Festivals: Philadelphia Film Festival Reviews
The Hanging Garden Review
What follows is an expanded version of my review of Toshiaki Toyoda's Hanging Garden updated to include a look at the film's recent Japanese DVD release. On first blush the news that Toshiaki Toyoda's The Hanging Garden, the follow...
Midnight My Love Review
In many ways it seems fair to say that Mum Jokmok is the Thai equivalent to Robin Williams. Those who know him in North America likely do so purely thanks to his role as Dirty Balls (or George, in...
Philly Fest Report: Black Night (Nuit Noir) Review
I'm quite certain that all those pretty pictures in Olivier Smolders Nuit Noir must mean something but as for what that might be, I have no clue whatsoever ... A dark, surreal film that taps into the creepier side...
Philly Fest Report: Danielson, A Family Movie Review
Full disclosure time: I've known Danielson's Dan Smith for many years now. Though we see each other so seldom these days that calling him a friend feels like over selling the relationship he is certainly more than an acquaintance...
Philly Fest Report: Hard Candy Review
Despite a successful international festival run that saw the film take home Best Film and Best Screenplay awards at Sitges - which means many smarter people than I disagree with me on this - I confess to finding Hard...
Philly Fest Report: Next Door (Naboer) Review
Two days and nine films into the Philadelphia Film Festival it doesn't seem to carry all that much weight to say that Pal Sletaune's Next Door is by far the best film I have seen here. Well how about...
Philly Fest Report: Joni's Promise (Janji Joni) Review
When we first caught wind of Indonesian blockbuster comedy Joni's Promise some months back it came to us tagged as a Sabu style comedy. And while the basic plotline with it's constantly running lead character does sound like the...
Philly Fest Report: Evil (To Kako) Review
Yourgos Noussias' Evil is one hundred percent a crowd film. I will confess to having seen this on DVD prior to the festival and - watching it at home, alone, on a mid sized television with the sound down...
Philly Fest Report: Texture Of Skin Review
Did anyone see this coming? After acheiving significant international success with his family oriented animated feature My Beautiful Girl Mari - and he is currently at work on another animated feature, Cobby the Fox - Korea's Lee Sung-Gang opted...
Philly Fest Report: 7 Virgins Review
The aimless youth film is well nigh a genre unto itself. There are stacks of these films released every year, and you know the type. There are the uplifting stories of kids hard done by who manage to somehow...
Philly Fest Report: The King Review
If Gael Bernal were a white man he would be a massive star by now. He is an enormous talent with an impeccable eye for quality projects. His presence in a film is virtually enough on its own to...
Philly Fest Report: Kinky Boots Review
Julian Jarrold's Kinky Boots is entirely predictable and emotionally manipulative. The first act is hugely flawed, failing to properly establish several key relationships and the nature of its lead character leaving lead actor Joel Edgerton looking lost and outclassed...
Philly Fest Report: Kissed By Winter (Vinterkyss) Review
Perhaps it is a function of the sheer number of awards Sara Johnsen's Kissed By Winter has won internationally, the weight of expectations, but I was expecting more. Despite some solid performances and strong cinematography the script ultimately lets...
Philly Fest Report: It's Only Talk Review
Director Ryuichi Hiroki has a very particular genius. While many others can out do him in terms of camera work and technical chops there are few, if any, working in the world today who are more gifted at drawing...
TIFF Report: Pusher II With Blood On My Hands Review
Say you've been hailed as Denmark's next great hope. You burst on to the scene with a dazzling debut. You followed that up with an equally acclaimed sophomore film (Bleeder) then went overseas to try your luck in North...
Philly Fest Report: Ferpect Crime, Only Human, Macked Hammered Slaughtered and Shafted
Turns out I wasn;t the only ScreenAnarchy type at the just concluded Philadelphia Film Festival ... turns out regular reader and sometimes contributor Collin Armstrong was there as well and he's chimed in with a trio of excellent reviews ......
Philly Fest Report: Cutie Honey, Soundless, Survive Style 5+
Well, you know what they say about good things and ending and this one has. Today was the final day of the Philadelphia Film Festival and, just as soon as I'm done writing this, I need to pack my stuff...
Philly Fest Report: The Voyage Home, Niceland, Lonesome Jim
Well, only one day left to my time in Philadelphia. Today was the second last day of screenings and I caught three very different films: an Italian period drama set shortly after the fall of Rome, an meditative Icelandic fable,...
Philly Fest Report: Evilenko
Oh, poor Malcolm McDowell ... how did he ever get roped into making this? Today was a bit of a down day here: with little jumping off the schedule shouting "Watch me! Watch me!" Canfield and I spent the day...
Philly Fest Report: Oldboy, Stratosphere Girl, Quiet As A Mouse
So the count now stands at three days, eleven films. Thus far I'm having a ridiculously high success rate with ten solid films against only one dog. Not bad. Rounding up today's viewing after this morning's viewing of Off Beat...
