SOME BUSINESS
Just a quick piece of business here. Recently I posted a story that upset members of the Telluride Film Festival management. I was informed of this privately via email and responded accordingly. In hindsight, the choice to have published the story was unwise.
As a part of my response I privately apologized to members of the Telluride staff. Now, after allowing some time to pass, I also wanted to apologize publicly and in this space to underscore the sincerity of my remorse.
Now, on to today's regularly scheduled post.
THE DISTRIBUTORS: OPEN ROAD FILMS
Open Road Films has had a short but notable presence in Telluride in just the last few years. The company first began business in 2011. In 2014 they brought their first film to Telluride by landing Jon Stewart's directing debut Rosewater. They followed that in 2015 with Tom McCarthy's Spotlight which won the Best Picture Oscar along with another for original screenplay for McCarthy and Josh Singer. The film also had four other nominations.
In 2016 Open Road was represented at Telluride by Ben Younger's Bleed for This.
So, three straight years with a film each year at TFF makes you think there is a very good chance that an Open Road film will make the TFF #44 lineup.
Reviewing their catalogue, it seems that four films could fit into a Labor Day schedule:
Marshall, Home Again, LAbyrinth and Finding Steve McQueen.
Of these, Marshall seems to be the most likely choice. I had the film's first trailer posted here last week. It's scheduled for release on Oct. 13th, right in the thick of prime release territory if you have an eye on awards season. It's focus on a case from the early career of eventual Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall seems like material that could be a contender. Give it a 50% chance to play T-ride.
The other three possibilities have a variety of issues that argue against their inclusion in The SHOW.
Home Again stars Reese Witherspoon (directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyre) but its Sept. 8th releases date, though a few days after Telluride's completion, suggests it's unlikely. It is worth noting, however, that Sully actually followed that exact path last year opening on Sept. 9, 2016. Chances: 20%.
LAbyrinth directed by Brad Furman and starring Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker in a long gestating project about the investigation into the deaths of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. The film is listed by IMDb as being in post-production since February but it doesn't have a release date beyond the generic 2017. Chances: 15%.
Finding Steve McQueen: Directed by Mark Stephen Johnson is listed as being in post-production since last October and feels like a light weight genre piece. Chances: 15%.
IMAGES TEASE
I ran across a couple of images over the past few days from two projects that may pique the interest of Telluride watchers.
I commented not long ago that Amazon Studios decision to date Woody Allen's latest film, Wonder Wheel, for Dec.1st might mean that we need to take it seriously as a possible Telluride choice.
Last week, our first image of Kate Winslet in that film emerged via Twitter. Here she is:
Donovan is expected in 2018.
That's your post for Tuesday.
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
