26th Philadelphia Film Festival, Days 3 and 4: Animals and art.

The third day of the festival — my second since I didn't attend opening night — was only a hair better than day two. My screenings for both days were equally awful. That's not to say that everything shown that day was bad, I just didn't choose correctly.

My day started off with this year's Golden Bear winner "On Body and Soul," a Hungarian film about two slaughterhouse workers who find a connection because of the synchronous dreams they share. Both young, baby-faced Maria and the older Endre dream that they are deer in a snow-covered forest and have the exact same dream each night. The two socially-awkward individuals become simple acquaintances over their nighttime visuals and we delve slowly into their eccentricities and personalities in this delicate feature.

Movie Review: 'Wonderstruck' left me wonderstruck

Julianne Moore portrays older Rose in "Wonderstruck". Roadside Attractions

Wonderstruck (2017, directed by Todd Haynes. U.S.A., English, Color/B&W, 117 minutes) The misconception about children being the main focus of a film can be that it will be written off as a kids film. Well, that's not always true (e.g. "It"). Todd Haynes' "Wonderstruck" has two kids as the protagonists in a film that is a little more deep than what could be considered kid-friendly. Haynes brings as much love and compassion to his young lead actors as he did in the forbidden love story of his last feature, "Carol", without dumbing down the characters to draw in the "Despicable Me" audience.

Movie Review: Emotions sink like a stone in dried up 'Wind River'

The Weinstein Company

Wind River (2017, directed by Taylor Sheridan. U.S.A., English, Color, 111 minutes) In his directorial debut following his Oscar nomination for writing last year's "Hell or High Water", Taylor Sheridan continues his passion for crime with "Wind River", the incredibly mean-spirited and drab story about a young girl found frozen to death in the middle of a Wyoming Indian reservation. Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen team up as the Fish and Wildlife Service officer and FBI agent, respectively, tasked with combating personal conflicts and cultural differences to solve the crime in the barren, frozen lands.

Movie Review: Simmering tension ignites 'The Beguiled'

Courtesy of Focus Features

The Beguiled (2017, directed by Sofia Coppola. U.S.A, English, Color, 94 minutes) A group of young women, their teacher and the headmistress are confronted with a shocking reality that has yet to fall before them. A wounded Union soldier is brought to them in to their Virginia school during the thick of the Civil War. But it's not the war lying right there at their doorstep that's intrusive for them. Oh no. It's the ruggedly handsome soldier who inflames repressed sexual tension among the women, and it fills the screen with an intensity that slowly explodes over the course of 90 minutes.

25th Philadelphia Film Festival, Day 11: Bittersweet ending

(Read about Days 9 and 10 here)

Perhaps they're not using their signature line "See Something You'll Never Forget" because I hadn't seen it promoted anywhere during the festival this year. Nothing was so incredible about the 21 films I saw this year that I wouldn't be able to forget them — though I really adored "Toni Erdmann" and "Paterson" — but it was certainly a better fest than the past two years when I really started covering it.

Maybe I just chose better films? Maybe the films, overall, were better? Even when I picked something I wasn't looking forward to I ended up being pleasantly surprised, like "Miss Impossible" and "Fire at Sea". There were a few rumblings in waiting lines about a few of the selections, but people seemed to be receptive of almost everything.

Of course, I am always more bothered by the fact that films consistently started late which is a prevalent problem with the festival. It's like a normality.

But anywho.

On day 11, the final day of the festival, I enjoyed just two films, the documentary "Obit" and the mystery "Personal Shopper".

25th Philadelphia Film Festival, Days 9 and 10: Downfall

(Read about days 7 and 8 here)

Man, come Friday morning I was still reeling from "Paterson" the night before. Such a fantastic movie (and even better after I saw my friend V as an extra in it).

As the sentiment faded, I wasn't really looking forward to much on Friday. I wasn't planning on seeing the closing night film, "Arrival", or seeing that what the award winners were from the private jury that almost no one knows exists. Friday was a day off for me from work and I just wanted to get the most of the badge that I had. I had only seen 13 movies up until the day.

The "Parents" dishcloth. Dropped stitches at the end/top.

On my short roster of three selections was the Danish film "Parents", the Japanese film "Harmonium" and the French Canadian "Boundaries".

These were three selections I should have strayed extremely far away from and should have opted to see something else... or nothing at all.

