Cannes Gets Closer/McQueen-Flynn Collaboration

Good Monday World...

CANNES GETTING CLOSER

With the next big Telluride harbinger being the announcement of the Cannes Film Fest lineup now down to a mere two and a half weeks away, the speculation, and in some cases-informed"speculation,  about what titles will be named for the lineup is growing more intense.

This past week, two giant posts went up exploring the Cannes possibilities from Variety and Screen Daily.  Variety's seems to be a bit more discriminating about their considerations while the Screen Daily Post seems more like a grab bag of every possibility.

There are films that appear, as you might expect, in both places that I have thought seemed like they could also make the trip to Southwest Colorado for Labor Day weekend. Among them are:

Jacques Audiard's "Erran" (Dheepan?)
Matteo Garrone's "The Tale of Tales"
Jeff Nichols' "Midnight Special"
Todd Haynes' "Carol"
Denis Villaneuve's "Sicario"
Sean Penn's "The Last Face"
Stephen Frears' "Icon"
Gus Van Sant's "The Sea of Trees"
Barbet Schroeder's "Amnesia"


A couple of other notes:  Screen Daily's post suggests Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth" and Abdellatif Kechiche's "Le Blessure" are possibilities while Variety does not.

Variety says Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette" will not be ready and Hollywood Elsewhere's Jeff Wells suggests that it may headed for Telluride/Toronto;

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2015/03/varietys-cannes-forecast/


We know that "Mad Max: Fury Road" and Woody Allen's "Irrational Man" as well as Pixar's "Inside Out" have been announced or are very likely to play as some part of the fest.  There's also a lot of buzz that Brad Bird's "Tomorrowland" will appear.

And finally, there's Cary Fukunaga's "Beasts of No Nation" which I might highlight as a Telluride possibility because of Fukunaga's "True Detective" success last year.  Both Variety and Screen Daily think it could appear in some section of the Cannes lineup but with Netflix distributing...and major theater chains boycotting the film because of the expectation that the film will be released for screens and VOD simultaneously...who knows what that means for any chance that it would have some play at fall film fests.  Stay tuned...

Here are the links to the complete Cannes posts from Variety and Screen Daily:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/cannes-film-festival-whats-in-and-whats-out-1201460030/

http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/cannes/and-the-cannes-line-up-is/5085749.article





MC QUEEN-FLYNN COLLABORATION

You know that if a film maker has made a total of three films and all three have played the Telluride Film Fest, that you'd better think that film #4 is a strong candidate to make an appearance.  Such is the case with British film maker Steve McQueen.

McQueen's "Hunger", "shame" and "12 Years a Slave" all played Telluride so I pay attention to announcements concerning his projects.  We know that he has been involved with an HBO project entitled "Codes of Conduct" and there had been some talk that his next feature film would be a biopic on Paul Robeson but news this week suggests otherwise.  Multiple sources reported that McQueen will next direct a heist themed picture penned by Gillian Flynn-you know-"Gone Girl".

The film will be based on a British television miniseries called "Widows".

That's an interesting combination of talents as well as an interesting switch in film styles for McQueen.  Reporting seems to indicate that the Robeson project has been moved back in favor of this...and it will be intriguing to see if the completed film becomes McQueen's fourth Telluride entrant.

For that matter, depending on HBO's plans for when "Codes of Conduct" will be rolled out, I suppose that IT could be McQueen's fourth Telluride appearance.

Linked here are reports on the collaboration from The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and Thompson on Hollywood:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gillian-flynn-joins-steve-mcqueen-784886

http://deadline.com/2015/03/gillian-flynn-steve-mcqueen-heist-thriller-widows-new-regency-film-4-1201399898/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/gillian-flynn-and-steve-mcqueen-team-for-heist-thriller-20150327


More on Thursday...

The Face of Cannes/"Crisis" for Telluride?/Another "Macbeth"?

