TELLURIDE SCREENINGS: OSCAR CHANCES

TFF has a history of previewing some of each year’s Oscar favorites, last year for example had ‘The Artist’, ‘The Descendants’,  ‘A Dangerous Method’, and ‘Albert Nobbs’, needless to say I was on the lookout last weekend for this season’s frontrunners.  Unlike recent years however there was a smaller sample size of films with expansive Oscar hopes, unless we are talking about best Foreign Language Film.

There were at least three films in Telluride that have great chances in the Foreign Language category, two I saw, ‘Rust and Bone’ (France) and ‘The Hunt’ (Denmark), and one I was shut out of, ‘Amour’ (Germany, Austria, France collaboration, won Cannes).  Unfortunately with great foreign films there isn’t much need to delve into specific elements of their makeup, the category is simply judged by the film as a whole. 

It is unfortunate that foreign films don’t get as much pull in the other major categories, other than the occasional acting nomination which comes every few years, foreign films are rarely recognized for their screenplays or technical aspects.  Mads Mikkelsen (‘Casino Royale’) has an outside chance at a Best Actor nomination depending on how strong the field is, simply because he was recognized at Cannes.  Unfortunately he will most likely be overshadowed by less powerful roles in English speaking films.  I’d also venture to say if ‘The Hunt’ was an American adaptation we could also be looking at noms for screenplay and cinematography.

As stated before, multiple larger Hollywood productions that show in Telluride can sometimes garner a large number of nominations.  This year however I can only see one film with such potential, ‘Argo’.  Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort sees him break away from his Boston safety net (‘Gone Baby Gone’ and ‘The Town’) to tackle a film with a much larger scope.  Based on a real declassified mission, ‘Argo’ is the story of the rescue of six Americans working at the United States Embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979.  Affleck stars and directs while Chris Terrio wrote the screenplay.

The nom chances; although the acting is top notch at all levels the film plays more as a tense thriller than something that lends itself to showcase dramatic range.  On the whole it is very much an ensemble piece with no one actor afforded enough screen time to steal the show.  Aside from the lack of a strong possibility for an acting nom, ‘Argo’ can expect a handful of nominations in other categories.  I think this is Affleck’s time to be recognized for his ability as a director, I thought there was a chance for ‘The Town’ but the Academy usually makes directors/writers/actors establish themselves with a few strong efforts before being recognized, pay their dues so to speak.  The other strong possibilities include: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography.

The only other film with Oscar hopes coming out of Telluride was ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’.  Starring Bill Murray as Franklin D. Roosevelt, ‘Hyde’ depicts King George VI and Queen Consort Elizabeth’s visit to FDR’s Hyde Park country estate in the months leading up to the start of WWII.  Early buzz has Murray as a possibility for Best Actor and Laura Linney, playing FDR’s distant cousin and mistress Margaret Suckley, as Best or Best Supporting Actress.  Due to it being a period piece there’s always a chance for Costume Design as well.  I didn’t have a chance to see it in Telluride so more to come after its release later this fall.

Stay tuned, lots of Oscar analysis to come!

39TH TFF: MY FIRST TFF EXPERIENCE

Roughly 360 days until August 29^th, 2013. Yes, the opening night of the scheduled five day 40^th annual Telluride Film Festival.  If my knowledge of next year’s start date isn’t suggestion enough, obviously I had a great time at this year’s, my first, Telluride Film Festival.

Struggling to roll out of bed just shy of 5am this past Saturday, I jumped in the car and headed down 70, six hours down the road was Telluride.  The drive went by extremely fast, my brain’s hardwired for a twelve hour Vegas trip any time I get onto 70 so six hours is cake, and we arrived in Ridgway State Park to set up camp.  My first target film was at 2:45pm so I had some time to kill.  A detour at Telluride Brewing Co. to sample some beers and get the inside scoop on the festival was in order. 

