30th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival Coverage

Philadelphia Film Festival
October 20 -October 31, 2021

THE FRENCH DISPATCH | WES ANDERSON | Germany, USA | English, French | 2021 | 108 MIN 

PFF30 Day 1

Anderson has done it again, put his distinctive stamp on a fable-ish, super stylized, precise, work of art. My favorites have been The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom. This one is right up there.  The story begins with a 1975 obituary, both for editor Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray, Anderson’s obvious muse), and for the paper he founded 50 years prior, the French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun. Howitzer Jr., I understand is based in part on the New Yorker co-founder Harold Ross.  

After the viewer is thoroughly introduced to The French Dispatch news magazine, in that heighten rhythm of lunacy Anderson is known for. The film goes into 3 vignettes. Colorful tales of articles covered by one of Howitzer’s wacky journalists.  The first one featuring Benicio Del Toro as an artistic genius and incarcerated maniac, in love with a female prison guard (Léa Seydoux) who agrees to pose nude for his abstract paintings, is my favorite; but all 3 are highly amusing and wonderfully fast-paced, colored to perfection and include a cavalcade of high caliber actors: Timothee Chalamet, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Frances McDormand, Owen Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Saoirse Ronan, Elisabeth Moss, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Christoph Waltz, Edward Norton, narrated by Anjelica Houston, just to name a few… 

T&T LAMB rating: 4.5 outta 5

Post Update: Nov 6th – French Dispatch Swag

Swag for #WesAnderson THE FRENCH DISPATCH
See T&T #MiniMovieReview https://t.co/8Xm1lB0pJw@searchlightpics #AwardsSeason #PFCC#TheFrenchDispatch pic.twitter.com/PWLUYJrSec

— Tinsel & Tine (@tinseltine) November 6, 2021

#PFF30 Opened with Sir Kenneth Branagh’s BELFAST | 2021

The semi-autobiographical film, written and directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh, told in black and white, tells the story of the life of a working-class family and their young son’s childhood during the tumult of the late 1960s in the Northern Ireland capital. The film stars Jamie Dornan, Caitríona Balfe, and Dame Judi Dench.

Branagh has created a sentimental look at his childhood in Belfast, shortly before his family moved to England.  The child actor playing him, 9 year-old Buddy (Jude Hill) is an adorable, thoughtful, funny, nice looking kid with a beautiful golden head of hair.  The actor he has playing his older brother Will is a poor class looking, not very bright or expressive seeming kid (Lewis McAskie) and I can’t help but wonder if Branagh’s brother is still alive and how he feels about Kenneth’s depiction of him in the movie? Nothing bad or terrible; however, there’s a female cousin, who gets good screen time as being a sorta troublemaker, but obviously well-liked by Buddy.  Buddy has a romantic view of his two attractive parents and adores his grandparents (Dench & Ciarán Hinds) but Will, is just kinda there… hmmm.

The backdrop of the story deals with the country’s growing religious divide between Catholics and Protestants. Buddy’s family is Protestant, but they’re of the mindset, you worship how you like, we’ll worship as we like, as it should be.  Only Buddy’s Pa (Dornan) is being hounded by a local thug Billy Clanton (Colin Morgan) to join the local uprising to oust Catholics from the neighborhood or they’ll make it tough on the whole family.   Although this religious fervor frames the movie, the central focus is about the love of this place, Belfast, and the joys of childhood, boyhood crushes, going to the movies and seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Christmas presents and the likes.    T&T LAMB rating: 3.5 outta 5

Here’s Kenneth Branagh being interview by PFS Artistic Director Michael Lerman shown after the screening

