Monday Sept 2 Telluride

 Labor Day.  The last day. 

We skipped the first movie “Separated” because it was about the Trump policy on the border to separate children and parents and the effect it had  on families for years to come. Evidently it was well done, but I find that policy to be absolutely horrible and I didn’t need to see it.

“Conclave” was the second film to come to our venue.  It’s the film that I saw early and really liked so I decided to see it again! Everyone liked it, of course. I know it will get some Academy Award nominations.

Finally we saw “The piano lesson”— an adaptation of the August Wilson play.  It was very much a family project, with Denzel Washington’s son as the Director and co-writer and another son as the key actor. There were also two other smaller female parts played by people whose last names were Washington so I think they’re probably all involved. 

(Starring John David Washington & Director & co- author Malcom Washington ).

I thought the film was a little uneven, and I’m not sure it will be accessible to a very wide audience. I noticed it will be released soon, and it has a listing on IMDb. But  the film version could do things that the play could not do, e.g. locations and special effects.

We did not go to the last night show as we needed to get back to pack and prepare to leave in the morning. It was a good festival, but I did not see nearly as many as I usually do. But that’s OK. I really enjoyed the ones I did see.

Some of the films that were at the festival were not available to us, such as “Maria”—about Maria Callas and starring Angelina Jolie. I noticed in the Hollywood Reporter that it was extremely well received in Venice this week and I’m sure it will get wide distribution. Actually, I think that will be on Netflix,  so I will look for that. I’m not a big fan of her, but someone who saw it already said it was excellent —as was Jolie.

When I have a chance, I will make a summary list of all that I saw and my ratings.  

Au revoir Telluride!  

Sun Sept 1 Telluride

 Our day began with a tribute to Saoirse Ronan —-an actor I really appreciate.  She was present for the tribute and to introduce the film. We saw a selection of clips from many of her films e.g. “ Lady bird”, “Little Women”  “ Brooklyn”( my favorite).  She was then interviewed by an excellent interviewer and talked about the process of  preparing and creating a role.  Most interesting.

Following the tribute & interview we saw her new film, “The Outrun”.  It is based on a book which I think many people would very much enjoy.   She plays a young woman battling alcoholism. We follow her journey of self discovery and her family relationships. It was not depressing as it might sound. It was an interesting character study and her acting was superb. 

The next film at our theatre was “ the Apprentice “ about guess -who & his descent into corruption.  -I decided I  not need to spend a minute of my festival time hearing about this horrible excuse for a person so I skipped it. Rumor has it that Trump is trying to get it banned which actually speaks highly of the film. I just don’t need him in my life anymore than I’ve had to put up with so far.. So Pat and I went to lunch! The others who saw the film said it actually was quite good, but I have no regrets.

The next film we saw was called “Will & Harper”.  It follows Will Farrell & comedy writer Harper Steele on a road trip from New York to California. Harper has recently transitioned & wanted to visit places from his past, but was nervous doing so alone. The two of them got to know each other on Saturday Night Live & I have maintained a close friendship for 30 years. It was  Humorous, poignant & very worthwhile to see — I highly recommended.  

And the final film that I saw today was called « Saturday night »— a reenactment of the 3 hours leading up to the airing of the very first Saturday Night Live episode. The casting was incredible. That night had been absolutely chaotic and it was a miracle that it came off at all. But we all know how it turns out. The film actually ended at the very beginning of that program with the words, “welcome to New York at Saturday night.”

I have seen fewer films this year than ever. That is because I have chosen not to go to films that are quite disturbing. I gave myself permission to skip ones that I thought would be upsetting. And it seems there were more this year. Probably a reflection of the times we are living in.

But for the most part, I have really enjoyed every one I have seen! 

As always, please forgive typos, as I often am writing on the fly. And for some reason when I dictate it in inadvertently capitalizes at inappropriate places. 

