SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
I am continuing my summer march through film distribution and production companies and their recent past relationship in terms of the Telluride Film Festival as a way of looking at possibilities for what we might see come Labor Day weekend.
Today's focus is on a major player at Telluride: Sony Pictures Classics...what is essentially Sony Pictures Entertainment's indy/foreign wing.
Here's what SPC has shown in Telluride recently:
2011: A Dangerous Method, In Darkness, Footnote, A Separation
2010: Incendies, Of Gods and Men, Tamara Drewe, Another Year, The Illusionist, Inside Job
2009: The Last Station, The White Ribbon, Coco Before Chanel, A Prophet, An Education
2008: Waltz with Bashir, I've Loved You So Long
2007: O'Horten, Brick Lane, When Did You Last See Your Father, Persepolis, The Band's Visit, The Counterfeiters
2006: Jindabyne, The Lives of Others, Volver,
2005: Breakfast on Pluto, Capote
2004: Being Julia, House of Flying Daggers, Bad Education
So you can see, SPC averages about 4 films per TFF over the last 8 years, tending toward more rather than less as you look at the most recent years.
SPC's IMDb page appears to list 4 films that haven't or will not have been released prior to TFF and which did not bow at Sundance making them all prime possibilities:
Susanne Bier's "Love is All You Need" starring Pierce Brosnan.
Jacques Audiard's "Rust and Bone" with Marion Cotillard
Pablo Larrain's "No" with Gael Garcia Bernal
and Michael Haneke's Cannes Palme D'Or Winner "Amour"
My bet right now is that "Rust", "No" and "Amour" are all going to make the Telluride cut (see Monday's Ten Bets list) and I'd put the odds at 50% for "Love is All You Need".
One final note: should SPC pick up the North American distribution for other films in the next 6 weeks or so (or if they have them already and they just haven't been announced) then depending on strategy, those late acquisitions could stop in Telluride as well.
Tomorrow: The Weinstein Company
HALF OF 2012
2012 starts its downhill tilt this weekend as we pass the halfway mark on the calendar. Variety put up an interesting piece today discussing Oscar prospects of what has been released thus far and what is still to come. Look at it here:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118056045/
Most interesting from my perspective is the mention near the end of the story about the possible completion of both Gus Van Sant's "Promised Land" (which I have been mentioning of late) and Sacha Gervasi's "Hitchcock" before year's end.
I noted yesterday that Fox Searchlight, which is where both of these films are parked, has a thin slate as we look at the end of the year and awards season. These could change that and if they're ready, they could be on the Telluride radar.
"Hitchcock" (a look at the story of Hitch's experiences making "Psycho")might be a stretch but it is slated for release in some European nations in mid-February.
I think there would be a greater chance that "Promised Land" might be ready and on the Telluride slate.
Personally, I'm looking forward to both.
12 YEARS CAST
I have been highlighting virtually any news about Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" as I think it's a decent bet for TFF #40. Of late has come further casting news (for a cast that now is immense and increasingly impressive). Latest additions are reportedly Michael K. Williams (Life During Wartime) and Dwight Henry (Beasts of the Southern Wild). Check the stories:
Get the Big Picture:
http://www.getthebigpicture.net/blog/2012/6/25/omar-comin-yo-to-twelve-years-a-slave.html
The Playlist:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/twelve-years-a-slave-becomes-more-awesome-by-adding-michael-k-williams-20120623
Shadow and Act
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/beasts-of-the-southern-wild-actor-dwight-henry-added-to-mcqueens-12-years-a-slave#
BERNIE'S TEXAS
One of my favorite films of the year so far is Richard Linklater's "Bernie" with Jack Black in a fine (maybe his best ever) performance. One of the highlight scenes is this gem explaining the nature of the state of Texas (where the true story that the film is based on took place). Look at it here:
More later...
Follow me on Twitter @Gort2
No comments:
Post a Comment