DETROPIA- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “As the focus of this sobering documentary, the decline of Detroit also reflects the nation’s larger failure to keep up in a modern global economy. The film also examines the efforts of its residents to maintain Detroit’s vibrant cultural base.”
Good professional and audience reviews. TRDB.
9/7/12- I read today’s NY Times review and have NO idea if it was a good one or a bad one. Others have liked it a lot. TRDB.
Add comment August 19th, 2012
BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DOLLAR?- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Drawing a comparison between the Great Depression and today’s economic woes, this documentary explores how our lessening commitment to personal responsibility and community has affected our economic survival strategies.”
8/17/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment August 17th, 2012
SPEAK- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Focusing on the well-spoken participants at the intense and highly competitive Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking, this talky documentary profiles those who excel at one of the most universally feared activities there is.”
8/17/12- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment August 17th, 2012
THE AMBASSADOR- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Filmmaker Mads Brügger poses as a diplomat in central Africa and secretly films his wheeling and dealing in a corrupt society. With forged diplomatic papers, he claims to be opening a match factory, but tries to gain access to the area’s diamonds.”
Mixed review from both audiences and professionals. TRDB.
Add comment August 15th, 2012
WILD HORSE, WILD RIDE- Synopsis by Netflix. “An annual contest challenges 100 people across the United States to tame a wild mustang in 100 days. Following this dangerous and harrowing feat is a public showcase that determines whether these horses can be saved from a life in captivity.”
8/24/12- Excellent review in today’s NY Times and audiences have loved this movie as well. TRDB.
3/18/13- A very good documentary about several horse trainers and their love for their horses. TRDB.
Add comment August 7th, 2012
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Questions of race, identity and heritage are explored through the lives of young American women growing up as adoptees from China. These four distinct individuals reflect on their experiences as members of transracial families.”
8/24/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times but fairly good critical reviews otherwise. Audience reviews are mixed. TRDB.
Add comment August 7th, 2012
HIGH GROUND- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Eleven wounded warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan join an expedition to climb the 20,000-foot Mount Lobuche. Led by blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer and a team of Everest summiters, they set out on an emotional climb to reach the top.”
11/2/12-Great reviews including the one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment August 7th, 2012
CRAIGSLIST JOE- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Setting out to explore whether America still has a sense of community, with people helping each other through hard times, 29-year-old Joseph Garner spends a month depending on the goodness of Craigslist posters for his survival.”
Good audience reviews but poor professional ones. TRDB.
12/13/12- I disliked this movie and turned it off quickly. If it wasn’t for the cameraman following Joe around who knows how many of those new “friends” would have been so nice to him?” TRDB. Netflix.
Add comment August 4th, 2012
SUSHI: THE GLOBAL CATCH- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Sushi, a cuisine formerly found only in Japan, has grown exponentially in other nations, and an industry has been created to support it. In a rush to please a hungry public, the expensive delicacy has become common and affordable, appearing in restaurants, supermarkets and even fast food trailers. The traditions requiring 7 years of apprenticeship in Japan have given way to quick training and mass-manufactured solutions elsewhere. This hunger for sushi has led to the depletion of apex predators in the ocean, including bluefin tuna, to such a degree that it has the potential to upset the ecological balance of the world’s oceans, leading to a collapse of all fish species.”
8/3/12- A fair review in today’s NY Times and by other critics as well. Audiences have not liked it. TRDB.
Add comment August 3rd, 2012
DREAMS OF A LIFE- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Filmmaker Carol Morley tells the strange story of Joyce Vincent, whose body was found in her tiny studio flat three years after she died. How did an outgoing 38-year-old with no shortage of friends and family just disappear from the world?”
8/3/12 A weak review in today’s NY Times but other critics have liked it. The Times called it frustrating and that it left too many blanks in the story. TRDB.
Add comment August 3rd, 2012