The Good, The Bad & A Tiny Bit Ugly
7:30 AM: standing in line with 500 other jostling, sleepy film fans, hoping to get a seat at the 9:30 AM world premier screening of Midnight’s Children, an epic new film, while chewing on the remains of yesterday’s stale turkey on rye and gazing at 360º of magnificent, rugged mountains that surround Telluride. That was one of a thousand agony-ecstasy moments I experienced at the festival. The highs were pretty darn high–close to 14,000 feet and the lows were, well, like watching your friends walk into a warm theater with your room key in their pockets as the usher escorts you back into a pouring rainstorm to wait 3 hours to line up yet again.
It all sounded pretty good 6 months ago when we committed to the trip: rubbing elbows with the stars, (we did see Laura Linney, Marion Cotillard, Bill Murray, Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck and others); exclusive premiers of some of the greatest movies of the coming year, Argo, Hyde Park on the Hudson, The Sapphires and a documentary called The Stories We Tell; all in one of the most beautiful spots in the world (no dispute there); plus dining in some great restaurants like Cosmo and Fat Alley. Okay fine.
But we didn’t anticipate the lines, frantic pace, food deprivation, unpredictable weather and the cost. Lines were everywhere; every film, of course, but every restaurant, food cart, water jug, restroom, and popcorn stand? Come on! We had to rush out of some interesting artist Q & A sessions just to lineup for the next film. On the rare occasion when we had time for a sit down meal, we almost lost our appetite looking at the right side of the menu. Don’t even ask about the cost of that meal at Cosmo (resort pricing plus). But don’t worry, most meal times flew by while we were waiting in line. (How many Kind nutritional bars can a person eat in 4 days?). The extreme weather changes at 9,000 feet (3 minutes flat from sun to hail anyone?), which can make more than your tires spin. Oh and some of the films weren’t “world class” in my humble opinion. Take my word for it and skip Superstar if it comes to your neighborhood theater. (I’m pretty sure it won’t). Pass when someone suggests Rust & Bones and just say “NO” to the Chilean film NO! Don’t get me wrong, many of the films were artistic successes, several were truly great but when you’re double-timing around to 4 or 5 films in one day, you do get a little particular. Oh, and, did I mention the lines?
Okay, Okay, enough already! I know what you’re thinking; “Poor poor man; had to stand in few lines while gazing at lovely landscapes in one of the most beautiful spots on earth; forced to watch 15 movies in 3 days and some of them weren’t 5 star; my my, such a pity.” To be fair, I did see some fine films, beautiful vistas, enjoyed 3 good meals in Telluride and was even inspired to revise my recipe for Sweet Potato Fries after eating at Fat Alley. So, you’re right; it wasn’t that unbearable. Check out my Tamalemeter ratings on a few of the films and restaurants, and try the sweet potato fry recipe. Time for me to take a chill pill and count my blessings. I’ll see you next time.
Molly’s Dad TAMALEMETER for Telluride Film Festival
5 Tamales = Tamalicous!
1 Tamale = Pasa-dena (I’ll usually rate what I like best, so you wont see many 1 or 2 tamale ratings)
Midnights Children – 20th Century – 149 min.
Beautiful, sensual, epic, moves a little slowly
Stories We Tell – Canadian DocuDrama – 108 min.
Totally original, totally involving, totally cool
Francis Ha – IFC Films – 85 min.
Noah Baumbach at his quirky best
Flat Iron Restaurant
Order at counter, casual, good food and service, great sweet potato fries
Shanghai Palace Restaurant
Really good Chinese food, not much atmosphere, service is fine
Cosmo Restaurant
Excellent food and presentation, good service, resort pricing $$$