Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Peter Sollett
Starring: Altagracia Guzman | Judy Marte | Melonie Diaz | Victor Rasuk
Michael says: “So where was everyone this evening when they should have been catching this remarkable little film? RAISING VICTOR VARGAS is a sweet, and realistic tale of adolescent relationships, a little coming-of-age, and a strong family tale set in
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Brendan Fraser | Do Thi Hai Yen | MichaelCaine
Bob says: “I dont know in general, Id say I liked this one. My main problems with it were the following two items: “Frasers character was not very believable. I thought that worked well for him, oddly enough, for most
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats
Director: Alex Steyermark
Starring: Ashley Eckstein | Drea de Matteo | Eddie Driscoll | Gina Gershon | Ivan Martin | Lori Petty | Marc Blucas | Shelly Cole
Bob says: “I came out of PREY thinking it was better than I’d expected. Frankly, I hadn’t expected much, so better than I expected is not so hot. But it’s fading for me already. “The film doesn’t go very far
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Geoffrey Rush | Johnny Depp | Keira Knightley | Orlando Bloom
Howard says: “Ahoy, me hearties! The pirate movie be back and, blimey, if it be keelhaulin’ the scurvy-ridden bilge that be marooned in yon summer theaters. “PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL is a big, sprawling adventure.
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.3 cats
Director: Peter Hedges
Starring: Alice Drummond | Alison Pill | Derek Luke | Isiah Whitlock Jr. | John Gallagher Jr. | Katie Holmes | Lillias White | Oliver Platt | Patricia Clarkson | Sean Hayes
Diane says: “Well, the Village Voice might have called it ‘a gluttonous buffet of Sundance clichés, with an acid-reflux aftertaste of condescension and unexamined racism,’ but I’m giving it 5 cats! “PIECES OF APRIL was another delight–the story of a
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: John Walsh
Starring: Guinevere Turner | Martin Donovan | Mary Louise Parker | Rebecca Gayheart
Michael says: “Last night Scot and I watched a sweet little independent film on DVD. I had read about this film as far as a couple years back, and I was looking forward to it with great anticipation because it
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.75 cats
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Adrien Brody | Ed Stoppard | Emilia Fox | Michal Zebrowski
Laura says:”Polanski is quick to establish Wladyslaw’s determination not to be silenced by his continuing to play Chopin as the recording studio he inhabits is destroyed by German bombs. Brody quietly and confidently inhabits Szpilman in one of the best
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 0 cats
Director: Fenton Bailey | Randy Barbato
Starring: Macaulay Culkin | Seth Green Chloë Sevigny
Hilary says: “This biopic of club kid/murderer Michael Alig is monstrously bad. The quality of the script, acting and style are on par with your average WB teen melodrama, but with a gigantic budget for drugs. If Macaulay Culkin intended
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.75
Director: Dan Ireland
Starring: Emmy Rossum | Jason Isaacs | Sofia Milos
Laura says: “Because it is a love story set within a distinct ethnic community, PASSIONADA” is being compared to MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, but this film is more rooted in realism than that Windex-infested sitcom. That said, while there
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Richard Kwietniowski
Starring: John Hurt | Minnie Driver | Philip Seymour Hoffman
Bruce says: “In OWNING MAHOWNY, Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) has just been promoted to Assistant Manager of a large Toronto bank when the loan sharks descend upon him. He has to come up with some money fast. Dan is
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