Philadelphia Film Festival Review 2011

My first ever Philadelphia Film Festival concluded over the Halloween weekend. I had the pleasure of viewing 13 movies all together and I'm already excited for next year's festivities. Here's a quick overview of my ratings for each film, as well as my own personal awards for the 6 major categories (Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor and Actress, Supporting Actor and Actress).



BEST PICTURE: The Artist
This black and white silent film depicts the rise and fall of a 1920's silent actor named George Valentin. George struggles to find his place in the entertainment world when "talkies" (movies with sound) become the newest craze.


Ratings (all out of 4 stars):

1) The Artist: 3 and a half stars / A-

2) Perfect Sense: 3.5 stars / A-

3) My Week with Marilyn: 3 stars / B+

4) Butter: 3 stars / B

5) The Descendants: 2 and a half stars / B

6) Goon: 2 and a half stars / B

7) Jeff, Who Lives at Home: 2 and a half stars / B

8) The Good Doctor: 2 and a half stars / B-

9) Anonymous: 2 and a half stars / B-

10) Martha Marcy May Marlene: 2 and a half stars / B-

11) Shame: 2 stars / C+

12) Like Crazy: 2 stars / C+

13) Melancholia: 1 and a half stars / C-






Best Director: David Mackenzie (Perfect Sense)
Mackenzie's Perfect Sense is beautifully artistic and unbelievably original. His strange, yet profound, blend of apocalyptic thriller and romance tells the story of a man and woman who fall in love during the outbreak of an unknown disease. This disease unexpectedly causes people to lose a different sense one at a time. It's remarkable seeing Mackenzie's interpretation of how the world manages to go on without senses like taste, smell, and hearing.



Honorable Mention: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) and Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn)




Best Actor: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
It's quite difficult to capture the attention of an entire audience over the span of nearly two hours, especially when there's no talking. Dujardin is mesmerizing as George Valentin in this year's homage to historic cinema, The Artist. By far, Dujardin offers one of the best portrayals I've seen all year.


Honorable Mention: George Clooney (The Descendants) and Michael Fassbender (Shame)




Best Actress: Michelle Williams (My Week w/ Marilyn)
Michelle Williams is wonderful as Marilyn Monroe in Simon Clark's My Week with Marilyn. Through the eyes of a young Colin Clark, the film follows the on set artistic struggles between Monroe and Sir Laurence Olivier.


Honorable Mention: Berenice Bejo (The Artist) and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)





Best Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)
Branagh gives a simply terrific performance as Sir Laurence Olivier. He expresses a wide range of emotions as he battles with Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl.


Honorable Mention: John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene) and Dominic Cooper (My Week with Marilyn)




Best Supporting Actress: Carey Mulligan (Shame)
In Steve McQueen's Shame, Mulligan gives a brutally honest portrayal of an emotionally broken down young woman who has suffered abuse in her younger years. It's Mulligan like you've never seen before, as she demonstrates her fantastic ability to delivery in any role.


Honorable Mention: Judi Dench (My Week with Marilyn) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (Melancholia)


Now that the 20th annual Philadelphia Film Festival has come and gone, we can look forward to a strong end of the cinematic year. Keep an eye on some of these films, directors, actors, and actresses as we count down the weeks until the Academy Awards.