Does San Sebastian List Tell Us Anything? / I'm Thinking of Ending Things Goes Early / Sasha Weighs In on Oscar

DOES SAN SEBASTIAN LIST TELL US ANYTHING?

San Sebastian is planning for its film fest which runs Sept. 18-26...roughly two weeks after TFF and a week after Toronto.  They've announced their first set of selected films which include a number of Cannes "branded" films.  Of not to Telluride watchers probably are Summer of '85, Another round and True Mothers...which, barring being World Premieres for TIFF might indicate them as possibilities for TFF #47.

I'll point out again that when TIFF announced their Cannes titles a few weeks back, I pointed out that the TIFF press language called their selections as "premieres" without any qualifying status (i.e. "World" or "North American".  My point was the notion that if TIFF could have announced them as a "World" or "North American" premiere they would have.  Of course, I could be totally wrong.

Still, perhaps these selections are pointing to the most likely Cannes "crossovers" this year.


Here's the San Sebastian initial announcement from Variety.


I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS GOES EARLY

Netflix has announced that Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things will drop on Sept. 4th which is now the second day of the Telluride Film Festival.  The announcement would certainly suggest that the film would not be at TFF #47 in a "normal" world.  In a Covid-19 world, who knows?

But it also probably underscores Netflix's earlier revelation that they won't be including ANY of their titles at ANY film fest this fall.

As many of you know, I have been harboring a theory that there Netflix might pop some of their titles at Telluride under cover of Telluride's policy of not revealing titles until the day before the fest starts.

My takeaway from this information that my theory seems even less likely to come to pass and it was a highly unlikely scenario to begin with.  Still, I'm not likely to abandon it it completely.


SASHA WEIGHS IN ON OSCAR

My friend Sasha Stone, founder of Awards Daily posted some serious and early Oscar prognostication since my last post.  Included in the article re her picks for Best PIc as well as a list forwarded to her from another friend.  I can tell you that Sasha's friend is also pretty good at predicting Oscar fortunes.

The friend's list includes:

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
The French Dispatch (Searchlight)
Hamilton (Disney)
Mank (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
Nomadland (Searchlight)
Stillwater (Focus)
Tenet (Warner Bros.)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
West Side Story (Fox/Disney)

Sasha's list includes:

Mank
West Side Story
Nightmare Alley
News of the World
Tenet
Nomadland
Stillwater
Trial of the Chicago 7
The Father
Da 5 Bloods

Films on both lists: Mank, Da Five Bloods, Chicago 7, Nomadland, Stillwater, Tenet and West Side Story.  Of those only Nomadland seems to me to be a solid TFF prospect.  Da Five Bloods, Mank and Chicago 7 are all Netflix joints now and I don't see Tenet or West Side Story being at a fest at all.  Stillwater from Focus is intriguing.  Whether it's a serious TFF possibility depends on if it's finished and what path Focus Features decides to follow.

The friend's other three films are: The French Dispatch, Hamilton and Minari.  Of that list only The French Dispatch might be in the cards for TFF.  Hamilton is playing now on Disney+,  Minari was a Sundance film.

Sasha's other four are: The Father (also a Sundance title), Guillermo Del Toro's Nightmare Alley which recent reports suggest wasn't quite half-filmed when production shut down due to the pandemic-I don't think it'll be close to ready for TFF.  Actually, I'll be surprised of it's ready in time for Oscar consideration this year even with the extended release window currently in place.  Sasha's third film is Paul Greengrass' News of the World which hasn't been high on my list for TFF all along as Greengrass has never played anything at Telluride and also due to the lack of much a Telluride profile from its distributor/studio (Columbia/Universal).

Sasha's complete article is here and includes some mention of Best Director and Best Actor possibilities.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

More Directors Talk: "Anomalisa", "Spotlight" and "Son of Saul"/ Oscar Matters: Updates from The Feinberg Forecast and The Awards Circuit / Composing for "Steve Jobs"

Welcome to Monday at MTFB/FAC...hope it was a good weekend.

First, hey, I'm sorry.  In the midst of what was a busy week last week, I really didn't realize that I had posted the regular Thursday edition of MTFB/FAC on Wednesday until that cat had been out of the bag for a good long while, so I just let it stand.  Maybe, I'll get this put together a little more like normal this week.  Anyway, sorry for the 24 hour early post this last week.


MORE DIRECTORS TALK: 'ANOMALISA", "SPOTLIGHT" AND "SON OF SAUL"

Charlie Kaufman, co-director and co-writer of the stop motion animated Telluride sensation "Anomalisa" had a couple of prominent interviews pop up this week for The New York Times and The Playlist (Indiewire) and I have included their links here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/movies/charlie-kaufman-discusses-anomalisa-his-existential-stop-motion-movie.html?_r=0

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-15-minute-anomalisa-q-a-with-charlie-kaufman-plus-new-poster-and-image-for-the-film-20151029

Additionally, National Public Radio talked to "Spotlight" director and co-writer Tom McCarthy.
That's here:

http://www.npr.org/2015/10/29/452805058/film-shines-a-spotlight-on-bostons-clergy-sex-abuse-scandal

And, friend of MTFB, Alex Billington/FirstShowing.net interviewed first time director, Laszlo Nemes, whose "Son of Saul" was red hot at Cannes and Telluride and has to be considered the favorite for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.  That interview is linked here:

http://www.firstshowing.net/2015/interview-son-of-saul-writerdirector-laszlo-nemes-on-great-cinema/


OSCAR MATTERS: UP DATES FROM THE FEINBERG FORECAST AND THE AWARDS CIRCUIT

The amorphous Oscar race continues and I have linked the latest analysis and predictions from The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg and The Awards Circuit's Joey Magidson.  The race continues to change...

