FILM REVIEWS #420
July 19th, 2012
7/15/12- I saw this again today at the Hebrew Center in Martha’s Vineyard and found it just as interesting and thought provoking as I did last year. Also, I found it even more one-sided than I did last year especially as it was produced by an organization that claims to be neutral. TRDB.
2) THE FIRST BEAUTIFUL THING– 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Featuring superb cinematography, Italian director Paolo Virzi’s ambitious tale stars Valerio Mastandrea as Bruno Michelucci, an embittered teacher who grudgingly returns to his parochial hometown to see his estranged, terminally ill mother (Stefania Sandrelli). But what was intended to be a brief visit to say farewell instead becomes an opportunity for Bruno to come to terms with the turbulent past — and his wayward parent.” Very good early reviews. TRDB.
7/18/12- A bit formulaic but an interesting and creative story about family and reconciliation. The part of the mother was great. TRDB. Netflix.
2) WANDERLUST– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Economic hard times force a New York couple to pull up stakes and head for Atlanta, where their boorish relatives are ready to take them in. On their way south, they spend a night at a hippie-style inn and wind up considering a whole new lifestyle.”
2/24/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3) JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI– 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This delectable documentary profiles sushi chef Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old master whose 10-seat, $300-a-plate restaurant is legendary among Tokyo foodies. Ono is also a father, whose sons struggle to live up to his legacy and make their own marks.” Good early reviews. TRDB.
3/9/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
4) QUILL: THE LIFE OF A GUIDE DOG– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Handpicked from a litter of five to become a guide dog, a young Labrador retriever pup named Quill impresses his trainer with his hard work and patience. But once he’s paired with blind man Watanabe, he helps his stubborn new owner see the world.”
5/18/12- Good review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere. TRDB.
2) IT’S THE EARTH NOT THE MOON– 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A cameraman and a soundman arrive in Corvo in 2007, the smallest island in the archipelago of the Azores. Right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Corvo is a large rock, 6km high and 4km long, with the crater of a volcano and a single tiny village of 440 people. Gradually, this small filming crew is accepted by the island’s population as its new inhabitants, two people to add to a civilization almost 500 years old, whose history is hardly discernible, such is the lack of records and written memories. Shot at a vertiginous pace throughout a few years, self?produced between arrivals, departures and coming?backs, It’s the Earth not the Moon develops as the logbook of a ship, and turns out as a patchwork of discoveries and experiences, which follow the contemporary life of a civilization isolated in the middle of the sea.”
7/14/12- Mostly very good reviews and an OK one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3) DRUNKBOAT– 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “DRUNKBOAT tells the story of a young teenager, Abe who manipulates the unsuspecting help of his alcoholic Uncle Mort to buy a boat from a con man when his mother is out of town. The story resonates with the struggle of Uncle Mort, making the story much deeper than a simple tale of a boy and his boat. Both the uncle and Abe come of age in the story.”
Mediocre reviews in general but an OK one in the NY Times on 7/14/12. TRDB.
4) PONIES– 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “After immigrating to the United States seeking the American Dream, three men fall into the seamy world of off-track betting — and soon find themselves in too deep and fighting for the right to stay in the country.”
Good reviews in general and an OK one in the NY Times on 7/14/12. TRDB.
5) VALLEY OF STRENGTH– About the challenges of settling in Palestine at the end of the 19th. century.
Weak review in the NY Times on 7/14/12. TRDB.
6) FAMILY PORTRAIT IN BLACK AND WHITE– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Sixteen black orphans adopted by Olga Nenya struggle against racism in the Ukraine. Constantly on guard against overtly racist neighbors and skinheads, the kids look to their own inner strength and the help of Westerners to attain a brighter future. Tensions rise when a European couple offers to adopt one of the children, an offer that Olga resists as she attempts to bravely hold her family together.”
Very good reviews in general and an OK one in the NY Times on 7/14/12. TRDB.
7) DECONSTRUCTING DAD– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Filmmaker Stanley Warnow offers a compelling look at the life and work of his professionally successful but personally remote father, musical innovator Raymond Scott — whose career spanned from the Big Band age to the 1970s electronic music era.”
Very good reviews in general and an OK one in the NY Times on 7/14/12. TRDB.
8)FAREWELL, MY QUEEN– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “As revolution threatens Louis XVI’s reign, Marie Antoinette asks a lady in waiting to act as her decoy in the event of a sudden escape. At first, the trusted servant is honored by the arrangement, until she comes to realize what it really means.”
Good review in the NY Times on 7/14/12 and also good reviews from other critics. Weaker reviews from audiences, however. TRDB.
2) GRASSROOTS– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Based on a true story, this inspiring comedy tells the tale of unemployed writer Phil Campbell, who’s roped into helping his quirky friend Grant run for Seattle city council. Surprisingly, Grant’s passion for mass transit may win him the election.”
