The 46th annual Telluride Film Festival wrapped this Monday and for the first time in recent memory, a pair of stars prompted the typically celebrity-averse attendees to throw convention out the window. The quiet rustic town, nestled high up in the Colorado mountains, is so small that hiding behind a velvet rope is nearly impossible; since it’s one of the most in-demand stops on the fall awards circuit, A-listers typically walk the street with little fanfare. This year, however, first-time attendee Adam Sandler and Telluride alum Adam Driver were the toast of the town. Both were mobbed by uncharacteristically star-struck festivalgoers, and both just smiled through the attention.
Billy Madison and Kylo Ren may have caused a brief departure from the norm, but this year’s program remained unchanged in one way — audiences were treated to exceptional films from auteur filmmakers. Sandwiched between the Toronto International and Venice Film Festivals, the laid-back fest remains a coveted stop on the way to Oscar glory, with eight of the last 10 Best Picture winners screened in Telluride. From what we heard and saw on the ground there, coupled with our Venice Scorecard tracking reviews for films premiering at that festival, some of our Ridiculously Early Oscar Predictions are looking more likely, while other Oscar hopefuls left their chances high atop the mountains. With a shortened season, the frontrunners will have to come out of the gates strong if they plan to stay in contention, and we can already see early trends and storylines emerging. Here are our key takeaways from this year’s Telluride Film Festival as we head into Toronto.
(Photo by © A24)
Adam Sandler and Adam Driver took Telluride by storm. Sandler, who made the trek for the first time with the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems, was rewarded with the best reviews he’s earned since Punch Drunk Love. As we mentioned in our Telluride preview, Uncut Gems enjoyed a buzzy world premiere, with much interest in what Sandler and the Safdies could bring, following the directing duo’s breakout hit Good Time. The film stars Sandler as a fast-talking celebrity jeweler and places the audience in a state of constant tension for 135 minutes – a staple of the Safdies’ directing style. Sandler chatted, joked, and mingled with the festivalgoers as critics heralded his equally charismatic and frantic performance as the best work of his career. Uncut Gems is still Fresh at 100% on the Tomatometer, and many are signaling that the SNL alum could make his second visit to the Golden Globes (his first was for Punch) — and maybe further.
Though Sandler was clearly living his best life in Telluride, perhaps no one had a better weekend than Adam Driver. In addition to screening his two awards contenders, The Report and Marriage Story, the Star Wars star was also honored with a tribute handed to him by none other than Martin Scorsese. Scorsese, who directed Driver in Silence, proclaimed him to be the greatest actor of his generation, and the praise for Driver did not stop there. He garnered positive reviews for both of his films, though Netflix’s Marriage Story, from Noah Baumbach, is clearly the stronger play for him to earn a Best Actor Oscar nomination at this point. Following his first nomination last year for BlacKkKlansman, the marine-turned-thespian is launching right back into the season with the full weight of the Netflix awards team behind him. Given the fact that he will also be right in heart of the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker press tour during the height of the awards season, Adam Driver will be the name on everyone’s (and every voter’s) lips.
(Photo by Dominique Charriau/WireImage)
After their glamorous premieres on the French Riviera at the Cannes Film Festival, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite and Céline Sciamma‘s Portrait of a Lady on Fire continued to wow critics at Telluride.
Back at Cannes, Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times compared Parasite to Jordan Peele’s Us: “An escalating freak show of tension, surprise and class rage, Parasite would make a terrific double bill with Us, which it matches and perhaps even surpasses in impact.” Also in May, Stephanie Zacharek was equally favorable to Portrait of a lady on Fire, calling it “a great example of how a well-told story, with vivid characters, can seep right into your bones and keep you thinking for days afterward — and the pleasure felt while watching it isn’t negligible either.”
The overwhelmingly positive receptions out of Cannes came as no surprise to most, but the frenzied quests to see the films at Telluride were slightly unexpected. As word grew of the dual masterworks, screenings were reportedly turning people away. The last showing of Parasite turned away over 600, an astonishing number for the intimate festival. Bong, who many think will pull a Best Directing and possibly a Best Picture Oscar nomination for Parasite (a rare feat for an international film), appears to be very much undaunted by all the hype. When we chatted with him at Telluride, he was most interested in the other films on the slate, adding modestly, “I am just happy people like it.”