Enjoyed some brews and got the basic intel from a local then headed to Mountain Village and waited in line for the 2:45pm film I was anticipating.  I decided to fest passless to save cash and become familiar with the scene, confident I would still get into most of the films I was interested in.  “Sorry folks all filled up”, grabbed some coffee and watched the Buffs humiliate themselves, then back in line for a 6pm show, “only passholders for this one”, ok just unlucky.  Hopped on the free gondola ride from Mountain Village to Telluride for a 6:45pm viewing, “not looking good for ticket buyers”, I was distraught.

After being shut out on my fist three attempts at a screening, and after panic began to take hold, I made my way to the Palm Theatre (TFF’s largest venue, seating 650). Waiting in line yet again, this time for Marion Cotillard’s TFF tribute and her new film, ‘Rust and Bone’, I was worried I would fail to see a single film in the mountains over Labor Day weekend.  Then buzz spread that most if not all non-passholders had a decent shot of getting into the show.  Finally, ten minutes before the scheduled start, we filtered in; I made it to my first film of the weekend!

Following multiple discussions with fellow festers I learned that this was one of the larger TFF turnouts in recent years and it was tougher for lowly “ticket buyers” to salvage screenings.  The procedure dictates all passholders that arrive for a film at least ten minutes before the show are seated first then, if any seats remain, individual tickets are sold to those waiting in the ticket buyers line (otherwise known as those without passes). 

My first three film attempts: ‘Amour’ (winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or), ‘Argo’ (Affleck’s latest directorial effort and TFF’s most hyped film), and ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ (packing the star power of Billy Murray and Laura Linney), all were passholder heavy.  Apparently I didn’t know how to play the schedule.  This didn’t give me much hope for ‘Rust and Bone’, however from speaking with ticket buyer vets some of the passholders skip the longer tributes because they can catch two films in the same time frame.  This fact coupled with the large crowds still inside other theatres viewing ‘Argo’ and ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ created a window for the Cotillard picture.

Now understanding how to spin the schedule and venues in my favor, the rest of the festival was extremely exciting and relaxed.  After my first three shut outs I waited in line for five more films…I saw five more films, needless to say next year I will be prepared.

Maybe the most interesting aspect of the entire weekend, aside from the films themselves, was the people TFF brings.  I’ve been to the Denver Film Fest, small indie screenings, midnight showings of Harry Potter, small student film premieres, the famous Castro theatre in San Fran, yet I’ve never seen a crowd of people present simply for the love of cinema.  Sure the mountains are amazing and the celebrity appearances don’t hurt but these are people who simply want to see new, challenging, and emotive films, dissect and discuss them, and genuinely want to share their experiences and thoughts with other festival goers.  Leave your Hollywood smugness in Park City, your glitz, glam, and excess in Cannes, your media hyped Oscar barometer in Toronto, this festival is for the love of film, nothing more.

Throw in a hike, some great eats, microbrews, and some beautiful scenery and I couldn’t ask for a better Labor Day weekend.  I will shortly post an entry discussing the films I saw and any Oscar implications.  The list reads:

‘Argo’ (got into a repeat screening on Monday), ‘Rust and Bone’, ‘The Hunt’, ‘Ginger and Rosa’, and ‘Frances Ha’.

Let the Oscar season begin!

SUMMER MOVIE WRAP-UP

Labor Day weekend is upon us and that means two things; this underwhelming 2012 summer season is drawing to a close and, the exciting news, its Telluride time!

