OSCAR FOREIGN SHORTLIST
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences winnowed the list of 70+ Foreign Language Film submissions down to 9 titles this past week and what as noticeable as the films that made the cut were the omissions and that left a number of Telluride films that had been hotly tipped as Oscar nominees out.
Pre-announcement Telluride films that were snubbed included "The Past", "Gloria" and TFF #39's "Wadjda"
Telluride wasn't totally left unrepresented in the shortlist as "The Missing Picture" made the cut and last year's Mads Mikkelsen starrer "The Hunt" was also listed.
The final nine also included:
"The Broken Circle Breakdown"
"An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker"
"Two Lives"
"The Grandmaster"
"The Notebook"
"The Great Beauty"
"Omar"
Next, the Academy members have to knock the list down to five. If I were handicapping it (like I know anything about this), I'd guess that "The Hunt", "The Grandmaster", "The Great Beauty" and "The Broken Circle" Breakdown" are likely nominees with the fifth film up in the air.
The Playlist has the story about this week's announcement:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-grandmaster-the-hunt-the-great-beauty-more-make-oscar-foreign-language-film-shortlist-20131220
DERN AND NEBRASKA
The Bruce Dern Oscar campaign continues full force. Dern's interview with AwardsLine's (Deadline.com) Anna Lisa Raya was posted this week and you can find that here:
http://www.deadline.com/2013/12/oscars-2014-bruce-dern-nebraska-interview/
BEHIND INSIDE
One of my favorite moments in The Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" is the recording session that produces "Please Mr. Kennedy". It sums up a number of the themes of the film and is just a hoot.
In the scene Adam Driver appears as a specialty background singer and is a highlight. Driver recently talked to Nigel M. Smith for IndieWire about "Inside Llewyn Davis" and other topics here:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/adam-driver-on-singing-for-the-coen-brothers-on-inside-llewyn-davis-and-why-he-keeps-coming-back-to-girls
THE PAST'S FARHADI
Asghar Farhadi's follow up to his Oscar winning " A Separation", "The Past" was very well received at Telluride over Labor Day weekend. As mentioned above, the film was snubbed by The Academy FLF committee and to the surprise of many, including me, it was not shortlisted for this year's Oscar.
Nevertheless, Film Journal's (And friend of MTFB) Tomris Laffly talked to the auteur about the new film:
http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/news-and
features/features/movies/e3id1e1bc718e4cd0f322b8201ded442ba9
THE VISIBLE FELICITY JONES
The actress at the center of Ralph Fiennes Charles Dickens film, "The Invisible Woman" is Felicity Jones. She is the "invisible" woman referenced in the title. Reactions to the film was divided in Telluride but ones generally received high marks for her portrayal of the younger woman that captured Dickens heart.
Jones recently sat down with Drew Taylor for this interview with The Playlist:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/interview-the-invisible-womans-felicity-jones-talks-her-dickensian-drama-what-it-was-like-working-with-ralph-fiennes-and-how-much-she-loves-spider-man-20131217
That's all for this Monday. I'm hoping to catch David O. Russell's "American Hustle" today...really looking forward to it!
For those that celebrate it, Merry Christmas!
More on Thursday!
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