Film-Forward

Top Picks

Battle Royale

Written & Directed by Kenji Fukasaku, based on the novel by Koushun Takami Produced by Fukasaku, Kenta Fukasaku, Kimio Kataoka, Chie Kobayashi, Toshio Nabeshima & Masumi Okada Released by Anchor Bay Japan. 114 min. Not rated With Takeshi Kitano, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Chiaki Kuriyama, Taro Yamamoto & Sosuke  Takaoka Finally on the big screen, Kenji […]

Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog

Director by Yoichi Sai Producer by Nozomu Enoki, Ichiro Yamamoto Written by: Shoichi Maruyama & Yoshihiro Nakamura, based on the novel Modoken Quill No Issho by Ryohei Akimoto Released by Music Box Films Japanese with English subtitles Japan. 100 min. Not Rated (it should be rated G) With Kaoru Kobayashi, Kippei Shiina, Teruyuki Kagawa, Keiko […]

Elena

Directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev Produced by Alexander Rodnyansky & Sergey Melkumov Written by Oleg Negin & Zvyagintsev Released by Zeitgeist Films Russian with English subtitles. Russia. 109 min. Not rated With Nadezhda Markina, Andrei Smirnov, Yelena Lyadova, Alexey Rozin, Evgenia Konushkina & Igor Ogurtsov Sometimes a festival jury gets it right, recognizing an unknown filmmaker […]

I Wish

Edited, Written & Directed Hirokazu Kore-eda Produced by Kentaro Koike & Hijiri Taguchi Released by Magnolia Pictures Japanese with English subtitles Japan. 128 min. Not rated With Koki Maeda, Ohshiro Maeda, Ryoga Hayashi, Seinosuke Nagayoshi, Kyara Uchida, Kanna Hashimoto, Rento Isobe, Nene Ohtsuka, Joe Odagiri, Yui Natsukawa & Masami Nagasawa Never for a moment did […]

Death of a Superhero

Directed by Ian Fitzgibbon Screenplay by Anthony McCarten, based upon his novel Produced by Michael Garland, Astrid Kahmke & Phillip Kreuzer Released by Tribeca Film, available on Tribeca on Demand Germany/Ireland. 90 min. Not rated With Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Andy Serkis, Aisling Loftus, Michael McElhatton, Sharon Horgan & Jessica Schwarz Before all you fanboys and fangirls […]

Wagner’s Dream

During its final days, the Tribeca Film Festival world premiered three New York-centric fine arts documentaries. The most penetrating of the trio, Wagner’s Dream is an engrossing look behind the curtain of the Metropolitan Opera, and is the perhaps best film about that art form, fictional or otherwise, though it may have that field all […]

Bernie

Directed by Richard Linklater Produced by Linkater & Ginger Sledge Written by Linklater & Skip Hollandsworth Released by Millennium Entertainment USA. 104 min. Rated R With Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Brady Coleman, Richard Robichaux & Rick Dial Based on one of those true stories that are memorable, but not exactly incredible, regional human […]

Goodbye First Love

Written & Directed by Mia Hansen-Love Produced by Philippe Martin & David Thion Released by Sundance Selects French with English subtitles. France/Germany. 110 min. Not rated With Lola Créton, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Magne-Havard Brekke, Valérie Bonneton, Serge Renko & Ozay Fecht Since the beginning of time, people have been falling in and out of love with […]

The Hunter

Directed by Daniel Nettheim Produced by Vincent Sheehan Written by Alice Addison, original adaptation by Wain Fimeri and Nettheim, based on the novel by Julia Leigh Released by Magnolia Pictures Australia. 101 min. Rated R With Willem Dafoe, Frances O’Connor, Sam Neill, Finn Woodlock, Morgana Davies & Sullivan Stapleton The Hunter is set in motion […]