2013-14 Oscar Season Wrap Up

The awards were handed out nearly a month ago and finally getting around to wrapping up the 2013-14 season. The long and short of it was the winners were ultimately predictable. Building on last year I predicted 22 out of 24 categories correctly! Only missing on Best Documentary and Best Animated Short. The telecast was fairly uneventful, Ellen got annoying by the end of it as expected, but it was bookended nicely with a much deserved Best Picture win for 12 Years A Slave.

And with that its on to the award season doldrums, the summer blockbusters are rolling out earlier year after year and Noah along with Captain America are already getting 2014 started. However the Oscar darlings won't start rearing their heads until Cannes closes in late May and from there the late summer festival circuit will start to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you've been reading thanks for tuning in, until this upcoming season (late August), happy screenings...

2014 OSCAR PREVIEW IN REVERE MAGAZINE

 

The one thing that is usually certain, a formality really, on Oscar nomination morning is there will be a handful of surprises. There will be those who didn’t garner much attention during the season that sneak in with a nomination, and of course those that were overlooked, the snubs. But in a year that has seen very little movement, and had films that secured frontrunner status since early October, there was one surprise when the nominations were announced: that the Academy, for the most part, got it right. At five A.M. on Thursday 1/16, when Chris Hemsworth and Cheryl Boone Issacs, the Academy president, read the nominations there were no uproars in critic’s circles, no Twittersphere chants of wrongdoing, and no cries for the missing Saving Mr. Banks. No, the Oscar nomination announcement was rather uneventful, unfortunately the way it probably should be every year.

With that said, let’s take a look at the nominees and break down where there could be a claim of snubbery as well as see which categories are primed to produce close races:

Best Picture

Not a lot of surprises here, the big frontrunners all season, for Picture and various other categories, have been 12 Years a Slave and Gravity. The two films remain the top two favorites for the category along with American Hustle a close third. 12 Years won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards so it has the slight edge now but with well over a month to go things can change. It should be noted that American Hustle won Best Ensemble Cast at the SAG Awards. Because the SAG Awards only recognize acting it’s hard to say that Hustle is now in the mix but the Best Ensemble Cast in a Drama at the SAGs has shown some correlation to Best Picture wins in the past, something to keep an eye on. The only nom that is somewhat of a surprise is Philomena. Not to say it’s not deserving, and I have not seen it, but I would have thought a film like All Is Lost or Fruitvale Station had a better chance of getting in. All things considered no real snubs in the category.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

The Best Actor category looked like one of the tighter races at the beginning of the season but in the last couple of weeks there has been separation. I’m speaking about favorites Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years). It has been well documented that films covering the Holocaust, WWII, race related issues, and the like usually turn out the voting Academy. However when you have an HIV/AIDS patient going up against a free black man sold into slavery all bets are off. In what looked like a neck and neck bout on paper, with each actor getting support and awards from different bodies of critics, McConaughey has now swept the Golden Globe, Critic’s Choice, and SAG awards making it all the more difficult for Ejiofor to make a comeback. The last big award barometer is the BAFTAs, if McConaughey grabs that as well look for him to take home the Oscar. DiCaprio and Bale are a little bit of a surprise here, not because they didn’t give great performances but because Wolf of Wall Street wasn’t a huge critical success and American Hustle was more of an ensemble piece than a vehicle for Bale. There’s a little bit of a snub factor for Joaquin Phoenix (Her) and Robert Redford (All Is Lost).

Best Actress in a Leading Role

One of the weaker categories on paper this year, The Best Actress Oscar is all but wrapped up for Cate Blanchett for her turn in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine. She has all the critics wins leading up to the first big award week and then promptly swept the Golden Globe, Critic’s Choice, and SAG awards like McConaughey. Right now the only contender, albeit an extreme dark horse at the moment, is Sandra Bullock for Gravity. Bullock is well like by the voters and even won the Best Actress Oscar for The Blind Side (the performance was good but not great and the movie was extremely overrated). If anyone has a chance to unseat Blanchett it’s Bullock. Meryl Streep secured her 18^th Oscar nomination, far and away the most ever, however August: Osage County hasn’t played well with the critics and Streep is a long shot.

Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role

The best races could very well end up being in the Supporting Actor and Actress categories. The Supporting Actor race is led by Jared Leto for his role as a cross dressing HIV/AIDS patient in Dallas Buyers Club and the performance really was extraordinary. Not to be outdone there is the gruesome performance turned in by Michael Fassbender as a slave owner in 12 Years, which in many other years would be the hands down favorite. Leto has dominated so far with a Golden Globe, Critic’s Choice, and SAG sweep. Fassbender is due after being looked over for so many other great performances but he may have to wait at least another year. Bradley Cooper (Hustle) is on the outside looking in hoping that Leto and Fassbender split votes to send him to the podium. The closest race of the season so far is for Supporting Actress. Jennifer Lawrence won the Globe for American Hustle and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years) took home the Critic’s Choice and SAG awards. Lawrence is well liked by the Academy and really is mesmerizing in Hustle but Nyong’o steals the show in 12 Years. Nyong’o complements the performances of Ejiofor and Fassbender well and elevated the film as a whole. She captures both the despair of the situation and the perseverance of the human spirit in perfect harmony. Right now it’s a push but if I had to choose I’d give Nyong’o the slight edge.

Best Director

Martin Scorsese is the name everyone recognizes but he, along with the voting Academy, knows the nomination is the win for Wolf of Wall Street. This year has a few directors that have been nominated before; Scorsese, Alexander Payne (Nebraska), and David O. Russell (American Hustle), but the race as it stands is between two newcomers: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) and Steve McQueen (12 Years). Cuaron has been nominated previously for his screenplays (Children of Men and Y Tu Mama Tambien) but it is his first directing nom. As it stands Cuaron has the momentum after sweeping the Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice. It is unfortunate because I think 12 Years is more of a directing feat than Gravity. Sure Gravity is a great film and Cuaron’s vision should not be discounted but it stands on visual merit and grandiose scope. 12 Years gathers amazing performances, a terrific script, perfect pacing, and great traditional cinematography to boast an overall great picture. The ability to harness all those elements into a complete work is more of an accomplishment in my eyes. Unfortunately I think Cuaron will best McQueen when it’s all said and done.

Best Screenplay, Original and Adapted

The Screenplay categories, both Original and Adapted, are a little clearer at this point in time. The Original Screenplay victor should be decided between American Hustle and Her. Her, for its truly original story and social commentary on how we relate and evolve with technology should be applauded but the Academy has yet to show any love to Spike Jonze and David O. Russell’s American Hustle will most likely win. In the Adapted category there’s really no opponent to what John Ridley did with Solomon Northup’s account of his life in 12 Years a Slave and I expect a win there.

Technical and Other Categories

The tech Oscars, specifically Cinematography, Editing, Visual Effects, and Sound will probably all go to Gravity, and rightfully so. This film lives and dies with how the audience interpreted its visual prowess and it delivered. Other categories of note are Animated Feature where a win for Frozen seems like a good bet and Achievement in Hair and Makeup where Dallas Buyers Club should be a lock.

Due to this year’s Olympics in February the Oscars have been pushed back all the way until March 2^nd. The good news being it should give voters ample time to screen anything they haven’t before casting their ballots. The bad news is we still need to wait another month to settle all these races. In a season that has seen very little surprises Oscar Night just might provide a few of them.

SUNDANCE 2014

 

Ever since attending the Telluride Film Festival for the first time in 2012 I’ve made it a goal to hit all the major festivals (Sundance, Toronto, NY, Venice, Berlin…Cannes if I can ever get an invite) on the global and awards circuit. Considering the geographic and fiscal restraints of many of the festivals the logical choice for my second major festival was Sundance. So this year, with the help of a cheap ticket on Frontier and the hospitality of staying with friends who live in Salt Lake, I was able to make the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Sundance, along with many of the other festivals, works a little differently than Telluride. The schedule is released well in advance and if you aren’t a pass holder you even have the opportunity to buy single tickets online before getting to the mountains. Sundance lasts much longer and includes more films, Sundance lasts ten days while Telluride is only four. The biggest and most apparent difference however is the festivals coverage.