First to wrap up the summer. I only felt compelled to write one entry over the past few months, that of course was ‘The Dark Knight Rises’,  the rest of May, June, July, and August…crickets.  ‘Hunger Games’ in late March marked an early and promising beginning to the blockbuster season however, less Whedon’s ‘The Avengers’ and ‘TDKR’, I was left wondering where the excitement and spectacle went during the hottest summer on record.  Here’s the rundown, broken into three telling categories:

Films that were great or lived up to expectations: ‘The Avengers’, ‘TDKR’ (not for some but reference my entry for explanation), ‘Magic Mike’

3

Films that were either so-so or didn’t live up to expectations: ‘The Dictator’, ‘MIB III’, ‘Snow White and The Huntsman’, ‘Prometheus’, ‘Brave’ (although I thought it was better than many), ‘Madagascar 3’, ‘The Amazing Spiderman’, ‘Savages’, ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’, ‘Bourne Legacy’, ‘Expendables 2’, ‘Premium Rush’

12

Flops: ‘Dark Shadows’, ‘Battleship’, ‘Chernobyl Diaries’, ‘Rock of Ages’, ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’, ‘The Watch’, ‘Total Recall’

7

Notes: Now obviously there is room for debate on some of these, I personally would put ‘Brave’ in the lived up to expectations category however the general consensus was a good not great picture.  Additionally, overall the animated genre hasn’t thrown anything great out this year.  You’ll also note the omissions of any type of rom-com or indie film on this list; this was done on purpose because I don’t think those genres play a significant role in rating a summer season.

All that aside, the ratio is definitely negatively skewed, or at very least, middle heavy, in comparison to the last two or three summers this is a glaring variance.  I’m not going to go through film by film but I would venture to guess I’d have double the number of films that were great or lived up to expectations the last three years.  As I’ve stated in previous posts the summer season is rarely immersed with a bounty of Oscar hopefuls, what the summer season usually promises though is solid ten dollar entertainment, something we desperately needed in the triple digit heat but hardly received.

On a positive note, the summer did provide a number of indie hits that could come into play throughout awards season; ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’, ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, and ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ were all highlights.

Most importantly the Telluride Film Fest is finally here!  This will be my first time attending and I will be there Saturday-Monday.  Films that were announced today that I intend to see: ‘Amour’, ‘The Act of Killing’, ‘The Central Park Five’, ‘Ginger and Rosa’, ‘The Hunt’, ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’, ‘The Iceman’, and ‘Rust and Bone’.  It is also rumored ‘Argo’ might screen in the mountains, plus Marion Cotillard will be honored and be in attendance, here’s hoping for a chance meeting.  I will post an entry when I return to summarize the experience, then Oscar season will officially begin!

TFF website: http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

The most anticipated film of the summer and maybe the year hit theatres in tragic fashion.  The egregious act of a lone gunman in Aurora, CO on the night of July 20^th was nothing short of horrific.  I saw ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ the following afternoon and must say there was an ominous feeling in the theatre, a palpable nervous tension.  Once the film began the excitement took over and the audience’s attention was on the screen.  Above all else my thoughts go out to all of the victims, their families, and their friends.

‘Rises’ suffers from a fate all too familiar with sequels; its predecessor set the bar so high.  I saw the film a second time this weekend and can safely say after the letdown (which is really too strong a word) of the first screening I was able to focus on ‘Rises’ as an independent entry.  Less Ledger’s Joker and a tighter story arc ‘Rises’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ really are in the same class.  ‘Rises’ also introduces some elements absent from the first two films in the series, an amazing female performance (Anne Hathaway as Selina Kile) and a true “epic” feel.  I think once viewers and hopefully the Academy can look at ‘Rises’ on its own without the ‘Dark Knight’ comparisons or view all three films as a collective whole, the appreciation for what Nolan has created will begin to surface.

On to the Oscar chances; much like ‘Hunger Games’, which I outlined earlier this year, and recent critical and commercial blockbuster successes, ‘Rises’ might have trouble succeeding when it comes time to give away the hardware.  ‘Rises’ benefits from the fact it and ‘The Avengers’ are the only two blockbusters capable to make a lot of noise on the awards circuit this year.  Also, in historical terms, this has been an extremely weak year for film; if the year ended tomorrow I have no idea who I could even deem worthy of winning a lead acting award.  However, considering the buzz surrounding the upcoming fall season, that could change very quickly.  The “x factor” so to speak is going to be whether or not the Academy wants to recognize the trilogy as a whole, much as they did with the ‘LOTR: Return of the King’.  In 2004 ‘King’ won 11 Oscars while the first two films combined for merely 6 statues.

