The Reel Dr. Bob

DEAR FRIENDS:

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK- NONE

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COMING TO NETFLIX ON DISC-

1) EMMA– 2020. Synopsis by Netflix. “Writer Jane Austen’s meddling heroine Emma Woodhouse comes alive again in this big-screen adaptation of the classic novel about a young woman who delights in matchmaking despite her woeful record of success.”

2/22/20- Very good reviews for this re-make. TRDB.

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NEW MOVIES IN THEATERS AND/OR STREAMING-

1) SPENCER– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Princess Diana’s exit from Britain’s royal family is recounted in this historical drama set at the queen’s Sandringham estate during the 1991 Christmas holidays, where Diana makes the fateful decision to leave Prince Charles.”

11/9/21- Fairly good reviews by the critics and poor ones from audiences.TRDB. In Theaters

2) THE HARDER THEY FALL– 2021. “Synopsis by Netflix. “When outlaw Nat Love learns that the man who killed his parents, Rufus Buck, is getting out of prison, Nat assembles his former gang (including ex-love Stagecoach Mary) to exact revenge. But Rufus has a badass crew of his own.”

11/5/21- Very good reviews for this Western. TRDB.  On Netflix

11/5/21- I did not like this mish-mosh of a movie one bit. Too many bandits, too many gangs and nearly impossible to follow the action. TRDB

3) A MAN NAMED SCOTT– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In 2009, Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi released his debut LP, Man on the Moon: The End of Day. A genre-bending album that broke barriers by featuring songs dealing with depression, anxiety, and loneliness, it resonated deeply with young listeners and launched Cudi as a musical star and cultural hero. Director Robert Alexander’s A Man Named Scott explores Cudi’s journey over a decade of creative choices, struggles, and breakthroughs, making music that continues to move and empower his millions of fans around the world.”

11/5/21- Just 3 reviews so far– 2 up and 1 down. Stay tuned. On Amazon.

4) HIVE- 2021. Synopsis by  Rotten Tomatoes. “HIVE is a searing drama based on the true story of Fahrije (Yllka Gashi), who, like many of the other women in her patriarchal village, has lived with fading hope and burgeoning grief since her husband went missing during the war in Kosovo. In order to provide for her struggling family, she pulls together the other widows in her community to launch a business selling a local food product. Finding healing and solace in considering a future without their husbands–but their will to begin living independently is met with hostility. The men in the village condemn Fahrije’s efforts to empower herself and the women around her,”

11/5/21- Excellent reviews for this drama from Albania. TRDB. In Theaters.

5) ALL IS FORGIVEN– 2007. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A father and daughter reunite 11 years after the father’s drug addiction took control and tore their family apart.”

11/5/21- Just a few reviews and they are mixed. This movie is from 2007. TRDB. On several virtual platforms

6) THIS IS NOT A WAR STORY– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Timothy Reyes hustles through the NYC subway system. Oblivious passers-by don’t notice he is popping pills, fading, killing himself. Discovered dead on an empty train, no one knows him to be a combat veteran. His mentor, Will LaRue blames himself and wrestles with the guilt, and a resurgence of his own demons from war. His refuge: a multi-generational community of artist veterans, who make handmade paper out of military uniforms. Shredding them, pulverizing them — uniforms are reconstituted into paper, onto which the veterans express their rage, humor, memories, and hopes, in the form of art and poetry.”

11/5/21- Excellent reviews. TRDB. On HBO Max

7) A COP MOVIE– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Following family tradition, Teresa and Montoya join the police force, only to find their convictions and hopes crushed by a dysfunctional system. Their emotional bond becomes a refuge for the hostility they are exposed to. Through a bold experiment of narrative and documentary storytelling, A Cop Movie propels the viewer into an unusual cinematic space, giving voice to one of Mexico’s most controversial institutions.”

11/5/21- Excellent reviews for this Spanish language drama. TRDB. On Netflix.

11/5/21-  Really boring and I turned it off. TRDB.

8) BEANS– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Twelve-year-old Beans is on the edge: torn between innocent childhood and reckless adolescence; forced to grow up fast and become the tough Mohawk warrior she needs to be during the Oka Crisis, the turbulent Indigenous uprising that tore Quebec and Canada apart for 78 tense days in the summer of 1990.”

