The Big Short Wins Big / Trailering Marguerite / THR Features Room Star

Welcome to Monday after a late Saturday night surprise...

THE BIG SHORT WINS BIG

It wasn't a total shocker late Saturday night when The Producers Guild of America named Adam McKay's The Big Short the winner of its Film of the Year Award but it's also what was not expected.  I think most interested observers felt that Spotlight would win and follow that with a Best Picture Oscar win next month.

The Big Short along with Mad Max:Fury Road and The Revenant were all thought to be possibilities but, again, if the big collective Oscar experts sites are to be believed, most thought Spotlight would win.

The PGA is regarded by many as the best bellwether for the Big Win having matched exactly the last eight years (half and half actually for its tie two years ago between Gravity and eventual Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave).  The PGA's voting process is very much like the Oscar's preferential ballot and it's hard to argue with eight years of predictive accuracy.

On a related note, I was going to run a new FAC analysis this morning for 6-8 major Oscar categories in today's post but with Saturday night's news, I've decided to wait and run that in Thursday's regular post to see what effect the PGA win will have.  SO, if you were looking for that today, my apologies.

You'd be wise to bet that The Big Short will now become the favorite to win Best Picture.

Here's early analysis from Sasha Stone/Awards Daily, Kristopher Tapley/InContention and Dave McNary/Variety:


http://www.awardsdaily.com/2016/01/24/the-big-short-surprises-to-win-producers-guild/

http://variety.com/2016/film/in-contention/oscars-pga-the-big-short-best-picture-frontrunner-1201687331/

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/pga-awards-winners-2016-producers-guild-of-america-1201687085/

Looking at these articles, you'll find that The Big Short will likely be at the top of the next charts from The Gurus of Gold and Gold Derby (as well as The FAC) but everyone seems at least alittle cautious because the season has been anything but predictable.  Chack back Thursday...

Here's the last Gold Derby and Gurus of Gold charts that were post nomination announcements and prior to Saturday's PGA announcement:


http://www.goldderby.com/odds/experts/416/


http://moviecitynews.com/2016/01/gurus-o-gold-the-week-after-nominations/


Of course, I have to mention that if The Big Short does win on Oscar night that the Telluride consecutive string of Best Picture winners would end (each year since 2010).


TRAILERING MARGUERITE

Marguerite trailer via YouTube

One of the films that I wish I had gotten to in Telluride last September was Marguerite.  It's a story loosely based on the experience of American "singer" Florence Foster Jenkins.  My brother caught a screening that weekend and really enjoyed it.  The Cohen Media Group has released a trailer with English subtitles for the film .  The film does not have a set U.S. release date at this point but has opened in much of Europe and is set to open in England on Mar. 18.  Here's The Playlist story that covers the release of the subtitled trailer:


http://www.indiewire.com/article/watch-marguerite-hits-a-high-note-in-feel-good-trailer-for-festival-sensation-20160122



THR FEATURES ROOM STAR

The Hollywood Reporter has posted an extensive profile of Best Actress Oscar favorite Brie Larson.  Larson was in Telluride last Labor Day with Lenny Abrahamson's (also Oscar nominated for Best Director) Room.

Room was very well regarded at the end of TFF #42 as MTFB's People's Telluride ratings had the film at #1 with a 4.47 rating (out of a possible perfect score of five).

Laurie Sandell writing for THR:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/brie-larsons-20-year-climb-857011



That's a wrap for Monday...come back Thursday to see where the Oscar landscape is.

Contact me at:

michael_speech@hotmail.com OR

mpgort@gmail.com OR

via Twitter @Gort2 OR to

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The People's Telluride / "Amazing Grace" Saga Continues / Oscar Matters

It's Thursday and time for another episode of Michael's Telluride Film Blog/The Film Awards Clearinghouse...


THE PEOPLE'S TELLURIDE

Ten days after the conclusion of TFF #42, I have the results of the fourth annual "People's Telluride". Since the fests close, I have been gathering the data that Telluride film followers have been sending my way since then.  Over two dozen respondents sent their evaluations.  Using the same criteria as I did for The Professionals Telluride, films were collated only of they received evaluations from at least a third of those respondents.  With that, here are the results of The People with the rating average in parenthesis:

1) Room (4.47)
2) Spotlight (4.45)
3) Beasts of No Nation (4.35)
4) Ixcanul (4.31)
5) Son of Saul (4.30)
6) Marguerite (4.23)
7) Black Mass (4.13)
8) Carol (4.02)
9) Rams (3.98)
10) Steve Jobs (3.86)
11) 45 Years (3.78)
12) Suffragette (3.58)
13) He Named Me Malala (3.39)
14) Anomalisa (3.36)

The People included three films that the Pros did not: "Ixcanul", "Marguerite" and "Rams".  The Pros had "Taxi" and "Time to Choose" on their list that The People excluded.

The biggest agreement between the sets of data came toward the bottom of the list as The Pros and The People both placed "Suffragette" and "He Named Me Malala" at the #12 and #13 spots respectively.

The greatest disparity came at the top and bottom and vice versa for each set of data.  The People really loved "Room" as it reigns at the top of the People's list but The Pros had it as their #11 film (of 13).  Meanwhile, the Pros were all about Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson's "Anomalisa" rating it #2 (just behind "Son of Saul") but the People had it at the bottom of their list at #14 (of 14).

Last year The People preferred "The Imitation Game" with a stellar 4.73 rating.  "Birdman" was #2 with a rating of 4.46.

In 2013, "Tim's Vermeer" led the People's poll with a 4.67 rating and "12 Years a Slave" was second with a rating of 4.55.

In 2012, "Stories We Tell was tops with a 4.80 closely followed by "Argo" with a 4.75.

Coming on Monday...The Combo Telluride...what happens when we put the two lists together?  We shall see.

Seems to me that being #2 on The People's Telluride is a real harbinger as "Argo", "12 Years a Slave" and "Birdman" all won the Best Picture Oscar.  So if you're Tom McCarthy and the crew from "Spotlight"...maybe a sign of things to come.




"AMAZING GRACE" SAGA CONTINUES

The legal saga that began at Telluride on its opening day between the producer of "Amazing Grace" and its subject, Aretha Franklin.  Took a new twist this week.  Franklin sued in Colorado court and obtained an injunction on T-ride's opening day which torpedoed the planned screening of the documentary just hours before it was set to appear.

Subsequently, planned screenings at both the Toronto and Chicago Film Fests were also scuttled.  This week, amid reports that the film was about to be screened privately for prospective distributors brought yet another threat to sue from Franklin and her lawyers.

In light of all this, producer Alan Elliot has agreed to a 30 day moratorium on screening of the film. Speculation is that the 30 day hold will  be used for both sides to negotiate terms under which the film could be screened.

Here's the story from Variety:


http://variety.com/2015/film/news/aretha-franklin-lawsuit-amazing-grace-documentary-1201594489/




OSCAR MATTERS

MTFB continues to make its annual transition from a Telluride film prediction outlet to a Telluride film in the awards season blog by looking at the latest and best prediction professionals and what they are saying after Telluride, Venice and now that Toronto is winding down.

Gold Derby shows a sharp rise for "Spotlight" and "Steve Jobs" from the Telluride plays and reactions.  Meanwhile, Sasha Stone reports that Vulture's Kyle Buchanan has claimed that "Spotlight" is out front in the Oscar race right now.  Take a look at both stories here:


Gold Derby

http://www.goldderby.com/news/10367/oscar-predictions-best-picture-steve-jobs-the-revenant-leonardo-dicaprio-975386420.html


Buchanan

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2015/09/kyle-buchanan-declares-spotlight-frontrunner-out-of-toronto/


More on Monday including The Combination Telluride...combining of the Professionals and The People's Telluride.  Contact me at:

michael_speech@hotmail.com OR

mpgort@gmail.com OR

via Twitter @Gort2 OR to

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

Once in a Lifetime / Legal Weirdness / For Those Who Are Curious / Saturday TBAs

Day Two of TFF #42...

