Philadelphia Film Festival UPDATE 10/29

I'm sitting here staring out the window as the rain pummels the ground and thinking to myself, "What a perfect day for a movie". Before I take a stroll into the city to see two of the most talked about films at the festival, allow me to recap what I've seen over the course of the past two nights. On Thursday evening, what was suppose to be a double feature ended up being a night solely dedicated to the best film I've seen at the festival so far. The Artist managed to capture the hearts of everyone at the Cannes Festival in France this year, and nothing was different at its showing in Philadelphia. The credits rolled to a roaring applause from an extremely satisfied audience. I'd be shocked if The Artist doesn't win the Amtrak Audience Award at tonight's ceremonies.

Last night while many people tuned into Game 7 of the World Series, I spent the evening being immensely entertained by two very surprising films. First, there was the British movie Perfect Sense starring Ewan McGregor. This piece of work proved to be extremely original and beautifully artistic. It was a delightful combination of entertaining and emotional work. Shortly after, I was once again entertained by a hockey comedy called Goon. The film was ridiculously funny and it also managed to be an excellent sports film. Goon displayed tons of heart and reminded us all about the strength of team. All of these movies provided a great start to what should be a spectacular weekend of cinema. Here's a brief synopsis of each picture:

The Artist is a black and white silent film that ironically follows a successful silent movie actor in the late 20's. George Valentin is on top of the world, that is until the arrival of talking pictures. With this drastic change, George struggles to find his place in the entertainment business and watches his life crumble in the process.

Perfect Sense tells the story of two people who meet and fall in love, all while the world experiences an unknown illness that slowly destroys the human senses. A strange but magnificent blend of romance and apocalytic thriller, Perfect Sense reminds us that Love is the greatest sense of all.

Goon, which is loosely based on a true story, follows Doug Glatt (played by Seann William Scott), an unintelligent bouncer looking for his place in the world. When a fist fight lands him in a semi-pro hockey league, Doug helps rally a team of misfits into the playoffs.

Slated for today are two movies with some serious Oscar potential. I'll be checking out My Week with Marilyn starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, and The Descendants starring George Clooney. As always, I'll keep you posted.