Although Sundance is famous for its inclusion of primarily indie films the media hype and corporate presence is vast. Telluride had 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Wind Rises…some of this year’s biggest Oscar contenders, yet it feels like Hollywood isn’t even there. No huge VIP parties, no goodie bag giveaways, I didn’t even see a cop the whole time I was there last year. The reason being is everyone in Hollywood is trying to find that next big thing, where they can invest on the cheap and reap a big return. Whereas festivals like Telluride and Toronto have the big lineups and the majority of the films already have the distribution backing needed.

There are definite benefits to the way Sundance is conducted. The ability to see what’s playing and get tickets (if you’re not a pass holder) before showing up is a big selling point and relieves some of the stress of uncertainty that Telluride poses. The inclusion of a large corporate presence is nice because there are freebies everywhere. Chase Sapphire, one of the festival’s main sponsors, hosted a free VIP party with cocktails and appetizers for cardholders, while Airbnb had a free Bingo and Beer event. Only being there for a few days meant missing some of the other opportunities to score some giveaways but the two events I was able to go to where awesome.

Unfortunately there are downfalls as well. Because the film is made up of lesser known films, studios, and filmmakers there is a greater possibility you’re going to run into a dud of a film. Case in point: Jamie Marks Is Dead, the first film I saw. The director Carter Smith has only one recognizable film under his belt, Ruins, which was eh…ok at best. It suffers from a terrible script, no conceivable message, and lukewarm performances. Most of the audience didn’t stick around for the Q&A afterwards. Also, the corporate presence, although welcomed in some areas, can be a little overbearing and take away from the real reason most of the attendees are there, the films.

The only other film I got to see was Rich Hill, the eventual winner for U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary. The film was an intimate portrait of three families struggling with poverty in Middle America. The film did a great job showcasing the hardships of the families while also showing the inherent hope they all possessed.

All things considered I was very impressed with the festival Sundance puts on and I look forward to returning next year. NOTE: The film Whiplash won U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, look for it to get wide distribution later this year.

DECEMBER UPDATE & PRE-GOLDEN GLOBE PICTURE

 

It's January and that means all the eligible films for the 2013 season have been released, albeit some still in a limited capacity. Since late November nothing has changed for 12 Years A Slave and Gravity which both retain their frontrunner statuses going into the Globes on Sunday. The big players to enter the picture in December were American Hustle, and to a lesser extent The Wolf of Wall Street.

The former is anchored by great performances and could see Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence represent the film with nominations. David O. Russell is an Academy favorite after The Fighter and last year's Silver Lining Playbook so a Directing and/or Screenplay nom is possible. The film overall lacks a roaring fan base and although well liked by critics and with only minor flaws I don't see it really contending for Best Picture, Editing, or any of the big categories.

The Wolf of Wall Street suffers from being outrageous to a fault. Leo gives a good if not over the top performance and Jonah Hill is hilarious as his partner. The Best Actor field is loaded so seeing Leo get a nom much less a well overdue win is highly unlikely. The Supporting Actor category, after Jared Leto and Michael Fassbender, is fairly open so we could see Hill grab his second career nomination. The film is too uneven, especially in its final third, and too ridiculous and crude to see it be marked a contender, but due to Scorsese's named being attached we could see some nominations in the Best Picture and Screenplay categories.

The two films with limited releases that still haven't gotten the buzz going (which may be a good play as it's usually the films that catch fire after the Globes that do well at the Oscars) are Inside Llewyn Davis and Her. I profiled Llweyn Davis after seeing it at the Telluride Film Fest and it was very Cohen Brothers. Quirky for sure, and probably to the point of turning off voters, however I could see a dark horse nom for Oscar Issacs for Best Actor and it being a Cohen Brothers film, Director and Screenplay are never off the table. The music in the film is superb and Best Song and Score noms are virtual locks.