PFF30 Day 2

HAPPENING | Audrey Diwan | France | 2021 | 99 MIN

Set in the early 60’s France. A clear-eyed, pretty with no make-up (has nothing to do with the story, but it’s the stuff I notice) young University student, Anne (Anamaria Vartolomei) finds herself pregnant at a time when abortion is not only illegal, but punishable by incarceration for anyone involved. The dark world some of our backwards States are trying to push us into. It’s so taboo, she can’t confide in her provincial parents or her classmates, so close they share the same chewed piece of gum, but heaven forbid you tell them you are in need of an abortion. Meanwhile, the title cards keep announcing how many weeks are going by while Anne is trying to both decide what to do and pretend it’s not HAPPENING. Eventually, we just go through a completely harrowing and visceral experience, physically and emotionally with this young woman – who does have a healthy outlook on her sexuality, which is great, you just wish she had been more careful. Of course, it should be up to both people to be careful, but nothing has changed in 60 years. Women’s rights over their own bodies are constantly being threaten, yet the male in the situation can completely ignore getting a woman pregnant should he so choose. We all know this, but when you see it acted out for a screen period of 12 weeks, it brings it all home again. Deserved winner of Cannes Golden Lion 2021; it’s just too bad that it won’t change the conversation: Pro-Lifers will say, see she suffered trying to get an abortion because it’s against God’s Will. And Pro-Choice will say, see this is why abortions must stay legal, so women’s lives are not in jeopardy.
T&T LAMB rating : 4 outta 5

SUNDOWN |Michel Franco | France, Mexico, Sweden | English, Spanish | 2021 | 84 MIN

Alice & Neil (Charlotte Gainsborough and Tim Roth) are siblings on vacay in Acapulco with her college age children. They are a very wealthy Slaughter House family. The film eases you in with a long montage of the foursome enjoying all the spoils of a luxury holiday. There really is nothing better than downtime at the beach, any beach! But all is suddenly interrupted by a phone call informing them their mother, the kid’s grandmother, is ill and being rushed to the hospital. You really wonder at first where things will go from here? Then as they are about to board the plane back to London, Neil says he’s forgotten his passport back at the hotel and needs to go back to get it and will take a later flight out. He lied. Dude just decides he’s not dealing with the drama and takes on being a beach bum, just chills the “F” out. Unfortunately, with devastating consequences. Basically, how NOT to retire.

Sundown is somewhat of a slow burn, but always somehow weirdly fascinating.

This is one of 3 films in the Festival I’ve seen which deals with brother and sister adult relationships. Only with this one, what I’m not sure of is if I missed something at the beginning of the movie that clued us in that Alice & Neil were brother and sister? Because for half the movie, I’m thinking he ran out on his wife and kids!   Tinsel & Tine LAMB rating : 3 outta 5

PFF30 Day 3

KRIMES |Alysa Nahmias | USA | English | 2021 | 85 MIN| Category: Filmadelphia, Virtual Cinema

The more films and docs I see on imprisonment, the more I know it’s not a place for people. Cold blooded killers and psychopaths have to be taken out of society, maybe they should be put on an island somewhere? But for drugs, petty crimes and such, there’s got to be a better way to correct and punish. KRIMES featuring Jesse Krimes (so ironic that is his real last name, kinda makes you wonder about the power of names) is the first doc I remember seeing about a white man incarcerated.  There’s a part in the movie where the judge delivers a 6 year sentence to him for selling so many grams of cocaine and the judge tells him frankly, the guy before him he gave a 20 year sentence with possession of less, but that he “sees” something in Jesse.  And Jesse knows what the judge “sees” is that he’s white, but of course, Jesse can’t say that at sentencing.  But there it is, even when telling a story about a white artist in prison, you have to talk about black male mass incarceration because it’s part of systemic racism in America… which takes us down another path, so back to Jesse (born in Lancaster PA, presently lives in Philly). 

