From NetFlix:

After spending most of his life in prison for a murder he
committed as a child, a young man (Andrew Garfield) is
returned to society, where a dedicated caseworker (Peter
Mullan) helps him start a new life under a new identity,
Jack Burridge. When he lands a job and falls in love,
things seem to be taking a positive turn for Jack. But
his new existence hangs by a thread, as he discovers when
one simple act threatens to expose him.

I’ve struck it rich with this wonderful but very sad British movie. It has an independent
flavor and Andrew Garfield is outstandingly realistic in his role as a young man just
entering society after a stretch in prison.

There are certain scenes showing “Jack” socializing at parties, etc. that you might
consider boring. But please, please hang in there because this film has been for me
one of those rare finds. I don’t even know how I chanced upon the title.

Daughter Kate and her Nigel (Movie Fans) actually were able to fight jet lag and stay awake
for the film.

A bit tense and very sad but HIGHLY RECOMMENDED,

From NetFlix:

Americans Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix), Sheriff (Vince Vaughn) and Tony
(David Conrad) spend a carefree summer together on the beaches of
Malaysia. Two years later, a lawyer (Anne Heche) tells Sheriff and
Tony that Lewis has been sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
If both go back to claim their share of the drugs, each will go to
prison for three years; if only one goes, he’ll be jailed for six
years. If both refuse, Lewis will die.

The best thing about this film for me was to learn that Vince Vaughn can act. All I have seen
him in previously were films of the type “Wedding Crashers”. And as usual, Joaquin Phoenix
comes through with another original idiosyncratic character.

I watched the movie in denial: “This could never happen to me because a) I would never
go to Malaysia, b) I do not smoke pot (especially in Malaysia)”. But the really scary difficult
question is: what would I do in their situation ?

This is NOT a feel-good movie. It is suspenseful: how will this ever turn out ? There are
a few plot twists. The prison is ugly.

Says a lot about human nature.

From NetFlix:

Willem Dafoe fights the battle of his life as Salamo, a
Greek Jew (and former champion boxer) who’s incarcerated
in Auschwitz by the Nazis and must defeat all comers in
weekly boxing exhibitions. If he doesn’t, he faces the gas
chamber. Based on a true story, Triumph of the Spirit recounts
one man’s fight to stay alive against almost insurmountable odds.

As with most concentration camp movies, this film can be hard to watch. So I put into the category “Not feel-good, not for everyone”. But the acting is good. Willem Dafoe does an excellent job as the boxer. If you can stand to watch, I do recommend this film

From NetFlix:

When his father (Jim Broadbent) becomes terminally ill, Blake
Morrison (Colin Firth) struggles to come to terms with the charming
but duplicitous man he really was, reliving the memories that shaped
their relationship through a series of flashbacks. As Blake travels
between his wife and two children in London and his childhood home,
his emotional difficulty is mirrored in the agony his father
confronts as he succumbs to the cancer.

The NetFlix fails to mention that the mother was played by Juliet Stevenson.
All three British actors (Broadbent, Firth, Stevenson) are accomplished and
well-known. It is not a feel-good movie until possibly the very end. The
father was not a monster, but he was extremely hard to live with. So the
film is basically the love-hate relation between father and son. Most of
the movie deals with the son’s resentful memories of the father. As much
as anything, the film is about forgiveness on the part of son and wife.
I do NOT rave about this movie.

Almost ho-hum.

From NetFlix:

Parvez (Om Puri), a Pakistani immigrant working as a cab
driver in England, feels increasingly estranged from his home
life as his marriage begins to crumble and his college-age
son (Akbar Kurtha) turns to Islamic fundamentalism. A burgeoning
relationship with a prostitute (Rachel Griffiths) and involvement
with a German businessman (Stellan Skarsgard) further complicate
matters. A humorous yet thoughtful film from screenwriter Hanif
Kureishi.

I am working my way through the films of screenwriter Hanif Kureishi. I already reported on “The Mother”. Despite the Net Flix comment, “My Son The Fanatic” is NOT humorous. The father Parvez has not been a success in England. In fact I was almost turned off at the start of the movie by his ineptitude. But stick with it. I hope and assume that this film tells it like it is for many immigrants. Parvez is a very conflicted man. He is essentially someone with good family and moral values. But by the time the movie opens he is unfortunately a taxi-driving pimp. Why his son turns toward Islamic fundamentalism is well portrayed in this film. This is NOT a happy film. This is NOT for children. This is NOT a Hollywood film.

Expect to squirm and think a bit.

From NetFlix:

After a tour in Iraq, decorated hero Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan
Phillippe) returns home to his small Texas town and tries to
readjust to civilian life. But when he’s called up again as
part of the military’s controversial stop-loss program, he
decides to go AWOL. Directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t
Cry), this poignant drama co-stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and
Channing Tatum as Brandon’s war buddies and Timothy Olyphant
as his superior officer.

If we didn’t have freedom of speech in the USA this anti-war anti-stop-loss movie which criticizes the war in IraqNam (no mistake) as well as the Army could not have been make. Considering how young the cast is, the ensemble work is well done. Amazingly there is NO preaching, just a perfectly imaginable sequence of events that highlights the unfair Army practice. And don’t expect a predictable ending.

Preaching to the choir ?

From NetFlix:

Facing an ethical quandary, Jewish master forger Salomon
Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) must choose between abetting
the Nazis and saving his skin in this taut Oscar-nominated
drama based on a true story. Assembled at a death camp,
a cadre of printers, artists and chiselers — led by the
opportunistic Sorowitsch — is tasked with counterfeiting
currencies to weaken Allied economies. But will Sorowitsch’s
conscience begin to gnaw at him as the war draws to a close?

Again not for the squeamish. The concentration camp scenes are difficult to watch. Great ensemble acting. Satisfying end. Not feel-good and again not for children.