Robin Williams/No "Queen" for TFF #41/But Maybe Some "Clouds"/Also Maybe Some Marty/We'll Be Rating Films Again

Welcome to Tuesday...a much bleaker Tuesday than it should be...

ROBIN WILLIAMS 1951-2014

I don't know about you, but this one was hard.  Really hard.  I reacted strongly to the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman back in February and now this...

Robin Williams is gone apparently as the result of suicide.  Jesus.

Williams was a guest of the Telluride Film Festival in 1986 with Fielder Cook's "Seize the Day" which is more than a little odd as he would make the Latin phrase for "seize the day" (carpe diem) into something of a generational calling card three years later in "Dead Poet's Society".

Wish I'd have been there in '86.

I never saw a performer who could do so much so fast with so little necessity for preparation.  His talent was monstrous.

Lots of great performances over a career that spanned from the late seventies right up to yesterday.

Good Will Hunting
Good Morning Vietnam
The World According to Garp...


Many many more...

Glad we can go back and watch them but so, so sad that there won't be anymore...


A couple of tidbits dropped late yesterday that make for interesting Telluride Film Fest news...

NO "QUEEN" FOR TFF #41

In what I thought was a stunning piece of news, producer Cassian Elwes announced via Twitter yesterday that Werner Herzog's "Queen of the Desert" starring Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson and James Franco will NOT be ready for presentation at either Telluride or Toronto.

The Elwes tweet went like this:

"We've had technical issues in the finishing of queen and it's not ready for tiff or telluride. We don't want to show a work in progress"


So, no new Werner this year and a film that I've been including in every "Ten Bets" list this summer (all seven of them) comes off the charts.

Kristopher Tapley at HitFix/InContention posted this story about the announcement:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/queen-of-the-desert-with-nicole-kidman-and-robert-pattinson-wont-play-telluride-toronto

Also this from Kevin Jagarnauth at The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/werner-herzogs-queen-of-the-desert-wont-be-ready-for-telluride-or-tiff-20140811

Needless to say, that also more or less nukes the chance of a Nicole Kidman tribute.


BUT MAYBE SOME "CLOUDS"

Meanwhile, The Playlist tweeted yesterday that the Olivier Assayas Cannes competition piece "Clouds of Sils Maria" (which it says is now just "Sils Maria") will be announced for Toronto this morning.  There's a lot of corresponding speculation that Telluride is still very much in play as a possibility for that film as well.

The body of The Playlist tweet:

Not official yet, but Clouds of Sils Maria will be at #TIFF14 (just Sils Maria now). More soon.


And here's a link to The Playlist's coverage of the film to date:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/tag/clouds-of-sils-maria


ALSO MAYBE SOME MARTY

Martin Scorsese via BAFTA and RealScreen.com

RealScreen.com reported yesterday that Toronto will announce the Marin Scorsese and David Tedeschi directed documentary, "The New York Review of Books: A 50 Year Argument" will play TIFF as a "Canadian" premiere.  Following the logic of earlier TIFF announcements and knowing that the film played Berlin as a "work in progress" and then at Sheffield and Melbourne;  it seems likely that a berth at Telluride is a good possibility.

I first mentioned "A 50 Year Argument" back on July 2nd.

The RealScreen.com story is here:

http://realscreen.com/2014/08/11/exclusive-scorseses-50-year-argument-set-for-tiff/

The IMDb page for "A 50 Year Argument" is here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3510820/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt


WE'LL BE RATING FILMS AGAIN

For the third consecutive year Michael's Telluride Film Blog will be compiling ratings for the films that play at TFF.  It'll be on two tracks again this year with the "Pros": film bloggers, critics and industry types,  Thus far the following have agreed to participate:

Alex Billington/FirstShowing
Greg Ellwood/HitFix
Eric Kohn/IndieWire
Tomris Laffly/Film Journal
Eugene Novikov/Film Blather
Sasha Stone/Awards Daily
Kristopher Tapley/HitFix-InContention
Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood

I still have some feelers out for a few more members of the "pros" to join the party.

And, of course: "The People's Telluride" where I ask you to rate the films you see on a 0 to 5 scale with "0" meaning that it's truly awful to a "5" meaning "masterpiece".  I'll compile and publish here a week or so after the fest is complete.  I hope you'll add your voice to this project.

More coming later today with the latest news from Toronto and how that impacts Telluride 2014.

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2

Bad News on the "St. Vincent" and "Violent Year" Fronts/New Interstellar Trailer/More from France

Good Thursday to All...


BAD NEWS ON THE ST. VINCENT AND VIOLENT YEAR FRONTS

"St. Vincent" photo via yahoo.com

Deadline.com reported yesterday that a Toronto World Premiere Gala is all but a done deal for "St. Vincent" starring Bill Murray.  I have been holding out some hope that it and Murray would make the trip to Telluride but if the Mark Fleming, Jr. report is accurate...it looks unlikely now.

Read the story from Deadline.com here:

http://m.deadline.com/2014/07/mr-bill-murray-toronto-st-vincent-gala-but-cannot-find-you/

And speaking of bad news...there's some buzz that J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year" which I was thinking was a pretty good Telluride bet (and I was hoping would make the trip as well) may not be ready in time for the festival.

Gotta say that I'm bummed if both of these films miss the fest.

