Film-Forward

Musical

Frank

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson Produced by Ed Guiney, David Barron and Stevie Lee Written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan, based on a newspaper article by Ronson Released by Magnolia Pictures UK/Ireland. 98 min. Rated R With Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Michael Fassbender, Carla Azar and François Civil A common lack of awareness […]

Alive Inside

Written, Produced and Directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett Released by Bond 360 USA. 74 min. Not rated Just imagine the pitch: “It’s a documentary about geriatrics with advanced Alzheimer’s, many of whom have no family to visit them and are on the brink of death, listening to iPods for the first time.” No studio executive would […]

Gabrielle

Written and Directed by Louise Archambault Produced by Luc Déry and Kim McCraw Released by Entertainment One Canada. 104 min. Rated R With Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Alexandre Landry, Vincent-Guillaume Otis, Benoit Gouin, Sébastian Ricard, Marie Gignac and Robert Charlebois Though there are many themes brought to the forefront in Gabrielle, the unique power of […]

We Are the Best!

Written and Directed by Lukas Moodysson, based on the graphic novel Never Goodnight by Coco Moodysson Produced by Lars Jonsson Released by Magnolia Pictures Swedish with English subtitles Sweden/Denmark. 102 min. Not rated With Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, and Liv LeMoyne Lukas Moodysson’s returns after a four-year break with his sixth feature, We are the […]

Lucky Them

Directed by Megan Griffiths Written by Huck Botko and Emily Wachtel Released by IFC Films USA. 96 min. Not rated With Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church, Ryan Eggold, Oliver Platt, Nina Arianda, Ahna O’Reilly, Amy Seimetz In an unfortunate parallel, a movie about a woman hunting the specter of a former romance is itself haunted […]

Flex Is Kings

Directed by Deidre Schoo and Michael Beach Nichols Produced by Schoo, Nichols, and Christopher K. Walker Released by Baxter Brothers Film Releasing USA. 86 min. Not rated In Brooklyn, there’s a dance style known as flexing. Its practitioners claim there are “no rules and no boundaries.” They use everything they can think of—costumes, stunts, masks, […]

Mistaken for Strangers

Directed by Tom Berninger Released by Abramorama Entertainment USA. 74 min. Not rated Matt Berninger, the lead singer of the indie rock band the National, is a very self-possessed individual. He is slim and handsome with steel blue gimlet eyes. When his band’s concerts begin, he strolls on stage with a glass of red wine […]

The Standbys

Directed by Stephanie Riggs Produced by Blair Erickson & Rigs Released by Sunchaser Entertainment USA. 76 min. Not rated Pay attention to the man behind the curtain. He may be just as talented as the wizard you’re watching onstage. Such is the thesis of The Standbys, which follows three Broadway hopefuls as they perfect the […]

The Broken Circle Breakdown

Directed by Felix van Groeningen Produced by Dirk Impens Written by Carl Joos & van Groeningen, based on the play by Johan Heldenbergh & Mieke Dobbels Released by Tribeca Film Flemish with English subtitles Belgium/Netherlands. 110 min. Not rated With Veerle Baetens, Johan Heldenbergh & Nell Cattrysse Taking place at different moments in the shared […]