The Reel Dr. Bob

SEPT. 10, 2009

DEAR FRIENDS-

NO NEW movies for me this week but, as usual, I did see a few at-

HOME-

1) THE POPE’S TOILET – 2007. Directed by Enrique Fernandez and Cesar Charlone and starring Cesar Troncoso. The Pope is about to visit a small town in Uruguay and the townsfolk are looking for ways to profit from the thousands of people coming for the visit. The movie is about a man who decides to install a public toilet and charge for it’s use. Very slow and probably not worth the effort. Netflix. 8/09

2) GOOD DICK- 2008. Written and directed by Marianna Palka. Starring Palka and Jason Ritter. He plays a young man working in a video store who falls for a weird, painfully shy woman who comes in for porno DVDs. Most of the movie is about her verbally abusing him and the last 2% gives us the obvious explanation for her inability to connect. Did not like the movie. 9/09

3) UNDER THE BOMBS- 2007. Directed by Philippe Aractingi and starring Nada Abou Farhat and Georges Khabbaz. About a Lebanese woman who travels back to Lebanon from Dubai just after the Israeli invasion and cease fire in 2006 to look for her missing sister and son. She develops a relationship with her cab driver while searching. Despite criticism of Israel the film was really about civilian casualties of war. Very good. Netflix Streaming. 9/09

COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, SEPT. 15

1) TRUMBO- Premise by Netflix. “Play Preview After failing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947, successful screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted in Hollywood. This documentary details Trumbo’s life through personal letters, interviews and archival footage. Well-known actors such as Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn, Donald Sutherland and others lend their voices to readings of Dalton Trumbo‘s personal letters.” Fairly good reviews for this documentary.

2) EASY VIRTUE- Premise by Netflix. “American divorcée Larita (Jessica Biel) meets a wealthy young Englishman, John Whittaker (Ben Barnes), in France and impulsively marries him — but she’s not ready to take on her disapproving new in-laws (Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas). When John returns to his parents’ country estate with his new bride, the dysfunctional Whittaker family attempts to destroy the spirited American girl. This romantic comedy is based on Noel Coward’s play.” This film played for a while in the art houses and received mixed reviews.

OPENING THIS WEEK-

1) CRUDE- Premise by Zap2it. “Thousands of Ecuadorian tribespeople face an uphill battle in their lawsuit against the Chevron oil company.” Very good reviews.

2) NO IMPACT MAN- Premise by Zap2it. “Environmentalist Colin Beavan and his wife try to make as small a carbon footprint as possible for one year.” Called a thought provoking documentary by most.

3) THE HORSE BOY- Premise by Zap2it. “A couple and their autistic son travel to Mongolia to seek a cure from shamans.” I’ve seen only 1 review and it was good.

FLORIDA- At the Emerging Cinemas of Lake Worth-

1) LOREN CASS- Premise by Netflix. “Set in the wake of the 1996 race riots in St. Petersburg, Fla. — which erupted when a white cop killed a black motorist during a traffic stop — this episodic drama follows three rudderless adolescents trying to make sense of their world. Amid a landscape churning with intolerance and violence, punk rocker Jason (Travis Maynard), auto mechanic Cale (Lewis Brogan) and promiscuous waitress Nicole (Kayla Tabish) connect — and disconnect.” Mixed reviews on this movie.

2) HERB AND DOROTHY- Premise by Rotten Tomatoes. “This documentary film tells the extraordinary story of Herb, a postal clerk, and Dorothy, a librarian — an ordinary couple of modest means who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history.” Good reviews.

BOB’S PICKS IN THE SUBURBS-

1) JULIE AND JULIA- Bethel, Danbury, Saw Mill Hawthorne

2) MY ONE AND ONLY- Bethel

3) TAKING WOODSTOCK- Bethel, Saw Mill Hawthorne

4) THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE- Bethel, Jacob Burns

5) THE BAADER-MEINHOFF COMPLEX- Clearview 100

6) ADAM- Clearview 100

7) MY ONE AND ONLY- Clearview 100

8) WORLD’S GREATEST DAD- Clearview 100 (also on Comcast On-Demand)

9) INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS- Danbury, Saw Mill Hawthorne

10) (500) DAYS OF SUMMER- Danbury, Saw Mill Hawthorne

COMCAST ON-DEMAND-

1) A QUIET MARRIAGE- Good reviews.

2) IN THE LOOP- Mixed reviews.

3) FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN- Good reviews.

4) JULIA- Saw it and liked it.

5) WORLD’S GREATEST DAD- Good reviews.

6) FLAME & CITRON- Saw it and liked it.

7) STILL WALKING- Great reviews.

THAT’S IT FOR NOW-

THE REEL DR BOB