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

So, I got back to the condo very late on Thursday night and got to work on the post that went up yesterday.  As I was working through the various modes of information gathering that I use, I opened an email that had a curious address and subject line, but that's not unusual during Telluride week.

Turns out it was from Eason Jordan who is the Director of Special Projects for The Malala Fund. The message said that he and Malala's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai had been reading the blog and that they had particularly noted that I had written about her and being a teacher (in my real life job) on Wednesday.  Go look at it, I'll wait...

I was a little bit passionate.


Well, Mr. Jordan expressed an interest on the part of Ziauddin to meet...me.

I was floored.  Stunned.  I kind of thought it might be a hoax but I responded to Mr. Jordan and through a series of texts...well...

That's the father of a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a fellow teacher allowing another teacher to express his gratitude.  I was blown away by his warmth and kindness.  My thanks to Eason Jordan, who was beyond gracious in putting the two of us together and to Ziauddin for taking the time.  Also a big thank you to my wife who was also saluted by both men for for also being a part of the teaching profession and who also took some of the pictures.

One of the greatest moments in Telluride and really, in my life.

LEGAL WEIRDNESS

If you had plans to catch the Aretha Franklin documentary "Amazing Grace", those plans got radically altered at the last minute yesterday as a Colorado judge granted Franklin an injunction to keep the film from screening here in Telluride.

As I finish writing this post, it appears that the Fest has made its peace with the ruling and that other films will be scheduled in the spots that "Grace" was going to play.  For example, "Carol" is replacing it in the 10:30 pm slot at the Galaxy tonight (see all the TBA info below).

I've linked The Hollywood Reporter story about the legal proceeding and decision here:



http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/aretha-franklin-granted-injunction-stop-820609



FOR THOSE WHO ARE CURIOUS

Yesterday: "Malala" and "Carol".  Today:

"Suffragette"
"Anomalisa" or "45 Years" or Retour de Flamme"
"Spotlight"
"Steve Jobs"
And if I still have any juice, maybe "Marguerite"



Saturday TBAs

• 17 Viva Galaxy 1:15 PM

• 10 Room Werner Herzog Theatre 1:30 PM

• 16 Mom and Me Masons Hall Cinema 3:30 PM

• 20 Rams Werner Herzog Theatre 4:00 PM

• *b Sherpa Sheridan Opera House 4:15 PM

• G Dreaming Against the World + Tyrus Le Pierre 6:00 PM

• 41 Great Expectations Masons Hall Cinema 6:30 PM

• 7a Steve Jobs Galaxy 7:30 PM

• C Heart of a Dog Masons Hall Cinema 10:00 PM

• 1a Carol Galaxy 10:30 PM

• Noon, Elks Park

“To what extent can fiction films grapple with historical abuses?”

with Meryl Streep, Sarah Gavron, Tom McCarthy, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, László Nemes, Géza Röhrig

AMAZING GRACE will not be shown at this year's festival due to an injunction filed by Aretha Franklin. All slots where AMAZING GRACE was scheduled will be filled with another of our festival films.

REMEMBER TO RATE YOUR FILMS!

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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Final Ten Best (Plus) Before TFF #42 / Welcome Mr. Miles / The Odd Rumors / New Views of "Malala" / On Thursday...

It's the last Wednesday before the cinematic candy store opens for business.  After a full year of being separated, it's time to rejoin my fellow adherents to all things Telluride Film Festival and head the wagons west to the beautiful San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado to bask in the filmic glory that will consume us Friday through Monday.  It's Labor Day weekend and for my wife and I, our tenth foray into TFF Territory.

