Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

I’m not sure when the first weekend of the Philadelphia Film Festival was, but this guy was there, and these two mini-reviews are the result:

Dear Aint it Cool News,

I attended the first weekend of the Philadelphia Film festival. This thing was PACKED this year. 10-15 sell outs on the first weekend.

Kenny:

An Australian mockumentary by Clayton Jacobson was a big hit with the crowd at the festival. It stars Clayton’s brother Shane as the title character, Kenny Smyth. He is a plumber/port-a-potty sales man who is followed around his work and his private life.

The film has shades of Borat and Clerks, but is gentler in its approach than those films. The handheld camera can get annoying at times, but I highly recommend this movie. Amazingly, this film is listed as being made in 2006 and has yet to premiere in the United States. This film should become a cult classic.

“There's a smell in here that will outlast religion”- Kenny

American Teen:

I am recommending this even though some of the material seems too coincidental to not have been staged. However, Nanette Burstein, who I asked a question to in the Q & A, explained that some of the scenes that looked staged were because she first wasn’t sure who would be the “stars” of the documentary. That explains why she was able to film a main protagonist’s girlfriend cheating on him.

All the main characters are likeable except for Megan. I hated her in this movie. Even though she was only a teenager during the filming of this documentary, I have to say that Megan Krizmanich is this year’s Billy Mitchell. The scene where she leaves a threatening message on a fellow classmate’s answering machine is chilling.

Rourkefan