Add Werner to The SHOW / Awards Watch Looks at Oscar and Fests / Redford Restates: It's My Last / My Nomination for an Episodic Selection / Four of Eight / The Poster Remains a Mystery

Good Tuesday friends...


ADD WERNER TO THE SHOW

Composer Nicholas Singer (nominated for an Emmy in 2014 for his work on the music for Night Must Fall) tweeted yesterday that the documentary he has been working on will premiere at Telluride.  What makes the claim credible is that he says the film was made with Werner Herzog.  The film is titled Meeting Gorbachev.

Though IMDb does not list the film in Singer's or Herzog's credits, it exists as Singer also tweeted a link to this RealScreen.com story that confirms its existence and that it will European premiere at the Leipzig Fest.  The film is reported to be the opening night film on Oct. 29th.

As the tweet also says that the film will play Toronto, we can expect to see that in their announcements today or next week.

The film is described in the RealScreen story as a "portrait of Mikhail Gorbachev".



AWARDS WATCH LOOKS AT OSCAR AND FESTS

Erik Anderson of Awards Watch posted a longish piece over the weekend in which he takes a look at what he believes are the biggest Oscar contenders and where we know or where he thinks films are going to play as we move into the next few weeks.

The piece is interesting and notable because he adds some spicy choices to the list of films that he thinks are likely for Telluride.  Films that either haven't been announced anywhere as yet or, in the case of A Star Is Born, have been announced but for which Anderson expresses a contrarian view.

What I mean is, I have certainly bagged the chances of seeing  A Star Is Born at T-ride as Toronto announced it as a North American premiere.  That designation has been rock solid as an indicator that a film will NOT play at Telluride since Toronto began the policy of requiring that films that they program reveal whether they're going to Telluride or not.  To my knowledge there has been only one exception and that came in the first year of TIFF's "honest premiere status" policy and that was Escobar: Paradise Lost.

I'd like to be wrong, though.

In as far as other morsels of interest...

Anderson has a bunch of what have become the consensus Telluride players based on previous announcements from other fests: Cold War, Dogman, Roma, The Favourite, First Man, The Other Side of the Wind, Peterloo, The Old Man and the Gun, White Boy Rick.

Of more interest are films that have not been announced that he thinks probably/possibly be at Telluride: Boy Erased, Green Book, Mary Queen of Scots and Mid 90s make that list.

The entire post is linked here.


REDFORD RESTATES: IT'S MY LAST

Entertainment Weekly posted an interview with Robert Redford yesterday in which the Oscar winning director of Ordinary People re-confirmed that The Old Man and the Gun will be his last acting gig.

Redford had said the same thing previously but seems to really put an exclamation mark to the notion with this story.

Redford's last film acting is expected to screen (for the first time for a public audience...call it a world premiere if you want to) in Telluride in three-ish weeks.

Here's the Entertainment Weekly interview.


MY NOMINATION FOR AN EPISODIC SELECTION

I've been interested in Maniac sense I learned that it was going to exist.  The combination of Cary Joji Fukunaga (directing all 10 episodes) and Emma Stone was more than enough to get my attention.

Now, with the decision to turn the Coen Brothers Ballad of Buster Scruggs from a six part limited series into a feature film, I humbly submit that TFF should program Maniac as an episodic presentation (like Wormwood from last year).

The Netflix release date is Sept. 21 so it would fit nicely...

The notion also crossed my mind yesterday as a new trailer was released...and it's goooood...

From YouTube:

FOUR OF EIGHT

Variety's Kristopher Tapley cryptically tweeted a list of nine films last week.  One assumes it is his first take on nine films that will ultimately end up being nominated for Best Picture.

Here's the list:

The reason for my excitement...half of Tapley's list is probable for T-ride-The Favourite, First Man, The Front Runner and Roma.  BlacKkKlansman and Black Panther have or will have already been released before Telluride and A Star Is Born will not be playing there as revealed by its North American Premiere status for Toronto.  The only film left on the list is tha Adam McKay film about Dick Cheney which could conceivably still make the Telluride lineup but I have seen/heard some scuttlebutt that McKay prefers to wait for its release later indicating that, perhaps an AFI berth is possible or no Fest play at all.

