Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Chris Hegedus | D.A. Pennebaker
Peg says: “Veteran music documentarian D. A. Pennebaker (ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS) and Chris Hegedus (STARTUP.COM) team with journalist Roger Friedman to play old-home week with legendary soul singers in New York, Chicago, and Memphis. Friedman is
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Rating: 2 cats
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Antonio Banderas | Johnny Depp | Mickey Rourke | Salma Hayek
Howard says: “As exciting as the trailer was, the film is not. Robert Rodriguez has attempted to make another Mexican mythology picture in his ‘El Mariachi’ series. Oh, it’s pretty, there are a couple of great action sequences and all
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Caroline Link
Starring: Juliane Köhler | Karoline Eckertz | Lea Kurka | Matthias Habich | Merab Ninidze | Regine Zimmermann | Sidede Onyulo
Michael says: “NOWHERE IN AFRICA is a true epic, telling the tale of a Jewish family’s flight from Nazi occupied Germany to Africa. Walter Redlich travels to a farm in Africa to prepare the way for his wife and daughter.
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Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Michael Polish
Starring: Claire Forlani | Duel Farnes | James Wood | Mark Polish | Nick Nolte
Laura says: “Writer/director Michael and Writer/star Mark Polish complete their American Heartland trilogy with a dreamlike meditation on death and departure. Using two groups of angels, the bureaucratic guardians of the real world and a rag tag assemblage looking for
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Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Douglas McGrath
Starring: Charlie Hunnam | Christopher Plummer | Jamie Bell | Stella Gonnet
Laura says: “When an idealistic gentleman of little fortune dies in rural England, his nineteen year old son is left to fend for himself as well as his mother and younger sister. They travel to London to engage the aid
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Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Ken Loach
Starring: Dean Andrews | Joe Duttine | Steve Huison | Thomas Craig
Peg says: “THE NAVIGATORS, directed by Ken Loach, is a fictional story of an all-too-real situation: the deregulation and increasingly-private ownership of the railway system in Great Britain. The script was written by a former railway employee, Rob Dawber, who
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Director: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Dane Leis | Jason Patric | Lloyd Adams | Meagan Issa
Hilary says: “A heroin-fueled ‘Law & Order’ in feature form, shot through the now obligatory icy blue ‘Detroit Lens,’ as seen in OUT OF SIGHT, etc. Jason Patric shows off his underutilized talent in the role of a burnt out
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Kevin Bacon | Laura Linney | Marcia Gay Harden | Sean Penn | Tim Robbins
Bob says: “I didn’t read the book, but I thought the film was very good. I found Robbins’ performance just as strong as Penn’s (and Penn really was great). Besides, I love depressing films.” Hilary says: “I saw it
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Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Isabel Coixet
Starring: Deborah Harry | Mark Ruffalo | Sarah Polley | Scott Speedman
Michael says: “Last week, Mary and I caught a preview of the latest film to star personal favorite Sarah Polley called MY LIFE WITHOUT ME. This Pedro and Augustin Almodovar production combines the whimsy and drama of Almodovar’s films with
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Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Dolly Wells | Kathleen McDermott | Paul Popplewell | Ruby Milton | Samantha Morton
Peg says: “I saw this Scottish film by Lynne Ramsay at the Women’s Film Festival and thoroughly enjoyed it! “Morvern is a young woman who wakes up, or perhaps arrives home, on Christmas morning to find her boyfriend has committed
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Fernando León de Aranoa
Starring: Javier Bardem | José Ángel Egido | Luis Tosar
Laura says: “Director Fernando León de Aranda’s (who also cowrote with Ignacio del Moral) film won the Golden Seashell at the 2002 San Sebastian film festival, scooped up a bunch of Goyas (Spanish Academy Awards) and, mostly notably, was chosen
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Julia Roberts | Julia Stiles | Kirsten Dunst | Maggie Gyllenhaal | Marcia Gay Harden
Bruce says: “Only two names are listed in the writing credits but I would swear that this film was designed by a committee. A lot of ‘stuff’ is going on here and usually the bad stuff is also the good
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Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Satoshi Kon
Starring: Fumiko Orikasa | Mami Koyama | Miyoko Shôji
Bob says: “My experience with animé is mostly limited to movies like AKIRA and GHOST IN THE SHELL – urban science fiction with a healthy dose of philosophical questioning about the nature of the self. Well, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS is nothing
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Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Christopher Guest
Starring: Bob Balaban | Catherine O'Hara | Christopher Guest | Eugene Levy | Jane Lynch | Parker Posey
Bruce says: “This sweet film is another offering form the ‘Christopher Guest repertory company.’ It is the story of three musical acts, all has-beens who are brought together to perform one last time at a memorial service in honor their
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Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Paul Gross
Starring: Conor Price | Leslie Nielsen | Molly Parker | Paul Gross
Michael says: “If you see only ONE film about curling, make sure it’s the Canadian romantic comedy, MEN WITH BROOMS. (I challenge you to even find another film about curling.) Since becoming fascinated with this Canadian sport after seeing a
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Bob Odenkirk
Starring: Annabelle Gurwitch | David Cross | Jack Black | Matt Price | Maura Tierney | Michael Blieden | Stephanie Courtney
Chris says: “I’m so glad I managed to see this film before it left the Coolidge yesterday; MELVIN GOES TO DINNER is a smart, entertaining low budget indie about four thirtysomethings who unexpectedly meet up for dinner. Their conversations are
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Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Lucky McKee
Starring: Angela Bettis | Anna Farris | James Duval | Jeremy Sisto
Michael says: “Here’s a fun film for horror fans. This little indie has a brief one week run in Boston in June, but is already available on DVD at your local video store. If you’re a fan of the horror
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Rating: 2.75
Director: Menno Meyjes
Starring: John Cusack | Kevin McKidd | Leelee Sobieski | Molly Parker | Noah Taylor | Ulrich Thomsen
Laura says: “Max Rothman (John Cusack, HIGH FIDELITY) is a progressive art dealer in 1918 Munich when he meets a Corporal whom he fought with in Ypres who aspires to be an artist. Screenwriter Menno Meyjes (THE SIEGE) makes his
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Rating: 5 cats
Director: Wiebke von Carolsfeld
Starring: Margeurite McNeil | MollyParker | Rebecca Jenkins | Stacy Smith
Chris says: “Quiet, understated Canadian film about three daughters dealing with their ailing mother and past demons. It has subtly sound performances, lovely cinematography, and a thoughtful, original script. Molly Parker stands out as Agnes, the prodigal alcoholic daughter who
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Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Starring: Juhani Niemelä | Kaija Pakarinen | Kati Outinen | Markku Peltola
Michael says: Aki Kaurismäki’s THE MAN WITHOUT A PAST is a quirky, romantic comedy with deadpan humor, and a pair of terrific leads. This tale of amnesia avoids many of the cliches of a bad man whose memory is wiped
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