Category Archives: Drama

2008, Drama, Nudity, Suspense, True Story, Violent, Vulgar

The Bank Job (2008)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Play Preview Based on actual events in 1971, this thriller tells the story of a car dealer (Jason Statham) who becomes involved in a London bank heist, only to find that the contents of the bank vault will draw him deeply and irrevocably into the city’s criminal underbelly. Murder and scandal abound in this tale of corruption populated with a surprising mix of offenders, from low-level thugs to government officials — all the way up to the royal family.

Just a fun B-film but probably the best Jason Statham film I have seen. There are no car chases. There is only one fight scene. Instead there are several groups of bad guys (those are the ones that all go to the same tailor) who do not know the existence of one another but each of whom has their own dirt-filled safety deposit box.

There is one torture scene. But the tension is worse than the actual torture which you hardly see.

Jason Statham should definitely NOT do love scenes. He actually smiles at his wife and kids in this film.

I am surprised that they actually name Princess Margaret as the subject of the porn photos.

Be sure to watch the explanatory text screens at the end because this is a true story and you get to see what happened to all the bad guys (of which there are many).

2006, Could Be Hard To Watch, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Gay theme, Love Story, Non-physical Violence, Not Feel Good, Nudity, Redemption, War

The Secret Life of Words (2005)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

After surviving the war in Yugoslavia, taciturn nurse Hanna (Sarah Polley) heads to Ireland for some rest and relaxation. But when she hears about an oil-rig accident off the coast, she agrees to tend heroic burn victim Josef (Tim Robbins). Personalities clash aboard the derrick as Hanna contends with Josef, a Russian soldier (Sverre Anker Ousdal), a lively Spanish chef (Javier Cámara) and other oddballs in this compelling character study.

Where to begin with this superb but disturbing film ?

If anything, this is a story of a severly damaged woman little by little returning to life due to her nursing the burn survivor Tim Robbins on the almost deserted oil-rig. It is also the story of his gradual return to life physically and mentally. His character has a wonderful talent for words. From the very outset he is determined to break through Hanna’s defenses, initially just because he is a very accomplished flirt. Both he and she have some horrible history which eventually emerges.

Some of the other actors are notable. I won’t say what role she plays (it is part of the mystery surrounding Hanna) but Julie Christie is still a beautiful woman with those startling blue eyes. It took me awhile to place the cook Jose Cámara. He was one of the men who was a caretaker for a comatose girl friend in the Almodóvar film “Hable Con Ella”.

I have some nitpiks: It would have been impossible in my opinion for the burn victim to have located Julie Christie’s character. Also Kathy and I found the ending to be too good to be true.

Challenge: Who or what was the childlike voice narrator ?

The next paragraph is a spoiler, but I owe it to you. WARNING: if vivid descriptions of war atrocities bother you, do NOT watch this film.

2008, Biographical, Drama, Drugs, Feel Good Not For Children, True Story

The Soloist (2008)

1 Comment

From NetFlix:

This true-life drama tells the poignant tale of Los Angeles newspaper reporter Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.), who discovers brilliant street musician Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), and the unique friendship that transforms both their lives. In helping his new friend deal with his demons, Steve ends up battling with his own. Joe Wright directs this inspiring drama based on the bestselling book by the real Lopez.

In my opinion Jamie Foxx carries this well-acted enactment of a true story. The film isn’t perfect and barely escapes being maudlin at times, especially when Robert Downey Jr. sometime seems too precious (or am I harsh ?). But if you think this is a Disney film in which the musician finally presents a redeeming recital, think again. One saving feature of the film is the suspense revolving around whatever will happen next. In fact some of the unpredictable solutions that the reporter devises just made me laugh out loud. I find it an irony that in real life Robert Downey himself has suffered much from drug abuse.

Some things did not feel right. Towards the end of the film the musician apologies to the reporter in a speech that was too coherent, too calm, too controlled for the wildly paranoid schizophrenic. I mistakenly assumed that the musician had accepted his illness and was taking his meds.

Catherine Keener doesn’t seem to get much credit in reviews. But I thought she provided important glue in the plot. She sometimes hit the nail on the head, such as telling the reporter that in a certain manner he was using the musician as a way to write a book and get attention. Ouch!

Pay attention to the final, barely readable, screen text that talks about the aftermath. Note that Los Angeles is the capital of homelessness with more than 90,000 homeless people. If any of the Los Angeles scenes are anywhere near accurate, I would not step foot in the city.

Wife Kathy started to watch, decided she would instead go to bed, but continued to watch and finally said “What a good film”. Now that, folks, is a real recommendation.

2006, Detective, Drama, Imperfect, Not Feel Good

Hollywoodland (2006)

1 Comment

From NetFlix:

When George Reeves (Ben Affleck), the actor who famously played the Man of Steel in TV’s “Adventures of Superman,” turns up dead, a dogged private eye (Adrien Brody) investigates and unearths a string of strange secrets. Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins also star in this gritty noir-style drama based on the true story of one of Hollywood’s most infamous mysteries, a film that marks television director Allen Coulter’s feature film debut.

For all the name stars in this film, it could have been better. Adrien Brody carries the story as a private detective trying to solve a possible murder. Ben Affleck gets a chance to act in a serious role. Give the film a B, but it is still watchable.

So, what really happened ?

1999, Drama, Feel Good For All, Persian

Children of Heaven (1999)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Play Preview A delightful Iranian movie about a boy who accidentally loses his sister’s shoes and must share his own sneakers with her in a sort of relay while each attends school at different times during the day. Finally, the boy enters a much-publicized foot race, hoping to place third. The prize: a new pair of sneakers. Directed by respected filmmaker Majid Majidi, Children of Heaven is just that — heavenly.