NEW INTERSTELLAR TRAILER

Much was made of the reveal at Comic Con last week by Christopher Nolan of a new trailer for his "Interstellar".  The film remains a way way outside possibility for Telluride, although I've become all but convinced that it won't happen.  Nevertheless, the new trailer can be accessed at the official Interstellar website by typing in the access code 7201969...the date U.S. astronauts landed on the moon.  Here's the site:

http://www.interstellarmovie.com/

It's a cool trailer too.

MORE FROM FRANCE

I'm continuing to look at the French production houses that have had a Telluride Film Fest history and their current connections to films to attempt to uncover some of the other films that are possibles for a screening in the San Juans.

FRANCE 3 CINEMA

2003: Dogville, The Tripletts of Belleville
2004:
2005: Lemming, Live and Become, Cache
2006: The Page Turner, Indigenes
2007: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Persepolis
2008: I've Loved You So Long
2009: The White Ribbon
2010: The Illusionist, The Princess of Montpensier, Of Gods and Men
2011: The Artist
2012: Superstar, Amour
2013: The Past

Though France3 has had a larger profile than France2 at Telluride over the past few years, their pool of films this year seems thin with no one film standing out as a likely suspect.

Perhaps "Le Temps des Aveux" or, more likely "Caricaturistes, fantassins de la démocratie" the documentary about cartoonists and democracy that played at Cannes.



ARTE FRANCE CINEMA

Another Franco production outfit that has had persistent presence in Telluride is arte France Cinema.  Their track record looks like this:

2003: Dogville
2004: The Weeping Meadow
2005: The Child, Cache, Paradise Now
2006: Day Night Day Night
2008: O'Horten
2011: Le Havre, Goodbye First Love
2012: No films at Telluride
2013: Le Maison de la Radio, The Lunchbox

After no Telluride presence in 2012, arte France Cinema came back in 2013 fairly strong.  In 2014 their best chance at playing Telluride is the yet unannounced for any fall fest, Olivier Assayas' Cannes competition piece "Clouds of Sils Maria" starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz.

As we haven't seen it in Toronto's list yet, I am inching a little closer to thinking that it could actually play at Telluride and, perhaps a Juliette Binoche tribute?


CINECINEMA/CINE+

CineCinema changed over to Cine+ within the last three years or so but it's all the same.  This production company has often been represented at Telluride over the last few years:

2005: Lemming, Live and Become
2006: The Page Turner, Indigenes
2007: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
2008: With a Little Help from Myself
2009: Farewell, Coco Before Chanel, A Prophet, Inferno
2010: The Illusionist, The Princess of Montpensier, Of Gods and Men
2011: Goodbye First Love, The Kid with a Bike, Le Havre, The Artist
2012: Rust and Bone, Superstar, The Attack, Amour
2013: The Past, Blue is the Warmest Color, Le Maison de la Radio

Cine+ has four projects that they're involved in that could well make the Telluride playlist:  "The Blue Room", "Bird People", "Two Days, One Night" and "Clouds of Sils Maria".

More tomorrow including this year's "Unified Clooney Theory"

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2

The Usual Suspects 2014 Part Two/Herzog on his Queen/Poland Talks Telluride vs. Toronto

Hello to all on a Wednesday in July...

THE USUAL SUSPECTS 2014 PART TWO

I'm continuing my rundown of common players at Telluride fests that have films thought to be ready for presentation.  Yesterday I wrote about Herzog, Burns, Payne and Morris.  Today...

Mark Cousins...Cousins has been a part of the Telluride program in four of the last five years and I suspect that he'll return this year.  He has a documentary that he co-directed with Iranian film maker Mania Akbari.
The film is described as a conversation/discourse between the two.  "Life May Be" has played the Edinburgh and Karlovy Vary Fests this summer.  I think there's a very high probability that this film plays.

Iranian film maker Mania Akbari (via The Guardian)

"Life May Be's " IMDb page is here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3592704/?ref_=ttco_co_tt


Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu... Inarritu has become a fixture at Telluride.  Both "Babel" and "Biutiful" played the fest and Inarritu attended last year in support of his friend, Alfonso Cuaron, for a little picture called "Gravity".  It may be instructive to know that "Gravity" played Venice and then came to Telluride.

As I'm sure you know, Inarritu's "Birdman" will open the Venice fest on Aug. 27th.  T-ride opens Aug. 29...so I really expect to see "Birdman" at Telluride.  My questions are: Will Keaton come along? (A Keaton tribute?) and will Cuaron return Inarritu's favor and just be a guest this year...because that wouldn't surprise me at all.  Nevertheless, count on "Birdman" (it's at # 1 on the last week's Ten Bets).

"Birdman's" IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2562232/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_2


Mike Leigh...the writer/director has been at Telluride a number of times.  He's been a long time player at TFF beginning over a quarter century ago with 1988's "High Hopes".  He's also been at TFF with "Secrets and Lies" in '96 (he was the recipient of a tribute) , "Happy Go Lucky" in '08, and "Another Year" in '10.

Now, Leigh has "Mr. Turner" ready after its competition run at Cannes in May and Timothy Spall's win for Best Actor there. I fully expect "Mr. Turner" to make an appearance at TFF #41 and further, I suspect Mr. Spall will attend as well.

"Mr. Turner's" IMDb page is here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2473794/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

Jean-Luc and Pierre Dardennes...have also become regulars at Telluride over the past few years.  They tribute recipients in 2005 which included the presentation of  "The Child" and were back in 2011 with "The Kid with a Bike".  This year, they have "Two Days, One Night" starring another TFF Tributee, Marion Cotillard.  Sundance Selects has the distribution, so all of these factors considered make me believe that "Two Days" is also a likely Telluride play.

