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on his "must see" independent movies list. They all sound interesting / good to me.
GET LOW Robert Duvall gives a rich, cliché-free performance as a 1930s backwoods hermit who announces his intention to stage his own funeral--while he's still alive. Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek head a superb costarring cast in this film that was inspired by a real-life incident. It marks the feature directing debut of longtime cinematographer Aaron Schneider.
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Lisa Cholodenko, who's made such entertaining films as High Art and Laurel Canyon--with great roles for women--scores once again with Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a longtime couple whose teenage children are curious about the man (Mark Ruffalo) who donated the sperm that brought them to life years ago. No polemics here--just solid entertainment about a modern family.
LIFE DURING WARTIME Not many writer-directors would tackle a sequel to their best-known film more than a decade after the fact--and recast all the leading roles--but then, Todd Solondz has never stuck to the rules. This follow-up to Happiness offers the same heady mix of deadpan humor and heart-rending humanity as it explores a myriad of interconnected lives.
HUGH HEFNER: PLAYBOY, ACTIVIST AND REBEL If your only image of Hefner is that of an aging man surrounded by youthful babes, this compelling documentary--made, not incidentally, by a woman (Oscar-winning documentarian Brigitte Berman)--may open your eyes. With vivid archival footage, it chronicles his battles over censorship, freedom of speech, breaking the color barrier (on his TV show and in his nightclubs), and much, much more.
THE EXTRA MAN Kevin Kline has one of the best screen roles of his career as a world-class eccentric who takes a younger man (Paul Dano) under his wing and introduces him to his cockeyed life in Manhattan. Writer-directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini celebrate the oddballs who make New York City unique in this deft adaptation of Jonathan Ames' novel.
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