Still, I'm excited that so much appears on Tapley's list that we're probably going to see in the San Juans in three and a half weeks.

THE POSTER REMAINS A MYSTERY

It's August 6th and we still have seen no release of the 45th TFF official poster.  Last year was also a late reveal.  Even then, though, it was released on July 13th and that was the latest poster release in the last seven years.

Now we're behind that by three weeks.

Depending on the news we get today from other fests, I may post an update a little later today and as always...More to come on Thursday.

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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

Boy Erased Mystery Intrigues / Indiewire's Oscar Contenders and Telluride / Ad Astra Could Fly

Good Monday everyone...hope you had a pleasant weekend...


BOY ERASED MYSTERY INTRIGUES

Indiewire raised the question at the end of last week..."Where is Boy Erased?".  I wrote about conflicting information coming from Anne Thompson who tweeted that the film was headed to Toronto and then backtracked on that in a story that was posted after that tweet on the Indiewire website.

The mystery deepened somewhat with the Friday release of the Indiewire podcast ScreenTalk when Anne and her co-host Eric Kohn again suggested that Telluride is still a possibility as is a World Premiere at TIFF.

Adding to the fire was this on Twitter from Deadline's Pete Hammond which was a response to a Kris Tapley tweet (and thanks to my buddy Jason Osiason for catching the Hammond tweet and calling it to my attention early last Friday morning):

and The Playlist's Greg Ellwood responded with:

 Ellwood's tweet had this context from an earlier Tweet of his:

So, it seems to me that Ellwood, at least, thinks that it's Joel Edgerton's Boy Erased (though On the Basis if Sex and Mary Queen of Scots are also possibilities).  But hold on...

There has been some "No Focus Features at the fests" chatter including the Ellwood tweet above and in other places and Thompson and Kohn are certainly pretty squishy about where the film will ultimately land.

My takeaway, at least at this point...SOME film that hasn't been announced anywhere and that Pete Hammond must think is a BIG DEAL looks to be headed to T-ride and it could be but isn't necessarily Boy Erased.  

Other possibilities include: Radegund, Welcome to Marwen, Backseat, Destroyer, Mary Queen of Scots, On the Basis of Sex, Mid 90s, Vox Lux, Green Book, Share and Outlaw King.  There are others that it could be.

Add to all of that is the story that broken Friday of the criticism of Boy Erased by actress Chloe Grace Moretz.  Moretz is starring in the season's other gay conversion therapy film, The Miseducation of  Cameron Post.  Moretz took Edgerton's film to task saying "Queer movies should be ...created by queer people" per the Los Angeles Times.

Perhaps this week's additional announcements from Toronto, New York and the Venice schedule will solve the mystery.

INDIEWIRE'S OSCAR CONTENDERS AND TELLURIDE

Indiewire posted a cavalcade of 31 Oscar contenders last Friday.  The list included a whopping 11 films on my Ten (Plus) Bets list from last week:

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Cold War

The Favourite

First Man

The Front Runner

The Old Man and the Gun

The Other Side of the Wind

Peterloo

Roma

Shoplifters

White Boy Rick

Additionally, there are another five films that are on the Indiewire list that are still possible for Telluride: 22 July, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, No Known Author (AKA Never Look Away), Suspiria and Vox Lux.

The entire album of Indiewire's 31 picks is here.

AD ASTRA COULD FLY

Clayton Davis form Awards Circuit tweeted over the weekend that James Gray's Ad Astra looks to be dated for a late December Oscar qualifying release.  Our friend Jason Osiason pointed out that Jamie Kennedy, one of the stars of the film had indicated that a couple of months ago in an interview.

What is more interesting to me in the tweet from Davis is the notion that it "could pop up at a fall festival".

I'm keeping my ear to the ground here as we're relatively certain the Venice lineup is set.  Could "fall" include AFI (Nov. 8-15)?  I normally don't think of it as a fall fest but it would offer a fest closest to that December release date and so for that reason seems to be the most probable landing point for the film.  Still, "a fall festival"?  Makes you wonder...

New York?  Seems like if NY had their hands on it that they would have scheduled as one of their opening, centerpiece or closing films.

