November 02, 2015
Handout Art/Philadelphia Film Society
"Carol," "The Great Alone," "Entertainment" and "Brooklyn" were among the many films screened during the Philadelphia Film Festival.
Sunday marked the end of the 24th annual Philadelphia Film Festival, a curation of 130-plus motion pictures from around the world that promised to inspire, surprise and entertain. As part of this year's string of screenings, we grabbed a bucket of popcorn and digested 10 films that piqued our interest. Here, the rundown of which films you'll want to see when they screen in theaters or are available for purchase.
The story of two women who fall in love in the 1950s, Todd Haynes’ “Carol” is a delicious multicourse meal of love and lust, one that knows just the right time to bring out the next dish. Its pace is slow but steady, with enough payoff to keep an audience hooked for all 118 minutes of Carol and Therese’s frustratingly hands-off displays of affection. Dialogue is sparse but smartly inserted. Shot in 16 mm, the film is beautifully grainy in a way that laughs in the face of HD, and the acting earns its Oscar buzz.
The Good: The film’s ability to be relatable despite its perceived niche-ness. It’s as much about what you’ll do for love (same-sex or otherwise) as it is about what you’ll do – and what you’re willing to give up – for your child.
The Bad: While the film wisely takes the approach of “less is more,” some characters, such as Sarah Paulson’s Abby and the always angry Harge, played by Kyle Chandler, feel underdeveloped.
Recommended For: Anyone who’s long been in search of a thoughtful love story between women. Also, those who fondly remember HBO’s “Mildred Pierce”: Between the comparable time periods, score and costuming, you almost expect Mildred to pop by Carol’s mansion for tea at any moment.
Available: Nov. 20 in select theaters
“The 33,” starring Antonio Banderas, James Brolin and standout Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro, takes viewers moment by moment through the 2010 Chilean mine collapse that caught the world’s attention. As a film, it makes the most of its source material; truly, you wouldn’t expect 33 miners stuck in a hole together for two hours to be as enjoyable and -- at times, funny -- as it is. It’s dark without ever engulfing you in what is, literally, a pit of misery. And if only for that, it deserves your attention.
The Good: It feels like a mostly faithful retelling of a true story. It provides the sensation of being right there in the refuge with the miners, right down to the compelling sound effects of the mine’s collapse. Its short hallucination scene midway through makes for some necessary comic relief.
The Bad: It’s difficult to get through a movie of more than two hours about survival when you already know the ending. It also suffers from some occasionally poor dialogue.
Recommended For: Those looking for the blockbuster film experience, but with a little more meat to it. Or, anyone who needs their faith in humanity restored.
Available: Nov. 13 in select theaters
“Entertainment,” a follow-up but not a sequel to “The Comedy,” is billed as a “black comedy.” What “Entertainment” actually is, though, is anyone’s guess – which also proves part of its charm. At one moment, it’s spewing gut laughs and wholly offensive jokes about everything from Madonna to rapists, and in the next, flashing colors at you with a haunting instrumental that wouldn’t feel out of place in “The Shining.” It’s not exactly a funny movie, nor is it a scary one. It’s unsettling; it’s disturbing; it’s … well, entertainment.
The Good: The film’s lead, Gregg Turkington, plays a woe-is-me, eternally volatile traveling comedian named John, a train wreck of a character from whom you can’t look away. The film's also a refreshingly honest demonstration of the frustrations that come with commanding a room as a comedian.
The Bad: It has no idea what it wants to be. While alluring at times, it’s frustrating to ready yourself for a laugh, only to settle into a cringe. And though he gets a top-half billing in the credits, Michael Cera appears for a single, underwhelming scene.
Recommended For: “What’s the difference between the American flag and Courtney Love? It would be wrong to pee on the American flag.” If that joke sounds funny to you, you’ll love the humor of “Entertainment.” If not, steer clear.
Available: Nov. 13 in select theaters
Director and writer Andrew Haigh (see: HBO's "Looking") portrays the less alluring sides of retirement through Cate and Jeff, a couple celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary. When Jeff learns the corpse of a former lover has been discovered, old memories surface and the two obsessively spin "what if?" scenarios for most of the film's 95 minutes. "45 Years" depicts the rabbit hole one digs when reviewing life choices and executes this in a way that is thought-provoking and comes off, at least, as wise.
The Good: It's like a coming of age story, but on the opposite end of the life cycle. It's also bold in that it creates characters who aren't particularly likable, yet capture your attention all the same. The dialogue, meanwhile, skillfully takes you through the lives of Cate and Jeff without feeling heavy-handed.
The Bad: It can be pretentious at times. These are characters who pass an afternoon reading Kierkegaard. Some issues also go unresolved, resulting in a relatively unsatisfying ending.
Recommended For: Longtime couples, anyone living (or approaching) the retired life.
Available: Dec. 23 in select theaters
Hunter Parrish plays a down-on-his-luck 20-something chef who failed to make it in New York and suddenly finds himself working at his father’s Atlantic City restaurant – just in time for Superstorm Sandy to hit. But while the locally shot romance flick does touch on some post-storm realities for business owners, it’s not about Sandy as much as it is about lowering expectations in life – with love and business. And in truth, it does a better job of managing those messages than it does of telling a love story.
