Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Christine Jeffs
Starring: Blythe Danner | Daniel Craig | Gwyneth Paltrow | Jared Harris | Michael Gambon
Bruce says: “SYLVIA documents the last years of Sylvia Plath’s life, from the time she met and married Ted Hughes. While I liked this film, I found it more than a bit depressing. What was I expecting? It seems an
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ken Loach
Starring: Annmarie Fulton | Martin Compston | William Ruane
Michael says: “British filmmaker Ken Loach released two films in 2003, both woefully underseen. I hope to catch up with THE NAVIGATORS later this weekend, but I caught his more recent film SWEET SIXTEEN, on DVD this morning. “Loach’s usual
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Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Joel Katz
Laura says: “In a one hour running time, Katz explores how a white Jewish schoolteacher came to write the song which Holiday claimed, incorrectly, was written for her and which was later adopted by the Civil Rights movement. STRANGE FRUIT
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Mark Moskowitz
Michael says: “2003’s string of outstanding documentaries continues with Mark Moskowitz’s powerful rumination on literature and its effect on our lives. In the early 70’s Moskowitz read a review in the NYT Book Review of Dow Mossman’s first novel, The
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1 cat
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Alexa Vega | Antonio Banderas | Carla Gugino | Daryl Sabara | Elijah Wood | Ricardo Montalban
Howard says: “In this latest installment of the SPY KIDS franchise, it’s painfully obvious that the decline shown in SPY KIDS 2 is moving along faster than a mom unplugging your Xbox game. Where the original was fun, goofy and
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Rating: 4.6
Director: Thomas McCarthy
Starring: Bobby Cannavale | Michelle Williams | Patricia Clarkson | Peter Dinklage | Raven Goodwin
Bob G. says: “As Finbar McBride, Peter Dinkledge emotes a quiet storm usually reserved for icons of the ’30s and ’40s such as Bogart or Cagney. His performance is so understated, it draws attention to itself precisely through its unobtrusiveness.
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Jonas Åkerlund
Starring: Jason Schwartzman | John Leguizamo | Mena Suvari | Patrick Fugit
Emily and Greg say: “We saw this at a midnight screening in Toronto, and it was probably the best celebrity studded night. All the stars of the film came out – Mickey Rourke, looking like a plastic rebel-rocker in black
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Rating: 3.6
Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Robin says: “Each and every year, across the U.S., 9,000,000 kids compete for the 249 slots available at the National Spelling Bee held every year in Washington, DC. Documentary maker Jeff Blitz follows eight middle-schoolers on this road as they
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Gabriel Byrne | Lynne Redgrave | Miranda Richardson | Ralph Fiennes
Esmé says: “This was great and who saw it? I thought Fiennes was great, and so was the directing. Lots of cats. (A man is released from the asylum and returns to his old neighborhood where he tries to make
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Rating: 0.5 cats
Director: Keith Gordon
Starring: Mel Gibson | Robert Downey Jr | Robin Wright Penn
Bruce says: “Robert Downey, Jr. gives one of the greatest performances in one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. While I knew exactly what was going on, THE SINGING DETECTIVE still made little sense and held little interest. “Downey
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