Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Eggers and Telluide/UK Film/Love is All?/Beauties and Bale

Good Tuesday to All!


EGGERS AND TELLURIDE

The news release hit my email yesterday at 11:44 AM CDT.  I had a post up at 12:02 PM CDT.  The news from the Telluride Film Festival Press Office was that author Dave Eggers had been selected as the poster artist for TFF#39...and the poster was up and running...



I think I had the story up first anywhere on the web...by a ways...

The frustration, such as it was, when it came to re-tweeting/re-posting...nada...zip...zilch.  As the story rolled through the afternoon all of the movie blog type outlets you'd expect got it posted and it looks like Anne Thompson's "Thompson on Hollywood" got the majority of re-production.  Good for her.
I had hoped that the rapidity of getting their first would have reaped some more online love...not so much.

Nevertheless, there's an interesting side note to the Dave Eggers selection.  Eggers will obviously be in Telluride to schmooze and sign the poster and the press release says he will be honored by the UCLA film school in the course of the weekend's activities...but here's the intriguing thing...Dave Eggers also has film bona fides.  He was the screenwriter for 2009's "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Away We Go" (starring Jon Krasinski and Maya Rudolph.  His novel "Zeithoun" has reportedly been optioned by director Jonathan Demme and if you check his IMDb page you'll find that he has provided the "story" for "Promised Land".

"Promised Land"???  Wait.  Isn't that the Gus Van Sant directed (TFF in 1995-"Elephant" and 2003-"To Die For"), Matt Damon and Jon Krasinski co-written and co-starring film being distributed by frequent Telluride participant Focus Features that The Playlist has reported could well be ready for a fall film fest debut?  Here's The Playlist post:


Yes to all...

So does that mean "Promised Land" is suddenly a lock for TFF #39?  No...but it does make me suspect it has a much better shot at being there than it seemed to have yesterday.




"Promised Land's" IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2091473/

AND...maybe there is a continuing connection with/to Maya Rudolph who shares three children with Paul Thomas Anderson who also happens to be directing a film with some buzz about it.  You know..."The Master".

Last year my grand conspiracy theory was that George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon might all three show up in Telluride and have an "Oceans" movie reunion while their respective films ("Descendants", "Ides of March, "Moneyball", and "We Bought a Zoo") all played...

Only the Clooney part with "The Descendants" actually happened...but it was fun to spin the grand story.

This Dave Eggers/TFF #39 Poster/"Promised Land"/Gus Van Sant/Focus Feature/Maya-PTA/"Master" thing looks like it will be the story I spin for this year.  

Chances that it happens: 1%...but it's a good story.



UK FILM COUNCIL



I continue looking at European film production houses that have had some Telluride presence in that past and to see if they have any films in the pipe that look reasonably Telluride-ish and today that's The UK Film Council.  Their past at Telluride includes:

2011: Shame, We Need to Talk About Kevin
2010: The King's Speech, The First Grader, Tamara Drewe, Another Year, Camerman: Jack Cardiff
2009: Bright Star, Fish Tank
2008: Happy Go Lucky
2007: Brick Lane, When Did You Last See Your Father
2006: Venus, The Last King of Scotland, Severance

As you can see, the last 6 fests have had a substantial UKFC footprint with 2 films common and 2010 being the banner year with 5 films playing.

So what does their announced 2012 slate hold that might have Telluride potential?

The best bet is the Dakota Fanning starrer "Now is Good".  I think the only other possibility (and I think it's not highly likely) is the Scarlett Johansson as an alien film "Under the Skin" from director Jonathan Glazer who is probably best known for 2000's "Sexy Beast".

I'd put "Now is Good's" chances at 30% and "Under the Skin" at 10%.



"Now is Good" IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1937264/



"Under the Skin" IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441395/


LOVE IS ALL?

The international trailer for Susanne Bier's film (and thus T-ride possible) "Love is All You Need" popped up over the weekend.  Here's the link to the story and the trailer from The Playlist:



BEAUTIES AND BALE

And yet at least two more sets of photos have emerged from the Terrence Malick shoot of his "Knight of Cups" project starring Christian Bale.  These feature Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) and Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four) and are beginning to make me think that the film is nothing more than Bale with 37,000 beautiful women...and a beach or an outdoor concert.  You can find these stories both at The Playlist:








More later...

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