New York Film Festival 2010
The lineup for the NYFF has been announced and it does seem very familiar. It is mainly Clint Eastwood's latest plus the best offerings from Cannes which is pretty much the usual slate for this festival. I am looking forward to seeing the following titles.
The Social Network - David Fincher's take on the creation of Facebook and college years of Mark Zuckerberg and co. has already been compared to the likes of Network and Rashomon in style. A lot of people questioned Fincher's decision to work on such a project but it is evident the man has the talent to take on any project and turn it into a gem. He already made an excellent three hour drama out of a short story of F. Scott Fitzgerald so at this point he really shouldn't have anything else to prove. I also want to see the performance from the next Spider Man, Andrew Garfield.
The Tempest - I did not particularly enjoy Across the Universe but I did respect the talent and craftiness on display from Taymor. We know she can deliver the technical goods but there needs to be a strong thematic foundation. I have not seen Titus but she seems like a good choice to transform a Shakespearean work into a modern day film.
Hereafter - Clint has been mediocre since Mystic River. I am in the minority but I thought Million Dollar Baby was vastly overrated. Gran Torino was decent and neither Changeling nor Invictus did anything for me. Still it's Clint and Matt Damon and they clearly have what it takes to make a spectacular feature if they hit the right notes.
Another Year - I love anything Mike Leigh does. Happy Go Lucky and Vera Drake are two of my favorite films of the decade and his latest got near unanimous praise out of Cannes.
Carlos - It's going to be interesting to see how the festival decides to screen this 330 minute behemoth of a film on Venezuelan revolutionary Ilich Ramírez Sánchez aka Carlos the Jackal. I have always wanted to see Edgar Ramirez in something more than his usual roles of walking around, looking mean and shooting people.
Meek's Cutoff - I have not seen Wendy and Lucy but I almost certainly will before the festival screening of Kelly Reichardt's latest. The film takes place on the Oregon Trail (yes I thought the same thing) where a wagon of families has hired a manto guide them over the Cascade Mountains. From there you can predict things get difficult a la the classic video game. This film is not connected to the game but sounds intriguing and has some players that can make it work in Michelle Williams, Paul Dano and Bruce Greenwood.
Inside Job - Another Cannes darling. Charles Ferguson's documentary on the economic crisis got very positive reviews this Spring and instantly became a front runner in the best documentary race.
I also have some curiosity in Certified Copy and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall Past Lives which won the grand prize in Cannes earlier this year.