11/5/21- Excellent reviews for this drama.  TRDB. In Theaters and various streaming platforms.

9)  SIMPLE AS WATER– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Epic in scope but intimate and elegant in feel, SIMPLE AS WATER is a meditation on the elemental bonds between parent and child. A masterful look at the impact of war, separation and displacement, the film takes audiences into Syrian families’ quests for normalcy and through the whirlwind of obstacles — to building life anew. Filmed over the course of five years in five countries including Turkey, Greece, Germany, Syria and the US, Mylan’s sensitive camera reifies the universal importance of family.”

11/5/21- No reviews yet but the premise seems interesting to me. TRDB.  In Theaters

10) FINCH– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In “Finch,” a man, a robot and a dog form an unlikely family in a powerful and moving adventure of one man’s quest to ensure that his beloved canine companion will be cared for after he’s gone. Tom Hanks stars as Finch, a robotics engineer and one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event that has left the world a wasteland. But Finch, who has been living in an underground bunker for a decade, has built a world of his own that he shares with his dog, Goodyear. He creates a robot, played by Caleb Landry Jones, to watch over Goodyear when he no longer can. “

11/5/2021. Fair reviews. TRDB.

SKIP THIS-

1) MARK, MARY & SOME OTHER PEOPLE- Terrible reviews.

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MOVIES SHOWING IN WESTCHESTER Co., NY

A) JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER- IN PLEASANTVILLE, NY

NEW-

1) BELFAST– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “BELFAST is a movie straight from Branagh’s own experience. A nine-year-old boy must chart a path towards adulthood through a world that has suddenly turned upside down. His stable and loving community and everything he thought he understood about life is changed forever but joy, laughter, music and the formative magic of the movies remain.”

11/10/21- Very good reviews for this drama. TRDB.

2) tick, tick… Boom– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with tick, tick…BOOM!, an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, who revolutionized theater as the creator of Rent. The film follows Jon (Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Andrew Garfield), a young theater composer who’s waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical. Days before he’s due to showcase his work in a make-or-break performance, Jon is feeling the pressure from everywhere.”

11/10/21- No reviews as yet. TRDB.

REPEATS-

1) SPENCER– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Princess Diana’s exit from Britain’s royal family is recounted in this historical drama set at the queen’s Sandringham estate during the 1991 Christmas holidays, where Diana makes the fateful decision to leave Prince Charles.”

11/9/21- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

2) THE FRENCH DISPATCH– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set in 1950s France and featuring a star-studded cast, this ensemble dramedy threads together and brings to life a trio of short stories written for the final edition of an American magazine.”

10/20/21- Fair to good reviews for this dramedy. TRDB.

3) THE VELVET UNDERGROUND– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Anchored by charismatic singer-songwriter Lou Reed, the Velvet Underground’s musical output left a deep imprint on the rock scene of the 1960s and beyond. This engaging documentary details the seminal group’s storied history.”

10/14/21- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

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MOVIES SHOWING IN FAIRFIELD Co., CT

A) AMC- IN DANBURY, CT

1) BELFAST– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “BELFAST is a movie straight from Branagh’s own experience. A nine-year-old boy must chart a path towards adulthood through a world that has suddenly turned upside down. His stable and loving community and everything he thought he understood about life is changed forever but joy, laughter, music and the formative magic of the movies remain.”

11/10/21- Very good reviews for this drama. TRDB.

2) SPENCER– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Princess Diana’s exit from Britain’s royal family is recounted in this historical drama set at the queen’s Sandringham estate during the 1991 Christmas holidays, where Diana makes the fateful decision to leave Prince Charles.”

11/9/21- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

3) THE FRENCH DISPATCH– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set in 1950s France and featuring a star-studded cast, this ensemble dramedy threads together and brings to life a trio of short stories written for the final edition of an American magazine.”

10/20/21- Fair to good reviews for this dramedy. TRDB.

4) NO TIME TO DIE– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the 25th installment of the James Bond movie franchise, Agent 007 is enjoying retirement in Jamaica when his leisure is interrupted by a longtime friend from the CIA who needs help rescuing a kidnapped scientist.”

