Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Jason says: “I think that I vaguely recall the ‘Phoenix Lights’ that give this film its name; at least, there was a feeling of familiarity when the footage appeared which demonstrates that filmmaker Keith Arem has either done a nice
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
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Jonathan Helpert
Starring: David Atrakchi | Esther Comar | Jochen Hägele | Julie Judd | LauraBoujenah | Maxime Dambrin
Jason says: “Ambiguity is a powerful tool for filmmakers and other storytellers if they can handle the challenges of using the same material to build two opposing narratives at once, and not just because pulling it off is an impressive
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Starring: Bruce Davison | Christopher Backus | Courtney Hope | Karan Oberoi | Sarah Douglas | Susan Blakely
Jason says: “Short-term time travel is the trickiest sort of science fiction to create; it doesn’t necessarily have to be a perfect Moebius strip structurally, but any shortcomings in that department must be more than made up in other ways.
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Jesse O'Brien
Starring: Aleisha Rose | Christopher Kirby | Dan Mor | Mark Redpath | Shaun Micalief (voice)
Jason says: “Though all independent films have to deal with the realities of building something that can potentially make its investment back, it’s a little more obvious for genre films, especially science fiction. Not only does every bit of visual
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Shoojit Shircar
Jason says: “Even if you’re not a real fan of Indian film but just sort of generally aware of it (and maybe not even that), the cast of PIKU should make you take note: Amitabh Bachchan is an institution who
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Yu Shan Chen
Jasonvsays: “So, here’s a weird coincidence – two Mandarin-language moviesvreaching American cinemas a mere two days apart, both nostalgic romances that, at different points, involve the young characters needing to meet up at McDonald’s. They’re from different countries (China and
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Ryan Gosling
Jason says: “Filmmaker Ryan Gosling thanks a number of filmmakers toward the end of the credits to LOST RVIER, some of whom he has worked with as an actor, and of that group, it’s Nicolas Winding Refn who leaps to
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Takashi Miike
Jason says: “The late Roger Ebert would use the phrase ‘dead teenager movie’ dismissively, probably with the intention of getting horror fans riled up half the time. And while it’s not great form to glibly dismiss an entire genre, sometimes
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Kriv Stenders
Jason says: “True to its title, KILL ME THREE TIMES makes multiple passes through the story – once with a flash-forward to the end, once in basic fashion, and once in more detail – but this jumping back and forth
Read the review...