The Reel Dr. Bob

FILM REVIEWS #305

December 10th, 2009

2) UNCERTAINTY- Premise by Zap2it. “A coin flip decides whether a young couple attends a Fourth of July bash or has a wild adventure in the city.” I saw only one early review and he called it bizarre and compelling.

Netflix said- “A young couple facing a life-changing decision, Bobby (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Kate (Lynn Collins), stand on the Brooklyn Bridge, toss a coin and let the outcome decide their holiday plans. The action unfolds in intercutting scenes of both possibilities. This creative cinematic puzzle from filmmakers Scott McGehee and David Siegel (Bee Season) reveals an intricate thriller as well as a tense relationship drama.”

12/3/09- Just saw the film and liked it a lot. TRDB

3) BROKEN TRAIL- 2006. Made for TV movie. Directed by Walter Hill and starring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church. They are driving a herd of horses to Montana and rescue five Chinese girls who have been sold into sexual slavery. Conflicts ensue when their “owner” hires some nasty guys to get them back. OK Western. Netflix. 12/09

4) LION’S DEN- Premise by Netflix. “After waking to find her apartment a bloody mess, with her ex-lover Nahuel dead and her ex-lover Ramiro (Rodrigo Santoro) wounded, Julia (Martina Gusman) finds herself pregnant and in prison. Incarcerated with other mothers, she gives birth and tries to raise her son behind bars. As she continues to push for a new trial, Julia also deals with her formerly estranged mother, Sofía (Elli Medeiros), who now wants to take her son from her.” Netflix Streaming.

12/8/09- I saw this movie and liked it very much. Great acting and very realistic. TRDB.

5) THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX- Premise by Netflix. “Uli Edel directs this Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee charting the birth of West Germany’s Red Army Faction, a radical left-wing terrorist group formed in the late 1960s amid a climate of revolution and a fallen generation. Staging a series of bombings, kidnappings and assassinations, the RAF waged a war against fascism with a direct assault against the powers of American imperialism and the fledgling German democracy.”

12/9/09- I saw this and liked it. It was very well done and a good approximation of what that period was really like. Netflix Streaming. TRDB.

6) JULIE AND JULIA-Premise by Netflix. “Play Preview Amy Adams stars in this truth-inspired tale as Julie Powell, a disenchanted government secretary who decides to enliven her uneventful life by cooking all 524 recipes outlined in Julia Child’s culinary classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Based on Powell’s book Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, director Nora Ephron’s heartwarming dramedy also stars Meryl Streep as legendary chef Child.” This film got mixed reviews- VERY mixed. I plan to see it.

12/10/09- I just saw this wonderful movie and I liked it a lot. Very good script carried the day. TRDB.

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COMING TO NETFLIX ON TUESDAY, DEC. 15

1) HERB AND DOROTHY- Premise by Netflix. “Chronicling the story of unlikely art collectors Herb Vogel and Dorothy Vogel, filmmaker Megumi Sasaki demonstrates that it’s not necessary to be wealthy in order to build a significant collection in this fascinating documentary. A postal clerk and a librarian, the Vogels share a passion for art, which they pursued over decades, becoming two of the most important collectors of minimalist and conceptual art with more than 4,000 pieces.” Very good reviews.

2) THE GIRL FROM MONACO- Premise by Netflix. “Middle-aged lawyer Bertrand (Fabrice Luchini) chafes at the presence of Christophe (Roschdy Zem), a bodyguard assigned to protect him during a dangerous case. Things worsen when Bertrand catches the eye of free-spirited weather girl Audrey (Louise Bourgoin), Christophe’s old flame. Audrey brings out long-dormant feelings in the counselor, who finds himself competing against his guardian for her affections in this charming romantic comedy.” An interesting premise and OK reviews.

3) INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS- Premise by Netflix. “A Jewish cinema owner (Mélanie Laurent) in occupied Paris is forced to host a Nazi movie premiere, where a radical group of American Jewish soldiers called the Basterds, led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), plans to roll out a score-settling scheme. The face-off is about to go down — that’s if Col. Hans Landa aka “The Jew Hunter” (Christoph Waltz) doesn’t get in the way. Quentin Tarantino directs this World War II-set spaghetti Western.” I saw this and DID NOT like it at all.

