Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.25
Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Jack Black | Jennifer Jason Leigh | John Turturro | Nicole Kidman | Zane Pais
Michael says: “Stories about dysfunctional families often make for great comedic and dramatic fodder, both in novels and in films. Noah Baumbach was successful mining this territory in 2005’s THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, but while I enjoyed that film,
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: James D. Scurlock
Bruce says: “MAXED OUT is the first film I’ve been able to see at the Chlotrudis sponsored Sunday Eye Opener series at the Brattle Theater. MAXED OUT is not the film I had thought it would be. Judging by its
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Jennifer Baichwal
Bruce says: “MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES is a portrait of Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky who is known for his landscapes. The title refers to a series of photographs he shoots on a trip to Asia. Rather than photograph the natural wonders of
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Vivien Lesnik Weisman
Bruce says: “This documentary film is an excellent primer for understanding issues of Cubans exiles, particularly those in South Florida. The title refers to the subject of the film Max Lesnik, a former resident of Havana, Cuba, and now a
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Ang Lee
Jason says: “LUST, CAUTION is almost long enough to contain its own sequel, although more in the literary mode where an author revisits characters in a way that seems almost disconnected from the initial work. Ang Lee’s latest doesn’t quite
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Yôji Yamada
Starring: Mitsugoro Bando | Rei Dan | Takuya Kimura
Jason says: “As Yôji Yamada’s samurai dramas have become bigger and bigger hits in their native Japan, their American distribution has shrank. This is a real shame, because all three (THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI, THE HIDDEN BLADE, and now LOVE AND
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Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Béla Tarr
Starring: Erika Bók | Gyula Pauer | István Lénárt | Miroslav Krobot | Tilda Swinton | Volker Spengler
Bruce says: “THE MAN FROM LONDON, Béla Tarr’s black and white homage to French film noir, opens with a seemingly never-ending tracking shot that takes your breath away. The camera moves from a reflection of a rope and boat in
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Karim Aïnouz
Starring: Hermila Guedes | Maria Menezes | Zezita Matos
Bruce says: “The film starts out with a home movie of ‘The Day I Got Pregnant.’ Hermila dances around the beach with a blue blanket. She was determined to make this day ‘the happiest day of her life or die
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Rating: 4.6
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring: Martina Gedeck | Sebastian Koch | Ulrich Mühe
Michael says: “The first few months of every year are usually pretty dry when it comes to quality independent film, and even when you do see good movies, it still feels like you’re playing catch up with the previous year.
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Bahman Farmanara
Starring: Hedye Tehrani | Jamshid Hashempur | Reza Kianian
Bruce says: “A LITTLE KISS is a poignant essay on aging, friendship, death and dying. Kamal (Jamshid Hashempur) is Iran’s most famous writer. He has a short time left to live and is cared for lovingly by his grandson. His
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