A Couple of Outside Shots / New Del Toro May Have DiCaprio / Fienne's The White Crow Opens This Weekend

Good Thursday morning to all...

A COUPLE OF OUTSIDE SHOTS

Looks these last few days at two films that I have avoided including as TFF #46 possibilities are Ang Lee's Gemini Man and Robert Eggers The Lighthouse.

However, we got the first trailer for Gemini Man this week (from YouTube):

And Ang Lee has, though not for awhile, had a presence at Telluride and the film is set for release on Oct. 11th.  Paramount has it under its wing and has occasionally landed at TFF (the last time in 2017 with Downsizing and An Inconvenient Sequel).

Also, here's the story on Gemini Man from Indiewire

Also, we got the first still from Robert Eggers The Lighthouse.  It's from A24 which has been involved at Telluride quite a bit over the last five years or so.  Here's the still via Indiewire:

The Lighthouse was announced as one of the competition films in the Cannes sidebar section Director's Fortnight.  Sometimes films from DF make their way to T-ride.

I have linked this story about The Lighthouse from Indiewire.

NEW DEL TORO MAY HAVE DI CAPRIO

(Photo via Rob Latour/Shutterstock/Variety)

Word is buzzing that Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio may sign on to an emerging Guillermo Del Toro project currently titled Nightmare Alley.  The film would be a remake of a 1947 film starring Tyrone Power.

Del Toro's play at TFF 44 with The Shape of Water and its win for Best Picture means we'd be wise to keep an eye on its development.

Variety has the details linked here.

FIENNES' THE WHITE CROW OPENS THIS WEEKEND

Sony Pictures Classics reminded us yesterday that the Ralph Fiennes directed film about the life of Rudolf Nuryev, which played TFF #45, opens in New York and Los Angeles this weekend.  The reminder came in the form of an email with a great poster for the film.

Here's a look at the poster:

The White Crow will expand to other parts of the country in the coming weeks.

That's your MTFB for this Thursday.  Thanks for playing.  More will be on its way to you on Monday!

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com OR michael_speech@hotmail.com

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Telluride History Continued: TFF #27 / More Cannes Awards Season Analysis / If I Had To...

Welcome to your first Monday in June...

A note here about MTFB in the summer of 2017.  Because I'm going to be on the road a lot this summer, MTFB is going to go with a four day a week publishing schedule for most weeks between now and the Festival.  Normally, MTFB posts on Mondays and Thursdays and for this summer in the run up to TFF #44 I am going to add posts for Tuesday and Friday.  This is a little departure from the last couple of years in which I have posted five times a week for the summer schedule.

So, at least here at the start of the three month countdown to Telluride, that's the plan.


TELLURIDE HISTORY CONTINUED: TFF #27

Today, I continue my amble back through Telluride Film Fest history.  We look at TFF #27 that took place Sept. 1-4, 2000.

Guest Director: Edgardo Cozarinsky

Tributes: Ang Lee, Stellan Skarsgard. Im Kwon Taek
Special Medallion: Serge Silberman

Special Programs:

Norman Lloyd Reminisces
Elmore Leonard: Storyteller

Films:

Aberdeen
About Bunuel
Beauty Will Save the World
Better Than Sex
Boseman and Lena
The Burger and the King: The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley
Chinese Coffee
Chopper
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens
Chunhyang

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Dinner Rush
The Endurance
Faithless
Forever Mine
Hell's Heroes
House of Mirth
Innocence
Jazz
The King is Alive
Kippur
Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces
Native Son
Nosferatu
One Day in September
Our Lady of the Assassins
Rapt

Quills
Seven Men from Now
Shadow of the Vampire
Stranger on the Prowl
Sunset Boulevards
Sweet and Lowdown
A Time of Drunken Horses
The Widow of St. Pierre
Wings of Hope
Yi Yi
Yolgnu Boy

Guests:

Eric Bana
Angela Bassett
Ken Burns
Willem Dafoe
Andrew Dominick
Sarah Gavron
Danny Glover
Werner Herzog
Phil Kaufman
Ang Lee
Elmore Leonard
Kevin Macdonald
Leonard Maltin
Todd McCarthy
Janet McTeer
Al Pacino
Peter Reigert
Paul Schrader
Barbet Schroeder
Peter Sellars
Stellan Skarsgard
Barry Sonnenfeld


Note: Film maker Sarah Gavron made her first Telluride appearance with her short film Losing Touch.

Also, personally...would have loved to have been there for the Elmore Leonard program and the presentation of Nosferatu.



MORE CANNES AWARDS SEASON ANALYSIS

I'm adding links here to post-Cannes awards analysis from Nicole Sperling at Entertainment Weekly  and Erik Anderson of Awards Watch.

Sperling specifically mentions The Beguiled (opening on June 30, so off the table for Telluride) and Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here as potential Oscar hopefuls.  She also makes the point that The Florida Project could be a dark horse (as I have said as well).

