French Film

2008

While preparing to interview renowned French filmmaker and self-proclaimed romance expert Thierry Grimandi (Eric Cantona), London journalist Jed (Hugh Bonneville) struggles to hang on to his longtime girlfriend, Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton), and comprehend the true meaning of love. Directed by Jackie Oudney, this romantic comedy waxes philosophic on the stark differences between French and British approaches to relationships.

2.9 Average Rating

Cavedweller

2004

Kyra Sedgwick produced and stars in this drama, based on Dorothy Allison's novel, about a woman who leaves her abusive husband (Aidan Quinn) and two daughters to start life anew in Los Angeles. Years later, after losing her new love and discovering that her ex-husband is ill, Delia (Sedgwick) returns to her hometown in hopes of reuniting with her daughters. But she's in for an uphill battle as she tries to become part of their lives again.

2.9 Average Rating

Filth and Wisdom

2008

Three flatmates -- rocker-dominatrix A.K. (Eugene Hutz, of the Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello), ballet dancer-stripper Holly (Holly Weston) and pharmacist Juliette (Vicky McClure) -- chase their dreams of glory in contemporary London. Madonna, who makes her directorial debut, squeezes in a couple of her own tunes in this sprawling urban comedy, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2008.

2.9 Average Rating

Come Early Morning

2006

Disgusted with her habit of drinking too much and waking up next to strangers, thirtysomething Lucy (Ashley Judd) re-evaluates her small-town Southern life. But rectifying her present involves delving into her past -- which involves getting to know her family. Director Joey Lauren Adams (Chasing Amy) also wrote the screenplay for this independent drama about ending unhealthy habits and getting it right.

2.9 Average Rating

C't'a Ton Tour, Laura Cadieux

1998

Denise Filatrault's charming comedy, inspired by Michel Tremblay's novel, stars Ginette Reno as Laura Cadieux, a woman desperate to shed some excess weight. Her solution? To go to a famous doctor for a weekly injection that she hopes will melt away the fat. But she gains more than she loses when she's introduced to a community she so desperately needs, a group of other female patients who understand the roller-coaster she's on.

2.9 Average Rating

Dirt

2004

Two Texans (Tracy Fraim and Michael Covert) grieving their mother's death decide they miss the feminine presence at home and get a hooker (Jennifer Tilly) to keep them company. But they soon realize they need one more companion, so they kidnap DeDe (Tara Chocol), a store clerk. Interestingly, she's glad for the diversion; after all, she's sick of her abusive husband. But he's not sick of his wife, and he goes after all of them.

2.9 Average Rating

Rain in the Mountains

2006

Eric Smallhouse (Steve Pierre) doesn't know the first thing about the traditions and practices of his Native American ancestors, but he's not going to let that little detail dissuade him from leading his people to a resurgence of cultural pride. Renaming himself "Rain in the Mountains," Eric sets out to inspire his people to deny the influences of the white man's world in an effort to recapture their true identity.

2.9 Average Rating

Little Soldier

2008

A soldier scarred by war, Lotte (Trine Dyrholm) returns to Denmark and reunites with her estranged father (Finn Nielsen), a brothel owner who hires her to chauffeur his call girls. As the nights pass, Lotte forms an uneasy bond with Lily (Lorna Brown), her father's mistress. Lotte wants to liberate the woman from servitude, but for Lily, it's not that simple -- selling herself to Danes buys her daughter a better life in Nigeria.

2.9 Average Rating

Janice Beard: 45 WPM

2003

When Janice Beard is born, her father dies of a heart attack at that exact instant, causing her mother to fall into depression that lasts two decades. After graduating school, Janice (Eileen Walsh) joins the workforce, determined to earn enough money for her mother's treatment. But when she takes a job as a secretary for a London automobile company, she becomes the office clown and the target of some absurd office politics.

2.9 Average Rating

Clear Blue Tuesday

2009

Set on a series of Tuesdays over the course of seven years, this uncommon, indie rock movie-musical from director Elizabeth Lucas tells the stories of 11 people living and working in post-9/11 New York City with a cast of real-life performers. The ensemble of working singer-actor-songwriters (who, incidentally, wrote all of the film's music) includes Erin Hill, Vedant Gokhale, Asa Somers, Jan O'Dell and Greg Naughton.

2.9 Average Rating

Daydream Believer

2001

When a minor TV actor (Louis Puopolo) sees starry-eyed Vermont gal Valerie (Sybil Kempson) rehearsing in a small-town theater and offers her a part in his off-Broadway play, she impulsively leaves her fiance (Andrew Hernin) and sister (Wendy Lawrence) to chase her acting dream in the Big Apple. But when the gig falls through, Valerie is reduced to a series of humiliating jobs to make ends meet. Debra Eisenstadt directs this independent comedy.

2.9 Average Rating

Amy

1998

A traumatized girl finds her true voice in this moving comedy-drama. Unable to hear or speak, 8-year-old Amy (Alana De Roma) hides from Child Welfare with her loving mom (Rachel Griffiths). But when they move to Melbourne's seedier side, Amy's secret is revealed: She sings like a bird. Encouraged by new friends, Amy sings her way out of her shell and faces the traumatic event that led to her long silence. Ben Mendelsohn also stars.

2.9 Average Rating

Hellcab

1998

In this slice-of-life indie, a cab driver (Paul Dillon) is about to encounter what may be the toughest -- and oddest -- day of his life. With every fare he picks up, including a rape victim and a combustible couple, he experiences an incremental personality shift. Each small change helps shape him into a profoundly changed man by the end of the day. Cameos include Julianne Moore, John Cusack and Gillian Anderson.

2.9 Average Rating

Drop Dead Roses

2001

Everyguy Shawn (Brian O'Halloran) and his buddy Jason (Eddie McGee) have tapped into a unique market and figured out how to turn it into a successful business: They get revenge on your ex by delivering dead roses or mistreated chocolates, accompanied by a nasty message. But things get complicated when Shawn must make a delivery to Kayla (Diana Devlin) -- a woman he's been infatuated with. Jessica Hudson writes and directs this dark comic romp.

2.8 Average Rating

Female Perversions

1996

This movie tests Louise J. Kaplan's novel, through the character of Eve, a young, successful attorney. Caught between her career aspirations and her desire to help her kleptomaniac sister, Eve walks a tightrope between toughness and vulnerability.

2.8 Average Rating

Wildflowers

2000

Raised in a commune and now drifting away from her well-meaning single-parent father, teenager Cally (Clea DuVall) meets the radical artist Sabine (Daryl Hannah) in a café and is instantly drawn to her. When Sabine leaves her notebook behind, Cally begins to infiltrate the older woman's life, gathering clues about the things they have in common and eventually seducing Sabine's boyfriend (Eric Roberts).

2.8 Average Rating