Her is the real mystery this season. Not everyone has seen it but Spike Jonze has a huge faithful following and might be due after Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Where the Wild Things Are. The Academy hates Joaquin Phoenix unfortunately and that may turn voters away. Very unfortunate considering I thought he should have won Best Actor last yThe Master, I was incredibly surprised he was even nominated. All that being said, Best Actor, Screenplay, Director, Picture, and Supporting Actress are all possibilities.
ear for

We should know more after the Globes telecast tomorrow but for a season that has been fairly predictable so far we could see some surprises. Stay tuned. Below are the SAG and BAFTA nominations that have been announced:

http://www.sagawards.org/media-pr/press-releases/nominations-announced-20th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards%C2%AE

http://www.bafta.org/press/nominations-announced-for-the-ee-british-academy-film-awards-in-2014,311,SNS.html

2014 GOLDEN GLOBE NOMS

The 2014 Golden Globe nominations were announced this past week. Not a lot of surprises in the films that were recognized but the categories in which some were nominated were very surprising.

American Hustle, Inside Llewyn Davis, Her, and Wolf of Wall Street all in the Musical or Comedy categories?? C'mon Globes, I know you want to support the best films out there and it was a weak year for comedies and musicals, as is usually the case when put up against dramas, but those films are stretching the definition any way you put it.

The only benefit we'll see is more of the best films being awarded and it could make it much more difficult to predict the Oscars because a lot of the heavy favorites won't be going head to head. Interesting to say the least. Here are the noms:

http://www.goldenglobes.com/awards

NOVEMBER WRAP UP AND WHAT REMAINS TO BE SCREENED

 

Considering the amount of films I was able to screen at the Telluride Film Festival, along with my heaving viewing schedule in September and October, I haven't had the chance, or need for that matter, to see many films since my last entry. On top of what I've already seen, I added Out of the Furnace, All Is Lost, and Dallas Buyers Club to my list in the month of November. That isn't to say there hasn't been some movement in the Oscar races.

I saw Out of the Furnace at a special screening at the Denver Film Festival, which was surprising because we were only the second public audience in the world to screen it. For a festival the stature of Denver that was quite the experience. On the whole the film was satisfying in a number of ways. The taught directing and script of Scott Cooper and the ensemble performance of Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Willem Dafoe, Woodly Harrleson, and veteran Sam Shepard in particular. The subject matter and pace suggest a modern day Deer Hunter with the Iraq War as the backdrop but the narrower scope of the film downplays that notion. As we saw last year 2014 has a deep field of players and although Furnace succeeds in many areas it might not do anything quite well enough to grab any serious nominations.

All Is Lost is a vehicle where sole credit lies with two people, actor Robert Redford and writer/director J.C. Chandor. Redford seems a lock at this point to capture a Best Actor nomination as the lost at sea survivalist. A role that could be overdone, Redford is calm and collected, all the whilst knowing there is little hope to escape demise. Chandor took a big risk transitioning from his first film Margin Call, chock full of witty dialogue and boasting a large talented cast, to a film with no dialouge and only one actor throughout. Thankfully he pulls it off and it will ultimately be a milestone in both Redford's storied and Chandor's budding career. Look for noms for Best Picture, Best Actor, Screenplay, and possibly Directing for Chandor.

Can the Best Actor race get any more crowded? In addition to Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years), Redford, Bruce Dern (Nebraska), and possibly Bale (Furnace) Matthew McConaughey turns in the performance of his career in Dallas Buyers Club. Playing the role of real life homophobic AIDS patient Ron Woodroof, McConaughey steals the screen with an emotionally powerful display of the resilience of the human body. McConaughey, who dropped almost 50 pounds for the role, uses his physical deterioration in perfect contrast with the strength of his character's will to live. Jared Leto, who hasn't graced the big screen in over four years, is almost unrecognizable in his harrowing performance as Woodroof's cross dressing business partner and eventual friend. Both are virtual locks for the Best Actor and Supporting Actor categories with real chances at winning the awards. Also look for Best Picture and Screenplay nominations, although due to the smaller nature of the story and script Dallas Buyers will be a dark horse to win.

The additions of All Is Lost and Dallas Buyers Club hasn't changed the front runner status of films like 12 Years a Slave or Gravity although it has lowered the probability of easy wins for either films. The Best Actor race is the most heated at the moment and until we see all the films to release in December the Best Picture race will be clouded. In the coming weeks we have Frozen (Best Animated Feature front runner), Saving Mr. Banks, American Hustle, Wolf of Wall Street, and Her all still to be released. Hopefully by late December, and once the Golden Globe noms are announced, we'll have a clearer picture.