That leaves Telluride and/or Toronto...

We'll see.

That's your Monday.  Tomorrow I am likely to post at the normal time 8:30am EDT/5:30am PDT and quite probably I'll have an additional update as new information from other film festivals becomes available.

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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

Digging for News Nuggets / Focus Where Art Thou? / Shorts at TFF #45

Good Monday everyone...hope you had a great weekend.

DIGGING FOR NEWS NUGGETS

As last week ended a number of film-centric sites assessed the week's news from both Toronto and Venice's announcements.  Some of the included detective work regarding Telluride.  I took a look at a couple of of those stories to confirm or dispute my conclusions as well as theirs.

Here's what I discovered.

Deadline's Pete Hammond agrees with my reading of the leaves in as far as Telluride as a destination for: 

First Man

Dogman

White Boy Rick

The Front Runner

The Old Man and the Gun

Roma 

Shoplifters

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Hammond is unsure about The Favourite.  I feel fairly strongly that it makes TFF's lineup.

The Hammond story is linked here.

Meanwhile, Scott Feinberg at The Hollywood Reporter also took aim at last week's festival reveals.  His analysis says that these films are headed to Telluride that I agree are probable:

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

The Old Man and the Gun

The Front Runner

White Boy Rick

Non Fiction

First Man

Roma

Cold War

Dogman

Shoplifters

Feinberg also includes Galveston, which I suspect will not play Telluride as it screened earlier this year at South by Southwest.  Peterloo (form Mike Leigh) which I can't deduce from the TIFF or Venice announcements but still believe will play TFF #45 and the documentary Reversing Roe...which I now nothing about so I will defer to Scott.

The Feinberg piece is linked here.

This Anne Thompson piece for Indiewire suggests The Favourite is likely for Telluride.  Anne also says T-ride is probable to include:

Roma

The Other Side of the Wind

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

The Old Man and the Gun

First Man

The Front Runner

White Boy Rick

In a separate story Thompson suggests Peterloo will be added to Telluride's list.

FOCUS WHERE ART THOU?

Both Indiewire's Anne Thompson (in the second story cited above and The Playlist's Gregory Ellwood (via Twitter) mentioned that Focus Features is M.I.A. thus far from Fall Fest announcements.  Ellwood going so far as to say that he had been told that Focus wasn't going to Toronto, Venice or Telluride.

Ellwood did, however suggest that Focus Film would be playing a prime slot in Toronto during its first four days:

We also know from TIFF's announcement that Asghar Farhadi's Everybody Knows (from Focus) will play there.

I just find it hard to believe that Mary Queen of Scots, Boy Erased and On the Basis of Sex won't be playing ANY of the triumvirate of early fall fests.  Stay tuned...

SHORTS AT TFF #45

Since the discovery last week that Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk would World Premiere at Toronto, I have wondered if Jenkins would still curate this year's shorts program for TFF #45 and additionally, if he would attend Telluride with TIFF following so closely on the heels of TFF (TIFF opens Sept. 6th).

Over the weekend we got at least part of the answer to those questions from Jenkins himself via his Twitter account:

So we now now that the master has, in fact, programmed the aforementioned shorts program.  Now the only question that remains is if Barry will be in town on Labor Day weekend.

That's your MTFB for this last Monday in July.  More tomorrow!

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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

Testing...Testing... / Venice Certainties? / Trailer for On the Basis of Sex

Good Tuesday everyone...

TESTING...TESTING...

Variety's Kris Tapley tweeted late Sunday evening that both Josie Rourke's Mary Queen of Scots and James Gray's Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt, Ruth Negga and Tommy Lee Jones will be test screening this week:

I have avoided talking/thinking about Ad Astra all summer as it has been dated as a 2019 release.  However, I have seen some mention that if 20th Century Fox thought the film had a strong play that they might move the release to compete in this season's awards melee.

This sounds as if that process is on-going.  The other 20th Century Fox player is Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born.

Could it play at The SHOW?  Still very unlikely but the fact that it's testing this week suggests that it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility.

