The Reel Dr. Bob

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

DEAR FRIENDS:

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

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) DAMSEL– Netflix Disc.

2) REVERSING ROE– Netflix Streaming

3) WAJIB– At the Theater ( the Arab Film Festival at Jacob Burns Film Center )

4) THE CHILDREN ACT– Comcast On-Demand

5) FILMWORKER– Netflix Disc.

6) NOVITIATE- Comcast On-Demand

7) PERMISSION- Netflix Disc.

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT THE THEATER-

1) WAJIB– 2018. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Abu Shadi (Mohammad Bakri) is a divorced father and a school teacher in his mid-60s living in Nazareth. After his daughter’s wedding in one month he will be living alone. Shadi (Saleh Bakri), his architect son, arrives from Rome after years abroad to help his father to hand-deliver the wedding invitations to each guest, which is the local Palestinian custom. As the estranged pair spend the day together, the tense details of their relationship come to a head challenging their fragile and very different lives.”

9/20/18- After a somewhat tedious first half this movie came alive and I enjoyed it. Seen as part of the Arab Film Festival at the Jacob Burns Film Center. TRDB.

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT HOME-

1) DAMSEL– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this loopy take on the classic Hollywood Western, Samuel Alabaster journeys deep into the frontier — with a miniature pony in tow — to find and wed his beloved Penelope. But the trek turns out to be more complicated than Samuel imagined.”

6/26/18- Very good reviews for this Western. TRDB.

9/20/18- I liked this unusual  Western comedy. TRDB. Netflix Disc.

2) REVERSING ROE– 2018. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Forty-five years after it revolutionized abortion law in America, the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade is once again at a crossroads. In their timely new documentary REVERSING ROE, filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg present a deeply illuminating look at the state of abortion and women’s rights in America.”

9/21/18- An informative and scary documentary questioning the future of Roe v. Wade. I liked it. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

3) THE CHILDREN ACT– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this absorbing drama, British High Court judge Fiona Maye faces two daunting issues: At home, her marriage is crumbling, while in court she must decide whether a young man’s parents are entitled to deny him a life-saving blood transfusion.”

9/13/18- Fair reviews by the critics but it sounds interesting to me. TRDB.

9/21/18- I saw this movie and liked it very much. Emma Thompson is great. TRDB. Comcast On-Demand.

4) FILMWORKER– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Acting in director Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon” proved life-changing for Leon Vitali: He devoted his next 20 years to helping carry out the renowned auteur’s artistic vision, as chronicled in this riveting documentary about their partnership.”

5/11/18- Very good reviews. TRDB.

9/22/18- An excellent documentary as much about Kubrick as Vitali. TRDB. Netflix Disc.

5) NOVITIATE– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “Inflamed with spiritual passion, young Cathleen joins a convent to prepare for life with her chosen husband, Jesus Christ. But as she completes her training, she begins to question her faith and the Catholic Church.”

10/27/17- Excellent reviews by the critics and OK ones from audiences. TRDB.

9/24/18- I enjoyed this movie very much. The acting was superb. TRDB. Comcast On-Demand.

6) 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.

9/25/18- The movie is better than most in dealing with this common theme. I liked it.  TRDB. Netflix Disc.

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COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2-

1) NIGHT COMES ON– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “About to turn 18, Angel LaMere emerges from juvenile detention with big plans: She’s going to rescue younger sister Abby from foster care and then track down and kill their father — the man who murdered their mom.”

8/3/18- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

2) BREATH- 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In small-town Australia, teenage “Pikelet” and his best friend, “Loonie,” find an escape in the ocean and a mentor in reclusive professional surfer Sando — who exhorts them to take chances that will have profound and enduring effects on them.”

5/31/18- Good reviews. TRDB.

3) STRANGERS ON THE EARTH– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “With his instrument strapped to his back, American cellist Dane Johansen sets off on a pilgrimage along the hallowed paths of the Camino de Santiago in Northwestern Spain, sharing his music with fellow travelers looking for meaning and truth.”

5/4/18- Fairly good reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

4) THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS– 2018. “This riveting documentary charts the twisty story of identical triplets separated at birth, who reconnect by chance at age 19. But what starts as a happy reunion soon sets off a series of events that lead to shocking and sinister secrets.”

6/28/18- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

7/24/18- An excellent documentary- really an expose. I liked it a lot and I’d recommend it highly. TRDB. 

 5) LEAVE NO TRACE– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “For survivalist Will and his teenage daughter, living off the grid means residing in a nature reserve on the edge of a city — a lifestyle that suits them until they’re discovered and forced into the social services system.”

6/28/18- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

8/1/18- I liked the movie on many levels. TRDB.

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OPENED LAST WEEK-

Recommended-

1) THE SISTERS BROTHERS– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this darkly comic Western set in the 1850s, two hit man brothers are tasked with hunting down and killing gold prospector Hermann Kermit Warm, who stole from their boss. But along the way, the siblings find their bond put to the test.”

9/21/18- Very good reviews for this Western. TRDB.

2) COLETTE– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this engaging biopic, French writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette emerges as a force to be reckoned with after the novels she’s penned under her husband’s name garner fame for him but not for her, inspiring her to forge her own path.”

