Posts with the tag 'drama'
HERE- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “When he travels to Armenia to make a set of hyperaccurate, satellite-based maps of the country, professional cartographer Will Shepard (Ben Foster) falls in with Gadarine Najarian (Lubna Azabal), a disaffected photographer trying to reconnect with her roots. Deciding to travel the country together, the pair embark on an unsettling journey of discovery into the Armenian landscape and into their solitary lives. Braden King directs this drama.” Mentioned in NY Times on 1/22/11 re Sundance.
4/13/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. OK reviews by other critics and only fair audience response. TRDB.
8/10/12- I found this movie interesting if a little pretentious with some of the extra voice-overs by Peter Coyote. Good acting and a good story however. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 23rd, 2011
CIRCUMSTANCE- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “Iranian teens Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) and Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) explore their forbidden attraction to one another against the backdrop of modern-day Tehran’s subcultures. Atafeh’s brother, Mehran (Reza Sixo Safai), returns home after drug rehab and is soon dismayed by his sister’s newfound sense of liberation. Giving up on his dreams to become a classical musician, Mehran joins the morality police, causing deeper rifts in the family.” Mentioned in NY Times on 1/22/11 re Sundance.
8/27/11- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
9/19/11- A very good drama that clearly depicts the dangers of living in such a repressive society. Good acting and the movie seemed real. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 23rd, 2011
HIGHER GROUND- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “Vera Farmiga stars in and directs this sensitive and searching chronicle describing a woman’s lifetime journey of faith — one that initially leads her to join a fundamentalist sect and then leave it again years later. Adapted from the spiritual memoir This Dark World by Carolyn Briggs, the film looks deeply into human doubt and certainty, and the challenge of trying to match our lives with our spiritual beliefs.” Mentioned on 1/22/11 in NY Times re Sundance.
8/23/11- I’ve seen just a few reviews and they are weak. TRDB.
9/2/11- Just saw this film and liked it very much. Farmiga is great and also did a wonderful job directing this movie. I’d recommend it to you. TRDB.
Tags: drama
January 23rd, 2011
WHEN WE LEAVE- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Umay, 25, is torn between two cultures when she leaves her abusive husband and takes their young son, Cem, from Istanbul to her family home in Germany. Seeking refuge with her parents, Umay hopes to start anew, but her family disapproves. She finds work in a restaurant and falls in love with a German co-worker, Stipe, who happily welcomes her and Cem into his life, but turmoil erupts when Umay’s family decides to return Cem to his father.” Article about this movie in NY Times on 1/23/11 – Mostly very good reviews. TRDB.
1/11- OK review in NY Times on 1/28/11. TRDB.
6/20/11- I did like this film but it was way too long and the ending left me wondering what the director was thinking what with the melodrama. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 22nd, 2011
THE DETAILS-2010. Premise by Netflix. “After discovering that his lawn has been completely destroyed by raccoons, frustrated Jeff (Tobey Maguire) foolishly cheats on his wife, Nealy (Elizabeth Banks), which leads to a series of agonizing predicaments involving his best friend’s husband (Ray Liotta) and next-door neighbor (Laura Linney). Written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes, this dark comedy also stars Kerry Washington, Sam Trammell and Dennis Haysbert.” Showing at Sundance 2011– no reviews yet.
Tags: Comedy, drama
January 21st, 2011
APPLAUSE- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “After a long stint in rehab, legendary actress Thea Barfoed (Paprika Steen) seeks to reconnect with her two young sons in this drama from Denmark. Now, the headstrong Thea must prove to her ex-husband, Christian (Michael Falch) — and to herself — that she’s truly reformed. Meanwhile, her nightly performances as overbearing wife Martha in the play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” lead her to face some painful truths.” Poor review in NY Times on 1/21/11.
5/4/14- Despite a poor review from the NY Times this movie received wonderful praise, especially for the lead actress. I liked the movie very much for its acting and its story. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 21st, 2011
THE WAY BACK- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “After narrowly escaping from a wretched World War II Siberian labor camp, a small band of multinational soldiers desperately undertakes a harrowing journey to traverse Siberia, the Gobi Desert and the Himalayas on foot. Directed by Peter Weir, this exciting drama about courage and endurance — based on a true story — stars Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong and Gustaf Skarsgård.” OK reviews in general but only a fair one in the NY Times on 1/21/11.
4/11- Zero passion in this flimsy drama with a whole load of guys speaking with a fake accent. I turned it off. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama
January 21st, 2011
THE HOUSEMAID- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “A wealthy family’s new maid, Eun-yi (Do-yeon Jeon), attracts the attention of Hoon (Jung-Jae Lee), the man of the house, and a fiery affair develops between them. But although Hoon signs Eun-yi’s checks, he’s not the one controlling the relationship. One secret leads to another, until Eun-yi threatens to destroy the entire family. This update of the 1960 chiller was an Official Selection of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.” Fair review in NY Times on 1/21/11.
2/11- Very well done until the ending which seemed incomprehensible to me. Worth seeing however. TRDB. On Concast On-Demand straight from Sundance 2011.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 21st, 2011
ALAMAR- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Before his young son, Natan (Natan Machado Palombini), returns to Rome with his mother, Jorge (Jorge Machado) takes the boy on an extended journey to a tiny fishing village, where Natan learns to fish and snorkel amid the natural splendor of the Mexican Caribbean. Filmmaker Pedro González-Rubio’s delicate family drama also stars Nestor Marin as veteran angler Matraca, as well as a colorful cast of crocodiles, tropical birds and iguanas.”
1/11- A very interesting movie with minimal dialogue and I definitely would recommend it. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 20th, 2011
SKIN- 2008. Premise by Netflix. “Both her father (Sam Neill) and mother (Alice Krige) are white, but Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo) is born with dark skin — a complex problem in the era of South African apartheid that soon drives a wedge into the family in this poignant drama based on a true story. Though her parents fight to have the government classify her as white, Sandra grows up in a divided world, and experiences her parents can’t understand make her question her identity.”
2/11- An interesting drama that brings up various issues and deals with them fairly well. Netflix.
Tags: drama
January 18th, 2011
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