Telluride Film Festival: Art Movies are not for Midnight!

Went to the late, late......late night  showing of the new movie If I want to Whistle, I Whistle by a first time director Florin Serban about a boy in a juvenile prison system in Romania.
The short Micky Bader, directed by Frida Kempff ( Sweden Norway)- precedes it.
Both movies are what I would call Art Movies- which is of course to be expected at a Independent Film Festival-

Both movies could be called profound- the short about a lady who has seen and lived through much in her 100 years including living and escaping Poland with her Jewish husband during Hitler's regime.
Serban's movie is about the harsh realities of life in a Romanian prison camp and a boys desire to save his younger brother from his abusive mother and his attraction to a student who comes to survey him-

Quickly in the movie you know the boy is going to snap, seeing his "rubber band" wrapped tighter and tighter until he does "lose it" in a bloody standoff, screwing any chance of a future for him, weeks before his release.
The problem, is when one is tired, from two days of film, about midnight it becomes very hard to think profound! And an art film, where there are sweeping camera angles and long, long, long.................long pauses in the dialogue starts to feel like torture- I started to edit If I Want to Whistle I Whistle- in my own head- declaring that five attempt to wake his friend in the prison barracks at night was to...long-  It would of been just as efficient three times or twice!
How long does one need to watch the slow stirring of sugar in a cup of coffee to get the emotional feel of the scene- I admit this could of felt more torturous because of the late hour- but I think the movie that came in at 94 minutes- could of made its very poignant point of the life of these boys- the lead was excellent- at 60 minutes- okay maybe 75 minute-
The short -Micky Bader was talk talk.......... talk as well - and so the movie maker for some reason gave us the Far North tradition of dipping in the freezing ocean to watch- A lot- really really old people in bathing suits and some....not, going o'natural- while Micky Bader talked- all ages came for a dip, down a long peer- and  to a ladder - down the ladder, in the frigid ocean for like 15 seconds, back up the ladder, puttingly their robe on slowly and walking  back up the peer- then down the peer, robes off, over and over as I read English at the bottom of the screen, since both movies were Foreign Films
So there is my sleep deprived review of these two Art Movie- if I really remember what happened- which is debatable and now I know, Art House movies- need to be seen early in the day when one is "caffeinated!"
One movie that kept me Wide Awake at midnight- was 127 Hours about the guy in Utah that cut his own arm off- review to come- !

Telluride Film Festival: Review of "The King's Speech"

The sneak showing on Saturday turned out to be the literally first complete showing of the movie, director Tom Hooper doing the final work on it I think on Tuesday. I was wondering how movies get to Telluride in circumstances like that, 127 Hours ( which I will see tonight ) and Black Swan ( see tomorrow hopefully) are the other two sneak peek- do you think the directors come with them as their carryon luggage?
By the way, the nearest decent airport in any given direction is two hours- either Montrose or Durango, Colorado- and the town of Telluride is in a box canyon- you can drive through the town and up over Black Bear Pass, coming down in Ouray Colorado- but the pass is considered by most to be the most to be the most treacherous of all 4X4 roads and actually it is one way- so maybe you can come into Telluride from there and drive through. Needless to say it takes some doing to get here but there are lots and lots that come and I think the best reason for coming this year (apart from finding out about the 7 part series on TCM called Movie and Mogals) is to see Colin Firth ( a.k.a. Mr. Darcy in PBS's Pride and Prejudice...)

though I liked the other Mr. Darcy way....better!)

But getting back to The King's Speech, it also stars Geoffrey Rush ( a.k.a.- Captain Barbossa from the Pirates of the Caribbean- according to the hotel cook who I rode a gondola with and let me know he was checked in to her hotel.)

The showing also included a Q and A with Firth, Rush and the director Tom Hooper...

 who also directed John Adams...

starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney- a Telluride local- but that is getting off the subject.

