February as arrived and with it…more cold and snow! But at least we have Valentine’s Day to look forward to (one of my favorite holidays…I know I know it’s cheesy…). Anyhow, onto the important stuff:
WEEKLY MOVIE REVIEW: 2 for the price of 1 this week:
Francis Ha: Francis is a 27 year old dancer living in New York City who is stuck – she can’t get a permanent job at her dance company, her best friend and soul mate is moving out and she just doesn’t know what she’s doing with her life. Childish but sincere, she flits (and dances) from place to place. Filmed in black and white and with a great performance by Greta Gerwig as Francis, this is a sweet and funny slice of life story.
Strictly Ballroom: an oldie but a goodie, Aussie Baz Luhrman’s first movie is about a ballroom dancer who wants to ‘dance his own steps’ but is pushed to conform to ballroom standards so he can win the big competition. With ridiculous outfits and hairdos, there are interviews that remind me a bit of a Christopher Guest movie – and a romance with an ugly duckling who turns out to be a swan.
MOVIE SHOWING: Come out to the Indie Int’l Film Series on Monday the 10th at 6:30 in the Auditorium to watch The Watchtower. A Turkish film, it’s about two people who seek refuge from the world: Nihat at a remote forest fire tower and Seher in her room at a rural bus station. When their lives collide, the weight of the past threatens to undo their isolation. Check out a preview here.
New Releases for 2-4-14
Baggage Claim – DVD and Blu-Ray: Flight attendant Montana goes on a thirty-day, thirty-thousand-mile expedition to charm a potential suitor into becoming her fiancé.
Closed Circuit – DVD and Blu-Ray: Two lawyers join forces to defend an international terrorist after an explosion in London.
Escape Plan – DVD and Blu-Ray: Stallone and Schwarzenegger star as prisoners who try to escape from the most protected and fortified prison ever built.
Free Birds – DVD and Blu-Ray: a children’s film about two turkeys who join forces to get turkey off the holiday menu.
Romeo and Juliet – DVD and Blu-Ray: a 21st century adaptation of the classic.
Burton and Taylor – DVD: Helena Bonham Carter stars as Liz in this biopic.
The Poisoner’s Handbook – DVD: a PBS documentary about all the poison in the early American medicine cabinet.
Chasing Shackleton – DVD: a recreation of Shackleton’s 1914 Antarctic mission.
Cutie and the Boxer – DVD and Blu-Ray: a documentary about a couple who are artists in New York City. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete – DVD: after their mother is arrested, 13-year-old Pete and his 9-year-old brother must survive the dangers of the Brooklyn projects and child protective services.
Blood Brother – DVD: a documentary about Rocky, a young man who works with HIV infected families in India.
The Crash Reel – DVD: Documents the rivalry between snowboarding legends Kevin Pearce and Shaun White.
The White Queen, Season 1 – DVD: a new series about three women during the War of the Roses in England.
Midsomer Murders, Set 23 – DVD
Happy Watching!
~ Dori
Read it or Weep 