Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Adam Low
Laura says: “This documentary chronicles Kurosawa’s childhood, connecting significant events with images in his later films, as well as his development as a filmmaker, his relationship with actor Toshiro Mifune and his influence on other filmmakers. If you didn’t already
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Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Starring: Heather Juergensen | Jennifer Westfeldt | Scott Cohen | Tovah Feldshuh
Michael says: “Finally managed to catch up with KISSING JESSICA STEIN the other night, and found it to be perfectly charming if a mite predictable (The very first scene involving Jessica and Josh had me correctly predicting the ending.) Tovah
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Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Giovanna Mezzogiorno | Stefania Sandrelli | Stefano Accorsi
Laura says: “Carlo (Stefano Accorsi, THE SON’S ROOM) is one of five buddies, all seen celebrating Marco’s last evening of bachelorhood, at the beginning of THE LAST KISS. He must face adulthood and responsibility himself as his live in girlfriend,
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Rating: 0.67 cats
Director: Brett Morgen | Nanette Burstein
Michael says: “Despite the rave reviews I have read/heard about this documentary, I have to say I was pretty unimpressed. THE KIDS STAYS IN THE PICTURE chronicles the career of Robert Evans, young actor turned longtime head of Paramount Pictures,
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Rating: 4.75 cats
Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Starring: Hassan Tantai | Niloufar Pazira | Sadou Teymouri
Ellen says: “Okay, basically I would not want to be a woman (or a man for that matter) in Afghanistan. This film shows the horrific way of life that these people lead. An interesting slice of life that I never
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Alberto Vendemmiati | Fabrizio Lazzaretti
Diane says: “JUNG is a cinema-verité docu about an Italian doctor, British nurse, and Italian journalist working to set up a hospital for war victims in northern Afghanistan. I had the same reaction as I did to NO MAN’S LAND:
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Starring: Anne Heche | Denzel Washington | James Woods | Robert Duvall
Robin says: “There is not a lot new to the original screenplay by James Kearns, which is the weakest aspect of the film. It is often trite, manipulative and derivative of other films, but the craftwork behind the camera and
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Rating: 0 cats
Director: James Isaac
Starring: David Cronenberg | Jeff Geddis | Kane Hodder | Lexa Doig
Howard says: “AWFUL! It wasn’t even laughably bad.” A DEAD cat!
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Lone Scherfig
Starring: Anders W. Berthelsen | Anette Stevelbaek | Ann Eleonora Jorgensen | Lars Kaalund | Peter Gantzier
Michael says: “In what is surely the surprise darling of the Toronto Film festival, Scherfig’s ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS proves that the dogme 95 manifesto can be used to stunning effect in a deadpan, romantic comedy. Laughter and tears, sometimes simultaneously, are
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Neil Burger
Starring: Dylan Haggerty | Kelsy Kemper | Raymond J. Barry | Renee Faia
Laura says: “Unemployed San Bernadino cameraman Ron Kobeleski (Dylan Haggerty) has his life turned around and his family placed in jeopardy by the simple act of meeting retired neighbor Walter Ohlinger (Raymond Barry). The video document Ron’s requested of Walter
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Rating: 1.5 cats
Director: Burr Steers
Starring: Amanda Peet | Bill Pullman | Claire Danes | Jared Harris | Jeff Goldblum | Kieran Culkin | Ryan Phillippe | Susan Sarandon
SPOILERS below Laura says: “Igby (Kieran Culkin) watched his father (Bill Pullman) lose his grip with reality under his mother’s (Susan Sarandon) withering gaze before he reached his teens. He introduces his older brother (Ryan Phillippe) as ‘majoring in
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Mira Nair
Starring: Gena Rowlands | Jeff Aaron | Juliette Lewis | Uma Thurman
Michael says: “The first film we saw on Saturday was Mira Nair’s latest film, HYSTERICAL BLINDNESS. No psuedo-Bollywood, or Indian weddings here. Based on a play, this film was executive produced by and starred Uma Thurman. Thurman must have seen
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Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Monteith McCallum
Laura says: “I found HYBRID moving and *loved* some of the stunning black and white imagery. The score combined with the images made it very melancholic. And I never realized what cornsilk was really for!” Michael says: “Thanks to
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Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Michael Gondry
Starring: Ken Magee | Patricia Arquette | Peter Dinklage | Rhys Ifans | Tim Robbins
Clinton says: “Charlie Kaufman, the writer behind the wildly inventive BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, teams up with another influential music video director, Michel Goundry, who’s visual flair has elevated Bjork’s videos to near-perfect mini-movies (MALKOVICH director Spike Jones also stepped up
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Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Anne Fontaine
Starring: Amira Casar | Charles Berling | Michel Bouquet | Natacha Régnier
Michael says: “Technically proficient and strongly acted, the downfall of Fontaine’s drama is in its detachment. Central character, Jean-Luc, is a successful doctor, with a beautiful, classy wife. When his father returns to France after living for many years in
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Rating: 3.2 cats
Director: Chris Smith
Laura says: “A Louisiana houseboat, an all electronic house in Illinois, a converted missile site in Kansas, a California ranch converted for a dozen cats’ comfort and a Hawaiian tree house are five unusual homes showcased in HOME MOVIE. “Director
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: George Ratliff
Michael says: “Scot and I traveled to a place that is thoroughly alien to me tonight: a Pentacostal church in Texas. Director George Ratliff has constructed a fascinating film about Texas’ infamous ‘Hell House.’ This haunted house, now running over
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Rating: 3.375
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Cate Blanchett | Giovanni Ribisi | Remo Girone | Stefania Rocca
Laura says: “German director Tom Tykwer has explored fate and chance in his films RUN, LOLA, RUN and THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR, falling far short of the works of the late, great Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski. Working from a
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Sam Jones
Emily says: “Greg and I caught this documentary film about the band Wilco last night. Though Greg, as a band leader himself, found the film lacking in footage of the ‘making music’ process, for those of you who are interested
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Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Benshan Zhao | Biao Fu | Jie Dong | Lihua Dong
Michael says: “The latest film by Zhang Yimou is an odd little film. It’s only getting a week’s run in Boston, and there were only three of us at the screening on Monday night. You would think that a film
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