4) THE HEADLESS WOMAN- Premise by Netflix. “After she runs over something with her car — maybe a dog, maybe a human — affluent dentist Verónica (María Onetto) suffers a strange breakdown and finds she can’t recognize familiar faces in her rural Argentine town. Director Lucrecia Martel‘s third feature, a loosely structured, visually complex reflection on grief, guilt and class relations, was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. Another film with an interesting premise and decent reviews.

5) PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI- Premise by Netflix. “With actor Morgan Freeman‘s support, Mississippi’s Charleston High School stages its first senior prom to integrate both black and white students. This documentary examines the perspectives of several seniors as they prepare for this historic event. A group of disapproving white parents, who refused to meet and talk with the filmmakers, organized a separate White Prom for their children to attend.” OK reviews.

6) TAKING WOODSTOCK- Premise by Netflix. “A twentysomething man (Demetri Martin) finds his life forever changed in the summer of 1969 when he offers up his parents’ motel in the Catskills as a home base for Woodstock organizers and helps the show go on by donating an all-important music festival permit. Ang Lee directs this fresh take on 1960s counterculture based on Elliot Tiber’s memoir by the same name. Eugene Levy, Imelda Staunton, Emile Hirsch and Jeffrey Dean Morgan co-star.” I had little interest in seeing this movie at the theater but I’ll catch it now.

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COMING TO NETFLIX ON TUESDAY, DEC. 22

1) BLIND DATE- Premise by Netflix. “Middle-aged married couple Don (Stanley Tucci) and Janna (Patricia Clarkson) are torn apart by their daughter’s accidental death. No longer able to relate to each other, they reconnect when Don begins placing personal ads for Janna to respond to. They both role-play their parts, pretending to be strangers, a facade they hope can repair years of damage to their relationship. Tucci also directs this remake of Theo van Gogh’s 1996 film.” Fair reviews for this one but sounds interesting to me.

2) (500) DAYS OF SUMMER- Premise by Netflix. “When his girlfriend, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), unceremoniously dumps him, greeting-card copywriter and hopeless romantic Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) begins sifting through the year-plus worth of days they spent together, looking for clues to what went awry. As he recalls the good and bad times he spent with the commitment-phobic girl, his heart reawakens to what it cherishes most. Marc Webb directs this uncommon love story.” I saw this, liked it and definitely recommend it.

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OPENING THIS WEEK-

1) INVICTUS- Premise by Zap2it. “Following the fall of apartheid, newly elected President Nelson Mandela faces a South Africa that is racially and economically divided. Believing he can unite his countrymen through the universal language of sport, Mandela joins forces with Francois Pienaar, captain of the rugby team, to rally South Africans behind a bid for the 1995 World Cup Championship.”

Netflix said- “In this sports drama based on real-life events, director Clint Eastwood tells the story of what happened after the end of apartheid when newly elected president Nelson Mandela used the 1995 World Cup rugby matches to unite his people. Based on a book by John Carlin, the film stars Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the captain of the scrappy South African team that makes a run for the championship.”

Very good reviews and I look forward to seeing this film.

2) A SINGLE MAN- Premise by Zap2it.”George is a college professor who recently lost his lover, Jim, in a car accident. Grief-stricken beyond words, George plans to commit suicide. As he goes about his daily routine and puts his affairs in order, encounters with colleagues, students and an old friend lead George to make a final decision as to whether his life is worth living without Jim.”

Netflix said- “Based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood, this touching 1960s-era drama centers on a day in the life of George (Colin Firth), an English-born, Los Angeles college professor reeling from the recent death of his lover of 16 years. Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Ginnifer Goodwin and Nicholas Hoult also star in this directorial debut from former Gucci fashion designer Tom Ford.”

Very good reviews.

