Ten Bets #3 for TFF #50 / New Trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon / Fincher's The Killer and Venice? / 800,000

 TEN BETS #3 FOR TFF #50

Here's the third iteration of my "Ten Bets" for TFF #50.  As I post this morning we are just a couple of weeks away from the clarity that announcements from the Toronto International Film Festival can provide.  TIFF announces its first wave of Galas and Special Presentations along with their revealing "premiere status" on that day.  

TIFF announcement days are always exhilarating and heart breaking.  Exhilarating because it's often the first hard evidence of a film's disposition vis-a-vis Telluride and heartbreaking because inevitably films that I want to play Telluride are discovered on that day as World Premieres for TIFF and thus will not make the trip to southwest Colorado.

So that's coming on July 19th.  I'll attempt a little social media coverage on the 19th as information becomes available and then have a full on report on my regular posting day on July 20th.

All that said to get to this week's Ten Bets.

As a reminder, here are last week's Ten Bets:

1) The Holdovers/Payne

2) May December/Haynes

3) Nyad/Chin and Vasarhelyi

4) Strangers/Haigh

5) Poor Things/Lanthimos

6) Monster/Kore-eda

7) Anatomy of a Fall/Triet

8) El Conde/Larrain

9) Saltburn/Fennell

10) The End/Oppenheimer

Other possibilities: The Zone of Interest/Glazer, Freud's Last Session/Brown, The Teachers' Lounge/Catak, The Royal Hotel/Green, Rustin/Wolfe, The American Buffalo/Burns, Priscilla/Coppola and Shirley/Ridley.

And here's the update, the third Ten Bets for TFF #50:

1) May December/Haynes

2) Poor Things/Lanthimos

3) Strangers/Haigh

4) The Holdovers/Payne

5) Monster/Kore-eda

6) Saltburn/Fennell

7) Nyad/ Chin and Vasarhelyi

8) Anatomy of a Fall/Triet

9) El Conde/Larrain

10) The Teachers' Lounge/Catak

Other possibilities: The Zone of Interest/Glazer, Fallen Leaves/Kaurismaki, The End/Oppenheimer, The Pot-au-Feu/Hung,  Freud's Last Session/Brown, The Royal Hotel/Green, Rustin/Wolfe, The American Buffalo/Burns, Priscilla/Coppola and Shirley/Ridley.

NEW TRAILER FOR KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Apple dropped a new trailer for my most anticipated film for 2023, Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon.  The film is set for limited release on Oct. 6th and then opens wide on Oct. 20th. 

My guess, at this point is that Killers maybe plays the New York Film Festival prior to its release and bypasses both Telluride and Toronto.  I hope my assessment is way off.

As many know, I did a day of background work on the film. I can tell you that I'm not in either trailer.  Here's the new one:

 

FINCHER'S THE KILLER AND VENICE?

Michael Fassbender on the set of The Killer (via IMDb)

By and large I have discounted any possibility that David Fincher would return to Telluride this year with The Killer starring Michael Fassbender.  Up to now I have surmised that the film produced in part by Paramount and Plan B and distributed by Netflix likely wouldn't play any festival though its planned Nov. 10th release date would allow it to.

However, Jordan Ruimy's World of Reel reported on Sunday (7/2) that the door might still be open for the film to screen at Venice:

"On Friday, I was rather stunned by an Italian source telling me that Netflix is now thinking of bringing David Fincher’s “The Killer” to Venice. 

This source told me, “negotiations are underway, Barbera did see it and he wants it in competition. I’m not sure if he will be able to get it as the odds are 50/50 right now since Netflix would rather premiere it closer to the November release.”

Now, if the door is open for Venice, could it also be open for the jump to Telluride?  Fincher was the recipient of a Telluride tribute back in 2008 where Zodiac was screened in its entirety and scenes from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were screened so he's been in the San Juans before.

Personally I'm still very skeptical that The Killer lands in Colorado and frankly I tend to buy the conventional wisdom that if The Killer plays a fest at all it will probably be New York.

But I'd like to be wrong.

800,000

Just passed another milestone in the history of MTFB last night as total views for the blog went beyond the 800,000 mark.  That means that each post of the 2,135 I have published since August 8th, 2008 has averaged 347.7 views.

Thanks for reading!

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

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MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

Lady Bird Flies to A24 / Trailers from The Shape of Water and The Snowman / Three Billboards Inside Toronto?

Good Thursday to all...