Foreign Language film candidates that she assesses are Palme d'Or winner The Square, Loveless, Happy End and BPM.  For my money Loveless and BPM seem the most likely T-ride choices.

Anderson, in his post for Awards Watch, starts with mentioning, The Square, BPM and Loveless as real Foreign Language contenders.

Other article highlights are his suggestion that neither Wonderstruck nor Happy End were probably hurt by their lack of awards and that we should be watching for Agnes Varda and JR's Visages/Villages (Faces/Places) as a serious contender for Best Documentary.



IF I HAD TO...

I won't put up the first "official" Ten Bets for Telluride of the year until June 23rd...but...if I had to tell you right now what I think...in no particular order...

Wonderstruck
The Florida Project
Loveless
A Fantastic Woman
Downsizing
Visages/Villages (Faces/Places)
You Were Never Really Here
BPM
The Current War
Battle of the Sexes

...might be near the top of a hypothetical "Ten Bets" three months before the fest commences...but don't quote me.


And that'll do it for this Monday.  I'll have more tomorrow...


EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com OR michael_speech@hotmail.com

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Accidental Image and a Reminder / After Billy Lynn?

Good Thursday world...


ACCIDENTAL IMAGE AND A REMINDER


Last March, in one of the 2016 Oscar season pieces that happened immediately after this past Oscar season finished, I mentioned that Mike Mills 20th Century Women might be a film worth keeping an eye on as a possible Telluride selection for TFF #43 and since then...nothing.

At the time, the film had no domestic distribution and according to an IMDb check, that's still true. Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures is among the producers on the film which stars Annette Bening, also set to appear in hubby Warren Beatty's Howard Hughes pic Rules Don't Apply.

Yesterday, it appears that someone leaked the first image of the film online which makes you think that, perhaps, the film is still on track for release and a possible run in some of the fall film fests.

Here's the image and the accompanying story from Film Experience:

http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2016/6/8/thoughts-i-had-while-looking-at-the-first-20th-century-women.html

Also, here's the IMDb page for 20th Century Women:


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4385888/?ref_=nv_sr_1




AFTER BILLY LYNN?

Ang Lee's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is set for release on Nov. 11 (ironically on the same day as Rules Don't Apply-mentioned above).

The film has a good deal of pre-Oscar buzz and it's certainly a long shot to play Telluride largely because Ang Lee, who used to play T-ride with some frequency, hasn't been back since 2005's Brokeback Mountain and also because Billy Lynn's distrib is Sony Pictures which hasn't exactly been a Telluride staple (unless you count their specialty arm-Sony Pictures Classics).

Nevertheless, because Lee HAS had a Telluride presence with Telluride in the misty past, I think you still take notice of his films and the slightest chance that they could make their way to southwestern Colorado.

To that end, we noticed news yesterday that Lee continues to prep for what seems to be his next project focusing on the Ali/Frazier "Thrilla in Manila" heavyweight championship fight.

The Film Stage reported on progress yesterday.  That report also relied on a Screen Daily interview.  Both are linked here:

https://thefilmstage.com/news/ang-lees-ali-frazier-boxing-drama-to-mark-sensorial-leap-forward/

http://www.screendaily.com/news/james-schamus-talks-muhammad-ali-movie/5104580.article

That's a wrap for Thursday...

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OR leave a comment...

FLASH: Directors Guild/Oscar Podcast/Final Gurus/Tapley Sez/Online Film Critics Love Some Argo

DIRECTOR'S GUILD OF AMERICA NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

Ben Affleck/Argo
Kathryn Bigelow/Zero Dark Thirty
Tom Hooper/Les Miserables
Ang Lee/Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg/Lincoln

No nominations from the DGA for David O. Russell, Michael Haneke, Quentin Tarantino or Wes Anderson.


OSCAR PODCAST

Sahsa Stone's/Awards Daily last podcast before Oscar nominations are announced...

http://www.awardsdaily.com/podcasts/oscarpodcast/episode15.mp3

FINAL GURUS OF GOLD

Movie City News Gurus of Gold charts...last before nominations...and it looks a lot like The FAC's...

http://moviecitynews.com/2013/01/gurus-o-gold-3-days-from-nominations/

TAPLEY'S PREDICTIONS

Kris Tapley's/HitFix-InContention/mostly final picks prior to the  nominations...
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/in-contention/posts/kristopher-tapley-predicts#18xdV7TIAfYrGXPu.03

ONLINE FILM CRITICS CHOSE ARGO

The Online Film Critics Circle go big for Argo...
http://www.thewrap.com/awards/column-post/argo-tops-online-film-critics-society-71656

More later..

Pi to NY/View of Expectations/More from Toronto Today

Good Tuesday All!


PI TO NY

Yesterday I wrote that I had never expected that Robert Zemeckis' "Flight" was a likely Telluride contender and that its choice to close the NY Film Fest probably closed any crack of an opening in that door.

