Late Breaking: Widows to Open BFI-London Fest / The Usual Suspects 2018-Part Two / Trailers Are Happenin' / Acquisition News

Good Thursday friends and neighbors...


LATE BREAKING: WIDOWS TO OPEN BFI-LONDON  FEST

News early this morning from Britain that Steve McQueen's Widows will open the BFI-London Film Fest on Oct. 10th.  Of particular interest is that fact that the film is listed as its International Premiere.  That means a couple of things.  It will not have played Venice but, as it is not the World Premiere, it will have played somewhere else prior to BFI-London.  If I understand the designation that would mean that it would be playing in London for the first time outside its nation of origin.

To me that sounds like a Telluride play though I have seen some commentary that it could mean Toronto.  I think the former os more likely.

Here's the release from the BFI-London Fest:

LONDON, Thursday 12th July, 2018 – The 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® is thrilled to announce that this year’s Opening Night gala will be Academy Award®- winner Steve M cQueen’s WIDOWS. The International premiere will take place on Wednesday 10th October at the Cineworld, Leicester Square. Co-written by McQueen and best-selling novelist and screenwriter Gillian Flynn and starring Academy Award®- winner Viola Davis, WIDOWS is a complex thriller about a group of women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities. A star-studded ensemble cast includes: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya and Jacki Weaver with Robert Duvall and Liam Neeson. BFI Fellow, WIDOWS Director and Co-Writer Steve McQueen comments: “I am absolutely delighted that WIDOWS will be opening this year's BFI London Film Festival. Watching the UK TV version of Lynda La Plante's original thriller as a teenager in the 80s had a major impact on me and so it feels very special to be sharing this film with a UK audience." BFI London Film Festival Artistic Director, Tricia Tuttle says: “We treasure the work of BFI Fellow and Festival alumni Steve McQueen, so it’s an utter pleasure to open our Festival with the International Premiere of WIDOWS. Adapted from a ground-breaking UK television classic into a feature to savour on the biggest cinema screens, this is scintillatingly rich storytelling from a magnificent filmmaker, probing issues around race, class and gender, while always delivering immense style and crackingly sharp thrills.” From Steve M cQueen (12 Years a Slave) and co-writer Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) comes a blistering, modernday thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption. Taking place in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of political and class turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. WIDOWS also stars Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya, Lukas Haas and Brian Tyree Henry. Based on the TV series “Widows” by Lynda La Plante, the film sees Steve M cQueen serve as producer, together with Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Arnon Milchan. From Twentieth Century Fox, Regency Enterprises and See-Saw Films in association with Film4, WIDOWS is released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 9 November. The 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® takes place from Wednesday 10 October-Sunday 21 October 2018. The full Festival programme will be announced on Thursday 30 August 2018. 


THE USUAL SUSPECTS 2018-PART TWO

I started on Tuesday looking at people with significant Telluride pasts that have films that could make an appearance at TFF #45.  Tuesday's crew was Barry Jenkins, Steve McQueen, Jacques Audiard, Jason Reitman and Alfonso Cuaron (with an assist from Alejandro Inarritu).

Today a look at six more:

Ken Burns...a Telluride staple.  Burns doesn't officially seem to have anything ready, however he's been working on his Muhammed Ali documentary for PBS since March of last year.  It's not outside the realm of possibility that some or all of that might show up on a screen in Telluride over Labor Day.

Roger Michell...Michell has been to Telluride in the past with Hyde Park on Hudson, Venus and Persuasion and Enduring Love.  He's been to T-ride a lot and this year has a special documentary... Nothing Like a Dame features four grand dames of British acting: Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Eileen Atkins.  IFC Films has the U.S. distribution.  Definitely think this is possible.

Sebastian Lelio...Great T-ride success for Lelio in the recent past with Gloria in 2013 and A Fantastic Woman last year. This year his Disobedience made a splash.  Now, he could possibly return to Telluride with the English language version of Gloria starring Julianne Moore in the title role.  The film is reportedly in post-production.  Would it be odd to see the new version of a film that played in TFF in 2013?  Sure, but not impossible.