2014 INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

It looks like the big winners here are 12 Years a Slave, Nebraska, and All Is Lost all films that will garner much Oscar attention. The annual award show, honoring indie films from the past year will air in it's usual Saturday slot the night before the Oscars. Telecast will take place Saturday March 1st, 2014 on IFC. Here are the nominees:

http://www.spiritawards.com/nominees

SEPT./MID OCT.: OSCAR SEASON...THUS FAR

Little has changed in the Oscar hunt since the Toronto Film Festival ended roughly a month ago. The films that played over Labor Day in Telluride, the week before Toronto, really set the stage. As I outlined previously 12 Years a Slave is definitely playing as a front runner, McQueen’s third feature has the performances and the script, amidst the fragile subject matter, that could carry the film to a slew of awards come 2014. Its limited release is October 18^th however and the question will be can it carry enough steam from September all the way to voting season in February to stay in front.

There were two films that showed in Telluride that I didn’t have the chance to screen which have been released: Prisoners and Gravity. Both were well received at both Telluride and Toronto and my viewing hasn’t changed the outlook for both. Gravity is a slam dunk for Cinematography, Screenplay, Sandra Bullock for Best Actress, and could get nods in Directing for Alfonso Cuaron and Supporting Actor for George Clooney (although an Academy favorite his screen time might not be extensive enough). Prisoners is one of those really good films that does everything well but might not do anything at an elite level. Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman turn in great performances and the script moves the two hour plus film along quite well with tension to spare. If I thought it had a chance in one category Screenplay might be it, there might be more going for the film come January considering it won 2^nd runner up at Toronto but there’s not much discussion on its chances.

Amongst films that were released in the last four weeks or so, and didn’t play the festival circuit, Captain Phillips has stood out with chances in a few categories. Tom Hanks really does turn in his best performance in years (to quote all the TV trailers) and already is a virtual lock for a Best Actor nom. The Screenplay and Directing (Paul Greengrass United 93) are best bets as well. Barkhad Abdi, the Somalian-American actor who plays the lead Somalian hijacker, has received buzz for Best Supporting Actor but it will come down to how strong the field is.

Other notable releases that have had strong critical reviews but most likely have little chance of generating Oscar nominations are the Rom Com Don Jon (say that five times fast) written and directed by and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and The Ron Howard effort Rush. Don Jon is a good writing and directing debut for Gordon-Levitt and shows promise but the story is largely uneven, although Scarlett Johansson is hilarious and has a shot at Best Supporting Actress (again depending on field). I haven’t seen Rush but unless the Directing field is weak and Howard sneaks in I haven’t heard any Oscar worthy elements to the film.

Still to come in October is the Carrie reboot, Ridley Scott’s The Counselor, and the Cannes Film Fest winner Blue is the Warmest Color. Carrie doesn’t look too enticing but who knows, crazier things have happened, Blue will most likely compete in the Best Foreign Film category, and that leaves The Counselor as the last film this month that may catch Oscar’s eye. After month’s end we see Ender’s Game, The Wolf of Wall Street, Oldboy, Out of the Furnace, Her, The Monuments Men, Saving Mr. Banks, and American Hustle all being released in November and December. There’s still plenty of reel left on the spool, stay tuned.

2013 TELLURIDE FILM FEST REVIEW

 

Driving along highway 145, hugging the eastern slope of the Colorado Rockies, one can expect to witness many natural marvels. Whether it be the plethora of 14ers (summits of over 14,000 feet for all non-Colorado folk), countless vistas offering awe inspiring views, or the wildlife that frequent the area, you’re bound to see something that will excite your visual taste buds. However one such image stands out amongst the rest: the descent into the town of Telluride. Nestled tightly between three mountain slopes on the north, east, and south sides, Telluride looks as though its space was purposefully carved out by some divine being. The amazing symmetry of the slopes, the way the rising sun plays against the tree lines, nothing out of place. No wonder when the Telluride Film Festival, or TFF, was established in 1974 it was decidedly the perfect venue.

