Summer blogging begins in earnest today as MTFB/FAC begins its 6 times a week posting schedule. The serious countdown to the 39th Telluride Film Festival begins today. Three months from today (Aug. 31) the festival opens...as always, I can't wait.
CANNES POST MORTEM AND THIRD CRITIC'S POLL
Cannes #65 is in the books with Michel Haneke's "Amour" taking the top prize. I started the fest thinking that six films were the most likely for repeating in Colorado: "Amour", "Beyond the Hills", "Rust and Bone", "Reality", "On the Road"' and "Cosmopolis". At the end of the festival, I feel as strongly, maybe even more strongly, that we'll see "Amour", "Hills" and "Rust". "Reality" seems like a 50/50 proposition and I think that "Road" and "Cosmopolis" may have lost some steam for Telluride.
I think"Holy Motors", "The Hunt", You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", "Like Someone in Love", and "Mud" may have put themselves into some Telluride conversations. In addition, I have some suspicions that non-competition films "No" and "The Sapphires" will make it into the Telluride program.
Also, CriticWire at IndieWire posted a third critic's poll of Cannes films here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/criticwire-at-cannes-the-top-films-and-performances-poll?page=1#
"Amour" and "Holy Motors" were at the top mirroring the critical response measured by Screen Daily and Ioncinema.
THE MASTER AND VENICE
In the midst of announcements from the new director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera,this week came his claim that Venice would probably program Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master". PT Anderson fan site Cigarettes and RedVines reported the story here:
http://cigsandredvines.blogspot.com/2012/05/master-could-be-headed-to-venice-film.html
As we have noted in this space previously, double booking Venice and Telluride does happen...but it's fairly rare. "Shame" and "A Dangerous Method" did it last year...so it doesn't kill chances that we'll see the film in Colorado but it probably reduces the odds some.
Of course, Barbera could just be expressing wishful thinking. He also mentioned new films from Malick and DePalma as "likely candidates". Which isn't exactly a flat out statement that he's got those films programmed.
And, further, I almost always approach this guessing game with the assumption that previous Telluride guests had a really pleasant experience and prefer to return. I believe Anderson enjoyed his time in Telluride in 2007 when he was in town for the Daniel Day-Lewis tribute and the presentation of 20 minutes of "There Will Be Blood".
I often kick myself that I didn't take the opportunity to introduce myself when I sat the row behind him later that weekend as we caught Noah Baumbach's "Margot at the Wedding". But he seemed to be enjoying the experience.
So, I'm not giving up hope just yet. I've always thought "The Master" was a long shot for Telluride...but I'd love to be wrong.
THE HUNT
Magnolia Pictures has grabbed the U.S. rights to Thomas Vintenberg's "The Hunt" which won its lead Mads Mikkelsen the Best Actor prize at Cannes last week. The Hollywood Reporter has the story here:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/magnolia-picks-up-cannes-winner-the-hunt-330909
"The Hunt's" success at Cannes has raised its Telluride profile.
LES MISERABLES TEASER
Les Miz's chance of bowing at Telluride: about 3% ( director Tom Hooper's "King's Speech" was in T-ride in 2010 and production company Working Title had "Catch a Fire" showed as a sneak in 2006). Nevertheless, it has its first teaser out and I couldn't resist re-linking it from The Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/les-miserables-trailer-anne-hathaway-330941
More later...
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