The Reel Dr. Bob

JANUARY 26, 2024-

DEAR FRIENDS-

QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-

1) SOCIETY OF THE SNOW– On Netflix

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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK-

1) SOCIETY OF THE SNOW– 2024. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which had been chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, crashed in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of its 45 passengers survived the accident. Trapped in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments on the planet, they have to resort to extreme measures to stay alive.”

1/21/24- Excellent reviews by the critics and good ones from audiences. I liked it. TRDB. On Netflix

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NEW MOVIES IN THEATERS AND/OR STREAMING-

1) OCCUPIED CITY– 2024. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “The past collides with our precarious present in Steve McQueen’s bravura documentary Occupied City, informed by the book Atlas of an Occupied City (Amsterdam 1940-1945) written by Bianca Stigter. McQueen creates two interlocking portraits: a door-to-door excavation of the Nazi occupation that still haunts his adopted city, and a vivid journey through the last years of pandemic and protest.”

1/21/24- Fair reviews at best. TRDB. In Theaters

2) CONCRETE UTOPIA– 2024. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “The world has been reduced to rubble by a massive earthquake. While no one knows for sure how far the ruins stretch, or what the cause of the earthquake may be, in the heart of Seoul there is only one apartment building left standing. It is called Hwang Gung Apartments. As time passes, outsiders start coming in to Hwang Gung Apartments trying to escape the extreme cold. Before long, the apartment residents are unable to cope with the increasing numbers. Feeling a threat to their very survival, the residents enact a special measure.”

1/21/24- Excellent reviews by the critics and good ones from audiences for this Korean movie. TRDB. In Theaters

3) THE KITCHEN– 2024. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “London, 2040 — rising house prices, computerized labor and eradication of the Welfare State has turned the city into a billionaire’s playground, pushing the lower classes to provincial empty slum-like high rises like The Kitchen. Ex-Smash-and-Grabber Izi is desperate to go straight but when his young son contracts a devastating illness, he is forced to take part in a heist that will change the lives of everyone in The Kitchen forever.”

1/21/24- Good reviews by the critics and poor ones from audiences. TRDB. On Netflix

4) THE BREAKING ICE– 2024. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Young urbanite Haofeng feels lost and adrift on China’s northern border. By chance, he goes on a tour led by Nana, a charming guide who instantly fascinates him. She introduces him to Xiao, and the three bond quickly.”

1/21/24- Excellent reviews for this Chinese drama. TRDB. In Theaters

5) PASANG: IN THE SHADOW OF EVEREST– 2024. “PASANG: In the Shadow of Everest chronicles Pasang Lhamu Sherpa’s tragic and inspiring journey to become the first Nepali woman to summit Everest in 1993. As an uneducated, indigenous woman and a Buddhist in a Hindu kingdom, Pasang’s dream to scale the legendary mountain pits her against family, foreign climbers, her own government, and nature itself. Her determined pursuit of Everest plays out within the context of her nation’s quest for democracy and the emergence of the commercial climbing industry

1/22/24- Fair to good reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

6) INSIDE THE YELLOW COCOON SHELL– 2023. “Winner of the prestigious Camera d’Or for best first film at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the enthralling Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell from Vietnamese filmmaker Thien An Pham is a reverie on faith, loss, and nature expressed with uncommon invention and depth.”

1/22/2024- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

7) JUNE– 2024. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “JUNE shines an important spotlight on the history of country music and the mark the Carter and Cash families made on the genre before diving into the complex life of the legendary June Carter Cash. The five-time Grammy® Award-winning singer, comedian, musician, actor and author has opened for Elvis, appeared onscreen with Robert Duvall and Jane Seymour and co-wrote one of the most recognizable country songs of all time, “Ring of Fire.” Perhaps at times overshadowed by her iconic husband Johnny Cash, she now takes center stage.”

1/21/24- Excellent reviews for this documentary. TRDB.

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MOVIES IN WESTCHESTER, DANBURY AND AND BETHEL–

PLAYING AT THE JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER-

1) POOR THINGS–

2) AMERICAN FICTION–

3) ORIGIN-

4) THE ZONE OF INTEREST–

5) OPPENHEIMER– Limited screenings

6) ANATOMY OF A FALL– Limited screenings

7) THE HOLDOVERS– Limited screenings

PLAYING AT THE AMC THEATER IN DANBURY-

1) ORIGIN–

2) THE IRON CLAW–

PLAYING AT THE GREENWOOD FEATURES IN BETHEL-

1) AMERICAN FICTION–

2) POOR THINGS–

MOVIES IN PALM BEACH CO NEAR ME–

PLAYING AT THE MOVIES OF LAKE WORTH-

1) DRIVING MADELEINE– 2022- Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Madeleine, 92 years old, calls a taxi to take her to the retirement home where she will be living. Charles, a disillusioned driver with a tender heart, agrees to drive by the places that affected Madeleine’s life. Through the streets of Paris, her extraordinary past is revealed. They don’t know it yet, but they will forge a friendship during this drive that will change their lives forever.”

1/13/24- Excellent reviews from the critics and audiences. TRDB.

2) FREUD’S LAST SESSION– Poor reviews by most critics

3) THE BOYS IN THE BOAT–

4) POOR THINGS–

5) FAREWELL, MR. HAFFMANN– SEE THIS

PLAYING AT THE MOVIES OF DELRAY- Same as Lake Worth

(www.thereeldrbob.com)