RonenRecommends | All posts published by author 'Ronen Divon'

Ronen's Rating System:

*****	A must watch
****	Worth seeing
***	If you must watch a movie and there is nothing else out there
**	Don’t bother
*	It’s so bad its almost good... not... These are films I walked out on, or just fell asleep
(K: stars)	Rating by my children. As they are easy to please, would typically be higher than mine...

Million Dollar Arm (2014) ***

Posted on 9/21/2014 9:38 PM By Ronen Divon

Based on a true story, Million Dollar Arm is a sports-drama, directed by Craig Gillespie to a screenplay by Tom McCarthy.
Do you know these motivational posters? The ones with the cliché sayings and beautiful images? Yeah, this is Million Dollar Arm but in moving images. Still, the story is sweet, even if predictable; the cast does their best, even if it means a little too much drama where no additional show of emotions is really called for; and, hey, it’s a Disney – must have a happy-ever-after...

Tim's Vermeer (2013) ****

Posted on 9/21/2014 9:11 PM By Ronen Divon

Directed by Teller, the documentary Tim's Vermeer, which was produced by Penn Jillette and Farley Ziegler, follows an inventor named Tim Jenison as he attempts to unearth techniques possibly used by the 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, to produce realistic paintings. Tim, who is not short on funds, may be considered a tad obsessive. But then again, maybe that is how people with lots of money and free time on their hand are thought of. Yet, the sincerity and passion with which Tim approaches the self-imposed challenge are bound to win hearts.

Zero Motivation (2014, Israel) ****

Posted on 9/21/2014 8:38 PM By Ronen Divon

Written and directed by Talya Lavie, Zero Motivation (original Hebrew film title is Zero in Human Relations,) is a gem. Presenting a wide range of topics, the film’s language is crude yet anything but stupid. It portrays several female Israeli soldiers, serving in a remote desert base, trying not to lose their mind out of boredom until their time is up and they can return to civilian life.

Boyhood (2014) ***

Posted on 9/6/2014 9:31 PM By Ronen Divon

Boyhood features vignettes from an American family life, a life that is typical in some ways, yet unique in others. Some moments felt quite authentic, still, plenty a time I found myself asking why do I need to sit and watch on the big screen that which I have just left behind at home. Only reason, in my mind, to see a drama that represents real life, is if there is something to be learned. Sadly, at least for the earlier part of Boyhood, I did not feel rewarded. The intent was there but that somehow got lost in translation.

Love Is Strange (2014) ***

Posted on 9/6/2014 11:43 AM By Ronen Divon

At its heart, Love Is Strange has a universal theme of commitment, loneliness and relationship. It is, at the same time, also very much a New York City based story, with plenty of small details that will go unnoticed, and maybe that is for the better, by the general audience.

Lucy (2014) ***

Posted on 8/24/2014 1:31 PM By Ronen Divon

Following the spirit of the film's theme, which is largely based on the ten percent brain myth, it is fair to say that Lucy uses just about 20 percent of its concept's potential. After an excellent opening, the plot quickly derails into the expected path of violence; one that counts on the audience’s inherent intelligence not surpassing the three to five percent range...