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Joey's Favorite Movie Critic

Hi, this is Patrick Kelly.  I just returned from the Telluride festival and had a blast.  Here is a lengthy article covering the nine films I was fortunate enough to get into.  The scenery and the mountain air really made for a pleasant trip.

The 35th Telluride Film Festival ran from August 29 to September 1, 2008.  Here are reviews of the films I saw there:

"American Violet" is based on a true story about zealous prosecution and the frustrating statistic that most criminal cases are solved through plea bargain.  The accused have the option of a long jail sentence if convicted or a much less severe punishment if they plead guilty.  Most of these cases are drug-related.  The story follows one woman who chooses to fight the system rather than become a felon.  The film boasts stellar performances from the cast and becomes a touching human interest story.  The title refers to how the woman waters her violets in certain scenes.  There is a custody dispute and what happens in the film seems rooted in real life.  (Three stars)

Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" is a jolly character study with a brilliant performance by Sally Hawkins as a North London schoolteacher.  Through the course of this lovely picture she takes dancing lessons with her roommate, befriends a homeless person, helps a troubled child, pursues a romance, and takes a driving course with a surly instructor who quips at her eccentric demeanor.  (Four stars)

"Waltz with Bashir" is a stylish tour-de-force with luscious animation that makes for a stirring allegory on the 1984 massacre at the Palestinian refugee camps during the invasion of Lebanon.  The film creates ravishing imagery such as wolves racing through the streets, battle scenes, conversations in a bar, and talking head interviews which all have a look reminiscent of Richard Linklater's "Waking Life" though with a technique different than rotoscope.  The cumulative effect of the picture is dazzling and sobering.  (Four stars)

"Adam Resurrected" is a stark Holocaust story about an entertainer who spends time in a psychiatric ward and remembers his rough past in a concentration camp, where his captors would make him behave like a dog.  Jeff Goldblum gives a great performance -- charismatic and enigmatic in equal measure -- as Adam the clown and entertainer of the title.  Paul Schrader's film juxtaposes flashbacks and quirky scenes in the ward with artistic finesse. (Three and a half stars)

"Zodiac: The Director's Cut" is a fascinating blend of police procedural and newspaper journalism.  The film recreates the case of the Zodiac killer who terrorized California in the late '60s / early '70s and taunted the police.  The film employs atmospheric visuals that are definitely up to par with director David Fincher's previous work.  The film is infused with terrific performances, wise choices of music, and palpable suspense.  (Four stars)

"Hunger" follows the details of a hunger strike at Her Majesty's Maze prison and the toll the conditions and the strike took on certain inmates.  The first third of the film is excruciatingly intense.  The centerpiece consists of a 17-minute unbroken shot revolving around a conversation between the main character and a priest who discusses the inmate's options.  The final act of the film is bleak as well and finds poetry in matters of life and death.  (Three stars)

"The Good, the Bad and the Weird" is a lavish homage to Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns.  It is a swashbuckling adventure through the Orient following three characters hot on the trail of hidden treasure.  The cinematography is composed of rich blues, yellows, reds, and greens.  There is much fun to be had at this film.  (Three and a half stars)

"The Emigrants" and "The New Land" is an absorbing and haunting two-part masterpiece about Swedish peasant farmers who move to America to get away from the sharecropping system in their homeland that prevents them from making financial gain.  "The Emigrants" outlines their troubles at home and follows their story as the immigrants board a ship to America.  Some of the immigrants grow ill on the boat and one can deeply feel their predicament as they make their difficult journey and learn a new language.

"The New Land" depicts how the farmers get accustomed to their new life.  There are some artful montages and one really wants to see how this story turns out.  The characters Karl and Kristina Nilsson (Max Von Sydow and Liv Ullman) and their friends are quite memorable.  The late Gene Siskel picked these two films as the best of the year and "The Emigrants" was nominated for best actress (Ullman) and best picture, losing only to "The Godfather".  And I learned from the Telluride program that Pauline Kael said she "never felt more at home with film characters...I repeatedly wept and rejoiced."  (Four stars)

Stay tuned for more reviews to come. PK