The Reel Dr. Bob

SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

DEAR FRIENDS:

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE– At the Theater.

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT THE THEATER-

1) LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Linda Ronstadt loves to sing — a truth that can be heard in each note of every music genre she’s undertaken. This affecting documentary draws on archival footage and tributes from a wide swath of Ronstadt’s musical colleagues to chronicle her story.”

9/6/19- Very good reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

9/15/19- Great documentary. I got to know her and her music. TRDB. 

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT HOME-

1) THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Born in Jamaica but now living in New York City, realist Natasha Kingsley is facing imminent deportation. As she looks for an eleventh-hour reprieve to remain in America, fate leads her to meet young dreamer Daniel Bae … and sparks fly.”

9/9/19- Fair reviews at best. TRDB.

9/18/19- A pretty weak love story. TRDB. Netflix Disc.

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COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT WEEK- SEPT. 24-

1) YESTERDAY– 2019. 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 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.

3) PAVAROTTI- 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “When he died in 2007, Luciano Pavarotti had realized his dream of bringing opera to the masses. This documentary paints a compelling portrait of the tenor by drawing on family archives, home videos, behind-the-scenes material and concert footage.”

6/7/19- Good reviews. TRDB.

6/23/19- I enjoyed this documentary very much especially with all of the wonderful singing. TRDB. 

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OPENED LAST WEEK-

Recommended-

1) HUSTLERS- 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Angry about being taken advantage of by their employer and their customers, a group of former strip-club employees turns the tables on their wealthy Wall Street clients in this true-life tale.”

9/10/19- Excellent reviews for this drama. TRDB.

2) ANOTHER DAY OF LIFE- 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “When Portugal withdraws from Angola in 1975 after five centuries of colonial rule, Polish war reporter Ryszard Kapuscinski insists on being there to capture the tumultuous events that ensue as Angola erupts into civil war.”

9/14/19- Good reviews. TRDB.

3) CRACKED UP– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this documentary, “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Darrell Hammond recounts the abuse he suffered as a child, which led to a misdiagnosis and lifelong battles with addiction and depression till a doctor helped Hammond confront his repressed memories.”

9/14/19- Fairly good reviews for this documentary. 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.

5) MONOS– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In a remote mountaintop setting somewhere in Latin America, a rebel group of teenage commandos bearing noms de guerre like Rambo, Smurf, Bigfoot, Wolf and Boom-Boom perform military training exercises while watching over a prisoner (Julianne Nicholson).”

9/14/19- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

6) THE SOUND OF SILENCE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In New York City, Peter Lucian earns a living as a “house tuner,” helping his clients make their homes better fit their personalities. But when he can’t adjust the residence of a woman plagued by exhaustion, Peter begins to doubt his methods.”

9/14/19- Fair to good reviews. TRDB.

7) MOONLIGHT SONATA: DEAFNESS IN THREE MOVEMENTS– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this moving reflection on silence and sound, director Irene Taylor Brodsky turns her lens on her hearing-impaired parents and deaf son Jonas. As the couple looks on in awe, Jonas masters Ludwig van Beethoven’s music, thanks to cochlear implants.”

9/15/19- Good reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

8) AMERICA– 2019.

9/15/19- About a family in Mexico, this PBS documentary received an excellent review in the NY Times. TRDB.

Not Recommended–

1) AMERICAN DREAMER– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Computer programmer Cam once had it all, but when he loses his job and family, he ends up working as a ride-share driver. Desperate to make ends meet, the irrational Cam abducts the son of a drug-dealer client, hoping to collect a ransom.”

9/14/19- Awful reviews. TRDB.

2) THE GOLFINCH– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “When his mother dies in a bomb attack at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, young Theodore Decker’s life is profoundly altered — especially after he steals a priceless painting from the debris and ends up involved in the art underworld.”

9/10/19- Terrible reviews for this movie based on a novel. TRDB.

3) DEPRAVED- A horror movie that is just too much for me. Fair reviews at best. Skip it. TRDB.

4) FREAKS– A sci-fi movie that does not appeal to me at all. TRDB.

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BOB’S PICKS IN FAIRFIELD AND WESTCHESTER COUNTIES-

NEW IN THE BURBS–

1) DOWNTON ABBEY– Jacob Burns, Bethel, Danbury. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set in the period between world wars, this big-screen adaptation of the beloved British TV series continues to follow the lives of the patrician Crawley family and those of the servants who keep the sprawling estate running.”

9/17/19- Fair to good reviews. TRDB.

2) AD ASTRA– Danbury. 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Army Corps engineer Roy McBride has never stopped missing his father, a scientist who vanished on a mission to find alien life on Neptune. Twenty years later, Roy embarks on a galactic search to locate his dad and learn what happened.”

9/18/19- Fairly good reviews for this sci-fi movie. TRDB.

1) LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE– Jacob Burns, Cinema 100. I loved this documentary and I love Linda Ronstadt’s music.

2) OFFICIAL SECRETS– Jacob Burns, Cinema 100. 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.

3) THE GOLDFINCH– Danbury, Cinema 100. Poor reviews.

4) BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON– Jacob Burns, Danbury. Fluff and you can skip it

5) ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD– Danbury. Fairly good reviews and this movie has been showing for a long time. TRDB.

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BOB’S PICKS IN PALM BEACH COUNTY-

A) THE MOVIES OF LAKE WORTH-

1) DOWNTON ABBEY– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set in the period between world wars, this big-screen adaptation of the beloved British TV series continues to follow the lives of the patrician Crawley family and those of the servants who keep the sprawling estate running.”

9/17/19- Fair to good reviews. TRDB.

2) THE GOLDFINCH- I’d skip this one

3) HUSTLERS– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Angry about being taken advantage of by their employer and their customers, a group of former strip-club employees turns the tables on their wealthy Wall Street clients in this true-life tale.”

9/10/19- Excellent reviews for this drama. TRDB.

4) LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE– Great documentary.

B) THE MOVIES OF DELRAY-

1) DOWNTON ABBEY– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set in the period between world wars, this big-screen adaptation of the beloved British TV series continues to follow the lives of the patrician Crawley family and those of the servants who keep the sprawling estate running.”

9/17/19- Fair to good reviews. TRDB.

2) THE GOLDFINCH- Poor reviews

3) HUSTLERS– Excellent reviews

4) LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE– Liked this very much.

C) THE STONZEK THEATER AT THE LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE-

1) THE NIGHTINGALE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Clare, an Irish convict settler in 1820s Tasmania, vows revenge when a British officer carries out a violent act against her family. Determined to catch him, Clare hires an aboriginal tracker to lead the pursuit through the Tasmanian wilderness.”

8/2/19- Good reviews from most critics. TRDB.

2) FIDDLIN’- 2019. Synopsis by IMDB. “Fiddlin’ is a foot-stomping celebration of true Americana and artistic expression. This hopeful, inspiring documentary shines a light on what is best about America. Filmed in the Appalachian Mountains at the World’s Oldest Fiddler’s Convention, Fiddlin’ shows the uplifting and healing power of music.”

9/15/19- Very good reviews. TRDB.

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

1) BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON– Mostly fluff with a few good scenes that made the film, in my opinion worth seeing but I would not inconvenience yourself to go to a theater. TRDB. 

2) DOWNTON ABBEY– Fair to good reviews.

3) EDIE–  Almost all of the critics liked the movie but none thought that it was excellent. I’d give it a try. 

4) TEL AVIV ON FIRE- Very good reviews.

5) FIDDLER: A MIRACLE OF MIRACLES– Very good reviews

6) THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON– Very good reviews