‘Rises’ will be in the running for all the technical categories (effects, sound, ect.) but could surprise in a few spots if things go in its favor.  I think Hathaway is strong dark horse candidate for a supporting actress nom and again considering the weak acting field so far this year it just might happen, it really comes down to if the fall season is as loaded as some critics and Oscar pundits are lauding.  I think Nolan was robbed in ’09 when he wasn’t nominated for Directing and ‘The Dark Knight’ was snubbed in the Best Picture category as well.  I expect ‘Rises’ to score noms in one if not both of those categories this year as a consolation prize for Nolan’s previous lack of recognition.  I really hope we see something similar to 2004 for ‘Rises’, double digit wins will be highly unlikely but if it can pull out double digit noms and maybe 5 wins I think it would be warranted.

Only a few more weeks until the summer season is officially over, and once it is, I will return to outline the chances of any films to grab noms from what once again has been an underwhelming last couple of months.  Then it’s road trip time; going to Telluride Labor Day weekend to get my first taste of world class film fest action. 

NOTE:  You have to admire the class shown by Christian Bale going to visit the victims just days after shooting, he wasn’t representing the studio, he went on his own accord, a heartfelt gesture amid all the agony.

Oscar Chances:

Best Picture: Highly Likely

Best Director: Possible

Best Supporting Actress (Hathaway): Possible

Best Score: Possible

Technical Categories: Lock

THE HUNGER GAMES

Less than two months removed from the 2012 Oscar telecast and there is already buzz about a new film’s 2013 chances.  The Hunger Games.  I was hoping I would get more of a break before dissecting a film’s chances in the upcoming season but due to the box office stature of the most discussed blockbuster in March release history I found it prudent.

As has been the case with all of the critically acclaimed summer releases within the past half decade, The Hunger Games has already garnered support from the masses as an Oscar relevant picture.  Hunger Games however has more working against it than even some of the films higher on the Rotten Tomato scale throughout the past few years (The Dark Knight, Harry Potter, and Toy Story 3, ECT.).  But first the similarities:

1.      Acting ensemble piece – yes Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss is the star but when a film of this magnitude has so many supporting pieces and ones that give great performances, the leads don’t stand out as much in The Academy’s eyes.

2.       Huge box office performance – in earlier years this was a sign of future success at the Oscar ceremony, as recent as the late 90s and early 2000s (Titanic, Gladiator, Lord of the Rings trilogy) however in the past 7 years not one film that has finished near the top of the annual box has had wide praise from the Academy.

3.      Pop culture source material – from largely popular book series to the revival of classic comics, adaptation from the pop-strata has spelled large box office but limited Oscar success in recent years.

In addition to all The Hunger Games has in common with recent blockbusters it also has some extra aspects that work against it:

1.      A very early release – summer releases have a hard enough time staying relevant long enough to be in the discussion come December/January now Hunger Games has to remain at the front of the Academy’s mind for over 10 months.

2.      Less critical success than other blockbusters – Most of the films I’ve noted above have been well into the mid 90s% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Hunger Games has settled into the 83-84% range.

The Hunger Games does have the luxury of having a slightly more appealing lead performance than some of these other films and also is competing in a year with less firepower in terms of summer releases (The Dark Knight Rises is the only other blockbuster on the docket right now with Oscar hopes).  As always it will come down to two important variables for The Hunger Games: if it can carry any momentum up until nomination time and the competition.  If it is a substantially weaker year in the Best Actress category we could see Lawrence nab her second Oscar nom.

I did enjoy the film more than I had intended and would always like to see blockbusters get the credit they deserve as I believe they have been undervalued of late.  Happy Hunger Games everybody, and happy Oscar season!

Oscar Chances:

Best Picture: Long Shot

Best Actress (Lawrence): Long Shot

Technical categories, specifically costume design: Possible