Good Thursday everyone...Kind of treading a little water here as we wait, impatiently for Cannes to begin announcing its lineups for its various programs.  The word came down yesterday that the extension of the "Mad Max" franchise, "Fury Road" will play out of competition at Cannes but will not be the opening gala film.  Otherwise, we're still around three weeks away from an official announcement.

THE FACE OF CANNES

What we don't have to wait for is the official poster which was revealed this week and features the glorious Ingrid Bergman:

I have linked a couple of posts from major outlets that covered the release of the poster:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ingrid-bergman-graces-official-68th-783680

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/ingrid-bermans-smile-is-the-centerpiece-of-the-68th-cannes-film-festival-poster

Cannes is to announce the lineup on April 16th.

"CRISIS" FOR TELLURIDE?

I've mentioned in more than one post that I think that it's a reasonable likelihood that Warners will return to Telluride this fall with one or two films.  Warners' has had a rising presence over the last few years and a dynamic one at that.  Warners was at T-ride in 2013 with "Gravity" and "Prisoners" and in 2012 "Argo" landed in Telluride before anywhere else and went on to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Last year, Warner's two big awards films looked to be "Inherent Vice" and "American Sniper" neither of which seemed like Telluride-bound films...and they weren't.  

This year, however, Warners has at least four films that could be in the mix: Ron Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea", Jeff Nichols' "Midnight Special", Scott Cooper's "Black Mass and David Gordon Green's "Our Brand is Crisis".

Green was featured this week in a story from The Playlist and "Crisis" was one of the topics of discussion.  Look at that here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/david-gordon-green-talks-globetrotting-next-film-our-brand-is-crisis-and-taking-actors-safely-into-dangerous-places-20150323

"Crisis" IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1018765/

ANOTHER MACBETH?

For a couple of years now, I have been following the path of Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth" which is being hotly tipped for a Cannes slot, possibly in competition.  The film stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard as the Macbeths.  Yes please.

Now comes word from Kenneth Brannagh, no less, that another version may be coming to the screen fairly soon as well and under the direction of Martin Scorsese...

Well, I'd want to see that as well.  Maybe Telluride could program the two films in consecutive years as they did with "Capote" (in 2005) and "Infamous" (in 2006) both of which focused on the story of Truman Capote and his development of "In Cold Blood".

The Playlist reports that the Scorsese/Brannagh version would be a filmed version of Brannagh's stage production.  Check that story here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/kenneth-branagh-confirms-martin-scorseses-macbeth-plans-says-it-should-be-very-impressionistic-20150324


More on Monday...have a great weekend!

Continuing to Talk Cannes/The Playlist 50 Best of the 2010's (So Far)

Good Monday All.  Back from Spring Break and a slighter post than normal today as a result...


CONTINUING TO TALK CANNES

Hollywood News' Joey Magidson names ten films he thinks are very likely to play the Cannes fest and though the list is small, a number of the titles have real Telluride possibilities.  From Magidson's list:

Todd Haynes' "Carol"
Jacques Audiard's "Erran"/"Dheepan"
Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth"
Gus Van Sant's "The Sea of Trees" and
Matteo Garrone's "The Tale of Tales"

Check out the complete list here:


http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2015/03/19/which-films-could-play-this-year-at-the-cannes-film-festival/


THE PLAYLIST'S 50 BEST OF THE 2010'S (SO FAR)

This week The Playlist published a list of 50 films that they name as the best of the decade so far.  I was curious about how many films made the list that played at Telluride so here that list within a list is:

#46 "Birdman"
#44 "Gravity"
#35 "Black Swan"
#33 "12 Years a slave"
#31 "No"
#27 "Amour"
#24 "Two Days, One Night"
#22 "The Hunt"
#21 "Foxcatcher"
#19 "Frances Ha"
#14 "Leviathan"
#13 "Stories We Tell"
#10 "Inside Llewyn Davis"
#9 "A Prophet"
#6 "Blue is the Warmest Color"
#4 "The Act of Killing"
#3 "Under the Skin"
#1 "A Separation"

Fully 19 of the "top 50" World or North American premieres happened at Telluride.  What an incredible track record.

