The Reel Dr. Bob

January 21, 2021

Dear Friends:

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) CRITICAL THINKING– Netflix Disc.

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK-

1) YOUR NAME ENGRAVED HEREIN

1/15/21- Boring and I just could not get into the movie. 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.

1/15/21- Well, I saw it and I was forced to turn it off. Poor acting and poorer screenplay!! TRDB. Netflix

3) CRITICAL THINKING– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “Making his directorial debut with this fact-based drama, John Leguizamo stars as a dedicated teacher who — against all odds — leads a team of underprivileged kids from one of Miami’s toughest high schools to the national chess championship.”

9/5/20- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

1/18/21- A very good movie that was more about life in general than about chess. TRDB. Netflix Disc.

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COMING TO NETFLIX THIS WEEK ON DISC AND PERHAPS STREAMING AS WELL-

NONE THAT I WOULD RECOMMEND

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NEW STREAMABLE MOVIES-

1) LOCKED DOWN– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In LOCKED DOWN, just as they decide to separate, Linda (Anne Hathaway) and Paxton (Chiwetel Ejiofor) find life has other plans when they are stuck at home in a mandatory lockdown.”

1/16/21- Really poor reviews but I think that it may be worth seeing. TRDB. On HBO Max

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.

1/15/21- Well, I saw it and I was forced to turn it off. Poor acting and poorer screenplay!! TRDB. Netflix.

3) MLK/FBI– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. This documentary exposes the nature of the surveillance used by the FBI to monitor King.”

1/15/21- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB. On various platforms and in some theaters as well. TRDB.

4) ACASA, MY HOME– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A rural Romanian couple and their nine children must learn to live in the big city.”

1/16/21- Truly remarkable reviews for this documentary. TRDB. In Theaters and streamable at kinomarquee.com

5) MY LITTLE SISTER– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “As ex-playwright Lisa is living with her family in Switzerland, her twin brother — a successful actor — contracts leukemia. Returning to her native Germany to be by his side, Lisa is soon drawn back into the world of theater.”

1/16/21- Excellent reviews for this foreign drama. TRDB.

6) CRACK: COCAINE, CORRUPTION & CONSPIRACY– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In the early 1980s, the crack epidemic tore through America’s inner cities like a tsunami, ravaging all in its wake. Decades later, the destructive effects on people’s lives, families and communities are still deeply felt. Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy examines not only the personal devastation caused by the drug, but also the shadowy origins of the crisis and the resultant, ongoing marginalization of Black and Brown people trapped by the U.S. prison and healthcare systems.”

1/16/21- Weak reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

7) 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.

8) AMERICAN SKIN– 2019. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A war veteran seeks justice when police kill his unarmed son during a routine traffic stop.”

1/16/21- Weak reviews in general for this film. There are a couple of OK ones as well. TRDB.

9)  DR. BIRD’S ADVICE FOR SAD POETS– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “Teen James Whitman is struggling: With his older sister exiled from the family, he has no one to talk to — so he turns a pigeon pal into an imaginary therapist. Aided by his avian analyst and his new crush, James begins a search for his sibling.”

1/17/21- Very few reviews and they are poor but the premise of this story sounds like it might be interesting nevertheless. TRDB.

10) FILM ABOUT A FATHER WHO– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this absorbing documentary, filmmaker Lynne Sachs combines love, regret and 35 years of video footage to paint a kaleidoscopic portrait of her bohemian father, Ira, a seemingly inscrutable property developer based in Park City, Utah.”

1/17/21- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

SKIP THESE-

1) THE MARKSMAN-

2) BLODDY HELL-

3) DON’T TELL A SOUL-

4) HUNTED-

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

See last week’s edition ( #832 ) for description of the following movies

1) I BLAME SOCIETY–

2) SOME KIND OF HEAVEN–

3) MLK/FBI-

4) MY REMBRANDT–

5) A PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN–