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Under discussion:

Elmer Gantry  (1960)

Innocence Unprotected(Nevinost bez Zastite)  (1968)

Lola Montès  (1955)

On Dangerous Ground  (1951)

The Great Sacrifice (Opfergang)  (1944)

An Italian Straw Hat (Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie)  (1927)

The Emigrants  (1971)

A New Land (Nybyggarna)  (1972)

Nightmare Alley  (1947)

Seconds  (1966)

Pirosmani  (1969)

The Fall of Berlin (Padeniye Berlina)  (1950)

Philanthropy  (2002)

Zodiac  (2007)

Adam Resurrected  (2008)

Helen  (2009)

The Rest is Silence (Restul e Tacere)  (2007)

Happy-Go-Lucky  (2008)

I've Loved You So Long...  (2008)

Revanche  (2008)

Learning Gravity  (2007)

A Low-Level Flight (Nízký let)  (2006)

Flame & Citron  (2009)

Gomorrah  (2009)

Waltz With Bashir  (2008)

The Good, the Bad and the Weird  (2008)

O'Horten  (2007)

Tulpan  (2008)

You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story  (2008)

See You In Denver (Sejdeme se v Denveru)  (2007)

Daddy and Lili Marlene (Tatícek a Lili Marlén)  (2005)

With a Little Help From Myself (Aide-toi le ciel t'aidera)  (2007)

Kisses  (2008)

Everlasting Moments  (2008)

Firaaq  (2008)

American Violet  (2008)

Pirate for the Sea  (2008)

Private Century  (2008)

Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love  (2009)

The 2008 Telluride Film Festival list of movies was revealed this afternoon. Our team on the ground is going to be back with more commentary on the selections but it looks to be an exciting and eclectic festival this year as usual. You can also stay up to date here on SpoutBlog or join in the conversation that develops around these movies on our Telluride Film Festival Group page.

Under discussion:

Beautiful Losers  (2008)

Ben Affleck. Photo by Karina Longworth. The film related-events surrounding the 2008 Democratic Convention reached their zenith on Wednesday with a pair of sessions devoted to The People Speak, Project Greenlight/Good Will Hunting producer Chris Moore’s theatrical documentary inspired by the writings of Howard Zinn, which has its official premiere next week at the Toronto International Film Festival. The afternoon began with a panel on progressive media, featuring Moore, actor Josh Brolin (who commented extensively on his recent experience playing George W. Bush for filmmaker Oliver Stone), artist Shepherd Fairey (the man responsible for that screenprinted Barack Obama “Hope” poster, as well as a subject of the doc Beautiful Losers) and former Clinton operative Mike Lux. Then, after a brief intermission, Brolin and Moore were joined by a host of boldfaced names, including Ben Affleck, Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs and Kerry Washington, for a live presentation of the historical readings that make up the bulk of the film. Moore began both sessions by showing a trailer for his doc, which is essentially a concert film comprised of footage captured at events where Moore’s celebrity friends dramatically read the words of historical thinkers, .rebels and rabblerousers, from from Frederick Douglas to Emma Goldman to Muhammed Ali. The trailer features money shots from these readings cut up with illustrations and archival photos and footage (Fairey, who showed up in a Sex Pistols shirt, namedropped Heidegger and casually slipped a Public Image Limited lyric into the discourse, says he’s working on “graphic treatments, illustrations that will basically come to life in the film.”) Some of said money shots are, well, priceless. Marisa Tomei throws her voice up to My Cousin Vinny register to take on the role of Cindy Sheehan; Hill Harper gives the poetry reading to treatment to the lyrics to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power”; John Legend is surprisingly credible as Muhammed Ali. It all has a variety show feel, and with Zinn seemingly functioning like as the elder-statesman master of ceremonies, it almost plays like a Prairie Home Companion for a new generation of old-school-style, aggro lefties. On the panel, Lux expressed concern that today’s Democrats are––at the risk of putting too fine a point on it––lacking in balls in comparison to previous generations of leftists. “Caution kills,” he warned. “Caution kills anything significant or historic.” An hour later, Moore took the stage to inform the crowd that the live performances were getting off to a late start because 6,000 Iraq veterans were outside protesting the war, causing a security lock-down around the perimeter of the Convention that even movie stars couldn’t get through. Though Moore apologized for the fact that some of the expected performers would be tardy or absent altogether (Affleck snuck in as Brolin was taking the stage for the first reading), of the protesters, Moore said, “I’m very happy for them.” Maybe fittingly considering the climate just outside the room, the most explosive performance of the afternoon involved an outpouring of anger over this war and the way it’s been fought. Kerry Washington’s rendition of the Cindy Sheehan speech read by Tomei in the film brought reluctant but undeniable tears to this dispassionate reporter’s eyes. The black, 30-something Washington absolutely disappeared into the character of Sheehan, the white, middle-aged, slightly batty mom who became an early icon of the modern day anti-war movement when her son’s death prompted her to camp out outside George W. Bush’s vacation ranch. If Washington’s performance yesterday is any indication of the sheer commitment of these actors to bringing the radical voices of the past and present to vibrant life, then The People Speak is going to be one hell of an experience.