Similarly, Tapley later added that Backseat (the Dick Cheney film with Christian Bale) is also testing.  The film is being distributed by Annapurna which I am morally certain will be at TFF with If Beale Street Could Talk.  I could see them bringing a second film and they have a deep bench of other possible films: Backseat, Destroyer, The Sisters Brothers.

VENICE CERTAINTIES?

Jordan Ruimy's World of Reel posted "Venice Certainties" on Sunday night.  Ruimy says he's (as I mentioned yesterday) that he's hearing the same Venice rumor about The Other Side of the Wind opening that fest. 

He also says he's heard four films are locks for Venice:

Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria

Jacques Audiard's The Sisters Brothers

Alfonso Cuaron's Roma

and Francois Ozon's Alexandre.

The inclusion of the films from Audiard and Cuaron would not surprise nor would they preclude a double play at Telluride.  Frankly, I doubt that we'll see Suspiria.  However, the Ozon is another matter.  That popped up from nowhere.  Alexandre is dated for 2019 according to IMDb.  

It's worth noting that Ozon's Frantz played at TFF in 2015.

The Ruimy post at World of Reel is here.

TRAILER FOR ON THE BASIS OF SEX

We got word last week that the trailer for Mimi Leder's Ruth Bader Grinsburg flick starring Felicity Jones as the young but eventual Supreme Court justice would be dropping soon.  "Soon" was yesterday.

Here's the trailer via YouTube:

On the Basis of Sex is set to open on Dec. 25th.

I have linked coverage of the trailer release from:

The Film Stage

Indiewire

Variety

BTW: rumors are swirling that trailers for Biy Earsed and Bohemian Rhapsody will appear tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

That's your Tuesday wrap for MTFB.

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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

TFF #45 Ten Bets #3 / Trailer for Mary Queen of Scots / More on Widows in London / Another Note About Acquisitions

Good Friday fellow film fans...


TFF #45 TEN BETS #3

Here's the third installment of the summer's Ten Bets for TFF #45, an ongoing assessment of the films that I feel are the most likely to make the Telluride lineup.

Last week's Ten Bets were:

1) If Beale Street Could Talk
2) The Other Side of the Wind
3) Cold War
4) Capernaum
5) Beautiful Boy
6) Burning
7) Boy Erased
8) Peterloo
9) The Old Man and the Gun
10) The Front Runner

This week's list:

1) If Beale Street Could Talk
2) The Other Side of the Wind
3) Capernaum
4) Beautiful Boy
5) Cold War
6) The Old Man and the Gun
7) Widows
8) Boy Erased
9) Roma
10) The Front Runner


Other films in the hunt:

Sunset, The Sisters Brothers, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, The Eyes of Orson Welles, Dogman, On the Basis of Sex, Girl, Happy as Lazzaro, Shoplifters, He Dreams of Giants, First Man, A Star Is Born, Cheney (Backseat), At Eternity's Gate, Everybody Knows, Nothing Like a Dame, The Favourite, Peterloo, Burning

TRAILER FOR MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

As promised, we got a trailer release yesterday for Josie Rourke's Mary Queen of Scots which stars Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie locked in a tussle for the English crown.  The film is being distributed by Focus Features and is slated for U.S. release on Dec. 7th.

Here's the trailer from YouTube:

And I have linked coverage here from:

Variety

Indiewire

SlashFilm

Awards Daily

FirstShowing

MORE ON WIDOWS IN LONDON

The BFI-London Film Fest dropped a huge announcement yesterday (covered in my post from yesterday) that Steve McQueen's Widows, starring Viola Davis and Colin Farrell, will open their festival on Oct. 10th.

Of immediate interest to Telluride fans was the published designation of the film's status for that screening as its International Premiere.  My understanding of that designation is that it means that the BFI-London screening will be the film's first outside of its nation of origin.

There was some back and forth yesterday in some online circles about whether that means a Telluride play, a Toronto play or both.

If the "IP" designation means what I think it means, a Telluride play is happening with no Toronto (also no Venice).  But as a friend emailed me yesterday when the news was breaking..."International premiere-but who knows what that means anymore?"  So, you know, the point there is that the term may be more flexible than it used to be.

All of that plus McQueen's track record with Telluride, was enough for me to place Widows on my Ten Bets list this week (for the first time) at #7.  