Today comes news that the opening film for NYFF will be a film that has been on my TFF #39 radar...Ang Lee's "Life of Pi".  That also likely removes its chances for T-ride considerably.



Here's what I mean:

2011 NYFF Opener: "Carnage", Closer:"The Descendants" "Centerpiece: "My Week with Marilyn"
2010: Opener: "The Social Network", Closer: "Hereafter", Centerpiece: "The Tempest"
2009: Opener: "Wild Grass"
2008: Opener: "The Class"
2007: Opener: "The Darjeeling Limited"
2006: Opener: "The Queen"

They just don't book "tentpoles" that overlap with Telluride (the exception being last year's "The Descendants").

So "Life of Pi"...pretty much off the table...however...look for the NYFF regular lineup announcement as a semi-good predictor of TFF fare. 

In 2011 these films overlapped: "A Dangerous Method", "A Separation", "Footnote", "George Harrison: Living in the Material World", "Goodbye First Love", "Le Harve", "Pina", "Shame", "The Artist", "The Kid with a Bike" and "The Turin Horse".  That's 11 of the 24 non-"tentpoles" that NYFF offered that played in both fests.

In 2010 the overlap included: "Another Year", "Carlos", "Inside Job", "Le Quattro Volte", "Of Gods an Men" and  "Poetry".  6 of 25. 

So parsing the NYFF lineup announcement should be instructive.

Here are links to posts concerning the announcement yesterday that "Life of Pi" will open the NYFF:

http://www.ioncinema.com/news/film-festivals/major-awards-race-title-secured-for-50th-anniversary-opener-life-of-pi-is-shipwrecked-at-nyff

http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/ang-lees-life-of-pi-will-open-the-50th-new-york-film-festival

Also, here's the trailer:

VIEW OF GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Speaking of trailers...here's the just released trailer for Mike Newell's "Great Expectations" which could be a Telluride possibility...InContention/HitFix's Kris Tapley lists it as a "Maybe":



Posts for the trailer release for "Great Expectations:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-international-trailer-for-great-expectations-starring-ralph-fiennes-helena-bonham-carter-20120813

http://www.deadline.com/2012/08/great-expectations-trailer-helena-bonham-carter-video/

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/watch-latest-great-expectations-adaptation-gets-an-international-trailer/


MORE FROM TORONTO

Toronto's International Film Festival is set to announce 3 more Galas and 18 Special Presentations this morning...I'll peruse them and see if that announcement gives us any clues for our fest in the San Jauns in 2 1/2 weeks.


More later...

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Big Picture/Life of Pi Images/Coming Attractions: 12 Years

Good Friday morning form Santa Fe!

BIG PICTURE

I'm sure many of you have seen the Vanity Fair 100th Anniversary photo for Paramount films.  It's very cool...impressive.  Some 116 stars and directors gathered together for the shot.  Some huge names and many, many past Telluride participants.  What's kind of entertaining is trying to figure out why some of the "lesser lights" made the cut for posing...Katie Featherston anyone? (who was in Telluride film "Paranormal Activity".

Here's the link to the Vanity Fair post complete with a magnifying and identification tool

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/07/paramount-pictures-100th-anniversary-photo


LIFE OF PI IMAGES

Fox 2000 continues to slowly role out info, pictures, etc. for And Lee's "Life of PI" set for a Nov. 12th release date.  A clip found its way online yesterday to a variety of forums and though it's really short, it is intriguing.  Here are multiple stories/links:

SlashFilm:
http://www.slashfilm.com/life-pi-clip-online-banners-show-gorgeous-imagery/

Rope of Silicon:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/life-of-pi-clip-ang-lee-prometheus/

First Showing.net
http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/beautiful-images-first-clip-found-on-the-official-life-of-pi-website/

The Playlist:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-blink-and-youll-miss-it-footage-from-life-of-pi-plus-new-banners-from-ang-lees-film-20120614

"Life of Pi's" IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454876/

"Life of Pi's" chances to be at Telluride: 20%


COMING ATTRACTIONS; "12 YEARS A SLAVE"

Steve McQueen has had both of his first directing efforts "Hunger" and "Shame" make appearances at Telluride and I suspect a reasonably good chance that his next project "12 Years a Slave" will make it there in 2013.

We have been seeing a number of casting stories concerning the film including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and Brad Pitt.

Here are the stories I have collected concerning the film and its casting:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/michael-fassbender-says-12-years-a-slave-is-his-next-film-shoots-summer-2012-developing-his-own-projects-one-with-an-ex-beta-band-member

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Shame-Director-Next-Film-Twelve-Years-Slave-May-Have-Found-Financing-Distribution-30363.html#

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/paul-dano-joins-chiwetel-ejiofor-michael-fassbender-brad-pitt-in-steve-mcqueens-twelve-years-a-slave-20120521

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/pariah-star-adepero-oduye-lining-up-role-in-steve-mcqueens-twelve-years-a-slave-with-michael-fassbender-20120416

"Slave's" IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/


More later...

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