"Parents" is about a middle-aged couple who have to deal with their adult son finally moving out of their house. What started beautifully, just like the dishcloth I was making when it started, quickly turned into a mess, just like the dishcloth.

A great premise at face value, it then turned into a really weird sci-fi-ish tale where the parents change into their 20-something selves, and the mom wants to have a baby with her son. I couldn't with this film, not at all. Just give me a straight-forward tale about parents dealing with it instead of an overly pretentious bucket of crap that tries too hard to be awesome. I gave it props based on the premise.

25th Philadelphia Film Festival, Days 7 and 8: Persons of Extreme Interest, 'Christine' and 'Paterson'

(Read about day 4 here)

As I stated in my previous post, I usually take Monday and Tuesday off from festivals to get back into my regular work routine and catch up with a weeknight film on the other days.

This year was no different.

On Wednesday, which was seriously one of the longest, most tiring days I've had in a while, I drove out to a 9:25 screening of "Christine", the Rebecca Hall vehicle about reporter Christine Chubbuck who killed herself on live TV back in the '70s.

25th Philadelphia Film Festival, Day 2: A Good Start!

All right, day two of the 25th Philadelphia Film Festival!

But wait. Where's day one at?

Well, unless you were paying $250 for me to see the opening night film "La La Land" I wasn't attending. I mean $250 for one movie (plus some parties)? That's pretty atrocious, especially since the opening/closing night films last year were like $25 a piece. A 1000 percent markup in one year. Philadelphia Film Society, kindly fuck yourself with a chainsaw for that one.

So my foray into the festival started on Friday, day two of the 11-day fest. I gathered my press badge (which gets me into all screenings save for opening/closing night and centerpieces), my knitting needles and yarn, water bottle and an open mind into the four films I had lined up for the day.

25th Philly Film Fest Preview- The 'Arrival' of a fest in 'La La Land'

The Philadelphia Film Festival will officially be 25 years strong when "La La Land" opens up this year's cinephile extravaganza on Thursday night at The Prince Theater and ushering in 10 days thereafter of interesting fare.

"La La Land" is one of the top films poached from the big film festivals that have come before PFF, followed up by "Jackie", "Manchester by the Sea" and "Toni Erdmann" just to name a few, closing out with the sci-fi film "Arrival".

Even though I think the festival is just a draw of big films that have trickled down to the region without hosting any big premieres of its own to speak of, the festival is always an entertaining mish-mash of greatness, misery, the befuddling and even audience chaos.

Last year's closing weekend was a wonderful macabre of what a festival should (not) be. When Michael Moore arrived closing night for a Q&A following a screening of his film "Where to Invade Next", journalist Buzz Bissinger heckled Moore for the claims he made in his newest feature. That provided nice banter for the audience to absorb.

But then two days later, on the very last day of the festival in one of the final screenings, the 3D sex romp "Love" screened 80 minutes late. I wrote about it here, but it was probably one of the festival's worst moments in its history. "Love" was the only 3D screening last year, and on the last day, yet they couldn't get the specs right.

Alas, with no Moore or 3D features this year, the festival should go off without a hitch, and I hope it does.

I enjoyed most of the films I saw last year, but I did think the slate (that I saw at least) revolved around a theme of beating a dead horse. Too often was I watching stories that were so familiar, generic. This year, with a lovable teddy bear in "Toni Erdmann", a musical throwback to the Golden Era of film in "La La Land" and a inside look at The New York Times obituary section in "Obit" all seem like a winning batch.

Being cognizant of the changing scoci-political climate, a new sidebar section called State of the Union exhibits four documentaries that tackle cyber warfare ("Zero Days"), police militarization ("Do Not Resist"), prison solitary confinement ("Solitary") and medical care of undocumented immigrants ("Clínica de Migrantes").

There is sure to be something for every one this year, unless you were too late to buy tickets for "Paterson" and "Toni Erdmann" because they're sold out.

For ticket and screening info visit filmadelphia.org/festival.

'La La Land' opens 25th Philadelphia Film Festival

The critically acclaimed "La La Land" will open the 25th Philadelphia Film Festival this year

The Philadelphia Film Society is proud to announce the full film line-up of the 25^th Philadelphia Film Festival, spanning from October 20 – October 30 on four theater screens throughout the Greater Philadelphia area.