Sat Aug 31 Telluride

 Each year the festival chooses 1 director & 1 actor to honor. This year, Frenchman Jacques Audiard was the director.  We saw clips of many of his films, then there was an interview with him. The principal actors were also present.  We then saw his new film “Emelia  Perez”. Really well done.  The story revolves around a drug lord in Mexico, who decides he wants to completely change his identity—Actually, from male to female. He hires a lawyer to work on his behalf to locate a different country that will do the drastic surgery needed to change sex. The three women playing the three major roles received awards at Cannes &  it was easy to see why that occurred. They were excellent.  It will be on Netflix sometime.  ( by the way, I have found that even the films that are not released yet typically are  included in IMDB where one could get more information about a given movie.) 

The second movie wasn’t in the printed program— it was a “TBA” — called “ Real Pain” written, directed & starring Jesse Eisenberg ( who was here to introduce it)  also with Kieran Culkin.  The two are cousins who take a small group tour to Poland to honor their recently departed grandmother, who was born in there. For the most part, it is a comedy, but family tensions emerge between the cousins.  It was entertaining, but rather lightweight. It’s the kind of movie I would watch on an airplane. 

Next we saw “September 5”, the telling of the 1972 terrorist attack on the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. A journalist introduced the film to us and pointed out the  role that journalists play in reporting. In this case, the ABC sports reporters covering the Olympics were suddenly news journalists and some events may have been in advertently caused by their behavior. Peter Sarsgaard starred and was present to speak to us briefly before the screening. I thought it was an excellent film. It shows an important event in international history and shines a  light on terrorism, Arab -Israeli conflicts, and the role that journalism plays in reporting. I definitely recommend this film.

Well, I could have seen one or even two more films today, but three was enough. We came back to the condo and had a nice late dinner. Then three of the gals went back to see a late movie.

Fri Aug 30 Telluride

 Over the last several years things have evolved.  It used to be that we saw our first film Friday night but then for a few years they would show one late in the afternoon. But…

1.  This year we got to see an 11 AM film: “Social Studies” —a most clever title. The program description said “ Over the past 10 years, America embarked upon the most dangerous experiment in human history: we gave our children phones and invited them to immerse themselves, unsupervised in social media.”   That says it all.  I certainly didn’t need to be persuaded on this topic, but the film really laid it out.  This is a 5 part documentary focusing on a group of high schoolers as they try to navigate adolescence fully addicted to social media.  It will be shown on FX I think on Sept 27.  All parents, teachers, and anyone with children in their lives must see this!  ( We saw the filmmaker be interviewed after—bravo).

2. We then saw “Better Man” about British pop artist Robbie Williams and the part of Robbie was played by himself!  I didn’t know his music but enjoyed it in the film.  This documentary is an excellent creative piece— telling a poignant tale of his addictions & deep self doubt.  The director & Robbie were present to introduce us to the film & for a Q & A.  Very well done  

Another film was being shown tonight but we decided to call it a night.  

A Good day!😀

Telluride 2024. Aug 29

Pix:  The town of Telluride from the gondola; a view  of the salt flats from the airplane the other day;  and our favorite poster on the wall inside the gondola station. (We actually stay at the top of the gondola in Mountain Village, not technically Telluride.) 

——————

 I am happy to be at Telluride once again for the 21st festival that I have attended! This year we have 5 of us: Michelle, Julie, MGH, And Pat, who will arrive on Friday. Poor Pat had Covid and needed to recuperate first.

We got to town yesterday after spending a night in Denver. This year we are staying at Blue Mesa condos. It’s our first time at this one. We had a snafu when we first arrived because we only saw three bedrooms and we rented a 4 Bedroom place. But fortunately, the property manager came and unlocked a door to another room!  

Technically, the festival begins tomorrow. But some things are happening today. I was invited to see the screening of a fantastic movie: “Conclave” starring Ralph Finnes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini.  It is a very well done film and had my full attention the entire time. It is important that I not say too much about this movie and I strongly urge you not to read anything about it before you see it. Try really hard. Because if it gets spoiled, it would ruin the movie for you, but definitely see it. Of course, the topic is about the conclave after a pope has died and the intrigue that follows. The Director Edward Berger introduced the film to us. 

