Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Michael Colford
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Keith Behrman
Starring: Darren Mann | Josh Wiggins | Kyle MacLachlan | Maria Bello | Niamh Wilson | Taylor Hickson
Michael says: “Okay, what a surprise “I’m on a mission to get my 25 eligible films in, and I’m just coming down with a cold, so I’m not feeling great. So I wanted a movie that was relatively short and
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Chao Deng | Jingchun Wang | Jun Hu | Li Sun | Qianyuan Wang | Ryan Zheng | Xiaotong Guan
Michael says: “Who knew Zhang Yimou had a new movie out this year? Certainly not me (thanks, Bob!) I’ve loved a lot of Zhang Yimou’s films, both his gorgeous, epics, and his tiny character films. SHADOW is one of the
Read the review...By Chris Kriofske
Rating: 2.75 | 3.5 cats
Director: Robert Eggers
Starring: Robert Pattison | Valeriia Karaman | Willem Dafoe
Chris says: “Enjoyed this a little more than THE WITCH–it’s just as silly, but Eggers’ Lynch/Maddin pretensions are finely tuned and wrought, and a sense of encroaching madness forever drives things forward. DaFoe/Pattinson is also an inspired pairing, and where
Read the review...By Michael Colford
Rating: 2.8 cats
Director: Xavier Dolan
Starring: Amara Karan | Ben Schnetzer | Chris Zylka | Emily Hampshire | Jacob Tremblay | Jared Keeso | Kathy Bates | Kit Harington | Michael Gambon | Natalie Portman | Susan Sarandon | Thandie Newton
Michael says: “Ah, where do I start with the work of Xavier Dolan. His first film, I KILLED MY MOTHER, was a tour de force for me. A beautiful, emotional story, and an audacious and artistic feature directorial debut. Dolan
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Antonio Banderas | Asier Etxeandia | César Vicente | Julieta Serrano | Leonardo Sbaraglia | Nora Navas
Chris says: “Doesn’t contain the giddy highs of Almodovar’s best and feels scattered like much of his post-VOLVER output; however, while definitely a mature work, it’s not boring like JULIETA, and the widespread praise for Antonio Banderas’ affecting, multifaceted performance
Read the review...By Chris Kriofske
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Alejandro Landes
Starring: Julian Geraldo | Julianne Nicholson | Karen Quintero | Laura Castrillón | Sofia Buenaventura
Chris says: “Crazier than FITZCARRALDO. The less one knows going in, the better. Last act meanders a bit, but this is highly recommended for fans of apocalyptic art cinema, Mica Levi scores and Julianne Nicholson. 4 cats“
Read the review...By Chris Kriofske
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Gavin Hood
Starring: Jeremy Northam | Katherine Kelly | Keira Knightley | Matt Smith | Matthew Goode | Ralph Fiennes
Chris says: “A fascinating story (based on actual events) told adequately; it wants to be ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, but Keira Knightley lacks the presence of a Hoffman and the ease of a Redford. It’s even more noticeable in her
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats | 3 cats
Director: Scott A. Burns
Starring: Adam Driver | Annette Bening | Corey Stoll | Evander Duck Jr. | Jon Hamm | Michael C. Hall
Diane says: “Scott Burns’ THE REPORT, starring Adam Driver, is decidedly uncinematic, at least for the first 2/3 of the film. It’s the story of Dan Jones, a Senate Intelligence staffer who labors for years (mostly in a small secure room)
Read the review...By Chris Kriofske
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Starring: Bárbara Lennie | Eduard Fernández | Inma Cuestra | Javier Bardem | Penélope Cruz | Ricardo Darín
Chris says: “Asghar Fahardi’s latest is his least essential feature to date, but only when you consider his exceptional track record. If you’ve already seen A SEPARATION, THE PAST and all the rest, you could do much worse than this
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Terry Gilliam
Thom says: “Dear, talented auteur director Terry Gilliam has always in his long career been quite interesting, and yet, that might be damning him with faint praise. I’ve seen all his repertoire: MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL (3 CATS),
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