Greetings Telluride Film Festival Fans… or as we like to call it “To Hell You Ride”. So every year I try to predict some new and interesting films that have been running through the circuit. This year there are some very interesting prospects.
Lets start with some hopeful retuning guests:
1) Danny Boyle has Telluride on his most thankful list with the help of “Slum Dog”. This year he has a very cool adaptation of “Steve Jobs”, starring Fassbender, Jeff Daniels, and Kate Winslet.
2) 2013 Robert Redford came with his soul searching sailing movie “All Is Lost”. Come to think about it… that was the year of lots of individual journey movies… Sandra Bullock with “Gravity” and might show this year with “Our Brand Is Crisis” or Mia Wasikowska in “Tracks” both of which I saw and thought were amazing. However Robert has a new film called “Truth” about the Dan Rather debacle. Wonder if he might show as that surprise film that is not scheduled.
3) So of the famous folks that have places in the valley I wonder if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie might show with “By the Sea.” Since most of the films at Telluride seem to cover the human condition of some sort… this film might just make it. Not to mention they also support a few events here at Telluride Film Festival so they are family. Also don’t forget that Brad showed up with “Twelve Years A Slave”.
4) The man(Alejandro G. Inarritu) that brought us “Babel” has a new creation“The Revenant.” This one is kind of a Jeremiah Johnson type story.
5) Guillermo del Toro came to Telluride with “Devils Backbone” one of his personal pet projects that did very well here. I know that he is on the dark-side of things but Telluride has been there to support him. So I wonder if his new film“Crimson Peak” might have a showing?
6) Bill Murray has shown up with a few films a while ago “Lost in Translation” and ” Hyde Park on Hudson” but this year his little gem “Rock the Kasbah” by Barry Levinson might just be that powerful little indie… imagine that from Levinson. Would really like to see this one.
There have been many outstanding night park viewings in the past. The ones that really made me feel the specialness that only a festival like Telluride can bring to film was “Princess Mononoke” & “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki. However there is a new film called “Everest” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin, Emily Watson and many more. I could just see this with the stars and mountains framing the screen.
This may be the year LBGT shows strong at Telluride Film Festival because Ellen Page has a new film coming out as well about this topic “Freeheld” with Julianne Moore who also was at Telluride with “House of Mirth”. So with “Carol” by Todd Haynes and “The Danish Girl” by Tom Hooper who knows this might be this years theme. I think the new Katlyn Jenner award might go to “The Danish Girl”.
Here are some film makers that I have not seen in Telluride but I think could be there with their new films. “The Hateful Eight” by Quentin Tarantino, “Joy”by David O. Russell, and “The Martian” by Ridley Scott.
Since Telluride is one of those film festivals on the edge, I wonder if they might Welcome Netflix’s first foray into film release with “Beast of No Nation.”