10/1/21- Good reviews for this movie featuring Daniel Craig for the last time as Bond. TRDB.

MOVIES SHOWING IN PALM BEACH COUNTY

A) THE MOVIES OF LAKE WORTH-

1) SPENCER– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Princess Diana’s exit from Britain’s royal family is recounted in this historical drama set at the queen’s Sandringham estate during the 1991 Christmas holidays, where Diana makes the fateful decision to leave Prince Charles.”

11/9/21- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

2) NO TIME TO DIE– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “In the 25th installment of the James Bond movie franchise, Agent 007 is enjoying retirement in Jamaica when his leisure is interrupted by a longtime friend from the CIA who needs help rescuing a kidnapped scientist.”

10/1/21- Good reviews for this movie featuring Daniel Craig for the last time as Bond. TRDB.

3) THE FRENCH DISPATCH–  2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Set in 1950s France and featuring a star-studded cast, this ensemble dramedy threads together and brings to life a trio of short stories written for the final edition of an American magazine.”

10/20/21- Fair to good reviews for this dramedy. TRDB.

4) GOLDEN VOICES– 2020. “Synopsis by Netflix. “After the Soviet Union collapses, Victor and Raya migrate to Israel. But when they realize their adopted home has no use for their professional forte — dubbing Western films in Russian — they have to change their talents to find work.”

10/27/21- Excellent reviews for this drama/comedy. TRDB.

5) MASS– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this poignant drama, two sets of shattered parents gingerly seek to bridge the emotional chasm between them, which formed six years earlier when one couple’s son killed the other couple’s son in a school shooting.”

10/8/21- Excellent reviews for this poignant drama. TRDB.

6) TANGO SHALOM– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Moshe Yehuda (Jos Laniado), a Hasidic Rabbi and amateur Hora dancer, enters a big televised Tango competition to save his Hebrew school from bankruptcy. There is only one problem: due to his orthodox religious beliefs, he is not allowed to touch a woman!”

9/21/21- Fairly good reviews for this comedy. TRDB.

B) THE MOVIES OF DELRAY- Same as Lake Worth above!!

C) THE LIVING ROOM THEATERS AT FAU IN BOCA RATON-

1) LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE– 2021. Synopsis by  Rotten Tomatoes.”LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE is three stories that explore love, commitment, and loyalty between couples and friends. In the film’s first story TWO FOR DINNER, a married couple (Joanne Whalley and Chris Messina) find an unconventional way to transcend long distance through technology, but discover they were farther apart than they knew. In SAILING LESSON, a long-married couple (Kathy Baker and Marshall Bell) tries to reignite their honeymoon-phase heat through a spontaneous sailing trip… and unexpected events arise. And in LATE LUNCH, a young woman (Maya Kazan) who recently lost her mother gathers together a group of her mother’s friends (including Cybill Shepherd, Rosanna Arquette, and Rita Wilson) to share memories. Surprising revelations ensue.”

2) BELFAST– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “BELFAST is a movie straight from Branagh’s own experience. A nine-year-old boy must chart a path towards adulthood through a world that has suddenly turned upside down. His stable and loving community and everything he thought he understood about life is changed forever but joy, laughter, music and the formative magic of the movies remain.”

11/10/21- Very good reviews for this drama. TRDB.

3) ONLY THE ANIMALS– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Following the disappearance of the glamorous and secretive Evelyne Ducat (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) during a blizzard in the highlands of southern France, the lives of five people inextricably linked to Evelyne are brought together to devastating effect as the local police investigate the case.”

10/28/21- Excellent reviews. TRDB.

4) SPENCER- 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Princess Diana’s exit from Britain’s royal family is recounted in this historical drama set at the queen’s Sandringham estate during the 1991 Christmas holidays, where Diana makes the fateful decision to leave Prince Charles.”

 11/9/21- Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

D) THE STONZEK THEATER AT THE LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE-

1) WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “Centering on a trio of female characters and playing out in vignettes with common themes, this three-part anthology depicts tales about an unforeseen love triangle, a bungled seduction trap and an encounter stemming from a case of mistaken identity.

10/16/21- Excellent reviews for this Japanese drama. TRDB.