 The movie is set in the 1930 when radio was invented and as his father, King George the V played by Michael Gambon, a.k.a Dumbledore)

tells his son " We use to be able to wave to the crowd from a horse, now we have to be actors". Problem is Bertie ( family nickname- a.k.a King George the VI has a severe stutter- that prevents him from speaking to the public and England is entering a tremenchous time in their history with the death of King George the V, the abductation of King Edward to marry the twice divorced American Wallace Simpson.
Then World War 2 comes and although the monarchy of England had no real power, it up to the new King to hold the country together and be a voice of hope- with speeches from the new found Radio.
In comes Lionel Logue, an Australian-born speech therapist with modern ideas of curing him- a monarch that was not use to even speaking to a commoner now was under ones authority.
I cannot say enough about the "banter" between Firth and Rush in The King's Speech- Rush is hilarious (sounds strange in a movie of this serious nature) and Firth- as the stiff aristocrat is his perfect straight man.
Helena Bonham Carter ,( a.k.a. Bellatrix Lestrange),

is the perfect Queen Mother- probably her most sophisticated role in a long time and one she shows her great versatility as an actress.

Interesting note- According to Hooper from the Q and A, the author- David Seidler - had this idea like thirty years ago and sought permission from the Queen Mother to write it...

 the response she gave him was "not in my life time, because the events surrounding it are too painful."
What I loved about this movie was how well the personal pain of very public people were portrayed. It truly gave a look into the family of the Windsors- where younger generation might only get a few minutes with their royal parents and the rest of their care was given over to nannies- Bertie finally describing a rather painful childhood memory hit me in the gut.
It also introduces the new idea that psychology might play a part in physical infirmities- one that monarchy greatly resisted.
I hate to have to say this- to come to a film festival and start predicting the Oscars this winter- but I would be very ,very surprised if this movie and Firth and Rush are not on the list- if not there I will be giving my own speeches on "Popcorn and Movies!"

The Kings Speech

release date: November 26th 2010
"I'm probably going to see this again here at the festival and will see if again in theaters- it is that good!!)

Telluride Film Festival: Paul Newman knew how to get it done!

Every year the Film Festival picks a guest director to pick about six movies that reflect a personal theme. This year the honors went to Michael Ondaatje, the author of such books as The English Patient..

which has to be the movie I hate the most of all the movies I can think of sitting in at a table in thiscoffee shop, off the top of my head.
Why? Because it disturbingly proves that movies have the power to emotionally lead you on, for two hours, until in the end- after you have seen all the horrible things and suffering the main character has lived through, you are cheering for the nurse to overdose him on morphine and end his pain.It is the movie that made me realize the great power and propaganda cinema wield and how they can sway the masses- we are still in the arena of Roman and frankly the movers and shakers are still throwing us bread or at least they would like to.
So yeah- not too excited about Ondaatje being here- but Sa La Vie- and did get a really cool view of The Hustler- Paul Newman's 1961 Dark drama of a young kid trying to best the best of the best played by Jackie Gleason and also starring George C Scott.

Ondaatje is not only an author but a director of documentaries and had just completed a book on Editing- what he finds paramount to film and the reason he chose The Hustler- it being the movie that showed him the craft of magic making when he was younger.

To see Paul Newman, such a master on the big screen...

with a room full of admirers to his abilities that we took time in a festival of new movies to come marvel at him- really for me put a lot in to perspective.
Reality- that most of what is being touted up here, will fade, rather soon, replace with next year and next year. You can be swayed to the artistry in a place like this, think that everything becuase it is here- is wonderful- and then you sit in a dark room and look back forty years to a Master actor, whose doesn't even have to try- hough the film is in black and white- his blue eyes pierce the screen and me sitting there.
I want to go home and watch him more.... re watch Cool Hand Luke,

and Butch Cassidy...

Hud...

The Long Hot Summer ...

And my most favorite, or better moving Paul Newman if not well known is Exodus....

Writing this, I see that I have to thank my mother, who is notwords but sitting in the family room with her I gained my  knowledge and love of film and my father actually who genetically I recieved the love of these old classics from.

When I get home I desperately want to see the semi sequel to The Hustler- The Color of Money...

                                   

with Tom Cruise...where now he is the master pool player and Tom Cruise is the kid.

I think I can say that Cruise is really as much as an iconic actor-in my generation of the 80's and 90's that Newman also was.

Being reminded of Paul Newman, is not something I thought the author of my most hated movie would give to me, but being reminded of Newman has helped me feel the cost of this extravagant festival pass worth it! And seeing him on a huge darkened theater is such more of a delight then seeing him on DVD- though I will be rediscovering him all this winter and remembering to thank my mom for introducing me to "blue-est eyes" God gave anyone.