The film follows Jesse’s life story for a number of years, post-prison, but a good doc makes you feel like you witnessed everything, as this one does – his life leading up to his time in confinement, being born to a mother of 16 and losing his stepfather to suicide. And then how he kept sane in prison; knowing he had to survive to be there for his own son, born the year he went in. He begins with transposing the faces of people convicted of crimes onto tiny bars of soap and from there just really developing his talent as an artist.  When he went in, he had some raw talent that was never encouraged, but he came out a celebrated muralist and mix media artist. The story of how he got there, and the life long friends he made in prison, is one of hope worth telling.  

T&T LAMB rating: 4 outta 5 

Check out the Post-Screening KRIMES Q&A

C’MON C’MON | Mike Mills | USA | English | 2021 | 108 MIN

Third movie I saw which dealt with adult brother/sister relationships. Uncle Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself temporarily taking care of his 8 year-old nephew Jesse (Woody Morman) for a couple of weeks, while his mother (Gaby Hoffmann) needs time to deal with his father’s breakdown. The movie is about throwing someone into the deep end of parenthood and seeing what happens.  It’s also a movie about friendship (which I added to my Letterbox List).  Phoenix and Morman (who’s actually a Brit) really go toe to toe in this movie. Writer/Director Mike Mills (20^th Century Woman & Beginners) said this kid was a natural at ad-libbing and was amazed at how much he understood about his character and what the film is trying to say. Phoenix said there were times he would lose this very in the moment kind of acting that Mills wanted, so he would look to Woody to kind of center him again. It’ll be interesting to see what this kid does next and if he can stay so real.

Every filmmaker finds it interesting to work in black & white at least once, so that’s all I have to say about that.  Some of the film is repetitive, like he has the panic of thinking he’s lost Jesse twice. And I like that it’s punctuated with these real-life interviews of kid’s talking about their feelings on the future of the world, but there may be a few too many. Still on the whole, I’d say it’s pretty endearing. 

T&T LAMB rating: 3.5 outta 5

PFF30 Day 4

SPENCER | Pablo Larraín | Germany, UK | English | 2021 | 111 MIN

I liked the framing the film over the Christmas holidays in the country, attempting to recreate the days leading up to Diana’s decision to leave Prince Charles, speculating on what her frame of mind may have been. The film is cinematic with moderate pacing, setting it apart from the beats of your average biopic.  But I so dislike that director Pablo Larraín & writer Steven Knight show Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) as a senselessly rebellious, disrespectful, crazy, bulimic, unable to cope, mess. I just don’t think it’s a fair portrayal of Princess Diana.  Stewart however is good in the role, she feels regal and finds Diana in the tilt of her head and downcast eyes.

T&T LAMB rating: 3 outta 5

#PFF30 SPENCER dir Pablo Larraín & writer Steven Knight show Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) as a senselessly rebellious, disrespectful, crazy, bulimic unable to cope during a 3 day Christmas Holiday. Stewart at least is good in the role. pic.twitter.com/95ZIhd0yge

— Tinsel & Tine (@tinseltine) October 23, 2021

OUR AMERICAN FAMILY | Hallee Adelman, Sean King O’Grady | USA | English | 2021 | 87 MIN|Category: Filmadelphia

Documentary featuring the Caltabiano-Geraghty family of Ardmore PA – mother, Linda, daughter Nicole, older son Chris, younger son Stephen, stepfather, Bryan.  If you’re looking for a white trash train wreck of a doc, this isn’t it, you’ll be disappointed. But if you’re looking for an honest look at a family in recovery, sticking it out together, then you’ll get something great from this doc.  Linda comes from a home where her own mother suffered from anorexia all her life. Then she marries someone who becomes a heavy drug user and their two older children take after him.  Linda is one of these tough and tender Mom’s who takes it all on and doesn’t shy away from owning her own culpability. Chris seemed more a recreational druggy, but poor Nicole, 19 rehabs and 2 or 3 NDE’s. All while trying to raise the cutest little 2 year-old, Gia. 

