NYFF: Wrapping up the festival

Another New York Film Festival has come and gone for me and it was once again a wonderful experience. This year I really felt like I belonged among the press corps and it made it even more satisfying than last year. As usual, I wrap up my coverage with a rundown of some random thoughts/observations from the festival:

• When the press schedule came out, I must admit that I was a bit miffed that half of my press screenings would be documentaries. It's a good thing I stuck with them however, as they turned out to be the best films I watched!
• The selection of films I saw were so varied and inspired that it really reinvigorated my passion for film. Don't let anyone tell you that cinema is dead. Kudos to the festival's selection committee. 
• Review embargoes are so lame. People inevitably bend the rules anyway.
• The NYC blogger community once again made me feel very welcome, even if it was just by saying hi. I must give special shout-outs to Clayton Davis, Joey Magidson, Nathaniel Rogers, Michael Cusumano and Andrew Boyd Stewart.
• This year I really noticed that a lot of the press were senior citizens. It made me wonder if the "old white guy" stereotype applies to film critics too.
• Favourite film: Red Army
• Favourite director: Mike Leigh, Mr. Turner
• Favourite performance: Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
• Favourite screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice

Here's how I'd rank the 8 films I saw(in order of preference):

Red Army

Tales of the Grim Sleeper

Heaven Knows What

Inherent Vice

The Princess Of France

Mr. Turner

The Wonders

Two Days, One Night

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NYFF: Tales of the Grim Sleeper

The festival ended for me today with my final screening, a documentary called "Tales of the Grim Sleeper. Here's what I thought of the film:

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NYFF: The Old Man of Belem, The Princess of France, Two Days One Night & Heaven Knows What

My third day at the New York Film Festival was another busy one with 3 features and 1 short film. Check out my thoughts on "The Old Man of Belem", "The Princess of France", "Two Days, One Night" and "Heaven Knows What".

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NYFF: Inherent Vice

Today the New York Film Festival was buzzing in anticipation of the world premiere of Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice". Read on for my thoughts on his new film:

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NYFF: Red Army, Mr. Turner & The Wonders

Film Actually's 2014 NYFF experience began today with a trio of screenings - "Red Army", "Mr. Turner" and "The Wonders". Read below for my thoughts on these films:

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NYFF: Preview

I don't know how the time went so fast but somehow the New York Film Festival is back and I'll be making my return tonight. Over the next few days (Oct 3-6), I'll be checking out a variety of interesting films including documentaries, foreign films and one very special world premiere. I've learnt a few things from my previous few festivals and thus will be keeping my schedule conservative at 8 films, which seems to be the maximum I can manage over the period (in addition to 1 or 2 non-festival screenings). It promises to be a fun time, especially with all of the amazing talent on hand for those post-screening press conferences. Here's what I have lined up:

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COMING SOON: New York Film Festival

The Film Society of Lincoln Center proudly presents the 52nd annual New York Film Festival and guess who'll be going? That's right, I'll be heading up to the festival once again armed with press credentials to cover the fest during October 3-6. It's sure to be another exciting experience with a great lineup of films in store. To give us a preview, a trailer has been released with snippets of the various films. Check it out below:

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