Venus in Fur (France/Poland; 96 min.) directed by: Roman Polanskistarring: Mathieu Amalric; Emmanuelle Seigner Thom says: “Since Polanski has directed 8 top-rated films for me in KNIFE IN THE WATER, REPULSION, CUL-DE-SAC, ROSEMARY’S BABY, TESS, MACBETH, THE TENANT, & CHINATOWN
Read the review...The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Jessica Oreck
Kyle says: “THE VANQUISHING OF THE WITCH BABA YAGA sounds more interesting than it is. Baba Yaga is a horrible witch famous throughout Slavic folklore and in the works of Russian composers such as Mussorgsky and Liadov, bearing similarities to
Read the review...Uzumasa Limelight (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Ken Ochiai
Starring: Chihiro Yamamoto | Hirotaro Honda | Hisako Manda | Kazuaki Tai | Kenichi Naganuma | Seizo Fukumoto
Jason says: “UZUMASA LIMELIGHT wears its inspiration on its sleeve, opening with a quote from Charles Chaplin’s original film before giving some background on where this contemporary Japanese version is coming from. That’s absolutely fine, though – after all, what
Read the review...Unrelated (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Joanna Hogg
Bruce says: “Joanna Hogg in an early interview talks freely about her first film, UNRELATED, winner of the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) prize at the 2007 London Film Festival. Trained as a photographer, Hogg worked in British television
Read the review...The Unknown Known (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1.5 cats
Director: Errol Morris
Kyle says: “’We need to understand how we got to where we are.’ This fatuous comment by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is memorable only because subsequent Iraq history has made both the man and this dispiriting documentary a waste
Read the review...Under the Skin (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Douglas McConnell | Jeremy McWilliams | Lynsey Taylor MacKay | Scarlett Johansson
Chris says: “Widely branded as an experimental (read: plot less and arty) adaptation of Michel Faber’s novel, this is admittedly far more out there than SPECIES or even THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET, to name two other films that center
Read the review...Unbeatable (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Dante Lam
Jason says: “There’s not a whole lot in UNBEATABLE that’s new; this very combination of a raw young fighter, a coach who has seen better days, and a kid who doesn’t take any guff has probably shown up on screen
Read the review...The Two Faces of January (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Hossein Amini
Starring: Daisy Bevan | David Warshofsky | Kirsten Dunst | Oscar Isaac | Ozan Tas | Viggo Mortensen | Yigit Özsener
Thom says: “Unfortunately, this turned out to be Patricia Highsmith-light. There’s been quite a few high-quality films that have been made from her works including THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, THE CRY OF THE OWL (twice, even once by Chabrol), PURPLE
Read the review...Tusk (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Kevin Smith
Starring: Genesis Rodriguez | Haley Joel Osment | Johnny Depp | Justin Long | Michael Parks
Thom says: “Podcaster Wallace Bryton (a forever boyish Justin Long) and his head dude Teddy (a decidedly chubby Osment) are looking for odd, disgusting clips for their podcast and come across a really gross one where a young man accidentally
Read the review...The Trip to Italy (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Claire Keelan | Rob Brydon | Rosie Fellner | Steve Coogan
Chris says: “THE TRIP smartly capitalized on Steve Coogan’s and Rob Brydon’s superb chemistry with each other—one could imagine getting a kick out of watching them do nothing more than read the phone book, as long as they did it
Read the review...The Treatment (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Hans Herbots
Jason says: “Film festivals, or the other ways that film lovers cram more movies than their friends watch in a month into a much shorter span of time, can really warp one’s perception of a given picture via context. On
Read the review...I Am Trash (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Sang-woo Lee
Starring: Park Hyung-bin | Sang-woo Lee | Yang Myung-hun
Jason says: “‘Just jerk off when your brother tells you to’ isn’t quite the first line of I AM TRASH, but it’s close and gets the audience’s attention. It also turns out to be one of the less horrific moments
Read the review...Trap Street (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Vivian Qu
Starring: He Wenchao | Hou Yong | Li Xinghong | Liu Tiejian | Lu Yulai | Xiang Qun | Zhao Xiaofei
Kyle says: “TRAP STREET marks the directorial debut of Vivian Qu, who has a substantial resumé as a producer of Chinese films. This a tale of the gray areas between surveying and surveillance, as young Li Quiming (Lu Yulai) happily
Read the review...Top Five (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Chris Rock
Jason says: “It took roughly a minute of TOP FIVE for me to realize that I really hadn’t been anticipating this film enough – it is, after all, built around Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson hanging around and verbally jousting
Read the review...Tommy (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Tarek Saleh
Jason says: “TOMMY starts out looking like it might be a certain type of movie – you know, the one where the underestimated woman at the center is eventually revealed to always be three steps ahead of everyone around her
Read the review...Tokyo Tribe (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.75 cats
Director: Shion Sono
Brett says: “It has gangs. It has over-the-top violence. It has lots of dead bodies. Oh, and it’s a musical. If one is to become gang lord of one of the largest cities on earth, it’s going to take some
Read the review...Tim’s Vermeer (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.4
Director: Teller
Chris says: “This documentary from venerable magicians/entertainers/smartasses Penn and Teller initially asks whether it’s possible to recreate a Vermeer painting; by the film’s end, that question turns into why anyone would want to do so. I don’t mean that to
Read the review...Time Lapse (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.75 cats
Director: Bradley King
Jason says: “TIME LAPSE is a standout even for one of the best sci-fi years I can remember Fantasia having, and while those are rankings that may not mean much to non-attendees, it is meant as high praise. There’s always
Read the review...Tiger Tail in Blue ()
Tiger Tail in Blue (USA; 80 min.) directed by: Frank V. Rossstarring: Rebecca Spence; Frank V. Ross; Megan Mercier; Allison Latta; Anthony J. Baker Jason says: “Give the latest wave of young independent filmmakers this: They seem to recognize that
Read the review...Thou Wast Mild and Lovely (2014)
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Josephine Decker
Jason says: “Before Josephine Decker’s THOU WAST MILD AND LOVELY starts to be a weird, creepy sort of movie in a way that has real certainty and direction, it’s got two scenes that kind of warn the audience what it’s
Read the review...