Opening on Oct. 20 with Damien Chazelle’s "La La Land" and closing on Oct. 30 with "Arrival", the 11-day Festival will showcase over 110 feature length and short films, curated by our programming committee who chooses each selection from multiple international festivals throughout the year.

“We are thrilled to celebrate a milestone year for the Philadelphia Film Festival and to have the opportunity to showcase some of the best films of the year right here in Philly.” said Executive Director, J. Andrew Greenblatt.  “From our Opening Night screening, "La La Land", which was the talk of the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, to the Closing Night screening of "Arrival", this year’s prodigious line-up fully embodies what the Philadelphia Film Festival truly is: a community filled with film lovers brought together to experience today’s most thought-provoking and innovative films!”

“As we celebrate 25 years of Philadelphia Film Festival, we are extremely proud to announce that it’s once our best lineups. With over 110 works from world renowned directors, including tons of surprises, our lineup includes something for everyone to enjoy,” said Michael Lerman, Artistic Director.  “We’ve had pretty incredible success rate. Four out of the last 5 Best Picture winners made their Philadelphia debut at our Festival, so this is the chance to see it first!”

The Philadelphia Film Society is honored to have Damien Chazelle, recipient of the Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay for "Whiplash"¸ and director of the Opening Night film, "La La Land" join us for the #PFF25 opening night.

The full Festival schedule and digital Festival Program Guide is available now on www.filmadelphia.org/festival. 

Screenings for the 25^th Philadelphia Film Festival will take place at the Ritz East (125 S. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106), Ritz Five (214 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106), PFS Roxy Theater (2023 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103), and Prince Theater (1412 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102). Tickets will go on-sale for Philadelphia Film Society members on Friday, September 30, and to the general public beginning Friday, October 6.  Tickets may be purchased through the Festival website, www.filmadelphia.org/festival, or in-person at the Main Box Office at the Prince Theater (open Monday – Saturday from 12 noon to 5:00 pm).

25^th Philadelphia Film Festival Full Line-up

Opening Night Film

·         La La Land, Director Damien Chazelle. 2016, USA.

Closing Night Film

·         Arrival, Director Denis Villeneuve. 2016, USA.

Centerpiece Screenings

·         Jackie, Director Pablo Larraín. 2016, USA, France, Chile.

·         Lion, Director Garth Davis. 2016, Australia, USA, UK.

·         Manchester by the Sea, Director Kenneth Lonergan 2016, USA.

·         Moonlight, Director Barry Jenkins. 2016, USA.

·         Toni Erdmann, Director Maren Ade, 2016, Germany

From the Vaults: Film history comes alive as it was meant to be seen - on the big screen. Come see old favorites bigger than life once again.

·         Dekalog, Director Krzysztof Kieślowski. 1988, USA.

·         Night on Earth, Director Jim Jarmusch. 1991, USA.

·         Wonder Boys, Director Curtis Hanson. 2000, USA.

Spotlights, Presented by Philly Style: Highly–anticipated movies from some of the biggest names in the industry, these films shine a spotlight on top talent from around the world.

·         Christine, Director Antonio Campos. 2016, USA.

·         King Cobra, Director Justin Kelly. 2016, USA.

·         Wolves, Director Bart Freundlich. 2016, USA.

24th Philadelphia Film Fest, Day 4: A day of great choices

Note to self: check the public trans schedule about an hour before you plan on leaving. That would be pretty helpful.

Aside from that slight hiccup at the start of my day, the fourth day of the Philadelphia Film Festival was the best one yet. Instead of seeing four films like I wanted, I opted for three. I was just too darn tired.

The start of this eventual great day was "Remember", a film I had not heard about before. The festival program guide says it's about a guy who seeks out the Nazi who killed he and his wife's families at Auschwitz.

"Remember" features a standout turn by Christopher Plummer as the man on the cross-country hunt to kill this Nazi. He portrays the dementia-afflicted man with a delicate touch of warmth and sadness. This is a film that had everyone shocked, and if you see, you'd understand why.

Not your standard rinse and repeat Holocaust movie.

Philadelphia Film Festival ready to kick off 24th year

From Oct. 22 to Nov. 1, lovers of film are expected to see something  at the 24th Philadelphia Film Festival  (PFF) the promotional materials says they’ll “never forget”, and with over 130 different feature and short film options to choose from, that statement couldn’t be more true.

