A Gondola Ride with Salman

Few films today...it's our personal day. We'll spend some time with our hosts this afternoon and this evening. Caught "Firaaq" and the Jean Simmons tribute this morning into this afternoon. We'll do a bunch of films tomorrow and....

Rode the gondola down from the Mountain Village with Salman Rushdie...the Salman Rushdie....talked with him about the film he introduced here this morning (the aforementioned Firaaq)...made my head spin...we were returning from the Jean Simmons tribute...which ended with Leonard Maltin talking to her about her career and movies including stories about Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando (another person that I somehow met years ago), Spencer Tracy, and Cary Grant among others...Kris talked to Maltin just before she went into the theater...CRAZY!

Day Two

Short tonight...will do a real entry later. Still waiting for a great movie. Saw "Hunger", "Happy-Go-Lucky", "Waltz with Bashir" and "Flash of Genius" today. Bashir is closest to being a really great movie...but it still falls short.

Celebs today...Ken Burns (who I keep running into), Laura Linney, Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, and the directors for all 4 films I saw today: Steve McQueen, Mike Leigh, Ari Folman, and Mark Abraham.

Hoping to get to see "American Violet" before the fest is over and talk to Oklahoman Tim Blake Nelson who is here and in that cast. Tomorrow will include "Firaaq" introduced by Salman Rushdie (which blows my mind) and the Jean Simmons tribute (she worked with Olivier and Brando!)...after that, who knows???

And Day One Is Done

Just finished the David Fincher tribute...

Impressions...Fincher is a dynamic director...the tribute included a 40 minute reel of his work...still impressive. Se7en, The Game and Fight Club are all very good. Zodiac was good...It will be interesting to see how Fincher continues in his career.

We were also treated to about 20 minutes of "Benjamin Button" which looks and sounds very Forrest Gumpy...I mean really Forrest Gumpy....which may be OK...maybe

It's a period piece, it's southern, it attempts the same kind of acceptance of a kind of magical realism that Gump asked you to buy into. And it's effects intensive too...just like Gump...

I think it's a very tricky tight rope that Button is going to try to walk...but I'm afraid that most people are going to feel that the steps were blazed by Gump and that Button is mostly a re-run.

Was going to attend "I've Loved You So Long" but am out of gas. Will start tomorrow morning with the Cannes entry, Steve McQueen's "Hunger". Then go from there. Waiting to see what the Fest organizers add as TBA's for tomorrow before planning the whole day. Looking forward to "Flash of Genius" which is NOT on the bill of fare...but the presence of Greg Kinnear means it will be sneaked at some point this weekend.

Celeb sightings tonight included Jeff Goldblum who is here with "Adam Resurrected" and singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman

Catching My Breath

We're in the lull between the Patron Brunch and the Patron Preview. The Brunch was marvelous...highlight...corn pancakes with chipoltle butter and shrimp salsa...tasty!

Star gazing at the Brunch (IE who I saw there)...Laura Linney, Salman Rushdie, Greg Kinnear, film critics Leonard Maltin and Richard Schickel (another tributee here this year), Lauren Graham (of Gilmore Girls fame) and documentarian Ken Burns.

Going to see "Asphalt Tango" at 2:30..our other choice was Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" but we're going to go see that tomorrow afternoon with our kids and see Mike Leigh (the director) do the Q & A afterwards.

I haven't assaulted any stars or directors...yet...

Morning in Telluride

We're here. And getting ready to leave for the patron's picnic. When we did this last year, we had a great time and met really interesting people. So I'm looking forward to it again.

Also looking forward to the first tribute tonight for film director David Fincher. We think there's a good chance that we're going to get to see some of "Benjamin Button". I also wonder if anyone surprising will appear to make the actual presentation. Last year Paul Thomas Anderson was on hand to award Daniel Day-Lewis...so, we'll see. They're also unspooling the director's cut of "Zodiac" as part of the fest.

Later Taters...we're out the door...