Here's linked coverage of the BFI-London announcement from yesterday:

The Guardian (which specifically suggests Telluride is possible)

Variety

The Hollywood Reporter

Indiewire

Deadline

ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT ACQUISITIONS

I mentioned yesterday that Magnolia Pictures hadn't had a film at TFF since 2015.  Eagle-eyed friend of the blog Kenny Miles messaged me with the info that Magnolia partnered with Amazon on Ai WeiWei's documentary Human Flow last year.  Thanks to Kenny for the info!

That's wrap for this week on MTFB.  More to come on Monday...from...somewhere in Colorado...

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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

The Distributors 2018: Not so Much / And Some Overlooked Distribution Notes / Trailers Looming: On the Basis of Sex and Mary Queen of Scots / First Venice Speculation

Welcome back from your weekend to MTFB.


THE DISTRIBUTORS 2018: NOT SO MUCH

Today's final look at distributors that seem to have films in play for the 45th Telluride Film Festival is actually a look at films that seem like they could be players that do not have distribution deals in place for the U.S.

That could still change in the next eight weeks and we'll be keeping a close eye on that as an acquisition of any of these titles could signal an increase or decrease in the chances that a film would potentially be TFF bound.

Here's the list of films:

The Other Side of the Wind-Netflix is listed as having the TV distribution for this but pointedly is not listed as being the theatrical distributor.  Producer Frank Marshall is on record as saying that the film will be screened in theaters...sooo???

At Eternity's Gate-Julian Schnabel's Vincent Van Gogh pic.

The Death and Life of John F. Donovan- Xavier Dolan...been floating around for a long time.

Sunset-Laszlo Nemes' follow-up to his brilliant Son of Saul (IMDb currently lists Playtime as having world wide rights for all media)

And a slew of Cannes films that garnered good critical buzz in May: Long Days Journey Into Night, The Wild Pear Tree, Ash Is the Purest White and Dogman.

Additionally add Karlovy Vary top prize winner I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians.

From this list I feel that The Other Side of the Wind and Sunset are the most likely for Telluride (The Other Side of the Wind has been at the #2 spot on my first two Ten Bets of this summer).  All of the others would be credible entrants for TFF #45 (and I do have a vibe for Matteo Garrone's Dogman).


AND SOME OVERLOOKED DISTRIBUTION NOTES

As I was going over my notes for films that lack distribution, I ran across three films that have a serious shot at Telluride that DO have U.S. distribution but which I left off of previous posts.  Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War is with Amazon and Cannes entrants Happy as Lazzaro and Girl are both under the wing of Netflix.

Also add in Karyn Kusawa's Destroyer starring Nicole Kidman.  It's being distributed by Annapurna Pictures.




TRAILERS LOOMING: ON THE BASIS OF SEX AND MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS

Anton Volkov's Trailer Track site notified subscribers over the weekend that we could expect to see trailers from Focus Features for both Mimi Leder's On the Basis of Sex which features Felicity Jones as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg and also for Josie Rourke's Mary, Queen of Scots featuring Saorise Ronan and Margot Robbie.

Here are links to Volkov's posts flagging the expected arrival for both trailers soon:

Mary, Queen of Scots

On the Basis of Sex



FIRST VENICE SPECULATION

I ran across a serious speculative piece about films that might make the Venice lineup from an Italian website over the weekend: Ilsussidiario.net.  There are several films listed there that could certainly make the Venice/Telluride double play.

That Venice to Telluride (or in some instances the other way...Telluride to Venice) has become a stronger connection over the past few years.

Last year saw Oscar Best Picture winner The Shape of Water make that connection as well as Downsizing, First Reformed, Foxtrot, Human Flow, The Insult, Lean on Pete and Wormwood screen in both places.

Among the films listed in the post that I have been talking about for Telluride are:

The Death and Life of John F. Donovan
First Man
The Favourite
Roma
The Sisters Brothers
If Beale Street Could Talk
Radegund
Sunset
Beautiful Boy
A Star Is Born
Non-Fiction
Boy Erased

The Google translated version of the piece is linked here.


That's your Monday version of MTFB.  More to come tomorrow including a start on this year's look at "The Usual Suspects".

