Reviews

True that The Independent is not in the habit of reviewing films, but we've got fresh talent on board with Kurt Brokaw, New School professor and 92Y teacher. He's watching all 38 films in the New Directors/New Films lineup and zoning in on the best of the fest exclusively for our readers.

The Independent's Patrick Pearce offers take two of highlights from Montréal's Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, this time with a focus on docs. Last month he served up narrative features.

The Independent's Patrick Pearce offers up an eclectic global sampling of indie features from Montréal's Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, a veteran fest that offers a bounty of stimulating films. In the forthcoming part two, he'll highlight docs.

OK, so the Academy Awards don't exactly scream "independent." Nonetheless, independent filmmakers have a place at this red carpet event and, this year, the Oscar's documentary shortlist includes several independent films both from well-established directors and up-and-coming names. Selections include Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World (view trailer here) and Ellen Kuras's The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) (view the trailer here).

The Independent's Jericho Parms sifts through the multitude of programs for aspiring screenwriters and boils down the essentials so you can find the best fit to help you achieve your screenwriting goal, whether that be having as many finished screenplays by the end of the program as possible, or walking away with an education that not only helps you put your ideas on paper, but helps prepare you to sell your ideas to the people who can get them up on the big screen.

The new social media center, boxee, aims to change the way you watch TV by bringing all your favorite media into one place, whether it be from the Internet, Hulu or CBS. But, could this mean a change for broadcasting independent films as well?

Choosing the right school is hard, but it can be even harder when you have a specialized focus, like documentary filmmaking. Whether you're a novice or a veteran filmmaker looking to try something new, this top ten list of the best documentary film programs, both degree granting and non-degree granting, boils down the programs so you can find exactly the right fit.

Screenwriter and blogger David L. Tamarian says that he was fascinated, even as a young child, by images of Norman Bates wielding his overactive knife and Damien's sweet British nurse hanging herself. Today, he makes his own gory, grindhouse films, taking inspiration from the likes of Japan's Takashi Miike, the director of Audition and the forthcoming God's Puzzle. So for Halloween, we asked David to compile his list of the ten scariest movies of all time. Rent them at your own risk.