Mark Cousins...Cousins was, at one time, one of the surest picks for TFF.  The Story of Film, What is This Film Called Love?, The Story of Children and Film but he hasn't been in the San Juans since 2013.  That could change this year with his latest doc, The Eyes of Orson Welles.  I could certainly see that being a selection to complement the expected screenings of Welles' The Other Side of the Wind...which seems very likely to me to play TFF.

Mike Leigh...Leigh has also deep T-ride roots with High Hopes, Naked, Secrets and Lies (as a part of his 1996 tribute), Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year and more.  And he has a new film ready to go: Peterloo.  I have been thinking its inclusion is a no-brainer...but...I've heard some rumblings over the past week and the latest from Mr. Leigh may be less likely a cinch than I originally thought.  Peterloo may be out of the Ten Bets tomorrow.



TRAILERS ARE HAPPENIN'

Yesterday gave us a couple of new posters for Mary Queen of Scots starring Saorise Ronan and Margot Robbie.  Additionally, we found out that a trailer for the film will drop today.  I'll tweet that out on my @Gort account when that happens and include it here tomorrow.

We also know from earlier in the week via Anton Volkov's Trailer Track website that On the Basis of Sex should be showing up with a trailer very soon as well.

Last night Volkov let spill that a trailer for Boy Erased is also soon to be released.  That story is linked here.

Very exciting that we're going to get to see the wares from Focus Features.


ACQUISITION NEWS

A couple of pieces of intriguing acquisition news.  Magnolia has reported nabbed domestic rights to Matteo Garrone's Dogman.  The film played well at Cannes.  It could portend at Telluride play.  Or not.  Magnolia hasn't placed a film at T-ride since Viva! in 2015.

Also in the news was Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate/ LD Entertainment acquiring the Julia Roberts starrer Ben Is Back, also starring Lucas Hedges (who also has Boy Erased in place for this fall).  The film has been dated for a Dec. 7th release making me wonder if it will also see some time on the fall fest circuit.

The Dogman story is here from The Hollywood Reporter.

The Ben Is Back story is here from The Hollywood Reporter  as well as The Wrap.


That's your Thursday.  Tomorrow will have the 3rd Ten Bets for TFF #45 and should have the trailer for Mary Queen of Scots.  Come on back!


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

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The Countdown to Cannes Gets Shorter / More from CinemaCon

Hello on the first Monday in April of 2017....as Kurt Vonnegut might say (well, he wrote it actually)..."Busy, busy, busy"


THE COUNTDOWN TO CANNES GETS SHORTER

April 13th...that's the day that we'll find out the bulk of the lineup for the 70th Cannes Film Festival and then we get to try to parse out the 7-10 films that will double up with a play three months later in Colorado.

Indiewire is the latest film outlet with apiece that they put up at the end of last week.  They package it as a 50 film Cannes wish list and there are a good number of the usual suspects including a couple that we have heard won't be ready for the fest (Wenders' Submergence and Frears Victoria and Abdul are what I'm talking about here).

Nevertheless, the Indiewire 50 includes:

Alexander Payne's Downsizing
Michael Haneke's Happy End
Andrew Haigh's Lean on Pete
Abdelatif Kechiche's Mektoub is Mektoub
Michel Hazanavicius' Redoubtable
Todd Haynes Wonderstruck
Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here

But there are others among the 50 that might well make a case either because they have also played Telluride in the past or because I thought strongly in some past year that they would.  That group of five (from this Indiewire "wish list") includes:

Samuel Maoz's Foxtrot.  I thought strongly that Maoz's Lebanon was going to make the TFF lineup in 2009.  Didn't happen despite being distributed by frequent Telluride player Sony Pictures Classics.

Michelangelo Frammartino's Late Spring.  Frammartino played Telluride in 2010 with Le Quattro Volte.

Haifaa Al Mansour's Mary Shelley.  Al Mansour's Wadjda played T-ride in 2012.

Warwick Thornton's Sweet Country.  Thornton made a splash at the 2009 TFF with Samson and Delilah

Hirokazu Kore Eda's The Third Murder.  I thought his Like Father, Like Son was going to play in 2013 but it did not.

