The
35th annual Starz Denver Film Festival concluded this past Saturday
with the showing of David O. Russell’s ‘Silver Linings Playbook’. As it turns out, O. Russell’s film was the
sole silver lining of the entire festival.
DFF has never been one of the headlining film festivals in the U.S.,
definitely not at the Telluride or Sundance level and also substantially behind
the NY, LA, Chicago, and Boston festivals in terms of coverage and/or award
predicting clout. However DFF always, in
the five years I’ve been going, usually turns out a strong lineup of
films. Last year had ‘Melancholia’, ‘The
Descendants’, ‘The Artist’, ‘Like Crazy’, ‘A Dangerous Method’, and
‘Shame’. This year had…‘Silver Linings
Playbook’. Even the smaller films, those
with modest releases or shown solely at a festival, were lackluster in this
year’s schedule.
Denver
typically ushers in some festival darlings from Telluride and Toronto to let
the city folk get a chance to screen them but there were glaring omissions this
year (‘Amour’ comes to mind). The one
thing DFF had become accustomed to, that kept fest-goers like me coming, was a
great docket of films. Never mind the screening
venues are separated by miles of pavement or the knowledge of the volunteers
rivals that of an AMC employee, DFF had good films at manageable ticket
prices/packages (in relation to other festivals) that took place locally. Unfortunately without a good lineup DFF is
reduced to overpriced tickets at locations that aren’t close to technologically
or aesthetically ideal for viewing these films (the L2 Art Center for
example). Hopefully next year can be a
return to normalcy, what I saw:
Hyde Park on Hudson (Denver Pavilions): The more I think
about this film the more I find holes in the screenplay. Bill Murray does a fine job playing FDR in an
oft-dramatic role, somewhat of a reversal from his usual dry comic
musings. Laura Linney is equally impressive
in her turn as Margaret Suckley, FDR’s distant cousin and eventual
mistress. The sets and locations are
period specific and the cinematography is spot on capturing mood and moment. However the script is a total mess. It can’t decide whether it wants to be a film
about the relationship between FDR and Margaret or FDR and The King of England
(the first King to visit the United States since the Revolution). I assumed the King’s visit would merely
provide the background but about halfway through the film it becomes the main
focus then abruptly switches back to the FDR/Margaret situation. I wouldn’t be totally displeased except for
the fact neither of the convoluted parallel stories have anything remotely
resembling a point. What is left is a
beautifully shot and acted film that goes nowhere, a big waste of a talented
cast.
28 Hotel Rooms (L2 Art Center): This was the
film that left me the most intrigued while perusing the schedule after it was
released. Unfortunately ‘28 Hotel Rooms’
suffers from a common problem for many filmmakers; having a brilliant and original
idea at its base yet falling flat on its face in relation to execution. The premise is simple, a man and a woman have
a one night stand then, years later, run into each coincidentally at a
hotel. Their relationship plays out as
they coordinate seeing each other during business trips, all of their meetings
and all the screen time is spent in, yea, 28 hotel rooms. The script is tight and the situations feel
real but the big flaw with ‘Rooms’ is the miscasting of the lead characters,
they have no chemistry! If you’re going
to spend 90 minutes with two actors conversing in hotel rooms you better be
able to feel the tension, passion, and heartache of the characters. Unfortunately there’s no connection with the
audience and the film feels more like 180 minutes than 90.
Silver Linings Playbook (Ellie Caulkins
Opera House):
The saving grace of the festival, without it DFF 2012 would be a complete
disaster. Due to the Oscar ramifications
I will have a complete review of the film in the coming days.
If
anyone cares to look at this year’s schedule and awards here’s a link to the
page:
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