Anticipated Films for This Fall and Telluride / More "Jobs" News / Could We See the Return of Bill Murray? / Late Breaking New "Macbeth" Trailer / Don't Forget to Rate

Good Tuesday World...the clock is ticking down.  TFF #42 in three days...

ANTICIPATED FILMS FOR THIS FALL AND TELLURIDE

As we count down the hours to the beginning of TFF #42, you might have noticed that everyone and her dog (or his) has, in the last week or so, posted their "Most Anticipated"...fall film list...or some version thereof. They're ubiquitous.

I've culled a number of them which are linked below if you'd like to gander at any or all of the complete lists.

What I've looked for is the inclusion of what I believe will be films that will be announced in about 48 hours as TFF players.  So here's the breakdown...(and "Steve Jobs" appears to be a film that a lot of people want to see...including your truly).

Variety/InContention (Welcome Back Kristopher Tapley!):

"Anomalisa", "Son of Saul", "Macbeth", "Steve Jobs", "45 Years", "Beasts of No Nation", "Room". "Spotlight", "Carol" and "Black Mass".

Indiewire:

"Rams", "Beasts of No Nation", "Anomalisa", "45 Years", "Amazing Grace", "He Named Me Malala" and "Taxi".

The Film Stage:

"Spotlight", "Suffragette", "Room", "Hitchcock/Truffaut", "Steve Jobs"and "Beasts of No Nation".

HitFix:

"Black Mass", "Steve Jobs", "Suffragette" and "Carol".

NewNowNext:

"Steve Jobs", "Suffragette", "Carol"

The Wrap:

"Black Mass", "Steve Jobs", "Spotlight" and "Carol"

Business Insider:

"Black Mass", "Steve Jobs", "Room", "Beasts of No Nation" and "Suffragette"

Awards Circuit:

"Anomalisa", "Beasts of No Nation", "Black Mass", "Carol", "Room", "Spotlight" and "Steve Jobs".

That's eight different lists and in this completely non-scientific survey, we find that "Steve Jobs" may be the most anticipated possible Telluride showing as it is mentioned on seven of the eight lists. Three films appear on five of the lists: "Carol", "Black Mass" and "Beasts of No Nation".  Three other films are on four of the lists: "Room", "Suffragette" and "Spotlight".

Assuming I have these correct, then you might anticipate that these could be the films with the hottest tickets going into this weekend.

Check out all of the complete lists at these links:

http://variety.com/2015/film/in-contention/30-most-anticipated-films-of-the-2015-2016-oscar-season-1201580229/

http://www.indiewire.com/article/the-indiewire-2015-fall-preview-the-27-festival-films-were-most-excited-to-see-20150827

http://thefilmstage.com/features/fall-2015-preview-our-20-most-anticipated-films/

http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/the-31-movies-you-must-see-this-fall-and-why

http://www.newnownext.com/the-13-most-anticipated-films-of-fall-2015/08/2015/

http://www.thewrap.com/25-fall-movies-were-dying-to-see-from-everest-to-the-hateful-eight/

http://www.businessinsider.com/fall-movie-preview-2015-8

http://www.awardscircuit.com/2015/08/19/oscar-circuit-a-guide-to-recognizing-your-oscars-with-the-fall-festivals/


MORE "JOBS" NEWS

Michael Fassbender as "Steve Jobs"

I thought I'd pass along a couple of "Steve Jobs" oriented stories form the last few days.  The first is from Time.com and is entitled "Five Things We Learned About the New Steve Jobs Movie" including the shocking revelation that lead Michael Fassbender doesn't much look like Steve Jobs.

Still, the article has some interesting things to say here:

http://time.com/4012107/steve-jobs-movie-aaron-sorkin-interview/


Also, I have linked another Jobs post from SlashFilm that includes some commentary on the film from Fassbender's co-star, Kate Winslet:

http://www.slashfilm.com/steve-jobs-poster-themes/


COULD WE SEE THE RETURN OF BILL MURRAY?

I asked via Twitter yesterday and somewhat rhetorically, if the recent appearance of a second trailer for Barry Levinson's "Rock the Kasbah" meant we might think about it as a Telluride possibility.