Take a look at The Playlist's complete list here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-50-best-films-of-the-decade-so-far-20150225



More on Thursday...

More from the Cannes Speculation Front/"Suffragette" Gets Focus/"Trumbo" Set for November Release

Good Thursday Everyone...

It's Spring Break at the Patterson house which means that as soon as this is posted this morning, I am out the door with the Boss and we are headed to a quick run through Santa Fe and Colorado.  I'm looking forward to it.

MORE FROM THE CANNES SPECULATION FRONT

Cate Blanchett in "Carol"

The staff of The Playlist posted their Cannes wish/guess list this week and it has, not surprisingly, a number of titles that could make the Cannes/Telluride double play.  Among them:

Todd Haynes' "Carol"
Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth"
Jacques Audiard's "Erran" or "Dheepan"
Matteo Garrone's "The Tale of Tales"
Gus Van Sant's "The Sea of Trees"


http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/20-films-we-hope-to-see-at-the-2015-cannes-film-festival-20150316




"SUFFRAGETTE" GETS FOCUS

The cast of "Suffragette"

Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette" has been on my Telluride possibility radar for a long, long time and continues to be.  I had it on the watch list last year for TFF #41 and have returned to it again this year.  Now comes word that the film has a U.S. distributor and it is Focus Features.  That actually may diminish its T-ride profile.  Focus has had a limited presence at Telluride over the last decade plus as you can see here:

2003: Lost in Translation
2004: The Motorcycle Diaries
2005: Brokeback Mountain
2006: Catch a Fire
2012: Hyde Park on Hudson

Last year. Focus focused its Oscar hopes on "The Theory of Everything" which very specifically went to Toronto.  Focus also has the next Eddie Redmayne project as their other Oscar pony for 2015, "The Danish Girl".

Working in the film's T-ride favor is that fact that Sarah Gavron has a Telluride history with the presentation of her 2007 film "Brick Lane" as a part of the 34th Festival.

Additionally, both Jeff Wells/Hollywood Elsewhere and Greg Ellwood/HitFix suggest Telluride as a real possibility for the film.  Check the links below for full coverage of the acquisition announcement:

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2015/03/street-fighting-women/

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/meryl-streep-and-carey-mulligan-will-fight-on-in-suffragette-this-awards-season

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2015/03/focus-features-acquires-suffragette/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/focus-features-adds-suffragette-to-2015-potential-awards-slate-20150317

http://www.indiewire.com/article/focus-features-acquires-suffragette-with-carey-mulligan-meryl-streep-20150317


"TRUMBO" SET FOR NOVEMBER RELEASE

Bryan Cranston as Dalton Trumbo

Jay Roach's "Trumbo" starring Bryan Cranston has a release date smack in the middle of awards season according to the mid-week announcement from Bleeker Street, its distributor.  I have this film on my T-ride watch list mostly because I want it to be at Telluride.  I'm fascinated by Dalton Trumbo's story and I think Bryan Cranston is a genius.  So the news that it's set for release in the U.S. on Nov. 6th positions it for some kind of fall film play.

Check the announcement form Variety here:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/bryan-cranstons-trumbo-set-for-nov-6-release-1201454480/



That's all for now.  More on Sunday...at the end of Spring Break!

