Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Christopher Wilcha
Chris says: “Chris Wilcha, who worked as a producer on the TV version of THIS AMERICAN LIFE has numerous unfinished projects scattered throughout his career. This documentary, ostensibly about the still-hanging-on, small-town New Jersey record store he worked in as
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Dominic Savage
Starring: Elliot Page | Hillary Baack | Janet Porter | Peter Outerbridge | Wendy Crewson
Chris says: “When Elliot Page announced his transition, I was curious as to how this might change his acting career; his first major film role since then does suggest a new phase, returning to the small-scale, nuanced indie dramas that showcased his
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Rating: 2 cats
Director: Sophie Dupuis
Starring: Anne-Marie Cadieux | Félix Maritaud | Marc-André Leclair | Theodore Pellerin | Vlad Alexis
Chris says: “Simon (Théodore Pellerin), a talented young performer in Montreal’s close-knit drag community is immediately smitten by Oliver (Félix Maritaud), a fellow drag queen freshly transplanted from France. They pursue a whirlwind romance while also collaborating together onstage, although their
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ninna Pálmadóttir
Starring: Anna Gunndís Guðmundsdóttir | Hermann Samúelsson | Jóel Sæmundsson | Jóhann Jónsson | Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson
Michael says: “It’s not an international film festival without a moody, introspective Icelandic film, and Pálmadóttir’s debut feature, SOLITUDE fits the bill beautiful, but as is often the case, such as in 2019’s riveting tale of grief, A WHITE, WHITE DAY,
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Rating: 5 cats
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Chris says: “Sifting through and reminiscing about one’s own past is easy; contextualizing these memories and enabling them to resonate with an audience is trickier, as one has likely experienced in many an autobiographical narrative or essay film (Chris Marker
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.75
Director: James Krishna Floyd | Sally El Hosaini
Starring: Ben Hardy | Grant Davis | Hannah Onslow | Jason Patel | Val the Brown Queen
Chris says: “Luke (Ben Hardy), a working-class straight bloke from Essex unwittingly wanders into a London gay club and falls hard for Aysha (Jason Patel), a drag queen, making out with him before he realizes he’s not kissing a woman.
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Brady Hepner | Carrie Preston | Da'Vine Joy Randolph | Dominic Sessa | Paul Giamatti
Chris says: “If Alexander Payne’s last film, 2017’s sci-fi allegory DOWNSIZING was a big swing and a miss, his latest plays it much safer for the benefit of everyone involved. A return to smart, dyspeptic comedy, THE HOLDOVERS also reunites
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Agustín Almodóvar | Dash | Miguel Almodóvar | Pablo Almodóvar | Tilda Swinton
Diane says: “THE HUMAN VOICE, stars Tilda Swinton, so you’re already feeling good. Made in 2020, it’s an adaptation of a play Jean Cocteau wrote for his actresses to show their full range of emotions. Swinton plays a ‘woman on
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Ethan Hawke | George Steane | Manu Ríos | Pedro Casablanc | Pedro Pascal
Diane says: “STRANGE WAY OF LIFE opens on a typical Old West set, as the title song is sung, in Spanish, by what sounds like a female voice but turns out to be a man singing falsetto—intimations of unconventional elements
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Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Josh Margolin
Starring: Clark Gregg | Fred Hechinger | June Squibb | Parker Posey | Richard Roundtree
Chris says: “June Squibb found success late in life, well into her 70s and beyond when she appeared in small but acclaimed scene-stealing roles Alexander Payne’s ABOUT SCHMIDT and NEBRASKA; in both of these and many other film and TV
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