I  began my day with a massage in the building right next-door to our condo. It is exactly what I needed. Then we went down to Telluride on the gondola to have lunch at the Sheridan hotel, which has become our go-to place for our first lunch at the festival. Tradition. 

The programs were not printed yet so we are able to see it online, but I find it hard to read on my phone. So we will get the official program tomorrow. We will see one or two films tomorrow. But the bulk of the films will be Saturday,  Sunday, Monday.

Great to be back!!

Tues July 23–Quebec-Montreal

We had the morning to enjoy our last bit of time in Quebec city. I don’t know if I made it clear how beautiful this city is. I think some of my previous pictures give a hint of that and this morning we wandered down some Backstreets and found some very old buildings that really made us feel we were in Europe. Doesn’t that picture at the top look like a painting?

Our driver picked us up at 12:45 to drive us back to Montreal. It’s around 150 miles. We were so appreciative because he was a very nice man who has been a taxi driver for many many years. We felt safe and he was rather entertaining as well.It was not a cheap trip, but we decided we are worth it. We were thrilled be taken door to door rather than hauling our bags to the train or bus.And it was the fastest way to get there.

Our hotel in Montreal is a very different part of town from last week. It is more in the business area. But there are plenty of restaurants and some nice shops as well. After getting settled in the hotel, we talked to the concierge for directions and advice, and walked to a number of restaurants to check out their menus. We ended up at one of the restaurants he recommended which was a Spanish restaurant, Iberica.  Merle is in the picture with our yummy tapas and sangria.

And after dinner, we needed to find a dessert. So we went to Rubens.  Montreal is famous for its smoked meats, deli style.Merle really wanted to try some, but of course we had just had dinner so we went in for a dessert. OMG a brownie with ice cream. Decadent! We will go back to Rubens tomorrow for lunch so she can have their smoked meat.

She and I will go separate ways tomorrow as she wants to go to the art museum and I want to go to the botanical gardens. 

Merle has some pictures on her phone that I have not gotten copies of yet so I will have to add those tomorrow. 

Mon July 22 Quebec

 

Today was our day to do what we wanted! We had breakfast and visited with a few folks from the group before they all went to the airport. We met with our guide to get his ideas about options for today and for Montreal, as well as to discuss various ways we could travel to Montreal: train versus bus. Later, I suddenly remembered that I had hired a car service in France to take Michelle and me from Charles de Gaulle to Chartres. So I called a couple companies and was quoted ridiculous prices! Then the hotel gave us the name of someone we should try. His name was Dany and when I spoke to him, he said he was not available to take us tomorrow, but then he offered to find us a driver who could take us! With text messages back-and-forth all day we ultimately got connected to a guy he has known for 20 years and completely vouches for. He will pick us up at our hotel and take us to our hotel in Montreal! We are thrilled! managing our bags on the train or bus would have been quite difficult. It is about 150 miles to Montreal from here.

The  first thing we wanted to do today was get on a boat on the St Laurence was river so we could experience being on the water. We took the ferry boat from the lower town across the river and we’re surprised that it was only about a 15 minute ride! ( we were taught that the name Quebec means the place where the river is narrow ). On the other side, there wasn’t much to see except for the view back to Quebec city but we had a nice cup of coffee and a good coffee house, then returned to Quebec city.The pictures are from the boat trip. Notice in one of them, the old city wall on the cliff. It was explained to us many times that it was easy to defend the city with that cliff and the wall. ( I did not take time to edit the pictures because it’s late and I want to go to bed!) 🛏️ 

When we got off the boat, we were surprised to see our local guide from yesterday waiting at a bus stop. We had a question for her about finding a local bank and laughed at what a coincidence this was—-We know exactly one person who lives in Quebec city and we ran into her!

We had lunch and did a little shopping and ended up back at the hotel for a little rest. We went to a local Restaurant for soupe à l’oignon gratinée & a desert crêpe.  Yummm!  

C’est tout pour maintenant !