Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Richard Griffin
Starring: Elyssa Baldassari | Michael Reed | Monica Saviolakis | Nathaniel Sylvia | Patrick Keeffe | Sarah Nicklin
Jason says: “This is not the first time independent director Richard Griffin has tried to give his audience the creeps without having his tongue planted in his cheek – given how prolific the Rhode Island filmmaker has been since he
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Norio Osada
Starring: Do-an Chau Mao | Kenji Isomura | Lan Tanh | Yusuke Kawazu
Jason says: “It’s almost certain that there have been movies made under more insane circumstances than NUMBER10 BLUES/GOODBYE SAIGON (both titles appear on-screen at once), or worthier ones made in a war zone, but that does nothing to take away
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Janet Tobias
Jason says: “There’s enough staged footage with actors in NO PLACE ON EARTH that one almost wonders why director Janet Tobias didn’t just present this story of a Jewish family hiding from the Nazis in caves for the better part
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Starring: Adelaide Clemens | America Olivo | Beau Knapp | Brodus Clay | Derek Magyar | Laura Ramsey | Lee Tergeesen | Lindsey Shaw | Luke Evans
Thom says: “Kitamura, well-known for such horror fare as VERSUS and THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN does his best work here but be warned this serial killer film is way over-the-top when it comes to bloody, ultra-disgusting scenes. While the ending
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Pablo Larraín
Starring: Alfredo Castro | Antonia Zegers | Gael García Bernal | Luis Gnecco | Nestor Cantillana
Thom says: “This was a TIFF 2012 entry that I was dying to attend but they didn’t award me a slot. This film from Chile concerns itself with the plebiscite that finally overthrew the heinous Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Susanne Bier
Starring: Kim Bodnia | Molly Blixt Egelind | Paprika Steen | Pierce Brosnan | Sebastian Jessen | Trine Dyrholm
Thom says: “Bier will be familiar to serious film-goers after such memorable features as OPEN HEARTS, THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE, AFTER THE WEDDING, BROTHERS, & IN A BETTER WORLD and this delightful romp adds to her resume. The
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Rating: 5 cats
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Bob Odenkirk | Bruce Dern | June Squibb | Mary Louise Wilson | Stacy Keach | Will Forte
Chris says: “‘Older’ is a They Might Be Giants song whose primary lyric incessantly proclaims ‘You’re older than you’ve ever been / and now you’re getting older,’ baldly and astutely stating a fact that most of us would rather not
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Dennie Gordon
Starring: Ruby Lin Xin-ru | Wang Lee-Hom | Yao Chen | Zhang Ziyi
Jason says: “I’ve said before that making sequels to romantic comedies is a tempting but dangerous idea, but MY LUCKY STAR (FEICHANG XINGYUN in Mandarin) may just have hit upon the best way to follow up such a hit: It’s
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Jacob Lofland | Matthew McConaughey | Michael Shannon | Reese Witherspoon | Sam Shepard | Sarah Paulson | Tye Sheridan
Chris says: “As a follow-up to TAKE SHELTER, a film with shifting ambiguities and an awesome performance from Michael Shannon, Jeff Nichol’s MUD can’t help but almost feel a bit of a letdown. The titular figure, an on-the-run hobo of
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Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Jem Cohen
Starring: Bobby Sommer | Ela Piplits | Mary Margaret O’Hara
Chris says: “Art is a tricky subject for a movie. Most filmmakers take the artist biopic route (and many of them end up feeling stuffy and hermetic) while others utilize a more experimental approach (RUSSIAN ARK and its feature-length tracking
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