My question here is": "Will Marion return to Telluride?"  That question has an additional component in that she has another film that could play, Justin Kurzel's "MacBeth" with Michael Fassbender in the title role. Could Cotillard double dip at T-ride?  I hope so!

Here's the link to the "Two Days, One Night" IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2737050/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1


And finally, today's last "Usual Suspect" is Olivier Assayas.  Assayas fits a familiar profile listed in a number of the "Usual Suspects" mentioned above.  His film "Clouds of Sils Maria" played well at Cannes.  Juliette Binoche was named Best Actress for the film at Cannes by the International Cinephile Society.  But of all the "Usual Suspects" listed today, Assayas has, perhaps, the sketchiest Telluride resume.  His "Irma Vep" played in 1996 and "Carlos" in 2010.  His 2012 film "Something in the Air" played Venice, Toronto and New York but not Telluride.

All of these factors have made me a bit squeamish about "Clouds of Sils Maria" making it onto Telluride's program.  I wouldn't be surprised, but I'm much less bullish about its chances than any of the other "Usuals" listed in today's blog.

I also wouldn't be stunned if a Juliette Binoche tribute was a part of a package that included the presentation of "Clouds".

Its IMDb page is here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2452254/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_7

Tomorrow, the final five of this year's "Usual Suspects"



HERZOG ON HIS QUEEN

The Playlist posted an interview with Werner Herzog yesterday in which the auteur talks about his new film, and likely Telluride presentation, "Queen of the Desert" starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Pattinson.  I current lay have "Queen" at #4 on the "Ten Bets" list.

Here's the link to that story:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/werner-herzog-talks-queen-of-the-desert-makes-ominous-prediction-about-nicole-kidmans-performance-20140714


POLAND ON TELLURIDE VS. TORONTO

Movie City News' David Poland added his two cents (actually more than two) to the whole Toronto ultimatum concerning premieres, their first weekend and Telluride's programming.   It's a lengthy article and has some interesting, thought-provoking things to say about the situation.  It also includes a proposal for a compromise concerning independent, small and/or foreign films caught in the vortex of Toronto's demand.

Take a look at it here:

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/07/weeks-to-oscar-toronto-telluride-and-collateral-damage/


More on Thursday...

Follow Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Twitter @Gort2.

Saturday's Blog: New Inarritu Has New Producer/Best of the Week

Welcome to Saturday and a new weekend.  I'm in Indianapolis, IN. on my way back home after a fantastic two and a half week adventure.


SATURDAY'S BLOG: NEW INARRITU HAS A NEW PRODUCER

News broke yesterday that Alejandro Inarritu's next project "The Revenant" starring Leonardo DiCaprio appears to have found additional financial backing from Annapurna Pictures and Megan Ellison.  It was the second straight day that Inarritu has made big news.  The day before yesterday we learned that his "Birdman" will open the Venice Festival.  Assuming he comes to Telluride with "Birdman", and I still think he will, I'll do my level best to find out what's going on with "The Revenant".

Here's coverage of the Annapurna/Revenant story:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/leonardo-dicaprios-survival-drama-the-revenant-attracts-megan-ellisons-annapurna-1201261423/

http://www.thewrap.com/megan-ellison-nearing-deal-to-co-finance-leonardo-dicaprio-thriller-the-revenant/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-wants-to-shoot-the-revenant-in-sequence-megan-ellison-may-save-financially-troubled-pic-20140711

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/megan-ellison-may-need-save-inarritus-revenant-starring-dicaprio-hardy/


BEST OF THE WEEK

TEN BETS #3 2014

Here's last week's Ten Bets:

10) Coming Home

9) Winter Sleep

8) Red Army

7) The Roosevelts

6) Queen of the Desert

5) Foxcatcher

4) Leviathan

3) Two Days, One Night

2) Mr. Turner

1) Birdman

And this week's:

10) The Look of Silence
9) Red Army
8) Winter Sleep
7) Foxcatcher
6) The Roosevelts
5) Leviathan
4) Queen of the Desert
3) Mr. Turner
2) Two Days, One Night
1) Birdman


INDIEWIRE'S 40 AND TELLURIDE

IndieWire was up yesterday with their analysis of 40 films that they feel could/will play one of the four major film fests: Telluride, Venice, Toronto or New York.  They specifically mention Telluride half a dozen times, though rarely exclusively and certainly without any definitiveness.  Nevertheless, the films they mention with Telluride possibilities are:

"Far from the Madding Crowd"
"MacBeth"
"St. Vincent"
"Suite Francaise"
"Unbroken"
"Wild"

All of these have been discussed earlier on this blog.  I am still surprised at how consistently "Unbroken" gets bandied about as a Telluride possible.  That would be huge.  I should also hasten to add that the article is about "Premieres" so, necessarily, you have to believe that the films they think will be Toronto and New York  premieres will NOT play Telluride.  Additionally, that means that films they classify as possible for Venice would still be possible for Telluride play.  "Venice" possibles that are picked in their post are:

"Three Hearts"
"La Rancon de la Gloire"***
"99 Homes"
"Phoenix"***
"A Pigeon Sat in a Branch Reflecting on Existence"
"Queen of the Desert"***
"Mangelhorn"
"Miss Julie"
"Inherent Vice"
"Life"
"The Cut"
"Eden"***
"Every Thing Will Be Fine"
"Big Eyes"
"Birdman"***
"Carol"

I have *** next to the films that I feel have the best chance of playing both Venice and then Telluride.