Telluride Film Festival: Tamara Drewe

This being my first real serious film festival, I am learning a few things. One, you don't get up until the credits are almost done- bad form to do otherwise since the makers of the movie are probably in the room.
Second, there is something akin to what my husband calls "Buck Fever" a hunting term- I'll call it "Festival Fever" where you want to see everything there is to see and you desperately want to like it all- maybe there are other who have decided to be a critic and hate everything, but I am too nice of a person and since the people who made it are here, I want to like it, kind of feel bad if I don't.
But this is an Indie Festival which means there are some movies, way, way out there in social acceptability I mean and frankly Tamara Drewe is one of them.
Very British, with the flavor of The Calendar Girls in that it takes place in a country hamlet, the movie is actually based on a comic strip, excuse me- graphic serial, that ran very popular for a few years in England.

The story is center on a more sexy, voluptuous Tamara Drewe, with a new nose and new confidence returning to her home village after her mother's death. No less than three men are obsessed with her....helped by her tight clothes and red lipstick. Two of them had shunned the more plain big nosed Tamara in her youth, so she is basically out for revenge now.
I WANT to like this movie- I hadn't decided last night when I got out of the showing @ midnight and preceeded not to see a man hole and broken sidewalk in the dark and totally wiped out on the cobblestone walk and scrapped my knee up bad- see how I reveal way more then you want to know in this blog!!
But laying in bed not sleeping because my knee was literally pulsating and even the sheets made it sting more- I decide that really Tamara Drewe, which by the way stars Gemma Arterton, who was the brainy Bond Girl in the new franchises second installment- Quantum of Solstice and the princess in this summers The Prince of Pursia and is made by the same director, Stephen Frears, who brought us The Queen is really a movie that has very little redeeming quality.
First of all it is really an ensemble cast where the three men and one of the men's wives and two girls who hate Tamara and are obsessed with her rock star boyfriend have just as much if not more of a story them Tamara Drewe. You could say she is the catalyst that brings such drastic change to the sleepy isolated hamlet. But I still am not sure whose story this really was.
The role reversal when the men were fawning all over her literally new body was probably the most interesting, with her rejecting them. It was funny to here the dialogue of lies and desperation which around . But being the mother of two teenage girls the whole idea of leading with your body instead of your brains, the movie really turns my stomach in a way.
This movie would not score well with the Bechdel Test which is very simple but rarely passed in movies these days-
1. It has to have at least two women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

This is a very very talky movie- but really, I think there might of been a scene with the daughter and mother talking about ...farm chickens- I can't remember- but most is not all was women talking to men or about men- or about hating the women who the men were obsessed with but I think that is an indirect fail.

Tamara Drewe

Release Date: October 8th 2010 in Theaters

Girl Test: Fails

"I won't be seeing it again, the real test!"

Telluride Film Festival: By Night

One thing I love to do is stroll a mountain town at dusk, but am usually heading down the canyon back home about that time- so since we were staying over night in Telluride, I got to enjoy the gorgeous night while others did  the same and of course there were a lot of dogs out.

The historical San Miguel courthouse waa aglow...It has quite a history. The first one burned down in 1885, but the bricks were reused to build this one, two years later and a bit after that Butch Cassidy ( acutally Leroy Parker because this was he pre Sundance days) robbed the bank and probably raced right past the courthouse, hightailing it down the Dolores Canyon. Rumor is that his stash is still in the hills around here. What is not rumor is that he actually wrote the Telluride Sheriff and wanted his horse back- which had been tied and replaced with a fresh one on the get away trail.

The Sheridan Hotel and Opera House was built starting in 1895, but also being touched by fire as everything was in a mountain mining town. It was the setting for a speech by Presidental Canidate William Bryan Jennings in one of his campaign stops-

The Opera House today has seen many movie premires during the Festival- including the Last King of Scotland, Juno, Brokeback Mountain, Neverland and Crouching Tigar, Hidden Dragon. 

I just saw the very first showing of The King's Speech with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush and will be review it this weekend- I'll come right out and say it- Oscar worthy!!  

Across the street from the Courthouse and Sheridan Hotel is Elk Park, that has free showings of movies every night at dark- haven't gotten to one of those yet, hopefull tomorrow.

Telluride Film Festival Review: TCM's Moguls and Movie Stars

Just got out of a great preview of the upcoming documentary from Turner Classic Movies on the beginnings of Hollywood's major studio system up through the 1970.

