Photo by Olga Bas. For more photos from last night's My Week With Marilyn screening and red carpet, and the festival in general, check out our NYFF Facebook album.
Michael Musto of The Village Voice on My Week With Marilyn:
“​I just saw My Week With Marilyn at the New York Film Festival, and it turns out to be a sweet and incisive true story about a production assistant's interplay with the screen legend during the tumultuous filming of The Prince and The Showgirl. Those expecting a lot of boo-poo-pee-dooing will be deeply disappointed. Williams plays the human side of Marilyn, going for softer, more subtle hues. At the festival, Williams explained that 'Marilyn Monroe was a character that she played and the image you're most familiar with. There was a person underneath that.'”
A.O. Scott from The New York Times spoke about the festival growing in size and excitement:
“The festival’s offerings have expanded accordingly, with more classic films and retrospectives, a new documentary program and a larger selection of Views From the Avant-Garde, in addition to the 27 features in the main slate. Gala screenings have been added beyond the traditional opening, centerpiece and closing-night events. And on Monday night there will be a sneak preview of an as-yet-unannounced film described as “a major work in progress by a master filmmaker” at Avery Fisher Hall. Nonetheless, there is something thrilling (you might say festive) about such an abundance of riches gathered in one place over two weeks. The final stretch of the festival is, among other things, a celebration of the varieties of beauty that film can deliver.”
Michael Buening of PopMatters commented on the beautiful visual elements in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia:
“This year’s New York Film Festival again offers the chance to see a number of films from other places. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Bir zamanlar Anadolu’da), from Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, is the kind of mind-blowing viewing experience that I love and always look forward to at this Festival. The photography (by Gökhan Tiryaki) is so gorgeous and the details are so stunning that it’s never boring. I was immediately struck by the magnificent use of colors and light, as, for instance, the dark bruised purple of the countryside at night contrasts with the comforting orange glow of the car’s headlights.”
Youyoung Lee of The Huffington Post commented about Michelle Williams at the NYFF's World Premiere of My Week with Marilyn:
“Looking ethereal in a form-fitting white frock with a plunging neckline and delicate details, Michelle Williams proved why she was a dead-ringer for the role of Marilyn Monroe at the 'My Week With Marilyn' premiere in New York Sunday night. Together with co-star Eddie Remayne, Williams has already caused Oscar rumblings with her performance in the true-story film, which recounts the brief love affair between the beatific screen legend and British film maker Colin Clark, played by Remayne.”
Jennifer Merin wrote about the appearance of the West Memphis 3 and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory on About.com Documentaries:
“Just released from prison, the West Memphis Three — Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. — will make their first public appearance at the New York Film Festival (NYFF) premiere of Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, the third and last of the documentary series in which filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, over an 18-year period, followed their case and made known to the world the circumstances of their wrongful convictions.Ultimately, their release, so long fought for, happened so suddenly that Berlinger and Sinofsky had to re-edit Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, updating the film for its official premiere on October 10, 2011. Despite very welcome release of the West Memphis Three from prison, the film's title's reference to purgatory is still appropriate. Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory is not scheduled for theatrical release, so if you can't see it at NYFF or in another special screening, look for its broadcast premiere on HBO in January, 2012 — hopefully with a new ending.”
Erica Abeel of The Huffington Post Celebrity spoke with David Cronenberg about his film A Dangerous Method and said:
“In A Dangerous Method, which just premiered at the New York Film Festival, David Cronenberg has fashioned the thinking person’s action movie. Instead of cars exploding and weapons blasting, great minds duel over the forces driving human behavior during the period that saw the burgeoning of psychoanalysis. That this three-way biopic is so textured and rich makes it hard to sum up. I recently sat down with director David Cronenberg to discuss the challenge of capturing these complex and fascinating figures on screen. He said, “It’s so rare. The idea in cinema today — especially, of course, in Hollywood — is that any obsessiveness or dynamism has to do with physical action and never with speech and ideas. These people were not only incredibly articulate — they were passionate about their ideas. And the ideas were not just abstractions; they wanted to incorporate them in their own lives, bodies, relationships. It was a great era. These people were all deeply cultured and artistically aware and that’s what I got excited about.”