As I have noted previously.  Up until last year, the Venice/Telluride cross-pollination was usually about three films.  Last year, however, there were six that played both places.  They were: "Bethlehem", "Gravity", "Tracks", "Under the Skin", "The Unknown Known" and "The Wind Rises".

Check the entire IndieWire post here:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/fall-festival-preview-40-films-that-could-debut-in-venice-toronto-telluride-or-new-york-20140708?page=1#

SEARCHING FOR THE FOX IN 2014

I am continuing my series of looking at distributors and their connection to Telluride over the past few years as a way of examining the potential film choices for TFF #41,  Today it's Fox Searchlight.  Here's what we have seen from them art Telluride over the past decade:

2004: Kinsey
2005: Bee Season
2006: The Last King of Scotland, The Namesake
2007: Juno, The Savages
2008: Slumdog Millionaire
2009: ZIP
2010: Never Let Me Go, 127 Hours, Black Swan, Millions
2011: Shame, The Descendants
2012: ZIP
2013: 12 Years a Slave

14 films in ten years.  The highwater mark coming in 2010 with 4 films on the SHOW list but  '09 and '12 with no films at all.  But when Fox Search plays, they usually light it up including two Best Picture winners that they had play T-ride including last year's "12 Years a Slave".  Looking at their current lineup of films purportedly ready as per IMDb.com you'll find that they have three films that could show at the SHOW:

Inarritu's "Birdman", Vallee's "Wild" and Vinterberg's "Far from the Madding Crowd"...though it is still unlikely to be ready in time for Labor Day weekend.  Meanwhile, if you read this space with much regularity, you know that I think the "Birdman" is very, very likely to make a Telluride play.  That leaves "Wild" as a question mark.  Currently, I'm not feeling it as a Telluride play (although star Reese Witherspoon won her Oscar for "Walk the Line" which played T-ride in 2005.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS AND MAGNOLIA

Today I'm looking at Roadside Attractions and Magnolia.

Roadside Attractions:  This entity has just become a player at Telluride in the last five years.  Prior to 2010 they didn't have a presence in the previous decade.  Even then, they've been limited to one film in each of the past three years but they've been fairly impressive films:

2010: Biutiful
2011: Albert Nobbs
2012: Stories We Tell
2013: All is Lost, Gloria


So what does Roadside Attractions have as possibles?

It seems to me that they really have only one film that's got a shot and that's the Tommy Lee Jones sophomore effort "The Homesman" and I have to say that I haven't really gotten a great Telluride vibe for it, at least so far.

What could surprise at Telluride is "'71", a film starring Jack O'Connell (who's going to be a big name come Oscar season as he stars as Louis Zamperini in Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken".  "71" played Berlin among other international fests and has generally been well received.  I could see it popping up as a part of the TFF #41 program.


How about Magnolia Films?

Today's other exploration of domestic distributors is Magnolia Pictures.  Their Telluride history for the past decade looks like this:

2004: Keane
2005: The Lost City
2006: Severance
2007: Redacted, The Princess of Nebraska, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Terror's Advocate
2008: Nope
2009: Nope
2010: Nope
2011: Nope
2012: The Hunt, A Royal Affair
2013: Nope


Magnolia has a couple of Cannes films in its basket.  Both of them have a reasonable chance of being a part of Telluride's 2014 lineup.  They are:

"Force Majeure" and "White God".  I'd give both films about a 40% chance of playing TFF #41 and maybe a slight edge to "Force Majeure".  It could go any of three ways with both films making the grade, one or the other or neither.  I'm guessing one does.

FOCUS FEATURES

Focus used to have  a presence at Telluride. Then last year, after a lengthy absence, they returned. Here's the list:

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



Focus has a couple of films that look like they could be Telluride possibles.  The Stephen Hawking biopic "The Theory of Everything" with Eddie Redmayne as Hawking and directed by James Marsh.  Marsh was in Telluride in 2009 with a segment of the "Red Riding" trilogy that played as a part of the TFF #36 program.

Poster image via Wikipedia

The other film with a shot is the Jeremy Renner starrer "Kill the Messenger" based on the true story of reporter Gary Webb who reported on CIA shenanigans in Nicaragua in the '90's.  Michael Cuesta directs.

Honestly, I don't have a big feel for either of these films.  I wouldn't be shocked if one or both made the lineup but I won't be shocked when they're absent either.  I might give "Theory" a slight edge because of Marsh's past participation at Telluride.  I'd give both about a 25% chance of playing absent any other factors.

IMDb pages for "The Theory of Everything" and "Kill the Messenger" are here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980516/?ref_=nv_sr_1

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216491/?ref_=nv_sr_1

FILM MOVEMENT

This little known distribution outfit has been in and out as a presenter at Telluride over the past few years.

2004: Aaltra
2005: Be with Me
2009: Gigante
2010: If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle

As you can see, they're presence has been limited and spotty.  Nevertheless, they have one film in their basket that has a chance to make T-ride's lineup.  "Stations of the Cross" directed by Dietrich Bruggemann played well at the Berlin Film Festival where Telluride usually discovers a couple of films to program each year.  "Stations" won two prizes at Berlin for Screenplay and the Ecumenical Jury prize.  To me, that makes it a serious film to consider for Labor Day weekend in southwest Colorado.

ADOPT FILMS

Adopt Films made its Telluride debut two years ago in 2012 with "Barbara".  Than last year the distributor had "Bethlehem" at TFF.  This year they are the U.S. distributors for Cannes' Palme d'Or champion "Winter Sleep" which makes them a better than even bet to make the cut for TFF #41.



