Telluride Films

In response to all you film buffs out there, I will give you Tanya's and my favorite films from Telluride. First a caveat: We do not see all the films. My film watching stops at 10:30 or so. Not even Tanya can DRAG me to a later film. I need a glass of wine and a cool down before bed each night.

So.... we loved:

Of Gods and Men. It's based on a true story about French monks living in a Muslim village in N. Africa. Tanya couldn't talk for a couple of hours afterward. It's a powerful and beautiful film. Some found it languorous, but we did not.

The King's Speech. This will definitely be released in theaters and will be a giant commercial success. We loved it too. It's about King George VI (husband of the Queen Mum) and his speech therapist. Who wouldn't love a film with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. We sat two rows away from them and it was all I could do not to leap into Geoffrey's lap!

Never Let Me Go. Tanya and I both read and loved the book by Kazuo Ishiguro (he was at Telluride to introduce the film). I don't want to give away the plot (try not to watch trailers if you plan to see the film) but let me just say it's a Margaret Atwood-ish type story. Carey Mulligan stars so it will certain be released in the theater.

Biutiful. This film stars Javier Bardem. Those who admire him will have a hard time staying away. It's a difficult film about a single dad scraping out a living in the Spanish underworld. The director also did 21 Grams and Babel, so you get the idea. Difficult indeed, but powerful.

We also liked "The First Movie" and "The First Grader." I doubt either will hit theaters, but if they do....

Other attendees liked Carlos and 127 Hours, although a few people fainted in 127 Hours during the scene where he cuts off his own arm. We did not see those films.

And finally, we hated, hated HATED "Tabloid." Tanya got into an argument about the movie with Nicholas Palevsky. I suppose that will make you want to see it, but it pains me to think you would spend money on the film (or put money in the filmmaker's pocket).

And as for creds, Holly, last year we saw and recommended An Education, The Last Station, The Prophet, Bright Star. The first year, my favorite was I've Loved You So Long, and we also liked Waltz With Bashir. That's all I can remember right now, without a crib sheet. (Dan, can you think of any others that I recommended to you?)

So if you guys see any of this year's films, please report back!