LADY BIRD FLIES TO A24

Gerwig and Ronan from Indiewire

I loved Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha in 2012 when it played the fest and have been tracking her move into directing with interest.  Her first attempt is Lady Bird which I have had as a slight possibility until yesterday when its chances increased with the announcement that distributor A24 had acquired the film and plans a fall release.

That creates the impression that A24 wants it to be a part of the awards season consensus which leads one to think that Lady Bird might be a serious consideration for T-ride.

The film satsr Osccar nominee Saorise Ronan.

Bring it on, I say.  Here are stories about the acquisition from:

Indiewire

Deadline

The Playlist


TRAILERS FROM THE SHAPE OF WATER AND THE SNOWMAN

Fox Searchlight has four films that could conceivably make the lineup for TFF #44: Battle of the Sexes, Goodbye Christopher Robin, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (see story below) and Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water.  The buzz has been that Battle of the Sexes has the best shot at playing Telluride but FS may be high on "Shape's" Oscar chances and if so, that make make it a real TFF possibility.

"Shape" stars Doug Jones, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg and Telluride favorite Sally Hawkins.   FS dropped the first trailer for "Shape" yesterday.  Here it is from YouTube:

The Shape of Water opens on Dec. 8th.

Coverage:  Variety, Indiewire, Entertainment Weekly, The Film Stage, SlashFilm.

And then there's the first trailer for Tomas Alfredson's The Snowman starring Michael Fassbender as detective Harry Hole.  It looks, sounds and feels a lot like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which isn't a bad thing.  Here's its trailer from YouTube:

And coverage here from Variety, Entertainment Weekly, FirstShowing and The Wrap.

THREE BILLBOARDS INSIDE TORONTO?

Jeff Wells shared what I find dispiriting news yesterday in a post on Hollywood Elsewhere and that is his belief that Martin McDoangh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri is more likely to premiere at Toronto than play Telluride.

Wells doesn't make an absolute claim to that end but he clearly believes that's the most likely scenario.

Here's the link to the complete post: Hollywood Elsewhere
 
If true, it bums me it as Three Billboards is/was very high on my Telluride wish list for 2017.  That trailer is impressive and Frances McDormand may already be the Best Actress Oscar leader.

Who knows?  Maybe it plays both places.


That's your news for TFF #44 for today.  More tomorrow including a last Ten Bets before Toronto's first wave announcement and also Venice's announcement on July 27.


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

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COMMENT TO THE BLOG

The Film Awards Clearinghouse Major Category Thanksgiving Update / Oscar Experts / Todd Haynes Interviewed by Gus Van Sant

Good Monday to everyone and welcome to Thanksgiving Week 2015...


THE FILM AWARDS CLEARINGHOUSE MAJOR CATEGORY THANKSGIVING UPDATE

Nearly a month has passed since our last snapshot of the four major Oscar categories and there have been some developments.  "Steve Jobs" took a dive at the box office and that has definitely altered the view among Oscar experts regarding its chances in the Best Picture and Directing categories.  "The Martian" appears to be coming on strong.  Let's take a look.


For the purpose of The FAC I gather data from the publicly posted predictions of the following:

Erik Anderson/Awards Watch
Clayton Davis/Awards Circuit
Scott Feinberg/The Hollywood Reporter
Peter Knegt/Indiewire
Joey Magidson/Hollywood News
Nathaniel Rogers/Film Experience
Sasha Stone/Awards Daily
Kristopher Tapley/Variety-InContention
Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood

TFF #42 films are in Bold.

The positions that these possible nominees had in our last look at these categories is indicated in parenthesis.


BEST PICTURE

"Spotlight" trailer via YouTube

1) Spotlight (1)
2) The Revenant (3)
3) The Martian (12)
4) Room (5)
5) Bridge of Spies (6)
6) Brooklyn (4)
7) Joy (7)
8) Steve Jobs (2)

9) Inside Out (11)
10) Carol (10)
11) The Hateful Eight (9)
12) The Big Short (NR)

Hot: "The Martian", "Inside Out", "The Big Short"
Cold: "Brooklyn", Steve Jobs", "The Hateful Eight" and "The Danish Girl" which dropped off the list entirely.
Comment:  "The Martian" change and the "Steve Jobs" box office debacle have really shaken this race up.  I'm not so sure that "Jobs" is completely out of this as Fassbender still has a lot of Best Actor support (see below).  At this point, I could see any of the top four films taking the big prize...and yes, I'm including "Room" in that assessment.  People really love the film and its strength is reflected in Lenny Abrahamson's climb in the director's race and Brie Larson's support in the Best Actress race.  Remember too, that it won the Toronto audience award and finished in the top spot in my collection of viewers' ratings for The People's Telluride.


