The Reel Dr. Bob

January 7, 2021

Dear Friends:

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES THIS WEEK-

1) NIGHT MOVIES– On Netflix (Disc.) and Prime

2) PIECES OF A WOMAN– Netflix

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK-

1) NIGHT MOVES– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “With their collective eye fixed on blowing up a hydroelectric dam, a pair of young environmentalists enlist the help of an ex-military explosives expert to carry out a dangerous act of eco-terrorism.”

5/30/14- Very good critical review but less so by audiences. TRDB.

1/7/21- I found this movie so-so, probably worth a try. Good acting by Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning. TRDB.

2) PIECES OF A WOMAN– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. TRDB. “Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeouf) are a Boston couple on the verge of parenthood whose lives change irrevocably when a home birth ends in unimaginable tragedy.”

1/1/21- Fair reviews at best. Many thought that the acting lifted the movie itself. TRDB.

1/7/21- Everyone praised the opening scene and the female lead. However, many did not like the movie. I DID!!!!

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COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT WEEK BY DISC AND PERHAPS STREAMING AS WELL

1) MINDING THE GAP– MINDING THE GAP- 2018. Synopsis by Netflix. “Returning to his Illinois hometown, documentarian Bing Liu reconnects with a pair of skateboarding friends from his youth. At a transition point, the trio finds their outlooks changing as they struggle with their pasts and moving into adulthood.”

8/17/18- Great reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

2) JUNGLELAND– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “In debt to a mob boss after a loss in the ring, bare-knuckles boxer Lion and his manager brother, Stanley, travel across the country for a tournament that may help them recoup their losses. But an unexpected traveling partner complicates their plans.”

11/6/20- Fair reviews but it sounds interesting to me and I’ll try to see it. TRDB.

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NEW STREAMABLE MOVIES-

1) PIECES OF A WOMAN– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. TRDB. “Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeouf) are a Boston couple on the verge of parenthood whose lives change irrevocably when a home birth ends in unimaginable tragedy.”

1/1/21- Fair reviews at best. Many thought that the acting lifted the movie. TRDB. On Netflix

1/7/21- Everyone praised the opening scene and the female lead. However, many did not like the movie. I DID!!!! TRDB

2) HERSELF– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Single mother Sandra (Clare Dunne) escapes her abusive partner with her two young children, only to find herself trapped in temporary accommodation. After months of struggling, she draws inspiration from one of her daughter’s bedtime stories and hits upon the idea of self-building an affordable home. ”

1/1/21- Very good reviews for this drama. TRDB. In Theaters

3) TWO WAYS HOME– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Soul-touching and moving, TWO WAYS HOME compassionately follows Kathy (Tanna Frederick), a woman newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder who is released from prison on good behavior and returns to her country home in Iowa to reconnect with her estranged 12-year-old daughter.”

1/1/21- Very few reviews and they are mixed. I’d see it. TRDB. On various streaming platforms

4) NIGHT OF THE KINGS– 2020. Synopsis by IMDB. “A young man is sent to “La Maca”, a prison of Ivory Coast in the middle of the forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new “Roman” and must tell a story to the other prisoners.”

1/2/21- Few reviews as of now and they seem excellent . TRDB.

5) SHADOW IN THE CLOUD– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In the throes of World War II, Captain Maude Garrett (CHLOË GRACE MORETZ) joins the all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude’s every move. ”

1/2/21- Fair reviews so far. TRDB.  In theaters and for rent on Prime and Vudu

6) HAPPY FACE– 2019. Synopsis by Netflix. “With his mom battling an aggressive form of cancer, 19-year-old Stan disguises his appearance to join a support group for disfigured people, desperately hoping to better understand his mother’s pain.”

1/2/21- Excellent reviews for this drama. TRDB. On virtual cinemas

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MOVIES SHOWING AT THE LIVING ROOM THEATERS AT FAU IN BOCA RATON-

1) HERSELF– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “In an attempt to find a safe home for her family, abused single mother Sandra takes on the public housing system. But when her efforts prove fruitless, she elects to build her own house — and ends up rebuilding her life.”

12/31/20- Very good reviews for this drama. TRDB.

2) ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “When Cassius Clay defeats Sonny Liston in 1964 to become world heavyweight champ, he celebrates at a motel in a black ward of Miami with Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and gridiron star Jim Brown in this fictionalized account of that night.”

1/7/21- Great reviews by the critics but awful ones from audiences. I’ll definitely see this movie. TRDB.

3) THE DISSIDENT– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “When Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappears after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, his fiancée and dissidents around the world are left to piece together the clues to a brutal murder and expose a global cover-up perpetrated by the very country he loved.”

4) SOME KIND OF HEAVEN– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “All the packaged positivity in the world can’t mask the unhappiness of some residents of the Villages, where documentarian Lance Oppenheim trains his lens on four members of the Central Florida community dubbed the “Disneyland for Retirees.”

1/7/21- Great reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

5) PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be — she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past.”