ALMOST IN LOVE- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Two shots — each consisting of a single 40-minute take — tell the entire story in this indie tale chronicling a love triangle among New Yorkers. What starts at a sunset Staten Island barbecue ends 18 months later during a sunrise in the Hamptons.”
2/15/13- Very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment February 17th, 2013
THE WE AND THE I- 2012. Synopsis by IMDB. “A look at the lives of a group of teenagers who ride the same bus route, and how their relationships change and evolve on the last day of school.”
3/8/13- Today’s NY Times liked it but in general there have been weak early reviews. TRDB.
Add comment February 15th, 2013
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.
8/21/13- Generally well deserved poor reviews but I feel that the movie was at least interesting from a historical point of view. TRDB.
Add comment February 15th, 2013
KAI PO CHE- 2013. Synopsis by Netflix. “Based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life, this Bollywood drama tells the story of three best friends who dream of starting a cricket training academy in Ahmedabad for very different reasons.”
2/22/13- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment February 14th, 2013
11 FLOWERS- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This elegantly filmed drama of village life is told from the viewpoint of an 11-year-old who unexpectedly comes into contact with an accused murderer. The upheavals of China’s Cultural Revolution provide a turbulent backdrop to the boy’s adventures.”
2/22/13- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
4/30/14- A very enjoyable movie with, of course, social and political themes. The kids were great. TRDB. Netflix.
Add comment February 14th, 2013
INESCAPABLE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “This politically charged and emotionally powerful thriller follows a successful businessman who suddenly finds his life turned upside down when his journalist daughter goes missing during her trip to his hometown of Damascus. He knows that the reason for his exile is tied to his daughter’s disappearance. His first trip home in over 30 years turns into a frantic quest to rescue his daughter while reconnecting with the love of his life.”
2/15/13- Weak reviews all around, including today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment February 14th, 2013
PORFIRIO- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This no-holds-barred docudrama examines the day-to-day life of Porfirio Ramirez Aldana, a once-wealthy Colombian man who became paralyzed after being shot by the police — and then went on to commit a shocking crime.”
2/8/13- Mixed reviews– the NY Times did not like it. TRDB.
Add comment February 8th, 2013
ONCE EVERY DAY- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Highly visual, complexly edited, and without a conventional narrative ‘story’, ONCE EVERY DAY nevertheless circles a secret theme as it zeros in on a group of 25 people acting out a series of semi-ritualistic behavior patterns. But their eccentric impulses are aborted in unpredictable ways with each new attempt at action or development. As the film cuts between colored tableaus, bleached-out action sequences, expressionistic black-and-white confrontations, and slow immersion in pure light, we repeatedly hear the voices of the invisible director (Foreman) and his technicians, whispering off-camera instructions and comments to the characters – who are of course ‘actors’ as well as disturbed and inhibited human beings. The implicit question of the film becomes: could this be life itself – visibly re-making itself as art?”
2/8/13- Mixed reviews. The NY Times liked it. TRDB.
Add comment February 8th, 2013
NIGHT ACROSS THE STREET- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “A free-flowing contemplation on aging and death inspired by the stories of Hernán del Solar, director Raoul Ruiz’s final film follows as elderly man who revisits moments of his youth as he awaits the stranger he believes will kill him.”
2/8/13- Very good reviews in general and in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment February 8th, 2013
IDENTITY THIEF- 2013. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Unlimited funds have allowed Diana (McCarthy) to live it up on the outskirts of Miami, where the queen of retail buys whatever strikes her fancy. There’s only one glitch: The ID she’s using to finance these sprees reads “Sandy Bigelow Patterson”….and it belongs to an accounts rep (Bateman) who lives halfway across the U.S. With only one week to hunt down the con artist before his world implodes, the real Sandy Bigelow Patterson heads south to confront the woman with an all-access pass to his life. And as he attempts to bribe, coax and wrangle her the 2,000 miles to Denver, one easy target will discover just how tough it is to get your name back.”
2/8/13- Poor review all around and in today’s NY Times as well. TRDB.
Add comment February 8th, 2013