This is the 3rd film I saw during the fest that deals a lot with brother/sister sibling relationships (See Sundown & C’mon, C’mon for other two). Chris feels because he’s helping out with his niece and has never overdosed, he can give Nicole the wisdom of his experience, but she’s not having it. At times, it’s obvious why she’s annoyed by her brother, other times I feel she’s too defensive.  I felt most for Bryan, because these aren’t his kids, he just married into a situation. He said he knew what was happening when he married Linda, but thought he could help fix things. He probably should have focused on Stephen, poor boy gets lost in the shuffle of his older siblings who have such big personalities. Particularly Nicole who the doc focuses on, it’s her decision to really get clean this time and what supporting her in that decision means to each member of the family that ties the film together.

Check out the Post-Screening OUR AMERICAN FAMILY Q&A

PFF30 Day 5

THE SOUVENIR PART II |Joanna Hogg | UK | English | 2021 | 106 MIN

First went to the screening of THE SOUVENIER, which I saw in 2019, but never reviewed, despite having found it to be a wonderfully natural and interesting romance, shot with the eye of a true filmmaker.  Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) (Tilda Swinton‘s daughter IRL and in the film) is a privileged young woman in film school, who gets introduced to this slightly older, odd, but somewhat charming character, Anthony (Tom Burke) who just wheedles his way into her life and then totally turns it upside down.  Reminiscent of “An Education”. 

Part II – I know people always bash sequels, but this really didn’t work for me.  First off, I figured it would take place farther down the road. Instead it starts shortly after where the first one left off. Then it just basically rehashes it to death. If Hogg had just tightened up The Souvenir, all these scenes could have been in it and would have fleshed out the original.  Not to mention, although odd in places, the original is firmly set in reality. Part II becomes that film within a film unreality thing people are fond of doing, which is out of place here. A positive highlight is Richard Ayoade‘s character gets more screen time and is once again hilarious!

T&T LAMB rating 2.5 outta 5

FLEE | Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden | Danish, Dari, English, Russian, Swedish | 2021 | 90 MIN

2021 internationally co-produced gripping, animated documentary film, which follows the story of a gay Afghan survivor named Amin, who shares his hidden past and the horrors that befell he and his family while fleeing his country.  It really brings home that everyone is a person with a real life; so often I think we see refugees as just a huddled mass. Movies like this open our eyes to our universality and our individuality.

T&T LAMB rating: 5 outta 5

RED ROCKET | Sean Baker | USA | English | 2021 | 128 MIN

Writer/Director Sean Baker (The Florida Project) (see T&T review) has created another character driven story of a fringes of society type, who you can’t help but like and root for, despite knowing they are all kinds of wrong. Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) is the porn world’s version of “Leave it to Beaver’s” Eddie Haskell, on the surface he tries to make nice with everyone and appear an affable fellow, all while everyone sees through him and his scheming ways.  Mikey has had to make a hasty retreat from his porn star life in Hollywood and come back to his home town of down trodden, oil refinery laden, Texas City, with not only his tail between his legs, but a big schlong and only the clothes on his back.  He’s come begging his ex- costar and ex (but never divorced wife) Lexi (Bree Elrod) for a place to stay.  She lives in a ramshackle house with her wizened, meth mouth mother (Brenda Deiss) but it’s better than being homeless. He is far from the prodigal son returned home, but after some convincing they let him move in.  At first you think he’s gonna try to go legit and get employment and leave his old life behind, but who wants to hire a middle aged sex worker with no legit experience. So he falls back on what else he knows, selling weed. Mikey is one of those very energetic, manipulative types who’s always looking for his next opportunity, which he finds at the local Donut Hole – a beautiful 17 year-old Lolita with a nickname of Strawberry (Suzanna Son) who he sees as his ticket back to Cali and the lucrative porn life he reveres.

The movie has some repetitiveness of seeing Mikey riding his bike to go visit Strawberry and slowly win her over as she’s no easily controlled air-head.  And hanging with local yokel neighbor, Lonnie (Ethan Darbone) who he uses for rides too far for biking. But for the most part the movie is a hoot and a half. Very reminiscent of Adam Sandler in “Uncut Gems” where you hate yourself for wanting their plans to work out.