 

Every Labor Day weekend the town, which for most of the year is recognized as a prestigious ski resort, transforms into one of the most renowned film festivals and film experiences in world. The experience is visceral, something the late Roger Ebert described as “(it’s) like Cannes died and went to heaven…”. 2013 marked the 40^th anniversary of TFF and made this year particularly special. The festival, which usually starts on Friday and ends on Monday, added an extra day on the front end; by starting Thursday the four day festival stretched to five. Telluride also introduced a new theatre, the Werner Herzog Theatre, a tribute to the German filmmaker, which added a top notch sound system and a much needed extra 650 seats to audiences. What’s more: the likes of Brad Pitt, The Cohen Brothers, Steve McQueen, Michael Fassbender, and Jason Reitman were all in attendance. And the best part is yours truly got to attend!

This was my second year attending TFF. I had the good fortune of going to the festival last year as well, but the 39^th annual TFF was merely a warm up to what’s being lauded as one of the most successful festivals in recent history. Sure last year provided the sneak peek to Argo, the eventual Academy Best Picture winner, but aside from that the lineup, albeit impressive (Rust and Bone with Marion Cotillard and The Hunt, one of last year’s best films in my opinion, with Mads Mikkelsen), paled in comparison to 2013. When I went to the TFF website on Wednesday (8/28) afternoon and saw the lineup I was floored. Alexander Payne’s (Sideways, The Descendants) Nebraska, Jason Reitman’s (Juno, Up in the Air) Labor Day…aptly named for the festival, Joel and Ethan Cohen’s (Fargo, No Country for Old Men) Inside Llewyn Davis, Alfonso Cuaron’s (Children of Men) Gravity, The Past and Blue is the Warmest Color, both met with huge praise in Cannes, J.C. Chandor’s (Margin Call) sophomore effort All Is Lost with Robert Redford, the list goes on.

 

The aforementioned lineup alone would be cause for celebration however TFF is notorious for having big sneak peek previews that aren’t unveiled until the festival actually begins (Argo was one last year). This year’s sneak peeks included: Steve McQueen’s third feature and collaboration with Michael Fassbender 12 Years A Slave, Prisoners with Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano, and Jake Gyllenhaal, and two special preview screenings of Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises and Salinger, the anticipated documentary on the life of the Catcher in the Rye author. Having seen the past 5-6 years worth of programs, and taking sneak peeks into account, I can honestly say this is the best TFF program I have witnessed. After mulling over the films that were on my short list to see, I was poised to get into 6-8 films this year.

 

Unfortunately I feel short of my goal, but I still made it to 5 films: 12 Years A Slave, Nebraska, Labor Day, The Wind Rises, and Inside Llewyn Davis. Considering I didn’t arrive in Telluride until Saturday afternoon and had to depart Monday afternoon it was still a successful weekend. I could quickly review each film but I don’t think that would do any of them justice. I would have to dedicate a full article to each to shine light on their accomplishments and shortcomings. All of the films I saw warranted high regard in many aspects however 12 Years A Slave and Nebraska sat above the others. Aside from the screenings which, at its base, is what the goal is when attending any film festival, there were a myriad of other highlights.

 

I attended a discussion with McQueen and the cast of 12 Years A Slave. “Why wouldn’t there be a movie about Bobby Sands?...Why wouldn’t there be a movie about sex addiction?...Why wouldn’t there be a movie about Solomon Northup?” McQueen responded when asked why he chose to adapt a film based on Northup, a free-born African-American sold into slavery as an adult, sounding puzzled as to why films hadn’t explored these topics before (Bobby Sands and sex addiction referring to his previous works Hunger and Shame). He went on to say “It seemed obvious”. The cast shared how they explored their character(s) for the film, “I didn’t want to play Epps as the evil plantation owner…I wanted him to be like the boil on the skin of the society of the times,” explained Fassbender. When discussing the sets and locations of film Fassbender added, “You can get too wrapped up in playing the era,” referring to period pieces being “too decorous” at times. McQueen also expressed his appreciation for Fox Searchlight and Regency for “…giv(ing) me the freedom to do what I wanted to do,” which isn’t always the case when studios put up big money for a film.

When screening Labor Day, director Jason Reitman introduced the movie saying, “If you’re expecting a comedy you may be surprised.” I later saw Reitman casually dining by himself at location on the “main street” in Telluride; I think I was the only one who recognized him.