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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

The Distributors 2018: Focus Features / Werner's New Project / Another Angel Could Be in Play

Good Friday everyone...


THE DISTRIBUTORS 2018: FOCUS FEATURES

Normally, I would have examined the Focus Feature lineup a bit later in the process because their TFF participation has been spotty over the last dozen years.  These are the Focus films that have played Telluride since 2006:

2006- Catch a Fire
2012- Hyde Park on Hudson
2015- Suffragette
2017-Darkest Hour

So, why evaluate them this early?  I have a couple of reasons.  First, I think Focus really benefited last year with Darkest Hour playing TFF #45.  It ended up with two Oscar wins (for Gary Oldman's performance and for Best Makeup/Hair) and another four Oscar nominations.

The second reason is that Focus has, on paper, a very good slate of films going into the fall:

Asghar Farhadi's Everybody Knows (no release date yet)
Joel Edgerton's Boy Erased (Sept. 28)
Mimi Leder's On the Basis of Sex (Nov. 9)
Josie Rourke's Mary Queen of Scots (Dec. 7)

All of which have at least a shot at making the fest.  I'm guessing Focus lands at least one of these at Telluride and, for the first time since I started covering TFF, maybe two films.

Here's my analysis for each:

Cruz and Bardem on the set of Everybody Knows

Everybody Knows- Farhadi directs Penelope Cruz (a past TFF Tribute recipient in 2006) and Javier Bardem in a Spanish language mystery.  This would seem the most likely fit for TFF as it checks off a number of TFF boxes: It was a Cannes film, Farhadi's past with the fest and Cruz's past tribute status.  However, the critical reception to the film at Cannes was less than enthusiastic.  As a matter of fact, the Reini Urban composite critical rankings had it at 19th of the 21 competition films.  Ouch.
Chances 50%.

Boy Erased- Edgerton directs Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Lucas Hedges and himself in a film that tackles the issue of gay conversion therapy.  That's a lot of acting and Oscar firepower in one film and the film has a timely hot button issue.  Chances 40%.

On the Basis of Sex- Looks at the rising career of a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In light of the success and buzz around the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary, RBG, and Ginsburg's legendary status...this film is expected to be high profile.  With a buzzy cast including Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer and Justin Theroux. Chances 40%.

Margot Robbie as Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Queen of Scots- The story of the struggle for power and the British throne between Mary and Elizabeth I.  The film features red hot actresses Margot Robbie as Elizabeth and Saoirse Ronan as Mary and both women are coming off of Oscar nominations last year.  Robbie for I. Tonya and Ronan for Lady Bird.  Additionally, Ronan is rumored to have been the probable third tribute last year that did not happen (due to filming schedule conflicts-at a guess).  Chances 40%.

As a gauge...here were my guesses for Focus Films last year.  That Darkest Hour % looks a little silly in retrospect.

Victoria and Abdul 35%
Darkest Hour 10%
Phantom Thread 0%

Bottom line is that I think Focus will be back at Telluride this year.


WERNER'S NEW PROJECT

The Playlist reported yesterday that Telluride regular Werner Herzog has signed on to Executive Produce and direct (at least some episodes) of Fordlandia based on Greg Grandin's Pulitzer Prize winning book of the same name.

Fordlandia outlines the true story of Henry Ford's attempt to create a small town America in the Amazonian jungle.

No details about when we could see episodes on the USA Network, which owns the rights to the book.

You'd have to think that, depending on what timeline occurs, that some episodes would be screened as a part of TFF #46 in 2019. 

I'll keep an eye open for further information.


ANOTHER ANGEL COULD BE IN  PLAY

Sorry Angel still via Indiewire

Variety reports that Strand Releasing has obtained the distribution rights for Cannes Palme competition film Sorry Angel fro director Christophe Honore. 

The film played to fair-ish reviews at Cannes but was not an award winner at the end of that fest.

The Variety story says that Strand plans a fall release for the film.  Strand has had an occasional presence at Telluride which suggests that we ought to keep it in mind as a potential TFF #45 selection.

The Variety story is here.

That's your Friday MTFB.  Have a great weekend and come back for more on Monday.


