FILM REVIEWS #447
March 14th, 2013
DEAR FRIENDS:
I’M BACK IN NY NOW AFTER 3 MONTHS IN FLORIDA—
QUICK LOOK AT MY FAVORITES OF THE WEEK-
______________________________________________________________________
MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT THE THEATER-
3/10/13- I liked this movie very much but it did seem unusual to me that each of the men seemed to distance himself from Israeli tactics. Were there any heads of Shin Bet that agreed with the policies even if they don’t appear to have worked in retrospect? TRDB.
2) NO– 2012- Synopsis by Netflix. “In this engaging drama from Chile, Gael García Bernal portrays René Saavedra, a hot-shot ad executive who creates a controversial media campaign opposing military dictator Augusto Pinochet during the referendum on his presidency in 1988.”
Very good reviews so far. TRDB.
2/15/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3/12/13-I enjoyed the basic premise of voter impowerment and of course the history lesson but I felt that the movie was a bit tedious at times and I also agree with one critic who called the movie “gimmicky.” TRDB.
______________________________________________________________________
MOVIES I SAW THIS WEEK AT HOME-
1) WAR WITCH– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In sub-Saharan Africa, 12-year-old Komona is kidnapped by rebel soldiers who force her to kill her parents and join their ranks. Over the next two years, Komona clings to life despite her horrific experiences and tries to pacify her parents’ ghosts.”
3/1/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3/6/13- Very difficult to watch this moving drama of a girl who amazingly survives war and superstition but it should be a “must-see.” TRDB.
2) GUN HILL ROAD- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “After serving a three-year stint in prison, tough-guy Enrique (Esai Morales) returns to his family in the Bronx to find that his wife (Judy Reyes) is a virtual stranger to him and, worse, his son (Harmony Santana) is in the middle of a sexual identity crisis. Now Enrique must find a way to accept his altered life or risk losing control and ending up back in jail. Rashaad Ernesto Green directs this compelling drama.” OK reviews so far. TRDB.
8/5/11- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3/11/13- This movie was well done and although some of the issues faced by a man on parole have been explored before, this film introduces the transgender issue of the son as a further complication. I liked the film. TRDB.
3) THIS IS NOT A FILM- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “When the Iranian government banned director Jafar Panahi from making a film for 20 years, he titled his next project This Is Not a Film. The resulting documentary covers a day in Panahi’s life as he reflects on his unhappy situation.” Excellent reviews. TRDB.
3/12/13- You have to admire the film maker who smuggled this film out of the country while he was facing charges against the State. However, I can’t say that I enjoyed this bland movie. TRDB.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT TUESDAY, MARCH 19-
1) 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.
2) RUST AND BONE– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “To support his young son, faded boxer Ali takes a job as a bouncer and meets the free-spirited Stéphanie, who trains whales at a water park. After Stéphanie suffers a devastating accident, Ali begins a poignant and unexpected relationship with her.”Great early reviews. TRDB.
11/23/12- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB. 1/25/13- I saw this recently at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and I thought it was great. TRDB.
3) BACHELORETTE- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “When a single overachiever learns, to her horror, that an overweight girl she teased in high school is getting married before her, she swallows her pride and serves as maid of honor, enlisting her old clique to help through an evening of mishaps.”
1/21/12- An article (not a review) in today’s NY Times about this film playing at Sundance sounded interesting. TRDB.
9/7/12- Mixed reviews for this comedy, more bad than good. The NY Times was noncommittal in today’s review other than to say the movie was viciously funny at times. TRDB.
4) ANNA KARENINA- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Oscar winner Tom Stoppard penned this adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel, which stars Keira Knightley as the titular 19th-century Russian aristocrat who enters into a passionate and forbidden love affair with the well-heeled Count Vronsky.” OK early reviews in general but a few miserable ones as well. TRDB.
11/16/12- Basically a good review in today’s NY Times. I think the Times was disappointed. Others gave it mixed reviews, more good than bad. TRDB.
