Thom says: “This Dardenne project was nominated for a Buried Treasure Award for Chlotrudis and I approached this with my usual cautiously optimistic view. These Belgian brothers have been highly lauded throughout their careers with numerous international world-class festival awards,
Chris says “Building on the underrated RESULTS, Andrew Bujalski’s sixth feature might be his most satisfying one to date. Using a Hooter’s-like restaurant called Double Whammie’s as its unlikely setting, he portrays what amounts to a makeshift workplace family that
Chris says: “As a 19-year-old student in her native Singapore, Sandi Tan wrote and starred in an independent feature film she made with her friends and her much older male mentor, but it was never finished, as said mentor absconded
Chris says: “At a time when filmmaking is more accessible than ever, it’s heartening to still see real talent emerge. Chloe Zhao has such a firm handle on what she’s trying to depict and express in this film about Native
Julie says: “I really liked this one! Great acting, pd,cin,use of music,story…..very well done and very interesting. I had no ideaa about the life and struggles of this famous musician. “One interesting side note is that when I was in
Chris says: “Further proof that one can make a movie about *anything*–in this case, twenty-plus pound swamp rats (technical name: nutria) infesting coastal Louisiana and beyond. Fun, educational (Wendell Pierce should narrate everything) and not for the squeamish. 3 cats“
Chris says: “I can’t overstate how terrific Elsie Fisher is as Kayla, an awkward, average fourteen-year-old who’s quirky enough to stand apart from any other similarly-aged protagonist you’ve seen before and also recognizable to an almost painfully universal degree. Delectably
Thom says: “This film appears to have been critically overlooked by almost everyone. Mike Leigh has to be considered one of the greatest directors currently working and his huge number of top-rated gems with me rings in at 13, including
Chris says: “I believe any work of art has the potential to be both ridiculous and sublime, however rarely one achieves such a tricky balance is. To its credit, FIRST REFORMED is often firmly the latter—the austere opening credits sequence with
Chris says: “If anything, Nadine Labaki has a talent for coaching great performances from child actors: Zain Al Rafeea, the 12-ish-year-old lead is exceptional for his age, but one-year-old Boluwatife Treasure Bankole nearly goddamn steals the show from him. Loses
Chris says: “Not to diminish all the great moon-landing footage, what stuck with me most here was the first half-hour: a fascinating time capsule of what this country and its people looked like fifty years ago, restored to appear as
Chris says: “Ephemeral but heartfelt and engaging, particularly whenever it shows the dialogue occurring organically between the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Cuban musicians (it spends a little too much time telling us about it.)”
Chris says: “Jia Zhangke’s last film, MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART is my favorite of his assessments of how much China has evolved in his lifetime; although this repeats many of that film’s tropes (plus sneaks in a callback to STILL LIFE,
Thom says: “One of my favorite things about seeing films is when I cash in on someones recommendation and the film blows me away. Such was the case from Chlotrudis reporters for their strong reviews of this sharp indie winner.
Chris says: “It’s a canny move to set the 1942 source material in the present day, and shrewder still for director Christian Petzold (PHOENIX) to indulge in stylistic motifs that one would find in a film from that era (most
Brett says: “A surefire candidate for a Chlotrudis ‘Best Use of Music in a Film,’ WOMAN AT WAR dives deep into the story of an middle-aged eco-activist who dedicates herself to putting a cause she believes in above her own
Chris says: “Rest assured, Claire Denis’ first English-language feature is no sellout or concession to a more commercial cinema; on the contrary, it’s possibly her most enigmatic effort since THE INTRUDER. It centers on Monte (Robert Pattinson, further distancing himself
Chris says: “I totally get Satanism as a rejection against ‘straight’ society, but how ’bout as activism to *protect* separation of church and state? My skepticism, however, gradually broke down–as she conveyed with her last doc NUTS!, director Penny Lane
Chris says: “The Radical Monarchs are an Oakland-based alternative scouting troop for young girls of color–instead of learning about making crafts or developing camping skills (though they do a little of both), they’re taught about social justice: how to take
Chris says: “Given his tragic death in a freak accident at age 27, there’s no away a documentary about Russian born, LA-raised actor Anton Yelchin can avoid being sentimental; still, once you get past all the childhood home movies, homemade
