Leaving Telluride. #tff37 comes to an end. Sad face! Full report later this week. Love the fest, Love Telluride.

Mike Leigh's "Another Year" this morning was outstanding and Errol Morris' "Tabloid" this afternoon very engaging.

Here's what surprises me..."Miral" from Julian Schnabel does NOT make an appearance at #tff37. Would have bet serious money it would.

Option #1 (crazy internet rumor for #tff37) turned out to be the correct response to the "Brad Pitt is in town" story.

Option #1 (crazy internet rumor for #tff37) turned out to be the correct response to the "Brad Pitt is in town" story.

Firth and Rush Score Big

Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter in Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech"

"The King's Speech" lives up to the hype. Great performances from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Tom Hooper directs with assurance. Oscar noms (plural) are a-gonna happen. Best of Fest...4 stars!!!!

Black Swan

Well, Darren Aronofsky and his star Natalie Portman have gone for the gusto opting to avoid subtlety and go full bore for frenetic craziness and by and large pull it off. 3 Stars!!!

The Illusionist

The Illusionist...yes! One of the best things I've seen at #Telluride Film. 3stars!!!

Biutiful...I've been an Inarritu fan...but Biutiful just doesn't work for me.

A Good Day

Danny Boyle, Aron Ralston and James Franco of "127 Hours"

Three films today and all of them good but not great.

Started the day with "Poetry" from Korean film director Lee Chang Dong. "Poetry" won the Best Screenplay award at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It features Jeong-hee Yoon as a grandmother dealing with a troubled grandson who also has decided to write poetry. She's quite good. But the film clocks in at nearly 2 and 1/2 hours and felt like it could use some judicious editing. 2 and 1/2 stars.

Then: Peter Weir's "The Way Back" featuring Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris and Colin Farrell as three very different captives in a WWII era Soviet gulag who escape and walk their way to freedom. Based on a true story, the film does credit to the real people who made the 4,000 mile walk from Siberia to India. Sturgess is solid as the focal point of the film but Ed Harris (as you might expect) is outstanding. Matching Harris note for note is Farrell in a very nearly great performance. Couple this with his small supporting role in last year's "Crazy Heart" and you're beginning to see an actor maturing into something special. 3 stars!

And the capper on the day: Danny Boyle's "127 Hours." How do you follow a film that took the world by storm and won 8 Oscars (as Slumdog did)??? You film the true story of hiker Aron Ralston who, in order to save his life, amputated his own arm so that he could escape from a canyon in Utah in which he was trapped. James Franco plays Ralston and is onscreen 99% of the time. He's fantastic. The Oscar buzz for him started today here in Colorado. "127 Hours" is graphic and harrowing and the best thing I've seen here in Telluride so far this year. 3 stars!!!But....

Tomorrow has 5 films scheduled that I'm planning to get to including Innaritu"s "Biutiful" with Javier Bardem (and Bardem is supposed to be great), Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" which has just taken the Venice Film Fest by storm and may get some Oscar notice for Natalie Portman and Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech" which seems to be the film getting the best buzz here this year.

Then there's Monday which will start with Mike Leigh's "Another Year" and will also almost certainly include the sneak of Julian Schnabel's "Miral." And the Apparition people are still very tight lipped about anything concerning"Tree of Life." But I will say I haven't personally seen Mr. Pitt and haven't actually met someone who has seen him with their own eyeballs.

An hour and a half away from "127 Hours.". Early reactions seem pretty positive.

Peter Weir's "The Way Back" is a good not great film. Excellent acting all around. Sturgess, Harris, and Farrell all fine. Recommended!

Settling in for Peter Weir's "The Way Back.". Buzz for "King's Speech" coming out of the Chuck is really, really positive.

Poetry has some great moments and deft performances but needs an edit. Runs long. Maybe just my western aestetic getting in the way.

Starting the day with the Korean film "Poetry.". Was well received at Cannes. Also today; "127 Hours" and "The Way Back.". May also try to get "Inside Job"

Let It Go

The first two films are in for TFF #37 and neither one created much heat.

First of the evening was Stephen Frear's English Rom Com "Tamara Drewe." Some laughs. Serviceable performances...except for Bill Camp as the American writer focused on the work of Thomas Hardy. Camp is the standout performance here. 2 and 1/2 stars.

Next up: Mark Romanek's "Never Let Me Go" featuring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley. I've been intrigued about this film for some time...but...it just doesn't deliver. You can sense that Romanek is shooting for an understated emotional tone and a leisurely pace banking on a big emotional wallop/payoff at the end...problem is, that never happens. It's slow. It telegraphs the story. It doesn't engage and it just doesn't allow its cast to do much. 2 stars...

Not a surprise is the announcement tonight that the fest is sneaking Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" In attendance (as we surmised) Boyle, actor James Franco and climber/film subject Aron Ralston. "127 Hours" is scheduled twice tomorrow.

The Calm Before...

Taking the opportunity to rest after a late night last night and what will probably be another one tonight. Opted not to see Patron's Special Screening of "Chico and Rita" The plan, for now is to hit the Opening Night Feed on Colorado Ave. then get in Stephen Frears "Tamara Drewe" and Mark Romanek's "Never Let Me Go" tonight.

Tomorrow will probably include Peter Weir's "The Way Back." That will depend (as so much of the rest of the weekend will) on the TBAs...

And a quick shout out to two wonderful Kentuckians we met this morning Jim and Kay Park...lovely people and big film fans!

Brad Pitt rumor intensifies. Sat with Apparition Film head Bill Pohland at Brunch...Apparition folks "can't say" if Tree of Life will "sneak" here.

The King's Speech

Oscar baity film "The King's Speech" is showing at the SHOW as a part of the Colin Firth tribute. Indiewire's Eugene Hernandez is reporting that co-star and Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush will be attending as well....

Cool.

Tributes for TFF #37

Tributees this year: Colin Firth, Claudia Cardinale and Aussie director Peter Weir.