More Peering Into the Oscar Crystal Ball / Barry Jenkins Oscar Speech / Arthur Miller Has a Trailer

Good Monday morning and apologies for today's tardiness.  Still trying to manage the switch to daylight savings time.


MORE PEERING INTO THE OSCAR CRYSTAL BALL

More Oscar prognosticators have begun to turn the page from the 90th Oscars to begin to lay the groundwork for the 91st.  As is my custom, I am mining their predictions for potential players for TFF #45.

Erik Anderson of Awards Watch posted his first pass this past week.  Included on his Best Picture list are these films that might make the Telluride lineup:

Backseat-The Adam McKay directed biopic of Dick Cheney with Christian Bale and Amy Adams.

Black Klansman- This is my first inclusion on the prospective Telluride 2018 list.  It's from Spike Lee and is based on the true story of  Ron Stallworth, an African-American lawman who infiltrated the KKK.  My primary reason for inclusion:  It's distributed by Focus Features which played Darkest Hour at TFF last year.

Boy Erased- dir: Joel Edgerton

Can You Ever Forgive Me?-Melissa McCarthy stars in a drama. Marielle Heller directs and its from Fox Searchlight...which had a good year last year with a little film that played Telluride called The Shape of Water.

Everybody Knows-  Asghar Farhadi is back.  The film maker played past Tellurides with A Separation and The Past but did  not in 2016 with The Salesman.  A return could happen with this project that stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.

First Man- Damian Chazelle's La La Land follow up about astronaut Neil Armstrong.

The Front Runner-Jason Reitman's focus on Gary Hart's flame out presidential run in with Hugh Jackman playing the Senator.

If Beale Street Could Talk- Barry Jenkins...

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote- Terry Gilliam's multi-decade passion project.

Mary, Queen of Scots- Saorise Ronan and Margot Robbie go toe to toe in this historical biopic.  I'm actually back and forth about its chances, but it's also from Focus Features which, for the moment, tipped the scales for me to include it here.

Old Man and the Gun- Fox Searchlight again and Robert Redford...a past TFF tribute recipient.

Peterloo- Mike Leigh directs the story of labor strife in England.

Roma- Alfonso Cuaron could be back after Gravity's play in 2013.

Widows-Steve McQueen directs.  That, by itself, might be enough to mean a Telluride play.

And maybe, again, maybe...Martin Scorsese's The Irishman...depending on what Netflix decides to do with its delivery.

Here's is Anderson's complete post.


Meanwhile, Joey Magidson has 2018-19 10 Oscar Best Picture picks up at Hollywood News.  They include, as you'd expect, many of the same films that Anderson has named:

First Man, Backseat, The Front Runner, The Irishman and Boy erased.  He also includes The Women of Marwen starring Steve Carrel.

Magidson's post is here


BARRY JENKINS OSCAR SPEECH

Photo from Indiewire

In the melee that was the end of the Oscar telecast in 2017, and with the reversal of fortune that presented itself after it was discovered that the winner was Moonlight and not La La Land, Barry Jenkins didn't get a chance to say what he intended to say as the telecast concluded.

That oversight was corrected, at least in some measure, yesterday in Austin, TX at the South by Southwest Fest where Jenkins was a keynote speaker. 

Among other comments, Jenkins discussed the importance of not placing limitations on oneself.

Here is linked coverage of the address from Jenkins from:

Variety

Deadline

Indiewire

Got to say that I'm glad Jenkins gt the chance.


ARTHUR MILLER HAS A TRAILER

Rebecca Miller and HBO Docs brought Arthur Miller; Writer to TFF #45 last fall and now HBO has set its reveal for Mar. 19th.  Consequently, a trailer for the documentary has been released.  Here that is from YouTube:

That's all for today.  More to come on Thursday.

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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

The Inventory from TFF #44 / FAC Oscar Update:Best Picture and Direction / Eligible Documentaries Announced / Releasing News

Good final Monday in October to you...



THE INVENTORY FROM TFF #44

I recently completed my annual canvas of minutiae from this year's Telluride Film Festival and thought I'd share some of the tidbits of the information from that.

Starting with the distributors.  Long time Telluride attendees and/or readers of this space know that Sony Pictures Classics is almost always well represented at the festival.  I've been going to Telluride since 2006 and in that time SPC has averaged nearly five films per fest.  SPC held true to that form this year with five films: A Fantastic Woman, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, Foxtrot, Loveless and The Rider.

Five other distributors screened multiple films over Labor Day weekend:

A24: First Reformed, Lady Bird and Lean on Pete
Fox Searchlight: Battle of the Sexes and The Shape of Water
Cohen Media Group: Faces Places and The Insult
Netflix: First They Killed My Father and Wormwood
Amazon Studios: Wonderstruck and Human Flow

Nine other distributors had films on the TFF #44 schedule including Focus Features (Darkest Hour), Paramount (Downsizing),  HBO Films (Arthur Miller:Writer) and PBS (The Vietnam War).