 

The incomparable film critic and historian Leonard Maltin moderated an animation discussion with animators Bill Plympton and Lauren MacMullan (Simpsons, Avatar: The Last Airbender) in an intimate venue of maybe 20 attendees. I was able to ask a question about the marketability of adult animation (ie Simpsons, South Park) as a full length feature to which Plympton replied, “…no studios want to take a chance at this time.” After the discussion it was straight to The Wind Rises and just before show time it was announced Hayao Miyazaki was retiring and this would be his last film. We were the first audience in all of North America to screen it. I am so thankful I attended in 2012 because without prior knowledge of how the festival works, the free discussions, and which theatres are the easiest to get into, I would’ve missed a lot of this year’s special moments.

 

A few things of consequence for potential attendees: the festival schedule is released the day before the festival! This typically means if you’re planning on going, you won’t know what’s available to screen until the day you travel or the day you arrive. If you don’t have a pass, which I did not both years, you have to wait in the “non-pass holder” line, usually for around one hour before show time and you’re not guaranteed a seat. Individual tickets are $25 a piece so if you end up seeing 6-8 films you’re still coming out way ahead of the cheapest pass that runs $390. Also, if you want to keep low stress on the wallet there are nearby campsites for roughly $20 a night. My whole TFF experience less travel expenses cost around $200, extremely reasonable. Both years I made it into 5 films while trying to get into 8, so still a better than 50% chance of getting in. The key is sticking to the theatres with the largest capacities (the new Werner Herzog, The Palm, and Chuck Jones Cinema). An added bonus of the non-pass holder’s line is all the relationships you make with fellow film enthusiasts.

 

I recognized a few people from the non-pass holder lines of last year and even checked in with a couple, asking what they’d seen, what films or other festivals they’ve attended since last year, and so on. One of the most intriguing environments to chat about the weekend’s happenings is on the free gondola ride from Telluride to Mountain Village (at the top of the ski slopes where there is one additional theatre). You’re sequestered, for around 15 minutes, in a tiny box of 4-6 people all of whom share a love for the cinema, simply talking about the joy of film, a very cool experience. But the real fun is always the one to two hour wait in the non-pass holder lines. This year my cohort Jack and I met a group of UC Santa Barbara film students (#snakestyle #TFF2014) that were at TFF on a “school field trip” (my best school field trip was to the museum of natural history, lame), big shout out to Professor B who, I’m assuming, put the trip together. You tend to see the same people in the non-pass holder lines throughout the weekend so being able to get continuous updates on what to see, what celebrities are in town, where to eat, planning which showing will be the best bet to get into, all in a big united team…it’s half the fun at TFF if you don’t have a pass. Unless I make the big time I plan on being a non-pass holding attendee for life.

 

Telluride has historically marked the beginning to “Oscar Season”. The big international festivals of the summer, Cannes in May and Venice in late August, give us a preview but it’s not until Labor Day weekend with Telluride and then the following week and weekend in Toronto (TIFF) that really kicks things off. By mid-September most of the big players have at least screened somewhere and the Oscar pundits start their predictions. Based solely on what happened in Telluride I can tell you 12 Years A Slave will garner serious consideration in many categories, Alexander Payne’s screenplay for Nebraska will be noticed, and Cuaron’s Gravity (which I didn’t see) and the Cohen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis will seek multiple nominations. Awards season is now upon us! And with a lot of the heavy hitters scheduled to be released in November and early December we are a mere month or two away until frontrunners start rearing their heads. The excitement is palpable!

I will be attending Sundance this upcoming January in Park City, Utah, where indie darlings get bought up by monster studios, and the Oscar cycle begins again. Look for a feature report sometime in February. Until then, happy screenings everybody and hope to see you Labor Day 2014 in the mountains!

NETFLIX ARTICLE IN REVERE MAGAZINE

Unfortunately Revere Magazine has been having trouble with their website so the only way to view my "official" articles is to download the Revere Magazine app through the iTunes store, Google Play for Android, or the Kindle store. Please download the app! It looks so much better! But for those of you who don't I've simply copied and pasted the text for your enjoyment.

