — which not only drives away his current partner but soon begins driving him out of his mind.”
3/23/18- Fair reviews from the critics and poor ones from audiences. TRDB.
3) THE WORKSHOP– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Once bustling, the port town of La Ciotat has seen better times — which writers in a workshop there are trying to reflect in their collective novel. But the hostility and disturbing vision of one participant soon alarm his peers and the instructor.”
3/23/18- Very good reviews for this French drama. TRDB.
4) THE FINAL PORTRAIT– 2018. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “FINAL PORTRAIT is the story of the touching and offbeat friendship between American writer and art-lover James Lord and Alberto Giacometti, revealing unique insight into the beauty, frustration, profundity and sometimes the chaos of the artistic process.
5) ROXANNE ROXANNE– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1984, 14-year-old Lolita Shanté Gooden bursts onto the hip-hop scene when she releases a track called “Roxanne’s Revenge,” which becomes a sensation. But despite the song’s success, she struggles to feed her family amid life in the projects.”
3/23/18- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.
6) I KILL GIANTS– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Bored and lonely middle-schooler Barbara Thorson has developed an active fantasy life to compensate. But when a new girl in town offers friendship and a counselor tries to help Barbara, real life begins to intrude on her monster-killing fantasies.”
3/23/18- Fair reviews from both critics and audiences. TRDB.
7) SUMMER IN THE FOREST– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “This moving documentary centers on philosopher Jean Vanier, who — horrified by the living conditions of the institutionalized mentally ill — established L’Arche, a care home at the edge of a forest near Paris for those with learning disabilities.”
3/23/18- Excellent reviews. TRDB.
8) BACK TO BURGUNDY– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Absent for more than a decade and now living in Australia, Jean returns to his native France when his dying father asks him to come home to help his siblings save the family winery. But first they’ll have to reconnect and repair their relationships.”
3/23/18- Fair reviews from the critics and much weaker ones from audiences. It does sound interesting to me and I’ll put it on the list of recommendations. TRDB.
9) A BAG OF MARBLES– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “As the German army occupies Paris in 1941, Jewish barber Roman Joffo realizes his family is in danger of detention and worse. Planning their escape to the “free zone” in southern France, he sends his youngest sons on the perilous trip by themselves.”
3/23/18- Excellent reviews. TRDB.
10) BEAUTY AND THE DOGS– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “A carefree evening leads to a night of brutality for Mariam when she’s gang-raped by several policemen and receives more hostility than sympathy from the hospital personnel and authorities she turns to for help.”
3/23/18- Fair reviews. TRDB.
11) WHAT WE STARTED– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Chronicling three decades of electronic dance music history and the genre’s influence on the broader music scene, this absorbing documentary contrasts styles developed by legendary DJ Carl Cox with those of young up-and-comer Martin Garrix.”
3/23/18- Mixed reviews from the few critics who have reviewed this movie and excellent reviews from audiences. TRDB.
2) LOVE, SIMON– Clearview 100. 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) READY PLAYER ONE– Clearview 100. 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In a future dominated by a virtual-reality program, young Wade Watts joins a cyber scavenger hunt for the fortune left by the system’s late creator. But with the prize valued in the billions, Wade has lots of competition — including corporate foes.”
3/28/18- Very good reviews. TRDB.
4) FOXTROT– Jacob Burns. 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Beginning with a couple’s shock upon learning that their son, an Israeli soldier, has been killed, this heart-wrenching drama then recounts his service at a lonely military checkpoint and the absurdly tragic facts surrounding his death.”
12/8/17- Great reviews from all. TRDB.
1) THE DEATH OF STALIN– Jacob Burns, Bethel, Danbury, Garden Cinema Norwalk.
1) MARIE CURIE: THE COURAGE OF KNOWLEDGE– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Between 1903 and 1911, scientist Marie Curie wins two Nobel Prizes and becomes the first woman offered a professional chair at the Sorbonne. But when her unorthodox love life leads to a scandal, it threatens to be her undoing.”
6/30/17- Excellent reviews for this drama. TRDB.
Entry Filed under: All Reviews,Newsletter from 3 weeks ago,Old Newsletters
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