BEST DIRECTION

"Room" trailer via YouTube

1) Tom McCarthy/Spotlight (1)
2) Alejandro Inarritu/The Revenant (3)
3) Ridley Scott/The Martian (7)
4) Steven Spielberg/Bridge of Spies (5)
5) Lenny Abrahamson/Room (NR)

6) David O. Russell/Joy (4)
7) George Miller/Mad Max: Fury Road (10)
8) Todd Haynes/Carol (8)
9) Danny Boyle/Steve Jobs (2)
10) Quentin Tarantino/The Hateful Eight (6)

Hot: Scott, Abrahamsom and Miller.
Cold: Russell, Boyle and Tom Hooper (Danish Girl)
Comment:Danny Boyle's fall also underscores the drop in prospects for "Steve Jobs" as Abrahamson's ascendance emphasizes the popularity of "Room".  Also, "The Danish Girl" is taking a hit in both Picture and Directing categories.  Eddie Redmayne still seems to be competitive in the Best Actor category (see below).


BEST ACTRESS

"Carol" trailer via YouTube

1) Brie Larson/Room (1)
2) Jennifer Lawrence/Joy (2)
3) Saorise Ronan/Brooklyn (3)
4) Cate Blanchett/Carol (4)
5) Charlotte Rampling/45 Years (6)

6) Carey Mulligan/Suffragette (5)
7) Blythe Danner/I'll See You in My Dreams (10)
8) Lily Tomlin/Grandma (7)
9) Maggie Smith/The Lady in the Van (9)
10) Cate Blanchett/Truth (8)

Hot: Danner
Cold: Blanchett in "Truth"
Comment: A remarkably steady category.  Larson is the closest thing to a lock in any of the four major categories in a year where "locks" have been few and far between.


BEST ACTOR

"Steve Jobs" trailer via YouTube

1) Leonardo DiCaprio/The Revenant (3)
2) Michael Fassbender/Steve Jobs (1)
3) Eddie Redmayne/The Danish Girl (2)
4) Johnny Depp/Black Mass (4)
5) Matt Damon/The Martian (6)

6) Michael Caine/Youth (5)
7) Will Smith/Concussion (8)
8) Tom Hanks/Bridge of Spies (7)
9) Ian McKellen/Mr. Holmes (9)
10) Steve Carell/The Big Short (10)


Hot: DiCaprio
Cold:  No one really.
Comment:  Both Fassbender and Redmayne stay in the thick of the race despite their films having suffered some serious doubts in the Picture and Directing categories.  The same could be said for Johnny Depp.

Currently, if The FAC is 100% accurate Telluride #42 films will get 10 nominations from these major categories with another four possibilities.

I'll update the Supporting and Screenplay categories on Thursday so come back for that.



OSCAR EXPERTS

The latest Oscar assessments in detail from the pros: Kristopher Tapley, Scott Feinberg and Sasha Stone:

http://variety.com/2015/film/in-contention/oscar-predictions-oscars-academy-awards-1201600870/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/awards/predictions/awards/predictions/oscars/2015/academy-awards-112015/

http://www.awardsdaily.com/2015/11/20/predictions-friday-still-guessing-at-what-we-dont-know-for-sure/


TODD HAYNES INTERVIEWED BY GUS VAN SANT

Todd Haynes and Rooney Mara at the Patron's Brunch 

For Issue Magazine, Todd Haynes sat down with film maker Gus Van Sant to talk about "Carol" and other topics.  It's here:

http://issuemagazine.com/todd-haynes/#/


That's a wrap for Monday...remember to come back for Thursday's MTFB for a look at where The FAC says we are in the Supporting Acting and Screenplay races.

Contact me at:

michael_speech@hotmail.com OR

mpgort@gmail.com OR

via Twitter @Gort2 OR to

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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

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

Put the "Taxi" in Reverse / New York Doc Selections: More Clues? / Podcasts Forever / Winslet Talks "Jobs" / Final from Toronto Today / Rate Those Films

Welcome to Tuesday, August 25, 2015...Telluride happens in ten days...Bring it!


