Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Paul Justman
Laura says: “This documentary about the legendary Funk Brothers, who were the studio musicians for all of Motown’s Detroit era hits, was the one I expected to topple GIGANTIC off the top of my doc list, but it didn’t quite
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.25
Director: Todd Solondz
Starring: John Goodman | Mark Webber | Paul Giamatti | Selma Blair
Diane says: “For me, STORYTELLING was unfortunately upstaged by the trailer for HAPPINESS that preceded it. What a great movie! At each scene in the trailer, I thought, ‘That’s my favorite scene!’ And Philip Seymour Hoffman–fantastic! “It was wonderful and
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Daveigh Chase | Lauren Holly | Suzanne Pleshette
Howard says: “SPIRITED AWAY is the latest in a string of incredible animated films by Hayao Miyazaki, the most renowned animator in Japanese history and most say in the best in world. He takes a couple steps close to the
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Roy Andersson
Starring: Lars Nordh | Stefan Larsson | Sten Andersson | Torbjörn Fahlström
Michael says: “This bizarrely entrancing Swedish film is director Roy Andersson’s 8th, and his 1st since 1991! Working with a largely amateur cast, SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR is a visually stunning, with strangely humorous moments… but what does it
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Nanni Moretti
Starring: Giuseppe Sanfelice | Jasmine Trinca | Laura Morante | Nanni Moretti
Ellen says: “It is tempting to compare THE SON’S ROOM to IN THE BEDROOM since the theme is a family dealing with the death of their teenage son, however, the way that this film elicits your emotions is very different.
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.75 cats
Director: Christopher Munch
Starring: Amy Madigan | Jacqueline Bisset | Martha Plimpton | Nick Stahl
Scot says: “I was blown away by this quiet little ‘family piece.’ “Middle-aged Frances (Jacqueline Bisset) is an out-of-work writer/reporter who once consoled lonely men in 1950s Florida both with her overnight radio show and her company. When she learns
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Sarah Polley
Starring: Julian Richings | Kristen Thomson | Matthew Ferguson
Michael says: “I wanted to just say a few words about Sarah’s short film, I SHOUT LOVE. I felt it was quite an accomplished, entertaining, and effective effort from a novice director. Sarah did a terrific job merging the very
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Steven Shainberg
Starring: James Spader | Jeremy Davies | Maggie Gyllenhaal
Clinton says: “A charming and quirky comedy about dominant/submissive relationships, and how they can lead to profound emotional connections. Gyllenhaal completely steals the film as Lee Holloway, a young woman just released from a mental institution, where she was hospitalized
Read the review...By Michael Colford
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Babak Payami
Starring: Cyrus Abidi | Nassim Abdi
Michael says: “Babak Payami’s SECRET BALLOT is an interesting Iranian film dealing with a nation’s population and its ability to change the way things work. A box is dropped from a helicopter to an army guard post where two soldiers
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Rosanna Arquette
Michael says: “Rosanna Arquette interviews international actresses about growing older in the business and trying to have it all: career, love, family. At first I thought there would be too much about Arquette, and although the film is as much
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