The 2017 Films of Timothee Chalamet

This is a first in a series, acknowledging new acting talent, during this year's Oscar 2017-18 season.

This young actor initially caught my attention, while seeing Hostiles on Value Tuesday at one of my favorite theatre locations. With a recent conversion from decades long fabric seats, into black leather seats, the auditorium was at 70% capacity. Word is getting out into the community about the conversion, which is great for the Theatre Operator. This is also one of my normal Audit accounts, so I always look forward to relaxing and sinking deep into their leather seats, whenever I'm a customer.

This is also another first, since I'm using my Mobile phone's "Memo" program, to compose my Hub content (offline), since my laptop didn't survive the Microsoft invasion from last month. I am still in the process of acquiring my Apple system, which my other half has assured me: "it'll be the bomb."

As I'm composing this Hub, Timothee is on his way to this year's Austin Film Festival. According to a friend, who attends this yearly event, (as I'm on-island and couldn't fly out), this is the event where some of the filmmaking community meet, to discuss serious filmmaking topics. Sort of like Cannes and Sundance used to be, in their earlier days. And, what the Park City Utah festival is like.

This venue also serves as a financing platform, if you are in need of financiers for your film endorsement or your pitch.

One of 2017 Austin Film Festival's discussions revolved around Hell or High Water, which was released theatrically in August and September 2016. Principal photography was shot in June 2015, in Tucumcari and Clovis, New Mexico

I wouldn't be surprised if this year's discussion is about two "controversial" films, namely:

1. Wind River - see my other Hubbed page for a literary analysis.

2. Call Me by Your Name - contained within this Hub.

According to various Industry reports, both Armie and Timothee are expected to be in attendance. I hope Armie is feeling better, as the Cold and Flu season affects everyone.

Having seen this talented actor in 2018's Hostiles, starring Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Stephen Lang and Ben Foster, his on-screen presence is great, as his youthfulness was captured, in an army band of older men.

My initial reaction was "Wow, he's pretty good looking," and was speaking French. In the film, the other officers call him either "Private" or "Frenchie." Timothee, being half French, really showed his fluency in the role of Private Philippe DeJardin.

I thought he was most cute, and convincing in the short-lived character role as the young French soldier, whom no one in the unit knows why he was assigned in the first place, as he doesn't know how to shoot. But, he can bake biscuits and tend to the unit's food needs. He also takes direction well from the other Commanding officers.

Historically, the French Canadian influence from Canada, north of Montana, would lend credence to the historical timeline, as directed by Scott Cooper. French Canadian fur traders are shown in this film as the Bad ones, taking advantage of the Native American Chief's daughter, inside of their tent.

In current Montanan history, there are French Canadian-Native American peoples, residing on the Northern Montana or North Central Montana border, sharing the one mile stretch of land with Canada. The one mile stretch of land is considered "No man's land," as neither country has claim to it. During Prohibition, this area provided a safe haven for people traveling, as neither country owned the people nor the land.

If you travel along U.S. Highway 2, it will give you the "Great American Road Trip."

Timothee was most striking on-screen, and I thought it was due to his character being the youngest member in the Calvary. But, no, it was seeing his face on-screen, sitting in second row Center, in my reclined seat.

Which, a few weeks later, when I was getting caught up with the Oscar-nominated films, I ended up in my usual "Cram" session, seeing three films per day. And, that continues for a week straight.

Not having the time to digest another novel (although after seeing the film, I may very well plunk down my money at the local Barnes and Noble), this film has been on my "To Watch" list since I first read the online Imdb review.

I am different than other film journalists, in that I try to perform accurate film research, and being a Field Producer, I see films from a different perspective. Filmmaking is a lot of work, for those people in the readership, who thought being in Hollywood was a cakewalk. It involves work, and is a 7-day-a-week job, depending on what role you are fulfilling in the business.

My next on-screen exposure was seeing Timothee in Call Me by Your Name, where I thought him to be playing a Supporting Actor role. As film stories play out, he's playing the main character, as his Academy Award nomination speaks for itself.

Concurrently reading the novel, while composing this Hub (yes, I plunked down my money at BN), the novel is told from Elio's first person POV, in the "I" sense.

Timothee plays the piano in two scenes, so this was a good musical talent on display. I learned how to play the piano via an Online class, strange as that line may sound.

