TFF Oh what a relief it is

So here we are at the Telluride Film Festival.  I will leave the film reviews to T2, well for the most part.

I do have to make a comment about two movies. 

One Sardonis butterflies - Huh?  If ever I was made to feel inept this film did it for me.  I mean really I felt I walked into the middle of Twin Peaks dream sequence.  But who am I to comment on anothers genuis.  But truly if I were to give it a grade - it would probably be an F.

Two Under the Skin.  Yikes I actually liked this movie.  True it could have been forty-five minutes shorter, maybe even making it a short - I mean how many times do we have to see a hunt to understand the hunt or for that matter a fight or car chase.  If it is intergral to the subject is a fight good for 10 minutes of a two hour movie, or 80 minutes because there is more than one fight? 

So in the middle of the movie my seat mate (not T2) grunted said oh my god, and got up and walked out.  Then came the exodus.  Half the theater walked out.   Twenty minutes later the other half walked out.  By  the end of the movie there were maybe ten people remaining (it was a sold out crowd to start) - yup not everybodies cup of tea.

Would I see it in a theater - no, but I would see it on DVD and fast forward - definitely.

T3
 

Telluride: Day 2 Movies

After spending the morning with Robert Redford (yes, he still runs Sundance yet showed up at his competitor's festival. what a guy.), we saw:

Gloria
This was Looking for Mr. Goodbar without the brutality and with a middle-aged protagonist. Performances were good, but we both still gave it a C. In my case it was not because it was a bad movie, but because it made me squeamish.

Before the Winter Chill
Another movie about people trying to find their way later (not LATE, but later) in life. This one I liked. This film was by the same director who made I've Loved You So Long, one of my all-time favorite Telluride films.  Winter Chill features Kristin Scott-Thomas and Daniel Auteuil, two terrific actors.

Under the Skin
We overheard someone in the gondola say that *everyone* who saw this film hated it and that she, herself, gave it an F-.  Then Tanya piped up with, "I liked it."

It's science fiction and stars Scarlett Johansson playing a seductress, so you know none of the males in the gondola gave it an F- either.

My opinion: it is definitely strange and it could have used an edit, but it was interesting enough to provoke a good discussion (just not in the gondola). Approach with caution.

T2

Telluride: Day 1 Movies

Sadourni's Butterflies
Our reaction after seeing this movie from Argentina: Huh?
Think weird melding of Dave Lynch and Rico Fellini.
Beware of movies about a Dwarf!
(What were they thinking when they decided to start the festival with this movie???)

Fifi Howls From Happiness
We both quite liked this documentary about reclusive Iranian artist (and dissident) Bahman Mohasses. I know, I know, you already suspect there's a dwarf in the movie, but there isn't. One of the best parts of this movie was that every time Mohassess laughed, the whole theater cracked up. Some people just have the gift of contagious laughter.

T2

Telluride!

We have arrived for the 40th Telluride Film Festival! The first of the three movies we will see today starts at 4:45 p.m.

To maximize our chances of sleeping through all three, we went on a hike this morning that had a 1000 foot climb in the middle of it and now we are going to have an early dinner WITH wine.

Whether we sleep through the movies or not, we will provide reviews.  Stay tooned! (get it?)

T2