PUT THE "TAXI" IN REVERSE

A couple of weeks ago, I had Jafar Panahi's :Taxi" as a likely film for T-ride.  Soon after I posted, however, I was nudged into discovering that the film had played at the Riviera Maya Film Fest in Mexico back in April.  Conclusion...not gonna play Telluride because it won't be a North American first screening.  Check out my post from Aug. 11...

http://michaelstelluridefilm.blogspot.com/2015/08/torontos-third-2015-announcment-analysis.html

But...thanks to the eagle eye and Twitter delivery of @nickallen_redux...I think we can go back to the original notion that "Taxi" may well be a TFF #42 choice.  Check the poster from The Film Stage:

Seems like very strong circumstantial evidence, as my lawyer friends might say, that "Taxi"...which I've been knocking about as a T-ride possibility since the Berlin Fest, is headed to the San Juans.   And I say "Yes!"

Panahi's courage to make films in the face of his governments dictate not to...humbling.

Check out "Taxi's' IMDb profile here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4359416/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

And here's the link to the full story from The Film Stage:

http://thefilmstage.com/trailer/jafar-panahi-takes-us-on-a-ride-in-trailer-for-berlin-winning-taxi/

And for fun...the trailer for the film from YouTube:

NEW YORK DOCUMENTARY SELECTIONS: MORE CLUES?

The New York Film Festival named a dozen films that will play as a part of the 2015 NYFF yesterday.  That entire post from The Film Society of Lincoln Center can be found here:

http://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2015/daily/nyff53-spotlight-on-documentary/

Of interest to Telluride film goers would be the three docs that were not designated as either a "World" or "North American" premiere.



"Ingrid Bergman: In Her Words" has been scheduled.  I wrote in this space back in June when that it sounded like a great fit for Telluride.  Now, by reading the NYFF announcement tea leaves, it looks like this could definitely happen.

I said in that earlier post that it would be great to have Isabella Rosselini on hand and while we're at it, bring in the hottest actress on planet Earth right now, Alicia Vikander who voices Bergman for the film...

Here's my take from my June 20th post:

http://michaelstelluridefilm.blogspot.com/2015/07/le-french-part-troisingridthe.html


And the trailer for the doc that was put together for Cannes:

IMDb profile:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4621016/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

Another doc that has no premiere designation from the NYFF announcement is "Troublemakers" The Story of Art and Land".  IMDb lists it as a 2014 project but also doesn't list it as having played anywhere up to now.

It's IMDb page is here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4096620/companycredits?ref_=ttrel_ql_5


The third doc with no preem designation (which indicates that NY can't list it as a U.S. premiere which gives rise to the theory that it could play Telluride first) is Frederick Wiseman's "In Jackson Heights".  However, Toronto has listed the film as a "North American" premiere which has been telling us that it would NOT be a Telluride choice.  Additionally, the film is set to World Premiere on Sept. 4 in Venice.   So, there is a bit of confusion here.

The Wiseman doc IMDb page is here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4936064/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt


My hunch is that the Bergman is on for Telluride, the Wiseman is not and the "Troublemaker/Art" doc is 50/50 to play.


PODCASTS FOREVER

Seems like everyone has a fall fest/awards assessment podcast up this week.  Here are links to:

Oscar Poker (Sasha Stone and Jeffrey Wells):

http://www.awardsdaily.com/podcasts/oscarpoker/episode106.mp3


Awards Watch Oscar Podcast:

http://awardswatch.com/podcasts/oscar-podcast-27-fall-festivals-whats-up-with-miles-ahead-with-special-guest-anne-thompson-joy-revenant-carol-bridge-of-spies-danish-girl-miles-ahead-the-martian-black-mass/


Screen Talk with Anne Thompson and Eric Kohn:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/screen-talk-more-oscar-possibilities-from-sarajevo-to-new-york-and-toronto-20150822


WINSLET TALKS "JOBS"

"Steve Jobs" trailer via YouTube

Entertainment Weekly posts this interview with Oscar winner Kate Winslet as she talks about Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs" and her co-star in the film, Michael Fassbender.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/01/kate-winslet-steve-jobs-movie

 "Steve Jobs" currently sits at the #7 spot in my latest "Ten Bets" published in last Friday's post.


FINAL FROM TORONTO TODAY

Reportedly the final reveal of films for the Toronto International Film Festival comes later today so check back here to see what else we learn from that and how it may pertain to TFF #42.


AND FINALLY...RATE THOSE FILMS...


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.  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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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...


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

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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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First "Ten Bets" Happens Tomorrow/Oscar Stays the Same/Trailer Park: "Macbeth" and "Valley of Love"

Welcome to Thursday...

