The weekend saw a number of films premiere at the Venice Film Festival scoring rave reviews and creating Oscar buzz.
One of the most anticipated films in competition was Stephen Frears' "Philomena" starring Judi Dench. The movie, which is set to be released by the Weinstein Company, scored exceptional reviews at the festival. Justin Chang of Variety was impressed with the movie's charm and sense of realism: "His smug but effective middlebrow crowdpleaser shrewdly mines its real-life material for laughs and righteous anger as well as tears." Meanwhile, Deborah Young of the Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Stephen Frears returns to top form in a touching, at times funny true story of grave injustice and a mother's search for closure."
Kelly Reichert's "Night Falls," starring Jesse Eisenberg, was also met with positive reactions. Justin Chang of Variety wrote: "Kelly Reichardt blends her lucid observational approach with a procedural-thriller format to intelligent and engrossing effect." David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter also liked the film. "Miniaturist Kelly Reichardt makes an unexpected move toward genre territory without relinquishing her personal stamp," wrote Rooney.
One of the other standout films was David Gordon Green's film "Joe" starring Nicolas Cage. The movie obtained positive buzz with Oliver Lyttelton from the Playlist stating, "'Joe' isn't doing anything groundbreaking, but it's a good story told very well. And by feeling a little like all of Green's work to date, and yet not quite directly like any of them, it's a satisfying culmination of the filmmaker's career to date. We look forward to seeing where he goes next."
A number of other films to receive positive feedback included Sebastian Sepulveda's directional debut "The Quispe Girls" and David Mackenzie's "Starred Up." Gia Coppola's "Palo Alto," starring James Frano and Emma Roberts, also scored raves.
While critics found plenty to rave about at the festival, there were many films that fell short of expectations. "Parkland," starring Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden, and Paul Giamatti, was once considered a big awards contender, however, after the negative reviews the film garnered following its screening, the movie seems to have lost all its Oscar hopes. Franco's "Child of God" was also met with mixed reactions, while "Under her Skin," starring Scarlet Johannson, outright disappointed audiences.
In the Market the biggest sale came from The Weinstein Company. The distributor acquired the revered "Tracks" starring Mia Wasikowska. The film next premieres at the Toronto Film festival .
The Venice Film Festival continues through Sept. 7.
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