T&T LAMB rating: 4.5 outta 5

PFF30 Day 6

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO | Edgar Wright | UK | Focus Features

This is Edgar Wright’s second release this year.  The Sparks Brothers (see T&T review) and now Last Night in Soho. Obviously, Wright is a musician at heart; capturing the musical styling of Sparks and infusing his films like this one & Baby Driver (see T&T review) with outstanding soundtracks, which further drive the narratives.  Wonder when he’ll direct an out-an-out movie musical?  I’d love to see an updated version of Bye Bye Birdie. I think he and his co-screenwriter, Krysty Wilson-Cairns could do an excellent job with that classic.

Last Night in Soho, begins with soon-to-be-fashion student Ellie Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) dancing around her Cornwall home to 1964 hit “A World Without Love.” She’s wearing a fab gown made of newspapers. A figure watches her from the mirror, but it’s obvious Ellie is used to the vision. Her grandmother enters with the mail. Ellie’s acceptance letter is in there for London College of Fashion. And soon she’s off to the big city.  A city that chewed up and spit out her mother as a young woman, something that doesn’t stop Ellie, as her mind is on a time when this part of the city was born – the 60’s, idolizing this time period, its music, fashion, vibe. 

Although Ellie assures her grandmother that she’s tough enough to give London a shot, she wasn’t prepared for getting a bitch of a roommate, she tries to go along to get along, but eventually moves out of the dorms and finds a room at what appears to be a boarding house, run by Ms. Collins (Diana Rigg, in her final film role). Only Ellie is her only boarder.  Her first night in the room Ellie, who we’ve come to understand has a sensitivity to the spirit world, has a lucid dream of a pretty, blonde wanna be cabaret singer named Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy), who lived in 1966 London. In these dreams or reveries, Ellie and Sandy are connected.  There’s wonderfully creative camera work where the two girls seamlessly trade places inside these memories. And clever shots of mirror images with Ellie on one side and Sandy on the other. At first Ellie is elated by this gift of being able to experience this time period 2^nd hand and can’t wait to go to sleep at night – until Sandy’s world takes a very bad turn and Ellie is not only helplessly transfixed, but now also haunted in her waking life.

What I love of course is the costuming of the scenes set in the 60’s, the cocktail dresses and patent leather white raincoat and such are magnificent!  Almost every look in “Last Night in Soho” is a reinvention of a real-life vintage garment Costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux found either rummaging in one of London’s many second-hand stores or in an old sewing pattern. In many cases, genuine articles of 1960s clothing.

The last half of the movie does change genres and gave me shades of last year’s hit Promising Young Woman  (see T&T review).  I would have preferred to keep to the tone of the first half; yet still I can say, it’s my favorite movie of 2021 thus far.   T&T LAMB rating: 4.5 outta 5

An Evening with PFCC

We (Philadelphia Film Critics Circle) members got invited to the Fest Lounge to chat with attendees about movies at the festival and in general.  I was of course nervous about doing it, but it turned out to be pretty cool.
I actually know what I’m talking about despite often forgetting the titles of films and senior moments on actors names, but situations like these do prove I have seen a shit-ton of stuff in the last 11 years!

Let’s talk film!

Join the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (for a meet-and-greet this Wednesday, October 27th from 5:00 – 8:00 PM at the #PFF30 Lounge, @kickaxethrowing Philadelphia!

Head to https://t.co/YDxaeahiT7 to read more about the @PhilaFCC! pic.twitter.com/lzNBSNsbBu

— Philly Film Society (@PhillyFilmSoc) October 26, 2021

PFF30 Day 7

A CONVERSATION with Filmmakers
M Night Shyamalan & Guillermo del Toro

The Philadelphia Film Festival invited these two prolific and master filmmakers to chat and talk shop! Didn’t know Shyamalan & del Toro were long-time friends.  Loved hearing how the sausage is made. Fun night! – Moderated by PFS Managing Director Andrew Greenblatt.