5) ARGO– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1979, when Iranian militants seize the American embassy, six Americans slip into the Canadian embassy for protection, prompting the CIA to concoct an elaborate plot to rescue them by pretending that they are filmmakers rather than diplomats.”
Excellent reviews. TRDB.
10/25/12- A fascinating and apparently true story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. TRDB.
6) ZERO DARK THIRTY- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty reunites the Oscar winning team of director-producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) for the story of history’s greatest manhunt for the world’s most dangerous man.” Great early reviews. TRDB.
1/29/13- I enjoyed the last 45 min. during the raid on Bin Laden’s compound because of its historical significance and suspense despite knowing the outcome. The first hour and a half was for me well summed up by a reviewer when he said– “A silly film that never remotely deserved an Oscar nomination.” TRDB.
7) THE BIG PICTURE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Successful Paris attorney Paul Exben (Romain Duris) has everything going for him, including power, wealth and a picture-perfect family. But the mirror suddenly cracks when Paul discovers that his wife, Sarah, is carrying on an affair with a photographer. After a tragic error closes the door on all that he’s achieved, Paul makes a fateful decision to escape, fleeing abroad to try and begin a new life as someone else altogether.”
10/12/12- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
______________________________________________________________________
OPENED LAST WEEK (March 8) IN ADDITION TO THOSE I WROTE ABOUT ON MARCH 7-
3) ELECTRICK CHILDREN– 2013. Synopsis by IMDB. “Pregnant by music? Rachel, a young teenager from a fundamentalist Mormon community, believes in immaculate conception, while her fundamentally religious family regards her condition as an intolerable transgression. The search for the child’s origins is a revelation for the 15-year-old.”
3/8/13- An OK review in today’s NY Times and from others as well. TRDB.
4) THE SILENCE– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “When 13-year-old Sinikka goes missing from the same spot where another girl was murdered 23 years earlier, a retired investigator teams up with a younger colleague to unravel the parallel mysteries.”
3/8/13- Good reviews all around including today’s NY Times. TRDB.
5) DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’: EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY– 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This documentary presents the musical saga of Arnel Pineda, who goes from singing in Manila nightclubs to fronting the legendary rock band Journey. Brought into the group just before a world tour, Arnel must sell himself to Journey’s many fans.”
3/8/13 Good reviews for this documentary from today’s NY Times and from most others as well. TRDB.
6) GIRL RISING– 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “10×10 is a social action organization seeking educational equality for underprivileged girls across the globe. Director Richard Robbins tells the moving stories of several of these girls, with help from some of the most recognizable female voices of today.”
3/8/13- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
7) DOWNEAST- 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Set during an era of U.S. post-industrialization in which numerous factories have been exported, Downeast focuses on Antonio Bussone’s efforts to open a processing factory in rural Maine.”
3/8/13- A good review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
8)THE BITTER BUDDHA– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “This documentary follows unconventional comedian Eddie Pepitone as he prepares for a show in New York City, all the while struggling with self-doubt, sobriety and a challenging family history.”
3/8/13- A good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
9) EMPEROR- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “As World War II ends, Gen. MacArthur oversees Japan’s surrender, an act that dispels the nation’s centuries-old beliefs about its emperor. With the eyes of the world — and history — upon them, MacArthur and his protégé will change Japan forever.”
3/8/13- Weak review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
______________________________________________________________________
OPENING THIS WEEK (MARCH 15)-
1) THE CALL– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “When an abducted teenage girl makes a frantic call from the trunk of a serial killer’s speeding car, she connects with a sympathetic 911 operator who’s dealt with the perpetrator in the past.”
Mixed early reviews, more negative than positive. TRDB.
3/3/13- No reviews as yet but this sounds interesting. TRDB.
3) FROM UP ON POPPY HILL– 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “As Japan prepares to host the Olympics, Shun, a school reporter, fights to save a clubhouse from progress-minded authorities. He gets unexpected help from Umi, a classmate who’s fallen in love with him.”
3/3/13- Fairly good early reviews. TRDB.