So there you have it... half a dozen usual suspects plus another five that are quite as "usual" but might end up with the Cannes-Telluride double play.

The complete 50 film wish list from Indiewire is here.



MORE FROM CINEMACON

CinemaCon was highlighted in my last post for having featured both Payne's Downsizing and Clooney's Suburbicon.  After that post Todd Haynes Wonderstruck was featured as well as Stephen Chbosky's Wonder.  After reading this reaction to the film from The Wrap I'm inclined to think that we might be wise to keep an eye on the film.  It's got some things going for it that make one think that it could make the trip to the San Juans.  Lionsgate has the film and they and their affiliated companies have been making Telluride a regular part of their Labor Day for awhile now with films such as La La Land, All is Lost and The Homesman.

And then there's Julia Roberts.  She's another one of those folks that I include some years as a part of the Unified Clooney Theory.  Last year, Casey Affleck was tributed and won an Oscar and is also part of the U.C.T..

Could you get behind a Julia Roberts tribute?  I could.

As mentioned above, CinemaCon attendees were also treated to footage from Wonderstruck.  Here's the link to the coverage from Indiewire.



That's it for this Monday.  More to come on Thursday.


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Best of the Week/The Unified Clooney Theory Part Two/Come and Play/Ranking the Film/Philomena Trailer

Good Saturday from Salida, Colorado...

As I have been doing all summer, here's a look back at the best material that ran this week on Michael's Telluride Film Blog:

BEST OF THE WEEK

TEN BETS #7

This week's "Ten Bets" shows some changes as I ran across some (what appears to be) solid information this week...including the next story listed below.  Consequently, there is some movement on this week's "Bets".

Further, I've about reached the point that I'm ready to go past ten bets...perhaps next week.

Last week's "Ten Bets" were:

1) Nebraska
2) The Invisible Woman
3) The Past
4) The Immigrant
5) Inside Llewyn Davis
6) Labor Day
7) The Story of Children and Film
8) Blue is the Warmest Color
9) The Unknown Known
10) The Lunchbox

This week:

1) Nebraska

2) Inside Llewyn Davis

3) Labor Day

4) The Invisible Woman

5) The Unknown Known

6) The Past

7) The Immigrant

8) All is Lost

9) Gravity

10) The Story of Children and Film

Just below the "Ten Bets"; "Blue is the Warmest Color", "Life Itself", "Philomena", "The Lunchbox", "12 Years a Slave", "Aguirre; The Wrath of God", "Daughter of the Dawn", ""Quay d'Orsay", "The Good Lie", "Enough Said", "Heli", "Only Lovers Left Alive", "Child's Pose","You Are Here" and "Gloria".

GUEST DIRECTOR...WHAT UP?

I'm having a hard time believing we still don't know the Guest Director for this year's Telluride Film Festival. I've offered up a couple of theories over these past few months.  Initially I thought it might be "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner who was reportedly a guest at TFF's Hollywood party back in June.  (Check out my June 12th post).  No announcement came, however.

Then I got it into my head that the Fest might be holding off to make a BIG announcement during the week of Venice/Toronto festival lineup announcements.  Along with that, I suggested the notion that the Guest Director might be someone that has an immense popular profile.  I confess, I was thinking crazy BIG names and I also suggested that the person might come from music or politics.  Names like Jagger and Clinton were in my head.

Didn't happen.

Now, I'm completely mystified.

And if you're having trouble with the Guest Director spot TFF, I have further suggestions:

1) Werner Herzog...you know he'll be there.  He's got a new theater named in his honor.

2) Have 6 of them...I'll bet you have at least 6 past Guest Directors in attendance.  Have each of them select one film from the list they originally programmed.   Or cross-pollinate them...have an Alexander Payne program one film from Errol Morris' original list.