STRAND RELEASING

Here's what Strand has had at Telluride in the recent past:

2010: Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2011: Bonsai
2012: Paradise: Love
2013: The Missing Picture

So, Strand has been very consistent recently.  Another common thread is that all four of the above films played in some capacity at Cannes.  So the question becomes, does Strand have a project that fits this profile?  The answer is yes..."Girlhood"...played at Cannes and had a decent critical reaction.  So mark it down as a potential TFF #41 participant.



A24

A24 has not been around terribly long, but in their short existence they have come to play Telluride for the past two years.

2012: "Ginger and Rosa"
2013" "Under the Skin" and "Enemy"

So you have to think that they'll likely have a shot at something playing at T-ride.  What?

There's Atom Egoyan's "Captives" which was not all that well received at Cannes and seems a much more likely Toronto prospect.

Then there's J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year" with Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain.  I'd like to believe that this film makes it to the San Juans.  The only other possibility is a virtually unknown flick from Julius Avery entitled "Son of a Gun"

Best chance is "A Most Violent Year"

DARDENNES TRAILER WITH MARION

A new trailer appeared yesterday for the Dardennes Brothers new film "Two Days, One Night" starring Oscar winner Marion Cotillard.  I'm still bullish on its chances of playing T-ride (see above). You'll note that The Playlist agrees in their story.  Links to the trailer and stories here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/marion-cotillard-two-days-one-night-dardenne-brothers

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-trailer-for-the-dardenne-bros-two-days-one-night-starring-marion-cotillard-20140710

UNBROKEN TRAILER TOO

And also dropping a new trailer yesterday was Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken" which continues to get occasional mentions in a number of places that it could play Telluride.  Here's the link to the Variety story that includes the trailer:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/angelina-jolie-unbroken-first-trailer-1201260261/

CLOUDS VIEW

Olivier Assayas' Cannes entry (and TFF #41 possible) "Clouds of Sils Maria" dropped a trailer yesterday.  Here it is from YouTube:

And accompanying stories from Awards Daily, FirstShowing and Movie City News:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/international-trailer-for-clouds-of-sils-maria/

http://www.firstshowing.net/2014/kristen-stewart-in-new-international-clouds-of-sils-maria-trailer/

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/07/trailering-clouds-of-sils-maria-228/

GONE GIRL APPEARS

Now, understand, I don't really think David Fincher's "Gone Girl" will show at The SHOW...but... you know Fincher was feted as a Tributee in 2008 and that included footage of "Benjamen Button" and a screening of "Zodiac".  So, it's not entirely out of the question.

"Gone Girl" dropped a new trailer yesterday.  Here it is via Film Trailer Zone and YouTube:

And also, the story from HitFix/InContention:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/rosamund-pike-narrates-dark-new-trailer-for-david-finchers-gone-girl

Have a great weekend everyone...more on Monday...

Follow/Like Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook/Twitter (@Gort2)

A Look at Roadside and Magnolia/Clouds View/Gone Girl Appears

Good Tuesday to everyone from the heart of Manhattan...

The boss and I have plans today...Letterman and then "Book of Mormon" planning to have a really good day.  Now, to the normal business of MTFB:


Today I'm looking at Roadside Attractions and Magnolia.

Roadside Attractions:  This entity has just become a player at Telluride in the last five years.  Prior to 2010 they didn't have a presence in the previous decade.  Even then, they've been limited to one film in each of the past three years but they've been fairly impressive films:

2010: Biutiful
2011: Albert Nobbs
2012: Stories We Tell
2013: All is Lost, Gloria


So what does Roadside Attractions have as possibles?

It seems to me that they really have only one film that's got a shot and that's the Tommy Lee Jones sophomore effort "The Homesman" and I have to say that I haven't really gotten a great Telluride vibe for it, at least so far.

What could surprise at Telluride is "'71", a film starring Jack O'Connell (who's going to be a big name come Oscar season as he stars as Louis Zamperini in Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken".  "71" played Berlin among other international fests and has generally been well received.  I could see it popping up as a part of the TFF #41 program.


How about Magnolia Films?

Today's other exploration of domestic distributors is Magnolia Pictures.  Their Telluride history for the past decade looks like this:

2004: Keane
2005: The Lost City
2006: Severance
2007: Redacted, The Princess of Nebraska, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Terror's Advocate
2008: Nope
2009: Nope
2010: Nope
2011: Nope
2012: The Hunt, A Royal Affair
2013: Nope


Magnolia has a couple of Cannes films in its basket.  Both of them have a reasonable chance of being a part of Telluride's 2014 lineup.  They are:

"Force Majeure" and "White God".  I'd give both films about a 40% chance of playing TFF #41 and maybe a slight edge to "Force Majeure".  It could go any of three ways with both films making the grade, one or the other or neither.  I'm guessing one does.


CLOUDS VIEW

Olivier Assayas' Cannes entry (and TFF #41 possible) "Clouds of Sils Maria" dropped a trailer yesterday.  Here it is from YouTube:

And accompanying stories from Awards Daily, FirstShowing and Movie City News:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/international-trailer-for-clouds-of-sils-maria/

http://www.firstshowing.net/2014/kristen-stewart-in-new-international-clouds-of-sils-maria-trailer/

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/07/trailering-clouds-of-sils-maria-228/

GONE GIRL APPEARS

Now, understand, I don't really think David Fincher's "Gone Girl" will show at The SHOW...but... you know Fincher was feted as a Tributee in 2008 and that included footage of "Benjamen Button" and a screening of "Zodiac".  So, it's not entirely out of the question.