This film showcased not only his acting talent, but also Armie Hammer's acting abilities. For two heterosexual males, playing two Bi-sexual men on-camera, is a testament to their acting abilities. And, it's not only the Peach scene! (that everyone's talking about)

For those "Star Gossip" types in the audience, Armie's married with two children and a wife, while Timothee is currently single, but has dated women in the past (www.whosdatedwho.com).

Shot on location in a small town in Northern Italy, it was scenic. Having never visited this city, it was nice to see it captured on film. Thank you to the Producers for presenting this story and its gorgeous scenery onto the Big Screen.

Having briefly skimmed over other Social journalists' handling of this film and its principle actors, I actually forgot about the not-so-positive public relations the film generated, pre-theatrically.

• I also recall that it was originally slated to be released in Summer 2017, but was delayed. With films being moved around in the Distribution channel, I thought it may have been shelved, which would have been a shame to see for any project, film or otherwise. Then, I saw it on the "Art House" theatre listing.
• As I was entering the Holiday 2017 movie season, I missed its 2-week theatrical run at the "Art House" theatre. Trust me, when a Star Wars film is being released, I sometimes don't surface for a week (post-film).

With so many films having been released in Holiday season 2017, I lost the opportunity to see Call Me by Your Name, during its mid-Decemer 2017 theatrical run. And, to my critics in the audience (because you know you're out there), I was working *every* film request for the month of December at the Dole Cannery.

Even on Christmas Day, which, I discovered is one of the busiest days of the year for Theatres. According to Manager Julia English, "it's because all the malls are closed, and people still want to get out, after opening their Christmas presents." (Freeman, All the Money in the World Trailer check, 12-25-2017)

Luckily, both theatre franchise-operated chains have been bringing back the "Oscar nominated films for 2017," for the month of February 2018, as this is the last week to see them, before Oscar night.

If you are Under 13 years of age, and your parents are monitoring your Internet usage and Visited sites, this is your chance to click away. Because this is where the mature portion begins. Leaving PG-13 and moving into R-rated territory here.

Okay, so if you are a minor, and still reading this, it's like Contraband. I wish these Internet options were available, when I was growing up.

But, that was another story in another time.

Dissolve to black. Fade up into the light.

Call Me by Your Name seemed a funny title for a movie, but this is explained in one of the Mature scenes towards the film's climax, where Oliver and Elio have mutually decided to deepen their Bisexual relationship. I thought their love making scenes were tastefully done, if compared to Fifty Shades Freed' s BDSM scenes. Oliver and Elio's love scenes were intimated, except for four monumental visual scenes.

The first scene is a lead-in to the other scenes. In the first scene, Elio has moved into the adjoining bedroom, sharing the Bathroom with Oliver, who is occupying Elio's regular bedroom. Fighting his attraction to Elio, Oliver seems to be intense (as only an older, sexy man can do), but doesn't encourage Elio, as Elio's only 17 years of age in the film.

As far as screen adaptation, this follows the novelization.

What begins as a normal bike ride between two males, ends up being Elio's self-confessional about his attraction to Oliver.

Nice use of camera veritae, as seen through Elio's POV, where he doesn't know whether Oliver will still be there, once the camera completes its circuit around the center statue in town.

Amidst some of the older aunties' verbal comments: "What does this have to do with the story?", when their bike ride ends at Elio's favorite slot, at the River. Once the male kissing got started, these Aunties got really quiet, really quickly.

Which proves my theory that some of the older women are going to theatre (Ladies Night or "in the Matinee"), to see Male flesh. Or, in the case of National Theatre Live's presentation of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Jack O'Connell's 100% naked portrayal of Brick in Tennessee William's play, seemed to have satisfied the heterosexual females in the audience. I was not aware of any males in this audience, as Jack's nudity is a surprise in the 2017-2018 live theatre production.

And, here, you were thinking that seeing the IMAX version of Fifty Shades Freed, where Jamie Dornan was 100% naked, along with Dakota Johnson, in "The Trying to Makeup Shower Sex" scene, was a nice turn of events; that was tame by comparison to Jack as Brick.

Which "Brick" was tame, by comparison to Armie and Timothee's performances!

Not having finished reading the novel by Andre Aciman, and purely on an "Oscar Film Cram" session, the much talked about Peach Scene was filmed tastefully. I'm reminded of how Fifty Shades of Grey was filmed, by a female director, as the last two Fifty's were directed by a male, so a different look and feel.

