Film-Forward

Family drama

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

Directed by Sam Fleischner Produced by Andrew Neel, Veronica Nickel, Dave Saltzman and Craig Shilowich Written by Rose Lichter-Marck and Micah Bloomberg, based on a story by Lichter-Marck Released by Oscilloscope Laboratories. USA. 100 min. Not rated With Andrea Suarez Paz, Jesus Sanchez-Velez, Azul Zorrilla, Tenoch Huerta Mejía and Marsha Stephanie Blake Director Sam Fleischner […]

The Sleepwalker

Directed by Mona Fastvold Produced by Karin Julsrud and Turid Oversveen Written by Fastvold and Brady Corbet Norway/USA. 98 min. Not rated With Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, and Stephanie Ellis Unspoken secrets and untold rage permeate this debut feature from Brooklyn-based, Norwegian-raised filmmaker Mona Fastvold. The writer/director impresses with her shaping of disquieting […]

Bad Hair

Written and Directed by Mariana Rondón Produced and Edited by Marité Ugás Released by Cinema Tropical/FiGa Films Spanish with English subtitles Venezuela/Peru/Germany. 93 min. Not rated With Samuel Lange, Samantha Castillo, Nelly Ramos, and María Emilia Sulbarán Gunshots, screeching tires, barking dogs, police sirens: noises that are often indicative of imminent peril are as commonplace […]

A Merry Friggin’ Christmas

Directed by Tristam Shapeero Produced by Tom Rice and Ben Nearn Written by Michael Brown Released by eOne Entertainment USA. 87 min. Rated PG-13 With Joel McHale, Lauren Graham, Clark Duke, Oliver Platt, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Tim Heidecker, Candice Bergen and Robin Williams One has hope that when a Christmas movie comes out, it can be […]

Low Down

Directed by Jeff Preiss Produced by Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa and Mindy Goldberg Written by Amy-Jo Albany and Topper Lilien, based on Albany’s memoir Released by Oscilloscope Laboratories USA. 114 min. Rated R With John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage and Flea Seen through the eyes of one’s child, few figures, […]

Force Majeure

Written and Directed by Ruben Ostlund Produced by Erik Hemmendorff, Marie Kjellson and Philippe Bober Released by Magnolia Pictures Swedish, with English subtitles Sweden/France. 118 min. Rated R With Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju and Fanni Metelius Films about vacations from hell typically fall into humorous, wacky adventures: […]

Listen Up Philip

Written and Directed by Alex Ross Perry Produced by Katie Stern, David Lowery, James M. Johnston, Toby Halbrooks and Joshua Blum Released by Tribeca Film USA. 109 min. Not rated With Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce, Krysten Ritter, Samantha Jacober, Joséphine de La Baum, and Eric Bogosian The image of the tortured writer in […]

Waiting for August

Directed by Teodora Ana Mihai Released by CAVU Pictures Romanian with English subtitles Belgium/Romania. 88 min. Not rated As the documentary opens, it’s winter in Romania. In an apartment in a social housing complex in Bacau, Georgiana chops up chicken and potatoes while her younger siblings take turns talking on the phone with their mother. […]

My Old Lady

Written and Directed by Israel Horovitz, based on his play Produced by Rachael Horovitz and Gary Foster Released by Cohen Media Group USA/France. 104 min. Rated PG-13 With Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, Dominique Pinon, Noémie Lvovsky and Stéphane De Groodt My Old Lady puts a sophisticated Parisian spin on the movie genre […]