They Shoot Oscar Prognosticators, Don't They?
Telluride Film Festival: Day 1
By J. Don Birnam
September 5, 2017
The second half of the film also covers the Dunkirk evacuation, leading one to wonder if two films with similar themes could be headed for the Best Picture race. And of course, Wright has been here before, as he staged a Dunkirk-evaluation all those years ago in that Keira Knightley film. Also returning from that movie is the Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli, with another effusive, at times melodic, and at times outright startling score. Add costumes and period set decorations and this has all the makings of an Oscar contender, but I am skeptical of its ability to go all the way with its at-times slog of political banter and repetitive episodes. The film overall succeeds at its purpose: It explains who Churchill was and why his oratory was so effective. But it is ultimately Oldman that overwhelms everything else.
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Oldman), Best Supporting Actor (Ben Mendelsohn as King George VI), Best Supporting Actress (Kristen Scott Thomas as Clementine Churchill), Best Score, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costumes
“Lean on Pete”: Too Dark, Too Small
My third helping of the night, of the late night, was the latest film by Andrew Haigh, the thoughtful director behind indie dramas Weekend and 45 Years. In this film, we follow Charlie, a revelatory young actor named Charles Plummer, as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and self-preservation, and the bonds he forms with a horse race he encounters by chance one fine day. Charlie is down on his luck - his mother abandoned him at a young age, and his philandering father is not much of a presence. But he is a good kid and tries to work to make ends meet.
The movie is bleak - bleaker than Haigh’s prior work - even if expertly able to discern human emotion and the human condition. The film will likely play too small, however, to have any serious Oscar buzz.
Oscar potential: Best Screenplay
Still to Come
Other movies made their world premieres last night but alas, I am but one person, so I have not yet been able to see them. These include Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, a potential Oscar vehicle for the always-bridesmaid Annette Bening. The reaction on the street was decidedly mixed, so we will have to wait and see. Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig made her directorial debut with the family drama Lady Bird, and that one is unclear to generate any Oscar buzz.
And on Saturday, Angelina Jolie’s movie about the Khmer Rouge, First They Killed My Father, will debut, as will the Emma Stone/Steve Carrell tennis film, Battle of the Sexes. And The Shape of Water will also play to a North American audience for the first time.
More later.
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