It's what my hope for heaven looks, sounds and feels like...

See you in Telluride!

FINAL TEN BETS (PLUS) BEFORE TFF #42

From the most to least likely are:

1) Son of Saul
2) Suffragette
3) Carol
4) 45 Years
5) Black Mass
6) Steve Jobs
7) Beasts of No Nation
8) He Named Me Malala
9) Spotlight
10) Room


And then the "Plus"

11) Amazing Grace
12) Taxi
13) Marguerite
14) Anomalisa
15) Hitchcock/Truffaut

And now some "Plus-Plus"

16) Rams
17) Heart of a Dog
18) Tyrus
19) Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words
20) Queen of the Desert


WELCOME MR. MILES

I posted Monday that MTFB has its largest (and I think most distinguished) panel of industry professionals to offer their ratings for films that play this weekend at Telluride.  Here's that list again:

Nick Allen/Chicago Film Critics Assn. member/RogerEbert.com
Alex Billington/FirstShowing.net..
David Ehrlich/Time Out New York
Greg Ellwood/HitFix
Scott Feinberg/The Hollywood Reporter
Eric Kohn/Indiewire
Tomris Laffly/Movie Mezzanine/Film Journal
Christopher Schiller/ScriptMag.com
Sasha Stone/Awards Daily
Kristopher Tapley/Variety/InContention
Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood

Now add that august group of individuals Mr. Kenny Miles of the Denver Society of Film Critics and a contributor to TheMovieBlog.com and FilmFad.com.  Welcome to the crew Mr. Miles!

And this serves as a good spot to remind you, dear reader to add your voice to the chorus for "The People's Telluride".  Rate the films you see during the fest 1-5 (1=BAD, 5=GREAT) and send them to me through one of the contact methods (email, Twitter, Facebook, Blog Comment) .  I'll compile both sets of ratings and report back to you.


THE ODD RUMORS

The persistent but unlikely speculation that persists seems to be that Venice opener "Everest" will follow the pattern of the past two Venice openers "Gravity" and "Birdman" and make its way to Telluride.  Why is it unlikely?  The film is slated to play the Deauville Fest in France on Sept. 4. Though the cast is huge, I don't see how they pull off three major fest screenings in seven days max.

The other rumor is that Sundance sensation "Brooklyn" will show at The SHOW.  Now, that's just not very probable either.  A "Brooklyn" play would violate Telluride's fairly stringent policy of playing new features that have not yet appeared in North America as it played very well at Sundance.

I think some folks are seeing its "Canadian Premiere" designation at Toronto and assuming that automatically means Telluride.  Ummmm...nope,

And just last night The Wrap was reporting in its Oscar/Fall Fest Season post that "The Danish Girl" was likely to play Telluride.  Again, not likely.  For whatever reason, The Wrap was calling it a "Canadian Premiere" whereas the TIFF website very clearly has it as a North American Premiere.  So don't hold your breath.

Here's the link to The Wrap story:

http://www.thewrap.com/watch-out-oscar-awards-season-gets-jump-start-with-fall-film-festivals/


NEW VIEWS OF "MALALA"

One of the films I am looking toward with high anticipation is the Davis Guggenheim documentary "He Named Me Malala".  The story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and her strength as a voice for equal education in a part of the world where that's a dangerous belief to hold enraptures me as a teacher.

I really am hoping that Malala might well be in Telluride this week and that I have the chance to thank her and tell her in person that I teach. My wife teaches.  My children teach.  My mother was school secretary and my father taught. It's the Patterson Family business so to meet this incredible human being who faced death for the belief that education was a value worth perusing and defending...yea, I'd like to tell her thank you.

Oh, and IMDb put up some new, exclusive pictures from the film yesterday, one of which graces this portion of the post.


ON THURSDAY...

We should, if all goes the way it has the past couple of years, have a lineup fairly early tomorrow morning.  Check here for that announcement.


