Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Jay Chou
Starring: Eric Tsang Chi-wai | Huang Huai-chen | Huang Jun-lang | Oh Yau-lun | Song Jian-zhang | Wang Xue-qi
Jason says: “THE ROOFTOP is overstuffed, like Jay Chou had a half-dozen ideas for his 1960s Taiwanese musical project and couldn’t decide exactly which ones he wanted to use. So he threw in all of them, even if they don’t
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Giulla Brazzale | Luca Immesi
Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky | Anna Bonasso | Cosimo Cinieri | Désirée Giorgetti | Ivan Franek | Nicola Arabi
Jason says: “RITUAL: A PSYCHOMAGIC STORY is explicitly inspired by the work and philosophy of Alejandro Jodorowsky, and many may find themselves disappointed that, after a very stylish opening, it is never in the same category of strangeness as Jodorowsky’s
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats
Director: Rachid Djaïdani
Starring: Sabrina Hamida | Slimane Dazi | Stéphane Soo Mongo
Kyle says: “RENGAINE is called a ‘no-budget urban drama’ in the New Directors/New Films program note; this is obvious from the number of duties director Rachid Djaïdani is credited for in the end titles. So let us issue a shout-out
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Gilles Bourdos
Starring: Christa Théret | Michel Bouquet | Michèle Gleizer | Romane Bohringer | Thomas Doret | Vincent Rottiers
Jason says: “I’m certain that I must, at some point, learned that famed Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir and noted filmmaker Jean Renoir were father and son. Somehow the information failed to stick, so re-learning that bit of information was kind
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Farihah Zaman | Jeff Reichert
Jason says: “REMOTE AREA MEDICAL takes great pains to separate itself from partisan politics as much as possible, but its very premise – that a service designed to bring basic medical treatment to people in areas without any sort of
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Mira Nair
Starring: Kate Hudson | Keifer Sutherland | Liev Schrieber | Martin Donovan | Riz Ahmed
Michael says: “Mira Nair is a talented filmmaker. Her latest film, THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST, is beautiful to watch, well structured, provocative, features terrific performances and a real slow burn. Unfortunately, the screenplay by William Wheeler, adapted from a novel by
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Emile Hirsch | Gina Grande | Joyce Payne | Lance LeGault | Lynn Shelton | Paul Rudd
Chris says: “This is the film devotees of David Gordon Green’s earlier features hoped he would make, although it’s probably not entirely what they expected. A remake of the Icelandic film EITHER WAY, PRINCE AVALANCHE returns to the Terrence Malick-on-a-tight-budget
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Calvin Reeder
Starring: Dermot Mulroney | James Cady | Lindsay Pulsipher | Natasha Lyonne | Scott Sharotis
Jason says: “Much of the time, a movie that was expanded from a short will feel bloated and kind of boring, as though the striking idea behind the original work has been watered down and made bigger without gaining more
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Rico Maria Ilarde
Starring: Andi Eigenmann | Baron Geisler | Janice de Belen | JM de Guzman | Joel Torre | Ronnie Lazaro
Kyle says: “The North American Premiere of PRIDYIDER (FRIDGE) was presented under the New York Asian Film Festival rubric of ‘Manila Chronicles: The New Filipino Cinema.’ Yes, it’s about a refrigerator that kills people. And it’s so clear-headed and good-natured
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Eric Valette
Starring: Albert Dupontel | Alice Taglioni | Natacha Régnier | Serge Hazanavicius | Sergi Lopez | Stephane Debac
Jason says: “THE PREY isn’t a big summer blockbuster by American standards; for all I know, it wasn’t a big deal when it played its native France as LA PROIE two years before its American release. It is a lean,
Read the review...