Under discussion:

A Few Good Men  (1992)

The Kentucky Fried Movie  (1977)

The American President  (1995)

The West Wing [TV Series]  (1999)

The Onion Movie  (2005)

Charlie Wilson's War  (2007)

No Country for Old Men  (2007)

The Dark Knight  (2008)

So, Aaron Sorkin, writer of such films as A Few Good Men, The American President and Charlie Wilson’s War, and, of course, creator of TV’s The West Wing, is apparently now working on a movie about Facebook for Sony Pictures and producer Scott Rudin (No Country for Old Men). Yes, that’s right, a Facebook movie. News comes to us directly from the social networking site, as Sorkin himself announced the project by admitting that he has absolutely no clue what Facebook is. And I guess he’s looking for assistance or questions or something. Obviously he’s the perfect guy to be scripting a film about the founding of the site.

I’m drawing a blank right now as to whether or not any websites have officially spawned movies (does AOL count?), but I do recall an idea from 3 years ago to make an internet dating movie sponsored by Friendster, which was to be directed by Harold Ramis and star Topher Grace. I guess the fact that Friendster faded from popularity in favor of MySpace and then Facebook ruined those plans. But is it possible that this new project will fare any better? Social networking sites have a habit of falling out of fashion rather quickly. Oh well, if Facebook: The Movie doesn’t work out, Rudin and Sorkin are welcome to go with any of these other ideas:

10. Friendster - Just because the other Friendster project didn’t pan out doesn’t mean the site can’t still inspire another movie. This one would be all about how Friendster rose to the top quickly and lived the good life until attempts to get even higher went awry and its fans abandoned it. You know, the age old story of celebrity. Sorkin might be interested because of the way it could parallel his hit stage play (and upcoming film) The Farnsworth Invention.

9. MySpace - Not to be confused with the user-generated MySpace movie project, or the parody video titled Myspace The Movie, this would be more of a thriller involving sexual predators. Because even if this social networking site, which was once the cool alternative to Facebook when that site started sucking, is one day completely left behind, it will at least be remembered in internet history books as synonymous with pedophilia and child safety legislature.

8. Funny or Die - More than just inspired by the website, the movie would actually involve its founders, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, as well as the other hilarious celebrities that provide content to the site, such as Judd Apatow and James Franco. Hell, even Steve Guttenberg can make an appearance. It could either be a movie about the start of the site or a sketch compilation — as long as it’s more Kentucky Fried Movie than The Onion Movie.

7. MapQuest - It would take place around the turn of the century, when GPS wasn’t so common and people still depended on printed-out directions from the newly popular MapQuest. Chevy Chase and family get lost, though, when it turns out the directions aren’t actually that dependable. Either the details are confusing, or construction, street name change or new roads complicate matters.

6. Wikipedia - Take any event in history and make a movie based solely on its Wikipedia page. Even when the site was new and less dependable than it is now, such a film still wouldn’t have been as loose with facts as most “historical” films from Hollywood.

5. Flickr - An art film consisting of only still images, each randomly picked from the website. The filmmakers will arrange the pictures in an intended order, yet the finished product will feature no direct narrative, so the viewer is free to interpret the story as he or she wishes.

4. YouTube - I don’t care what the plot is or if it’s even shot amateur style. All I know is that it has to be distributed exclusively on YouTube and it must only be available as 10 separate clips, each no more than 10 minutes in length, and it can’t even be that easy to find when you search for it.

3. Napster - I thought there was supposed to be a movie about Napster founder Shawn Fanning, but I must have dreamed it, because I can’t find any sign of such a project ever pitched. But it would make a great film, anyway. Of course, it would only be appropriately watched after downloading it illegally.

2. Mr. Skin - This would be the most popular movie ever. And again it doesn’t matter what the plot is. Basically, the point would just be to get as many well-known actresses together in one movie and have them all bare some skin. They don’t all have to even get naked. One actress could just be topless, another may just flash one breast or just her butt. Nicole Kidman would be the star, though, and would just be completely naked throughout the entire film.

1. Spout - Obviously. Who wouldn’t want to see a movie starring Karina Longworth? I should let her comment with what it would entail, but I imagine it being directed by Joe Swanberg and mostly consisting of Karina watching Turner Classic Movies and providing commentary. I predict it’ll be #1 at the box office for 5 straight weeks, and it’ll out-gross The Dark Knight, too.