Do not confuse this film with Children of Men which is a good Clive Owen film, but dark and somewhat depressing.

You can believe the NetFlix rave about “Childen of Heaven”! This film with Persian soundtrack and English subtitles is a gem. It is also one of those rare films suitable for all ages. Definitely a feel-good that should not be missed.

2006, Drama, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

Children of Men (2006)

1 Comment

From NetFlix:

Play Preview Alfonso Cuaron directs this film version of P.D. James’s classic dystopian novel (and Oscar nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay), a futuristic drama set in a world in which humans have lost the ability to reproduce and subsequently face certain extinction. Things change when a single woman mysteriously becomes pregnant, prompting a conflicted government bureaucrat (Clive Owen) and his ex-wife (Julianne Moore) to join forces to protect her. Michael Caine co-stars.

I am a Clive Owen fan. However, his films really run the gamut from serious or derpressing to just plan stupid fun as in Shoot Em’ Up. (If you love trash, don’t miss this impossible shoot fest!)

“Children of Men” offers suspense, quasi sci-fi, and a depressing vision of the future. I can’t give away the ending, but it’s not a typical Hollywood ending. This film is worth seeing.

2000, Book, Drama, Drugs, Independent, Love Story, Novel, Nudity, Redemption, Sexual Episodes, Unusual

Jesus’ Son (2000)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, director Alison MacLean’s reflective drama follows FH (Billy Crudup), a well-meaning drug addict who stumbles backward into redemption. When his longtime love (Samantha Morton) leaves, FH follows her but meets and falls for the older Mira (Holly Hunter) along the way. Amid his life’s wreckage, a near-fatal car crash and a chance to save a child’s life force FH to examine his existence and its meaning.

Believe it or not, this film (which has the feel of an independent film) won some awards. I first read the book because it was recommended in the NY Times as an older book which you might as well get at your local library. I can only guess that the book made a splash in an epoch in which it was a novelty to write about drug-addled losers. The book travels from episode to episode while the druggies do outrageous things. Maybe I am getting too old for such nonsense.

Following the book fairly closely, the film is also like some otherworld travelog. But I was never bored (“OK, now what ?”). Still, think twice before you start this trip.

2009, Acceptable Trash, Chick Flick, Drama, Love Story

He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)

1 Comment

From NetFlix:

Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson lead an all-star ensemble cast of characters dealing with the pitfalls of love and human interaction in this big-screen adaptation of Greg Behrendt’s best-selling book. Set in Baltimore, director Ken Kwapis’s film moves swiftly between a host of storylines brought to life by a stellar lineup of actors that also includes Jennifer Connelly, Ben Affleck, Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long.

Wife Kathy asked me to get this film from NetFlix. I’d call it a Chick-Flick despite the fact that we both enjoyed it. Part of the attraction was wanting to know how the various relationships worked out. As you would expect some ended happily and some ended very sadly.

For me Ginnifer Goodwin was a new face. Bradley Cooper is someone I have seen alot but whose name I did not know. Some of those well-known actors are starting to look older.

In summary I found the film a tad scary because it shows the perils of dating and relationships in the culture of the early 21st centry.

2007, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Drama, French, Love Story, Not Feel Good, War

A Secret (2007)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Claude Miller directs this engrossing drama about a Jewish boy in post-World War II Paris who stumbles upon a mysterious toy in the attic, exposing his family’s secret dark past and how it survived Nazi atrocities. Can the child grasp the devastating truth, or will it drive him deeper into his personal fantasy world? Cécile De France, Julie Depardieu, Ludivine Sagnier, Patrick Bruel and Mathieu Amalric star.

Some historical background might help:

Pierre Laval (28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. He served four times as President of the council of ministers of the Third Republic, twice consecutively. Following France’s Armistice with Germany in 1940, he served twice in the Vichy Regime as head of government. After the Liberation (1945), he was arrested, found guilty of high treason, and executed by firing squad. Because his actions and motives have been the subject of controversy, over twelve biographies have been written about him.

President Laval becomes important in the very end of this marvelous but sad French film. But keep in mind that during World War II the French were just as anti-semitic and treated the French Jews in the same manner as the Germans (I purposely do not say “Nazis”). Thus what begins as a happy well-adjusted French (but unfortunately Jewish) family ends as a family fleeing persecution at the hands of the French.

But that is just the background framework around the real story which is one of love, lust, and guilt. I give nothing away by telling you that on his wedding day (before the wedding) the athletic groom (gymnast) is introduced to the brother of his bride-to-be. That brother has an amazingly beautiful and athletic wife, a champion diver. Immediately the groom is more than strongly attracted to that sister-in-law, but the wedding proceeds. The rest of the story is why you want to watch this well-acted, beautifully photographed French film (with subtitles).

I consider this film a “don’t miss”.

2002, Drama, Feel Good For All, Independent, Spanish

Intimate Stories (2002)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

A charming and affecting tale charting the fortunes of three small town heroes pursuing their dreams, Carlos Sorin’s “Historias Minimas” offers further evidence of the current riches to be found in Argentine cinema. Awarded a special jury prize at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, it’s a deceptively simple yet delightful road movie concerned with three disparate characters heading for the Argentine city of San Julian.

Very much like an independent film. Quiet, unassuming, full of kind people being friendly to one another, the farthest thing from a car-chase film you could ever imagine. I could never live in so desolate a country where reaching the next important city could mean driving 200 miles. The highway (without Massachusetts potholes) stretches on forever in the midst of nothing. An elderly man makes that journey in the hopes of finding his former dog Badface. There is sadness associated with this search and I can say no more.

Soothing, but nothing special. It made me feel good that there are such nice, simple people (even if it just a movie). Subtitles in English are available.