Telluride Film Festival '08

[Ezee E]

Quick ramblings:

-Jeff Goldblum is just as bizarre in person as one could hope. He also gives off his best dramatic performance yet. Still doesn't beat The Fly.

-The Good, The Bad, and The Weird is good stuff, especially if you like Kill Bill.

-No standout movie this year compared to last. Lots of foreign films. I'll probably miss out on Hunger. :(

-Benjamin Button notes on its thread.

-Mike Leigh doesn't wash his hands after he shits. His new movie is not shit. Very short man, but approachable. I did not shake his hand.

-Leonard Maltin's daugher is a lot like Kelly Osborne. Very nice and approachable though.

More to come when I return Tuesday.

[baby doll]

The Good, The Bad, and The Weird is good stuff, especially if you like Kill Bill.My coworkers who've seen it are pretty split on it. Some really like it, but others feel like they wasted their money. I'll give it a shot when I can.

[balmakboor]

Quick ramblings:-Mike Leigh doesn't wash his hands after he shits. ... Very short man, but approachable. I did not shake his hand.

I'm afraid to ask how you came by this information.

[Ezee E]

I'm afraid to ask how you came by this information.
Go into the bathroom for a piss. A stall nearby flushes.

I go to wash hands.

Leigh comes out of stall.

I go to paper towels.

Leigh disappears.

I talked with him more on Monday, but did not give the "what's up" handshake. Just a wave.

Anyways, I was just going to post everything in the "Film Festival" thread and delete this one, but the latter posts amused me. I'll work up some thoughts on each movie tomorrow.

[Ezee E]

Full list:

Thursday
American Violet - 4
directed by Tim Disney

Friday
Happy Go Lucky - 7.5
directed by Mike Leigh

I Bring What I Love + Youssou N'dour Concert
directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Gomorrah - 8
directed by Matteo Garrone

Saturday
A Tribute to David Fincher w/20 Minutes of Benjamin Button

Seminar w/Kinnear, Goldblum, Simmons, Leigh, Fincher, and Elsa Zylberstein

Adam Resurrected - 8.5
directed by Paul Schraeder

Sunday
A Tribute to Jean Simmons

The Good, the Bad, and The Weird - 9
directed by Ji-Woon Kim (A Tale of Two Sisters)


Monday
I've Loved You For So Long - 8
directed by Philippe Claudel

With A Little Help From Myself - 9
directed by François Dupeyron (Monsieur Ibrahim)

Flame & Citron - 9
directed by Ole Christian Madsen

[Kurosawa Fan]

The Good, the Bad, and The Weird - 9
directed by Ji-Woon Kim (A Tale of Two Sisters)


Was this a horror? Any thoughts on it?

[baby doll]

Was this a horror? Any thoughts on it?Judging by the trailer I saw before Indiana Jones, it looks like a western. Then again, it didn't have subtitles so I wouldn't know.

[Ezee E]

THURSDAY:

My return to the Telluride Film Festival. I have gone each year since 2004, and it hasn’t waned on me a bit. All filmlovers should try to make it to Telluride at least once. It’s basically a Kaaba. This pocket of a town in the mountains, it’s hard to believe that it can attract this many people, fans, and attention, but it manages to do it, while being accessible at the same time. Where else would you get the chance to just chat away with Mike Leigh while in line for a movie?

This year I was part of staff. For punching tickets, I was given a t-shirt, hat, pin, and a pass that is probably worth about $700. When off-duty I could watch anything in the bigger venues. Heck, while on duty, I was able to watch movies while they were on since there was nothing else to do. It’s a beautiful thing.

After a good amount of training in which I heard the same thing over and over in three meetings I was set. The festival put on a Staff Screening for us, saying it was an “American film” after the titles were announced. Note that Telluride doesn’t announce its lineup until the day of the festival. That makes it even crazier that people would travel here for movies that they have no idea will be there.

This year, the American titles were small. In a year where everything was pushed back because of the Writer’s Strike, and with other festivals guarding their premieres, there weren’t many options which disappointed many filmgoers.

American Violet was the film, and while it filled the tastes of many left-winged filmgoers, I thought it was heavy-handed, putting its message over the film, and seemed straight out of television. And I liked Crash. Tim Disney’s American Violet tells the story of a Black Woman in a Texas projects area that was arrested for drug dealing, along with a good amount of other citizens in the complex. Problem is, she had nothing to do with it. She can’t afford an attorney, and the city is pushing for a plea bargain that sounds a lot better then the twenty years that she’ll most likely get since the provided attorney seems to lose anything that could protect her. From here on, we get handfuls of reasons of why plea bargains are horrible, how the communities need help, and the racism between the accused and the court. On top of this, there’s random footage of the Bush/Gore election problems that occurred, that really don’t fit in with the rest of the film.