I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to video tape the whole conversation, besides I wanted to be present, which you can’t be when shooting, so I just taped two excerpts of the talk.  See below…

FILMADELPHIA SHORTS

Anchor link

Post Screening Q&A

There are several shorts programs but this one is specific, films are made by filmmakers either from Philly or films made in or about Philly.  Last year, I interviewed the Filmmakers of this program for my #5Questions Series, this year I didn’t get it together in time. Which I regret, because these were particularly good this year.

My favorite fun short SNOWY directors Kaitlyn Schwalje and Alex W. Lewis – About a family’s pet turtle, Snowy, given to one of the son’s when he was little, only turtles live a long time, so 25 years later, the son could care less about Snowy; so it’s the dad’s (who looks and seems remarkably like a turtle himself ) job to clean and care for the abandoned family pet, who just kinda exists down in the basement. That is until a film crew comes in to make Snowy and Dad comedic co-stars!

My favorite serious short is SISTERS OF THE SOIL directors Raishad M. Hardnett and Aidan M. Un – Set in Fishtown which has its share of racial issues, particularly last year during the protests.  Yet this is where Jeannine Cook opened her dream business Harriett’s Bookshop featuring black authors and subjects, right before the pandemic hit.  The film explores more than just issues of starting a business in a difficult place and time.  Jeannine’s sister and their relationship comes in to play, as well as thoughts on being black women today. Plus it’s just got a lovely languorous film style. 

LISTENING TO KENNY G | Penny Lane | USA | English | 2021 | 97 MIN

I’ve said it before, I have a thing for Music Biopic, good or bad.  It’s just the whole trajectory of winning and losing and finding your sound that’s forever fascinating for me. The recent Bee Gees and Rick James docs have been ideal and this one’s right up there.  First of all, who knew that Kenny G is one of the first 10 investors in Starbucks! That’s crazy! So if he never sold another song or played another concert he’d still be super wealthy. And the thing about China using his music to make people more malleable that for the last 30 years they play his song “Going Home” to signify the end of the workday, and nobody seems to resent it. What I wasn’t expecting was for Kenny G to be so funny, he’s a bit of character; who’s in on his own joke for the most part.  But then like the movie “The Novice” he’s very OCD, and exacting. Why would he need to still practice everyday for 3 hours? It’s weird to see that he’s so laid back in some respects, but then obsessed with hard work and perfection at the same time. 

Nothing is discussed about his romantic relationships, I had to come home and Google to find out if he’s straight or gay? Did he adopt his sons or did he have a surrogate like Michael Jackson? Turns out he has been married twice and sons are from 2^nd marriage. Although, I know the film is not supposed to be a true biopic, in that Lane wanted to explore the way a musician can be viewed on completely opposite ends of the spectrum, where critics and a lot of music lovers think he’s an anathema.  And then at the same time, mainstream America thinks his music is genius and soothing. I’m in the middle. In the late 80’s and 90’s I totally bought his CD’s, but now, yeah, I categorize his sound as elevator music. But at the same time, I love the ketch factor of him playing on recent music for The Weekend and Kayne.   T&T LAMB rating: 4 outta 5

