Monday, September 30, 2013

Coming Attractions/Foreign News/Cuaron and Gravity/Nyong'o Long Ago...well, Two Years.

Good Monday All...

COMING ATTRACTIONS...



Keeping last week's promise, here's the first of what will likely be several entries regarding films that are floating around various stages of genesis/production that have at least some potential to play as a part of some future Telluride Film Festival.  Since teasing the notion that I keep this file last week, I have added information about this week's announcements that Jennifer Lawrence will be in Gary Ross's new version/adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic "East of Eden".  Look at a couple of posts about that tantalizing prospect here from The Playlist and The Hollywood Reporter:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/jennifer-lawrence-gary-ross-reteam-for-2-part-east-of-eden-burial-rites-20130925

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jennifer-lawrence-gary-ross-reteam-636585

This project isn't really a film that immediately says: "Telluride" but I'm personally intrigued by the thought of it.  I think it would be interesting to see this pair away from "The Hunger Games" and what Ross might do. I'm an admirer of both "Seabiscuit" and "Pleasantville".  I like J. Law too.

On a more conventional prospect for Telluride, of the ten or so films I mentioned in last week's post about potential T-ride projects, none has a greater likelihood of playing than Werner Herzog's "Queen of the Desert".  Over the past few months I have collected numerous posts about its development (from The Playlist and Empireonline.com):

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/noami-watts-out-nicole-kidman-in-for-werner-herzogs-sweeping-queen-of-the-desert-20130908

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/james-franco-could-replace-jude-law-in-werner-herzogs-queen-of-the-desert-20130425

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/naomi-watts-says-werner-herzogs-queen-of-the-desert-with-robert-pattinson-jude-law-on-hold-20130120

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=35680

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/jude-law-joins-werner-herzogs-queen-of-the-desert-with-naomi-watts-robert-pattinson-20121102

FOREIGN NEWS



A lot of movement occurred this week in regards to the Foreign Language Oscar as the Oct. 1 deadline for submission looms.  Iran officially is back in the FLF race as they chose Asghar Farhadi's "The Past" and Israel chose "Bethlehem" as their entry.  Poland has "Ida" all of which played Telluride this year.  Links below to stories on each of the three films:

Ioncinema's "Ida" story:
http://networkedblogs.com/PqMWk

The Hollywood Reporter on "Bethlehem":
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/bethlehem-represent-israel-as-foreign-638654

Variety on "The Past":
http://variety.com/2013/film/news/iran-picks-the-past-for-oscar-1200679482/


CUARON AND GRAVITY



Alfonso Cuaron continues to generate astounding critical response and buzz as it nears its release date this weekend.  The director talked recently to Kris Tapley of HitFix/InContention about the film and other matters.  You can see that here:
http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/alfonso-cuaron-on-the-long-strange-trip-of-gravity#~oiRVsFR0Wm2U6C


NYONG'O LONG AGO



Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" has a lot going for it and has been received rapturously at both Telluride and Toronto and is soon to be bow at the New York Film Fest (Oct. 8).  One of its surprises is the emergence of Lupita Nyong'o in the role of a young woman who has captured the fancy of the evil plantation owner played by Michael Fassbender.  Nyong'o is very new to American audiences but does have some credits on her resume.  Among them: soap opera work in her native Kenya.  Take a look at this CNN video in which the young actress talks about her early career:

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/international/2010/10/25/av.shuga.kenya.mtv.bk.b.cnn.html


More on Thursday!

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