The Reel Dr. Bob

FILM REVIEWS #436

November 15th, 2012

11/11/12- I enjoyed this movie very much. Great acting and a good story with a touching screenplay. A bit of schmaltz at the end was unnecessary. TRDB.  

7/17/12- An OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

11/8/12- This movie was more Bollywood than I expected and was just fair. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.

2) THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Jason Segel and Emily Blunt star in this contemporary romantic comedy as an engaged young couple who discovers that the more they get to know each other, the more unpredictable their commitment to getting married becomes.”

4/27/12- Good review in today’s NY Times and good audience reaction as well. TRDB.

11/12/12- Way too long with only scattered scenes that held my interest. There was one very good scene with the mother lecturing her son. TRDB.  Netflix.

3) THE LADY– 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Based on the inspiring true story, this epic yet intimate biopic tells the story of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s leading pro-democracy reformer who was held under house arrest for 15 years, and her English husband, who worked tirelessly for her release.” Mediocre reviews at best but I will definitely see this one on principle. TRDB.

11/13/12- An inspirational woman in a somewhat less than inspirational movie but I did like it. TRDB. Netflix.

6/22/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

2) THE RETURN OF LENCHO– 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “After ten years in New York pursuing an art career, 30-year-old graffiti artist Lorenzo ‘Lencho’ Aguilar finds himself back in his native Guatemala. As he organizes a collective of multidisciplinary artists to develop community-based arts projects, painful and unresolved memories from Lencho’s past resurface and threaten both his project and his life.”

11/9/12- I’ve seen just 2 reviews, including today’s NY Times and they are both bad. TRDB.

4) COMING UP ROSES– 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “COMING UP ROSES is a haunting coming-of-age story about a mother-daughter forced to choose between reality and fantasy, their love for each other and survival.”

11/9/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere. Audiences have liked it. TRDB.

5) BURN– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Meet the firefighters of Detroit, who battle the nation’s highest arson rate in a bid to save their once-thriving city from virtual collapse. At the helm is commissioner Donald Austin, whose firebrand attitude has galvanized the city and its leaders.”

11/9/12- Good review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.

2) HITLER’S CHILDREN– 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “This documentary is about the descendants of the most powerful figures in the Nazi regime: men and women who were left a legacy that permanently associates them with one of the greatest crimes in history. What is it like for them to have grown up with a name that immediately raises images of murder and genocide? How do they cope with the fact that they are the children of … literally, not just metaphorically.”

I found only one review for this documentary and it was good. TRDB.

3) CAFE DE FLORE– 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Two dramatic narratives weave together in a meditation on human love. Set decades apart in Paris and in Montreal, the two stories share subtle yet profound links through their characters — a mother and son, and a divorced couple.”

Fairly good reviews. TRDB.

11/9/12- A mixed review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

4) IN OUR NATURE– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Seth and Andie had the perfect weekend getaway planned, until a booking error put Seth’s estranged father and his girlfriend in the same condo. The four agree to make the best of the unexpected arrangement, with unexpected consequences for all.”

Fair early reviews. TRDB.

5) PRICE CHECK– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “For Pete, settling down with a wife and son meant giving up his unstable musical career to work for a third-rate supermarket chain. A reform-minded new boss plans to make an executive out of Pete, who realizes he still harbors dreams of music fame.”

Fair early reviews. TRDB.

6) THE NORMALS– 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “With a debt collector hot on his trail, Harvard graduate Billy Schine enrolls in a clinical drug trial to make a quick buck. Carted out of New York City in a shuttle full of oddball characters, Billy and the rest of the guinea pigs, affectionately referred to as “Normals,” camp out at hidden research facility. When not popping pills, being tagged, drained of blood, prodded, poked and color-coded, they are telling horror stories of previous tests or generally getting on each other’s nerves. As the test drags on, just being there starts to take its toll, and tensions build until the dam finally bursts. Billy realizes that there is no such thing as “normal.”

No reviews as yet. TRDB.

7) SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “After a four-year stay in a psychiatric institution, former teacher Pat Peoples has no choice but to move back in with his mother. While he’s trying in vain to reunite with his wife, Pat meets another woman fated to change his life.”

Very good reviews. TRDB.

11/9/12- The NY Times gave this a great review today. TRDB.

11/11/12- I enjoyed this movie very much. Great acting and a good story with a touching screenplay. A bit of schmaltz at the end was unnecessary. TRDB. 

10/25/12- A fascinating and apparently true story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. TRDB.

10/19/12- Excellent review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

11/3/12- I found this movie alternately touching, sad, funny and very moving. TRDB.

4) THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER- Saw Mill Hawthorne, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this engaging coming-of-age tale based on the best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, a shy freshman struggling with depression deals with his best friend’s suicide and his first love — and finds help from two seniors who take an interest in him.”

Mixed reviews, mostly good. TRDB.

9/21/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

5) SKYFALL– Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a serious menace threatens MI6, James Bond is on the case — putting aside his own life and personal issues to hunt and obliterate the perpetrators. Meanwhile, secrets arise from M’s past that strain Bond’s loyalty to his longtime boss.”

Great reviews!! TRDB.

6) A ROYAL AFFAIR–  Clearview 100, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 18th-century Denmark, the unstable King Christian IV neglects his young queen, Mathilde, who falls in love with his German physician, Struensee, an intellectual whose advocation of reform transforms the country but brings about his own downfall.”

Great early reviews!! TRDB.

11/9/12- A weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

7) THE OTHER SON– Clearview 100. – 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “”The Other Son” is the moving and provocative tale of two young men — one Israeli, the other Palestinian — who discover they were accidentally switched at birth, and the complex repercussions facing them and their respective families. Joseph (Jules Sitruk), an 18-year-old musician preparing to join the Israeli army for his mandatory military service, lives at home in a comfortable suburb of Tel Aviv with his parents, France-born physician Orith (Emmanuelle Devos) and Israel-born army commander Alon Silbers (Pascal Elbé). A blood test for Joseph’s military service reveals that he is not their biological son. During the Gulf War Joseph was evacuated from a clinic along with another baby, and the pair were given back to the wrong families. While Palestinian Joseph went to Tel Aviv with the Silbers, their actual Jewish son, Yacine (Medhi Dehbi), was brought to the West Bank by an Arab couple, Said (Khalifa Natour) and Leila (Areen Omari). The revelation turns the lives of the two families upside-down, forcing them to reassess their respective identities, values, and beliefs.”

10/26/12– A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.

10/28/12- I liked this movie very much. Great acting and a different slant on a premise that has been done before. The film was very well done especially and dealing with the sensitivities regarding this region of the world. Highly recommended. TRDB.

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