Skip to main content

The Best of the 2016 Philadelphia Film Festival


Sadly, the 25th annual Philadelphia Film Festival has come and gone. One of my favorite yearly events produced an amazing film lineup throughout its 11-day span of uninterrupted movie-watching, making 2016 the city's most impressive festival to date. I was only able to catch 17 films in total, a slightly lower figure than usual, but I'm thrilled to look back and recognize my "Best of the Fest" selections (here's a look back at the 2015 festival). Keep an eye out for these picks in the upcoming months, because many of them are guaranteed to garner acclaim during this year's Oscar run.


Best Supporting Actress

Honorable Mention: Greta Gerwig (Jackie) and Janelle Monae (Moonlight)

#3. Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

#2. Haley Squires (I, Daniel Blake)

And the winner is ...


Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea

Williams has always been a personal favorite of mine. And although her screen time is somewhat limited in this over two-hour drama, she most the most of every opportunity and even manages to deliver that necessary "Oscar scene". 


Best Supporting Actor

Honorable Mention: Aaron Eckhart (Bleed for This), Woody Harrelson (The Edge of Seventeen) and Jeremy Renner (Arrival)

#3. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) 

#2. Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

And the winner is ...


Ashton Sanders - Moonlight

It's difficult to describe, but Moonlight provides such an engrossing story that works so well because of the many fine performances in the film. My favorite of which comes from the second of three chapters in the life of an impoverished teen struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. Ashton Sanders may be a newcomer, but his exceptional work speaks for himself in one of the year's most captivating features.


Best Lead Actress

Honorable Mention: Amy Adams (Arrival), Sarah Paulson (Blue Jay) and Haley Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)

#3. Natalie Portman (Jackie)

#2. Rebecca Hall (Christine)

And the winner is ...


Emma Stone - La La Land

We've known for a while now that Emma Stone is an amazing performer. You don't have to look any further than her phenomenal role in Birdman where she unforgivably lost out on her first Oscar statue. Yet, the world has a funny way of correcting itself and Stone has provided the finest lead actress performance I have seen all year, by a long shot. And not only is her acting on point, but she whisks you away into the magical world of La La Land with her impressive vocal abilities as well.


Best Lead Actor

Honorable Mention: Mark Duplass (Blue Jay) and Miles Teller (Bleed for This)

#3. Dave Johns (I, Daniel Blake)

#2. Ryan Gosling (La La Land)

And the winner is ...


Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea

Affleck is another actor I've long admired. From his outstanding performance in Gone Baby Gone to his present role in the hard-hitting Oscar contender, Manchester by the Sea, Affleck has long displayed a wide range of talent. This could finally be the work that brings him an Oscar statue thanks to a relentlessly heavy script that he helps bring to life.


Best Director

Honorable Mention: Ken Loach (I, Daniel Blake) and Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

#3. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

#2. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)

And the winner is ...


Damien Chazelle - La La Land

In the finest and most impressive film I've seen this year, director Damien Chazelle delivers an absolute spectacle. With tremendous acting talent, a detailed screenplay, a magnificent score and Chazelle's unique vision, La La Land emerges as a remarkably original and nostalgic homage to Hollywood. His work catches you immediately from the opening scene and never lets up until the films grand finale. Chazelle is surely in line for an Oscar Nomination, but it would be an impressive feat to take the crown with only his second major motion picture.


Best Picture

Honorable Mention: Backpack Full of cash, Blue Jay, Christine and I, Daniel Blake





And the winner is ...


La La Land

Not only is La La Land the best film from the 2016 Philadelphia Film Festival, it's hands down the number one movie I've seen all year. Outside of a brief lull in the second half of the film, La La Land truly has it all. Singing, dancing, an original score, gifted actors and fantastic direction. It's an absolute marvel and a film I will undoubtedly watch again upon its theatrical release. If you haven't heard of La La Land yet, then prepare to hear all about it once December hits and the awards season heats up. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rapid Reviews: Despicable Me 3 and The House

If there's one current animated franchise I always look forward to, it's the Despicable Me films. Credited directors Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin and Eric Guillon (co-director) bring to theaters the third installment of this series. Yet, with each subsequent journey into the hilarious and complicated life of former-super-villain Gru (voice of Steve Carell), the Despicable Me franchise seems to take a step backwards. After foiling an attempt at capturing the disgruntled former child star and 80s retro villain, Balthazar Bratt (voiced by South Park creator Trey Parker), Gru and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) are fired from the Anti-Villain League (AVL). And just as Gru breaks the unfortunate news to his trio of adopted daughters, he's visited by a man who reveals that Gru has a twin brother named Dru (also Steve Carell) who happens to possess a taste for villainy himself. The estranged siblings engage in some mischievous behavior behind Lucy's back and it leads on a path back to Bal...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best Amy Adams Performances

Amy Adams has become somewhat of an awards season staple with Oscar Nominations in 4 of the last 8 years. She makes a huge return in 2016 with a pair of vastly different films in the sci-fi drama, Arrival , and the mind-bending psychological thriller, Nocturnal Animals . Therefore, since Adams could be primed for another Oscar run for her role in this month's science fiction release, November's Movie List of the Month examines the finest work of her career ( October's list ). Honorable Mention:   Big Eyes , Doubt ,  Enchanted , and The Muppets #5. Junebug (2005) Phil Morrison's original indie drama, Junebug , proved to be a catalyst for Amy Adams' career. The film follows an art dealer (Embeth Davidtz) and her new husband (Alessandro Nivola) as they travel back to his home southern town where she meets his family and pregnant sister-in-law (Adams). Amy Adams knocks her southern accent out of the park and shines in her wholesome, albeit it talkative, role. The film ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Snowman and The Disaster Artist Trailers

From the acclaimed Best Selling Novel comes Tomas Alfredson's (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Let the Right One In) October murder-mystery, The Snowman . Michael Fassbender stars as Harry Hole, a detective determined to find a killer who taunts the police with snowmen at his crime scenes. Readers were enthralled by the novel and if the film can be anywhere near as good, then we may have the year's most gripping crime-thriller on our hands. Check out the debut trailer for The Snowman which just dropped this morning. Tommy Wiseau's 2003 indie film, The Room , has been labeled as one of the worst films ever made, but that hasn't stopped it from earning an impressive cult following. And after debuting a "work in progress" screening at this year's SXSW Film Festival, James Franco's behind-the-scenes darkly comic, albeit respectful, dramatization, The Disaster Artist , became the talk of the town. Franco's brother, Dave, and regular partner in crime, Set...
Post a Comment
Read more