The Reel Dr. Bob

NOVEMBER 18, 2021-

DEAR FRIENDS:

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) MAYOR PETE– Amazon

2) PASSING– Netflix

3) 7 PRISONERS– Netflix

_____________________________________________________________________

MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK-

1) MAYOR PETE– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Mayor Pete brings viewers inside Pete’s campaign to be the youngest U.S. President, providing an unprecedented intimacy with the candidate, his husband Chasten, and their ambitious team. From the earliest days of the campaign, to his unlikely, triumphant victory in Iowa and beyond. This film reveals what really goes on inside a campaign for the highest office in the land — and the myriad ways it changes the lives of those at its center. Recently appointed to U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg serves as the first openly LGBTQ Cabinet member in U.S. history.”

11/13/21- Fairly good reviews for this documentary and I liked it very much. TRDB. Amazon.

2) PASSING– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who’s passing as white.”

11/14/21- Very good reviews by all reviewers. TRDB. On Netflix.

11/14/21- A bit slow but I liked it just the same. TRDB.

3) 7 PRISONERS– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “When 18-year-old Mateus learns about work at a scrap yard in São Paulo, he leaps at the chance to bring money home to his family in rural Brazil. But after he discovers that the job amounts to enslavement, he’s faced with tough moral choices.”

11/13/21- Excellent reviews from all. TRDB.

11/14/21- I agree with the critics- excellent and definitely worth a viewing. TRDB.

____________________________________________________________________

COMING TO NETFLIX THIS WEEK ON DISC- None I Can Recommend. There will be lots more next month.

_____________________________________________________________________

NEW MOVIES IN THEATERS AND/OR STREAMABLE-

1) PASSING– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who’s passing as white.”

11/3/21- Very good reviews by all.  TRDB. On Netflix.

2) WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In the Georgian riverside town of Kutaisi, summertime romance and World Cup fever are in the air. After a pair of chance encounters, pharmacist Lisa and soccer player Giorgi find their plans for a date undone when they both awaken magically transformed — with no way to recognize each other.”

11/13/21- Excellent reviews. TRDB. In theaters now and On MUBI, Streaming on Jan. 7, 2022.

3) 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.  In Theaters

4) RED NOTICE– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “FBI profiler John Hartley’s latest assignment — to catch the world’s most wanted art thief — puts him in the middle of a heist and in league with another top art thief in a chase that takes them around the globe.”

11/13/21- Awful reviews by the critics and excellent ones from audiences. TRDB. Netflix

5) 7 PRISONERS– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “When 18-year-old Mateus learns about work at a scrap yard in São Paulo, he leaps at the chance to bring money home to his family in rural Brazil. But after he discovers that the job amounts to enslavement, he’s faced with tough moral choices.”

11/13/21- Excellent reviews from all. TRDB. Netflix

11/14/21- I agree with the critics- excellent and definitely worth a viewing. TRDB.

6) PAPER & GLUE–  2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Using unexpected canvasses, artist JR intends to give a global voice to everyday people through a genre-blending combination of public art, photography and large format spectacle.”

11/13/21- Good reviews for this documentary. TRDB. In Theaters

7) JULIA– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “JULIA tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the film traces Julia Child’s surprising path, from her struggles to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) which has sold more than 2.5 million copies to date, to her empowering story of a woman who found fame in her 50s, and her calling as an unlikely television sensation.”

11/13/21- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.  In Theaters-

8) UPPERCASE PRINT– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Mugur C?linescu, a 16-year-old teenager, writes another story on walls with chalked uppercase protest messages against the regime. His actions are compiled in a voluminous file kept by the Secret Police (Securitate), which observed, apprehended, interrogated and destroyed him. Linking both stories — secret and public, personal and collective — brings to light an unknown hero 30 years after the fall of communism.”

11/13/21- Reviews are just fair but it sounds OK to me. TRDB. In Theaters

9 ) 3212 UN-REDACTED– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “When ODA 3212, an elite U.S. Special Forces team is caught in a surprise attack deep in the Saharan Desert, killing four soldiers and leaving the rest stranded with no rescue or reinforcements sent their way, military brass immediately start spinning a fractured tale to hide the full truth from the public and the families of the fallen. Two years later, the Pentagon’s highly-redacted report on the ambush near Tongo Tongo, Niger shockingly accuses the team of going on a rogue mission to kill or capture a top ISIS commander. 3212 UN-REDACTED is the result of an exhaustive three-year investigation that contains explosive interviews with a top Pentagon whistleblower, the former general in charge of special operations in Africa, the team’s own commander in Niger and the families of all four fallen soldiers united in their quest for the truth.”

