I certainly thought the NYFF selections were excellent. I understand the Film Comment poll group are not concentrated in New York, so it must just be that. Of course I didn't like them all equally and true, Tristram Shandy, Tale of Cinema, and Through the Forest were not ultimately successful for me. But they're certainly more interesting than most of the fare we get in theaters or even in festivals. I did say Tale of Cinema "lingers pleasantly in the mind" and Shandy is "an enormously clever film." Even Through the Forest, though too slight, is quite beautiful, not to be compared with something like Ma Mère, which is an abomination. As for The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, it is essential viewing.
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