I'm only a little serious.  I've mentioned the film briefly in the run up to this year's fest and you could make a case for its inclusion.  Open Road is distributing and will almost certainly be on hand with "Spotlight",  They were a  noticeable presence in Telluride last year with "Rosewater".  Bill Murray was at TFF #39 with "Hyde Park on Hudson".  So, the notion isn't completely crazy.

Here's the trailer via YouTube:

And a couple of the stories that came with the trailer release are here:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/watch-bill-murray-gets-stranded-in-kabul-in-new-rock-the-kasbah-trailer-20150827

http://www.vulture.com/2015/08/bill-murray-goes-to-afghanistan-in-new-trailer.html

The film opens in the U.S. on Oct. 23.  Here's its IMDb profile:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3164256/

AND LATE BREAKING THIS A.M....NEW TRAILER FOR MACBETH

New trailer for Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth" via YouTube

From The Playlist this morning (and The Weinstein Company, of course)

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/some-awesome-this-way-comes-watch-the-new-trailer-for-macbeth-starring-michael-fassbender-marion-cotillard-20150901


Could this still turn up this week in Colorado?  Less than a 50% chance in my view, but I have my fingers crossed.



DON'T FORGET TO RATE THE FILMS YOU SEE MY FRIENDS...

Rate the films this weekend 1-5 (1 being bad, 5 being way good) and send that info to me at one of the methods of contact below.  Be a part of "The People's Telluride".



Please feel free to leave a comment or question here at the blog.

Email me at michael_speech@hotmail.com or mpgort@gmail.com

Tweet/Follow at me @Gort2 on Twitter

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michaels-Telluride-Film-Blog-and-The-Film-Awards-Clearinghouse/107846269309712

Ten Bets #10 (Plus Five) / "Black Mass" Background / New Trailer for "Malala" / All Hail "Macbeth"

Welcome to the last Friday before TFF #42 takes flight.  We have film in seven days!

TEN BETS #10 (PLUS FIVE)

I hope you've been following the "Ten Bets" progress throughout this summer.  It started back on June 26th with the first "Ten Bets" which looked like this:

10) "Queen of the Desert"
9) "Suffragette"
8) "Truth"
7) "45 Years"
6) "13 Minutes"
5) "I Saw the Light"
4) "Youth"
3) "Carol"
2) "Son of Saul"
1) "Dheepan"

As I post this morning, 4 of those films appear solid for next weekend in T-ride ("Son of Saul", "Carol", "45 Years" and "Suffragette").  Two others ("Queen of the Desert" and "13 Minutes") could still make the grade.  The other four appear to be off the Telluride table: "Truth", "I Saw the Light", "Youth" and "Dheepan" though I still think they were pretty good "Bets" back in June.

I also listed another 6-8 films that were "close" to the original ten bets and among those it looks good that we'll be able to see "He Named Me Malala" and "Black Mass".  Also still possible from that additional list is "Macbeth" and technically still possible is "In the Heart of the Sea".

Last week's "Ten Bets (plus Five) looked like this:

15) "Heart of a Dog"

14) "Rams"

13) "Hitchcock/Truffaut"

12) "Spotlight"

11) "Amazing Grace"

10) "45 Years"

  9) "Carol"

  8) "He Named Me Malala"

  7) "Steve Jobs"

  6) "Anomalisa"

  5) "Room"

  4) "Suffragette"

  3) "Beasts of No Nation"

  2) "Black Mass"

  1) "Son of Saul"

Here's this week's Ten Bets (Plus Five)

15) "Taxi"

14) "Marguerite"

13) "Hitchcock/Truffaut"

12) "Anomalisa"

11) "Amazing Grace"

10) "Room"

9)   "Spotlight"

8)   "45 Years"

7)   "He Named Me Malala"

6)   "Carol"

5)   "Steve Jobs"

4)   "Black Mass"

3)   "Suffragette"

2)   "Beasts of No Nation"

1)   "Son of Saul"

There are a few more films that I may add when I post the Final Ten Bets on Wednesday morning next week.

