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.
Bitter Lake
British documentary producer – Adam Curtis – received hundreds of hours of
archival TV footage that he then, with style and grace, assembled into a
media collage that dissects the history of the relationship between
Afghanistan and the West. Sounds a bit weird, I know, but this really is a
terrific film. Made for and available on the web.
He Named Me Malala
Documentary. Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman)
does an incredible job showing us who Malala, an eleven year old girl from
a rural village in Pakistan, really is. Shot in the head by the Taliban
because she spoke out about the importance of girls going to school, she
eventually becomes the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Marguerite
Based on a true story of a woman in 1920s France who (falsely) believes she
is an opera diva, this delightful story is brilliantly anchored by
Catherine Frot, a character actress with more than 90 film and TV credits.
For whatever reason she is surrounded by people (a butler, husband,
journalist and friends) who never disabuse her of the notion that she has
zero singing talent. Amusing and strange.
Rams
Strange as it may seem, this Icelandic tale of sheep, battling
septuagenarian bachelor brothers is fun and funny.
Room
Based on the book of the same name, this is a haunting tale of a kidnapped
woman who has a child “in captivity”. The child’s entire existence is
played out in their captor’s one-room shed. The young mother (Brie Larson)
is sure to be part of the Academy Awards talk next year.
Sherpa
Documentary. The amazing story of the sherpas without whom no one would
ever reach the summit of Mt. Everest. It was serendipitous that the filming
of this story took place during the worst accident ever on the mountain.
After the deaths of many Sherpa they went on strike demanding (and finally
receiving) better benefits from Nepal which rakes in the dough from foreign
adventurers but leaves the people who risk their lives with very little.
Breathtaking cinematography and a compelling story.
Spotlight
An eye-opener about the Boston Globe in 2001 breaking the story of the
shocking number of Catholic priests in Boston who sexually molested
children and the Catholic Archdiocese’s blatant cover-up. The more the
reporters dig into the hypocrisy of the church and the complacence of city
officials the wider the scandal spreads until literally every major
American city is found to be rife with priests who raped and abused
children in their care. An outstanding cast: Live Schreiber the editor who
assigned the story to crack reporters Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo and
Brian d’Arcy who were the special investigation unit managed by Michael
Keaton.
Steve Jobs
Having read the biography by Isaacson and seen the documentary about Jobs
(a somewhat boring hatchet job) by Alex Gibney, I didn’t think another film
about Jobs held much promise. I was wrong. A mash up of Danny Boyle’s
direction (Slumdog Millionaire), mile-a-minute dialogue by Aaron Sorkin
(The West Wing) and the considerable talent of Michael Fassbender (12 Years
a Slave) resulted in a riveting, unforgettable film. Bring on the awards
season.
Suffragette
It’s amazing what we no longer know about the trials and tribulations of
the women who fought – literally – to obtain the vote. In the early 1900s a
factory worker (the brilliant Carey Mulligan) reluctantly joins a band of
die-hard Suffragettes (led by Helena Bonham Carter) to fight for women’s
rights. Don’t skip the credits in the end which document the years various
countries finally got around to giving women a vote. Shocking.
Time to Choose
Documentary. Filmmaker Charles Ferguson (Inside Job, No End in Sight)
creates a stunning film about the catastrophic future facing the world as a
result of climate change. This gorgeous chronicle shows not only the
problems … but the solutions as well. Scientists, entrepreneurs and urban
planners calmly and reasonably illuminate the (sometimes easy) solutions
that could transport us out of the inevitable doomsday scenario if only
humankind will take the time to choose.
“very good to good to just ok” but not for everyone
Black Mass
Johnny Depp IS “Whitey” Bulger, the brutal, psychopathic killer who was on
the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List from the 1980s to his ultimate capture 10+
years later. While the Academy is sure to heap deserved praise on Depp as
well as on Joel Edgerton’s performance as the FBI’s Whitey “handler”, the
film is, in the end, just another gangster movie about a group of morally
corrupt, scary guys from the neighborhood murdering people and generally
causing havoc.
Carol
A sophisticated older woman (Cate Blanchett) spies a shop girl (Rooney
Mara) and sets out to woo her into an illicit romance in 1950s America.
Based on a little known Patricia Highsmith novel. Gorgeously shot with
intricate period details this is sure to end up on Oscar’s list - Mara was
a prizewinner at Cannes - but the story, which should have been engaging,
seemed hollow and the characters were neither very interesting or
sympathetic.
Son of Saul
A very, very tough to watch movie about the Jews in the German
extermination camps who were put in charge of herding the new arrivals into
the “showers”, burning the bodies and then disposing of the ashes.
Unforgettable, harsh and horrifying. Based on diaries kept by these
“guards”.
lots of positive buzz from “the line”
Only the Dead See the End of War
An Australian reporter in Iraq follows American soldiers on the hunt for
the deadly terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarquai exposing his monstrous crimes and
juxtaposing them against the American’s ruthlessness.
Taj Mahal
In November 2008 Islamic terrorists attacked the luxury Taj Mahal hotel.
This film focuses on the perspective of an 18 year old French girl,
separated from her parents, who is trapped in her room. Action packed and
unforgettable.
Taxi
Though the Iranian government has banned the filmmaker from making movies,
he managed to mount a camera inside a taxi and travels through the city
talking to his passengers. This film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film
Festival.
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom
Documentary. Many thought this film shot in 2013-2014 following peaceful
demonstrations to support the country joining the EU was a compelling film
about the escalation to violence of that movement.
the acting was fine - maybe even brilliant - the cinematography lovely, however …
45 Years
A wonderful cast – Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay – but a very slow
and not fully realized story about a couple about to celebrate their 45
th wedding anniversary. Mysteries from their past emerge and
suggest fault lines that may crater their future.
strange, but not in a good way. skip them.
Heart of a Dog
Documentary – sort of. Good title, but deeply strange and self indulgent.
Cocksucker Blues
Filmed in 1972, this is a disjointed, not terribly interesting documentary
about The Rolling Stones road trip. Thank goodness It was never officially
released.
