Posts with the tag 'drama'
BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS- Premise by Netflix. “Corrupt Det. Terence McDonaugh (Nicolas Cage) — whose bad habits include pain drugs, reckless sports gambling and accepting sexual bribes — investigates the murder of five Senegalese illegal immigrants in New Orleans. Co-starring Val Kilmer as McDonaugh’s partner, Xzibit as drug supplier Big Fade and Eva Mendes as prostitute Frankie Donnenfield, director Werner Herzog’s action drama is a loose update of Abel Ferrara’s 1992 film, Bad Lieutenant.”
4/10- Great Cage, only fair movie. TRDB.
Tags: drama
April 17th, 2010
XXY- Premise by Netflix. “Inés Efron plays Alex, an intersexed 15-year-old, in this compelling tale. Though she’s living as a girl, Alex and her family begin to wonder whether she’s emotionally a boy when another teenager’s sexual advances bring the issue to a head. As Alex faces a final decision regarding her gender, she meets both hostility and compassion. Director Lucía Puenzo‘s sensitive drama co-stars Valeria Bertuccelli, Martín Piroyansky and Ricardo Darín.
4/10- Good depiction of what he/she must confront through the teenage years.TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 17th, 2010
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “What do you do when you can’t play music in your homeland, but you can’t leave your country to play it abroad either? This is the dilemma faced by an Iranian guy and gal who, fresh on the heels of their prison release, decide to form a rock band. Despite having drive and ambition to spare, the wannabe rockers are stymied by lack of passports, lack of funds and lack of musicians who’re willing to leave Iran in this drama from Bahman Ghobadi.” Great early reviews.
4/10- A film worth seeing that shows us what life can be like in Iran today for people who don’t conform to the repressive rules. While the street scenes of downtown Tehran and the music were very good I was only mildly entertained by the story itself as it seemed repetitive and predictable and I think more of a political statement than a great movie. TRDB. Comcast On-Demand.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 16th, 2010
35 SHOTS OF RUM- Premise by Netflix. “This heartfelt slice-of-life drama by filmmaker Claire Denis tells the story of widower Lionel (Alex Descas), a train driver, and his grown daughter, Sophie (Mati Diop). The two spend most of their time together, but change is in the cards. A neighbor (Grégoire Colin) becomes attracted to Sophie, a family friend retires and Lionel tries to maintain a friendship with his ex-girlfriend (Nicole Dogue).”
4/10- This film got uniformly excellent reviews but I can not see why. Boring as hell and I would have turned it off if not for the reviews. Nothing of significance happens. TRDB.Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 16th, 2010
CITY ISLAND- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “When he recognizes his son Tony (Steven Strait), whom he hasn’t seen in over 20 years, among a crop of new inmates in the jail he works at, Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) decides to bring the troubled young man home with him, much to the surprise of his wife and kids. Helmed by writer-director Raymond De Felitta, this offbeat comedy also stars Julianna Margulies, Emily Mortimer, Dominik Garcia-Lorido and Oscar winner Alan Arkin.” Generally good reviews.
4/10- It’s about people in families and the secrets they keep from each other. Know that this is a comedy despite some serious issues. I liked it. TRDB.
Tags: Comedy, drama
April 6th, 2010
BEESWAX- Premise by Netflix. “Director Andrew Bujalski uses nonprofessional actors and a small crew to bring a sense of intimacy to this film about twins being nudged out of their “safe space” by an impending legal battle and major life changes. Real-life twins Maggie and Tilly Hatcher play sisters Lauren and Jeannie, who find their shared lives shaken up when Lauren considers a job overseas, and conflicts with Jeannie’s business partner raise the possibility of a lawsuit.” Most reviewers liked this film but none called it very good.
4/10- A bit slow, nothing in particular happens but a slice of life and very real. I liked it. TRDB.
Tags: drama
April 6th, 2010
THE WEDDING DIRECTOR- Premise by Netflix. “Movie director Franco Elica (Sergio Castellitto) unexpectedly finds himself in Sicily, where a local nobleman presses him into videotaping the wedding of his daughter. Instead, the director tries to sabotage the union when he falls for the bride himself. Will he win her love — or are things not at all as they appear? Marco Bellocchio directs this labyrinthine drama, which also stars Donatella Finocchiaro.”
4/10- I was bored throughout most of the movie. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 6th, 2010
GONE BABY GONE- Premise by Netflix. “When a 4-year-old girl goes missing in one of Boston’s toughest neighborhoods, private investigators Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angela Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) reluctantly agree to take the case. But the investigation proves more complex than they ever could have imagined. Amy Ryan earned an Oscar nod for her portrayal of the missing child’s mother in Ben Affleck‘s directorial debut, adapted from the Dennis Lehane novel.
4/10- I enjoyed this movie very much. TRDB.
Tags: drama
April 4th, 2010
WOMEN WITHOUT MEN- Premise by Netflix. “Amid the tumult of the American- and British-backed coup that reinstated the Shah in early-1950s Tehran, the heart-wrenching tales of five very different Iranian women converge in a lovely orchard garden, where they find both freedom and friendship. Director and acclaimed visual artist Shirin Neshat brings a striking aesthetic style to this stirring drama, an adaptation of the magical-realist novella by Shahrnoush Parsipour.” Good early reviews.
6/10- A wonderful film (the director’s first feature) with marvelous photography and a very interesting story. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 1st, 2010
LETTERS TO GOD- Premise by Netflix. “Faith and hope are the twin engines that power the uplifting, bittersweet tale, based on a true story, of Tyler Doherty (Tanner Maguire), an 8-year-old boy who battles brain cancer and turns to God as his own private pen pal. Tyler writes and mails his missives daily, and his steadfast undertaking not only moves his family and friends but alters the life of the despairing postman, Brady McDaniels (Jeffrey Johnson), who opens the boy’s letters. Miserable reviews.
Tags: drama
April 1st, 2010
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