NYFF51 Day 16: Generations After Crackberry Comes 'Her'

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

IN the not-so-distance future, people will have full-blown relationships with their electronic devices, including doubledates and surrogate sex.

This scenario is presented in Spike Jonze’s “Her,” the closing film of The 51st New York Film Festival in its world premiere tonight. (See video at top).

An intriguing premise, but the devil is in the details of execution. Pressed to give one word to describe the film, it would be boring.

However, Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as nerdy-sensitive professional letter writer Theodore Twombly who falls for his OS (operating system), an extremely engaging voice provided by Scarlett Johansson.

NYFF51 winds down Sunday with encore screenings of select films, including "Gloria," "12 Years a Slave" and "Blue is the Warmest Color."

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.

Sheep Rebels Against Shepherd in 'The Master'

LANCASTER Dodd is a charismatic leader of a pseudo-religious sect in 1950s America and Freddie Quell is his almost-disciple.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix deliver masterful performances as the two unlikely allies-turned-enemies in “The Master.” The film was written, directed and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. (See trailer above.)

Fresh off of its well-received world premiere at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, “The Master” makes it North America debut today in select theaters. (Check local listings for showtimes.)

Also in main roles in the stellar cast are Amy Adams and Laura Dern.

“The Master” is rated R.