Foxcatcher but no New York Comic Con- a brief report

The director and cast of FOXCATCHER

For the first time since I've started going to the New York Comic Con I missed a day. I'm tired and worn out from the last few weeks and Mondo ran me ragged at the convention yesterday. And if truth is told I was up until after 2AM getting pictures on to Tumblr from yesterday at the con.(you can see them here)

I did muster up enough energy to get in to see the New York Film Festival press screening of FOXCATCHER.

I need to do a full review, and I think Hubert does too. Until then know that I think it's the first film that has an Oscar Buzz that I'll seriously consider in the conversation. While flawed, the film tells the dark story of what happened when wrestler Mark Shultz (Channing Tatum in a performance that should have him in the Oscar hunt) met John du Pont (Steve Carell, a certain Oscar nominee)and how the plan to really back and train wrestlers for the Olympics went weird. An unrecognizable Mark Ruffalo plays Dave Shultz, Marks brother and coach (yes another Oscar contender).

There is much to think about in the film, which gloriously shows us a weird situation and lets us to try and parse it out.  The film is compelling and more than a bit creepy(I mean what was du Pont's motives?) This will be a film that you end up talking about for a while afterward.

Is it perfect? No, I could quibble, some others could do more, but for me this deliberately paced film held my attention and wondering how it was all going to go, even though I kind of knew.

If you're patient and willing to let this tale of American tragedy play out, I think you'll be richly rewarded.

A full review will be coming.

As I write this CITIZEN FOUR is screening at the Festival both publicly and for the press. I took a pass, I'm seeing it Sunday morning, but Hubert is sitting in a theater in Chelsea and will be reporting in.

Okay, time to go. I have several reports to prepare for you all and I have Comic Con, The New York Film Festival (Birdman) and The New Yorker Festival tomorrow. So I have to get to bed early tonight.

For pictures from the FOXCATCHER press conference go here.