Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.9
Director: Luo Dong
Starring: Cecilia Yip | Dillon Matthews | Du Juan | Ethan Juan Jing-tien | Michael MiuKiu-wai | William Yang Xu-wen
Jason says: “I wasn’t really looking forward to NEW YORK NEW YORK; the trailer made it look like yet another nostalgic Chinese romance, and not a particularly involving one. And yet, once it gets past its opening flash-forward, maybe even
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Álex de la Iglesia
Starring: Blanca Suárez | Carmen Machi | EnriqueVillén | Hugo Silva | Mario Casas | Pepón Nieto | Raphael
Thom says: “Alex de la Iglesia is such a fun director that I think about him all the time. For some 23 years now he has consistently gone the extra mile to make extravagant rich entertainments that are delightfully complex
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Jia Zhangke
Starring: Dong Zijian | Liang Jing Dong | Sylvia Chang | Zhang Yi | Zhao Tao
Kyle says: “MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART is only the eighth feature film by iconoclastic virtually legendary Chinese director Jia Zhangke. According to his own words during a New York Film Festival Q & A last fall, he had thought about not
Read the review...By Michael Colford
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Barry Jenkins
Starring: AlexHibbert | Ashton Sanders | Janelle Monáe | Mahershala Ali | Naomie Harris | Trevante Rhodes
Michael says: “Barry Jenkins second feature film, following the delightful, indie romance, MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY, is a bit of a visual poem, exploring race and sexuality in a way that at first glance might seem straightforward, but is surely something
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Raman Hui
Starring: Bai Baihe | Eric Tsang Chi-wai | Jing Boran | Sandra Ng Kwun-yu | Wallace Chung Hong-leung | Wu Jiang
Jason says: “I’ve read that the English-dubbed version of MONSTER HUNT (releasing at about the same time the original Mandarin version hits the United States) cuts a few scenes, including one where dog meat is seen offered for sale in
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Pou-Soi Cheang
Starring: Aaron Kwok Fu-shing | Gong Li | Him Law | Kelly Chen | William Feng Shaofeng | Xiao Shenyang
Jason says: “Believe it or not, this is not the first Chinese fantasy sequel I’ve seen where not having seen the predecessor was no big deal because it starts with ‘500 years have passed…’ This is a good thing, because
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: William Monahan
Starring: Fran Kranz | Garrett Hedlund | LouiseBourgoin | Mark Wahlberg | Oscar Isaac | Walton Goggins
Jason says: “William Monahan’s new film is right on the line between the crime movies where the filmmakers are aware of the genre’s tropes and can therefore share a wink as it uses or avoids them and the movies which
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Director: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Adam Driver | JaedenLieberher | Joel Edgerton | Kirsten Dunst | Michael Shannon | Sam Shepard
Jeff says: “If you liked the Jeff Nichols/Michael Shannon collaboration in 2011’s TAKE SHELTER, you’ll probably find this little sci-fi thriller worth a look. The ending settles for some gee whiz special effects that sort of take the edge off
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Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Agatha Peigney | Ange Dargent | Audrey Tautou | Diane Besnier | Théophile Baquet | Vincent Lamoureux
TC says: “This gem is not getting the notice it should here in the states, and it’s a shame, since it’s one of Michel Gondry’s best. Daniel AKA Microbe is small for his age and often mistaken for a girl.
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Stephen Chow Sing-chi
Starring: Deng Chao | Jelly’ Lin Yu | Kitty Zhang Yuqi | Luo Show
Jason says: “About ten years ago, Stephen Chow Sing-chi was briefly kind of popular in the States when the writer/director/star’s quick one-two punch of SHAOLIN SOCCER and KUNG FU HUSTLE, followed by CJ7, had pretty good theatrical runs for foreign
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Ken Lonergan
Starring: Casey Affleck | Kyle Chandler | Lucas Hedges | Michelle Williams | Susan Pourfar
Michael says: “Writer/director Ken Lonergan made a big splash with his directorial debut, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME. Since then, it’s been sixteen years, and MANCHESTER BY THE SEA is only his third directorial effort. He’s written a bunch of
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Whit Stillman
Starring: Chloe Sevigny | JennMurray | JTom Bennett | Kate Beckinsale | Lochlann O'Mearáin | Morfydd Clark
Thom says: “I’d like to recommend LOVE & FRIENDSHIP. Sire, who doesn’t love Jane Austen & Whit Stillman but this adaptation from Lady Susan a novella from the divine Austen is downright brilliant. Kate Beckinsale is stunning as the wicked
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Joachim Trier
Starring: AmyRyan | Devin Druid | Gabriel Byrne | Isabelle Huppert | Jesse Eisenberg | Ruby Jerins
Bruce says: “Joachim Trier ventures into English-speaking territory with a story of a family grieving for a wife/mother. Grieving, contrary to those who believe in absolutes, has ambivalent dimensions. The acting, directing and production values are way above par; however
Read the review...By Michael Colford
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Ben Whishaw | Colin Farrell | John C. Reilly | Léa Seydoux | Olivia Colman | Rachel Weisz
Michael says: “I sure hope you got to see this when it had its very successful run earlier this year in the theaters. Greek director Yorgos Lathimos (DOGTOOTH; ALPS) brings us his first English-language film, a hilarious, dark, and pointed
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Ira Sachs
Starring: Alfred Molina | Greg Kinnear | Michael Barbieri | Paulina Garcia | Rachel Ehle | Talia Balsam | Theo Taplitz
TC says: “I adored this film when we saw it at IFFB this year – and we are actively pushing its two young stars Theo Taplitz and Michael Barbieri, who just charmed the socks off of us in this beautiful
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Emma Stone | J.K. Simmons | John Legend | Rosemarie DeWitt | Ryan Gosling | Tom Everett Scott
Thom says: “LA LA LAND is a pleasant film that will probably be ever remembered as the movie that won a Best Film Oscar only to be announced seconds later that it hadn’t received the prize statuette, but rather the
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Director: Travis Knight
Starring: Art Parkinson | Brenda Vaccaro | Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa | Charlize Theron | George Takei | Ralph Fiennes
TC says: “I know it’s not eligible for the Trudys, but it’s a masterpiece all the same… don’t want to say much because you need to see it, but it’s going to give the very good but not perfect FINDING
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Jing Wong
Starring: Andy Lau | Jacky Cheung Hok-yau | Kimmy Tong Fei | Nick CheungKa-fai | Shawn Yue Man-lok
Chris says: “Winner of the John Cassavetes award at this year’s Independent Spirits, this low-budget indie reminds me a little of Jane Campion’s early work (particularly SWEETIE) in that it’s about familial relations and everything seems just a little off
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Shakun Batra
Starring: Alia Bhatt | Fawad Khan | Kapoor | Rajat Kapoor | RatnaPathak | Sidharth Malhotra
Jason says: “Like a lot of movies where the filmmakers want to both celebrate family and build a story about what kind of stresses it can place on people, KAPOOR AND SONS can swing from one to the other fast
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.75
Director: Prakash Jha
Starring: Kiran Karmarkar | Manav Kaul | Ninad Kamat | Prakash Jha | Priyanka Chopra
Jason says: “I’m not sure how much of a coincidence it is that Priyanka Chopra’s most recent Bollywood film is getting is global release on a weekend when she has a fairly high profile in the United States – she
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