The Reel Dr. Bob

DECEMBER 3, 2020

DEAR FRIENDS:

AS A REMINDER, THE MOVIES “Mank” and “Ammonite” are the 2 new Netflix movies- they stream beginning this Friday- that I’d like to see this week!!!

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) HILLBILLY ELEGY– Netflix

2) UNCLE FRANK– Netflix

3) MOSUL- Netflix

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK-

1) HILLBILLY ELEGY– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “Former Marine and current Yale Law student J.D. Vance has worked hard to distance himself from his Appalachian roots. But when a family crisis calls him back to his hometown, he’s forced to come to terms with his complex family history.”

11/21/20- Terrible reviews by the critics and fairly good ones by audiences. Stay tuned. TRDB.

11/26/20- I think that the movie was much better than the critics gave it credit for. TRDB.

2) UNCLE FRANK– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1973, 18-year-old Beth leaves behind her rural Southern town to attend New York University, where her estranged Uncle Frank is a professor. When the family patriarch dies, she joins Frank and his gay lover on a road trip home for the funeral.”

11/27/20- Fairly good reviews from most plus I won’t miss a road trip movie if I can help it. TRDB.

11/27/20- I liked this movie very much. TRDB.

3) MOSUL– 1919. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “After being rescued by an Iraqi SWAT team from an assault by insurgents, a policeman joins the team and is thrown into a world of secrecy and ceaseless, fierce fighting.”

11/27/20- Fair reviews by the critics and good ones by audiences. There is another movie with the same name. This one is directed by Matthew Michael Carnahan .TRDB

11/29/20- Not sure why the critics didn’t like it but I am clearly with the audiences that did. Very realistic. TRDB. On Netflix.

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AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX NEXT WEEK ON DISC

1) THE 24th.- 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “While World War I rages in Europe, the all-black Twenty-Fourth United States Infantry Regiment is sent to guard construction of Texas’ Camp Logan, where the soldiers soon clash with a violent and abusive Houston police force.”

8/22/20- Good reviews. TRDB.

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NEW STREAMABLE MOVIES-

1) UNCLE FRANK– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1973, 18-year-old Beth leaves behind her rural Southern town to attend New York University, where her estranged Uncle Frank is a professor. When the family patriarch dies, she joins Frank and his gay lover on a road trip home for the funeral.”

11/27/20- Fairly good reviews from most plus I won’t miss a road trip movie if I can help it. TRDB. On Amazon.

11/27/20- I liked this movie very much. TRDB.

2) MY PSYCHEDELIC LOVE STORY– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Filmmaker Errol Morris examines the love affair between LSD guru Timothy Leary and Joanna Harcourt-Smith.”

11/27/20- Fairly good reviews for this documentary. TRDB. On Showtime

3) MOSUL– 1919. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “After being rescued by an Iraqi SWAT team from an assault by insurgents, a policeman joins the team and is thrown into a world of secrecy and ceaseless, fierce fighting.”

11/27/20- Fair reviews by the critics and good ones by audiences. There is another movie with the same name. The one described here is directed by Matthew Michael Carnahan .TRDB. On Netflix.

11/29/20- Not sure why critics didn’t like it but I am clearly with the audiences that did. Very realistic. TRDB. On Netflix.

4) KILL IT AND LEAVE THIS TOWN– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Fleeing from despair after losing those dearest to him, a man hides in a safe land of memories, where time stands still and all those dear to him are still alive.”

11/27/20- Horror and animation are used in this film, neither of which I enjoy but the movie got excellent reviews and I may just see it. TRDB. On Virtual Cinemas.

5) ZAPPA– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “With unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time.”

11/28/20- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB. For rent on Prime.

6) OVERSEAS– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “The portrait of an almost invisible female economic migration, that of the young Filipino women who go live abroad to work for rich foreigners in order to feed their families.”

11/28/20- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB. On Mubi

7) HAPPIEST SEASON– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “With Christmas approaching, Abby decides to add to the season’s joy by proposing to her girlfriend, Harper, at her family’s annual holiday party. But before Abby can pop the question, she discovers that Harper’s parents don’t know she’s gay.”

11/28/20- Very good reviews from the critics and audiences as well. TRDB. On Hulu

8) MANK– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “When Orson Welles calls upon hard-drinking screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz to pen the script for “Citizen Kane,” he seizes the chance, drawing on all of his industry experience to tell the thinly veiled story of William Randolph Hearst.”

11/28/20- Excellent reviews. TRDB. On Netflix Dec. 4, 2020

SKIP THESE-

1) SUPERINTELLIGENCE- Terrible reviews

2) STARDUST- About David Bowie. Awful reviews

3) BLACK BEAUTY- A re-make of the original. Poor reviews

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SHOWING AT THE LIVING ROOM THEATER AT FAU IN BOCA RATON BEGINNING THIS FRIDAY, DEC. 4-

1) BILLIE– 2019. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In 1971, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl set out to write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday. Over 8 years, she tracked down and tape-recorded over 200 hours of interviews with the extraordinary characters that populated the iconic singer’s short, tumultuous life. However, Linda’s book was never finished and the tapes never heard — until now.”

12/2/20- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

2) COLLECTIVE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 2015, a Bucharest nightclub fire left 27 dead and more than 180 injured, many of whom later perished from their “nonlethal” injuries. This documentary follows the investigation into what went wrong — ultimately exposing a vast health-care fraud.”

11/22/20- Very good reviews for this Romanian documentary. TRDB.

3) SOUND OF METAL– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “For heavy metal drummer Ruben, the discovery that he’s losing his hearing is an ironic and devastating blow. Finding respite in a group home with roommates who are also deaf, Ruben slowly begins to accept his new reality.”

11/22/20- Excellent reviews for this drama. TRDB.

4) THE LAST VERMEER– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this fact-based drama, a former Dutch resistance fighter investigating the disappearance of art during World War II follows a trail that leads to flamboyant painter Han van Meegeren. But all may not be as clear-cut as it seems.”

11/22/20- Fair reviews from the critics and very good ones from audiences.” TRDB.

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TV SERIES-

I SAW SERIES 4 OF “THE CROWN” AND LIKED IT. ALSO WATCHING “THE RESTAURANT” ON PRIME AND ENJOYING IT AS WELL.