Interestingly enough, the meaning behind a Double Pitted Peach works on so many metaphorical levels.

• From my personal working experiences at Herman Produce in Colorado, the orchard farmers said that having a large peach (commonly referred as "One Pounders"), means that the soil is fertile. When cutting or splitting a peach in half, if one finds a Double pit, this is considered a Rare Occurrence.

• When Elio's digging and throwing out the double pits from his Peach, this means that his relationship with Oliver is one-of-a-kind. The camera work is again done nicely, without turning his "Solo" scene into something that could have been not-so-nice (or lewd) on-camera.

Oliver shows how much more intimately he wants to be, but Elio doesn't want Oliver to touch or lick his Solo' d peach. ("You're moving into the Plant Kingdom? What about the Animal Kingdom? I'm right here.")

In a "Let's go to our appropriate bedroom" gesture, Oliver's commanding Elio, to drop his pants, and then the camera staying at waist-level, while Oliver heads downwards, and the use of Wet noises, the MovieViewer knows what's happening, without having to see the "Oral Satisfaction" visual.

At this point in the film, I could almost hear the Aunties' intake breaths, clear up into the rafters. Remember, I usually sit in second row Center.

Cinematically, this type of tasteful photography is used in other genres, besides, what would be considered a European style of filmmaking for, Call Me by Your Name. I saw a very nice film this week called Sin Island, produced by Star Cinema from the Philippines, and directed by a female. Please see my other Hub for film coverage of this title, as I would like to showcase some other Filipino actors and actresses.

Ultimately, Oliver is shown 100% nude, shot again tastefully from a rear right-handed view, much like the Greek God statues that Oliver and Elio's father have been studying in the 6-week period.

A lot of the Aunties were let out contented sighs at seeing Armie on-screen, and yes, he's listed as 6'5".

This film worked for me on multi-levels: cultural, age, gender and relationship

So far, out of all the Oscar nominated films, I like this one the best. And, I saw every one on the Nominee list.

Interestingly enough, there is a planned Sequel to Call Me by Your Name. Announced as being "In development" on November 1, 2017, this has served multiple reasons for presenting the films of Timothee Chalamet.

You'll definitely be seeing Timothee and Armie again in the sequel.

As my time is limited, and as Instructor Kip Konwiser echoes the same sentiment: "You're only on this Earth for a Limited time, so you need to choose which projects you're planning to be involved with."

It is very rare that I purchase a novel, in light of a Post Film experience, but this film was really good. Without having finished the novel, having seen Film#1, and now with the announced sequel, I *really* need to know how the story plays out. Don't want to be missing any storybeats.

Other Film questions (for the Film students in the audience) include:

1. What is the screen adaptation for Film #1, from the original novel?

2. Will Film #2 be adapted from the novel, or incorporate new material?

3. With the first film being nominated for 4 Academy Awards, how will this affect the second film?

Story-wise, Film #1 ends with Marzia saying that she will always love Elio, and then thanking him for the gifted book, as she leaves with tears in her eyes. It is intimated that they will probably see one another next summer. So, not a Farewell.

Since seeing the film, I always wondered why Film #1 had the Epilogue scene, where Elio receives Oliver's long-distance phone call (ending their relationship), as Oliver's gotten engaged with a woman "who's been off and on for 3 years now."

• From the end of summer, and the phone call's untimely delivery during Hannukkah, this is the second time that Elio has to deal with a Farewell from Oliver.
• The first recovery time was Oliver's departure at the train platform at summer's end, that Elio literally threw up, after being wrecked by the train ride.

This was a definite Farewell, as Elio's tears fall, while the Ending Credits roll by on the Left side of the screen. Cinematically, it was a neat way to end the 130-minute film.

If I hadn't performed some Post Film research, I would have assumed, like most of MovieViewers, that this was the end of the story. But, this is not the case, as far as the novel goes.

(okay, I peeked at the latter chapters, so I believe this would be truly a Self-Spoiler)

If Film #2 follows the original novel, then Oliver and Elio's friendship continues for 15 years, after their initial summer together. Elio was 17 when they first met, and Oliver a mere 7 years his senior.

When they meet again, over the course of their lives, Oliver is 39, married, with a family.

