NYFF: Wrapping up the festival

The 51st New York Film Festival isn't over yet, with the world premiere of "Her" still to come. My time at the festival is sadly over though, but I have no regrets. I had a wonderful time at my first film festival. It was a welcome change to watch films with New York's cinephile community, in addition to the benefits of attending press screenings. I wouldn't hesitate to come back again.

To recap my experience, here are a few random thoughts and observations:

• Press conferences are awesome. It's an invaluable experience to hear from the filmmakers right after watching a film.
• Joaquin Phoenix is every bit as flippant as you'd expect.
• Steve McQueen is a very intelligent man. He gave the best press conference of the weekend.
• I had the pleasure of meeting fellow LAMB bloggers Shala Thomas and Max Covill. They're so cool!
• I also met THE Nathaniel Rogers and Michael Cusumano. They're cool too!
• Favourite film: 12 Years A Slave
• Favourite director: Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave
• Favourite performance: Paulina García, Gloria
• Favourite screenplay: Sebastián Lelio and Gonzalo Maza, Gloria

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

12 Years A Slave
Gloria
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Le Week-End
The Immigrant
About Time
Abuse of Weakness
Bastards

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NYFF: 12 Years a Slave & Le Week-End

Thanks to Manhattan traffic, I only made it to 2 of my 3 scheduled screenings on my final day. The good news is that I was able to see one of the year's best films, which more than made up for it. Read on for my thoughts on "12 Years A Slave" and "Le Week-End".

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NYFF: About Time & Abuse of Weakness

After watching a non-festival showing of "Gravity" (more on that later this week) last night, my two screenings had a lot to live up to. Perhaps that played into my underwhelmed responses, but I assure you that these are my true gut feelings towards these films. Read on to find out what I had to say about "About Time" and "Abuse of Weakness".

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NYFF: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

My second day at the New York Film Festival was considerably lighter, but no less vital. The focus of the day was the world premiere of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". Read on for my thoughts on the film:

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NYFF: The Immigrant, Bastards & Gloria

My first day at the 51st New York Film Festival was quite the busy one and it's a minor miracle that I managed to stay alert after only arriving in NYC late this same morning! Thankfully my body didn't give in to its narcoleptic tendencies and I managed to fully absorb 3 different films. My responses to the trio were extremely varied but I ended the day on a high note. Read on for my reviews of "The Immigrant, "Bastards" and "Gloria".

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NYFF: Preview

The time has come and naturally I'm very excited. Tonight I'll be heading straight to the airport after work to catch my flight, set to arrive at JFK around midnight. I therefore won't get much sleep, as I need to get up bright and early to collect my press credential, followed by a full day of press screenings. It promises to be a great film festival and I've got some interesting films lined up. So without further ado, here's my schedule for the long weekend. All are from the Official Selection unless otherwise stated.

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COMING SOON: New York Film Festival

As I promised earlier this year, I'll be attending my first film festival - The 51st New York Film Festival! I will be heading up for a quick 4-day jaunt(October 4-7) during the festival's middle weekend, with press accreditation thanks to the kind folks at The Film Society of Lincoln Center. Check out the trailer below for a preview of some of the exciting films that will be playing.



Stay tuned for full daily coverage right here at Film Actually!

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