Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloe Moretz make a powerful, understated trio in “Clouds of Sils Maria,” directed by Olivier Assayas. Binoche plays Maria Enders, an internationally renowned actress who gained fame playing the role of the Sigrid, a young personal assistant in the play “Maloja Snake,” 20 years prior. Now, she is asked to step into the role of Helena, Sigrid’s boss and lover, whose obsession with Sigrid eventually drives her to suicide. Playing opposite Maria as Sigrid is Jo-Ann Ellis (Moretz), a talented young actress and A-list partier.
Over the last few years, I have been no stranger to the culture of sexual assault on college campuses. But watching “The Hunting Ground,” a new documentary by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering ’84, makers of “The Invisible War,” even I was surprised and sickened by the horrifying assaults suffered by so many students and, perhaps more so, by the way in which survivors were treated by their colleges and by the media.
One-half of the Flight of the Conchords duo who brought you “Business Time” and “Foux de Fa Fa,” and the genius behind award-winning “Boy,” are back with “What We Do in the Shadows”— a feature-length film that in my opinion trumps any of the Flight of the Conchords’ most famous videos. It’s not just a documentary, not just a vampire movie — it’s a vampire mockumentary. Jermaine Clement (of Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (“Boy”) have created something funny and subversive, and they take themselves just seriously enough to do the trick.
Ah, high school: a hotbed of friend drama, teen angst, and a realm often haphazardly portrayed in Hollywood. “The DUFF,” directed by Ari Sandel, tries to be an original contribution to the teen comedy genre, but is ultimately unable to reinvent overused tropes, no matter how many hashtags it employs.
“The Other Side,” written by and starring Pepper Dee ’15 and directed by Ron Bashford, played this weekend in Holden Theater. All three nights were sold out, with dozens of students turned away. Dee’s play is the first of four senior theater and dance theses this semester, and Dee has set the bar high for the three performances to follow.
Seth Rogen and James Franco are back with “The Interview,” another one of their infamous “circle-jerks” with a twist: Arrogant talk show host Dave Skylark (Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Rogen) get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview the dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-un (Randall Park). With all the controversy surrounding the film’s release, I expected something uproariously clever or at least intelligently offensive. Sadly, “The Interview” ended up being very average.
Disney’s first venture into the Marvel world is poignant and hilarious, with “Big Hero 6,” in theaters Nov. 7. Based on the eponymous Marvel comic, “Big Hero 6” tells the story of teenage genius Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter), who must choose whether to use his intellect for money or for discovery. He also must choose between revenge and forgiveness.