"BLACK MASS" BACKGROUND

I ran across two interesting and informative stories about Scott Cooper's "Black Mass" featuring Johnny Depp as mob legend Whitey Bulger and thought I'd pass them along.  The first is an interview with Cooper himself from Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood.  Anne will be one of the industry pros offering ratings to MTFB of the films that she sees at TFF #42.  Here's that interview:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/watch-black-mass-director-scott-cooper-dissects-whitey-bulgers-bloody-rise-to-the-top-20150827

Additionally, I also saw this interview with the head guys from Cross Creek Pictures which produced the film (and a couple of others this fall season.  The interview includes some discussion of "Black Mass" and star Depp:  

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/black-mass-producers-johnny-depps-817469

NEW TRAILER FOR "MALALA"

In a year where it seems that there will be at least a couple of other documentaries that I will have to try to get in ("Hitchcock/Truffaut" and "Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words") should they materialize, the doc I am most energized about is Davis Guggenheim's "He Named Me Malala" which focuses on the story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

That anticipation was stoked yesterday with the release of a new trailer for the film.

I have linked three stories with the new trailer embedded:

Variety:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/watch-malala-yousafzai-tells-her-story-in-he-named-me-malala-trailer-1201579848/

The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-bravery-courage-stand-tall-in-new-trailer-for-documentary-he-named-me-malala-20150827

Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/he-named-me-malala-trailer_55deffb1e4b029b3f1b1a873

ALL HAIL "MACBETH"

I'm still holding onto the slim reed of hope that we might see Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth".  New posters appeared for the film yesterday and they just intensified my desire to see the new take on "The Scottish...Film".

Acting as a splash of cold water on those hopes was news that the director (Kurzel) and stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard's next project..which includes all three of them- "Assassin's Creed" is on the brink of beginning to film.  

Perhaps the entire crew will hold off until after Labor Day weekend and join us in the San Juans for a respite and a screening of their interpretation of the Bard's work...Keep Hope Alive!

I'll pass along some of the coverage from the last couple of days for the film and the new images/posters:

http://thefilmstage.com/features/michael-fassbender-marion-cotillard-and-justin-kurzel-discuss-making-macbeth-at-cannes/

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=45228

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/all-hail-michael-fassbender-marion-cotillard-in-new-images-and-posters-from-macbeth-20150827

COUPLE OF NOTES TO END THE WEEK

Just wanted to pass along that I could post during the weekend should circumstances warrant.  Check back her or check on Twitter and Facebook as I will post links there should a special post or two occur during the weekend.

Also, please consider joining other MTFB readers and rate the films you see next weekend for "The People's Telluride".  Rate films on a 1-5 scale and send those ratings to me via any of the contact methods below.

Have a fantastic weekend...

Please feel free to leave a comment or question here at the blog.

Email me at michael_speech@hotmail.com or mpgort@gmail.com

Tweet/Follow at me @Gort2 on Twitter

You can also message me on Facebook (and "Like" me too)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michaels-Telluride-Film-Blog-and-The-Film-Awards-Clearinghouse/107846269309712

More from the North Tomorrow / Late Breaking: Trailer for "Carol" / "Suffragette" Director Sarah Gavron / New Views from "I Saw the Light: / AFI or Nothing?

Welcome back from the weekend ladies and germs...

MORE FROM THE NORTH TOMORROW

The last big announcement of films for the Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled for tomorrow morning.  TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey tweeted over the weekend that they will reveal more Galas, Special Presentations and their Contemporary World Cinema program.  All of those could well (and probably will) reveal more titles that could play Telluride.

We could learn something about "Our Brand is Crisis", "Carol" and "I Saw the Light" (see below) which both had new photos/stills arrive late last week which could be an indication of imminent news concerning those films...or not.

Also, a couple of films released new poster art at the end of the week: "By the Sea" and "The 33". Does this indicate some TIFF news?

Perhaps we might also hear some news about some of the other films that have yet to have been revealed to have fall festival destinations such as "45 Years", "Truth", "Macbeth", "Secret in Their Eyes"and "In the Heart of the Sea" for example.

As I have been doing, I will post Tuesday's regular news in the morning and then follow it later in the day with a Toronto news special with more coverage and analysis about whatever we learn tomorrow on Wednesday.


