The Why Watch That Insider: New York Film Festival 2017: End of NYFF
The 55th New York Film Festival took place September 28th and ran through – October 15th, 2017 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Why Watch That was there to cover it. Check out “The Critics” final thoughts on the film festival and the last few films he had the opportunity to catch.
Wonderstruck (Currently in theaters)
Ben and Rose are children from two different eras who secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known, while Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his home and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out on quests that unfold with mesmerizing symmetry.
Starring: Oakes Fegley, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Millicent Simmonds
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Produced by: Pamela Koffler, John Sloss, Christine Vachon
Cinematography by: Edward Lachman
Distributed by: Amazon Studios, Roadside Attractions
Runtime: 117 minutes
Lady Bird
In Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig reveals herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut, excavating both the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter. Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mom (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird’s father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. Set in Sacramento, California in 2002, amidst a rapidly shifting American economic landscape, Lady Bird is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home.
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen Henderson, Lois Smith
Directed by: Greta Gerwig
Produced by: Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neil
Cinematography by: Sam Levy
Distributed by:A24 (United States) Universal Pictures (International)
Runtime: 93 minutes
Wonder Wheel
Four peoples’ lives intertwine amid the hustle and bustle of the Coney Island amusement park in the 1950s: Ginny, an emotionally volatile former actress now working as a waitress in a clam house; Humpty, Ginny’s rough-hewn carousel operator husband; Mickey, a handsome young lifeguard who dreams of becoming a playwright; and Carolina, Humpty’s long-estranged daughter, who is now hiding out from gangsters at her father’s apartment.
Starring: Jim Belushi, Juno Temple, Justin Timberlake, Kate Winslet
Directed by: Woody Allen
Written by: Woddy Allen
Produced by: Letty Aronson, Edward Walson, Erika Aronson
Cinematography by: Vittorio Storaro
Distributed by: Amazon Studios
Runtime: 101 minutes
Spielberg (Documentary)
a documentary film directed by Susan Lacy, and is centered around the career of director Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jim Belushi, Juno Temple, Justin Timberlake, Kate Winslet
Directed by: Susan Lacy
Produced by: Susan Lacy, Jessica Levin, Emma Pildes
Cinematography by: Ed Marritz, Samuel Painter
Distributed by: HBO