"Mr. Holmes" is Off the Case/Jake Howell's Cannes Considerations/20 Anticipated Foreign Films/Ethan and Seymour

Good Monday World,


"MR. HOLMES" IS OFF THE CASE

Admittedly, Bill Condon's "Mr. Holmes" starring Sir Ian McKellen and Laura Linney has been a film that I thought had the right pedigree to be considered for the TFF #42 schedule.  It is also a film that I have unashamedly been hoping would make a stop in Telluride over Labor Day weekend.  I had even envisioned an Ian McKellen tribute a possibility.  After all, the film has a stellar set of characteristics to mark it as a Telluride film: Bill Condon's been to T-ride before.  Laura Linney has been to Telluride a lot.  It's produced, in part, by See Saw Films and BBC Films, both of which are often represented by films at Telluride and it's being distributed by Roadside Attractions (and Miramax) which has a serious Telluride profile over the past few years:

2014: "Mommy:, "The Homesman" and " '71"
2013: "All is Lost" and "Gloria"
2012: "Stories We Tell"
2011: "Albert Nobbs"
2010: "Biutiful"

There was a lot of smoke there but those flames were doused this week with the announcement that the film will be released in the U.S. on July 17th.

Here's the story from Awards Circuit:

http://www.awardscircuit.com/2015/03/12/release-date-set-for-mr-holmes-starring-ian-mckellen-directed-by-bill-condon/

So...no "Mr. Holmes" at Telluride or Toronto or any other fall film fest.  It seems very odd to me especially if you're thinking that Sir Ian might have an Oscar play here.  I'd love to know what the internal process was that led to this decision.

CANNES CONSIDERATIONS

The next few weeks should see an uptick in the speculation about what films will be announced as a part of the Cannes lineup.  I snagged the link to Jake Howell's Cannes speculation this week.  I believe this is the third year consecutively that I have featured Jake's analysis and detective work. Find it here at Movie City News:

http://moviecitynews.com/2015/03/divining-cannes-2015/


Jake's Cannes musings about "Likely Subjects"  that also might foreshadow a Cannes/Telluride connection seem to me to include:

Jacques Audiard's "Dheepan" (which has been called "Erran" until very recently)
Matteo Garrone;s "The Tale of Tales"
Walter Salles "Jia Zhhang-ke by Walter Salles"
Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" (though, I can't believe it would be finished in time for Cannes)
Gus Van Sant's "The Sea of Trees"

Among the other possibilities that Howell entertains are these films that could make the Telluride grade:

Sean Penn's "The Last Face"
Todd Haynes "Carol"

Take a look at the entirety of Jake's post and see what you think.


20 ANTICIPATED FOREIGN FILMS

Also out this week was a post from The Playlist with their 20 most anticipated foreign films for 2015. That seemed like an excellent companion piece to Howell's Cannes spec piece and you can find it here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-20-most-anticipated-foreign-films-of-2015-20150114


Perusing the list I found that the most likely Telluride players didn't appear until very near the top. Making the list and mine are:

at #7: Jacques Audiard's Dheepan (Erran)
#5 Wim Wenders "Every Thing Will Be Fine"
#3 Abdellafit Kechiche's "La Blessure"
#1 Michael Haneke's "Flashmob"



ETHAN AND SEYMOUR

Ethan Hawke's TFF #41 Documentary "Seymour: An Introduction" opened on Friday.  As a part of the rollout, Ethan Hawke spoke with The Dissolve:

http://thedissolve.com/features/interview/954-ethan-hawke-tries-to-figure-it-out/



More on Thursday...

"Incendies". "Prisoners" and.../Larrain: From Berlin to Telluride?/Is a Ride in Panahi's "Taxi" in Your Futrure?

Good Thursday to All.

Today's installment looks at three directors who could have their next project land at Telluride beginning with Denis Villeneuve...




"INCENDIES", "PRISONERS" AND...

Villeneuve's "Sicario" is set for U.S. release on Sept. 18th which Ioncinema has speculated puts it in a window that is friendly to a Venice, Telluride, Toronto run.  "Sicario's" IMDb page is here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/berlin-review-jafar-panahis-enjoyable-act-of-dissidence-taxi-20150207


Perhaps the bigger news this week, however, was the announcement that Villeneuve would be helming the anticipated "Blade Runner" sequel.  Check that news below.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/prisoners-enemy-director-denis-villeneuve-to-helm-blade-runner-sequel-harrison-ford-confirmed-to-return-20150226


LARRAIN FROM BERLIN TO TELLURIDE?