Here's the last of all past directors:

1988- Donald Richie

1989- Errol Morris

1990- Bertrand Tavernier

1991- Laurie Anderson

1992- G. Cabrera Infante

1993- John Boorman

1994- John Simon

1995- Phillip Lopate

1996- B. Ruby Rich

1997- Peter Von Bagh

1998- Peter Bogdanovich

1999- Peter Sellars

2000- Edgardo Coranzinsky

2001- Salman Rushdie

2002- Alberto Barbera

2003- Stephen Sondheim

2004- Buck Henry

2005- Don Delillo

2006- J. P. Gorin

2007- Edith Kramer

2008- Slavoj Zizek

2009- Alexander Payne

2010- Michael Ondaatje

2011- Cataneo Veloso

2012- Geoff Dyer

I have to believe that Morris, Tavernier, Sellars, Rushdie, Payne and maybe Bogdanovich, Henry and Boorman will be in town.  

Idea #3- Pick me, I'll do it.  Nobody will see that coming.

HOLLYWOOD ELSEWHERE ADDS FUEL TO THE FIRE

Overnight, Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere posted his musings on three films that appear to be avoiding the Toronto International Film Festival but that he says are all but certain Telluride fare.  The films: Alexander Payne's "Nebraska", The Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" and J.C. Chandor's "All is Lost".

On its face the post is an interesting look a what Wells thinks may be going in vis-a-vis film programming and Toronto.  For my purposes, it just adds fuel to the fire that the three films play Telluride.

"Nebraska" isn't a surprise.  I've had it at #1 on the "Ten Bets" list all summer.

For "Inside Llewyn Davis" it's another validation of its place on the "Ten Bets" list. As a matter of fact, it might be solid enough now to move up the list a bit this week.

As for "All is Lost", you know if you've been following this space this last couple of weeks that it has been gaining some steam as a possible/probable Telluride selection.  I wouldn't be surprised if it appears somewhere on this week's "Ten Bets" list.

Here's the link to the Wells post:
http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2013/08/three-toronto-no-shows/

THE UNIFIED CLOONEY THEORY

If you've been reading this blog for the past couple of years, you've almost certainly seen my "Oceans 11" theory the past two summers.  You know, that moment each summer when I go crazy and suggest an incredible string of unlikely scenarios that involve that cast of the Clooney/Pitt/Damon "Oceans" films.

Well, here I go again...only this year...even worse.

Start with Clooney himself...was tributed 2 years ago.   Reportedly really enjoyed his own festival experience.  He's on record saying he'd like to come back.  Reportedly nudged Ben Affleck toward Telluride for "Argo"(on which Clooney was a producer) last year.  That seemed to work out pretty well for all involved.

What's he got that could play?  Scratch "The Monuments Men" which was reported last week  to be unready for Venice.  He is a producer on "August: Osage County".  It has The Weinstein Company as its distributor.  I wouldn't have thought it a likely Telluride choice but I was a little surprised that it appeared on the Toronto playlist last week...so not impossible.  Clooney also appears in Alfonso Curaon's "Gravity" which, likewise, I normally wouldn't regard as a possibility but Kris Tapley at HitFix/InContention suggested that it could happen last week (he reported that Warner's team for it and Denis Villenueve's "Prisoners" will be on the ground in Telluride...ALSO SEE THE "WEIGHTLESSNESS" STORY BELOW).  So, you won't be surprised that I conclude that Clooney could be in town with a flick or two.

How about Mr. Pitt?  Seems like every year on about Tuesday of the week of the Festival there's a "Brad Pitt" sighting in Telluride.  I haven't seen him yet...but that's not to say it couldn't happen.

Pitt is all over Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave".  He's in the film.  He's a producer on the film (as is T-ride-frequenter Bill Pohlad).  Further, my "12 Year" vibe has gotten stronger over the last couple of weeks. I just think it's going to play.  It's lack of inclusion for Venice (barring some late announcement) and its inclusion for Toronto make me feel like it has a very good chance to play The SHOW.

Pitt also is in Ridley Scott's "The Counselor" which I would love to see make Telluride's list but which also hasn't had many mentions in regard to a Telluride slot.

So Pitt has a couple of projects in the "possible" bag.

And Mr. Damon?

He's in "Elysium" out this weekend.  He's in "The Monuments Men"...see above...but hold on...he also appears in Terry Gilliam's "The Zero Theorem".  Gilliam's been to T-ride before.  Damon co-stars with Clooney's co-tributee from 2011...Tilda Swinton.  The cast is led by double Oscar winner Christoph Waltz. So, again, improbable but not impossible.