9/19/18- Excellent reviews for this movie. I sounds somewhat like “The Wife” that is showing currently. TRDB.

3) FAHRENHEIT 11/9- 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In June 2016, director Michael Moore predicted that Donald Trump would win the U.S. presidency and was proved correct five months later. This documentary tries to answer two key questions of the Trump era: How did we get here, and how do we get out?”

9/21/18- Very good reviews. TRDB.

4) CALL ME GANDA– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a U.S. Marine on leave in the Philippines murders transgender sex worker Jennifer Laude in a motel room, three women — Jennifer’s mother, an investigative journalist and an activist lawyer — are determined to see justice served.”

9/21/18- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

5) 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.”

COMCAST ON-DEMAND-

NEW ON DEMAND-

1) LOVE, GILDA– Fairly good reviews

REPEATS-

1) BEAST- I liked it

2) CHAPPAQUIDDICK- Movie was fair but good for historical value

3) THE CHILDREN ACT– I liked it very much-

4) FIRST REFORMED– I enjoyed this movie about a tormented priest

5) WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?- I liked this documentary very much

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BOB’S PICKS IN WESTCHESTER AND FAIRFIELD COUNTIES-

NEW IN THE BURBS-

1) TEA WITH THE DAMES– Bethel. 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Acclaimed actresses Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Eileen Atkins — all Dames of the British Empire — gather for a captivating conversation that includes reminiscences, gossip and untold tales about their stage and film careers.”

9/21/18- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

2) LITTLE WOMEN– Danbury. 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this contemporary adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s immortal novel, sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy look to their beloved mother and to one another for support as they navigate the rocky path to adulthood in a rapidly changing world.”

9/26/18- No reviews as yet. TRDB.

3) COLETTE- Jacob Burns. 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this engaging biopic, French writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette emerges as a force to be reckoned with after the novels she’s penned under her husband’s name garner fame for him but not for her, inspiring her to forge her own path.”

9/19/18- Excellent reviews for this movie. It sounds somewhat like “The Wife” that is showing currently. TRDB.

REPEATS-

1) FAHRENHEIT 11/9- Jacob Burns, Bethel, Danbury, Clearview 100. Excellent reviews by the critics and fair ones by audiences.

2) LOVE, GILDA– Jacob Burns, Clearview 100. Fairly good reviews.

3) BEL CANTO– Clearview 100. Weak reviews

9/14/18- Weak reviews. TRDB.

4) THE BOOKSHOP– Clearview- Fair reviews at best

5) THE WIFE– Jacob Burns, Bethel, Clearview 100- I liked this movie very much. The acting was great, especially by Glenn Close.

6) A SIMPLE FAVOR– Bethel, Danbury.- Not my type of movie but it did get good reviews

7) LIFE ITSELF– Bethel. Poor reviews

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BOB’S PICKS IN PALM BEACH COUNTY-

A) THE MOVIES OF LAKE WORTH-

1) MEMOIR OF WAR (LA DOULEUR)- 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “A resistance member in Nazi-occupied France, young writer Marguerite Duras is frantic to learn the fate of her communist husband, who’s been sent to a concentration camp. In return for news, she begins a risky relationship with a German collaborator.”

8/17/18- Mostly good reviews, especially for the acting. TRDB.

B) THE MOVIES OF DELRAY- THE SAME AS LAKE WORTH (above) except OPERATION FINALE IS NOT SHOWING AT THE DELRAY THEATER

C) THE STONZEK THEATER AT THE LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE-

1) THE CAKEMAKER– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Thomas, a young German baker, is having an affair with Oren, an Israeli married man who has frequent business visits in Berlin. When Oren dies in a car crash in Israel, Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking answers regarding his death. Under a fabricated identity, Thomas infiltrates into the life of Anat, his lover’s newly widowed wife, who owns a small Café in downtown Jerusalem. Thomas starts to work for her and create German cakes and cookies that bring life into her Café. Thomas finds himself involved in Anat’s life in a way far beyond his anticipation, and to protect the truth he will stretch his lie to a point of no return.”

6/29/18- Excellent reviews from the critics and fair ones from audiences. TRDB.

8/25/18- I liked this movie very much. TRDB.

2) SUPPORT THE GIRLS– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “As general manager at a sports bar, Lisa Conroy is den mother to a bevy of scantily clad beauties who serve food and drink. But when she attempts to raise money for one of her employees, Lisa runs into opposition from the crusty owner.”

8/24/18- Excellent reviews for this comedy including some great ones. TRDB.

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

1) MEMOIR OF WAR (LA DOULEUR)- 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “A resistance member in Nazi-occupied France, young writer Marguerite Duras is frantic to learn the fate of her communist husband, who’s been sent to a concentration camp. In return for news, she begins a risky relationship with a German collaborator.”

8/17/18- Mostly good reviews, especially for the acting. TRDB.

2) LOVE, GILDA– Very good reviews

3) THE CHILDREN ACT– I liked this movie very much

4) THE WIFE– An excellent movie that I really enjoyed. Glenn Close was superb

ENJOY!!

THE REEL DR. BOB

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