The Reel Dr. Bob

SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

DEAR FRIENDS:

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) THE COMMAND– Netflix Disc.

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT THE THEATER- NONE

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT HOME-

1) THE COMMAND– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “This real-life thriller set in 2000 recounts the sinking of Russia’s nuclear submarine “Kursk,” focusing on the 23 crew members who survive the crash in an isolated air pocket, only to wait days for rescue as their oxygen runs out.”

6/21/19- Fair reviews for this drama based on a real situation. TRDB.

9/3/19- I agree with the above assessment. Even the positive reviews were luke warm. I was bored at some points but I did watch the entire movie. TRDB. Netflix Disc.

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1) HESBURGH– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “This well-crafted documentary profiles renowned Catholic priest Theodore Hesburgh, who served as president of the University of Notre Dame for 35 years and was an ardent activist in the turbulent struggle for racial equality during the 1960s.”

5/3/19- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

2) THE THIRD WIFE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 19th-century Vietnam, 14-year-old May becomes a rich landowner’s third wife, knowing that she must give birth to a son to increase her status. But after she becomes pregnant, dormant desires force her to choose between safety and freedom.”

5/15/19- Very good reviews for this movie. TRDB.

3) DISTANT CONSTELLATION– 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “As the world outside an Istanbul retirement home undergoes rapid change, the residents within — including artists, pranksters and historians — live out their last years with an eye on the past while they recount their colorful stories.”

11/3/18- Very good reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

1) STUCK- 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “The typical reserve of New York City subway riders falls away when six strangers find themselves stuck in a car that’s not going anywhere. As they begin to tell their stories, conversation soon turns into song.”

4/19/19- Awful reviews. TRDB.

2) IN THE AISLES– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “An affecting and bittersweet glimpse into the shared connections of a motley group of nightshift workers at a big box store, including the reclusive newbie Christian and the charming but mysterious Marion.”

6/14/19- OK reviews for this foreign drama. TRDB.

3) WILD ROSE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “While single mom — and just paroled ex-con — Rose-Lynn Harlan dreams of becoming a country music star, Nashville is a long way from her Scottish home. But she finds an improbable champion in the well-heeled woman whose house Rose cleans.”

6/21/19- Excellent reviews for this drama. TRDB.

7/1/19- I enjoyed this movie especially the music and the wonderful performance of the star. TRDB.

4) TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “This in-depth documentary looks at the life and works of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Toni Morrison, who gives voice to the African-American experience through fiction that exposes a point of view counter to the establishment.”

6/21/10- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

1) YESTERDAY- Synopsis by Netflix. “While he’s still looking for his big break, musician Jack Malik gets hit by a bus during a global blackout. But when he wakes up to find he’s the lone person on Earth who knows of the Beatles and their songbook, Jack has a huge chance at stardom.”

6/25/19- Weak reviews for this comedy/drama. TRDB.

7/21/19- Fluff with lots of great Beatles music. You can safely skip it. TRDB. 

2) SKIN- 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Raised by skinheads, young Bryon Widner finds himself in the FBI’s crosshairs as a vocal white supremacist. But fatherhood begins to change his views, leading him to undergo the excruciating process of removing the racist tattoos covering his body.”

7/26/19- Fair to good reviews. TRDB.

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OPENED LAST WEEK-

Recommended–

1) THE LOAD– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this slow-burning drama set in 1999 Serbia, sullen truck driver Vlada is hired to make a dangerous trek across the war-torn landscape to deliver top-secret cargo to Belgrade — no questions asked.”

9/2/19- Few reviews but they are very good. TRDB.

2) BEFORE YOU KNOW IT– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “For the Gurner family — including dad Mel and adult sisters Rachel and Jackie — life in the flat above the theater they own rarely changes. But the siblings’ world is upended when Mel dies and the mom they thought was dead turns up on a soap opera.”

9/2/19- Good reviews from most. Some said there were too many sub-plots. TRDB.

3) OFFICIAL SECRETS– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this fact-based political thriller, British intelligence translator Katharine Gun leaks a secret National Security Agency memo that proposes blackmailing smaller U.N. Security Council states into ratifying the 2003 Iraq invasion.”

9/2/19- Good reviews by a few critics but most were mediocre. I’ll see it at some point, however. TRDB.

4) Ms. PURPLE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. ” Working as a karaoke hostess in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, young Kasie isn’t equipped to care for her dying dad when his home-care nurse quits. With no other choice, Kasie turns to her estranged brother for help, and the two begin a wary reconciliation.”

9/3/19- Excellent reviews. TRDB. (opens 9/6)

5) AGA- 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the bone-chilling world of northern Siberia, aging couple Nanook and Sedna eke out an existence consistent with indigenous traditions. When Sedna becomes gravely ill, Nanook undertakes a grueling journey to try to find their estranged daughter.”

9/3/19- Excellent reviews. TRDB. (opens 9/6)

6) EDIE- 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “When 83-year-old Edie’s husband dies, her daughter is ready to pack Mom off to an assisted-living facility. But Edie has other plans: Pursuing a lifelong dream, she heads to the Scottish Highlands to climb Mount Suilven.”

9/3/19- Almost all of the critics liked the movie but none thought that it was excellent. I’d give it a try. TRDB. (opens 9/6)

Not Recommended–

1) DON’T LET GO– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “A few days after discovering his brother, sister-in-law and niece, Ashley, dead in an apparent homicide, police detective Jack Radcliff gets a phone call from Ashley. Operating in a time warp, Jack and Ashley must work together to alter her fate.”