LATE BREAKING-TRAILER FOR "CAROL"

As I am going to press this morning, I find the new teaser for Todd Haynes' "Carol".  Also news this morning that "Carol" will be featured at the BFI London Film Fest with a Gala presentation.  With out frills, here's the teaser and The Playlist story the reported it:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-cate-blanchett-rooney-mara-fall-in-love-in-first-trailer-for-todd-haynes-carol-20150817


IN-DEPTH WITH "SUFFRAGETTE" DIRECTOR SARAH GAVRON

Currently sitting at #7 on last week's "Ten Bets' for Telluride is Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette".  The film is the story of the women of Britain and their struggle for voting rights.  The film stars Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson and, in a small role, Meryl Streep.  The film is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on Oct. 23rd.

The Economist's Intelligent Life posted a profile of director Sarah Gavron over the weekend which I have included below.  Gavron, should "Suffragette" be a part of the Telluride lineup, would be returning to Telluride after having screened "Brick Lane" there in 2007.

Here's the profile:

http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/features/julie-kavanagh/vote-gavron



NEW VIEWS FROM "I SAW THE LIGHT"

We got a look at a few more stills from Marc Abraham's Hank Williams biopic "I Saw the Light" over the weekend as well.  Tom Hiddleston stars as the seminal country singing star with Elizabeth Olsen said to be outstanding as Williams' wife Audrey.

The film has been riding high on the "Ten Bets" lists all summer long (bumped slightly off this week) and the appearance of these new looks might indicate that it will be named tomorrow with a spot at TIFF which would/could indicate that it's also ready for a Telluride play.  I have been irrational excited about this film since I knew it was happening which is weird as I am not a particular fan of Williams' music nor am I necessarily a huge Hiddleston fan.  But still, I'm amped for this and have been for quite some time.

We'll see, maybe tomorrow, if it's coming to T-ride.

Here's the story with the new pics from The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/first-look-tom-hiddleston-as-hank-williams-in-i-saw-the-light-20150812



FILMS LIKELY HEADED TO AFI FEST OR NO FEST AT ALL:

"Joy"
"Snowden"
"In the Heart of the Sea"
"Crimson Peak"
"The Revenant"
"The Hateful Eight"


That's all for Monday...more tomorrow in a probable double post!

Please feel free to leave a comment or question here at the blog.

Email me at michael_speech@hotmail.com or mpgort@gmail.com

Tweet/Follow at me @Gort2 on Twitter

You can also message me on Facebook (and "Like" me too)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michaels-Telluride-Film-Blog-and-The-Film-Awards-Clearinghouse/107846269309712

New York Reveals Full Slate / "The Hateful Eight" Has a Trailer / Looking at Hank Williams/Tom Hiddleston / A Look at "Our Brand is Crisis"

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday...


A very busy 24 hours since my last post vi-s-a-vis The 42nd Telluride Film Festival with new information and also views of some films that could play at T-ride that we haven't seen much of anything from...yet.  Let's start with new info from...

NEW YORK REVEALS FULL SLATE (AND TELLS US SOME THINGS ABOUT TELLURIDE)

The New York Film Festival dropped the rest of their film lineup (barring any surprise screenings...and NYFF has certainly done some of that in the past) out of the blue yesterday.  Last year the NYFF program was revealed on Aug. 14 so we knew it was likely very soon.

Here's what we can discern/glean:

Announcements of Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs" (which we knew from its earlier announcement as NYFF's centerpiece) is still label less in terms of premiere status.  That's a pretty strong indication that it's Telluride bound.

Todd Haynes "Carol" was also in the announcement yesterday with no premiere status indicated which tells me Telluride.

The ONLY other film that fits the "no premiere" status condition is Corneliu Porumbiou's "The Treasure".  It played Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section.  Critics loved, loved, loved it.  Looks like it's going to make the trip to the San Juans.

"The Treasure's"  IMDb page is here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4515684/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1


We are also able to deduce that some films are now off the Telluride radar owing to their NYFF posted premiere status (barring mistakes or weirdness).  Off the T-ride table would appear to be:

Steven Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies"
"Arabian Nights"
"Les Cowboys"
"The Measure of a Man"
"Mia Madre"
"Microbe and Gasoline"


There are also others off the Telluride grid but we either already knew that or never thought they were likely for Telluride to begin with.

Want some weirdness?  Seems like only three films will crossover this year between Telluride and New York.  Last year it was 11 films that played both fests.  Not sure why but that's a dramatic difference.

