With the New York Film Festival closing on Oct. 11, the festival showcased a number of international hits, Oscar contenders and world premieres.

Three films world premiered to varying degrees. David Fincher's "Gone Girl" opened the festival with a lot of buzz particularly for Oscar season. The movie is based on the popular Gillian Flynn novel and went on to score rave reviews. The premiere brought together all the stars of the film including Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and Neil Patrick Harris. Additionally the premiere continued the conversation over whether or not it was an actual Oscar contender. The verdict was divided as many believed that its genre status would not appeal to the Academy. However, actress Pike went to the top of many pundits' lists for Best Actress.

The other film to world premiere was Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice." For months since the film was announced to play at the New York Film Festival, excitement and hype started to build. Not only was it an Anderson film, but it was the first adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel. However, when the film premiered, critics were extremely split. Why? As the director noted, it is an extremely tricky novel to adapt, and it is a difficult plot to follow that at some points feels pointless and confusing. Many critics praised Anderson for his masterful direction and his perfection in mastering Pynchon's tone. However, many were severe with the film, saying it was two hours of nothing. Awards buzz also diminished as critics and pundits noted that the Academy is likely to ignore it due to its lack of a narrative.

The final world premiere was "Citzenfour" about Edward Snowden. The film was not originally intended to screen at the festival, but was announced a week before it started. The documentary was greeted with a standing ovation at the opening night and later obtained rave reviews. Many critics noted it was a masterful and riveting look at the famous whistleblower. It also surprised awards pundits as many called it the frontrunner to win Best Documentary at the Academy Awards this February.

A number of Oscar contenders also screened to rave results. One of the most successful films was the closing night film "Birdman." Rather than choose a world premiere for closing night, the festival decided to put the Venice and Telluride Festival selection to culminate the event. The Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu film was met with ovations and sold-out screenings. The festival even had to add a number of screenings due to high demand.

"Foxcatcher" played to good results with critics applauding Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo for their performances, while "Whiplash" saw the most enthusiastic applause from any screening. While this writer disliked the film tremendously, J.K. Simmons continued to gain Oscar traction for his supporting role.

"Mr. Turner" had many fans as well even if there were some lukewarm reactions to it slow pace. However, Timothy Spall was praised for his lead performance.

Of the foreign films that were contending for Oscars, Belgium's "Two Days One Night" spurred conversation, particularly for Marion Cotillard's turn while Germany's "Beloved Sisters" was criticized for its length but praised for its beautiful set design.

A number of international hits were also met with mixed reception. Argentina's "Jauja" may have been the most divisive film for its glacial pace and experimental narrative.

Meanwhile, David Cronenberg's Cannes winner "Map to the Stars" continued to create conversation especially for its tone and for its critique on Hollywood. More importantly Julianne Moore continued to receive raves.

The New York Film Festival may not be the best awards festival, but it surely brings the best of the best in festivals and brings together the talent to make for an unforgettable two weeks. 

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