Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chris Kriofske
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Sandi Tan
Chris says: “As a 19-year-old student in her native Singapore, Sandi Tan wrote and starred in an independent feature film she made with her friends and her much older male mentor, but it was never finished, as said mentor absconded
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Brady Jandreau | Cat Cliffortd | Leroy Pourier | Lily Jandreau | Mooney | Tim Jandreau
Chris says: “At a time when filmmaking is more accessible than ever, it’s heartening to still see real talent emerge. Chloe Zhao has such a firm handle on what she’s trying to depict and express in this film about Native
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Paul Schrader
Starring: Amanda Seyfried | Bill Hoag | Cedric the Entertainer | Ethan Hawke | Michael Gaston | Philip Ettinger | Victoria Hill
Chris says: “I believe any work of art has the potential to be both ridiculous and sublime, however rarely one achieves such a tricky balance is. To its credit, FIRST REFORMED is often firmly the latter—the austere opening credits sequence with
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Adam Driver | Bill Murray | Carol Kane | Chloe Sevigny | Danny Glover | Steve Buscemi | Tilda Swinton | Tom Waits
Thom says: “It would be presumptuous of me to call myself a huge Jim Jarmusch fan but he certainly has had a large number of top-rated films with me including PATERSON, ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE, BROKEN FLOWERS, COFFEE & CIGARETTES,
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Sebastián Lelio
Starring: Brad Garrett | Caren Pistorius | Holland Taylor | Jeanne Tripplehorn | John Turturro | Julianne Moore | Michael Cera | Rita Wilson
Thom says: “This is exactly the type of film I look for in these troubled times. It is honest, compelling, and a true slice-of-life experience, but, that being said, it totally relies on Julianne Moore’s mind-boggling performance to carry it
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Pawel Pawilkowski
Starring: Adam Woronowicz | Agata Kulesza | Borys Szyc | Cédric Kahn | Jeanne Balibar | JoannaKulig | Tomasz Kot
Chris says: “Pawel Pawlikowski’s follow-up to IDA is cut from the same fine-polished glass: set in post-war Poland and shot in 1:33 black-and-white by cinematographer Łukasz Żal, it spans a fifteen-year period (leading up to roughly the time of the
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Starring: Evan Rosado | Isaiah Kristian | Josiah Gabriel | Raúl Castillo | SheilaVand
Michael says: “As many of us are viewing films for nomination purposes, which is less than a month away, I’ d like to put in a plug for Jeremiah Zagar’s WE THE ANIMALS, now available on streaming on Amazon., and
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Barry Jenkins
Starring: Aujanue Ellis | Colman Domingo | Ebony Obsidian | KikiLayne | Michael Beach | Regina King | Stephan James | Teyonah Parris
Chris says: “Barry Jenkins’ follow-up to MOONLIGHT is nearly that film’s sequel in that it further showcases his considerably humane approach to character and story even as he adapts someone else’s text (in this case, a James Baldwin novel.) The
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Sophie Fiennes
Starring: documentary
Chris says: “Cutting back and forth between concert and cinema verité footage is initially somewhat jarring, particularly for those who know little about Jones’ life offstage (i.e., most viewers). Fortunately, the latter’s contrast with the former grows more compelling as
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Josephine Decker
Starring: Helena Howard | Miranda July | Molly Parker
Chris says: “An admittedly frustrating but always fascinating puzzle box of a film. On the surface, it appears to be about teenager Madeline (Helena Howard), her antagonistic relationship with her single mother (Miranda July) and her after-school participation in an
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