Pablo Larrain's "No" was a part of the program for Telluride's 40th anniversary five day blowout in 2013 and I won't be surprised if he's back this year with his latest film, "The Club".  The Playlist explores Larrain's thoughts about the project.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/interview-pablo-larrain-on-catholicism-the-club-and-keeping-his-actors-in-the-dark-20150220


IS A RIDE IN PANAHI'S "TAXI" IN YOUR FUTURE?


Jafar Panahi's "Taxi" won Berlin's Golden Bear last month and there is s peculation that we could see it in the San Juans over Labor Day.  The Playlist took a look at the film recently and filed this:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/berlin-review-jafar-panahis-enjoyable-act-of-dissidence-taxi-20150207



That's it for now.  More on Monday...

Warming Up the Crystal Ball: Cannes and 2016 Oscars/See More of Seymour

Good Monday Everyone.


WARMING UP THE CRYSTAL BALL: CANNES AND OSCARS 2016

As the 2015 Oscar ceremony continues to get smaller in our rear view, I increasingly turn my attention to the process of trying to puzzle out some of the likely film suspects for the 2015 Telluride lineup.  It's the time of year when that detective work is focused on speculation about which films will make the various sections of the Cannes lineup and the early, early speculation about films that may become Oscar campaigners once the fall film festivals occur.

CANNES

The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy put up a massive Cannes spec piece over the weekend that you can find here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-todd-mccarthy-possibilities-probabilities-779894


The Cannes/Telluride overlap is significant so the ultimate choices for Cannes' lineup should give us plenty to mull in terms of the eventual T-ride set of selections.  McCarthy's list includes a number of films that seem to be Telluride possibles including "Carol", "Macbeth" "The Tale of Tales" and "Erran" among a lengthy list of titles.


OSCAR 2016

Meanwhile, The Playlist posted a substantial Oscar 2016 guess piece that also includes a number of Telluride possibilities.  That post is here:


http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/premature-oscar-predictions-the-2016-best-picture-contenders-20150302


Titles that writer Oliver Lyttleton includes that might make the trip to the San Juans on Labor Day weekend include:

"Our Brand is Crisis" (which Lyttleton flat says to expect at Telluride), "The Revenant", "The Hateful Eight" and the above mentioned "Carol".


SEE MORE OF SEYMOUR

One of the best buzzed films at last year's TFF was Ethan Hawke's documentary "Seymour: An Introduction".  The film is on the verge of release and as a part of the rollout, The Playlist included a new clip from the film in a story they ran over the weekend.  Find the story and the clip here:



http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/exclusive-ethan-hawke-talks-art-and-success-in-clip-from-seymour-an-introduction-20150306




That's it for now, more on Thursday...

A Look at Mr. Holmes/A Look at Lubezki/Step Right Up

Good Late Thursday morning to everyone...

Today's post is up a little later than usual due to weather issues here in the Great Plains.  Bouncing back today, though.


A LOOK AT MR. HOLMES

After its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, the producers/distribs for Bill Condon's "Mr. Holmes" have set a June 19th date to open the film in the U.K. but no U.S. date is set as yet.  I still am hoping/campaigning for it to be a Telluride choice.

At any rate, a teaser/trailer has appeared.  It looks cool.

Here are links to some posts that include the trailer and have additional information:

http://time.com/3733028/mr-holmes-ian-mckellen-sherlock-sherlock-holmes-mitch-cullin/


http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-sherlock-holmes-tackles-an-unsolved-case-in-first-trailer-for-mr-holmes-starring-ian-mckellen-20150304


http://www.hitfix.com/harpy/ian-mckellen-playing-sherlock-holmes-is-the-casting-you-didnt-know-you-needed


A LOOK AT LUBEZKI

The last two Best Cinematography Oscars have gone to Emmanuel Lubezki and both for Telluride films: "Gravity" and "Birdman".

The Playlist, among others, has linked to a Vimeo supercut of the masters work.  It's also cool.  Look here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-breathtaking-supercut-celebrates-the-work-of-cinematographer-emmanuel-lubezki-20150304


STEP RIGHT UP

And perhaps you got this in your email earlier this week:

Join us for the 42nd Telluride Film Festival this Labor Day Weekend Friday, September 4th through Monday, September 7th, 2015.

Our online Box Office opens today Monday, March 2nd, 2015 at 9AM PST. You will need a headshot for your pass at the time of purchase — take the time now to scan that special shot, or better yet take a selfie with your camera phone. Any picture that is a close-up of your face will do.

If filling in information online gives you pause, use our downloadable form to complete your order. Available on our website, simply download the form, fill it out by hand and then mail your check and order form to Festival Headquarters. We'll still need those gorgeous photos.

If you have any questions on the best way to order your pass, or other general inquiries regarding the Festival, give us a call at 510.665.9494.

We are deeply grateful for your generosity and continuous support. Thank you, and see you at the SHOW!

That's right, passes went on sale for TFF #42.  It begins!

Here's the link to the official website for pass info:

http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/show/passes

That's all for now...more on Monday!

More Guesses at Oscar 88/Salt of the Earth Trailer/Acquisitions of Interest

Good Monday World...hope you had a good weekend.


MORE GUESSES AT OSCAR 88

 Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood and Joey Magidson/The Hollywood News came out with their incredibly early crystal ball look at what films might be playing for Oscar glory for 2015.

Find those predictions here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar_predicts_chart


http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2015/02/27/year-in-advance-oscar-predictions/

Thompson's picks that could have some Telluride play potential include: "45 Years", "Black Mass", "Carol", "The Danish Girl", "Demolition", "Icon", "The Last Face", "Midnight Special", "Our Brand is Crisis", "The Revenant", "Southpaw", "Steve Jobs", "Demolition" "Trumbo", "Macbeth",  "Truth" and "The Hateful Eight".

Magidson's lists each Oscar category and what he views as the most likely nominees with additional possibilities listed.  He lists 10 possible Best Picture nominees plus an additional 15 films that could get a BP nomination.  From that list, these are the films with the highest Telluride potential (Many of which you'll see above on Thompson's list):

"Our Brand is Crisis", "The Hateful Eight", "The Revenant", "Steve Jobs", "Demolition", "Carol", "Black Mass", "Freeheld", "Southpaw",and "Macbeth".


TRAILER FOR "SALT OF THE EARTH"

FirstShowing.net posted a story and the trailer for Wim Wenders TFF #41 Oscar nominated documentary "The Salt of the Earth"  Check the story and the trailer here:


http://www.firstshowing.net/2015/watch-trailer-for-sebastiao-salgados-the-salt-of-the-earth-doc/



ACQUISITIONS OF INTEREST

Two deals went down this week that could conceivably set the stage for films that are in the works to ultimately make their way to the San Juans in the next year or two.  we found out that The Weinstein Company has acquired the distribution for the upcoming McDonald's mogul (Ray Kroc) biopic starring recent Oscar nominee Michael Keaton (PS...saw "Theory of Everything" this weekend...Keaton was robbed).  The film is currently titled "The Founder" and is set to be directed by John Lee Hancock ("The Blind Side").

Here's that story from Variety:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/weinstein-co-buys-michael-keatons-mcdonalds-movie-the-founder-1201443179/


Also of interest was the news that Kino Lorber had picked up distribution for Berlin film fest winner "Taxi" from Iranian guerrilla film maker Jafar Panahi.  Kino Lorber was last represented at Telluride in 2013 with "Manuscripts Don't Burn".

Here's the announcement from Variety and Ioncinema:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/berlin-winner-taxi-bought-for-u-s-by-kino-lorber-1201441629/


http://www.ioncinema.com/news/acquisitions-foreign-films/kino-lorber-get-behind-the-wheel-of-panahis-taxi



More on Thursday...