Finally, for those keeping score, films that we still haven't seen on any of the three major fall fest lists (TIFF, Venice, NYFF) are:

"Suffragette"
"I Saw the Light"
"Our Brand is Crisis"
"In the Heart of the Sea"
"By the Sea"
"Truth"
"Manchester-by-the-Sea"
"Secret in Their Eyes"
"Queen of the Desert"
"Salt and Fire"
"45 Years"
"13 Minutes"
"Macbeth"
"Adam Jones/Burnt"
"Snowden"
"Joy"

"The Light Between Oceans"

"Crimson Peak"

"The 33"

"The Last Face"

Of these, I feel that the best added Telluride shots are:

"Suffragette"

"I Saw the Light" (see below)

"Our Brand is Crisis"

"Truth"

"Secret in Their Eyes"

"Queen of the Desert"

"45 Years"

"13 Minutes"

"Macbeth"

Here are links to a slew of NYFF coverage:

http://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2015/daily/the-new-york-film-festival-sets-26-films-for-the-2015-main-slate/

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/12/spielberg-coens-drama-bridge-of-spies-gets-new-york-film-festival-premiere/

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/12/new-york-film-festival-lineup-2015-bridge-of-spies

http://www.indiewire.com/article/53rd-new-york-film-festival-announces-main-slate-offerings-brooklyn-carol-and-bridge-of-spies-top-list-20150812

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/what-did-the-new-york-film-festival-get-20150812

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-york-film-festival-adds-world-premiere-of-steven-spielbergs-bridge-of-spies-to-main-slate-and-more-20150812

We should have more insight next week with the next wave of major announcements from Toronto.

"THE HATEFUL EIGHT" HAS A TRAILER

Well, let's all say it together: "The Hateful Eight" will not be ready in time to screen at TFF #42.

There's the disclaimer.

But I will say again that I do think we could see some footage of some kind.  I don't think that's stretch.  Maybe clips.  Maybe and extended scene or two.  Maybe a Quentin Tarantino tribute?

All possible.  

Yesterday's trailer release is reportedly what was shown at Cannes in May.  Check it here via YouTube:

And, as you might expect, I have linked a number of stories that accompanied the trailer release:


http://variety.com/2015/film/news/hateful-eight-trailer-quentin-tarantino-1201568499/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/first-trailer-quentin-tarantinos-hateful-814804

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2015/08/hateful-eight-trailer-gives-season-much-needed-shot-in-the-arm/

http://thefilmstage.com/trailer/quentin-tarantino-returns-to-the-western-in-first-trailer-for-the-hateful-eight/

http://www.slashfilm.com/hateful-eight-trailer/

http://www.indiewire.com/article/watch-quentin-tarantino-returns-to-the-western-with-a-gun-slinging-hateful-eight-teaser-20150812

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-bloody-blazing-trailer-for-quentin-tarantinos-the-hateful-eight-20150812


LOOKING AT HANK WILLIAMS/TOM HIDDLESTON IN "I SAW THE LIGHT"

We got our first official glimpse yesterday of Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams in the Marc Abraham film "I Saw the Light" as you can see above.

As I was monitoring the internet traffic as the image was being reported I noted an exchange highlighted between @PennJK and the official Toronto Film Festival Twitter account.  TIFF tweeted the image themselves:

https://twitter.com/TIFF_NET/status/631573216054525952/photo/1

 In the exchange @PennJK asks if the tweet means that "I Saw the Light" will play in Toronto to which the TIFF account replies:

"No plans as of now.  Just a savory slice of film industry news."

Which strikes me as an non denial denial.  It seems to me to be too convenient a pic for the TIFF account to tweet if it weren't going to go to TIFF.  Kind of makes me think that it WILL play TIFF and I'd bet if it does that it plays Telluride first.  Perhaps we'll find out next week.

Your links to stories with the "I Saw the Light" image from yesterday.  The Anne Thompson post suggests the possibility of Telluride:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/i-saw-the-light-first-look-tom-hiddleston-as-country-star-hank-williams-20150812

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/12/tom-hiddleston-hank-williams-i-saw-light-first-lo

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/first-look-tom-hiddleston-as-hank-williams-in-i-saw-the-light-20150812

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/first-picture-of-tom-hiddleston-as-hank-williams-in-i-saw-the-light/

ALSO A LOOK AT "OUR BRAND IS CRISIS"

Just about the same time all the Hateful trailer stories and Hiddleston as Hank stories were blowing up, the folks behind the P.R. for David Gordon Green's "Our Brand is Crisis" were busy with the first official look of Sandra Bullock from that film (above).