Unusually, there were no films from Sundnace Selects/IFC Films, Open Road, Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions or Warner Brothers which have all been common players in recent years at Telluride.  And, also, no films from the currently beleaguered Weinstein Company.

As of this post, seven TFF #44 films did not yet have distribution in the U.S.:

Eating Animals
Hostages
Land of the Free
Love, Cecil
A Man of Integrity
Tesnota
The Venerable W

Film Festival crossovers...films that were shared by TFF and some other major fests:

Berlin: A Fantastic Woman, Hostages and The Other Side of Hope

Cannes: Faces Places, Film Worker, Loveless, A Man of Integrity, The Rider, Tesnota, The Venerable W., Wonderstruck

Venice: Downsizing, First Reformed, Foxtrot, Human Flow, The Insult, Lean on Pete, The Shape of Water and Wormwood

Toronto: Battle of the Sexes, Darkest Hour, Downsizing, Faces Places, A Fantastic Woman, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, First Reformed, First They Killed My Father, Foxtrot, Hostiles, Human Flow, The Insult, Lady Bird, Lean on Pete, Loveless, The Other Side of Hope, The Rider and The Shape of Water

New York: Arthur Miller: Writer, Faces Places,Film Worker, First Reformed, Lady Bird, The Other Side of Hope, The Rider. The Venerable W. and Wonderstruck

London: Battle of the Sexes. Downsizing, Faces Places, A Fantastic Woman, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, Film Worker, Foxtrot, Lady Bird, Lean on Pete, Loveless, Loving Vincent, The Rider, The Shape of Water, The Venerable W. and Wonderstruck


FAC OSCAR UPDATE: BEST PICTURE AND DIRECTION


Our last Film Awards Clearinghouse look at the Best Picture and Best Direction categories came on Oct. 12th.  With the conclusion of the New York Film Festival and the announcement of the Independent Film Projects Gotham Award nominees, I thought I'd update the Best Picture and Best Direction categories.

TFF #44 films are Bold.


BEST PICTURE

This was the list on Oct. 12th:

1) Dunkirk
2) The Shape of Water
3) Darkest Hour
4) Three Billboards
5) The Post
6) Call Me By Your Name
7) Get Out
8) The Florida Project

Others: Blade Runner 2049, Mudbound, Lady Bird


The updated list as of today:

1) Dunkirk
2) The Shape of Water
3) Darkest Hour
4) Three Billboards
5) Call Me By Your Name
6) The Post
7) Get Out
8) The Florida Project

Others: Lady Bird, Mudbound, I Tonya

Notes: Call Me By Your Name and The Post trade spots and Lady Bird and I Tonya show some momentum.  Also, I suspect that Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread may start to make an appearance after seeing its trailer last week.


BEST DIRECTION

From Oct. 12th:

1) Christopher Nolan/Dunkirk
2) Guillermo Del Toro/The Shape of Water
3) Steven Spielberg/The Post
4) Joe Wright/Darkest Hour
5) Martin McDonagh/Three Billboards

Other Possibilities: Sean Baker/Florida Project, Luca Guadagnino/Call Me By Your Name, Dee Rees/Mudbound

Updated list:

1) Christopher Nolan/Dunkirk

2) Guillermo Del Toro/The Shape of Water

3) Joe Wright/Darkest Hour

4) Martin McDonagh/Three Billboards

5) Steven Spielberg/The Post

Other Possibilities: Luca Guadagnino/Call Me By Your Name, Jordan Peele/Get Out, Dee Rees/Mudbound

Notes: Wright and Mc Donagh benefit from some slippage by Spielberg.  Sean Baker loses some steam as Jordan Peele pops into the "Other Possibilities" list.

ELIGIBLE DOCUMENTARIES ANNOUNCED

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have released a list of 170 feature documentaries eligible for Oscar consideration for this year.  From that list I find at least nine that played either TFF #43 or TFF #44.  They are:

From TFF #44:

Arthur Miller: Writer
Faces Places
Human Flow
An Inconvenient Sequel

From TFF #43:

The B Side
California Typewriter
Chasing Trane
Finding Oscar
I Called Him Morgan

The complete list of all 170 films is here from Variety.



RELEASING NEWS

I discovered a couple of notes concerning release dates fro films that played the 44th edition of the Telluride Film Festival.

Scott Cooper's Hostiles (recently acquired by Entertainment Studios) has been dated for initial domestic release for Dec. 22nd.  This, as expected puts it into play for Oscar consideration.  Their has been a good deal of speculation that Christian Bale, who leads the western drama, might be a serious contender in the Best Actor category.

Additionally, Indiewire reported at the end of last week that Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water will have a bi-coastal opening.  Rather than open in New York and Los Angeles on the same date, the film will open in NYC first on Dec. 1st and then in Los Angeles one week later essentially creating two red carpet opportunities.