"Gone Girl" dropped a new trailer yesterday.  Here it is via Film Trailer Zone and YouTube:

And also, the story from HitFix/InContention:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/rosamund-pike-narrates-dark-new-trailer-for-david-finchers-gone-girl

More on Wednesday...

Follow/Like Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook/Twitter (@Gort2)

Acquisition News/Trailers and Clips from Cannes/Another Critical Take on Cannes/TFF #42?

Good Thursday to all...


ACQUISITION NEWS

Still from "Clouds of Sils Maria"

Post Cannes there has been considerable movement toward distributors buying the rights for U.S. distribution of a number of Cannes titles.  Some of those acquisitions may boost a film's chances at a Telluride play while others probably diminish that potential.

Case in point of the latter...Magnolia picked up two very well received titles in the past few days:  "Force Majeure" (Turist) and "White God", the top prize winner from the Un Certain Regard section.  While their representation by Magnolia doesn't eliminate those films from Telluride consideration, I can find only two films from them that have played Telluride in the last five years: "The Hunt" and "A Royal Affair" both played in 2012 (also both featured Mads Mikkelsen who was tributed that year).  So, you know, it's possible that we'd see one or both of these films...but if history is any guide; it's not incredibly likely.

I've linked the story about the "White God" acquisition from Variety:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/cannes-prize-winner-white-god-fetches-north-american-distribution-1201193008/


and from IndieWire for "Force Majeure":

http://www.indiewire.com/article/magnolia-pictures-wins-distribution-for-un-certain-regard-winner-force-majeure

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Kristian Levring's "The Salvation" starring the aforementioned Mads Mikkelsen has been acquired by IFC films.  IFC also has distribution for other Cannes #67 titles including "Clouds of Sils Maria" and  "Bird People".  IFC also has Richard Linklater's Sundance hit "Boyhood".  The IFC profile at Telluride independently is noticeable (and their connection/partnership with Sundance Selects opens the door a bit more).  IFC had "Frances Ha" at TFF in 2012, "Into the Abyss" and "Pina" in 2011 and "Carlos" and "The Princess of Montpensier" in 2010.  Those films featured directors who have had a history with Telluride.  All of which may mean that "Clouds" is a more likely prospect today than it has been up to now.

Here's the news about IFC for "The Salvation":

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-ifc-films-nabs-kristian-706178

Meanwhile, THR also reports that "Timbuktu" which was critically well received but shut out of the prizes at Cannes has been picked up by The Cohen Media Group.

This probably reduces chances of Telluride attendees seeing the film as I can find no mention of any film distributed by CMG that has played Telluride previously.  Too bad, as I had become a bit intrigued by the film after reading about it in the reports from Cannes.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-cohen-media-group-takes-706990


Finally...reiterating some reporting from earlier, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the documentary "Salt of the Earth" as well as Cannes screenplay winner "Leviathan".  Most years I would tell you that that news would move both films right to the top of the Telluride "possibles" list (and it does make their presence at TFF #41 more likely) but SPC has such a large stable of films on their plate that parsing what makes the trip to the San Juans becomes a difficult task.  At present IMDb lists these titles as SPC properties (that have no set release date or a release date that would accommodate a T-ride screening);

"Salt of the Earth"
"Leviathan"
"Red Army"
"Jimmy's Hall"
"Foxcatcher"
"Wild Tales"
"Coming Home"
"Mr. Turner"
"Saint Laurent"
"Aloft"

SPC had five films at TFF #40: "Tim's Vermeer", "The Invisible Woman", "The Lunchbox", "Jodorowsky's Dune" and "The Past". Five films per year is roughly the SPC average at T-ride. Their TFF footprint is always substantial (check out their ten year track record from my June 24th post from last summer).  The challenge is which five of these ten films make the trip?

Here are the stories on the acquisitions of "Salt of the Earth" and "Leviathan":

http://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/sony-pictures-classics-buys-cannes-favorite-leviathan-exclusive-1201191129/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-sony-pictures-classics-acquires-707058


TRAILERS AND CLIPS FROM CANNES

I've put together a quick section of links to stories/posts and trailers that have been late releases at the end of the Cannes fest:

"Two Days, One Night" from Thompson on Hollywood:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/two-days-one-night-trailer-dardennes-marion-cotillard

"Winter Sleep" from The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-trailer-for-longest-cannes-contender-nuri-bilge-ceylans-winter-sleep-plus-5-minute-making-of-video-20140505

"Clouds of Sils Maria" from The Dissolve:

http://thedissolve.com/news/2321-olivier-assayas-cannes-competition-title-clouds-of/

Clips from "The Blue Room" also from The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-mathieu-amalric-directs-and-stars-in-elegant-but-airless-the-blue-room-20140526


ANOTHER CRITICAL TAKE ON CANNES

IndieWire published its critical takeaway from Cannes #67 this week.  You can find it here:

http://www.indiewire.com/survey/best-films-and-performances-from-cannes-2014/

A quick summary:  Their critic's panel chose "Two Days, One Night" as Best Film,   Anne Dorval as Best Lead Performance for "Mommy", Kristen Stewart for Best Supporting Performance for "Clouds of Sils Maria", Xavier Dolan for Best Director for "Mommy" and "Leviathan" for Best Screenplay.

TFF 42?

