News & Updates - Page 422 of 460 - Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film

Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Miranda July
Starring: Carlie Westerman | John Hawkes | Miranda July | Tracy Wright

Bruce says: “Miranda July’s ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW is the delightful film chosen to open the new Independent Film Center in New York on the site of the old Waverly Theater. July’s career has included video and

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The Masseur (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Brillante Mendoza
Starring: Alan Paule | Coco Martin | Jaclyn Jose

Bruce says: “Filmed in video in only eight days THE MASSEUR tells the story of workers in the Manila sex industry, in particular an all male massage parlor. Director Brillante Mendoza makes a wise choice in telling the story of

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March of the Penguins (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Luc Jacquet

Chris says: “Even if nature documentaries aren’t necessarily your thing, this one is worth checking out. Director Luc Jacquet and his crew capture the extraordinary mating ritual of the Emperor penguin, a bird indigenous to the harshest climate on the

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Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.3 cats
Director: Marilyn Agrelo

Diane says: “Marilyn Agrelo’s MAD HOT BALLROOM is another in the growing field of docu’s following a competition. Here, New York fifth-graders vie in ballroom dancing. Agrelo’s attempts to delve into the home lives and views of her subjects ends

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Ma Mère (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1.75
Director: Christophe Honoré
Starring: Emma de Caunes | Isabelle Huppert | LouisGarrel

Michael says: “Despite the starring presence of the divine Isabelle Huppert, MA MÉRE proves to be the first misstep of the festival. Set in the Canary Islands, MA MÉRE uses the gorgeous beaches and resort towns as a backdrop to

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A Love Song for Bobby Long (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Shainee Gabel
Starring: Gabriel Macht | John Travolta | Scarlett Johanssen

Barbara says: “I know Scarlett Johansson is a favorite of a lot of members and she does not disappoint in this film. I think she and John Travolta have two of the most expressive sets of eyes in film. The

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Los Angeles Plays Itself (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Thom Andersen

Chris says: “Home to Hollywood, sprawling metropolis Los Angeles is the most photographed city in the world. Thom Andersen’s equally sprawling, ambitious documentary uses this little factoid as a jumping off point to explore not only how filmmakers have portrayed

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Look at Me (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Agnès Jaoui
Starring: Agnès Jaoui | Jean-Pierre Bacri | Keine Bouhiza | Marilou Berri | Virginie Desarnauts

Michael says: “Agnès Jaoui is a talented actress. She is also a talented director and screenwriter! LOOK AT ME is the sixth film she has co-written with her husband Jean-Pierre Bacri (who also stars in LOOK AT ME) and the

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Loggerheads (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Tim Kirkman
Starring: Bonnie Hunt | Kip Pardue | Michael Kelly | Tess Harper

Michael says: “Tim Kirkman’s LOGGERHEADS is a moving examination of adoption, religious tolerance, and sexuality. While at times it plays a little like a Lifetime TV movie of the week, strong performances and complex time shifts bring it above the

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Last Days (2005)

Bruce says: “What worked so well in Gus Van Sant’s ELEPHANT – the revisiting of scenes and events until the viewer had total familiarity with the film’s terrain and understanding of the motivation of the main characters – does not

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Ladies in Lavender (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Charles Dance
Starring: Daniel Brühl | Judi Dench | Maggie Smith | Miriam Margoyles | Natascha McElhone

Bruce says: “LADIES IN LAVENDER is the story of two elderly ladies living on the coast of Cornwall. Ursula (Judi Dench) is a spinster and Janet (Maggie Smith) is a widow. One day a body, barely alive, washes up on

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Kung Fu Hustle (2005)

Hilary says: “A kung fu comedy incorporating aspects of classic Hollywood cinema, Westerns, Looney Tunes, and a hint of musicals; no great need for a plot summary here. In short, the residents of Pig Style Alley rise up and fight

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Control (2005)

Bruce says: “This is the second Hungarian film I have seen recently that shows great promise for its director. First there was the delightfully enigmatic HUKKLE directed by György Pálfi and now there is KONTROLL, a dark, comedic allegory, directed

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Kings and Queen (2005)

Chris says: “Even though it seems like a fairly conventional dialog-rich character study on the surface, this is really a strange, complex little film, if subtly so. It tells parallel stories of two ex-lovers: Nora (Emanuelle Devos) and Ismael (Mathieu

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The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyan (2005)

Carolyn says: “I only read a short blurb before seeing this film, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I found the story engaging and the characters realistic, but not very developed. The depth was in the story and

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Junebug (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Phil Morrison
Starring: Alessandro Nivola | Amy Adams | Benjamin McKenzie | Embreth Davidtz

Chris says: “Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz), owner of a Chicago gallery specializing in outsider art, finds herself very much an outsider when she travels to small town North Carolina to acquire a local artist’s work. Coincidentally, George (Alessandro Nivola), her husband

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Inside Deep Throat (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Fenton Bailey | Randy Barbato

Michael says: “After scoring with their documentary THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE back in 2000, the writer/director team of Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato tackled narrative films with the slightly disastrous PARTY MONSTER in 2003 (okay, it grabbed a Best

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Innocent Voices (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Luis Mandoki
Starring: Carlos Padilla | Gustavo Muñoz | José María Yazpik | Leonor Varela | Ofelia Medina

Bruce says: “INNOCENT VOICES gets my vote for the best cinematography in 2005. From the opening scene of the solders’ footsteps in the rain, it is clear this film will be a visual treat. The night scenes, particularly the frightening

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Imaginary Heroes (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1 cat
Director: Dan Harris
Starring: Emile Hirsch | Jeff Daniels | Kip Pardue | Michelle Williams | Sigourney Weaver

Diane says: “Dysfunctional family deals with a tragedy. Is this eligible? Noms for worst screenplay (writers threw in every family plot element but the kitchen sink), worst direction, worst soundtrack, and worst acting (although they didn’t have much to work

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I Am (2005)

By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Dorota Kedzierzawska
Starring: Agnieszka Nagorzycka | Piotr Jagielski

Bruce says: “Looking at the world through a child’s eyes is a wonderful cinematic experience providing the director is competent and the child is perfect for the role. Fortunately both ingredients are present in I AM. Piotr, the lead, was

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