Philadelphia Film Festival

After reading through the Philadelphia Film Festival (which is taking place Thursday October 14th-Sunday October 24th) booklet, I thought I'd share some of the most highly praised and highly anticipated selections.

The first is 127 Hours, but Cass already took care of that. :)

• Black Swan (Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Official release December 1st, 2010)

"Black Swan is an amazing piece of cinematic film making, but it is not a film for everyone. At its foundation, Black Swan is a psychological horror film, with disturbing imagery and genuine "jump out of your seat" scares. Done with stunning visuals and masterful performances, however, Black Swan combines a rare mix of beauty and grotesquerie for an incredible ballet of cinema." -- Andrew Greenblatt

• Night Catches Us (Directed by Tanya Hamilton, limited release December 3rd, 2010)

"Striving to create the most realistic depiction possible, Hamilton seamlessly incorporates actual historical documents such as archival footage, old leaflets and political cartoons produced by th Black Panther Party. Along with a retro-soul score supplied by Philly-legends The Roots and a script of uncommon intelligence, Hamilton's Night Catches Us vividly captures the seething tensions of a city and its people attempting to reconcile a tumultuous past with a brighter future. In recreating such a world, director Tanya Hamilton firmly announces herself as a fresh, important voice in Independent American cinema." -- Andrew Greenblatt

• Blue Valentine (Directed by Derek Cianfrance, limited release December 31st, 2010)

"Selected not only by Sundance, but also Cannes, filmmaker Derek Cianfrance's poetic portrait is made up of a collection of specific memories, assembled non-chronologically, the way someone might recall, on their deathbed, the true love of their life. Shot in a beautiful yet starkly realistic pallet, and featuring a haunting score by the Brooklyn-based folk rock band Grizzly Bear, Blue Valentine is sentimental but far from sappy." -- Michael Lerman

*note* Grizzly Bear and The Roots? If praised for nothing else, Blue Valentine and Night Catches Us should be recognized for having awesome bands providing their scores.

On a more serious note, I must also point out that on October 22nd, the Festival will be featuring the cinematic genius that is The Room.

"Incredible directing, incomparable writing, and brilliant acting make The Room the most poignant and important movie to date. If I was given the opportunity to meet Tommy Wiseau, I would probably die from the sheer awesomeness of his presence. His hair is really nice too." -- Alix Leszczynski