Aside from theme problems, and obvious storytelling, there is some good acting here. Particularly from potential breakout star Nicole Bedharie (sp?) who keeps the film watchable at the very least. Surprisingly, Xzibit shows some potential as well as the horrible ex-boyfriend/father of her kids that has an abusive girlfriend.

This movie could’ve taken a more interesting approach, into the mindset of both the accused and the police. Why are they so racist? How did they get that way? How does she get into this trouble? She has four kids with three men, I’m more interested in that. Instead, it simply goes for a simple theme we’ve all seen before, and ends just as easily.

American Violet - **

[Ezee E]

Saturday
Woke up early to get to a tribute to David Fincher. A montage of his music videos/commercials were shown followed by clips of each of his movies, minus Alien 3 which he seems to detest. He really has the modern film noir look down, especially by the time you get to Zodiac with the scene of the escapee and her baby being picked up by the Zodiac Killer.

His interview with Scott Foundas was pretty lame as Foundas never really dug into questions that most filmgoers already know about Fincher. I heard Todd McCarthy's interview was much better. This was followed by twenty minutes of Benjamin Button that will continue to advance Fincher's career as a visual director. Two scenes stood out for me, a 4th of July birth, and a ballet dance on a lake. It remains to be seen if this movie will be amazing as expected, but the look will be there.

Adam Resurrected
Paul Schraeder continues his sexual, disturbing trend with Jeff Goldblum (in his best dramatic performance) playing a former prisoner in an Israeli Psychiatric Facility. Like Auto-Focus, I don't know if I should be totally disgusted, or marvel at what's going on here. I don't even want to give away why it's so disturbing, but it never seems over-the-top. While it won't get any Oscar nominations, it's a movie well worth seeing.

Goldblum claims to have taken an entire year to prepare for the film, going to locations, watching endless movies, and working on an accent. The result is certainly his best dramatic performance (nothing beats The Fly/Jurassic Park), and one of the best performances of the year.

[Ezee E]

Oops... Skipped right over Friday. To be edited...

[Ezee E]

The festival officially begins at night. People are scurrying through their festival guides and planning out their weekend. It’s nearly impossible to see everything you’d like to see as there are about fifty programs to see. Unfortunatly, Hunger is going to be very tough to see, so I’ll have to hope it comes to the Denver Film Festival, or gets released in theaters.

I learn how to “punch tickets” and even though it’s the easiest thing in the world, there are a few teammates that can’t seem to get it.

Seriously?

Anyways, I get to go to the Press/Patron screening of Happy-Go-Lucky with Mike Leigh in attendance. The press is bothering him too much for me to go talk, but I eventually head to the bathroom and the story above occurs. I decide to call him Mike “Fecal Fingers” Leigh.

Happy-Go-Lucky
http://malcolm.5harts.com/happy.jpg

Happy-Go-Lucky may fall along the lines of mumblecore as it’s just this happy, free-spirited character just wandering around in life. Her times at the school as she observes a bully, driving lessons, ballet lessons, and finding a man.

This movie would be horrendous if it weren’t for the performances of all the actors involved, not just the delightful Sally Hawkins. The driving instructor and ballet instructor are equally hilarious in their bits. In fact, this may just be the funniest comedy of the year thus far. The story has a bit to be desired, as it is just Poppy wandering around.

Afterwards, the festival begins. I must decide whether I see the Ndour concert or see Waltz With Bashir. Both seem great, but the Ndour concert seems like a unique event that I’d never get the chance to see, so I end up choosing that. By the way, I hear Waltz With Bashir is pretty damn good.

Youssou Ndour’s event is in the park, available to everyone for free, and it’s packed. Before the concert, we are treated to the world premiere of his concert film I Bring What I Love which is a chronicle of the years he’s been a musician, as well as his touring throughout the world. It’s a fascinating concert film/documentary, as we see his musical hardships mixed with family hardships. Consider his album release of Egypt which he considers a strong album. It’s condemned by his audience and citizens of Africa because he created it during Ramadan, as well as it possibly having a negative view on the Islam religion. Youssou doesn’t see it, as he believes the music is beautiful, and there was no intention of harm. This is mixed with concert footage all over the world, and the highlight is an acoustic performance with dancers in New York City. Very fun. The concert itself was just as fun, although the yuppie citizens scared me a bit with their horrible dancing.

Gomorrah
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/05/19/arts/Cannes1190.jpg
Late night, I check out Gomorrah which focuses on the mafia in Naples, Italy. Similar to The Wire, there is a wide range of characters that come and go as if they’re in a book. It’s somewhat hard to follow as many of the older characters look alike, but it’s the subplot of two ambitious teenagers that come across crates of guns that makes the movie

[Grouchy]

I wash my hands before pissing or shitting. It makes more sense to me.

[Ezee E]

Sunday was a pretty mellow day. All the interesting films were playing in other theaters, and the only one I considered at mine was one of the Film Noir retrospectives that guest director Slavo Zizek was putting on. He selected Seconds as an overlooked film noir masterpiece. I decided it should be a Netflix rental instead, as it does sound very interesting.