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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG

The Oscar Dust Settles / Looking Ahead to Oscar 2019 and Telluride

It's the Thursday after the Oscars....


THE OSCAR DUST SETTLES

Let it be said that I personally enjoyed Oscar Night 2018.  Largely for these reasons:

1) The Telluride Film Festival Streak of screening the Best Picture winner clicked over to eight straight years in a row  and nine of the last ten.   That's cool.  More about that a little later.

2) I had a big night in the prediction department going 21 of 24 (and 20 of 21 in the non-shorts categories.  The only feature category that I whiffed on: Visual Effects where I had War for the Planet of the Apes and Blade Runner 2049 won.  In a side note: I did list BR 2049 as a possible player in the category.

3) I loved seeing Guillermo Del Toro win.  Such a warm and kind fellow human.  Needless to say, I plastered the pic he took of himself with me and my wife all over Twitter and Facebook...again.  And here it is:

This was taken at the Fox Searchlight party at the New Sheridan Bar.

Notes on the season...

As mentioned in Monday's post, Telluride films picked up seven Oscars:

The Shape of Water had four: Best Picture, Direction, Production Design and Original Score

Darkest Hour had two: Best Actor and Makeup and Hair

A Fantastic Woman was Best Foreign Language Film

In addition to TFF #44 continuing the Best Picture string, I'm going to note that the People's,  Pro's and Composite Telluride rankings featured here every year after the fest have become surprisingly predictive.

For example, I've done The People's Telluride Ratings and The Professionals Ratings (or some version of them) here now since 2012 and the Composite of the two since 2013.

Up until last year, and Moonlight's win, the film that finished as the second highest rated film in the People's Ratings won the Best Picture Oscar.  Moonlight broke that string when the 2016 T-ride crowd rated it #1.  This year...the #2 spot was golden again as that's where The Shape pf Water finished (2nd to Lady Bird).

However, the Composite ratings have been five straight years of invincible with the composite top rated film in each year since I started it in 2013 winning Oscar's top prize.

Of the three metrics, the Pros are a bit more all over the place:

2012- Argo was #2 to The Central Park Five

2013- 12 Years a Slave was #1

2014-  Birdman was #1

2015- Spotlight was #3 behind Son of Saul and Anomalisa

2016- Moonlight was #1

2017- The Shape of Water was #1

So...if you're looking to wager next fall after TFF #45 concludes, check the #1 Composite rated film in this space about two weeks after the fest.

LOOKING AHEAD TO OSCAR 2019

The Oscar season never really ends.  Any number of Oscar Prognosticators have already started the running tote board for next year's awards.  That. as you know, can offer us clues about what films might be on the Telluride SHOW list in six months.  So...because this is what it is...I'll be looking at some of the "year-out" predictions for clues for possible films make The SHOW lineup starting with this article from Awards Circuit's Clayton Davis.

Among Davis' Best Picture predictions are some that have a real chance to be at Telluride:

Backstreet (the Adam McKay Dick Cheney movie with last year's TFF Tribute recipient Christian Bale as Cheney)

If Beale Street Could Talk (Telluride favorite Barry Jenkins follow-up to a little film called Moonlight...maybe you've heard of it)

Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. I can see Netflix wanting to play this at Telluride.

Boy Erased.  Joel Edgerton's drama about gay conversion therapy.

At Eternity's Gate-could Julian Schnabel return to Telluride with this story of Vincent Van Gogh starring Willem Dafoe?

Mary Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie and from Focus Features (which had a very nice Telluride 2017 with Darkest Hour.

On the Basis if Sex-Mimi Leder's Ruth Bader Ginsburg pic starring Felicity Jones and also from Focus Features.

Private Life-Tamara Jenkins first feature since 2007's The Savages, which was great and played Telluride.  Paul Giamatti stars.

Widows-Steve McQueen.  He's played Telluride with Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave.  

Roma-Alfonso Cuaron.  After Gravity's success at T-ride and the great run that he and his amigos -Inarritu and now Del Toro have also had a TFF play wouldn't surprise.

That's all for today.  More to come on Monday!

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

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

FACEBOOK Message me on FB MTFB's Facebook Page

COMMENT TO THE BLOG