Check Out the Post Screening Q&A with Director Penny Lane

PFF30 Day 7

THE SAME STORM |Peter Hedges | USA | English | 2021 | 99 MIN

Peter Hedges (who was at the fest 2 years ago with Ben is Back and wrote one of my favorite movies About a Boy) was in attendance at the Fest and seems like a very gentle soul.  The Same Storm is several stories depicting our lives in 2020 both during lock down and emerging life with masks.  I saw this same kinda thing at Tribeca Producers Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler got Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, Rosie Perez, Chris Cooper and others to tell COVID-19 stories in a series of short films.  The difference with The Same Storm is that it’s characters are connected in one way or another, it starts with Dionne (Noma Dumezweni) attending a virtual yoga practice, where she’s not able to focus because today is the first day she’ll be able to talk to her husband who has been hospitalized with COVID, the male Nurse Joey (Raul Castillo) who calls her from the hospital, then has his own story of coming home and needing release in the form of Live Porn (OnlyFans kinda site) and Roxy (Mary-Louise Parker) is a vintage, but still hot, sex worker who winds up having more of a counseling session with Joey, then Roxy decides to reach out to her estranged mother (Elaine May) and so it goes with all the stories connecting one person to the next.

Mary-Louise Parker has once again drawn focus in a small role. Remember, Jennifer Lawrence’s horrible “Red Sparrow”, where Parker was the only thing in that movie that was worth the ticket price, and it’s like a 10 min scene.

I read fellow Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Member, Stephen Silver’s piece for the Inquirer  on his dislike of COVID movies using Zoom and phones/tables to tell these stories, because 1) we’re not far enough away from the subject yet, that typically when a life altering event happens, like a war or 911, there’s a grace period before telling cinematic stories about it.  And 2) he feels people are sick of looking at their devices, so they don’t want to go to the movies and look at or through more devices. 

I disagree to some extent.  1) I think capturing these stories now is important while the memories are fresh and accurate. 2) I think using devices to tell stories works rather seamlessly, I like things that are dialogue driven and filming this way makes the piece rely on the conversations.  And Hedges did a beautiful job making these characters feel authentic; these COVID stories were recognizable, yet original.

T&T LAMB rating: 4 outta 5

REALLY QUICK THOUGHTS ON THESE FILMS :

HUDA’S SALON – (Palestine) Dir Hany Abu-Assad – isn’t as much about a woman caught in a political nightmare between the Israeli Secret Police and the Palestinian Resistance as much as it’s about her realization she married an idiot who is of absolutely no use to herself and their child.

ALIEN ON STAGE – (Uk) Dir(s) Lucy Harvey & Danielle Kummer  This was one of those ridiculous things that would only happen with folks that live in the countryside of the UK, zany stuff happens there. These Bus drivers turned thespians in their off time, get a chance to perform their adaptation of the movie Alien as a play in London’s West End.  It really felt like they were gonna f things up royally, the only one on his game was the prop master.  The fact that they adapted Alien to a stage production is what draws you in, but really it was more the tension of whether or not this group could pull off any play, that kept me interested.

NINJABABY Yngvild Sve Flikke | Norway – This was just so enjoyable, just the right amount of surreal, nuttiness. I don’t know how many people this has happened to IRL but I feel like “Ninjababy” is now the coined term for someone who doesn’t know they’re pregnant for half their pregnancy. I have to say, I won’t give it away, but it wasn’t the ending I was expecting.

ENCOUNTER – Michael Pearce (UK/US) There’s nothing actually sci-fi about this movie, it’s really a PTSD story about an ex-marine and ex-convict (Riz Ahmed) on parole who decides to kidnap his two young sons and convince them they are on an adventure to escape those that have been taken over by alien parasites, including their mother and stepfather.  The kids are all revved up for the adventure at first until they start to realize their father is not all there.  I don’t love the movie on the whole, it’s just fine. But Ahmed is seriously good in it.  He’s got such large expressive eyes. I’m glad he’s getting unconventional casting opportunities like last year’s Sound of Metal.

LeAnne Lindsay, Editor SUMMATION

Of course there’s 12 days of the Festival not 7 (Oct 20-31). I kinda stopped keeping to the days halfway through. My actual last film in person was Listening to Kenny G and last virtual screening Alien on Stage.  If you search #PFF30 on socials (Instagram Stories, Twitter and Facebook) you’ll see more of my coverage. I think as always PFS did an excellent job overall with the help of amazing volunteers.  It’s sad that because of the still ever present pandemic that the audience had to be half the size as usual and at that, only the most stalwart (vaccinated) bought tickets and passes.  Hopefully, by the time we get to the 35th, it can be an all out big bang celebration! 