9/2/19- Really bad professional reviews but OK audience ones. I’ll skip it. TRDB.

2) ANGEL OF MINE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Fighting for custody of her son, Lizzie is already in a fragile state when she meets Lola, a girl Lizzie believes to be the baby she lost in a fire seven years ago. As Lizzie insinuates herself into Lola’s life, long-held secrets begin to surface.”

9/2/19- Poor reviews for this movie. TRDB.

3) THE FANATIC– Terrible reviews

4) KILLERMAN– Synopsis by IMDB.  “Moe Diamond is a New York City money launderer who wakes up with no memory and millions of dollars in stolen cash and drugs. He must soon scour the streets in search of answers.

A super violent crime movie and I’m not interested. TRDB.

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BOB’S PICKS IN WESTCHESTER AND FAIRFIELD COUNTIES-

NEW IN THE BURBS-

1) OFFICIAL SECRETS– Jacob Burns. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this fact-based political thriller, British intelligence translator Katharine Gun leaks a secret National Security Agency memo that proposes blackmailing smaller U.N. Security Council states into ratifying the 2003 Iraq invasion.”

9/2/19- Good reviews by a few critics but most were mediocre. I’ll see it, however. TRDB.

2) FIDDLER: A MIRACLE OF MIRACLES– Cinema 100. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “This engrossing documentary traces the origins, incarnations and influence of the beloved stage musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” which opened in 1964 and became a Broadway phenomenon, running for eight years.”

8/22/19- Great reviews! TRDB.

3) HEADING HOME: THE TALE OF TEAM ISRAEL– 2019. Cinema 100. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “HEADING HOME: THE TALE OF TEAM ISRAEL is the David-and-Goliath story of Israel’s national baseball team as it competes for the first time in the World Baseball Classic.”

3/5/19- I liked the movie and I especially enjoyed the various interviews with the players and their views about being Jewish and their relationship with Israel. TRDB. 

4) BEFORE YOU KNOW IT– Cinema 100. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “For the Gurner family — including dad Mel and adult sisters Rachel and Jackie — life in the flat above the theater they own rarely changes. But the siblings’ world is upended when Mel dies and the mom they thought was dead turns up on a soap opera.”

9/2/19- Good reviews from most. Some said there were too many sub-plots. TRDB.

REPEATS-

1) WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE– Jacob Burns, Bethel. Weak reviews

2) BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON– Jacob Burns, Bethel, Cinema 100. Very good reviews

3) JAY MYSELF– Jacob Burns. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Filmmaker Stephen Wilkes turns his lens on his mentor, photographer Jay Maisel, as he prepares to move out of the six-story former bank building in Manhattan that he, his family and his random collection of objects have inhabited for 48 years.”

8/27/19- Good reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

4) ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD– Jacob Burns, Danbury. Good reviews

5) MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL– Jacob Burns. Very good reviews.

6) LUCE– Bethel.  I liked it despite some ambiguity.

7) THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON– Bethel, Cinema 100. Very good reviews.

8) AFTER THE WEDDING– Bethel, Cinema 100. Poor reviews.

9) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT– Danbury. Good reviews.

10) THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON– Cinema 100.

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BOB’S PICKS IN PALM BEACH COUNTY-

A) THE MOVIES OF LAKE WORTH-

1) FIDDLER: A MIRACLE OF MIRACLES– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “This engrossing documentary traces the origins, incarnations and influence of the beloved stage musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” which opened in 1964 and became a Broadway phenomenon, running for eight years.”

8/22/19- Great reviews! TRDB.

2) THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN– Fair reviews- friends have liked it

3) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT– Good reviews.

4) LUCE– I liked it even though I found it ambiguous at times.

5) THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON– Very good reviews.

B) THE MOVIES OF DELRAY-

1) FIDDLER: A MIRACLE OF MIRACLES– Great reviews.

2) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT– Good reviews

3) THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN– Fair reviews- friends have liked it

4) TEL AVIV ON FIRE– Very good reviews

5) AFTER THE WEDDING– Poor reviews

6) LUCE– I liked it even though I found it ambiguous at times.

7) WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE- Weak reviews.

C) THE STONZEK THEATER AT THE LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE-

1) BUNUEL IN THE LABYRINTH OF THE TURTLES– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “This poignant animated drama centers on the early days of renowned auteur Luis Buñuel, recounting the filmmaker’s timely stroke of luck when a friend’s winning lottery ticket unexpectedly gives Luis enough money to finance his second movie.”

8/16/19- Excellent reviews for this animated drama. TRDB.

2) THE FAREWELL– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Defying her parents’ wishes, expatriate writer Billi returns to her native China when she learns that her grandmother is terminally ill. But Billi soon finds herself conflicted by the family’s decision to hide her grandmother’s diagnosis from her.”

7/12/19- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

7/24/19-  I agree with the critics– truly an excellent movie. TRDB.

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

1) AQUARELA– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Filmmaker Viktor Kossakovsky’s immersive nature documentary takes the form of a rich visual poem that exposes viewers to the many forms of water, its enormous power and the vital role that it plays in sustaining life on Earth.”

8/15/19- Excellent reviews for this foreign documentary. TRDB.

2) FIDDLER: A MIRACLE OF MIRACLES– Great reviews

3) TEL AVIV ON FIRE– Very good reviews

4) THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON– Very good reviews

5) AFTER THE WEDDING– Poor reviews (limited screenings)

6) JAY MYSELF– Good reviews for this documentary

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