As sort of a subsidiary to the "Oceans 3" Ben Affleck appears in "Runner Runner"...so...you know...maybe.

And then there are the other webs that spring from all of this.

Like The Coen Brothers...

As you know, I've been thinking that "Inside Llewyn Davis" might be happening for a few weeks now.  It actually has made its way onto the "Ten Bets" list.  I think the Coens might be one of the Tributes this year.

And they do have a place in the "United Clooney Theory".  Clooney has appeared for them in "O Brother Where Art Thou?", "Intolerable Cruelty" and "Burn After Reading".  Also don't forget that Pitt was the lead in "Burn After Reading" and that Damon was in "True Grit" for them.

Then there's the Alexander Payne part of the "UCT"...Payne and Clooney working together on "The Descendants".  Payne is very likely to be in Tellruride with "Nebraska"

And finally, let's not forget Jason Reitman who cast Clooney in his 2009 Oscar nominee "Up in the Air" and whom I'm betting will return to Telluride this year with "Labor Day" starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin (also a Coens favorite of late with "No Country for Old Men" and "True Grit").

So, how much of any of this happens?

The most likely story is that "Llewyn", "12 Years" and "Labor Day" play.  "Osage County", "Zero Theorem", "Gravity", "Runner" while all possible, seem unlikely and Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Affleck and Brolin are not in town.  But, you never know...

WEIGHTLESSNESS IN TELLURIDE?

Jeff Wells and Sasha Stone sat down and re-opened their Oscar Poker collaboration on Sunday which included some talk of Telluride.  The big news is that they all but claim Alfonso Curaon's "Gravity" starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney (see above) will play the Telluride Festival.  Both seem a bit coy about it but they don't leave much doubt that they think it will play.

Both are also high on "All is Lost".  Wells says he's "heard" "Inside Llewyn Davis" is on its way and that a Coens Tribute is possible. They also toss around "An Invisible Woman" as a probable choice for T-ride.
Meanwhile, Wells says he thinks "Blue is the Warmest Color" is likely but Stone disagrees.

Stone says "Labor Day" is sure and they both agree "Nebraska" is likely.

You can find the entire podcast here:
http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/images/column/newyork2013/stone2.mp3

MORE FROM HOLLYWOOD ELSEWHERE

Yesterday I posted a link from Jeff Wells' Hollywood Elsewhere that declaimed the likelihood of "Inside Llewyn Davis", "All is Lost" and "Nebraska" as part of this year's Telluride lineup.  Today add to the pile: Ralph Fiennes "An Invisible Woman".  This adds credence to our posting for some time now that the film is a choice for T-ride going back to an English online newspaper account quoting Felicity Jones.

The Wells piece is here:
http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2013/08/an-appearance-of-propriety/

TRIBUTES?...

Three tributes (and occasionally an additional "Special Medallion")...who could they be for this year's 40th Telluride Film Festival.

I've been batting this around in my head for a while now and some friends of the blog have given it some serious thought too.  So, as a way to organize some thoughts about this, let's look at some of my "Ten Bets" films (and some others as well) to see who some possible Tribute candidates are:

Like Alexander Payne's "Nebraska".  You have to believe Bruce Dern is a real Tribute possibility.
"The Invisible Woman"...Ralph Fiennes seems like a possibility.
"Inside Llewyn Davis"...The Coen Brothers...and here's a crazy thought: John Goodman.
"Labor Day"...Kate Winslet (Josh Brolin doesn't feel right).

From other films just below the "Ten Bets"

"12 Years a Slave"...Brad Pitt...if you can fete Clooney...you can fete Pitt.  The rest of the cast and Steve McQueen need more on their resumes...but watch for future tributes for Cumberbatch and Fassbender.

"All is Lost"...Redford...seems like a natural choice.

"Philomena"...Judi Dench would also seem to be a very likely candidate.

With this week's surge that "Gravity" is a very real possibility...Sandra Bullock becomes a part of the tribute conversation.

Then there's Roger Ebert.  I am a firm believer that the Festival will recognize him this year.  My guess is a "Special Medallion"...but it's not a crazy thought that he could be tributed.

