Philadelphia Film Festival

Smell that?  It’s movie theater popcorn… and genius.

That’s right, the Philadelphia Film Festival is back!  It started yesterday and runs through next Sunday.  There are over a hundred films for you to choose from!  Like Grand Piano.  The bulk of the movie takes place over the course of a high stakes classical music concert. Here our hero (Elijah Wood) makes his long-awaited return to performing after being stricken with stage fright five years ago. Lured by the chance to honor his long-time instructor in a program showcasing his hardest works, the reluctant musician accepts, knowing it means tackling the infamous “unplayable piece.” The concert begins, but something strange is happening to his sheet music. As the pages are turned, text defines a very clear threat: “Play a wrong note and you die.”

I would not recommend playing the piano in these, but this pair of shoes by Charlotte Olympia is “grand” indeed!  The upper is meticulously stitched with piano keys, and ends at the toe in black suede.  (And a giant platform.  And a giant heel.  Don’t mess with these.)  Yours for $64 from Aliexpress.  (The price makes me think these aren’t actually Charlotte Olympia, whose shoes normally sell for several hundred dollars, but they’re still fun.)

Maybe you’d rather go historical—then how about Mary, Queen of Scots?  History fondly remembers Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth I of England, but many forget it was Mary who at one point laid claim to France, Scotland, and England and was arguably the most powerful person in the world. That moment was short-lived. The film follows her from her life in France and marriage to the King Francis II (and his untimely death one year later) to her return to Scotland. This is a rare, beautiful period drama that explores a deeper sense of the interior life of one of the more mysterious royal monarchs.

Okay, so these shoes by Annette are about 300 years later than the Renaissance, but they are fit for a queen!  Covered in pale ivory satin embellished with watercolor flowers, a sheer ruffle around the foot, a rhinestone buckle…you may be mistaken for royalty in these.  Find them at Buycostumes for $50.

If you’d rather go to the future instead, try The Congress.  Robin Wright receives an offer from Miramount Pictures for the rights to her essence. Although it means the company can digitally and chemically use her likeness in perpetuity, she takes the deal. Flash forward 20 years, and the corporate bullies now run things. Wright must travel through this brave new animated world, where hallucinatory experiences are sold over the counter, but the commodity of genuine identity or reality is rare indeed. The Congress is both a soulful, immersive psychological adventure and pure visual candy, like the tactile pleasures of old-school Looney Tunes-style animation on acid.

Trippy!  This shoe by Pleaser is not for everyday wear—at least today.  Maybe in the future!  This pair has multi-colored lights in its two-inch platform and tall heel, but there’s also an all-pink and all-blue version.  Your choice for $68 from Shoebuy.

These three movies are just the tiniest of samplings of what the Film Festival is showing.  Go and check out the others—I’m sure you won’t be disappointed in whichever you choose.

Grand Piano shows this Saturday at 9:45 PM and next Sunday at 10:00 PM.  Mary, Queen of Scots shows Saturday at 2:30 PM and next Sunday at 2:15 PM.  The Congress shows this afternoon at 4:00 PM and again on Sunday at noon.

Sales this weekend:

Sorry ladies; the Shoe Fairy is on vacation this week.  You’ll have to seek out the sales on your own!