This is very much off the top of my head, but will give you a sense of my reactions overall.
Telluride films 2015 ( saw 13)
Ratings:
1 star = worth seeing
2= really good
3=among the best this year
45 Years **
Carol **
Suffragette***
Black Mass***
Room***
Marguerite***
Tikkum*
Time to Choose***
Steve Jobs***
Mom & Me**
He Named Me Malala ***
Taxi**
Spotlight ***
Monday, September 14, 2015
Monday, September 7, 2015
Labor Day Sept 7 Final Day
A very entertaining final day!
1. Marguerite-- a French comedy by the same filmmaker who brought a film to Telluride a few years ago that was hysterical-- Superstar. This one is about a woman who is a singer wanna-be who cannot sing at all but everyone in her world pretends she's great. Most amusing. But a special aspect for me was that I got seated 1/2 early and chatted with a film critic next to me: Joe Morgenstern from the Wall St Journal. (Later I found he's a Pulitzer Prize winner 😊). It was a pleasure to hear his views on the films we have seen.
2. Taxi-- a filmmaker in Iran has been under " house arrest" for years but still manages to make films. In this case he mounted a camera on the dashboard of a taxi and drove around Tehran to find an array of stories. This was a thoroughly entertaining film. Ken Burns sat directly behind me.
3. Room. I resisted going to this one because of the subject matter but was convinced by others all day that I needed to see it and am glad I did. Really intense. It's about a woman & her little boy who are confined to live in a single room. I can't say more to give it away but it was the most powerful film of all.
So in summary: I enjoyed every film I saw, have no regrets and if you're interested in more views or details about any of these, just ask me. Of course there were many more movies shown than I saw, but the 13 I saw were quite special!
I'll write next when I'm in Italy late October.
Jane
Fin
1. Marguerite-- a French comedy by the same filmmaker who brought a film to Telluride a few years ago that was hysterical-- Superstar. This one is about a woman who is a singer wanna-be who cannot sing at all but everyone in her world pretends she's great. Most amusing. But a special aspect for me was that I got seated 1/2 early and chatted with a film critic next to me: Joe Morgenstern from the Wall St Journal. (Later I found he's a Pulitzer Prize winner 😊). It was a pleasure to hear his views on the films we have seen.
2. Taxi-- a filmmaker in Iran has been under " house arrest" for years but still manages to make films. In this case he mounted a camera on the dashboard of a taxi and drove around Tehran to find an array of stories. This was a thoroughly entertaining film. Ken Burns sat directly behind me.
3. Room. I resisted going to this one because of the subject matter but was convinced by others all day that I needed to see it and am glad I did. Really intense. It's about a woman & her little boy who are confined to live in a single room. I can't say more to give it away but it was the most powerful film of all.
So in summary: I enjoyed every film I saw, have no regrets and if you're interested in more views or details about any of these, just ask me. Of course there were many more movies shown than I saw, but the 13 I saw were quite special!
I'll write next when I'm in Italy late October.
Jane
Fin
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Sunday Sept 6
I'm always sad Sunday night because it means the festival is almost over. But one more day tomorrow.
I realize in yesterday's post I didn't make it clear that I did like all the movies. By the end of today I've seen 10 and I cannot say any of them were not worthwhile.
So today's 4 were:
1. Black Mass-- perhaps the most commercial & well publicized before the festival. It's about notorious Boston gangster of the 70s and 80s: Jimmy " Whitey" Bulger, played by Johnny Depp, who unfortunately was not here. His acting was superb. Also in cast : Kevin Bacon, Benedict Cumberbatch, et al.
2. Mom & Me-- a heartwarming documentary about men & their relationships with their mothers. I'd highly recommend this one.
3. Time to Choose-- a powerful documentary about global warming. Wow. Amazing. The good news is while it shows how many ways we have messed up the planet, it also shows positive changes that are being made & gives hope we can improve things if we take things seriously. Well done. Their website provides recommendations: Timetochoose.com. I hope it will be seen as widely as An Inconvenient Truth was.
4. Tikkun--Set in Jerusalem, it focuses on the life of an adolescent teen who is an Hasidic student struggling with his faith and coming of age. By far the most artsy film I saw this year, it's quite interesting and artistic.
It appears I'll get in 3 more tomorrow, making my total 13. Not bad for a long weekend!
Jane
I realize in yesterday's post I didn't make it clear that I did like all the movies. By the end of today I've seen 10 and I cannot say any of them were not worthwhile.
So today's 4 were:
1. Black Mass-- perhaps the most commercial & well publicized before the festival. It's about notorious Boston gangster of the 70s and 80s: Jimmy " Whitey" Bulger, played by Johnny Depp, who unfortunately was not here. His acting was superb. Also in cast : Kevin Bacon, Benedict Cumberbatch, et al.
2. Mom & Me-- a heartwarming documentary about men & their relationships with their mothers. I'd highly recommend this one.
3. Time to Choose-- a powerful documentary about global warming. Wow. Amazing. The good news is while it shows how many ways we have messed up the planet, it also shows positive changes that are being made & gives hope we can improve things if we take things seriously. Well done. Their website provides recommendations: Timetochoose.com. I hope it will be seen as widely as An Inconvenient Truth was.
4. Tikkun--Set in Jerusalem, it focuses on the life of an adolescent teen who is an Hasidic student struggling with his faith and coming of age. By far the most artsy film I saw this year, it's quite interesting and artistic.