Could this film play Telluride?  It's still on my list of possibilities.   Coverage is here from Entertainment Weekly:

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/12/sandra-bullock-our-brand-crisis-first-look


Please feel free to leave a comment or question here at the blog.

Email me at michael_speech@hotmail.com or mpgort@gmail.com

Tweet/Follow at me @Gort2 on Twitter

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First Looks at "Burnt" / New "Hateful" Poster / Added Views from "Macbeth" / Toronto Part Three Later

Good Tuesday everyone

It's all about films from The Weinstein Company today as the TWC machine got working in a big way yesterday apparently.


FIRST LOOKS AT "BURNT"

This film stars Bradley Cooper and was originally titled "Adam Jones".  The film is directed by John Wells ("August, Osage County) and is set for domestic release on Oct. 23.

A number of outlets reported yesterday the film had a new poster (above)  as well as a first teaser via The Today Show.  Find the trailer in the stories linked here:


http://www.today.com/video/first-look-at-bradley-coopers-next-film-burnt-501431875698

http://theplaylistfilm.tumblr.com/post/126358877126/watch-bradley-cooper-in-the-first-brief-teaser-for

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/bradley-cooper-is-burnt-in-first-trailer-and-poster/


Of the three TWC films I'm talking about today, I suspect that this is in the middle spot in terms of Telluride possibility.


ADDED VIEWS FROM "MACBETH"

The film from today's post that probably is the most likely to show at The SHOW is Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth".  The film stars Michael Fassbender as the Scottish King and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth.  I've had this on my Telluride watch list for more than a year and were it not for "Carol" I'd probably think it was a lock to play Telluride.

Fassbender and Cotillard have been receiving some potential awards attention for their performances since the film debuted in Cannes back in May.

Take a look at a couple of new stills from the film from this article from The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/fassbender-tv-spot-for-steve-jobs-with-new-footage-plus-pics-from-macbeth-trespass-against-us-20150807


NEW "HATEFUL" POSTER

We also have a new poster that appeared from Qunetin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" (above).  The film isn't due until Christmas so the probability of a complete version playing Telluride seems incredibly remote.

Still, I wouldn't be completely surprised if it showed up in some uncompleted form over the Labor Day weekend.  A number of my fellow journo types have suggested the possibility of a Tarantino tribute with clips or an extended scene as a part of that.

That seems a reasonable possibility to me.  Fingers crossed.

Coverage for the poster release is here:

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/10/hateful-8-poster-exclusive

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-poster-for-quentin-tarantinos-the-hateful-eight-promises-ultra-panavision-70-picture-20150810


TORONTO PART THREE

The Toronto International Film Festival is set to drop more titles today.  Expected are their non-Canadian films in the Documentary program and their Midnight Madness program.  There have also been some hints that we might see/hear films that will be in their Vanguard program and further galas or special presentations.

I'll publish a special TIFF News post later today if the information we glean warrants.


More later...and for sure tomorrow...


Please feel free to leave a comment or question here at the blog.

Email me at michael_speech@hotmail.com or mpgort@gmail.com

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Toronto Apology / "Son of Saul" News / "Macbeth" Arrangements / "Everest" Leaves the Discussion

It's Wednesday and...

TORONTO APOLOGY

I got ahead of myself yesterday and thought/assumed that Toronto would be announcing their Canadian selections.  Not so.  My sincere apology.  It appears that those films could be announced today.  We'll see and we'll also see if the Canada based film titles reveal anything at all about Telluride.


"SON OF SAUL" NEWS

Last week's new #1 on my "Ten Bets" list was Lazslo Nemes Cannes sensation "Son of Saul".  The Holocaust set drama took the Croisette by storm and many thought it might well win the Golden Palm (Jacques Audiard's "Dheepan" actually won).

In the past day or two we've seen a couple of big items come out concerning the film that appears to be a lock for Telluirde.  First, Hungary has named the film as its official entrant for Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film consideration.  It may well have been the first film submitted by any nation and will certainly be considered among the front runners if not a prohibitive favorite.

We also learned the film has been dated for release here in the U.S. for Dec. 18th according to a Twitter  post from The Film Stage.