“Like” is a gross understatement for either film, both of which will have sizable awards campaigns, so don’t be surprised if they show up in the newly dubbed Best International Film category in 2020.
Ford vs. Ferrari is the quintessential Hollywood Oscar movie. A true-life period-piece? Check. An A-list cast of Oscar winners/nominees? Check. A prestige director? Check. Aimed at older Oscar voters? Checkmate! With Ford v. Ferrari, director James Mangold and stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale look to repeat the same formula that spelled success for Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper in 2014 with American Sniper. The story of how the Ford motor company’s Carroll Shelby (Damon) and Ken Miles (Bale) battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and each other to topple racing “Goliath” Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is very much on-brand for Oscar voters. It’s this year’s Moneyball with race cars, and Tomris Laffly of RogerEbert.com raved that it’s “a ’60s-set adrenaline rusher with top-shelf technical craftsmanship.” This one will look to pull accolades for those in front of and behind the camera.
(Photo by JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP/Getty Images)
Not to be outdone by Adams Driver and Sandler, Renée Zellweger also made a memorable trip to Telluride with Judy, whose positive reception confirmed our very own Bridget Jones has indeed returned. Zellweger is unrecognizable as the tragic starlet Judy Garland, and the performance (including the singing and dancing) is uncanny. As Gary Oldman did in Darkest Hour, Zellweger fades away, and you only see Judy, a part many are saying the Texas native was born to play. Erik Anderson of AwardsWatch said of Zellweger, “[She] knows a bit about being chewed up and spit out by the Hollywood machine and the gaggle of media that want to focus on every flaw, every alleged surgery or unsuccessful marriage. It’s part of what makes her the perfect choice to play Garland.” After a string of sometimes downright nasty media coverage over the last few years, we are thrilled that Zellweger has reemerged better than ever in this second act of her storied career with two very different projects. Earlier this year she played a Gordon Gecko-styled femme fatale in Netflix’s What/If, and this week at Telluride we saw her inspired take on one of the world’s most beloved singer-actresses. Perhaps there’s really no need to call it “comeback,” but we’re happy about it nevertheless.
(Photo by © Netflix)
Moments after Roma screened at Telluride in 2018, anyone who had the privilege to see it instantly understood why Netflix bristled at anyone discounting its cinematic brilliance. The hands-down favorite to win Best Picture on Oscar night, Alfonso Cuarón’s semi-autobiographical retelling of his adolescence ultimately lost to Green Book, and many saw the decision as a rejection of the streaming giant Netflix, as opposed to a victory for the Peter Farrelly dramedy. The same scenario is taking shape for several Netflix films in 2020, as Marriage Story, The Two Popes, The King, Dolemite is My Name, and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman are all poised to make deep runs this season. The question is, will it be enough for any of them to take home the top prize? The Academy rejected a rumored plan that would require a four-week streaming window for Oscar eligibility, but even campaigning from Martin Scorsese himself could persuade theater distributors AMC, Regal, and Cinemark to compromise and screen his film at their theaters. Regardless of where you land on the streaming debate, the final word may be given on Oscar night, and we can’t wait to watch.
(Photo by © A24)
Prior to festival season, most awards predictions are about as scientific as tossing darts at a list of names; few films in the conversation have even screened before Telluride or Venice. Post-Telluride, however, the landscape pulls into focus. There’s always that one film no one saw coming, like Moonlight, or a film that surpasses all expectations, like Lady Bird, and more often than not, these films premiere at the Colorado festival. (It’s worth noting Lady Bird and Moonlight shot into the awards conversation due in large part to their rapturous Telluride debuts.) This year’s “discovery” is undoubtedly Waves by Trey Edward Shults, the seemingly fearless filmmaker behind horror movie It Comes At Night whose unconventional stories are wholly unique. Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed Waves as “further evidence that Shults, at 30, is one of the most versatile and gifted young filmmakers working today.” Little was known about the plot or premise of Shults’ sophomore effort, but following the premiere (for all those who seek to watch it, we advise going in blind), there was no shortage of praise for stars Sterling K. Brown, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and newcomer Taylor Russell. Waves is a dark horse contender for end-of-year awards, but still very much in the race.