Weirdly enough, Film #1's undertones suggested that Elio has a hand in the selection process, as he didn' t seem too surprised at anything happening with the "American's arrival."

Partly curious, while peeking ahead in the novel, Elio did have a final say in Oliver's selection, as he was already partially attracted to the Application photo, while screening applications, during their Winter time.

Where Film #1 begins, would be considered "The scene before the Movie begins," as opposed to what film school teaches you as: "The scene before the scene."

This movie is available on regular DVD-Digital Access code, as well as BluRay-Digital Access code. I was fortunate enough to have placed a "Special order" for my copy, as the USA on-sale date is Tuesday, March 13, 2018. A big Mahalo to my Ala Moana BN Media seller for placing my order, pre-sale date and all.

With my previous working experience as one of the Borders Merchandising Supervisors, the Tuesday media sale date is strictly enforced. Weirdly enough, back in 2003, the CDs and DVDs were kept "locked in the Media cage," while the Books were left in the open bays. Hmm, maybe that was a sign of the times message, that Digital Media was already onto its next phase, valued at a higher dollar (replacement value), and people were starting to read less books.

My third on-screen exposure to Timothee was in Lady Bird. Even though this film received a less-than-stellar response with various audiences, I perked up during the Opening Credits, when I saw his name listed. I was wondering what his role was to be, in the upcoming 93-minute feature.

In case you were wondering, I did *not* perform any preFilm research, prior to seeing any of Timothee's films. I didn't have time to look anything up, with trying to fit in all of the "Best Picture Film Festival," (BPFF) screenings, before this year's Oscars ceremony.

That's what Opening Credits are for, I suppose. You know, to see if you are paying attention, from film to film, cross-genre.

I thought Timothee stayed in character, as Kyle, playing in his Rock and Roll band, but not a Drinker, just a Smoker. Hanging with the Rich Kids crowd, he's only going to an All Boys Catholic school, in order to "satisfy my dad's wishes."

If the Teen and Young Adult crowd needs a new actor, here is an actor who has a great on-screen look.

In Hostiles, the camera angle made his face seem more angular, but the mesmerizing look is still there. In Lady Bird, his freckles are not completely covered.

His musical talents are seen in Call Me by Your Name, when he plays a few piano chords from different classical music pieces, for Oliver, and again, for family members and party guests.

He continues in a similar role in Lady Bird, sitting on the sidelines, scribbling musical notes, while looking like the modern Teen/YA' s version of James Dean. The Rock and Roll band scene was brief, so the MovieViewer didn't really have a chance to see Timothee sing or play the guitar.

Here is a listing, as of this Hubbed writing.

1. Beautiful Boy - currently in Post, with a release date of 10-12-2018. Drama.

2. A Rainy Day in New York - currently in Post, with a release date in 2018. Comedy. Directed by Woody Allen, and sponsored by Amazon Studios, this looks to be a good film.

3. The King - currently in PreProd. Release date in 2019. Timothee will be in the role of Henry V, along with Robert Pattinson. Written and directed by Joel Edgerton, this film looks to be interesting as well, as Robert's last film performance was as Connie in Good Time.

Wearing multiple hats, I actually ran out of time, with seeing three back-to-back films per day, for a week straight. Post film lookups is usually performed on TheBus ride home.

As my film friends are aware, I will send a picture of the latest movie poster (aka "The latest coolest Translite"), which goes to justifying my social existence.

In the words of Peter Parker and Ryan from Jigsaw, there's nothing creepy here.

I don't know how or when this started, as it's been least anticipated by myself. Apparently, there is an Underground film following I have at the local movie Theatres on Oahu!

My local Fandom following consists of film fans, who "love the movies." Having checked the movies every week for a year now on Oahu, I believe this began the cycle for my alter-ego identity as "The Girl who Checks the Movies." Coming soon to a theatre near you.

Trying to garner support for the local Film industry, I have another website on Wix.com, listing my in-person appearances on the "Events" page. So, just search for my handle on Wix.

Please continue reading my Hub, as there's always new topics that I seem to be writing about! Still composing them on my Mobile phone, using Google Drive tonight, to transfer TXT files and the numerous JPG movie posters. What did we ever do before Free Cloud storage?

Thank you for your continued reading, and be sure to drop me a line, letting me know if you enjoy this type of film coverage. In the GR808 state, Pam