Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Katie Aselton
Starring: Anslem Richardson | Jay Paulson | Kate Bosworth | Katie Aselton | Lake Bell | Will Bouvier
Jason says: “When building a survival-in-the-wild thriller, most writers start with something like BLACK ROCK and then add stuff – elaborate kills, extra plot twists, maybe some sort of weird backdrop. That’s the usual path, but the makers of this
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.25
Director: Michael Polish
Starring: Anthony Edwards | Balthazar Getty | Jean-Marc Barr | Josh Lucas | Kate Bosworth | Radha Mitchell
Jason says: “Mock me for my lack of appreciation for great literature, but my interest in BIG SUR didn’t come from it being an adaptation of a Jack Kerouac work. Instead, it was Michael Polish’s presence as screenwriter and director
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Starring: Cosima Stratan | Cristina Flutur | Dana Tapalaga | Ionut Ghinea | Valeriu Andriuta
Bruce says: “Director Christian Mungiu is on the record for stating BEYOND THE HILLS is about extremism and the harm it does to society. That is an answer to those who think the film is only about religion. His acclaimed
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Mike Mendez
Starring: Clare Kramer | Greg Grunberg | Lombardo Boyar | Patrick Bauchau | Ray Wise
Jason says: “Well, there’s certainly no denying that BIG ASS SPIDER! delivers what it promises – that is certainly one big-ass spider menacing Los Angeles from the very start. For those that want maybe a little more to their movies,
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Shannah Laumeister
Chris says: “Bert Stern’s contributions to the art of photography are major enough to justify a feature-length documentary about them: for starters, look to his truly innovative Smirnoff Vodka ads that transformed Madison Avenue advertising in the 1950s, his portraits
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Frederick Wiseman
Kyle says: “AT BERKELEY and THE LAST OF THE UNJUST share little in common aside from both being Main Slate screenings of the 51st New York Film Festival, both having very long running times, and both being sharply revealing contemporary
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.9 cats
Director: Peter Strickland
Starring: Cosimo Fusco | Layla Amir | Susanna Cappellaro | Toby Jones | Tonia Sotiropoulou
Jason says: “BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO brought a film called AMER to mind, even though the two are spectacularly different in the way they pay tribute to Italian giallo movies. What they have in common is a deep affection for the
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Rating: 5 cats
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Charlotte Prior | Ethan Hawke | Jennifer Prior | Julie Delpy | Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick
Chris says: “*Minor spoilers ahead* “Though not a flawless film, Richard Linklater’s BEFORE SUNRISE concluded almost perfectly: its open-endedness exuded a lovely power as it revisited all the spaces its two leads Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) inhabited
Read the review...The Great Beauty (Italy/France; 142 min.) directed by: Paolo Sorrentino starring: Toni Servillo; Sabrina Ferilli; Carlo Buccirosso; Georgio Pasotti; Massimo Popolizio Peter says: “This is a film loaded with Fellini style imagery, characters, and abrupt scene transitions that make its
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Philippe Béziat
Kyle says: “BECOMING TRAVIATA, or in its much better French title TRAVIATA ET NOUS, is a documentary on preparations and rehearsals for a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s beloved 1853 opera ‘La Traviata’ at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, starring charismatic soprano Natalie
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