Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Ole Bornedal
Starring: Jonas Wandschneider | Mollie Maria Gilmartin | Nikolaj Falkenberg-Klok | Paprika Steen | Ulrich Thomsen
Michael says: “This Danish science fiction/comedy/suspense film hits all the right notes, especially with the casting of the divine Paprika Steen in the title role. What’s a willful and rowdy class of students to do when they discover that the
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Shinji Aoyama
Starring: Eri Ishida | Ken Mitsuishi | Kengo Kora | Tadanobu Asano | Yuka Itaya | Yusuke Kawazu
Michael says: “Despite an intriguing, adept cast, and some skillful camerawork, Shinji Aoyama’s SAD VACATION has a little too much plot to be entirely successful. In fact, more than once I wondered if this film was a sequel and I
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Starring: Alice Braga | Don McKellar | Gael García Bernal | Julianne Moore | Mark Ruffalo | Yoshino Kimura | Yusuke Iseya
Beth Curran says: “Okay, I first must talk about the spectacle first – the film’s premiere was at the Elgin, and it was beyond zooey. Seating took forever, and it was unbelievable how large the reserved section was. While looking
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Joaquín Oristrell
Starring: Alex Brendemühl | Leonor Watling | Luis Tosar
Bruce says: “The Spanish are becoming quite proficient in the farce department. This delightful comedy is a period piece involving a Freud disciple named León (Alex Brendemühl) who suddenly disappears thereby creating havoc in his intersecting professional and family circles.
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Kim Ki-Duk
Starring: Ha Jung Woo | Park Ji-Yeon | Seong Hyeon-A
Beth says: “The latest from Korea’s Kim Ki-duk. A woman undergoes secret cosmetic surgery then reappears as a new woman who romances her boyfriend – is it the ultimate sacrifice, to make yourself anew for love, or the ultimate test,
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Doris Dörrie
Michael says: “German feminist filmmaker Doris Dörrie is best known for her narrative features, such as 1985’s MEN, 1988’s ME AND HIM, or 2000’s ENLIGHTENMENT GUARANTEED. It is this latter film that serves as a connection of sorts to her
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Craig Zobel
Starring: Kene Holliday | Pat Healy | Rebecca Mader
Chris says: “The title is actually the name of a small record label in the film that bills itself as a ‘talent search company.’ Salesmen are hired as ‘record producers’ and trained to audition aspiring musicians whom they encourage to
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Jason Todd Ipson
Starring: Cerina Vincent | Jay Jablonski | John Kapelos
Jason says: “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE ITALIAN is a delightfully slight romantic comedy. The film has a cute hook but isn’t held hostage by it, there are only one or two characters who aren’t at least occasionally funny, and the
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Philippe Falardeau
Starring: Arnaud Mouithys | Claudia Tagbo | Janine Sutto | Jean-Pierre Cassell | Olivier Gourmet | Paul Ahmarani
Beth says: “I have to confess that I succumbed to that festival affliction – eyes falling shut midfilm – during this film, but thankfully figured out rather quickly what I missed, and that it wasn’t a significant plot point, whew!
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Florence Ayisi | Kim Longinotto
Michael says: “To kick off the Spring 2006 edition of the Sunday Eye-Opener, we enjoyed a terrific and inspiring documentary about the court system in Cameroon, Africa. This particular court tackles such cases as divorce, abuse and rape, and the
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