Just a taste of Philly

My trip to the Philly Film Festival was brief this time around. At 9 bucks a ticket, it’s tricky to pick something worthwhile. I was only in town on April 10th and 11th, so here’s what I took in.

Evil Aliens, directed by Jake West

This movie had a great reputation, but it turned out to be one long dirty joke with no redeeming value. It’s been compared to Bad Taste and Evil Dead, but those movies had some style and wit. This was just gross for the sake of being gross. An unexpected cameo by Red Dwarf’s Holly, however.

A Bittersweet Life, directed by Ji-woon Kim.

I hadn’t heard of this crime flick, but I tried it based on the accolades that so many South Korean movies are getting lately. Bittersweet Life plays as part Wong Kar Wai unrequited love story, part ultraviolent gangster fantasy. The melodrama worked for me, but had some audience members snickering. (Asian melodrama must be an acquired taste. Two years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed Dragonhead, which also dipped into some unrealistic theatrics. People around me were laughing into their popcorn, but I was led along by the story and didn’t find it funny at all.)