I'm looking forward to this film a great deal.

Here's the AwardsWatch.com post with the news about the film's Oscar submission:

http://awardswatch.com/news/official-submissions-list-for-2016-foreign-language-film-oscar-updating/


"MACBETH" ARRANGEMENTS

"Macbeth" trailer via YouTube

In this strange and evolving world of  new players in the world of feature films: Netflix, Amazon, etc. it seems we're going to see a good deal of trail and error from those players as they try to make the new frontier of film distribution succeed.

Case in point was this news in the last couple of days that Telluride-possible and Cannes competition entry Justin Kurzel's"MacBeth" which is under The Weinstein's Company tent will be getting an exclusive roll out on Amazon relatively quickly after its theatrical premiere.

The film is set to open in America in December.  Further news was that TWC has shifted the distribution to its Radius-TWC arm.

Neither announcement precludes a possible play at Telluride which seems to already have crossed into this new territory if the strongly-held belief that "Beasts of No Nation" will make the 2015 lineup.  "Beasts" is from Netflix and Bleeker Street.

I have linked stories about the "Macbeth" plans here from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/weinstein-co-s-macbeth-gets-exclusive-amazon-deal-1201554808/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-fassbender-starrer-macbeth-weinstein-812551



"EVEREST" LEAVES THE DISCUSSION

via YouTube

There had been some glimmer that Baltasar Kormakur's "Everest" might do the same thing that the last two films that opened Venice (as it is set to do).  Both "Gravity" and "Birdman" opened La Biennale and then made the trans-Atlantic hope to Telluride.

As late as July 28th The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg was suggesting the possibility:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscars-toronto-lineup-offers-clues-811546

But news yesterday makes that very unlikely.  The Deauville Film Fest has announced that "Everest" will also open their festival on Sept. 4, the same day that Telluride gets under way.  The THR story also reports that "cast and crew" are expected to attend the French fest.

Now, that doesn't make a T-ride play 100% impossible...but very unrealistic.  Here's the THR story on the Deauville selection:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/everest-open-deauville-film-festival-812814


That will do for the time being.  If Toronto adds their Canadian lineup today and if that announcement warrants some Telluride interpretaion, I could well post again later today.  If not, then...till tomorrow, Amigos!




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Distribution: The Weinstein Company/Fassbender Takes on The Dude/First International Trailer for "The Club"

It's Wednesday people...getting marginally closer to Labor Day weekend.


We continue our look at film distributors with Telluride track records...



DISTRIBUTION: FREQUENT DISTRIBS AT TELLURIDE: THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

Tracking the Weinsteins as distributors at Telluride for the past decade shows us that they've been a part of The SHOW for a good long while.  Here's their Telluride slate as Miramax or The Weinstein Company or Radius-TWC since 2006:


2006: Venus
2007: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, My Enemy's Enemy, I'm Not There
2008: Happy-Go-Lucky
2009: The Road
2010: The King's Speech
2011: The Artist, Butter
2012: The Sapphires  (also was represented during the Marion Cotillard tribute by James Gray and 5 min. of The Immigrant)
2013: The Unknown Known, Salinger, Tracks
2014: The Imitation Game", "Escobar: Paradise Lost"

15 films in nine years.  That's an average of 1.7 films per year with at least one film every year of the nine.  Also, they had a great back-to-back Telluride run in 2010 and 2011 with ultimate Oscar Best Picture winners "The King's Speech" and "The Artist" playing in Telluride.  Last year's "The Imitation Game" was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won for Graham Moore's adapted screenplay.

So, what might we see from TWC in eight weeks time?

They have Todd Haynes "Carol" which wowed at Cannes as well as Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth" which also played in competition at Cannes and received excellent notices for stars Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender.  Additionally, Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight", "John Wells' "Adam Jones".

Radius-TWC doesn't currently list any project on IMDb that would be Telluride ready.

So where does that leave us?

I think "Carol" is a pretty solid guess for Telluride.  "Macbeth" is also a real possibility.  Everything is else is less so.  "Hateful" is not likely to be ready.  "Adam Jones" doesn't seem, to me anyway, to have the gravitas for T-ride.