Wow, the first two parts were fascinating and haven't even got to the "talkies" yet! The first episode go way back to the beginning of Europe's intrigue with light shows when literally the source of light was candles and handpainted glass plates.

Also discussed is the evolvement of all the inventors like Thomas Edison and how it was not that great of a leap from one invention to the next, like using the drum of the phonograph to feed the film through the camera- the film coming out of Eastman Kodak's development for still photography.

                                      

Eadweard J. Muybridge, is a french photograoher who on a bet to figure out if a horse ever had all its feet on the ground in a run, figured out the bases of motion pictures, when he set up a whole row of still camera and again thanks in part to Edisons invention, had developed an quick electric switch to set off the camera's as the horse raced by.


Episode 2- still in the silent era, deals a lot with how it was as the Telluride program guide states- how " outsiders-immigrants, Jews and women"...

shaped Hollywood and the movie industry, where women were not only actresses,

but also did a lot of the writing and directing, since the majority of the audiences were women and children in the Nickledeons, which is derived from the words "Nickle" how much a movie cost which were usually about fifteen minute long and Odeon(from Wikipedia- from the Ancient Greek which meansliterally "building for musical competitions."

There was a wonderful Q and A after the preview, where John Wilkman chatted with the audience. The most profound thing he said and I think is really true is that we are where they were turn of the last century- we don't know what all this new stuff- ditigial, internet is going to do with Story- they were grappling with the same question and is was a while before movie makers even thought to bring what was happening on stage into movies in their own way and tell a story!
Wilkman also told us that as TCM shows the seven episodes, of Moguls and Movie Stars through November and December of this year, the channel will also be showing in full lengths the movies that are being featured! And there will be a DVD set. Makes me look forward to wintery nights, popcorn of course and a crackling fire!

Telluride Film Festival: Ready, Set, Go...

Here I sit, in the Steaming Bean Coffee Shop, down on Mainstreet in Telluride, Colorado, pretty mellow right now...

 Knocking on Heaven's Door is blasting over the speakers to give you an idea of how mellow and laid back this festival is- more grung then glitz. ...now Stevie Nicks is playing.

These streets will be packed in a few hours with the street feed for the passholders above mine like the Patrons, yeah not in that crowd, a lot of East Coast society coming out west and Hollywood types intermingling, well, more passing in the night, but fun to watch.

The official, Official guide is released at noon. They did release a list yesterday including a tribute to Peter Weir's who has given us Gollipili with Mel Gibson and the Witness with Harrison Ford. The Way Back,  is about a group of prisoners of war that escape a prison camp in Siberia- the write up uses phrases like "...horror of man reduced to his most primal instinct"... so I think they will be eating each other at some point. I'll let you know. It stars Colin Farrell who also starred in Weir's New World,

                                          

Not to be confused with Colin Firth ( close name like that are going to keep me checking the guide all weekend and I will still get it wrong!)

Colin Firth also will be here with The King's Speech, about King George, Queen Elizabeth father's fear of speaking and his speech coach and a tribute of all his movie- am looking more forwad to that, no canabalism, I think in a piece on England's Monarchy, well maybe.  

                              

No official word on 127 Day- the one about the guy who cuts his own arm off in the Utah Back Country- but think it will be here since the autobiography book is in the hospitaity tent? Hummm, is there a theme here of chopping and eating bodies? Hopefully those are the only two movies dealing with such things.

At Noon  I am headed over to the Backlot- in the library for a showing of a new documentary A History of Hollywood Moguls and Movie Stars, which will air November 1 on TCM (Turner Classic Movie Channel)

                            

and a feature on cameraman Jack Cardiff, with a Q and A session afterwards, which should be fun.

Then the first official movie I will be seeing is Great Expections, though not sure if it is this modern remake....

                                       

Or the classic one...

                                   

Kind of hoping for the classic one, will let you know and recap the day, tomorrow morning and let you know what is up for tomorrow.

Not another rumor of Brad Pitt being up here or a world wide showing of his movie Tree of Life, so it could of been a test of the "Tweeter Alert System" just to see if people were paying attention.  And no official word on Natalie Portman's Black Swan, though the rumor mill is going crazy on that one as well. All shall eventually be revealed.