OPENING IN 2 WEEKS-

1) CRAZY HEART- Premise by Zap2it. ‘With too many years of hazy days and boozy nights under his belt, former country-music legend Bad Blake is reduced to playing dive bars and bowling alleys. In town for his latest gig, Blake meets Jean Craddock, a sympathetic reporter who’s come to do a story on him. Blake unexpectedly warms to Jean and a romance begins, but the singer soon finds himself at a crossroad that threatens what may be his last shot at happiness.”

Netflix said- “When small town reporter Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) seeks out Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) — an alcoholic, seen-better-days country music legend — for an interview, they make a connection, and hard-living Blake sees a possible saving grace in a life with Jean and her young boy. Is he ready to leave behind a life playing in the shadow of Tommy (Colin Farrell), the upstart kid he once mentored? Robert Duvall produces and co-stars.”

Very good reviews.

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FLORIDA- At the Emerging Cinemas of Lake Worth

1) WILLIAM KUNSTLER: DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE- A documentary about the famous lawyer who defended very controversial cases a few decades ago.

I WILL BE SPEAKING BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4PM SHOWING ON MONDAY, DEC. 14!!

2) RED CLIFF-Legendary action-cinema master John Woo and international superstar Tony Leung reunite for the first time since the 1992 classic Hard Boiled in this epic historical drama based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty.

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COMCAST ON-DEMAND-

NEW-

1) A WOMAN IN BERLIN- Based on a true story taken from an anonymous memoir the film is about how one woman survived the rapes during the harsh Russian occupation of Berlin near the end of WW2. I enjoyed this movie. Interesting story and great acting. Also on Netflix.

2) THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA- With Meryl Streep. She plays the boss from hell. Predictable but enjoyable anyway. On Netflix as well.

3) SIDEWAYS- About two guys who go on a road trip before one is to be married. I loved this movie when I saw it a few years ago. Netflix also.

REPEATS-

1) AFTERSCHOOL- About some highschoolers who accidentally videotape a killing. Good reviews.

2) AMERICAN VIOLET- Very good movie. On Netflix.

3) AWAY WE GO- Interesting premise and OK film. On Netflix.

4) BALLAST- A good movie about the south. On Netflix also.

5) THE MERRY GENTLEMAN- About a woman running from an abusive husband. I liked this one a lot. On Netflix too.

6) EVERY LITTLE STEP- About the auditioning process for the return of “A Chorus Line.” Great documentary. Available on Netflix also.

7) FOOD, INC.- Good documentary. About the food we eat and in particular, the corporate aspect of food development. Very good documentary. On Netflix also. 

8)I’LL COME RUNNING- About a man who has a one night stand in Austin, Texas and is then visited by the woman after he has gone back to Europe. I saw this and liked it a lot. Very good reviews also.

9) RUDO Y CURSI- About two brothers who come from Mexico to the US to play soccer. I enjoyed this one. On Netflix also.

10) SUNSHINE CLEANING-  I liked the movie. On Netflix also.

11) TYSON- I liked this film a lot. On Netflix also.

12) UNCERTAINTY- See “above” under “viewed at home.”

13) MAMMOTH- Story about a man, his wife, and their Filipino nanny. Good reviews.  

14) RED CLIFF- A martial arts extravaganza and I plan to Miss it. 

15) IS ANYBODY THERE?- More like “what was anybody thinking when they made this film.” Miss it.   Cablevision Link– http://www.optimum.net/VOD/movies?cat=Movies+On+Demand%2FIndependent+Films%2FIFC+In+Theaters

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BOB’S PICKS IN THE SUBURBS-

1) INVICTUS- Bethel, Danbury. See “opening films” above.

2) PRECIOUS- Bethel, Garden Cinema Norwalk, Saw Mill Hawthorne. Very good reviews.

3) THE MESSENGER- Bethel. Fairly good reviews.

4) PIRATE RADIO- Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne. This film has been a sleeper and lots of people have enjoyed it.

5) AN EDUCATION- Garden Cinema Norwalk, Clearview 100. I saw this and liked it a lot.

6) THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE- Garden Cinema Norwalk, Clearview 100. Saw this and highly recommend it.

For independent movies near you go to-   http://www.emergingpictures.com/exhibition.htm

THAT’S IT FOR NOW-
THE REEL DR BOB
The Reel Dr. Bob

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