Headed to Telluride...see you there.  Travel safely friends!

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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McCarthy Reveals "Marguerite"? / You Must Remember This / Speaking of New York... / New Posters for Jobs and Suffragettes / Calling Your Inner Critic

Thursday is here and one week from today, I should be in Telluride...Eight days until the Fest begins!

THIS DISCLAIMER...Remember, I'm just guessing at this.  No guarantees here.


MC CARTHY REVEALS "MARGUERITE"?

Still from "Marguerite from the Venice Film Fest website

The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy posted a very interesting read yesterday about the prospective awards season and the fall film slate.  The tenor of the article is that, in McCarthy's view, the season seems a bit tepid.  He then details a rundown of a large number of films and their positioning mostly as regards Toronto and Venice.  If you follow the awards season, it's worth the time.

If you follow this space, you probably are looking for clues about what we could see next week and McCarthy seems to tell us/confirm that Xavier Giannoli's "Marguerite" will play TFF #42.  McCarthy writes near the end of the piece that, "Marguerite director Giannoli has let it be known that he was forced by Toronto to chose between it and Telluride; he went with the latter".

Sounds to me like the film, which will premiere in Venice's competition section on Sept. 4 is now a good bet to be on our schedules next week.

"Marguerite" is described as a film that is set in 1921 and follows a woman who loves to sing but whose talent doesn't match that desire.  The description for the Venice program says that the film is loosely based on the life of American Florence Foster Jenkins.

For your further perusal:

The Todd McCarthy piece:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/critics-notebook-tiff-venice-lineups-817950

"Marguerite's" IMDb profile:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4428788/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

"Marguerite's" page from Venice's website:

http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/72nd-festival/line-up/off-sel/venezia72/marguerite.html


YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS

Dan Callahan writing at RogerEbert.com reminded us a couple of days ago that the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Ingrid Bergman's birth is being marked by a live presentation the week after Telluride in Brooklyn featuring Isabella Rosselini and Jeremy Irons.

We also believe after the announcement from NYFF from earlier this week that "Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words" has a real shot at the Telluride lineup (check MTFB from Tuesday, Aug. 25).

So...I move that TFF #42 combines all of this so that Isabella and Jeremy can have a solid dress rehearsal and bring this all together for our education and enjoyment next week.  Also, as I said Tuesday...bring Alicia Vikander too.  Can I get a "Second"?

You might enjoy Callahan's lengthy piece here:

http://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/you-must-remember-this



SPEAKING OF NEW YORK...

A couple of additional announcements yesterday continue to provide circumstantial evidence about films that I'm thinking are in the T-ride lineup.  NYFF announced the addition of "Son of Saul" as a special event as well as Laurie Anderson's "Heart of a Dog".  The lack of any delineation as to either film's premiere status is a tacit admission that both films will have their premiere within the United States somewhere else and Telluride is really the only candidate.  So it would seem the supposition that they'll play T-ride is further strengthened.

Here's the official announcement form the New York Film Fest:

http://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2015/daily/nyff53-special-events-and-revivals-revealed/


NEW POSTERS FOR JOBS AND SUFFRAGETTES

We got new art for two films that seem to be all but certain to play in the San Juans next week.  "Steve Jobs" and "Suffragette" both had new looks:

 Linked here is the FirstShowing story for "Steve Jobs" which also reports that the conventional wisdom beyond this space is that the film will play Telluride:


http://www.firstshowing.net/2015/new-poster-for-danny-boyles-steve-jobs-film-premiering-very-soon/


And this story for "Suffragette" from Entertainment Weekly:

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/25/exclusive-suffragette-poster-carey-mulligan



CALLING YOUR INNER CRITIC

To add your voice and film ratings for the films you see at Telluride and be a part of MTFB's annual "People's Telluride" ratings.  Rate the films you see next week on a 1-5 scale with 1 being "Ghastly" and 5 being perfection.  Send them in to the contact info below:


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)

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