And Away We Go

Good Morning! We leave for Telluride in about 3 1/2 hours. The latest news is no news. A couple of confirmations about "Happy-Go-Lucky" and "Adam Resurrected"...and this article posted by Variety last night echoing Anne Thompson's comments from a few weeks ago. The link is:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991241.html?categoryid=3221&cs=1&query=telluride

From the article which quotes both Tom Luddy and Gary Meyer, it sounds as if the Festival will be heavy in European Film...which makes me feel OK with most of the guess work I have done up to now. They reference "The Lives of Others", "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and "The Counterfeiters" from recent Telluride history and if those examples are truly a reflection of what we might see this weekend, that would be just fine. "Counterfeiters" was a good film, "Lives" and "Diving Bell" were great films. So, we certainly could do worse.

Anxiously awaiting the big reveal and hoping it happens before I get on the road.

See you in Telluride! Or in the blogosphere!

Add Another Probable

Tonight's news has a definite French air.

Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere has unearthed the nugget that "I've Loved You for So Long" directed by Phillipe Claudell will be at the Festival. It stars Kristin Scott Thomas. She is perhaps best known for "The English Patient" and "The Horse Whisperer". Claudell also wrote the screenplay.

Wells also says that we can expect one of the tributes for what he calls a "major director". This is the quote from his blog, verbatim,

"I know about a special tribute presentation for a major director (which will include a short 10 or 12-minute reel from his latest film, which will open later this year), along the lines of a tribute TFF had last year for Paul Thomas Anderson that included a short There Will Be Blood reel. "

Intriguing, yes? One wonders who it might be...

Of course, I hasten to point put that the actual tribute was for Daniel Day-Lewis and that Anderson was there as a part of that presentation.

The address for the Wells speculation is:

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2008/08/sniffin_around.php

Added to the revelation about the Claudell film is another guess on my part and that is Barbet Schroeder's "Inju, la bête dans l'ombre". Schroeder has been in Telluride in the past and it wouldn't surprise me if he returns with this film.

Another film that wouldn't surprise me with an appearance is "Gomorah" a crime drama that won plaudits at Cannes.

I expect that the speculation will begin to pick up some steam now that the Festival is days away. We'll keep you posted.

A Week To Go

Multiple sources including Variety confirmed today that Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" will be part of the Telluride film line-up for this year's festival. That tidbit was reported here on Aug. 12.

Otherwise, speculation remains very muted with one week left prior to the kick off of the fest. Other Cannes possibles (that are also aligned with Sony Classics Pictures which was a big connection to films that played the fest last year) include "Adoration"and "Lorna's Silence".

Also, a frequent contributor of films that past 2 years has been Paramount Vantage, which has 3 films positioned for fall release. "The Duchess" with Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley, "Defiance" with Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber and, of course, DeCaprio and Winslet reunited in the Sam Mendes directed "Revolutionary Road".

You have to think that a couple of these also end up on the Telluride play list.

All Quiet...

It is almost eerie how little is out there in terms speculation about this year's films. We're 10 days away and the buzz is very muted. One wonders if the Festival is especially tight-lipped this year. Nevertheless, there have been hints about 1/2 dozen films...perhaps guesses, perhaps wishful thinking, perhaps well-informed.

As previously noted we think that these films are on the list: "Rachel Getting Married", "Happy-Go-Lucky", "Adam Resurrected" and "Slumdog Millionaire"...with a hint at "Milk". I still think that "The Other Man" and "Humboldt County" are good bets. Also "The Class". "Synecdoche, NY" and "Waltz with Bashir". There are probably another 4-6 possibilities from Cannes.

I'm still holding my breath about the possibility of a "Revolutionary Road", "The Road" or "Benjamin Button" appearance...and maybe Ed Harris' "Appaloosa"...any of those would be very cool. We shall see...

And Then Again...

"The Playlist" http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/ hints that "Milk" may be at Telluride after all. Spencer Martin says...