Starting with the opening night film, Charlie Kauffman’s award-winning stop-motion feature “Anomalisa”, to Michael Moore’s latest documentary feature “Where to Invade Next” capping off the 11-day fest, the festival will include the best, and, perhaps, divisive, works of cinema from around the globe in a crowded assembly where internationally renowned directors share the spotlight with Philadelphia-based talent as they tell stories that break out beyond conventional boundaries.

“This year is probably the strongest year since I’ve been working there,” said the festival’s artistic director Michael Lerman. “It was interesting because while I was putting it together it was unclear looking at bits and pieces how it was going to turn out, and then it all seemed to come together at the last minute.”

Official Selections Announced for Cannes 2015

Nineteen films from around the world have been selected to compete in competition for the 68th Cannes Films Festival.

Perennial favorites Jacques Audiard, Maïwenn, Nanni Moretti, and Gus Van Sant are just some of the auteurs whose latest works will premiere on the Croisette in hopes of winning the Palme d'Or.

Directors Joel and Ethan Coen will serve as presidents of the jury for the annual festival that runs from May 13 to 24.

The following films are in competition

Jacques AUDIARD	DHEEPAN (TEMPORARY TITLE)	1h49
Stéphane BRIZÉ	LA LOI DU MARCHÉ (A SIMPLE MAN)	1h32
Valérie DONZELLI	MARGUERITE ET JULIEN (MARGUERITE AND JULIEN)	1h50
Matteo GARRONE	IL RACCONTO DEI RACCONTI (TALE OF TALES)	2h05
Todd HAYNES	CAROL	1h58
HOU Hsiao Hsien	NIE YINNIANG (THE ASSASSIN)	2h00
JIA Zhang-Ke	SHAN HE GU REN (MOUTAINS MAY DEPART)	2h00
KORE-EDA Hirokazu	UMIMACHI DIARY (OUR LITTLE SISTER)	2h08
Justin KURZEL	MACBETH	1h53
Yorgos LANTHIMOS	THE LOBSTER	1h58
MAÏWENN	MON ROI	2h10
Nanni MORETTI	MIA MADRE	1h42
László NEMES	SAUL FIA (SON OF SAUL) 1st film	1h47
Paolo SORRENTINO	YOUTH	1h58
Joachim TRIER	LOUDER THAN BOMBS	1h45
Gus VAN SANT	THE SEA OF TREES	1h50
Denis VILLENEUVE	SICARIO

Movie Review: 'Force Majeure' Piles on Dark Laughs For Vacation

The avalanche that started it all in "Force Majeure"

Force Majeure (2014, directed by Ruben Östlund. Sweden, in Swedish and English, color, 118 minutes) I saw "Force Majeure", Sweden's submission for the best foreign language film Oscar consideration, during a packed screening as part of the Philadelphia Film Festival this year. It was one of many sellouts during this year's fest and it's easy to see why.

Tomas, his wife, Ebba, and their two children take to the French Alps for a five-day vacation. The first day goes off without a hitch. Plenty of skiing on the beautifully photographed slopes, a hilarious photo opportunity on the mountain, and cranky kids. You know, it's vacation. Then on the second day, the family has lunch outside at the hotel's restaurant when a controlled avalanche happens, but it looks to get too close and everyone starts running, even Tomas. While Ebba protects the kids as a cloud of snow blankets the deck, Tomas grabs his glove and phone and runs like hell.

'Foxcatcher' Gets Philadelphia Premiere

(From L) Director Bennett Miller, Nancy Schultz and Anthony Michael Hall at the red carpet premiere of "Foxcatcher" at the Prince Music Theater.

It was a red carpet affair for the Philadelphia premiere of the film “Foxcatcher” Monday night.

The Prince Music Theater hosted the premiere of the award-winning film, with director Bennett Miller and star Anthony Michael Hall in attendance.

Set primarily in Delaware County, “Foxcatcher” is the story of millionaire John du Pont, played by Steve Carell, and his relationships with Olympic wrestling athletes Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) as they prepare for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games on du Pont’s Newtown Square estate.

The triangular story of power turned fatal when du Pont shot and killed Dave at his house on the estate on Jan. 26, 1996. Du Pont was convicted of third degree murder but mentally ill, and died in prison in 2010.