11/13/21- No reviews yet. TRDB. On Hulu

10) MAYOR PETE– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Mayor Pete brings viewers inside Pete’s campaign to be the youngest U.S. President, providing an unprecedented intimacy with the candidate, his husband Chasten, and their ambitious team. From the earliest days of the campaign, to his unlikely, triumphant victory in Iowa and beyond. This film reveals what really goes on inside a campaign for the highest office in the land — and the myriad ways it changes the lives of those at its center. Recently appointed to U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg serves as the first openly LGBTQ Cabinet member in U.S. history.”

11/13/21- Fairly good reviews for this documentary and I liked it very much. TRDB. On Amazon

11) THEY SAY NOTHNG STAYS THE SAME– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In the debut directorial feature by actor Joe Odagiri, The Say Nothing Stays the Same follows an old ferryman in a remote Meiji-era community. His life is a peaceful, cyclical existence, given meaning by the essential role he plays in transporting people, livestock and goods across the water, connecting villages and lives. When news arrives that a bridge is being built, it’s clear that his services will no longer be needed. Meanwhile, his life will be equally transformed by the appearance of a mysterious young woman whom he saves from drowning.”

11/13/21- Great reviews for this Japanese drama. TRDB. In Theaters and on virtual cinemas

12) 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.  In Theaters

13) CUSP– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In a small military town in Texas, three spirited teenage girls live out a fever-dream summer. Through their characters, photographers and debut filmmakers Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt share a fascinating glimpse into authentic American girlhood, where the strictures of adolescence clash with the growing desire for personal agency.”

11/13/21- Very good reviews for this documentary. TRDB. On Showtime 11/26

SKIP THESE-

1)  NIGHT RAIDERS– In Theaters and pay per view

2)  HOME SWEET HOME ALONE– On Disney +

_____________________________________________________________________

MOVIES SHOWING IN WESTCHESTER Co, NY AND FAIRFIELD Co. CT-

A) JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER IN PLEASANTVILLE, NY

NEW-

1) THE POWER OF THE DOG– 2021. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1925 Montana, the relationship between brothers Phil and George — rich ranchers who are polar opposites — sours when George weds a young widow and Phil begins a relentless crusade to torment his sibling’s wife and her bookish teenage son.”

11/18/21- Very good reviews for this drama. TRDB.

2) JULIA– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “JULIA tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the film traces Julia Child’s surprising path, from her struggles to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) which has sold more than 2.5 million copies to date, to her empowering story of a woman who found fame in her 50s, and her calling as an unlikely television sensation.”

11/13/21- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

REPEATS-

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.

B) AMC 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) 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.

4) 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.”

MOVIES SHOWING IN PALM BEACH FL-

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) KING RICHARD– 2021. Armed with a clear vision and a brazen 78-page plan, Richard Williams is determined to write his daughters, Venus and Serena, into history. Training on Compton, California’s neglected tennis courts–rain or shine–the girls are shaped by their father’s unyielding commitment and their mother’s balanced perspective and keen intuition, defying the seemingly insurmountable odds and prevailing expectations laid before them. Based on the true story that will inspire the world.

B) THE MOVIES OF DELRAY-

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) JULIA– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “JULIA tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the film traces Julia Child’s surprising path, from her struggles to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) which has sold more than 2.5 million copies to date, to her empowering story of a woman who found fame in her 50s, and her calling as an unlikely television sensation.”

11/13/21- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

3) TANGO SHALOM–

Fair reviews

4) KING RICHARD– 2021. Armed with a clear vision and a brazen 78-page plan, Richard Williams is determined to write his daughters, Venus and Serena, into history. Training on Compton, California’s neglected tennis courts–rain or shine–the girls are shaped by their father’s unyielding commitment and their mother’s balanced perspective and keen intuition, defying the seemingly insurmountable odds and prevailing expectations laid before them. Based on the true story that will inspire the world.

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

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) 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.

3) JULIA– 2021. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “JULIA tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the film traces Julia Child’s surprising path, from her struggles to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) which has sold more than 2.5 million copies to date, to her empowering story of a woman who found fame in her 50s, and her calling as an unlikely television sensation.”

11/13/21- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

4) 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.

5) 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) KURT VONNEGUT: UNSTUCK IN TIME–