"Lastly, where's 'Milk' on the fall festival circuit? It's surely an Oscar-bait film, yes? We're hearing informed inside rumblings that say it's going to premiere in San Francisco and bypass the regular festivals purposely. Anne Thompson said 'Milk' wouldn't be ready in time for the fall season and that's why it wouldn't appear at TIFF or NYFF, but our source says it's in the final stages and basically complete (they also hinted that Telluride could be a possiblilty). "Milk" is set for a December 5, 2008 release date and also co-stars Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, Josh Brolin, with appearances by Eric Stoltz and solid character actors Denis O'Hare and Victor Garber."

This would be a definite must-see if it turns out to be the case...We can only hope!

And a New Addition

Blogger at The Lorenzo Xperience reports tonight that Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" is on the bill of fare for Telluride. Actress Sally Hawkins has already started getting some buzz for possible Oscar consideration having won Best Actress at the Berlin Fest.

Just In

Patrick Goldstein in the LA Times reports tonight that Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" is on the list for the Festival. Boyle previously directed "28 Days Later" and "Sunshine" and the minor classic "Trainspotting".

And Don't Forget the Tributes

One of the cooler things about the festival is that they honor three filmmakers each year. Past tributees have included actors: Daniel Day-Lewis (last year), Penelope Cruz, Peter O'Toole, Laura Linney, Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, Gerard Depardieu, Richard Widmark and Jack Nicholson.

Directors that have been honored include: Ang Lee, David Lynch, Mike Leigh, John Schlesinger, Ken Burns, Clint Eastwood, Pedro Almodovar, Stephen Frears, Don Siegel, Henry Hathaway, Robert Altman, Robert Wise, King Vidor, Leni Riefenstahl and Francis Ford Coppola.

It was more than a little unworldly last year to watch Daniel Day-Lewis receive his medallion from Paul Thomas Anderson, see 20 minutes of "There Will Be Blood" (it wasn't finished with post-production yet), see a compilation of Day-Lewis' career, and see/hear him talk about his life, career, films and acting for an hour. Then to see him win the Oscar 5 months later!

To see some of that evening, here's a link:

http://showroom.telluridefilmfestival.org/15

Can't wait to find out who has been chosen for the honors this year!

Maybe Some Disappointment

I ran across an Anne Thompson blog entry from Variety from about three weeks ago in which she says that "Revolutionary Road", "Milk" and "The Road" are all still too far from a completed state to expect them to be festival ready. Disappointing all the way around if it's true. There have reportedly been some screenings of "Revolutionary Road" which lead to a little ray of sunshine, but Thompson was pretty good last year at knowing what to expect in Telluride. Some guesses that I have would include "The Other Man" with Telluride citizen Laura Linney and Liam Neeson, Cannes Palm D'Or winner "The Class", and if the recent past is a guide, we'll see a lot of the Cannes list in southwest Colorado in three weeks. Might that include Clint Eastwood's "The Changeling" with Ms. Jolie? That would surprise me. Soderbergh's 4 plus hour Che Guevera epic with Benicio Del Toro...more likely. I'll have some more ideas as we get closer...

This is the poster art for this year's festival by board member Laurie Anderson...

The Countdown

Of course, the fun right now is speculating/guessing what films might be in the Festival...and who might be there with those films or as one of the tributees. The only solid guesses that I have run across are Jonathan Demme's first fictional film in some time featuring Anne Hathaway and entitled "Rachel Getting Married". And also Paul Schrader's new directorial effort featuring Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe entitled "Adam Resurrected"...What I'd like to see would include "Revolutionary Road" from Sam Mendes, the new film from the Coen Brothers, Charlie Kaufman's first attempt at directing (with Phillip Seymour Hoffman) called "Synedoche,New York" and "Milk" directed by Gus Van Sant with Sean Penn and Josh Brolin.

Three weeks

The festival opens three weeks from today and the Pattersons are uber excited. Last year's fest was such a great experience that we're really looking forward to whatever awaits us in the San Juans in a few days. See you there! When in Telluride, stay at the lovely River Club!