Here is that story from Indiewire.


And that's your Monday MTFB.  I'll have more on Thursday.


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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

New York Tells / First Look at Hostiles / Marshall Oddity / Beating the Drum: Rate Those Films!

It's Thursday, August 24, 2017...Seven days until The SHOW!!!

NEW YORK TELLS

I was more than a little surprised a couple of weeks back when Toronto announced the bulk of its documentary films and I couldn't find a single doc that was going to share the two festivals.  Unheard of and weird, to be honest.  However...

The New York Film Fest named its documentary selections late yesterday and if I'm reading the tea leaves correctly, that's the fest that will crossover with T-ride this year with some choice titles.

Judging by NYFF's premiere status designations with a focus on docs that were announced with no status and cross checking with IMDb, it would seem that the following films could be playing in Colorado next week:

Arthur Miller: Writer directed by the famed playwright's daughter Rebecca Miller (does this portend accompaniment by her husband-Daniel Day Lewis?  Probably not as he is-we believe-still filming Paul Thomas Anderson's untitled/maybe titled Phantom Thread-film).

Filmworker directed by Tony Zierra.  The film focuses on Leon Vitali who became an acolyte of Stanley Kubrick.  This played Cannes and reports about it totally caught my attention when it did.  I mentioned it as a Telluride possibility in my May 8th post.  Very intriguing.

And perhaps the one that gets me the most excited is Vanessa Redgrave's directorial debut Sea Sorrow which played Cannes as well and features Ralph Fiennes and Emma Thompson in an exploration of the refugee crisis with an historical perspective.  I have been hoping for a Vanessa Redgrave appearance at The SHOW for years and maybe that happens in 2017.  Sea Sorrow was briefly mentioned in this space as a film of interest back on April 13th.

A Vanessa Redgrave tribute?

And finally Barbet Schroeder's The Venerable W looks like it could be headed to Telluride.  The doc explores the evil behind ethnic cleansing in Burma.  Schroeder, who has an extensive history with Telluride may be making a return. The Venerable W was first mentioned here at MTFB as a T-ride possibility on Mar. 20th.

Now, a quick disclaimer...the provenance of documentaries is often a bit more difficult to accurately pin down as compared to feature films.  That said...these four films all seem like a good fit for TFF #44.

I have linked coverage of the NYFF documentary announcement here from Indiewire and here from Deadline.



FIRST LOOK AT HOSTILES

If you follow me on Twitter (@Gort2) then you may have caught my Tweet Tuesday that includes the first still photo from the Scott Cooper film Hostiles which, of course, I'm sure is going to be in The SHOW lineup when  it's announced a week from today.

I believe I had the honor to be one of the first outlets in the country to publish the pic as I was included in the P.R. email that provided access to the photo.

If you missed it Tuesday here it is:

You have your Christian Bale looking pensive.

The film is said to center on the story of an American Army Captain in the late 1800's who accompanies a dying Native American Chief through dangerous territory.

It is definitely on my list to see next week.

MARSHALL ODDITY

Again, if you're reading this space closely now as we get down to mere days before film Nirvana presents itself in southwest Colorado, you know that I have a list of films that I still think might play the fest that we don't have good intell about.  There are seven films still on that list and of them, five are still moderately seriously in play.  Two are incredibly long shots at this point: Wonder and The Snowman.  Five, I think, still have a fighting chance: You Were Never Really Here, L'Amant Double, Final Portrait, Our Souls at Night and Reginald Hudlin's Marshall.

Well...yesterday, the Urbanworld Film Festival (based in NYC) became the first fest (to my knowledge) to announce a screening of Marshall.  UFF runs Sept. 20-24th.  So, as you might expect, I opened the story expecting to see that the film would be World Premiering there.

To my surprise...NOPE.  UFF lists Marshall as a "U.S. Premiere".  I don't know how to interpret this.

That designation would make sense if the film had been announced for Toronto or Venice but it has not.  As best as I can find, Marshall will not have played anywhere when UFF screens it (I believe it may be their closing film on Sept. 24).

But here's the thing, if it were to play T-ride then its UFF appearance would not be a U.S. premiere.

To add confusion, UFF does list other films as World, East Coast or even New York Premieres.

So...does this take Marshall off the TFF #44 table or is the U.S. Premiere designation meant to convey that its World/North American premiere will have happened...meaning Telluride and an odd designation from UFF?

I don't know the answer here but I do know that I would not be surprised if it were to be included at T-ride despite to scheduled play in Toronto, Venice or NYFF.

Check the story from Variety.

BEATING THE DRUM

Don't forget, my friends, I want your ratings of the films you see next weekend.  Use a 0-5 scale with 0 being "putrid" and 5 being "best film since..."

Submit your ratings for The People's Telluride via any of the contact methods listed below.

That's Thursday.  A NEW TEN (20+) BETS will be here tomorrow.


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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG