Telluride 2019

TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL 2019

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

I LOVED THESE FILMS. THEY MADE MY DAY.

FORD V FERRARI

WOW. Thrilling racing scenes and a great story with a dollop of what it really takes to build a Formula One race car make this a totally satisfying movie experience. Henry Ford II’s car company is on a downward spiral when in walks an audacious good ol’ boy and former winner of the Formula One race at Le Monde named Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon – charming yet steely). Shelby cajoles Ford into agreeing to build a race car to challenge Ferrari, the year-after-year winner. Shelby enlists a madcap, eccentric, brilliant race car driver, Ken Miles (Christian Bale – in an extraordinary performance) to build, and then drive the car. This award-worthy cast has everything, including a supercilious bad guy “suit” from Ford (Josh Lucas) and the best, most understanding wife ever Caitriona Balfe (Outlander).

Telluride 2018

TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL 2018

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

I LOVED THESE FILMS. THEY MADE MY DAY.

BOY ERASED

Wow. Everything you ever wanted to know about Christian-themed conversion therapy and what a shameful sham it is … Lucas Hedges ( Manchester By The Sea) is superb as the well-mannered, well brought up teenage son of devout parents (Nicole Kidman and Russel Crowe) who know just what to do when he questions his sexuality. His pastor enlists counsel from other religious leaders to set his son on a righteous path to “normalcy”. Joel Edgerton (Loving) in his directorial debut and as the head of the boot camp paints a vivid picture of the cruelty, ineffectiveness and hypocrisy of these centers.

Telluride 2017

TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL REVIEWS 2017

THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY

REALLY GOOD FILMS - THEY MADE MY DAY

Battle of the Sexes

Frothy and thoroughly enjoyable, yet thought-provoking at the same time, this is based on the true story of Billie Jean King (Emma Stone), the top-ranked female tennis player versus Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell in an over the top performance) in what was billed as the Battle of the Sexes. In 1973 the notion that a woman could beat a man in tennis was laughable and Bobby’s outrageous behavior is so bizarre it’s hard to believe that this was reality for women in the 70s. A must see for anyone under 35 who doesn’t remember/know about this era.

Telluride 2016

Telluride 2016
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

really, really good films - they made my day

Arrival

This film by Director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Incendies) is sure to be a classic. If you watched this film 10 years from now it would still inspire the same awe as the first time you saw it. A linguistic scholar (Amy Adams) is hauled off by government agents to a site where one of 18 space craft hovers. The goal, with the help of a physicist (Jeremy Renner) and a military specialist (Forest Whitaker), is to figure out how to communicate with the visitors from outer space. Stunning. Oh, and if you figure out the ending, let me know.

Telluride 2015

Telluride 2015
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

really, really good films that made my day:

Beasts of No Nation

In an unnamed African country a happy ten year old boy loses his loving family to a senseless and violent civil war. A rebel commander (Idris Elba – Mandela) picks him up and turns him into a soldier capable of doing “terrible things”. Cruelty, rape, torture and every other unspeakable act are carried out with a kind of nonchalance by the band of child soldiers who have no idea what they are fighting for … hard to watch but absolutely riveting.

Telluride 2014

Telluride 2014
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

really, really good/great films. They made my day:

Escobar

In Columbia a young, idealistic surfer (Josh Hutchinson, who is excellent) meets a girl whose uncle just so happens to be Pablo Escobar the notorious drug lord (played by a menacing Benicio Del Toro). Fast action flick that is fascinating and horrifying at the same time.

Telluride 2013

Telluride 2013
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

really, really good/great films. They made my day:

All Is Lost

I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy a film with no dialogue set in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but having just seen the tribute to Robert Redford (what an inspiring yet down-to-earth man!) I hoped his latest film would live up to it’s hype. It did. This is a totally engrossing story by the director of Margin Call (if you haven’t yet seen this movie, add it to your Netflix list now). A lone sailor becomes lost at sea after his sailboat is mortally wounded by an errant metal container. His struggle, despite overwhelming odds, to survive kept me on the edge of my seat. Academy Award nominations are sure to follow.

Telluride 2011

Telluride 2011
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

I loved these films. They made my day:

The Artist

I did not think I was going to like this film … but I loved it. A silent film star (Jean Dujardin, best actor at Cannes) goes from wildly popular to out of work when sound becomes an integral part of movie productions. Thanks to a funny, sexy, wide eyed female extra, all is not lost. John Goodman, Penelope Ann Miller and the best butler ever help to make this a fun and emotionally engaging film.

Telluride 2010

Telluride 2010
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

SEE THIS FILM!

The King’s Speech The BEST film in the festival.

Gorgeous and compelling, Colin Firth is destined (along with the film) for the Academy Awards. With Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter this is the riveting story of how George VI (Queen Elizabeth’s father) overcame a debilitating stutter/stammer … and in doing so, changed the course of history. Will be at the Mill Valley Film Festival.

Telluride 2009

Telluride 2009
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

I loved these films. They made my day:

An Education The BEST film in the festival.

The star – Carey Mulligan – has been receiving a LOT of praise for her work in this film and all of it is well deserved, although Peter Sarsgaard and Alfred Molina are pretty darn good as well. A young hard working, motivated high schooler in England in the 1960s wonders if there might be more to life than reading English literature and cramming for college. Enter the “older man” who proceeds to “educate” her in the sometimes brutal realities of real life.

Telluride 2008

Telluride 2008
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

I loved these films. They made my day:

Slumdog Millionaire The BEST film in the festival.

Directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting), this is a surprising, quirky and all around amazingly creative look at the life of a “slumdog” – the lowest of the low in India. The story centers on 2 brothers who become orphans. One ends up a gangster, one ends up on a reality TV show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”. His answers to the quiz show questions form the basis for a series of flashbacks about his life growing up. Gorgeous, informative, funny and just something that words can’t adequately express. See this film! Oh, and this is the ONLY film I’ve ever seem to attack subtitles in a startlingly fresh way that makes them integral without being distracting.

Telluride 2007

Telluride 2007
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

I loved these films. They made my day:

Juno The BEST film in the festival.

It’s hard to believe something so refreshing was even in the festival since it isn’t depressing, dark or sinister. The audience laughed so much I plan to see it again so I can listen to ALL the lines. An unexpected, modestly bizarre story about a teen pregnancy. Directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) with a brilliant script by Diablo Cody (you are SURE to see her name again).

Telluride 2006

Telluride 2006
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

I loved these films. They deserve distribution. They made my day:

Tribute to Walter Murch

He’s from this area and is a genius editor and sound designer. Look for other tributes to this creator of Apocalypse Now, The English Patient, American Graffiti, The Godfather, etc. etc.