The Reel Dr. Bob

AUGUST 13, 2020

DEAR FRIENDS:

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) WORK IT– Netflix.

2) THE ASSISTANT– Netflix Disc.

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT HOME-

1) THE TRAITOR– 2020- Synopsis by Netflix. “As gang war rages in Sicily in the 1980s, Mafia captain Tommaso Buscetta flees to Brazil rather than risk assassination by his foes. After Buscetta is arrested and extradited to Italy, he becomes a critical witness in a mass trial of mob kingpins.”

1/31/20- OK reviews for this gangster movie. TRDB. 

8/7/20- I did not like this movie at all and I turned it off. TRDB. Netflix Disc.

2) WORK IT- 2020. Synopsis by IMDB. “When Quinn Ackerman’s admission to the college of her dreams depends on her performance at a dance competition, she forms a ragtag group of dancers to take on the best squad in school…now she just needs to learn how to dance.”

8/8/20- Innocent fun with lots of dancing. TRDB.

3) THE ASSISTANT– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “After landing a job as an assistant to an entertainment mogul, aspiring producer Jane thinks she has it made. But as she settles into her new role, Jane begins to notice abuses large and small — until finally she must speak up.”

1/31/20- Good reviews. TRDB.

8/9/20- A very low key low budget drama that was just OK. TRDB.

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COMING TO NETFLIX ON DISC NEXT WEEK-

1) MILITARY WIVES– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “With their spouses serving in faraway Afghanistan, a diverse band of military wives finds a unique way to deal with their loneliness and fears: They put together a choir. But what begins as a distraction soon develops into deep bonds of friendship.”

5/23/20- Mixed reviews — more positive than negative. TRDB.

2) THE OUTPOST– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Based on true events. A team of U.S. soldiers stationed at the deadliest outpost in Afghanistan are relentlessly attacked by an overwhelming force of Taliban insurgents. Their fight for survival is the ultimate display of American valor.”

8/8/20- Another “war is hell” movie. Just OK. TRDB.

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NEW STREAMABLE MOVIES-

1) LA LLORONA– 2019. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Indignant retired general Enrique finally faces trial for the genocidal massacre of thousands of Mayans decades ago. As a horde of angry protesters threatens to invade their opulent home, the women of the house–his haughty wife, conflicted daughter, and precocious granddaughter–weigh their responsibility to shield the erratic, senile Enrique against the devastating truths being publicly revealed and the increasing sense that a wrathful supernatural force is targeting them for his crimes.”

8/7/20- Excellent reviews from the critics and weak ones from audiences. TRDB. On Shudder

2) AN AMERICAN PICKLE– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Seth Rogen stars as Herschel Greenbaum, a struggling laborer who immigrates to America in 1919 with dreams of building a bett er life for his beloved family. One day, while working at his factory job, he falls into a vat of pickles and is brined for 100 years. The brine preserves him perfectly and when he emerges in present day Brooklyn, he finds that he hasn’t aged a day. But when he seeks out his family, he is troubled to learn that his only surviving relative is his great grandson, Ben Greenbaum (also played by Rogen), a mild-mannered computer coder whom Herschel can’t even begin to understand.”

8/7/20- Fairly good reviews by the critics and weak ones from audiences. TRDB. On HBO MAX

3) HOWARD– 2019. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Directed by Don Hahn (“Beauty and the Beast”), “Howard” is the untold story of Howard Ashman, the brilliant lyricist behind Disney classics like “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid” and creator of musicals including “Little Shop of Horrors.” Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, personal films and photographs, as well as interviews with Howard’s friends and family, the film is an intimate look at the Disney Legend’s life, his creative drive, and the process behind the music.”

8/7/20- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB. On Disney +

4) RIVER CITY DRUMBEAT– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Ed “Nardie” White devoted his life to leading an African-American youth drum corps in Louisville, Kentucky for three decades. Now Albert, whose destiny was shaped by the drumline, must take up the mantle. Meanwhile drummers Imani, Jailen, and Emily navigate adolescence in this multigenerational tale of music, love, and legacies set in the American South.”

8/8/20- Just a few reviews so far and they are excellent. TRDB. Virtual Cinemas

5) PSYCHOMAGIC, A HEALING ART– Fair to good reviews. On some “on demand” platforms

6) SHE DIES TOMORROW– After waking up convinced that she is going to die tomorrow, Amy’s carefully mended life begins to unravel. As her delusions of certain death become contagious to those around her, Amy and her friends’ lives spiral out of control in a tantalizing descent into madness. On Google Play and Prime Video

7) SONG WITHOUT A NAME– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “Enticed by the promise of free care to what ends up being a fake medical clinic, pregnant Georgina sees her newborn instantly stolen from her. Launching a desperate search for the baby, Georgina gets nowhere until she turns to a sympathetic reporter.”

8/8/20- No reviews as yet but I’d see it now if I could. TRDB. On Virtual Cinema

8) THE TAX COLLECTOR– Poor reviews. On VUDU, Prime Video.

9) CERTIFIED COPY– 2010. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Binoche plays a gallery owner living in a Tuscan village who attends a lecture by a British author (opera star William Shimell) on authenticity and fakery in art. Afterward, she invites him on a tour of the countryside, during which he is mistaken for her husband. They keep up the pretense and continue on their afternoon out, discussing love, life and art.”

8/9/20- Very good reviews from the critics and fair ones from audiences. TRDB. On Amazon Prime.

10) THE SECRET GARDEN–THE SECRET GARDEN starring Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx is a new take on the beloved classic novel of the same name written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Set in England during a new time period in 1947, the film follows a young orphan girl who, after being sent to live with her uncle, discovers a magical garden on the grounds of his estate.  Fair reviews at best. On Streaming platforms

11) OUT STEALING HORSES– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “November 1999: 67-year-old Trond (Stellan Skarsgård), lives in self-imposed isolation and looks forward to welcoming in the new millennium alone. As winter arrives he meets one of his few neighbors, Lars (Bjørn Floberg), and realizes he knew him back in the summer of 1948. 1948 — the year Trond turned 15. The summer Trond grew up. OUT STEALING HORSES is based on the bestselling novel by Norwegian author Per Petterson, which received several important international awards and was included in The New York Times ’10 Best Books of 2007 (Fiction)'”

8/8/20- Fair to good reviews. TRDB. On streaming platforms

12) WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS– Weak reviews and I’d skip it. On Google Play

13) I USED TO GO HERE– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Following the lackluster launch of her debut novel, 35-year-old writer Kate Conklin (Gillian Jacobs) receives an invitation from her former professor and old crush (Jemaine Clement) to speak at her alma mater. With her book tour cancelled, and her ego deflated, Kate decides to take the trip, wondering if returning to her old college as a published author might give her the morale boost she sorely needs. Instead, she falls into a comical regression — from misadventures with eccentric twenty-year olds to feelings of jealousy toward her former professor’s new favorite student.”

8/8/20- Very good reviews by the critics and just fair ones from audiences. TRDB.

14) WORK IT- 2020. Synopsis by IMDB. “When Quinn Ackerman’s admission to the college of her dreams depends on her performance at a dance competition, she forms a ragtag group of dancers to take on the best squad in school…now she just needs to learn how to dance.”

8/8/20- Innocent fun with lots of dancing. I liked it. TRDB.