What's the Buzz: New York Film Festival
What's the Buzz: New York Film Festival
Posted by
Petes1234567
408 days ago
"Darren did not put a strip pole in his office." -- Marisa Tomei.
Does the New York Film Festival still matter? The 46th edition opened last Friday, and while the fest may not have the celebrity cachet and discovery intent of Sundance and Cannes, or the welcoming populist mentality of Toronto, it stubbornly insists on being recognized as the gatekeeper for all that is worthwhile in world cinema.
Nonetheless, press conferences with a big-name American director and a resurrected American star (and his fetching, Academy Award-winning co-star) have stolen the spotlight during the first week of the festival. Looking somewhat like a guerilla himself, Steven Soderbergh arrived to promote his four-hour epic Che, starring Benicio del Toro as the revolutionary leader. According to the director, "There are a million Ches -– he means something different to everyone."
That attitude has irked some critics; Karina Longworth at Spout felt that Soderbergh's "unwillingness to make a statement may be a major part of the problem." On the other hand, Glenn Kenny of Some Came Running opined: "Silly me, I imagined that such an approach constituted a statement sufficient unto itself, but apparently not." The film will get a rare "roadshow" treatment when it opens in December: trotted around in its four-hour entirety to selected cities for one week only by IFC Films in December, complete with elevated ticket prices and a fancy giveaway program of some sort. Dreamgirls for the intelligentsia?
After the jump: The Wrestler and two fresh new films about those darn kids.
Despite the presence of Marisa Tomei as a stripper (her quote above can be found at the fest's blog), Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler has garnered the most praise for the fine performance by a weather-beaten Mickey Rourke in the title role. Aronofsky apparently pushed Rourke hard, according to a report by Radar: "Darren was screeching at me 'You're only giving me 50%!' and I can't fucking move, brother." Fox Searchlight opens the film in December; expect to hear plenty of awards talk between now and then.
Does the New York Film Festival still matter? The 46th edition opened last Friday, and while the fest may not have the celebrity cachet and discovery intent of Sundance and Cannes, or the welcoming populist mentality of Toronto, it stubbornly insists on being recognized as the gatekeeper for all that is worthwhile in world cinema.
Nonetheless, press conferences with a big-name American director and a resurrected American star (and his fetching, Academy Award-winning co-star) have stolen the spotlight during the first week of the festival. Looking somewhat like a guerilla himself, Steven Soderbergh arrived to promote his four-hour epic Che, starring Benicio del Toro as the revolutionary leader. According to the director, "There are a million Ches -– he means something different to everyone."
That attitude has irked some critics; Karina Longworth at Spout felt that Soderbergh's "unwillingness to make a statement may be a major part of the problem." On the other hand, Glenn Kenny of Some Came Running opined: "Silly me, I imagined that such an approach constituted a statement sufficient unto itself, but apparently not." The film will get a rare "roadshow" treatment when it opens in December: trotted around in its four-hour entirety to selected cities for one week only by IFC Films in December, complete with elevated ticket prices and a fancy giveaway program of some sort. Dreamgirls for the intelligentsia?
After the jump: The Wrestler and two fresh new films about those darn kids.
Despite the presence of Marisa Tomei as a stripper (her quote above can be found at the fest's blog), Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler has garnered the most praise for the fine performance by a weather-beaten Mickey Rourke in the title role. Aronofsky apparently pushed Rourke hard, according to a report by Radar: "Darren was screeching at me 'You're only giving me 50%!' and I can't fucking move, brother." Fox Searchlight opens the film in December; expect to hear plenty of awards talk between now and then.
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