Amidst the enormous amount of fall festival chatter, the New York Film Festival has always been considered to be among the more prestigious of the lot. With screenings and conversations in and around New York's famed Lincoln Center, the festival not only houses major premieres for some of the year's potential Oscar contenders, but it also shines a light on other notable favorites -- some with an underlying New York theme -- as well as experimental works of art from iconic filmmakers.
Fandango spent some time watching movies at the New York Film Festival this year, and here are five we think you need to keep an eye out for (and one you can watch right now).
Speaking of...
The movie you can watch right now
Junun
The deal: Director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Inherent Vice) delivers his first documentary, a freeform, fly-on-the-wall peek behind the scenes of the collaboration on an album between Radiohead musician Johnny Greenwood, Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur and a group of Indian artists. The result is this beautiful look at the intimacy of collaboration, with very little dialogue or story -- just a group of artists holed up in an old fort surrounded by music and good vibes. It's almost like you don't even have to watch -- Junun is the kind of movie that works just as well with your eyes open as it does with them closed.
Watch it: Stream the movie right now through Mubi.
Listen: Here's a clip from the movie functioning as its trailer.
Review: My 15-second review of the film.
The movie with a fascinating history lesson
Bridge of Spies (in theaters October 16)
The deal: Steven Spielberg! Need we say more? No one tackles fascinating real-life stories quite like Spielberg, and in the spirit of Lincoln -- which was more about the power of secretive backroom conversations than the strength and violence of war -- comes Bridge of Spies, a movie that feels very similar. Tom Hanks stars as an insurance attorney tasked with first defending a man accused of being a Russian spy, and then negotiating for a trade between said spy and a captured American pilot. At times it feels like two separate films rolled into one captivating tale, with Hanks at the top of his game while Spielberg's craftsmanship is, of course, impeccable throughout.
Fun fact: The real-life story seen in Bridge of Spies was almost a movie way back in 1965. See who would've been cast.
Watch the trailer:
The movie that'll get all the Oscar nominations
Steve Jobs (in theaters now)
The deal: Separated into three distinct parts, each tracking the minutes prior to three of Jobs' (Michael Fassbender) biggest product launches (the Macintosh, the NEXT and the iMac), the film is gutsy and chaotic and brings us so much closer to the man behind the myth than ever before. From his refusal to credit anyone for the work they've accomplished to his often heartbreaking relationship with the daughter he never wanted to acknowledge as his own, this movie reveals a different side of the man whose innovative technology has changed all our lives forever.
Learn more about the film by watching the NYFF press conference, featuring most of the cast and filmmakers.
The movie with two of the finest female performances of the year
Carol (in theaters November 20)
The deal: Rooney Mara plays a Santa-hat-wearin' store clerk who falls for an older, more sophisticated woman (played by Cate Blanchett) in early 1950s New York. With exquisite period detail, this is a movie best enjoyed when you read between the lines. Mara and Blanchett display a chemistry that's among the year's best from on-screen duos, and while the story won't leave you on the edge of your seat, you won't be able take your eyes off this for one minute.
Get a feel for the movie by watching this clip:
The movie that had a lotta unconventional soul
Miles Ahead (TBD)
The deal: A labor of love many years in the making, Don Cheadle makes his directorial debut with and stars in Miles Ahead, an unconventional biopic about the dynamic musician Miles Davis.
A review, a tweet and a pic:
"Cowritten by Steve Baigelman, who worked on the script for last year's James Brown biopic Get on Up, Cheadle's trades the standard biographical details of that earlier film for an intermittently enjoyable and wacky farce examining the conditions under which Davis returned to music late in his career." -- Eric Kohn, Indiewire (full review)
Seriously, there's a '70s car chase and shoot out!
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) October 10, 2015
Warning: This clip is NSFW and contains graphic language.
