The Reel Dr. Bob

1) CAPERNAUM– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this dark fable set in a Middle East country undergoing political and social upheaval, a 12-year-old boy sees nothing but suffering and pain in his future, prompting him to sue his parents for bringing him into the world.”

12/14/18- Just so-so reviews. TRDB.

2/10/19- I liked the movie very much but prepare to be sad

afterwards.  TRDB.

1) A PRIVATE WAR– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this fact-based drama, dauntless war correspondent Marie Colvin reports from the front lines of conflict in hot spots all over the world, including Chechnya, Kosovo, the Middle East and East Timor.”

11/2/18- Very good reviews from the critics but just fair ones from audiences. TRDB.

2/10/19- I enjoyed the movie especially its demonstration once again that war is hell- in this case documented by Colvin. TRDB. Netflix Disc.

1) COLUMBUS– 2017. Synopsis by Netflix. “After traveling from Korea to Columbus, Indiana — where his architect father lies in a coma — middle-aged Jin meets young Casey, who’s put her dreams on hold to care for her mother. As Jin and Casey bond, her architectural ambitions are reignited.”

8/4/17- Excellent reviews by the critics and good ones by audiences. TRDB.

8/19/17- It felt like reading an emotional article in Architecture Digest. Very well done with wonderful, understated acting and excellent screenplay. TRDB.

4) THE LAST RACE– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Small-town stock-car racing venues are a disappearing slice of Americana, but Long Island’s Riverhead Raceway is still open and hosting low-budget meets. Meanwhile, the track’s once-rural surroundings have become a bustling commercial district.”

11/16/18- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

1) HIGH FLYING BIRD– 2019. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In the midst of a pro basketball lockout, sports agent Ray Burke (André Holland) finds himself caught in the face-off between the league and the players.”

2/8/19- Excellent reviews by the critics. TRDB.

2) ANGELA’S DIARIES– 2019. About the real couple Angela Ricci Lucchi and Yervant Gianikian.

2/8/19-Here’s what the NY Times had to say– “Angela’s Diaries” asks of the viewer a kind of patience that may only reside in those already conversant with the couple’s contributions, but its tenderness and straightforwardness are immediately admirable.”

3) TO DUST– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Struggling to accept his wife’s sudden death, Hasidic cantor Shmuel believes he must understand how her body will decompose. Enlisting the aid of a biology professor, Shmuel begins the blasphemous act of scientific investigation.”

2/8/19- Excellent reviews for this strange sounding drama. TRDB.

4) EVERYBODY KNOWS– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “With her kids in tow, Laura travels from her adopted Argentinean home to her native Spain to attend her sister’s nuptials, anticipating a joyful reunion. But things turn sour when Laura’s teen daughter vanishes and long-kept secrets begin to surface.”

2/8/19- Weak reviews from critics and audiences. I’d see this just to look at Penelope Cruz. TRDB.

5) ONE MILLION AMERICAN DREAMS– 2019. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere…’ But what happens if you don’t make it in New York? What happens if you fall so far short of success in the world’s most iconic city that you can’t even afford to be buried properly? Less than 16 miles from central Manhattan lies Hart Island, a 101-acre cemetery and the final resting place of over 1 million New Yorkers.”

2/8/19- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

6) THE GOSPEL OF EUREKA– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Juxtaposing performance footage recounting Jesus Christ’s last days with a gospel-themed drag show, this engaging documentary set in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, looks at the peaceful coexistence of the town’s evangelical Christians and LGBTQ community.”

2/8/19- OK reviews. TRDB.

7) BIRDS OF PASSAGE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “This well-crafted crime drama charts the roots of the Colombian drug trade as a tight-knit indigenous family discovers a golden opportunity to sell large quantities of marijuana to America’s hippie generation in the 1970s.”

2/13/19- Excellent reviews for this foreign drama. TRDB.

1) LORDS OF CHAOS– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this fact-based rock ‘n’ roll drama, a teen’s dream turns into something much darker when Øystein Aarseth (aka Euronymous) forms heavy metal band Mayhem in 1987, only to fall prey six years later to the violence reflected in its music.”

2/8/19- Fair reviews at best– several calling the movie just plain boring. TRDB.

2) ISN’T IT ROMANTIC– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Young architect Natalie, who’s had little luck in love or career advancement, awakens one day to find that her life has morphed into a romantic comedy, with her as the star. Making matters worse, her assistant and confidante is now her mortal enemy.”

2/13/19- Fair reviews at best. One review said it wasn’t funny and it wasn’t romantic. TRDB.

EACH OF THE FOLLOWING MOVIES RECEIVED TERRIBLE REVIEWS AND WERE NOT WORTH REVIEWING!!! RARELY SO MANY IN A SINGLE WEEK-

1) COLD PURSUIT-

2) BERLIN, I LOVE YOU-

3) THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT-

4) WHAT MEN WANT-

5) THE PRODIGY-

6) UNDER THE EIFFEL TOWER-

7) UNTOGETHER-

1) ARCTIC– Bethel. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “When his plane crashes in the Arctic, Danish explorer Overgård hunkers down to await rescue. But after a helicopter promising salvation also crashes — leaving its co-pilot badly hurt — Overgård must decide whether to begin a long trek to find help.”

2/1/19- Excellent reviews for this drama starring Mads Mikkelsen. TRDB.

2) THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD– Bethel, Danbury. 2019. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Peter Jackson directs this homage to the British troops of the First World War with never-before-seen-footage of soldiers as they faced the fear and uncertainty of frontline battle in Belgium.”

1/30/19- Great reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

3) THE HEIRESSES– Jacob Burns. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Together for more than 30 years, Chela and Chiquita stick to their defined roles, with Chiquita managing their lives and Chela working on her art. But when Chiquita is jailed for fraud, timid Chela begins awakening to her long-dormant passions.”

1/16/19- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

4) NEVER LOOK AWAY– Jacob Burns. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this absorbing drama based loosely on the life of visual artist Gerhard Richter, an art student trying to get past the trauma of growing up in Nazi Germany falls for a fellow student. But her father — an ex-Nazi — is bent on keeping them apart.”

1/25/19- OK reviews for this very long drama. TRDB.

5) TO DUST– Clearview 100. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Struggling to accept his wife’s sudden death, Hasidic cantor Shmuel believes he must understand how her body will decompose. Enlisting the aid of a biology professor, Shmuel begins the blasphemous act of scientific investigation.”

2/8/19- Excellent reviews for this strange sounding drama. TRDB.

5) THE INVISIBLES— Clearview 100. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “This riveting docudrama follows four resourceful Jewish youths living under Nazi rule in 1943 Berlin, where they elude the roundup of Jews by taking cover in safe houses and freely walking the streets, virtually hiding in plain sight.”

1/25/19- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

4) THE LAST RESORT– 2018. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “An uncannily revealing portrait of American photographers Andy Sweet and Gary Monroe and the vibrant community of Jewish retirees they obsessively focused their camera’s lens on in the sunburned paradise of 1970s Miami Beach.”

12/21/18- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

5) THE LAST RESORT– 2018. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “An uncannily revealing portrait of American photographers Andy Sweet and Gary Monroe and the vibrant community of Jewish retirees they obsessively focused their camera’s lens on in the sunburned paradise of 1970s Miami Beach.”

12/21/18- Excellent reviews. TRDB.