Feinberg:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/awards/predictions/awards/predictions/oscars/2015/academy-awards-101615/

Magidson:

http://www.awardscircuit.com/2015/10/31/sizing-best-picture-2015/



COMPOSING FOR "STEVE JOBS"

Kiko Martinez talks to composer Daniel Pemberton about his work for Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs" for the Tribeca Film Festival.  Take a look at that interview here:

https://tribecafilm.com/stories/steve-jobs-composer-daniel-pemberton-danny-boyle-michael-fassbender-kate-winslet-seth-rogen-apple-mac


That's Monday's MTFB/FAC.  More to come on Thursday...I promise, it will actually be on Thursday this week.

Contact me at:

michael_speech@hotmail.com OR

mpgort@gmail.com OR

via Twitter @Gort2 OR to

Michael's Telluride Film Blog's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michaels-Telluride-Film-Blog-and-The-Film-Awards-Clearinghouse/107846269309712

"The Zog" Nears Completion/Brit Producers #2

Good Tuesday Everyone.

"THE ZOG" NEARS COMPLETION

For months I've been reporting on the development and progress on the project to makeover The Hanley Pavilion in Town Park in Telluride so that it can be used as a tenth venue during the film festival.  The Telluride Daily Planet reported yesterday that the progress has been good and that the new "Werner Herzog Theater" (The Zog) is on target.

The story also dropped a couple of interesting items.  First, and perhaps most eye-catching was the revelation that "The Zog" will be mostly a "first come, first serve venue".  Festival co-director Julie Huntsinger is quoted in the article as saying that there will be no passholder distinction at "The Zog".  Huntsinger says in the story that the exception will be in the case of film premieres that occur at the new 750 seat facility.

Another interesting note is that, in addition to the extra fifth day of programming to celebrate the fests 40th anniversary, a special Wednesday afternoon "event" will be held to start the weekend.  The story doesn't give any clues as to what that "event" might be.

Here's the link to the complete Telluride Daily Planet story:

http://www.telluridenews.com/articles/2013/07/07/news/doc51d75875e8e88369135159.txt

BRIT PRODUCERS #2

Yesterday I examined a couple of British production outfits that have been a part of the festival in the past.  Today I'll look at another: Film4.

FILM4 has been a fairly constant presence at Telluride over the past seven years:

2006: Deep Water
2007: When Did You Last See Your Father, Brick Lane
2008: Happy-Go-Lucky, Hunger, Slumdog Millionaire
2009:
2010: Another Year, Never Let Me Go
2011: Shame
2012:

Although Film4 wasn't represented in 2012, they do have a number of possible films in the barrel that could have Telluride potential including:

The John LeCarre adaptation "A Most Wanted Man"
Roger Michell's "Le Weekend"
Kevin Macdonald's "How I Live Now"
Cannes success "The Selfish Giant"
Ken Loach's "The Spirit of 45"
and Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin".

All but "A Most Wanted Man" have been addressed/assessed in this space recently ("Le Weekend" and "How I Live Now" were discussed in the "Usual Suspects" posts, "The Selfish Giant" in the Sundance Selects portion of U.S. distribution companies and "Spirit of '45" and "Under the Skin" in yesterday's UK Film Council breakdown).

"A Most Wanted Man" has no other Telluride indicators, so its status as a Telluride "potential" is limited.  Put it 20%.

There are other Brit Film Production houses that have some history with Telluride: Lipsync, See Saw, Film Four, but as of right now, these companies don't have films listed on IMDb that appear to be in position for TFF #40.

Tomorrow, we'll begin to take a look at the French film production houses that could be a part of this year's fest.


SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE REDUX?

A number of outlets reported the last couple of days that a new film rendition of Kurt Vonnegut's classic "Slaughterhouse Five" might be in the works.

It's my favorite novel but I've always been a bit disappointed in the 1972 George Roy Hill film version.

The story came to light in the P.R. run up to the release of "Pacific Rim" as director Guillermo del Toro revealed that he had been batting the idea around with Universal and wanted to get Charlie Kaufman on board to write a new script based on the novel.

Now, I'm not as crazy about del Toro's work as a lot of people.  I am impressed with the visual style he brings to the screen, but otherwise I've never been blown away by his directing style.  Additionally, I'll be honest, I think "Pacific Rim" looks...um...silly.  I know, I know...but the Idris Elba "canceling the apocalypse" line...please.

What I do think is exciting about the del Toro tidbits is how he'll make Tralfamadore and the Tralfamadorians look.  That and his terrific notion to try to lure Kaufman to the project.  I can't think of a better-suited screen writer for the material than Charlie Kaufman.

There do seem to be obstacles, however.  Money and time being the principle issues.

Check these posts from HitFix:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/wait-guillermo-del-toro-has-a-take-on-slaughterhouse-five-with-charlie-kaufman


and Hollywood Elsewhere:

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2013/07/slaughterhouse-script-unstuck-in-universal-miasma/


Follow/Like Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2

More tomorrow.