Film, Blues & Brews, Telluride Makes Saying Goodbye to Summer Easy

Telluride Blues & Brews: A Great Way to End Summer

Within the span of the last week, you can really feel that summer is winding down here in Telluride. The aspens are beginning to change and within two weeks, we should be nearing peak leaf-peeping season. With the arrival of this golden autumnal season comes the promise that ski season isn’t far off, two not-so negligible happenings that make summer’s end much easier to accept in this part of the country.

In T-ride, as in many mountain towns in Colorado, the end of summer marks the close of a terrific festival season. This weekend, September 14, 15 & 16, you can enjoy one of the best festivals of the West at Telluride Blues & Brews Festival in beautiful Telluride Town Park, one of the world’s most spectacular settings. Tickets have been selling super fast this year due to an exceptionally stellar lineup. The good news is that there are still day passes available for Friday and Sunday. Plus, at this writing, some seats remain at the glorious Sheridan Opera House for Bal de Maison, the Cajun house party that kicks off Blues & Brews festivities this Thursday night. For more on my take of this year’s festival closer in T-ride, read Telluride Blues & Brews Promises More Fun Than Ever This Year. Let’s just call it the last big party of the summer and even better, the forecast is gorgeous for this weekend. 

TFF: A Telluride Tradition

Telluride Film Festival officially ended a week ago Monday with post-festival screenings wrapping up last Thursday. I wasn’t able to see as much as I would have liked, since I was still putting the finishing touches on my book, “A Tour of the Heart:  A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France,” however, I did get in on some of the festival fun. I saw Dennis Quaid (and young heartthrob, Zac Ephron) in “At Any Price,” a film set in America’s heartland. Although it was well done and I am interested in where our food comes from, it wasn’t my kind of film.

I’m a hopeless romantic, sometimes locked in eighteenth-century Europe, so you can imagine my delight over “A Royal Affair,” a Danish film starring Mads Mikkelsen (“Casino Royale,” “Flame” and “Citron”). Based on a true story that marks a scandalous time in Denmark’s history, this romantic tragedy captivated me for all of its 137 minutes. Do see it when it comes to an art house near you.

Dennis Quaid Hanging Out in Telluride

Telluride Film Festival is known for presenting gems of all lengths and varieties, many that you’re only likely to view at this nearly forty-year old gathering of film aficionados from all over the world. Father/daughter relationships interest me immensely, so I was delighted to see “Me and Me Dad,” a deeply moving documentary about renowned film director, John Boorman, made by his daughter, Katriné. Truly, a lovely work.

Next year will be the fortieth anniversary of this great festival and it sounds like the organizers will be putting on a four-day extravaganza in celebration of four decades of fantastic movie-going over Labor Day weekend in Telluride. In the interim, you can enjoy many of the great films that premiered at Telluride this year in theaters across the globe. Read this NYTimes piece to find out about those that created an especially good buzz.

Ben Affleck Talking About Argo, His New Film Shown at TFF as a Sneak Peek

As usual, it looks like we’re going out with a bang here in Telluride, at least festival-wise. Oh wait, there’s one more festival, the Telluride Horror Show in October. No wonder this town is considered the “festival capital of the world” by many.

I feel so lucky to live here even if I don’t have the time to take them all in 100%. Oh, in case you’re wondering about “A Tour of the Heart,” I’ll be receiving my first copies this Friday and they’ll be available to you next week. Stay tuned.

Listen to Some Great Blues and More

Thanks to KOTO here in Telluride, Blues & Brews Festival organizers and various artists, you can enjoy much of the music and hear interviews with the performers live from the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival.

Thank you to Telluride Blues & Brews and Lisa Webster Wilson, from Telluride Daily Photo, for the above images.