PFF30 AWARDS

ORIGINAL POST LEADING UP TO THE FESTIVAL

VIP CELEBRATION & FUNDRAISER – THE W HOTEL | 1439 Chestnut St. 6pm-8pm

OPENING NIGHT PARTY -LA PEG | 140 Christopher Columbus Blvd. 10pm-1am

More than 140 Films from 50 countries will screen during 12-Day Event. This year’s Festival will offer in-person screenings at all PFS venues (Philadelphia Film Center, PFS Bourse Theater, and the PFS Drive-In at the Navy Yard) and select films will also be available on the virtual screening platform, Watch.Filmadelphia.org.

“We at the Philadelphia Film Society used the pandemic as a moment to reflect, refocus, and consider our future, including how we can best utilize resources, and continue to share our belief in the power of film to bring communities together,” said J. Andrew Greenblatt, CEO & Executive Director, Philadelphia Film Society. “After reopening our theaters this Summer, we’re excited to welcome back Philadelphians and film lovers everywhere for our milestone 30th anniversary Philadelphia Film Festival taking place for the first time in our history, exclusively in our own venues. We’re thrilled to be able to return to our traditional Festival experience, offering a tremendous slate of films that inspire, engage, educate, and entertain diverse audiences. We’ve spent a great deal of time carefully working to ensure the safety and comfort of all attendees. We’re also bringing back our digital streaming platform for those Festival attendees not ready to return to in-theater viewing, making the Festival as accessible as possible for all.”

Other Centerpiece screenings include THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy, which premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival to universal acclaim; KING RICHARD, starring Philadelphia native Will Smith as Richard Williams, father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams; and THE FRENCH DISPATCH, written and directed by Wes Anderson with an all-star cast led by Timothée Chalamet. This year’s Festival also features a special Secret Centerpiece Screening.

And of course there’s the FESTIVAL LOUNGE – Stop by in between Screenings!

This year located at Kick Axe Philadelphia- 232 Market Street

DON’T MISS THE FREE PFS ON US Films
Located in Various Screening Categories

The From The Vaults category features two iconic films presented on 35MM, the 30th anniversary of Sir Kenneth Branagh’s Hitchcock homage, DEAD AGAIN, and the 50th anniversary of A NEW LEAF, the directorial debut of Philadelphia legend Elaine May. From The Vaults also features several 4K restorations of classic films including HEAT, the first collaboration between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro; ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 from master of horror John Carpenter; and Lynne Ramsey’s RATCATCHER, the masterful story of one boy’s troubled youth in 1970s Glasgow.

This year’s line-up includes two new categories plus the return of Sight & Soundtrack. In honor of the Philadelphia Film Society’s inaugural year producing the Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival, there will be a new environmental category, Green Screen – from animal welfare to the effects of climate change, these thought-provoking films address urgent environmental issues. The “Visions of” category this year highlights Iran, which houses one of the world’s most vibrant and daring contemporary film scenes. These categories expand upon the Festival’s goal of presenting films that are both timely and thought provoking in their relevance.

#PFF30 Closes with Peter Hedges THE SAME STORM
(Friday, Oct. 29th 8:30pm) | Philadelphia Film Center

Inventively filmed during lockdown, THE SAME STORM, written and directed by Peter Hedges, is an ambitious, open-hearted response to the upheavals of 2020. Taking loose inspiration from the classic structure of the 19th-Century play La Ronde, the film consists of interlocking vignettes, usually featuring one character who also appears in the next sequence. 

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The Full Festival Schedule and Digital Program 
are available now

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See Last Year’s Coverage of the 29th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival