AS THE VENICE/TORONTO DUST SETTLES
Kind of catching my breath a little. It has been a terrifically hectic week for MTFB what with the first slate of films announced on Tuesday for the Toronto International Film Festival and the full slate for the Venice Fest on Wednesday. I'm am in no way complaining. It has been very interesting this week as I have probably had more interaction with journos this week than at any other time since I started writing this thing back in 2008. Very interesting and kind of a hoot.
Anyway, some observations or re-observations from what has transpired:
#1) Again, the reigning wisdom is that, extrapolating from the Toronto set of films, it seems like a good bet that "Black Mass", "Beasts of No Nation", "Room", "Son of Saul" and "Anomalisa" are headed to Telluride.
#2) "Dheepan" and "Youth" are not.
#3) Tom McCarthy's "Spotlight" is not in my opinion, but there are a lot of people who think it is, it seems, to a lot of confusion about its announced premiere status by TIFF. I have been told that "Spotlight" was billed as a "Canadian" premiere via TIFF's Twitter account announcing its inclusion in the TIFF program. Further, there was a good deal of discussion Tuesday as to what and "International" premiere really means.
Nevertheless, Variety's Scott Foundas and Justin Chang said "Spotlight" was likely Telluride-bound on Tuesday:
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/toronto-festival-slate-brings-fall-landscape-into-focus-1201549753/
and Anne Thompson said it in her Venice post on Wednesday:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/the-danish-girl-and-a-bigger-splash-join-everest-and-black-mass-at-venice-film-festival-20150729
and Jeffrey Wells on Wednesday afternoon:
http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2015/07/story-want-us-write/
Steve Zeitchik at the L.A. Times:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-venice-venice-film-festival-fukunaga-mccarthy-lineup-20150729-story.html
These are really, really key people in film reportage...so maybe I'm off my game here. And, believe me, no one would be happier to be wrong. I'd love for "Spotlight" to make the trip to Telluride. My belief is that it won't and that Toronto's designation for it as an "International" premiere means to tell us that it plays Venice (as it will) and then goes directly to Toronto.
#4) Venice's announcement yesterday including "A Bigger Splash" in its lineup which makes me wonder if it might actually show up at Telluride. I thought that the Fox Searchlight people would bring "Youth" and "He Named Me Malala" to T-ride but in the last couple of weeks I had been hearing small buzzings that "Youth" maybe not so much. That turned out to be the case as revealed by its North American premiere status for TIFF.
Now, however, comes a vote of confidence for " A Bigger Splash" with its presence in the Venice competition lineup. So maybe Fox Search loads it up for the dash across the Atlantic and half of America. We're already betting that is going to happen with "Black Mass", "Beasts of No Nation", and "Anomalisa" (and, if you believe it, "Spotlight" too). We'll see.
#5) How about no Weinstein Company film named in either set of announcements? No "Carol" no "Macbeth" no "Burnt" (formerly "Adam Jones"), no "Three Generations" (which is now listed by IMDb as "About Ray"). And, of course, no "Hateful Eight".
Keep in mind, some of those titles will be included in later TIFF announcements, but still...
I'm still of a mind that "Carol" makes it to Telluride and maybe "Macbeth". I wouldn't be completely stunned by "Burnt" and/or "About Ray" and I also wouldn't be surprised if "Hateful" has some kind of presence at TFF.
#6) So many films unclaimed by both Toronto and Venice:
"Suffragette"
"Our Little Sister"
"I Saw the Light"
"Our Brand is Crisis"
"In the Heart of the Sea"
"By the Sea"
"Truth"
"Steve Jobs"
"Manchester-by-the-Sea"
"Secret in Their Eyes"
"Bridge of Spies"
"Queen of the Desert"
"Salt and Fire"
"45 Years"
"13 Minutes"
"Carol"
"Macbeth"
"Adam Jones/Burnt"
"Snowden"
"Joy"
"The Light Between Oceans"
"Crimson Peak"
"The 33"
"The Last Face"
From this list probably six/seven films have the best chance of making the Telluride lineup. Cannes' film "Carol". Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs" (many believe it's headed to T-ride), Sony Pictures Classics: "Truth", "I Saw the Light". Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette" and Werner Herzog's "Queen of the Desert" and/or "Salt and Fire"."Crimson Peak"
"The 33"
"The Last Face"
The next tier of "maybes" includes Berlin Fest films: "45 Years" and "13 Minutes". Another Cannes film from SPC; "Our Little Sister" as wells as David Gordon Green's "Our Brand is Crisis" and Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth".
The rest of the field isn't as likely, but never say never.
Check tomorrow's post for the sixth edition of 2015's Telluride "Ten Bets". It will seem a little different than last week's.
VENICE CHIEF CONFIRMS "BLACK MASS"
"Black Mass" trailer via YouTube
After the Toronto announcement, we were pretty sure about what follows. I have been saying that I had been sensing it for a few days and in a general sense saying that Warners was probably going to be back at Telluride for months.
Now, in a Deadline.com interview, Venice Film Fest Head Alberto Barbera has confirmed that Scott Cooper's "Black Mass" will be playing Telluride:
"Black Mass will premiere in Venice on Friday and the following day the cast will fly to Telluride to be the Saturday night gala."
Now, I don't know how accurate Alberto is but you have to wonder what "cast" means. Depp? Cumberbatch? Edgerton?
Bring 'em all, I say.
Barbera also semi-implies the "Beasts of No Nation" move to T-ride too with its placement on the yet-to-be-officially-announced Venice schedule and he also seems to suggest that Guillermo Del Toro's "Crimson Peak" won't be playing any festival.
Look at the complete interview here from reporter Nancy Tartaglione:
http://deadline.com/2015/07/venice-film-festival-alberto-barbera-lineup-world-premieres-crimson-peak-1201486899/
P.S. I believe a new "Black Mass" trailer is supposed to drop today. Look for it here tomorrow if that happens.
"SPOTLIGHT" TRAILER IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Despite the fact that I am saying that it won't play Telluride, I am cognizant that there are many that think it could/will, so, doing the due diligence, Here's the trailer that dropped yesterday for the drama:
"Spotlight" Trailer via YouTube
I have also included a number of the posts that accompanied the trailer release from yesterday:
More news coming tomorrow as well as that brand new shiny and completely re-vamped "Ten Bets".
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