 

Remember growing up when your parent’s would say “back in my day…(fill in the blank with the luxuries we have today that make our lives so much easier)”. For the majority of people that endured these never ending taunts from their elders one of subjects that came up often was technology. “Just be happy you have color TV”, “When I wanted to make plans I had to do it over the phone, none of this texting nonsense”, “Google?! Have you ever had to use an encyclopedia?” the list goes on. As the tech boom, yes it’s still a boom, rages on there are still a litany of advances making our lives “easier”. A prime example: Netflix.

The American on-demand internet streaming and disc digital media provider started not long after Al Gore invented the internet. The company was established way back in 1997 in Los Gatos, California. A couple years later Netflix began its subscription based distribution to a modest market, most of us were too busy chatting on AOL to catch on early. Fortunately with the increasing affordability of DVD players and discs, the distributor that spawned the likes of Game Fly and Redbox began to gain traction. By 2007 Netflix had announced its billionith DVD delivery; the company had strong earnings and a stranglehold on the market. But not unlike Compaq and Netscape the competition caught up. The aforementioned Game Fly and Redbox, coupled with the emergence of Amazon Video and Hulu, cut into Netflix’s customer base. So what kept Netflix in the game? Diversification and adaptation.

Netflix expanded its business model to account for the growing demand of internet or streaming based media. Over the past half dozen years or so Netflix has fought numerous distributors to gain exclusive rights on certain content, specifically countless TV series that can’t be seen anywhere else unless you buy the DVDs or wait for syndicated re-runs on cable. Although these changes helped Netflix stay competitive, it wasn’t near the powerhouse it was in 2007. Earlier this year, in an effort to return to dominance, Netflix became a “streaming TV network service” with direct plans to compete with cable and satellite television providers.

If you really want you can still order DVDs and Blu Rays for home delivery, you know, those things you’ve been using as coasters the last couple of years, but why bother when you can have everything delivered at the touch of a button. Netflix’s primary focus now rests in two markets, the already saturated streaming media market of released movies and syndicated television and now the “streaming TV network service”, a totally original business model with the capability to change how we watch television entirely.

Netflix knew to be successful with this new idea, for people to buy in, they would need to produce television series that could compete, both from a commercial and critical standpoint, with not only the mega-network shows but also with other individual paid service channels (HBO, Showtime, Starz, ect). If you had to compare the new Netflix model with anything else it would most closely mirror these premium channels, the only difference, although an extremely important one, is fact you don’t need a cable or satellite subscription.

First up, House of Cards. The political drama series was driven by Academy Award winning director David Fincher and anchored by Kevin Spacey as the acting lead. Netflix did something else unorthodox when releasing the series; all 13 episodes of the first season were release simultaneously, allowing viewers to plow through the season in marathon fashion. The move proved successful and House of Cards was a certified hit. On the tails of the release of Cards Netflix released the fourth season of Arrested Development, after securing the rights to produce the defunct Fox comedy in 2011, in May 2013. Met with some ire from fans of the original three seasons the release was still considered successful with multiple critics praising it for its “each character gets an episode, with everyone’s parallel stories eventually intersecting” framework. In a matter of months, after the release of both series, subscriptions were up nearly 4 million and near 37 million total by June 2013.

In addition to the highly popular Cards and Development series, Netflix has also released Hemlock Grove, a horror series from director Eli Roth, and Orange is the New Black, a comedy series of a woman’s experience in prison. Although the new Netflix model is still in its early phases there are already plans and contracts in place to produce animated series based on the full length animated features Turbo, Shrek, and The Croods, in a deal signed with DreamWorks. There is also a highly anticipated Pablo Escobar drama series called Narcos slated for next year.

Netflix’s original series’ success was validated with much deserved Emmy nominations for House of Cards and Arrested Development, and some minor nominations for Hemlock Grove. Cards received 9 nominations including Best Drama and Best Actor for Spacey while Development scored a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nom for Jason Bateman. 2014 will see the second seasons for some of these Netflix originals as well as expand the field into animation and throw Pablo Escobar on the screen to boot. The future looks promising for Netflix and judging on the success of their “streaming TV network service” model they could be changing the way we watch television in the future, especially if their customer-cost structure remains low and they can provide competitive shows for a fraction of the price of cable and satellite subscriptions. I’m talking to you DirecTV, Dish, and Comcast…watch your back!