Michael Haneke via IMDb

And word the last couple of days that Michael Haneke has new film project planned to begin shooting this summer.  Should it come to pass, put it on your Telluride watch list for 2015 as Haneke films have made a number of appearances at the festival over the years including "White Ribbon " and "Amour".  The new film is entitled "Flashmob" and at least for the time being and sounds like an unlikely project for the auteur.

From The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/michael-hanekes-next-film-flashmob-reportedly-shoots-this-summer-20140527

More on Monday as I'll begin the six-posts-a -week schedule for MTFB as we move into the final three month  countdown to TFF #41.

Howell Brings It Home/Trailers, Clips and Photos for the Cannes Films/major Outlets and Their Pre-Cannes Final Thoughts/Odds and Ends

You're in Thursday...look around...yup, it's Thursday...


HOWELL BRINGS IT HOME

Jake Howell writing for Movie City News has concluded his project of counting down the Palme competition films for the 67th Cannes Film Fest which opened yesterday with Nicole Kidman in "Grace of Monaco".

Here are the links to the last set of those capsules at MCN:

"Clouds of Sils Maria" dir; Olivier Assayas

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/05/countdown-to-cannes-olivier-assayas/

"The Wonders" dir: Alice Rohrwacher

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/05/countdown-to-cannes-alice-rohrwacher/

"Wild Tales" dir: Damian Szifron

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/05/countdown-to-cannes-damian-szifron/

"Mr. Turner" dir: Mike Leigh

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/05/countdown-to-cannes-mike-leigh/


Things get serious today with screenings of the first of the films in competition.  Mike Leigh's "Mr. Turner" (which is definitely on the MTFB T-ride "watch list") and Abderrahmane Sissako's "Timbuktu" are the first two out of the gate in the Main category.  The Un Certain Regard section also launches today with "Party Girl" and "The Lovely Girl".

TRAILERS, CLIPS AND PHOTOS FROM CANNES FILMS

I've linked a bunch of new material or re-worked material for several Cannes films from The Playlist.  Beginning with a link to their story featuring a new clip from Tommy Lee Jones Palme d'Or challenging sophomore directorial effort "The Homesman"  Looks good.  Check the story and the clip here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-tommy-lee-jones-hilary-swank-square-off-in-first-clip-from-cannes-drama-the-homesman-20140512

The Playlist also provided a link to a trailer from Zhang Yimou's "Coming Home" with English subtitles.  It looks intriguing.  Check it here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-new-trailer-for-zhang-yimous-cannes-film-festival-drama-coming-home-starring-gong-li-20140506

Next a link to a clip from "Two Days, One Night" from the Dardennes.  It's in french...but it does feature Marion Cotillard.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-clip-from-dardennes-cannes-drama-two-days-one-night-starring-marion-cotillard-20140512

And finally, a series of new photos from Olivier Assayas' "Clouds of Sils Maria":

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-pics-from-olivier-assayas-cannes-competition-pic-clouds-of-sils-maria-starring-kristen-stewart-juliette-binoche-20140512


MAJOR OUTLETS AND THEIR PRE-CANNES FINAL THOUGHTS

Hilary Swank in Tommy Lee Jones' "The Homesman"

Variety polled their three film critics and asked them what films they were looking forward to the most for the next two weeks in France.  Their responses and that article are here (surprise, no one film landed on everyone's list):

http://variety.com/2014/legit/news/cannes-variety-critics-on-films-they-cant-miss-1201178519/

HitFix, which has at least a couple of people on the ground in Cannes, has 11 Questions to be answered over the next fortnight:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/11-big-questions-we-want-answered-at-this-years-cannes-film-festival

 And IndieWire posted 10 films that they think have the best shot to surprise or shock the film world as they screen on the Croisette:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/the-10-films-that-might-surprise-or-shock-us-at-the-2014-cannes-film-festival

Meanwhile, this reminder from MTFB...the crossover between Cannes and Telluride is significant.  You can expect (if history is any guide) 7-10 films from Cannes to play T-ride on Labor Day weekend.  While that's a small portion of the entirety of the Cannes lineup; it does result in as much as 20-25% of Telluride's lineup.


ODDS AND ENDS

Variety's Scott Foundas has a big piece up about Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as her "Two Days , One Night" is about to land in the south of France and her collaboration with James Gray, "The Immigrant" is set to open in limited release here in the U.S. tomorrow.  Take a gander here:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/marion-cotillard-two-days-one-night-1201178636/


And this about one of the more intriguing film stories, at least to me, of the past year or so.  Multiple sources have reported that Open Road has nabbed distribution for Jon Stewart's (of The Daily Show) directorial debut, "Rosewater'.  I have passingly mentioned it once or twice in this space as an outside Telluride prospect and now with the securing of distribution and a promised fall release date that possibility seems at least marginally more real.  The Dissolve actually mentions the Telluride possibility in its post regarding the Open Road acquisition:

http://thedissolve.com/news/2216-jon-stewarts-rosewater-picked-up-by-open-road-for-/

Here's the rub...Open Road hasn't any history with Telluride...

More on Monday...including some of the first reactions from early films at Cannes.

Cannes #67 Announces/Could "Inherent Vice" Come to Telluride?/Telluride's Annual Call

Welcome to Thursday!