3/3/13- Mixed early reviews. TRDB.
5) THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE- 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have ruled the Las Vegas strip for years, raking in millions with illusions as big as Burt’s growing ego. But lately the duo’s greatest deception is their public friendship, while secretly they’ve grown to loathe each other. Facing cutthroat competition from guerilla street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), whose cult following surges with each outrageous stunt, even their show looks stale. But there’s still a chance Burt and Anton can save the act-both onstage and off-if Burt can get back in touch with what made him love magic in the first place.”
3/3/13- Poor reviews. TRDB.
6) REINCARNATED- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In a cloud of smoke, Vice magazine’s Andy Capper follows rapper Snoop Dogg on a pilgrimage to Jamaica, where he experiences a spiritual and commercial transformation, reemerging as Snoop Lion, a reggae artist.”
3/3/13- Awful reviews. TRDB.
7) I KILLED MY MOTHER– 2009. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Hubert Minel, a brash 17 year old, dislikes his mother intensely. He gauges her with contempt, only seeing her out-of-date sweater, her kitschy décor and the vile bread crumbs that lodge in the corners of her noisy mouth. Below the surface of these irritating traits, lie the ingrained mechanisms that his mother has always cultivated so dearly – manipulation and guilt. Hubert, confused and torn by a love-hate relationship that obsesses him more and more each day, wanders in and out of an adolescence that is both marginal an typical, combining artistic discovery, openness to friendship, ostracism, and sex. All the while, he is consumed by his all encompassing contempt for this woman he somehow once loved.”
3/13/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. Other critics have liked it as well. TRDB.
______________________________________________________________________
FLORIDA- At the Stonzek Theater Lake Worth Playhouse-
1) LORE– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “After her Nazi parents are imprisoned, Lore leads her younger siblings across a war-torn Germany in 1945. Amid the chaos, she encounters a mysterious refugee named Thomas, who shatters her fragile reality with hatred and desire.”
2/8/13- Very good reviews in general with just a few critics saying that the film was a bit slow. The NY Times liked it as well. TRDB.
2) SLEEPLESS NIGHT– 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Vincent is one of two French cops whose bold drug heist goes bad, leading the mobster whose cocaine they’ve snatched to kidnap his son. Given one night to return the drugs to their owner, Vincent desperately tries to save the boy’s life.”
5/11/12- Very good professional reviews and OK audience ones. TRDB
______________________________________________________________________
COMCAST ON-DEMAND-
NEW-
1) CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: WORLDS AWAY– 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “This family-friendly fantasy intertwines magnificent artistic and acrobatic performances from some of Cirque du Soleil’s inventive shows — including “Ka” and “O” — to create a new story that takes viewers into a beautiful, imaginative world.”
12/21/12- A very good review in today’s NY Times. Just fair reviews in general, however. TRDB.
REPEATS-
4) GINGER & ROSA- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “With the Cold War looming over them, teen best pals Ginger and Rosa share everything in early 1960s London — until betrayal drives them apart. Sally Potter directs this intimate period drama steeped in the anxieties of the dawning nuclear age.”
2) CAMP (2013)- Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A slick investment advisor attempts to impress a prospective client by volunteering as a counselor at a camp for foster children, and begins to reassess his priorities after developing a bond with a young boy from a broken home in this tender drama inspired by actual events. Eli’s mother is a drug addict, and his father is physically abusive. When police answer a domestic disturbance call at Eli’s home on his 10th birthday, the young boy is placed in a youth facility where compliance takes precedence over compassion.”
4) BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD- I enjoyed the film
6) FITZGERALD FAMILY CHRISTMAS- I liked this very much
8)FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL—- OK reviews
12) JOHN DIES AT THE END- Good reviews
15) MOONRISE KINGDOM- I liked it
16) THE MULBERRY TREE- Very good reviews
17) MY BEST ENEMY- A good movie
18)OCTOBER BABY- Awful professional reviews
20) THE PUSHER- OK reviews but critics said the original was better
21) THE SESSIONS- I loved this movie
22) SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS- I didn’t care for the movie
24) SOUND CITY- Very good reviews
25) SUPPORTING CHARACTERS- Very good reviews
26) TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE- Not great but I liked it
27) WAITING FOR LIGHTNING- The NY Times called this movie boring
29) WOMAN IN THE FIFTH- I liked it
30) THE WORDS- I enjoyed this movie
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
______________________________________________________________________
BOB’S PICKS IN THE SUBURBS- (Westchester and Fairfield Counties)
NEW IN THE BURBS-
2) BEYOND THE HILLS– Jacob Burns, Clearview 100. 2012. Synopsis by IMDB. “A drama centered on the friendship between two young women who grew up in the same orphanage; one has found refuge at a convent in Romania and refuses to leave with her friend, who now lives in Germany.”
5/28/12- Mixed reviews but the writer won Best Screenwriter at Cannes this year. TRDB.
3/8/13- A good review in today’s NY Times and very good reviews in general. TRDB.
REPEATS-
3/3/13- A good, if somewhat predictable, movie with lots of good music to boot. TRDB.
3/10/13- I liked this movie very much but it did seem unusual to me that each of the men seemed to distance himself from Israeli tactics. Were there any heads of Shin Bet that agreed with the policies even if they don’t appear to have worked in retrospect? TRDB.
4) NO– Jacob Burns, Clearview 100. 2012- Synopsis by Netflix. “In this engaging drama from Chile, Gael García Bernal portrays René Saavedra, a hot-shot ad executive who creates a controversial media campaign opposing military dictator Augusto Pinochet during the referendum on his presidency in 1988.”
Very good reviews so far. TRDB.
2/15/13- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3/12/13- I enjoyed the basic premise of voter impowerment and of course the history lesson but I felt that the movie was a bit tedious at times and I also agree with one critic who called the movie “gimmicky.” TRDB.
5) LIFE OF PI- Danbury, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Based on Yann Martel’s best-selling novel, this coming-of-age tale recounts the adventures of Pi, an Indian boy who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with only some zoo animals for company.”
Excellent reviews. TRDB.
1/2/13- I enjoyed this movie very much especially the creative cinematography. See it in 3D if you can. TRDB.
6) EMPEROR- Saw Mill Hawthorne, Garden Cinema Norwalk. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “As World War II ends, Gen. MacArthur oversees Japan’s surrender, an act that dispels the nation’s centuries-old beliefs about its emperor. With the eyes of the world — and history — upon them, MacArthur and his protégé will change Japan forever.”
3/8/13- Weak review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
7) ARGO- Saw Mill Hawthorne. 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “In 1979, when Iranian militants seize the American embassy, six Americans slip into the Canadian embassy for protection, prompting the CIA to concoct an elaborate plot to rescue them by pretending that they are filmmakers rather than diplomats.”
Excellent reviews. TRDB.
10/25/12- A fascinating and apparently true story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. TRDB.
8)SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK– Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 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.
11/16/12- Very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
9) ZERO DARK THIRTY– Saw Mill Hawthorne. 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty reunites the Oscar winning team of director-producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) for the story of history’s greatest manhunt for the world’s most dangerous man.”
Great early reviews. TRDB.
1/29/13- I enjoyed the last 45 min. during the raid on Bin Laden’s compound because of its historical significance and suspense despite knowing the outcome. The first hour and a half was for me well summed up by a reviewer when he said– “A silly film that never remotely deserved an Oscar nomination.” TRDB.
10) SIDE EFFECTS– Saw Mill Hawthorne, Danbury. 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Emily Hawkins copes with her depression by taking large numbers of prescription medication. But when her emotions spiral out of control due to the upcoming release of her husband from prison, she turns to a new medication, with unforseen results.”
2/8/13-Fairly good reviews in general and an OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
3/1/13- I saw this with my wife Jane and my friends Barbara and Ken and we all liked this mystery. TRDB.
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
ENJOY!!
THE REEL DR. BOB
Entry Filed under: Old Newsletters
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>
Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed