Posts with the tag 'docudrama'
VISION- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Directed by longtime star of independent German cinemaMargarethe von Trotta, this reverent biopic chronicles the fascinating story of 12th-century Christian mystic and scientist Hildegard von Bingen (Barbara Sukowa). Despite living in an era when women are proscribed from preaching and interpreting scripture, Hildegard believes that the visions she experiences are a gift from God that she must reveal — even at the risk of condemnation.” Very good reviews.
1/11- I liked this movie although I thought it could have been 15 to 20 minutes shorter. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: docudrama
January 5th, 2011
OUTSIDE THE LAW- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Left without a home in their homeland, three Algerian brothers (Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem and Sami Bouajila) split from their mother and seek out strikingly dissimilar lives. But fate won’t keep the siblings apart, eventually summoning them all to Paris for a reunion. This foreign-language drama from writer-director Rachid Bouchareb is set amid Algeria’s post-World War II fight for independence from France.” Very good reviews.
Tags: docudrama
January 4th, 2011
OF GODS AND MEN- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Awarded Grand Prix honors at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, this compelling historical drama relates the ordeal of seven French Trappist monks in the mountains of Algeria who are taken captive by Islamic fundamentalists. Before the monks’ abduction, they have ample reason to believe they may be in danger, but their assumption that there can and must be common ground between Islam and Christianity leads them to remain at the monastery.” Great reviews. Opens in NY on 2/25/11.
3/11- Very well done and well acted but a bit too long and definitely not for a general audience. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: docudrama
January 4th, 2011
CASINO JACK- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Kevin Spacey stars in this drama as disgraced political lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who defrauded Native American tribes out of tens of millions of dollars in his efforts to peddle influence in Washington’s corridors of power. As justice closes in on Abramoff and his associates, the audacious scope of his scams comes to light. Based on true events, this film from director George Hickenlooper co-stars Kelly Preston and Barry Pepper.” OK reviews.
Tags: docudrama
November 28th, 2010
MADE IN DAGENHAM- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Sally Hawkins stars in this cheeky dramatization of the landmark 1968 labor strike initiated by hundreds of women who rebelled against discrimination and demanded the same pay as men for their work in a London automobile manufacturing plant. During one march, a banner that reads “We Want Sexual Equality” inadvertently becomes shortened to “We Want Sex.” Nigel Cole directs this film that co-stars Miranda Richardson and Richard Schiff.” Very good professional reviews.
4/11- Very simplistic docudrama with a predictable story line. I don’t know why this was so popular. TRDB.
Tags: docudrama
November 15th, 2010
SECRETARIAT- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “When Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) agrees to take over her ailing father’s thoroughbred stable, she transforms from housewife to horse breeder — and owner of the colt that will take the 1973 Triple Crown — in this dramatic biopic. The film explores Chenery’s bond with “Big Red” and depicts her rise to greatness as the “first lady of racing.” John Malkovich plays trainer Lucien Laurin, and Fred Dalton Thompson co-stars as big-shot breeder Bull Hancock.” Fair review in NY Times 10/8/10.
Tags: docudrama
September 27th, 2010
THE SOCIAL NETWORK- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “David Fincher‘s biographical drama chronicles the meteoric rise of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) from Harvard sophomore to Internet superstar, examining his relationships with co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and founding president Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Aaron Sorkin penned the screenplay based on Ben Mezrich’s best-seller The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook.” Reviews just OK.
10/10- I liked this movie a lot even though there was probably a good deal of artistic license given to the story. Well acted (Eisenberg was great) and truly a success story. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: docudrama
September 16th, 2010
MAO’S LAST DANCER- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “A delegation from Madame Mao’s Beijing Dance Academy selects 11-year-old peasant villager Li Cunxin to study ballet in far-off Beijing, where he trains for seven grueling years to become one of China’s greatest dancers. His efforts win him the opportunity to dance in America, opening his eyes to a new love and the possibility of a dramatic defection from China in this remarkable true story based on Cunxin’s autobiography.” Fairly good reviews but a few said the movie was too timid. TRDB.
8/10- Great dancing makes up for a somewhat weak story. I enjoyed the movie despite all the schmaltz. TRDB.
Tags: docudrama
August 23rd, 2010
ARMY OF CRIME- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “This gripping historical drama recounts the story of Armenian-born Missak Manouchian (Simon Abkarian), a woodworker and political activist who led an immigrant laborer division of the Parisian Resistance on 30 operations against the Nazis in 1943. The Nazis branded the group an Army of Crime, an anti-immigrant propaganda stunt that backfired as the team’s members became martyrs for the Resistance. Virginie Ledoyen co-stars as Manouchian’s wife.” Very good review in NY Times on 8/20/10.
1/11- Another good movie about the resistance but with little to add to the wealth of material on this subject. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: docudrama
August 20th, 2010
MAX MANUS- Directed by Espen Sandberg and Joachim Roenning. Premise by Netflix. “Dismayed by Norway’s swift capitulation to Nazi Germany during World War II, Max Manus (Aksel Hennie) — who would become one of Norway’s greatest war heroes — immediately joined the Resistance. This biographical drama tells his story. From his audacious escapes from German captivity (one from a military hospital) to his bold acts of sabotage (which included blowing up warships), the film chronicles all Manus’s derring-do.”
8/10- A very good docudrama about a resistance fighter most people know nothing about. TRDB.
Tags: docudrama
August 15th, 2010
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