Fair professional reviews but audiences have liked this movie very much. TRDB.
3) THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES– 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Directed by lauded filmmaker and photographer Lauren Greenfield, who won the U.S. Directing Award for Documentary Film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for this film, The Queen of Versailles is a character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. With epic proportions of Shakespearean tragedy, the film follows two unique characters, whose rags-to-riches success stories reveal the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. The film begins with the family triumphantly constructing the biggest house in America, a 90,000 sq. ft. palace. Over the next two years, their sprawling empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis. Major changes in lifestyle and character ensue within the cross-cultural household of family members and domestic staff.”
Very good reviews. TRDB.
4) THE WELL DIGGER’S DAUGHTER– 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A bitter class war erupts between two families after the daughter of a humble well-digger get impregnated by the scion of a wealthy shopkeeper. Ageing widower Pascale worked hard to provide for his six daughters. As the first shots of World War I are fired, Pascale’s eldest daughter Patricia (Astrid Bergés-Frisbey) returns home from Paris to help raise her younger siblings. Meanwhile, Pascale longs to see Patricia marry his longtime assistant Pascale (Kad Merad) – a hard worker who would make a loving husband. But shortly after arriving back home, Patricia has a fling with Jacques Mazel (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a fighter pilot who hails from a wealthy family, and disappears to the front lines after getting Patricia pregnant. At first, the Mazel’s are furious, accusing the impoverished Amoretti’s of using the situation to stake a claim on their fortune. When Jacques goes missing in action, however, the Mazel’s quickly realize that Patricia’s unborn child may be their only link to the son who sacrificed his life fighting for their country.”
Great early professional reviews but audiences have not been as impressed. TRDB.
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6/29/12- Great review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
7/2/12- Great acting by Michelle Williams and if you can suspend a bit of reality I think you can enjoy this film. I did.
3/13/12- An OK romantic comedy, definitely better than what else is out there now. TRDB. At the Theater.
Cablevision Link– http://www.optimum.net/VOD/movies?cat=Movies+On+Demand%2FIndependent+Films%2FIFC+In+Theaters
DirecTV- www.directv.com/DTVAPP/listing/ppvMovies.jsp
Time Warner Link- www.twondemand.com
2) TO ROME WITH LOVE– Jacob Burns, Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Woody Allen plays a father meeting his daughter’s Italian in-laws to-be in this ensemble comedy that interweaves four tales set in Rome. Other cast members include Roberto Benigni as a man mistaken for a film star.”
6/22/12- Good review in today’s NY Times but only fair critical reviews in general. TRDB.
7/2/12- While there was no magical excitement in this movie I found it funny, clever and a great travelogue of the Eternal City. TRDB.
3) BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL– Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “To make the most of their meager retirement savings, a group of British seniors relocates to India to live out their golden years at the Marigold Hotel. But upon arrival, they discover that the once-lavish resort has wilted considerably.”
Rotten Tomatoes said– “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows a group of British retirees who decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.
Very good early reviews called this film a bit schmaltzy but well done. TRDB.
4) MOONRISE KINGDOM– Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Wes Anderson’s quirky drama follows the frantic search that ensues in a small New England town when two 12-year-olds fall in love and run away together. As the townsfolk hunt for the vanished kids, a storm causes even more profound communal upheaval.”
Very good early reviews, especially from the professionals. TRDB.
6/11/12- A sweet, charming, quirky love story. See it!!! TRDB.
5) THE INTOUCHABLES– Jacob Burns. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this compelling story based on true events, affluent quadriplegic Phillipe hires Driss — a young Parisian petty criminal — to be his caregiver, and the two form an unexpected bond that changes both their lives.” Fairly good reviews. TRDB.
5/6/12- An article in today’s NY Times talks about the movie and the lead actor. Apparently this has become a “hot” topic in France. TRDB.
5/25/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times, but good reviews in general. TRDB.
6/28/12- Despite a few good scenes I was very disappointed by this movie. It proves that Hollywood can slide effortlessly into Paris. TRDB.
6) SAVAGES- Danbury. 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry-raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town…until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Hayek), and her brutal enforcer, Lado (Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon-with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (Travolta)-wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel.”
7/6/12- Good review in today’s NY Times but only average reviews in general. Audiences have liked it. TRDB.
7/9/12- Generally this is not my kind of movie as the film was way over the top in violence, blood and gore but I actually was surprised at how I got sucked into the different personalities involved. A qualified recommendation.
For Independent Films in Your Neighborhood go to- www.emergingpictures.com
For Independent Films in Palm Beach County go to www.lakeworthplayhouse.org
For Films everywhere go to- www.fandango.com
Entry Filed under: Newsletter from 3 weeks ago
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