Our Week In Telluride
Cineniche's editors were given the
opportunity this year to invade the Telluride Film Festival. It was
a week of celebrity sightings, immense beauty, intense hiking, and
film premieres.
We have close friends who have given up
on the modern hustle that city life can be. It has been to their
benefit, we have never seen the couple more at rest. They moved out to the tiny village nearly a year ago and now live in the serenity of
a mountain paradise.
Telluride, CO is a mountain town
nestled in the middle of nowhere. It sits at an elevation of 8,750
feet and boasts a population of around 2,500. Originally established
as a mining town, it has now become the alternative to Aspen. Seeing
a ski resort during the summer is odd because you see all the paths
that lay in wait of that first snow. Besides the great slopes,
Telluride is also a host to countless festivals. This brings us to
the film fest.
Each year as film festivals gear up for
their time to shine, they release program guides and issue press
releases that entice the film community to make the trek. Telluride
on the other hand, has a long running tradition of secrecy. We spent
nearly a month digging around for any news on what to expect, but found nothing. Not even a forum with inside info. You go in blind but
come out enlightened. The passes were sold out five months prior to
the event. We knew without these sacred passes we would be limited
in what we could see, but that didn't stop us.
The fest offers free films, films in
the park, open lectures, and conversations. This was our gold. The
first thing we witnessed was a discussion panel that included our
idol Werner Herzog. He was just as amazing in person. He was asked
if putting himself in life threatening situations made him feel more
alive, to which he replied, “I feel most alive when I'm eating a
good steak.” After this we popped on over to the courthouse where
Leonard Maltin was interviewing Bruce Dern about his role in
Nebraska. We ended the first day by seeing a free screening
of Jodorowsky's Dune.
JODOROWSKY'S DUNE
Early
reviews have promoted the film as a documentary about the greatest
film never made. This really sums it up. After El
Topo and
Holy Mountain,
Alexandro was given carte blanche on his next project. He chose the
drug-addled characters that populated Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic
Dune. He
came so close to making his concept a reality. He hired artists to
help shape his vision and created a comprehensive visual screenplay.
He avidly worked in pre-production and the finish line of production
was in sight. Unfortunately, it came down to a lack of a mere five
million dollars. All the other funds were raised, but no one would
back the little that was left. Mick Jagger, Orson Welles, Salvador
Dali, and Gloria Swanson were signed on. Pink Floyd was tapped to do
the soundtrack and H.R. Giger was designing the creatures. Even if
it all would have ended up as a mess of a film, it already had a
built in cult status.
The
influence of Jodorowsky's Dune reached far beyond its limited
confines. Without Jodorowsky spending all his time and money
attempting to create his masterpiece there would be no Alien
(1979). Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger met for the first time as hand
picked artists for Dune.
Frank
Pavich's documentary allows Jodorowsky to tell the story in his own
words and by doing so the film becomes an exploration of the
filmmaker's life and work. By diving into the director's greatest
failure you don't find a man mourning the way things could have been,
instead we see someone sharing the excitement of the creative
process.
MILIUS
The
next day we found a free showing of Milius,
another documentary about a filmmaker. John Milius was the
inspiration for Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) in The Big Lebowsky.
This gives you an overall image of the man. He was big, burly,
militaristic, loud and stubborn. We didn't know much about him prior
to the film, but walked out with a girth of knowledge. Milius is
good friends with Spielberg and Lucas – they were in the same film
classes. Once out of school John became the go-to writer. He mainly
did rewrites, but his words were believed to be gold. A key monologue
in Jaws
is the work of Milius. He was unaccredited for the best scenes in
Dirty Harry,
but co-wrote the sequel. He went on to write Apocalypse
Now,
Conan, and
Red Dawn
(he also directed the latter two).
Milius
was constantly criticized for his right wing beliefs, and this
documentary showcases everyone he's worked with. They all stand up
for him and his brilliance.
Later
that day we caught another discussion panel, this time for Steve
McQueen's 12 Years
A Slave.
Michael Fassbinder was intelligent and respectful of the subject
matter even when harassed by the Q&A. Someone asked why
Hollywood continues to make sub-par films? The resounding answer
from the panel was: because people go see them.
That
night we were treated to an outdoor projection of Death
Rides A Horse,
an under-seen spaghetti western from 1967 with The
Good, The Bad, And The Ugly's
Lee Van Cleef. Though the lawn was a bit muddy from the day's rain
and we were all uncomfortable and tired it was still great to see.
The following morning we skipped the festival to take in the scenery. We went hiking, and it
made us regret every cigarette that had ever polluted our lungs.
That day our friends found us free passes which were good for any
film at the fest. It was a difficult decision. Do we see Gravity,
Palo Alto,
or Inside Llewyn
Davis? Being
lifelong Coen brothers fans and seeing them outside a restaurant
while we were trying to decide helped seal the deal.
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
It
is with a heavy heart that we cannot give the Coen's latest effort
our ultimate praise. It may take another viewing to fully understand
our feelings toward the film. The cinematography is spot on,
everything feels like a drab version of the sixties. Oscar Issac's
performance is perfect, and John Goodman's ten minutes is
unforgettable. It is difficult to say what is missing.
We
would recommend the film to everyone, but provide a warning for your
expectations. Do not expect any of the quirkiness of Coen comedies
or character revelations that can occur in their dramas. Do not
expect to love the protagonist since he is also the antagonist;
Llewyn's choices and who he is as a person are the reasons he cannot
progress. The music is fantastic, and it shows the depth of Llewyn,
while his actions are in constant battle with the beauty he is able
to produce.
Leaving
the utopia of Telluride and our closest friends may have been the
most difficult thing we've ever had to do. Cineniche may have to
unshackle its Chicago chains and flee to the land that feels like a
permanent vacation.
We
would like to thank Megan and everyone over at The Steaming Bean for
providing all of our caffeine needs during our 5 day stay.
The
Steaming Bean
221
W Colorado Ave
Telluride,
Co 81435
(970)369-5575
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