'Slumdog,' 'Curious' push Telluride's buttons

Summer's officially over in other parts of the country, but not in L.A., where our version of the groundhog (that would be a wildly chattering but hopefully not rabid raccoon in the backyard) says there's at least six more weeks of relentless sun and above 85-degree temps. Citified woodland critter would like extra water. Now!

As evidence that other places are getting down to near-end-of-year business, festival season has now lauched in earnest, with "Slumdog Millionaire" seeming to take the biggest bite out of tiny Telluride. Is it this year's "Little Miss Juno Sunshine?" Telluride has had a knack in the past of screening all or parts of Oscar bait like "Brokeback Mountain" and "There Will Be Blood" and prize-winner-audience-pleasers like "Juno" and "Walk the Line."

Looking forward to "Slumdog" -- it has a Nov. 28 release date in the U.S. -- because we love us some Bollywood flavor and some Danny Boyle ("28 Days Later," "Millions," "Trainspotting"). And the boxoffice sure could use a bump from a feel-good indie movie whose success would be all the sweeter because it nearly was lost in the aftermath of Warner Independent Pictures' untimely demise.

Also at Telluride, some disembodied clips from "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" made an appearance at an event where director David Fincher accepted a career tribute award. The movie's already featured prominently on a lot of early Oscar predictions lists, though it's unclear if the weekend's preview solidified that position or began to erode it. Buzz for star Brad Pitt continues to get louder, though. Anne Thompson wonders if "Button" will be this year's "Memoirs of a Geisha" in part because the fanboys didn't so much care for what they saw.

Here's something curious for you. Fincher, a festival vet and Cannes Golden Palm winner for last year's "Zodiac," said this about showing 20 minutes of "Button" at Telluride:

"It's not about selling the movie -- it's a treat, an appetizer. It's not a positioning statement, it's not marketing."

Really? He is an auteur and all -- no bigger fans of "Fight Club" than the Chuck Palahniuk-adoring Gold Rushers over here -- but it's always about selling the movie. Some say he did just that at Telluride. Some think, not so much.

As we shake off the long Labor Day weekend, we realize that for us and the industry, it appears to be time to get serious.