It appears I'll get in 3 more tomorrow, making my total 13. Not bad for a long weekend!
Jane
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Saturday Sept 5
I was able to get to 4 movies today and saw a lot of celebs.
1. Suffragette--- About the early 1900s women in England who worked to get the vote for women. Well done! It was introduced by the director & had Q & A after with female director, female writer and Meryl Streep who played a small but pivotal role. Very exciting to see/ hear her. Carrie Mulligan stars but couldn't come due to having a baby.
2. 45 Years--- about an English couple celebrating their 45 th anniversary --- but experiencing some personal struggle.
3 Spotlight--- about the Boston Globe exposee about the child abuse within the Catholic church. Michael Keaton stars & was here for the Q & A. Cast includes Mark Ruffalo.
4. A tribute to Danny Boyle. He was honored by the festival with a montage of clips from his films, then an interesting interview with him. It was followed by the premiere of his new film: Steve Jobs. Wow! Very fun! Cast includes Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels.
Present today were writer Aaron Sorkin, Winslet, Rogen as well as Steve Wozniak. Very cool.
Before the film Laura Linney walked past me en route to the movie.
Wonderful day.
1. Suffragette--- About the early 1900s women in England who worked to get the vote for women. Well done! It was introduced by the director & had Q & A after with female director, female writer and Meryl Streep who played a small but pivotal role. Very exciting to see/ hear her. Carrie Mulligan stars but couldn't come due to having a baby.
2. 45 Years--- about an English couple celebrating their 45 th anniversary --- but experiencing some personal struggle.
3 Spotlight--- about the Boston Globe exposee about the child abuse within the Catholic church. Michael Keaton stars & was here for the Q & A. Cast includes Mark Ruffalo.
4. A tribute to Danny Boyle. He was honored by the festival with a montage of clips from his films, then an interesting interview with him. It was followed by the premiere of his new film: Steve Jobs. Wow! Very fun! Cast includes Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels.
Present today were writer Aaron Sorkin, Winslet, Rogen as well as Steve Wozniak. Very cool.
Before the film Laura Linney walked past me en route to the movie.
Wonderful day.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Sept 4 Friday Day 1
My day began with the Patron's brunch which is always a highlight of the festival. Tho it was cold & a bit rainy, I had a wonderful time. Ken Burns & family sat at my table along w another film maker, Roger Ebert's wife, and a man who is a major donor & a part of the festival for 40 years. Most entertaining! I stood in line in front of director Alexander Payne (" Nebraska" & Descendents") and spoke a bit with him. I didn't see any actors at brunch. But Ken B said he had been escorting Michael Kearon around today. 😉
There then was a private screening for Patrons and it was "He named me Malala", an outstanding documentary. After it was a discussion moderated by Ken Burns with the filmmaker & Malala's father-- who was featured in the film. Malala herself couldn't make it in person but they had her there by video/ satellite from England! This was an incredible experience. The film will come out in Oct & I understand will later be on Nat Geo. Malala has a foundation to support the education of girls. I'll definitely look into that.
This evening I saw a tribute toRooney Mara whose name wasn't familiar to me till they spoke of her films: "Dragon Tatoo, ". "Social Network". "Her. "
They then showed her new film ( we were the first audience ever to see it): "Carol." Also stars Cate Blanchett. They play 2 women in the 1950s who have a relationship that is viewed by society as taboo.. Another excellent film! I know it will get a lot of attention / awards.
So, so far I am delighted !
There then was a private screening for Patrons and it was "He named me Malala", an outstanding documentary. After it was a discussion moderated by Ken Burns with the filmmaker & Malala's father-- who was featured in the film. Malala herself couldn't make it in person but they had her there by video/ satellite from England! This was an incredible experience. The film will come out in Oct & I understand will later be on Nat Geo. Malala has a foundation to support the education of girls. I'll definitely look into that.
This evening I saw a tribute toRooney Mara whose name wasn't familiar to me till they spoke of her films: "Dragon Tatoo, ". "Social Network". "Her. "
They then showed her new film ( we were the first audience ever to see it): "Carol." Also stars Cate Blanchett. They play 2 women in the 1950s who have a relationship that is viewed by society as taboo.. Another excellent film! I know it will get a lot of attention / awards.
So, so far I am delighted !
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Sept 3,2015 Day before festival
The 6 of us are settled in our beautiful condo with mountain views and eagerly awaiting the start of the festival tomorrow. We got the schedule and are thrilled to find out the names of most of the films and people who will be here. One never knows whether we personally will see these folks but here's a sampling:
Meryl Streep, Idris Elba, Danny Boyle, Aaron Sorkin, Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet, Steve Wozniak ( the new film about Steve Jobs) Michael Keaton. If I see 1/2 of them it will be great!
Some of the films on the list so far:
Black Mass,
Carol,
He named me Malala,
Suffragette,
Steve Jobs
I look forward to telling you all about our experiences!
Jane
Meryl Streep, Idris Elba, Danny Boyle, Aaron Sorkin, Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet, Steve Wozniak ( the new film about Steve Jobs) Michael Keaton. If I see 1/2 of them it will be great!
Some of the films on the list so far:
Black Mass,
Carol,
He named me Malala,
Suffragette,
Steve Jobs
I look forward to telling you all about our experiences!
Jane
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