Other less likely scenarios:
Julia Roberts if "August: Osage County" makes the lineup.
Ridley Scott with "The Counselor"
Nicole Kidman with "Grace of Monaco" or "The Railway Man"
Matthew McConnaughey with "The Dallas Buyers Club"
Jessica Chastain with "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby"
Philip Seymour Hoffman with "A Most Wanted Man"
Paul Giamatti or Billy Bob Thornton with "Parkland"

So those are my thoughts about the most likely candidates.  I have a reader who suggests that there will a third "out of nowhere" selection that non one can see coming...and I'll bet he's absolutely right.


COUNSELING VIEWS

The release came yesterday of new clips from Ridley Scott's "The Counselor" which stars Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt.  I'm still holding a dwindling hope for this to make the Telluride lineup.

Here are links to the new clips via The Playlist and Rope of Silicon:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-michael-fassbender-gets-warned-by-brad-pitt-javier-bardem-in-2-clips-from-the-counselor-20130806

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/counselor-movie-clips-fassbender-pitt-bardem-cruz/


"ENOUGH SAID" TRAILER

Also dropping yesterday was a trailer for the James Gandolfini starring "enough said".  There has been a good deal of buzz that this film could very well play Telluride.  The film also stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Catherine Keener.  Stories linked below from HitFix, FirstShowing and The Playlist:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/james-gandolfini-courts-julia-louis-dreyfus-in-the-trailer-for-nicole-holofceners-enough-said

http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/nicole-holofceners-enough-said-full-trailer-with-james-gandolfini/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-charming-trailer-for-nicole-holofceners-enough-said-starring-james-gandolfini-julia-louis-dreyfus-20130806


TAKING STOCK

The potential film landscape has really shifted a lot in the past couple of weeks with revelations/expectations for some films that were merely thought as outside possibilities coming into focus in that time period.

In the last 15 days or so we have seen the ascendancy of "Inside Llewyn Davis", "All is Lost" and "Gravity" into serious consideration as Telluride possibles.  We have seen some of the films essentially confirmed that we have been pretty certain of for some time: "Nebraska", "Labor Day" and "The Invisible Woman".

There are some films that we have been high on that we haven't heard very much about in as far as Telluride is concerned.  Nobody is really talking "The Past", "The Unknown Known", "The Immigrant", "Philomena" or "12 Years a Slave"...but I still feel pretty good about all of them.

The New York Fest has claimed "Captain Phillips" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" for its opener and centerpiece.  They still have a closing night film to announce and the rest of their lineup expected in the next 10 days or so.

And there are films that I'd still like to see show up that could but about which there hasn't been any scuttlebutt, at least that I can suss out: "Foxcatcher", "The Fifth Estate", "The Dallas Buyers Club" and "The Counselor" come to mind.

All in all, you'll see a definite effect on tomorrow's new "Ten Bets" list.  It's shaping up to be an incredible 40th anniversary festival.


Meanwhile, from the "A Guy Can Continue to Dream" Dept.  Here's this...

COUNSELOR TRAILER

"The Counselor" had its second straight day of high profile P.R. as the Ridley Scott film dropped an official trailer.  Would love to see this on the Telluride program.

I have included posts from The Playlist, Rope of Silicon and FirstShowing

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-new-full-length-trailer-for-ridley-scotts-the-counselor-gets-up-to-testify-20130807

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/counselor-trailer-michael-fassbender-brad-pitt/

http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/must-watch-riveting-new-full-trailer-for-ridley-scotts-the-counselor/

A note here...this two day blitz makes me wonder if "The Counselor" might be in line to be announced as the closing night selection for the New York Film Festival.


VIEWS OF "HUSTLE" AND "MONUMENTS"

A couple of films I'm also not expecting to see in Telluride are David O. Russell's "American Hustle" and George Clooney's "The Monuments Men'.  I'd like to see them in T-ride but as I've reported here, "Monuments" is reportedly unready and I just haven't ever thought there was a big chance for "Hustle"  Nevertheless, both films have been among my "coming Attractions" for some time now.

