NOBODY ELSE BUT YOU- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “A local beauty’s death is ruled suicide by sleeping pills, but crime novelist Rousseau doesn’t buy it. Reality turns out to be stranger than fiction — and a source of inspiration — as he uncovers the truth about the woman’s past.”
Fairly good reviews especially from the critics. TRDB.
Add comment July 18th, 2012
FALLING OVERNIGHT- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “The day before Elliot is scheduled for a life-threatening surgery, his path intersects with Chloe, a young photographer. Elliot welcomes the distraction as Chloe, unaware of his condition, takes him on an exhilarating journey through the city.”
No professional reviews as yet but good audience reaction. TRDB.
7/27/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment July 18th, 2012
KLOWN- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Two wildly inappropriate pals run amok through the countryside plowing through social taboos, unspeakable debaucheries and absurd sexual encounters. Kidnapping, canoeing and cathouses all factor into this riotous escapade where chaos rules the day.”
No professional reviews as yet but OK audience reaction. TRDB.
7/27/12- A reviewer in today’s NY Times liked this movie but said that it bordered on child porn. Go figure!! TRDB.
Add comment July 18th, 2012
FAREWELL, MY QUEEN- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Farewell, My Queen marks the return of acclaimed director Benoît Jacquot and brilliantly captures the passions, debauchery, occasional glimpses of nobility and ultimately the chaos that engulfed the court of Marie Antoinette in the final days before the full-scale outbreak of the Revolution. Based on the best-selling novel by Chantal Thomas, the film stars Léa Seydoux as one of Marie’s ladies-in-waiting, seemingly an innocent but quietly working her way into her mistress’s special favors, until history tosses her fate onto a decidedly different path. With the action moving effortlessly from the gilded drawing rooms of the nobles to the back quarters of those who serve them, this is a period film at once accurate and sumptuous in its visual details and modern in its emotions.”
4/3/13- Very good acting and great period costumes make up for a somewhat weak script and overall I did enjoy the movie. TRDB.
Add comment July 17th, 2012
VALLEY OF STRENGTH- About the challenges of settling in Palestine at the end of the 19th. century.
Weak review in the NY Times on 7/14/12. TRDB.
Add comment July 17th, 2012
PONIES- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “After immigrating to the United States seeking the American Dream, three men fall into the seamy world of off-track betting — and soon find themselves in too deep and fighting for the right to stay in the country.”
Good reviews in general and an OK one in the NY Times on 7/14/12. TRDB.
Add comment July 17th, 2012
DRUNKBOAT- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “DRUNKBOAT tells the story of a young teenager, Abe who manipulates the unsuspecting help of his alcoholic Uncle Mort to buy a boat from a con man when his mother is out of town. The story resonates with the struggle of Uncle Mort, making the story much deeper than a simple tale of a boy and his boat. Both the uncle and Abe come of age in the story.”
Mediocre reviews in general but an OK one in the NY Times on 7/14/12. TRDB.
Add comment July 17th, 2012
IT’S THE EARTH NOT THE MOON- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A cameraman and a soundman arrive in Corvo in 2007, the smallest island in the archipelago of the Azores. Right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Corvo is a large rock, 6km high and 4km long, with the crater of a volcano and a single tiny village of 440 people. Gradually, this small filming crew is accepted by the island’s population as its new inhabitants, two people to add to a civilization almost 500 years old, whose history is hardly discernible, such is the lack of records and written memories. Shot at a vertiginous pace throughout a few years, self?produced between arrivals, departures and coming?backs, It’s the Earth not the Moon develops as the logbook of a ship, and turns out as a patchwork of discoveries and experiences, which follow the contemporary life of a civilization isolated in the middle of the sea.”
7/14/12- Mostly very good reviews and an OK one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment July 17th, 2012
RED LIGHTS- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Veteran paranormal researchers Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) debunk fraudulent claims of ghost whispering, faith healing and other psychic phenomena by detecting what Matheson calls “red lights,” the subtle tricks behind every staged supernatural occurrence. But when the legendary blind psychic Simon Silver (Robert De Niro)comes out of retirement after 30 years, his once-fearless adversary Matheson warns Buckley to back off, fearing reprisal from the powerful Silver. Determined to discredit Silver, Buckley and his star student (Elizabeth Olsen) use every tool at their disposal to uncover the truth behind the charismatic, spoon-bending, mind reader. But Buckley is forced to reexamine his own core beliefs as his quest builds to a mind-blowing conclusion in this taut psychological thriller from award-winning writer and director Rodrigo Cortés.”
7/17/12- Weak reviews in general and just an OK one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment July 17th, 2012
SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN- 2008. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A woman’s brush with death forces her to re-examine her past and present in this drama from Israel. Galia (Reymond Amsalem) was riding a city bus when a suicide bomber on board set off an explosive device. While Galia survived the bombing, she suffered severe burns and injuries and was declared clinically dead for seven minutes. While Galia’s body has been healing steadily, her mind is still struggling to make sense of what happened; she has no memory of the terrible day, and can only piece together nightmarish flashes of the chaotic events. Itzik (Benjamin Jagendorf) is a seminarian who was on hand to help the injured on the day of the explosion, and he attempts to counsel Galia, helping her put together the shards of her memory and explain his theory that the souls of people who have briefly been “dead” often have trouble reacquainting themselves after they’ve traveled outside the body. As Galia ponders these questions about her life and her spirit, she finds comfort in her new friendship with Boaz (Eldad Fribas). Sheva Dakot Be Gan Eden (aka Seven Minutes In Heaven) was the first feature film from director Omri Givon.”
No professional reviews available but audiences have liked it very much. There is an article on this film in the NY Times on Sunday, July 8, 2012. TRDB.
7/29/15- Very interesting and I liked it very much. TRDB.
Add comment July 7th, 2012