The Good: It’s a fairly accurate representation of life in Atlantic City and the attitude of those who live there. Parrish, meanwhile, proves endearing as the good-guy male lead, and Tim Daly fits surprisingly well in the role of the “cool older uncle with money” type.
The Bad: It’s more than a little hokey and lead actress Ashley Hinshaw delivers her lines as if she were in a high school play rehearsal.
Recommended For: Jersey Shore-goers, starving artists and a night of “Netflix and chill.”
Available: 2016 in select theaters
In this adaptation of the 2009 Colm Toibin novel of the same name, Saoirse Ronan plays Eilis Lacey, an Irish immigrant from a small town who makes her way to New York in the early 1950s. Just as she settles into her new city life, she is called back home. Torn between her two homes and two loves, she must decide what she wants her life to look like. The film is expertly acted by previous Academy Award nominee Ronan and its measured direction are reminiscent of Golden Age Hollywood films from the story’s era.
The Good: Ronan’s chemistry with newcomer Emory Cohen, as classic Italian Brooklynite Tony, is magnetic. Their scenes are absolutely mesmerizing and signal much more to come from both Ronan and Cohen.
The Bad: Though the crux of Eilis’ struggle rests on choosing between Tony and Jim Farrell, the amicable Irishman played by Domhnall Gleeson, her chemistry with Jim is far less convincing. It’s no contest, to be perfectly honest.
Recommended For: Fans of “Atonement” and “The Notebook,” and viewers who really enjoy finding talent before it’s “discovered” by the pop culture crowd.
Available: In select theaters Nov. 4
Often called the “black sheep” of her family, the “poorest” (poor being a very relative term, here) Guggenheim spent her life trying to make a name for herself in the art world. This documentary follows how Peggy’s efforts to collect from, support and, at times, date, many significant artists of the twentieth century led to one of the most important modern art collections in the world. It’s a whimsical look into a fascinating personality who basically discovered the likes of Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.
The Good: The documentary does well in telling the incredibly complicated story of Peggy, a shy socialite who constantly rebelled against her name to various levels of success.
The Bad: Since much of Peggy’s life took place in the early 20th century, the documentary substitutes movies and stock footage from the era for primary sources. It works to an extent, but the generic black and white imagery becomes tiring.
Recommended For: Those who would rather watch a movie than read a book. Peggy’s memoirs would perhaps do a better job of illuminating her personality than a documentary.
Available: On DVD Feb. 22, 2016
Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard star in this adaptation of “The Scottish Play.” Though the movie sticks fairly faithfully to the play’s script when not cutting for time, it also takes liberties with the plot, adding a few speechless scenes for extra background information. It looks like a true cinematic adaptation rather than a theatrical adaptation on film, the sad fate of many Shakespeare movies. It feels very true to Shakespeare’s original tragedy because it goes full-tilt into Macbeth’s madness and the war-torn landscape of medieval Scotland rather than playing up the tights-and-swords aesthetic.
The Good: Fassbender was basically born to play a tyrannical king so his turn is very satisfying. Cotillard’s is wonderful too, even if her low-key Lady Macbeth was a bit disappointing.
The Bad: Director Justin Kurzel takes his time with the story – I mean, he really takes his time. The movie is incredibly slow for a plot so action-packed.
Recommended For: English teachers everywhere. It’s definitely the most interesting screen adaptation of the work and, though violent like most Shakespearean works, is otherwise school-safe.
Available: In theaters Dec. 4
Lance Mackey, an Iditarod champion and son of fellow Iditarod legend Dick Mackey, has had a fascinating life. This award-winning documentary by Philadelphia filmmaker Greg Kohs follows the athlete’s many ups and downs, both in his personal and professional life as a sled dog racer. Despite Mackey’s story largely taking place in the wide expanses of the Alaskan wilderness, the telling of his story and the characters in it is visually interesting and well-paced. Mackey himself appeared at the PFF’s screening of “The Great Alone” and is as humble in person as he is captivating on screen.
The Good: Mackey’s story almost writes itself, but the resources – like home videos, vintage sports footage and family interviews – Kohs uses really make the movie special.
The Bad: The movie is subject to real life happenings, so the ending that could make the film triumphant doesn’t exist. But it doesn’t really suffer for it.
Recommended For: People who usually hate “sports movies.” Sure, there’s still a winner and a loser in this tale, but it’s much more a human interest piece than an underdog cliché.
Available: TBA
The Hindi film “Talvar,” or “Guilty,” is a thriller based on a real-life crime: the murder of a 14-year-old middle-class girl and her family’s middle-aged servant. Director Meghna Gulzar uses the film to investigate the crime’s many sides, from the possible murderers and the gossip mill the crime creates to the bungling police team that handles the case. Viewers see the crime from every angle and are left to decide “whodunit” for themselves – and it isn’t an easy case to solve.
The Good: Irrfan Khan plays Ashwin Kumar, an investigator who takes over the case after the police screw it up. Despite playing such a stock character role as the jaded detective seeking justice, it’s hard to take your eyes off Khan when he’s on screen.
The Bad: Since the film is based on a true story, it tries to pack in every single detail of the murder, meaning it clocks in at an overwhelming (and drawn out) two hours and 13 minutes.
Recommended For: Anyone who loves a great true-crime thriller and has tons of time to kill. (Pun intended.)
Available: Now, in limited release