“This whole adventure began about eight years ago when a stranger approached me at an event in a store and handed me an envelope that contained newspaper clippings I was, somehow, not familiar with. Immediately I knew I was going to make this film,” said Miller at the premiere.

23rd Philadelphia Film Festival: Days 7 and 8

It was a dreary, miserable day before I went downtown for a couple of evening showings on the festival's 7th day. I had skipped screenings on days 5 and 6 because I have a legit job where film criticism isn't my primary focus. It's a nice hobby, though.

(Read about days 1-4 of the festival here)

Anywho, one of the films I was most looking forward to, and the one most difficult to squeeze into my schedule, was this year's Cannes jury prize winner "Goodbye to Language" - which tied with "Mommy", another PFF selection. Later on I would be checking out the German film "Stations of the Cross", and while the first few days were full of disappointment, day 7 was a total highlight.

Day 7- Visual Stimulants

The rain was a problem. Parking downtown can be a total asshole, and with the rain I figured I was going to be showered with no possibilities. Luckily, I found a spot about two blocks over with only 7 minutes before the screening started for "Goodbye to Language". I got a good seat and honkered down for whatever the hell was about to come my way.

'Birdman' To Open 23rd Philadelphia FIlm Festival, Full Line-up Announced

The Philadelphia Film Society announced today the line-up for the 23rd Philadelphia Film Festival, opening with Oscar-hopeful "Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance" by Alejandro González Iñárritu, and closing with another Oscar-hopeful in the Reese Witherspoon vehicle, "Wild".

The festival runs from Oct. 16 to Oct. 26 in six venues around Center City. Here is the complete festival program guide.

Over 100 feature length and short films will be presented in this year's set, ranging from the Cannes- heavy Masters of Cinema selection, to local fair in narrative and documentary features.

"Beginning with our Opening Night screening of the highly acclaimed Birdman through October 26th, our diverse collection of films, everything from prestigious world cinema hits to exciting new American indies will entertain, challenge and truly highlight some of the best cinema of the year," said society executive director J. Andrew Greenblatt in a press release.

Delco-Based 'Foxcatcher' Wins Big at Cannes Film Festival

Bennett Miller holds up his best director scroll after Saturday's closing ceremony in Cannes. (Reuters)

An upcoming film about the relationship and subsequent murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz by millionaire John du Pont on his 400-acre Delco estate earned a top prize Saturday evening at the closing of the Cannes Film Festival.

Director Bennett Miller won the prix de la mise en scène (best director) for his film “Foxcatcher,” a new drama starring Steve Carell as du Pont set at the millionaire’s Newtown Square estate Foxcatcher Farm, where du Pont shot and killed Schultz on Jan. 26, 1996. This led to a standoff with police that lasted two days.

Miller was feted with the award by a jury headed by New Zealand writer/director Jane Campion, with Sofia Coppola, Willem Dafoe and Gael Garcia Bernal serving on the nine-member jury. Cannes is noted for being the premier film festival in the world.

“Foxcatcher” is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on November 14.

On Netflix: These Palme d'Or Winners are Streaming Now

Though few may have actually heard of this year's Palme d'Or winner, "Winter Sleep," it's quite possible you've heard of a few others like "The Pianist", "Pulp Fiction" and "Taxi Driver." With a Palme win comes a lifetime of immortality for the filmmaker and a solidified career as a true artist in the world of film.

Looking back at what the hundreds of various jury members picked as the festival's best films, the subject matters have been as varied as the persons who picked them. One year it's a war film, 1979's "Apocalypse Now," another it's about the students of a French classroom, 2009's "The Class." There might be nothing new under the sun, but Cannes always turns up something interesting and fresh, opening the world up to different characters, lives and experiences.

Here is a list of previous Palme winners that you can check out now.

Blue is the Warmest Color- 2013
Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives- 2010
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days- 2007
The Wind That Shakes the Barley- 2006
The Pianist- 2002
The Son's Room- 2001
Pulp Fiction- 1994
Farewell My Concubine- 1993
The Piano- 1993
Barton Fink- 1991
Kagemusha: Shadow Warrior- 1980
Taxi Driver- 1976
The Conversation- 1974 (Grand Prix, highest honor)
MASH- 1970 (Grand Prix, highest honor)