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20th Philadelphia Film Festival – A Dangerous Method
I had seen the trailer for A Dangerous Method months ago and was highly anticipating its release. My excitement increased learning I’d get to see it early as part of the Philadelphia Film Festival. But just like when you’re in a restaurant and there’s an item on the menu that sounds perfect, you envision how it will come presented, the moment of satisfaction when it hits the pleasure center of the brain… but upon arrival to your table, it’s dry or watery or small or tasteless or just not what you had in mind. And such was the case with David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method. In my opinion, the film…
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20th Philadelphia Film Festival – Melancholia
If I owned an incredibly elegant, picturesque, stately castle with an 18 hole golf course and stable full of horses, I’d too would be sad and scared to see the end of the world, because you gotta figure life on the other side might not be as good. In writer/director Lars von Trier’s film, Melancholia is a planet that has been hiding behind the sun for eons and has suddenly made its appearance known as it starts traveling through the galaxy. During its rotation, it has come close, but not hit other planets in the solar system; therefore, the scientist on earth predict Melancholia passing by the earth will be…
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20th Philadelphia Film Festival – Day 1 – 4 Picks
I picked up my press pass for the 20th Anniversary Philadelphia Film Festival tonight! Just to get you in the festival mood, here’s the films I plan to see the first few days (Thursday, October 20th thru Sunday October 23rd). Of course, the festival runs till November 3rd, and I plan to be present throughout most of it; however, during the festival, I’ll be posting on facebook and twitter each day what film(s) I plan to see. In fact, if time runs short and things get hectic, my commentary on a few films may never make it to this blog or PFF blog, but may only be posted on facebook…
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Coming soon – Toast
I don’t normally plug a movie before screening it unless I’m interviewing the filmmaker; however, I was just reading the Landmark Theater newsletter and a new food in film flick is coming out that looks scrumptious! Toast is the ultimate nostalgia trip through everything edible in 1960’s Britain. Based on the hilarious and touching memoir of food writer Nigel Slater’s childhood, and set to the songs of Dusty Springfield, it’s a delicious love letter to the tastes and smells that turned a young boy into a lifelong foodie. Nigel’s mother (Victoria Hamilton) appears to have been the world’s worst cook, boiling unopened cans of food to a soggy pulp and…
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Philly Restaurant – Derek’s (Manayunk)
My sister loves trying restaurants equally as much as I do, so whether I visit her, she comes home or we go on vacation together, dining out is going to be the main agenda. The meal we shared at Derek’s (4411 Main St) was in celebration of our birthdays which come a month apart. It was also a chance to try out Restaurant.com. With Restaurant.com you can purchase a $25 gift certificate online cheaply, between $2 -$5, then you check the list of participating restaurants; which doesn’t include every new Center City hotspot, but it’s a pretty extensive listing. And then print the gift certificate for the chosen establishment. Here’s…