February 23rd, 2011
FEB. 23, 2011
DEAR FRIENDS:
QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK. I WILL TRY TO SEE “POETRY” AT JACOB BURNS THIS WEEK.
1) THE TOWN- Netflix
2) THE LITTLE TRAITOR- Netflix
3) WAITING FOR SUPERMAN- Netflix
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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT THE THEATER- NONE.
I’ve seen all of the films in the suburbs that I’ve wanted to see.
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MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT HOME-
1) THE TOWN- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “As tenacious FBI agent Adam (
Jon Hamm) hunts him down, ingenious bank robber Doug (
Ben Affleck) pursues a risky relationship with Claire (
Rebecca Hall), one of his former hostages. But while Doug and his cohorts plan their next hit, Adam hones in on Claire and falls for her in the process. Directed by Affleck and based on Chuck Hogan’s novel
Prince of Thieves, this intricate thriller also stars
Chris Cooper,
Blake Lively and
Jeremy Renner.”
Fairly good reviews.2/11-
A really good, earthy crime film with an excellent performance by Affleck. TRDB. Netflix.
2) THE LITTLE TRAITOR- 2007. Premise by Zap2it. “During the British occupation of Palestine, an Israeli youth’s friendship with a British soldier lands him in trouble with town officials.” Good reviews.
2/11– A bit overacted and a bit too precocious for the kid but a good message and I did enjoy it. TRDB. Netflix (Streaming only).
3) UNMADE BEDS- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “The lives of Axl (Fernando Tielve), who’s searching for his long-lost father, and Vera (Déborah François), who’s recovering from a recent breakup, crisscross — and eventually collide — after they both take up residence in a London flat populated with artsy, free-spirited squatters. Director Alexis Dos Santos’s intimate and imaginative film about youthful awakenings also stars Michiel Huisman, Katia Winter and Richard Lintern.” Good reviews.
2/11- Despite some unexplainable good reviews I found this movie flighty, devoid of any character development and the characters completely unlikable. I turned it off. TRDB. Netflix.
4) WAITNG FOR SUPERMAN- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Dynamic documentarian Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) weaves together the stories of students, families, educators and reformers to shed light on the failing public school system and its consequences on the future of the United States. In this Sundance Audience Award winner for Best Documentary, Guggenheim deftly examines the options to improve public education and provide America’s teachers and students with the help they need.” Very good reviews.
2/11- A well done scathing indictment of our education system showing the real time frustration of parents and good educators equally. TRDB. Netflix.
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COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, MARCH 1-
2) GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD- Premise by Netflix. “Pianist Glenn Gould was known as a unique and enigmatic personality, and his brief life has long fascinated both biographers and filmmakers. But behind Gould’s carefully cultivated image lurked a number of shadowy issues, including drug use. Through interviews and never-before-seen footage, the film carefully sifts through and examines the seemingly contradictory influences and motivations that shaped the legendary musician.” Very good reviews.
3) CONVICTION- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Convinced that her brother, Kenneth (Sam Rockwell), has been unjustly convicted of murder and incompetently defended by court-ordered attorneys, high school dropout Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank) puts herself through law school in order to represent him in his appeal. Inspired by a true story, director Tony Goldwyn’s stirring drama also stars Melissa Leo, Minnie Driver, Peter Gallagher and Clea DuVall.” Good reviews.
4) A MARINE STORY- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “A decorated officer from a military family, Alex (Dreya Weber) is unexpectedly discharged from duty. When she returns to her conservative hometown, the Marine struggles to readjust to civilian life, but agrees to mentor Saffron (Paris P. Pickard), a troubled teen who’s enlisting. Alex is the no-nonsense role model and authority figure Saffron needs, but as Saffron finally hits her stride, Alex must find the courage to face her own demons.” OK review in NY Times on 11/5/10.
5) WOMEN WITHOUT MEN- Premise by Netflix. “Amid the tumult of the American- and British-backed coup that reinstated the Shah in early-1950s Tehran, the heart-wrenching tales of five very different Iranian women converge in a lovely orchard garden, where they find both freedom and friendship. Director and acclaimed visual artist
Shirin Neshat brings a striking aesthetic style to this stirring drama, an adaptation of the magical-realist novella by Shahrnoush Parsipour.”
Good early reviews.6/10-
A wonderful film (the director’s first feature) with marvelous photography and a very interesting story. TRDB.
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OPENING THIS WEEK REGIONALLY, NATIONALLY OR LOCALLY-
1) HEARTBEATS- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Lush cinematography and poetic images highlight this coming-of-age tale about two best friends, Mary (Monia Chokri) and Francis (Xavier Dolan), who meet a charismatic wanderer named Nick (Niels Schneider) and suddenly find their longtime friendship tested to its limits. As the love triangle between the three intensifies, Mary and Francis vie for Nick’s affections in this intense story from Dolan, the Canadian prodigy who writes and directs.” Reviews more positive than negative and a few very good.
2) OF GODS AND MEN- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Awarded Grand Prix honors at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, this compelling historical drama relates the ordeal of seven French Trappist monks in the mountains of Algeria who are taken captive by Islamic fundamentalists. Before the monks’ abduction, they have ample reason to believe they may be in danger, but their assumption that there can and must be common ground between Islam and Christianity leads them to remain at the monastery.” Great reviews. Opens in NY on 2/25/11.
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FLORIDA- At the Emerging Cinemas of Lake Worth-
1) THE WOODMANS- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “This intimate documentary profiles the Woodmans, a family dedicated to the making of art in all forms, and their reaction to the suicide of their most famous member, daughter Francesca, whose startling, sexual photographs established her legacy. Father George, a professor, mother Betty, a famed ceramicist, and son Charlie, a videographer, are interviewed about Francesca’s intense life and how the family’s devotion to art crafted her development.” Good reviews.
2) ARMY OF CRIME- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “This gripping historical drama recounts the story of Armenian-born Missak Manouchian (Simon Abkarian), a woodworker and political activist who led an immigrant laborer division of the Parisian Resistance on 30 operations against the Nazis in 1943. The Nazis branded the group an Army of Crime, an anti-immigrant propaganda stunt that backfired as the team’s members became martyrs for the Resistance. Virginie Ledoyen co-stars as Manouchian’s wife.” Very good review in NY Times on 8/20/10.1/11- Another good movie about the resistance but with little to add to the wealth of material on this subject. TRDB.
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COMCAST ON-DEMAND-
NEW-
1) LEBANON- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “In this claustrophobic drama by first-time director
Samuel Maoz — a veteran of the early ’80s Israel/Lebanon conflict in which the film is set — four Israeli soldiers command a tank in a situation that becomes increasingly tense and chaotic. Like Das Boot before it, most of the action is confined to the stark interiors of that tank, as the men wrestle with fear, anger and their own consciences in the face of possible death and worse.”
Very good early reviews.9/10-
Yet one more piece of evidence that war is definitely hell, this time involving a bunch of very frightened Israeli soldiers fighting in the confined space of the tank. I liked it very much but be aware that this is not for the faint of heart. TRDB.
2) LIKE DANDELION DUST- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Jack (
Cole Hauser) and Molly Campbell (
Kate Levering) are horrified to learn that the biological father (
Barry Pepper) of their adopted son, Joey (
Maxwell Perry Cotton), has been released from prison and wants custody of the boy. As the legal case builds against the Campbells, the couple hatches a risky plan to save their family.
Mira Sorvino also stars in this gripping drama as Pepper’s girlfriend, Wendy.”
Mostly very good reviews.
3) WAITING FOR SUPERMAN- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Dynamic documentarian
Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) weaves together the stories of students, families, educators and reformers to shed light on the failing public school system and its consequences on the future of the United States. In this Sundance Audience Award winner for Best Documentary, Guggenheim deftly examines the options to improve public education and provide America’s teachers and students with the help they need.”
Very good reviews.
2/11- A well done scathing indictment of our education system showing the real time frustration of parents and good educators equally. TRDB.
REPEATS-
1) A FILM UNFINISHED- I thought that this was a great documentary
2) CATFISH- I liked this one very much. A sleeper
3) CHARLIE ST. CLOUD- Poor reviews
4) COLD WEATHER- Have not seen it yet but I will
5) CONVICTION- Good reviews and I love Hilary Swank
6) CYRUS- Barely OK
7) EASY A- I liked it
8)EAT PRAY LOVE- Fair reviews at best
9) EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP- Great reviews but I did NOT like it
10) GOING THE DISTANCE-Rubbish
11) I AM LOVE- I liked this very much
12) INCEPTION – Very good reviews
13) IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY- OK reviews
14) JACK GOES BOATING- Different but I liked it
15) KABOOM- From Sundance– fair reviews
16) MAD BASTARDS- From Sundance, I liked this one very much
17) MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON- I enjoyed the film
18) MIDDLE MEN- No reviews but it sounded interesting to me
19) MILK- I liked it
20) MOTHER AND CHILD- I liked it
21) NIGHT CATCHES US- I enjoyed the movie
22) NOWHERE BOY- I liked this one a lot
23) OWL AND THE SPARROW- I really enjoyed this one
24) SEPTIEN- From Sundance with OK reviews
25) STONE- I plan to see this despite poor reviews
26) THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO- Just OK
27) THE HOUSEMAID- I saw this and found it interesting
28) THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT- Loved it
29) THE OTHER WOMAN- OK reviews– with Natalie Portman
30) THE TILLMAN STORY- I liked it
31) THE TOWN- Haven’t seen it yet but I will
32) UNCLE KENT- From Sundance- I haven’t seen it yet
33) WINTER’S BONE- It’s back again and most loved it but not me
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BOB’S PICKS IN THE SUBURBS-
NEW-
1) POETRY- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “A poetry-writing class inspires serenely self-possessed grandmother Mija (Jeong-hie Yun) to open her senses to her suburban surroundings, but in rushes an array of unsettling discoveries in this lyrical South Korean melodrama. Along with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease comes information that Mija’s teenage grandson was party to a horrific incident, and it is left to Mija to compose order from the untidy emotional consequences.” Great reviews in general– also in NY Times on 2/11/11.