REMEMBER THAT THE FIRST "TEN BETS" LIST FOR TELLURIDE 2015 IS COMING TOMORROW!

Now onto to day's post:

OSCAR STAYS THE SAME

The Board of Governor's of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced yesterday that they had decided to stay with the recent, three year old practice of having anywhere between five and ten nominees for Best Picture.  In the three year experiment, AMPAS has nominated nine, nine and then last year, eight films for Best Picture.


I have included details from stories from Variety, Awards Daily and Gold Derby.  They also cover a couple of minor tweaks that The Academy changed in a few other categories.


http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2015/06/rules-for-88th-oscars-no-changes-to-best-picture/

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/oscar-tweaks-best-picture-visual-effects-rules-1201527228/

http://www.goldderby.com/news/9620/oscars-best-picture-academy-awards-news-entertainment-13579086-story.html


TRAILER PARK: "Macbeth" and "Valley of Love"

A new international trailer for a film that I have written about quite a bit and another that I really haven't mentioned are included here.

Justin Kurzel's Macbeth starring Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender has the new international trailer.  The film is being domestically distributed by The Weinstein Company and has had a good deal of buzz in terms of awards consideration especially for Cotillard's performance as Lady Macbeth.   Here's the new trailer:

"Macbeth" International Trailer via YouTube

Check the accompanying story from flickeringmyth.com:

http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/06/international-trailer-for-macbeth-starring-michael-fassbender-and-marion-cotillard.html


Additionally, another Cannes competition film (as "Macbeth" was) that has just dropped a french language trailer with English subtitles.  "Valley of Love" stars Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert and is directed by Guillaume Nicloux.

The film centers on the story of a estranged couple brought back together by the suicide of their son.

  It currently is without U.S. distribution but certainly Depardieu and Huppert are no strangers to being in films that play at Telluride.

Here is the trailer for "Valley of Love":

"Valley of Love" Trailer via YouTube

And the accompanying story from The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-first-trailer-for-competition-film-valley-of-love-with-isabelle-huppert-and-gerard-depardieu-20150511

And "Valley of Love's " IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4120210/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1



Come back for more tomorrow...

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The Other Universals: "Everest", "Steve Jobs" and "By the Sea"/"A Perfect Day" Perfect for Telluride?

Good Wednesday to All...


THE OTHER UNIVERSALS

I mentioned in yesterday's post the outside possibility of Universal's Guillermo Del Toro's"Crimson Peak" making  an appearance at The SHOW.  Which led to me to think very seriously the past 24 hours about other Universal films that might have the T-ride chops if Universal makes an attempt to get them in

Honestly, the most likely Universal film to break their now-bordering-on seven-year Universal drought is Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs" biopic starring Michael Fassbender as the Apple co-founder.

"Steve Jobs" First Look via YouTube

Other Universal properties that have some T-ride feel are the Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt film "By the Sea" which could get a hand from The Universal Clooney Theory (addressed in a later blog post this summer) and "Everest".

"Everest" is directed by Baltasar Kormakur who previously made the trip to Telluride in 2007 with his "Jar City".  "Everest" is the true story of the disaster that occurred on the world's tallest mountain in 1996.  Jon Krakauer wrote about it in his outstanding "Into Thin Air" which was made into a a television film in 1997.

"Everest" trailer via YouTube

"Everest" does not claim to be based on the Krakauer book but is based on the same incident.  Recently a trailer for the film was released which is included here as a part of a story from The Playlist:


http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-jake-gyllenhaal-josh-brolin-keira-knightley-more-take-on-everest-in-first-trailer-for-mountain-climbing-thriller-20150604


"A PERFECT DAY" PERFECT FOR TELLURIDE?

"A Perfect Day" Trailer via YouTube

It's a film that sounds like a Telluride choice.  International cast, played at Cannes, distributed by IFC Films and it's described as a drama by IMDb and a comedy by The Playlist.  Benicio Del Toro stars in a film about NGO aid workers in a war zone trying to provide clean water.

Stories accompanying the release of the trailer for the film can be found at Variety or The Playlist:

http://variety.com/2015/film/global/first-look-trailer-for-a-perfect-day-starring-benicio-del-toro-tim-robbins-exclusive-1201517142/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-new-trailer-for-a-perfect-day-starring-benicio-del-toro-tim-robbins-olga-kurylenko-and-melanie-thierry-20150611



That's all for now.  More to come on Thursday...

DON'T FORGET...THE FIRST "TEN BETS" LIST FOR TFF #42 IS COMING ON FRIDAY!!!


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