CANNES #67 ANNOUNCES

Here's the official lineup from the 67th Cannes Film Festival via The Playlist:

Official Competition: 

"Captives" (Canada) dir. Atom Egoyan
"Foxcatcher" (U.S.A.) dir. Bennett Miller
"Goodbye To Language" (France) dir. Jean-Luc Godard
"The Homesman" (U.S.A./France) dir. Tommy Lee Jones
"Jimmy's Hall" (U.K) dir. Ken Loach
"Leviathan" (Russia) dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev
"Maps To The Stars" (Canada) dir. David Cronenberg
"The Marvel" (Italy) dir. Alice Rohrwacher
"Mommy" (Canada) dir. Xavier Dolan
"Mr. Turner" (U.K) dir. Mike Leigh
"Saint Laurent" (France) dir. Bertrand Bonello
"The Search" (France) dir. Michel Hazavanicius
"Sils Maria" (France) dir. Olivier Assayas
"Still The Water" (Japan) dir. Naomi Kawase
"Timbuktu" dir. Abderrahmane Sissako
"Two Days One Night" (Belgium) dir. Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardennes
"Wild Tales" (Argentina) dir. Damian Szifron
"Winter Sleep" (Turkey) dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Opening Film: 

"Grace Of Monaco" (U.S.A./France) dir. Olivier Dahan

Out Of Competition: 

"Coming Home" (China) dir. Zhang Yimou
"How To Train Your Dragon 2" (U.S.A.) dir. Dean DeBlois

Un Certain Regard: 

"Amour Fou" (dir. Jessica Hausner) 
"Bird People" (dir. Pascale Ferran)
"The Blue Room" (dir. Mathieu Amalric
"Charlie's Country" (dir. Rolf De Heer) 
"Eleanor Rigby" (dir. Ned Benson) 
"Fantasia" (dir. Wang Chao) 
"A Girl At My Door" (dir. July Jung) 
"Harcheck mi Headro" (dir. Keren Yedaya) 
"Jauja" (dir. Lisandro Alonso) 
"Lost River" (dir. Ryan Gosling) 
"The Misunderstood" (dir. Asia Argento) 
"Party Girl" (dir. Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis) 
"Run" (dir. Philippe Lacote) 
"Salt Of The Earth" (dir. Wim Wenders & Juliano Ribeiro Salgado) 
"Snow In Paradise" (dir. Andrew Hulme) 
"Titli" (dir. Kanu Behl) 
"Tourist" (dir. Ruben Ostlund) 
"Unhappy Youth" (dir. Jaime Rosales) 
"Xenia" (dir. Panos Koutras) 

Midnight Screenings: 

"The Rover" (dir. David Michod) 
"The Salvation" (dir. Kristian Levring) 
"The Target" (dir. Chang) 

Special Screenings: 

"Bridges Of Sarajevo" (anthology film) 
"Caricaturists: Fantasies Of Democracy" (dir. Stephanie Valloatto)
"Eau Argentee" (dir. Mohammed Ossana)
"Les Gens Du Monde" (dir. Yves Yeuland) 
"Maidan" (dir. Sergei Loznitsa)
"Red Army"  (dir. Polsky Gabe)

Of immediate interest to Telluride watchers in the competition category are:

"Foxcatcher"
"Maps to the Stars"
"Mr. Turner"
"The Search"
"(Clouds of) Sils Maria"
"Two Days, One Night"

Trailer for Tommy Lee Jones Cannes Competition Selection "The Homesman"

Out of competition titles that may also have some Telluride potential:

"Coming Home"
"Charlie's Country"
"Salt of the Earth"


As expected, Inarritu's "Birdman" and Anderson's "Inherent Vice" were both not announced this morning.

Cannes head honcho Thierry Fremaux is quoted as saying that other titles could be named later.


Other titles will almost certainly come into Telluride consideration as Cannes approaches and then as the films unspool on the Croisette.




COULD "INHERENT VICE" COME TO TELLURIDE

If you read this blog with any frequency, you know that I have not been a big believer that Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice" is likely to appear as a part of the Telluride lineup this Labor Day weekend.  Lately, though, even I have had to admit that there has been some buzz that it's a possibility.  With last week's murmuring that it won't play Cannes, I've been seeing/hearing Telluride as an option with some frequency.  There was Jeff Wells' Hollywood Elsewhere blurb to that effect earlier in the week and now The Irish Times has opined in that direction as well reporting on Wednesday that "Most everyone has it (Inherent Vice) marked down for Telluride or Venice in the autumn."

Now, I don't know who "most everyone" is...but...


http://t.co/2Ijmmuluyp


TELLURIDE'S ANNUAL CALL

It went out Tuesday...the annual call for entries came forth from the Telluride Film Festival.  I have included the official word from my email Inbox and Shannon Mitchell:

41^st TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ENTRIES

April 15, 2014

BERKELEY, CA – Telluride Film Festival (August 29 – September 1, 2014), presented by National Film Preserve, Ltd. announces its Call for Entries in all categories including student, short and feature length films.

Submission period begins April 15, 2014. Film Entry Form is available for download at www.telluridefilmfestival.org.

Shorts and student film submissions must be received no later than 5:00 pm, July 1, 2014. Feature film submissions must be received no later than 5:00 pm, July 15, 2014. All submissions must have been completed after July 15, 2013 and no works in progress will be accepted. Feature-length films (60 minutes or longer) will only be considered if they are to have their first North American screening at Telluride Film Festival. Final program determinations will be made by August 1, 2014. No early or late entries will be accepted.

Professional and amateur filmmakers working in all aesthetic disciplines and genres including narrative, documentary, animation and experimental are welcome.

Each year Telluride Film Festival plays host to an average of 25 feature films and 25 shorts and student films. Films selected to screen at Telluride Film Festival will be shown out-of-competition. TFF is not a competitive festival.

For more information visit www.telluridefilmfestival.org

More on Monday...have a great weekend!