REPEATS-
1) BIUTIFUL- Jacob Burns, Bethel, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2010. Premise by Netflix. “When a love affair goes bitterly awry, Uxbal (
Javier Bardem) must pick up the pieces of his broken heart while protecting his children and facing the powerful demons of his past. A run-in with a childhood friend proves pivotal. Acclaimed director
Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel) is reunited with his ace cinematographer,
Rodrigo Prieto, for this probing Spanish drama shot in Barcelona, Badalona and Santa Coloma.”
Good early reviews. OK review in NY Times on 12/29/10.2/11-
A very moving drama with a terrific Bardem. TRDB. 2) BARNEY’S VERSION- Jacob Burns, Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti stars as Barney Panofsky, a Jewish Canadian television producer who reflects in flashbacks on three strange decades — and three wives — in this adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s acclaimed novel. There’s Clara (Rachelle Lefevre), a free-spirited proponent of free love; “Mrs. P” (Minnie Driver), a self-centered princess; and Miriam (Rosamund Pike), the right woman who comes along at the wrong time.” Good reviews.
2/11- Great acting and a magnificent screenplay make this a terrific movie. Highly recommended.
3) ANOTHER YEAR- Bethel, Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Over the course of a tumultuous year, contented medical counselor Gerri (Ruth Sheen) and her geologist husband, Tom (Jim Broadbent), see their friends and relations through a series of happy events and heartbreaks — including a birth and a death. Imelda Staunton and Oliver Maltman co-star in this character-driven ensemble dramedy from writer-director Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky, Vera Drake, Secrets & Lies).” 12/10- Very good review in NY Times on 12/29/10.
1/11- A slice of life of a well adjusted and content older couple who spend time with family and friends over the course of a year. I liked it. TRDB.
4) THE KING’S SPEECH- Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Clearview 100, Danbury, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Tom Hooper directs this drama based on the true story of Britain’s King George VI (Colin Firth), a man who for years struggled with a nervous disposition and an embarrassing stutter — until he seeks help from unorthodox Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Logue’s pioneering treatment and unlikely friendship give the royal leader a sense of confidence that serves him and his country well during the dark days of World War II. Very good reviews.
12/10- While I enjoyed this film I felt the “Hollywood Effect” throughout most of the nearly 2 hours. TRDB.
5) TRUE GRIT- Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 2010. Premise by Netflix. “After her father is murdered by drifter Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), hires Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), an alcoholic U.S. Marshal, to help her exact vengeance. The disreputable Rooster still has grit though, and mounts an epic search. The pair is joined on their quest by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who is also hunting for Chaney, in this updated Western from Joel and Ethan Coen. Very good review in NY Times on 12/22/10.
1/11- To be honest I thought that the film was not nearly as good as the critics said it was. I also needed sub-titles for a good portion of the dialogue. Bring back “The Duke.”
6) THE FIGHTER- Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Mark Wahlberg stars as boxer “Irish” Mickey Ward and Christian Bale as half brother and trainer Dicky Eklund in this inspiring drama based on the fighter’s rise from working-class Lowell, Mass., to world-class welterweight champion. After a string of defeats, Mickey rediscovers his fighting will with support from Dicky, himself a once talented fighter now battling drug addiction. Together, they aim to clinch boxing glory.” Very good reviews. Good review in NY Times on 12/9/10.
7) BLACK SWAN- Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 2010. Premise by Netflix. ” In this supernatural thriller from director Darren Aronofsky, ambitious New York City ballet dancer Nina (Natalie Portman) lands a key role in “Swan Lake,” but soon finds her dreams of stardom threatened by rival ballerina Lilly (Mila Kunis). As the contentious rivalry between the dancers intensifies, Nina’s obsession descends into paranoia, delusion and more. Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey and Vincent Cassel co-star.” Very good reviews.
12/10-A very suspenseful and disturbing movie with enough to keep Freud busy for years. I liked it. TRDB.
THAT’S IT FOR NOW-
THE REEL DR BOB
The Reel Dr. Bob
Entry Filed under: All Reviews,Old Newsletters
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