The tribute to Jean Simmons was first. A huge reel of hers was shown, and then she was interviewed for about an hour by Leonard Maltin. Although Leonard may be a cheesy critic, he at least put on a good interview. From what I could remember:

Jean Simmons on William Wyler: Lots of takes without any direction except to “do it again.” He had Gregory Peck walk down the stairs 55 times until the 55th take where he slightly tripped. “Print.”

On Marlon Brando: Wonderful to work with. You felt like a part of the audience while working with him. He absolutely loved Guys & Dolls and was disappointed when takes were over because he had so much fun.

On Stanley Kubrick: Very patient and quiet. Spartacus was a for-hire job, so he probably wasn’t as interested in it as he could have been. Nonetheless, it’s the best gladiator movie ever made.

On Otto Preminger: I don’t speak ill of the dead. Started off very nice, but when the film started, everything changed.

On Robe, the first movie shot on Cinemascope: Boring. Too much waiting around.

She was pretty funny. She didn’t like the mountain air in Telluride because it was hard to breathe.

--

Another screening of Happy Go Lucky. This time I got to b.s. with Mike Leigh as we joked about our MC’s wildly bright suit, the relationship between a director’s clothes and the movies they make, and when someone walked by calling him a great director, he replied back, “Orson Welles is the great director.”

--

Nighttime comes by. Slumdog Millionaire, I’ve Loved You For So Long, Flame & Citron, and Happy Go Lucky begin to emerge as the best films at the festival.

--

It’s raining, and I have a choice between Slumdog Millionaire and The Good, The Bad, and The Weird. I choose the latter, despite it being outside, but it is being shown earlier, and if I don’t like it, I can just walk to the Boyle film.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/7118/lebonlabruteetlecinglettz4.jpg

Ji-Woon Kim introduces the movie, and marvels that people would sit in the rain to watch it. He jokes that hopefully it will keep us cool since it all takes place in the desert, and that when there is the raining scene, it’ll put us right in the film.

Off the success of The Tale of Two Sisters, Kim was given the biggest budget on a South Korean film ever. The result is a “Kim-Chi” Western, otherwise known as a nod to the “Spaghetti” western. Tarantino would be proud as the result is the most rewatchable film of the festival.

Although it’s no The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and wouldn’t even exist without the film, it remains an incredibly entertaining. With action pieces that actually could be the best of the year (sorry Pineapple Express), a good ensemble, and the very clever reveal of the “treasure,” it will still stand out on its own. Ji-Woon Kim is a director to watch out for, especially if he comes out with something entirely unique.

[Ezee E]

This is the final piece to my Telluride 2008 experience.

By Monday, several films were considered very good to great. Despite a lackluster lineup, the passholders were pleased with the amount of good films that had shown up. “Hunger”, “I’ve Loved You So Long”, “Flame & Cintron”, “Revanche”, “Waltz with Bashir” were all considered movies that I had to see from people as I asked about what they saw. What was the clear standout? “Slumdog Millionaire” was the must-see film. It was nothing less than “great” in people’s eyes, and considered Danny Boyle’s best film since “Trainspotting.” This was even coming from the elitist critics.

Unfortunatly I did not get the chance to see “Hunger” or “Slumdog Millionaire” as I was planning to stay up at the Chuck Jones theater all day, risking a movie that I heard nothing about. That movie being “With A Little Help From Myself.”

I’ve Loved You So Long
If marketed right, Kristen Scott Thomas could be on the way to an Oscar nomination in this French film starring her as an ex-convict released from jail fifteen years after her murder. It follows her struggles in jobs, relationships, and especially family.

Emotionally wounding, especially by the final few scenes, it all rests on the shoulders of the powerful Kristen Scott Thomas and the actress that plays her sister.

With A Little Help From Myself
Here is the movie that surprised me the most from the festival. The most I noticed about it was that it was from the director of “Monsieur Ibrahim,” a film that I heard was good but never saw. Other then that, I never gave it a chance.

I’m glad I did as it is one of the best films of the year, and a great contrast to the silly “American Violet” that I had seen earlier in the week.

This movie focuses on the struggles of a single Black woman raising her family in France. Whether it’s trying to keep her troubled son out of jail, the other son from falling into his influence, remaining patient with hostile patients (she’s a maid for older folks), or finding a man, it’s all very roaming. A slice of life story without being over-the-top, manipulative, or boring.

Flame & Cintron
Then came the best film that I saw of the entire festival.

Controversial words, this is better than “Munich.”

Two assassins are killing off Denmark traitors, and eventually go right after the Gestapo during World War II. The only problem is that in their group, there is a traitor that works for the Nazis, and their identities are now known. While they are out on jobs, they are also being searched for. On top of this, the guilt and paranoia settles in. The result is a fantastic thriller.

Look for a Scar-approving scene as one of the assassins is in a safehouse, and surrounded by Nazis, but left with a box full of various guns.