The Reel Dr. Bob

January 28, 2021

Dear Friends:

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) THE WHITE TIGER– Netflix Streaming

2) JUNGLELAND– Netflix Disc

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK

1) THE WHITE TIGER– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “Hailing from a poor village, young Balram Halwai has been trained to serve — and serve he does as a driver for a wealthy couple. But when they betray him, ambitious Balram vows to rise above his caste and become an entrepreneur.”

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COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT WEEK ON DISC AND PERHAPS STREAMING AS WELL–

1) MARTIN EDEN– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “Moving the action from California to an Italian port city, this adaptation of Jack London’s 1909 novel follows an uneducated sailor who falls for a rich university student and attempts to remake himself as a writer to win her heart.”

10/16/20- Very good reviews. TRDB.

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NEW STREAMABLE MOVIES-

1) THE SALT OF TEARS– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “Aspiring to follow in his father’s footsteps, handsome Luc is determined to become a cabinetmaker. As he’s learning his craft, he seduces one young woman and rekindles a romance with a former girlfriend — only to abandon them both for another.”

1/22/20- Fair reviews by most critics although the NY Times liked it very much. TRDB. On Filmforum.org

2) IDENTIFYING FEATURES– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “When her son vanishes while traveling north in an attempt to cross the U.S. border, Magdalena sets off on a courageous journey to determine his fate. Along the way, she begins traveling with a young stranger who hopes to reunite with his mother.”

1/22/21- Excellent reviews for this foreign drama. TRDB. In Theaters and on KinoMarquee.com

3) THE HUMAN FACTOR– 2019. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “With unprecedented access to the foremost American negotiators, THE HUMAN FACTOR is the behind-the-scenes story from the last 25 years, of how the United States came within reach of pulling off the impossible — securing peace between Israel and its neighbors.”

1/22/19- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB. In select theaters.

4) THE WHITE TIGER– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “Hailing from a poor village, young Balram Halwai has been trained to serve — and serve he does as a driver for a wealthy couple. But when they betray him, ambitious Balram vows to rise above his caste and become an entrepreneur.”

1/22/20- Very good reviews. TRDB.

1/23/21- I liked this movie very much. It portrays the rage of  the caste system. TRDB. Netflix Streaming

5) PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “A successful neurosurgeon, Márta abandons her career in America for a romantic tryst in Budapest with a doctor she met at a conference. But when he stands her up and later denies ever meeting her, she wonders whether she imagined their relationship.”

1/22/20- Excellent reviews for this foreign drama. TRDB. Begins streaming on April 2, 2021

6) NOTTURNO– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Filmed over three years on the borders between Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria and Lebanon, Notturno captures the everyday life that lies behind the continuing tragedy of civil wars, ferocious dictatorships, foreign invasions and the murderous apocalypse of ISIS.”

1/22/20- Very good reviews for this documentary. TRDB. Begins streaming on Jan. 29, 2021

7) SPOOR– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A retired woman gets mixed up in a mystery when avid hunters in her mountain village begin turning up dead, and there are deer tracks next to their bodies.”

1/22/21- Weak reviews in general but a few really excellent ones also. I’d give it a try. TRDB. On Amazon Prime and various platform

8) YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Winner of the Lion of the Future Award for best Debut Feature at the Venice Film Festival, YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY is visually sumptuous “coming-of-death” fable. During her son’s naming ceremony, a Sheikh predicts that Sakina’s child will die at the age of 20. Haunted by this prophecy, Sakina becomes overly protective of her son Muzamil, who grows up knowing about his fate.”

1/22/20- Excellent reviews. TRDB. On FlmMovement.com

9) ATLANTIS- 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “With the war against Russia finally over, Eastern Ukraine of 2025 is a barely habitable desert where ex-soldier Sergiy is eking out a living while battling post-traumatic stress disorder. But a ray of light emerges when he meets a young aid worker.”

1/22/21- Excellent reviews. TRDB. On Metrograph.com

10) DEREK DELGAUDIO’S IN & OF ITSELF- 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Writer and magician Derek DelGaudio brings his long-running off-Broadway show to the big screen, mixing card tricks, optical illusions and teleportation with autobiographical insights and his musings on identity.”

1/23/21- Excellent reviews. TRDB. On Hulu

SKIP–

1) NO MAN’S LAND– In theaters and on Amazon, and Vudu

2) OUR FRIEND-

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

1) MY REMBRANDT– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Rembrandt, the grandmaster of intimacy rocks the art world; 350 years after his death, many people, even entire nations are obsessed with his paintings.”

1/11/21- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

2) OUR FRIEND– Skip this one

3) 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.

4) SUPERNOVA– 2020. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Sam (Academy Award winner Colin Firth) and Tusker (Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci), partners of twenty years, are traveling across England in their old camper van visiting friends, family and places from their past. Following a life-changing diagnosis, their time together has become more important than ever until secret plans test their love like never before.”