Chances with current "Ten Bets" status listed in parenthesis where applicable:

"Carol" 75% (#3)
"Macbeth" 55%
"The Hateful Eight" 25%
"Adam Jones" 25%

Tomorrow a look at Sundance Selects/IFC FIlms.


FASSBENDER TAKES ON THE DUDE

For a while now, Telluride favorite Jason Reitman has staged live reads of various films.  He's mostly done it in L.A. but has occasionally ventured to other places.  In the past few days we have learned that he will stage a live read of the Coen Brothers' "The Big Lebowski" in Montreal for a comedy festival there on July 24th.

And we know now who will be reading "the Dude", none other than Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender.  Patton Oswalt has also been announced as Walter Sobchak, the John Goodman role with other roles/actors to be announced.

Also, we learned via The Playlist (story below) that Fassbender was up for and auditioned for the title role in the Coen's 2013 Telluride-selected "Inside Llewyn Davis".  That would have been interesting, though, as bog a fan as I am of Fassbender's work, and I am a huge fan, I can't imagine the role in any other hands but those of Oscar Isaac.


http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/michael-fassbender-will-play-the-dude-in-jason-reitmans-live-read-of-the-big-lebowski-20150707

FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRAILER FOR "THE CLUB"

Pablo Larrain's "The Club" won the Silver Bear at Berlin in February and that combined with Larrain's play at Telluride in 2012 with "No" (he was also a producer for 2013's "Gloria") makes me think we should consider it as a potential lineup choice for TFF #42.

Additionally, U.S. distribution is in the hands of Music Box Films which has a small but notable Telluride resume including Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film "Ida" and "Fifi Howls from Happiness" in 2013 and "The Story of Film" in 2011.

"The Club" deals with secrets in the Catholic Church in South America.

The Playlist covered the release of the film's international trailer yesterday and the story and the trailer are here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-international-trailer-for-pablo-larrains-berlin-film-festival-award-winning-the-club-20150707


That's all for today...more on Thursday...

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We'll " See the Light" in November/Kurzel Talks the "Scottish" Film/Malick Moves to 2016

Good Morning World...Welcome to Tuesday...


WE'LL "SEE THE LIGHT" IN NOVEMBER

Sony Pictures Classics has announced that its Hank Williams biopic starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen will be released on Nov. 27th smack in the middle of awards season.  The conventional wisdom is that SPC will push for Hiddleston for Best Actor at a minimum.  The film could also make a play in a number of other categories.

"I Saw the Light" was at #5 on last week's first "Ten Bets" list.  The selection of a late November release date doesn't harm its Telluride chances in the least and actually stokes the T-rode flames just a little bit.

Here's coverage of the SPC announcement:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/i-saw-the-light-release-date-tom-hiddleston-1201530904/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/sony-pictures-classics-adds-hank-williams-biopic-i-saw-the-light-starring-tom-hiddleston-to-awards-slate-20150629

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/sony-slates-i-saw-the-light-for-awards-slot-tom-hiddleston-looking-for-first-nom/


"I Saw the Light" was directed by Marc Abraham ("Flash of Genius" TFF 2008).  Here's the film's IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3789828/?ref_=nm_flmg_prd_1


KURZEL TALKS THE "SCOTTISH" FILM

"Macbeth" teaser via YouTube

Writer/director Justin Kurzel spoke recently to the British version of Yahoo Television about his upcoming "Macbeth" starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard.  The film is being distributed by The Weinstein Company and played the Cannes Film Festival.  It is not yet scheduled for a U.S. release but is set for an October 2nd  release in the U.K.

"Macbeth" was listed on last week's "Ten Best" as being "on the outside" but close.

Here's the interview:

https://uk.tv.yahoo.com/foul-fair-macbeth-director-194415755.html



MALICK MOVES TO 2016

"Knight of Cup's" trailer via YouTube

Speaking of release dates and their effect on their Telluride potential...

The already tenuous possibility that we could see Terrence Malick's latest "Knight of Cups" took a hit with the announcement over the weekend that the film will not be released until 2016.

The Playlist and Thompson on Hollywood provide the details:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/terrence-malicks-knight-of-cups-wont-arrive-until-2016-austin-music-scene-drama-not-titled-weightless-20150627


http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/meet-the-hammonds-indie-films-new-kids-on-the-block-20150619

That'll do for a Tuesday...check back tomorrow...


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