marty888

Lots of high profile items, including The Queen (opening night), new films from Almodovar, Johnnie To, Resnais, and Del Toro, a restored Reds, a rare screening of El Topo, etc.

Details and complete listings, including the sidebars at the Walter Reade Theater:

http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/program/films/films.html

splattii

Having just seen Pan's Labyrinth at the TIFF, I can't recommend it enough. It was fantastic and I'd see it again if I was in NYC. I also managed to catch "The Host" which was pretty funny at times, but overall somewhat average. It's been marketed as a horror, which IMO is exactly what this movie isn't. It's the closest thing I've seen to a North American popcorn film out of South Korea.

fernsita

How easy is it to get into one of these screenings? I am going to be in NY during that time, and it would be great to be able to see some of these movies!!

marty888

A lot of the screenings sell out in advance, but for most of them, there will be people selling tickets outside Alice Tully Hall. These are almost never scalpers, just subscribers who have extras. In many cases, people will be selling tickets not only for that evening's films, but for future ones as well. Except for a few very high profile titles, you can almost always get your hands on a ticket.

marty888

Here's a few thoughts on some of the films I caught during the first half of the festival:

THE QUEEN - Opening Night selection, with Frears and Mirren in attendence. All those good revews you've read got it right - a terrific movie, and Mirren is obviously the one to beat when awards season roles around.

LITTLE CHILDREN - this one is now in limited theatrical release. Excellent movie that is actually for adults - satirical, romantic, intelligent, insightful. Solid performances, and Jackie Earle Haley ahould be in serious contention for best supporting actor awards.

AUGUST DAYS - Spanish language semi-documentary about two brothers wandering around Catalonia. Beautiful phtography, but self-indulgent and ultimately not very interesting.

BAMAKO - strange film set in Bamako (he capital of Mali) about Africans putting the World Monetary Fund on trial for practices that hurt African nations. Amazingly, this film primarily about economics holds your attention.

GARDENS IN AUTUMN - French film about a fired cabinet minister idling around Paris, visiting girld friends, drinking buddies, and his mother (played by Michel Piccoli in drag). Entertaining enough, but nothing special.

REDS - The Warren Beatty gem was shown in its original form, with intermission. I hadn't seen this in a long time, and really had forgotton how much genuine humor there is. All in all, the film stands up remarkably well, and there are several scenes that actually have more relevance today (about going to war, and the nature of patriotism) than when the film was made. Warren Beatty was in attendence, and spent over an hour talking abut the film and taking questions.

49 UP - latest entry in the once-every-seven-years series that started in 1964 with 7 UP. Terrific film now going into theaters - you should know that you need not have seen any of the previous films to enjoy this, because footage from all the previous entries is briefly incorporated as sort of a "previously seen" helping hand.

BELLE TOUJOURS - somewhat audacious follow up to the classic Belle de Jour takes place decades later, with Michel Piccoli reprising his character from the original. A very gentle mood piece.

PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES - Alan Resnais directed this Alan Ayckbourn script, and it's a gem! Terrific comedy with great performances that constantly surprises you - and the first surprise is that this hip, innovative and edgy movie was directed by an 84-year old! Unfortunately, I didn't see any indication that it has a U.S. distributor yet, but hopefully that will be corrected.

PAPRIKA - dazzling anime from Satoshi Kon that deals with a stolen invention that lets people enter the dreams of others. This already has a U.S. distributor, so if you're an anime fan, keep an eye out for it - you won't be disappointed!

Now, on to Almodovar, Johnnie To, etc.