Both of them releases official images yesterday.  I have linked Rope of Silicon and The Playlist below:

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/american-hustle-picture-adams-bale-cooper/

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/first-official-picture-from-george-clooneys-monuments-men/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/first-official-look-at-george-clooneys-monuments-men-plus-new-pics-from-american-hustle-desolation-of-smaug-20130807

MONUMENTS TRAILER

As expected the trailer for George Clooney's "The Monuments Men" came down the pipeline yesterday.  It is intriguing.  I have to say that I'd really like for the film to surprisingly show up in Telluride in three weeks.  Purportedly the film isn't ready but you know that Telluride has produced more than one surprise over the years.  Perhaps 2013 could be another example of that magic.

THE UNIFIED CLOONEY THEORY; PART TWO

Earlier this week I proposed the "Unified Clooney Theory", a suggestion of the connective web between Clooney and many of his friends and a number of the films that have the potential to be a part of this year's Telluride program.  You can see that I've re-posted it above as a part of the "Best of the Week" segment.

Well...there's more.  Julia Roberts is another part of the UCT.  She's appeared with Clooney, Pitt and Damon in the Ocean films and will be getting a lot of notice in the Clooney produced "August: Osage County".  Many Oscar observers believe that she'll be a player in the awards conversation at the end of the year.

Tilda Swinton is another actress that is a part of the UCT and has a lively Telluride possibility or two.  Swinton appeared with Clooney in Michael Clayton and they were both tributed at Telluride the same year.  Swinton also has appeared with fellow UCT members Brad Pitt in "Benjamin Button" and both Clooney and Pitt in the Coen Brothers "Burn After Reading"  (Coens...more UCT!)

Swinton is set to appear in Terry Gilliam's "The Zero Theorem" (with UCT member Matt Damon) and Jim Jarmusch's "Only Lovers Left Alive".  Both of those have some level of Telluride potential.

And we can't forget Cate Blanchett in this feminine examination of the Unified Clooney Theory.  Blanchett who is currently basking in breathless reviews for her performance in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" has had her moments in Clooney-land.  Blanchett is, of course, the female lead in Pitt's "Benjamin Button" and also plays the lead in the Steven Soderberg directed and Clooney  starrer "The Good German".  Blanchett has Clooney's "The Monuments Men" in the can (or nearly so) as well as co-starring as Pitt's wife in "Babel".  Blanchett also appeared in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" with Matt Damon.

Again, as with the male version of the UCT, the chances of all of these films playing and all of these women being in Telluride is very unlikely...actually, my guess is that Swinton and "only Lovers" is your best chance.  But, again, they're all possible at least to varying degrees.

COME AND PLAY

We're still ironing out details but you can be sure that you have a personal invitation to the Third Guide to the Ride, Flow of the Show.  Tentative plans look like we'll be moving the soiree to Thursday (the opening day if the fest).  I expect to host again at The River Club (550 Depot St. in Telluride).  Time and duration are still being ironed out.  Keep an eye on the blog for more details as we get closer to Festival time.

RANKING THE FILMS

For the second year Michael's Telluride Film Blog is putting together an array of Film Critics, blogger and Experts who have agreed to offer their ratings of the films that they see during the festival.  i'll be collating that information and passing it on to you.  

Among the fine film folk that have agreed to particiapate are :

Alex Billington/FirstShowing

Scott Feinberg/The Hollywood Reporter

Scott Foundas/Variety

Eric Kohn/IndieWire

Eugene Novikov/Film Blather

Kristopher Tapley/InContention-HitFix

Sasha Stone/Awards Daily

I have other invitations out and hopes that we'll have more players in this endeavor.

ALSO...

As I did last year, I want YOUR ratings too.  As we move through the festival in a few weeks, I'm inviting you to rank the films you see from 0 to 5 and email those ratings to me at either:

michael_speech@hotmail.com or

mpgort@gmail.com

It should be fun!

PHILOMENA TRAILER

Judi Dench and Steve Coogan star in Stephen Frears "Philomena".  dench is reportedly fantastic in this film about a woman looking for the son she surrendered fro adoption when she was young.  "Philomena" dropped a trailer yesterday.

Here it is:

  

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Have a great weekend...more on Monday...unless there's breaking news...