Michael's Telluride Film Blog : Prisoners

Showing posts with label Prisoners. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Breaking: National Board of Review Announces

NBR NAMES SPIKE JONZE'S "HER" BEST PICTURE OF 2013

Telluride Film in Bold...

Best Film: HER
Best Director: Spike Jonze, HER
Best Actor: Bruce Dern, NEBRASKA
Best Actress: Emma Thompson, SAVING MR. BANKS
Best Supporting Actor: Will Forte, NEBRASKA
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, FRUITVALE STATION
Best Original Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside LLEWYN Davis
Best Adapted Screenplay: Terence Winter, THE Wolf of Wall Street
Best Animated Feature: The Wind Rises
Breakthrough Performance: Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station
Breakthrough Performance: Adele Exarchopoulos, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
Best Directorial Debut: Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station
Best Foreign Language Film: THE PAST
Best Documentary: Stories We Tell
William K. Everson Film History Award: George Stevens, Jr.
Best Ensemble: PRISONERS
Spotlight Award: Career Collaboration of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Wadjda
Creative Innovation in Filmmaking Award: Gravity

Top Films
(in alphabetical order)
12 YEARS A SLAVE
Fruitvale Station
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor
Nebraska
Prisoners
Saving Mr. Banks
The Secret Life of Walter MITTY
THE Wolf of Wall Street
Top 5 Foreign Language Films
(In Alphabetical Order)
Beyond the Hills
Gloria
The Grandmaster
A Hijacking
The Hunt

Top 5 Documentaries
(In Alphabetical Order)
20 Feet from Stardom
The Act of Killing
After Tiller
Casting By
The Square

Top 10 Independent Films
(In Alphabetical Order)
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
Dallas Buyers Club
In a World…
Mother of George
Much Ado About Nothing
Mud
The Place Beyond the Pines
Short Term 12
Sightseers
The Spectacular Now

Friday, August 30, 2013

Telluride Day One/Friday's TBA and Sneaks

Telluride 2013 Day One:

Busy day today occasionally interrupted by waiting.

The day got off to an amazing start at the annual Patron’s Brunch. The Brunch affords Patrons and Sponsors pass as well as the Fest organizers and a number of the filmmakers a chance to meet and schmooze before any of the actual films have been screened. The food is fantastic and it’s always fun seeing who shows up. This year’s version did not disappoint. Highlighting the morning (for me) was the appearance of Francis Ford Coppola, reportedly here to introduce his granddaughter Gia’s film “Palo Alto” during the weekend. I actually got to shake the great man’s hand and thank him for the films he’s given us. I’m sure that for him it is a common refrain, but for me it was a very nearly transcendent moment. He was kind enough to stop a moment for a stranger.

Another incredible moment had actually occurred earlier in the morning. Robert Redford had arrived and the grounds of Gray Head (the name of the facility where the brunch is held) was alive with electricity. A few minutes later, Coppola appeared. Redford broke away from the crowd that had engulfed him to greet him. One legend greeting another, it was an incredible sight. Fortunately caught on camera by my wife Kristy:

I also briefly met Bruce Dern this morning. He was also very kind and funny. He’s here starring in Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska”. I’m planning to see that first thing in the morning. More about my planned schedule for tomorrow a bit later.

Then a long wait for a bus made me almost late for the first screening of the day, the Patron’s screening of Jason Reitman’s “Labor Day” starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. The story of a chance meeting between a single mom, her son and an escaping convict seems to have been generally well received in early reviews. My take: structural issues early in the film are a tough balancing act. I have some issues of credibility in terms of the rapid development of the relationship between the two lead characters and that credibility is crucial to the second half of the film. That said, the second half plays beautifully. Winslet is good and Brolin is outstanding. Child actor Gattlin Griffith is also very good as Winslet’s son.

Following the “Labor Day” screening we scurried over the mountain to my annual meet up with followers of my blog.

Then a quick dinner at the Opening Night Feed. There the Mrs. Met and got a photo of the one and only Penn Jillette, here with the documentary “Tim’s Vermeer”.

We concluded the night with a screening of “Inside Llewyn Davis” with a Q & A after with Joel and Ethan Coen, T-Bone Burnett and Oscar Issac. The film follows a week in the life of fictional folk singer, the Llewyn Davis of the title-played by Issac. He’s terrific. John Goodman and F. Murray Abraham are great. The music is terrific. I loved the film quite a lot. I think it speaks to anyone who has had any artistic aspirations and who hasn’t seen them fulfilled whether from lack of talent, lack of opportunity or the vagaries of life.

Day One was incredible.

On Day Two I’m currently planning the Robert Redford Tribute, , “Tim’s Vermeer”, “All is Lost”, The Coens tribute and “The Past” if I have enough energy. Of course, that all could change with the announcement of the Friday TBAs. Seven slots to fill tomorrow afternoon and evening.

FRIDAY'S TBA'S AND SNEAKS

• 4pm Masons GLORIA (33)

• 6pm Herzog Sneak: PRISONERS

• 6:30pm Masons BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

• 7:30pm Galaxy Sneak: 12 YEARS A SLAVE

• 9pm Nugget PARTICLE FEVER (I)

• 10pm Pierre STARRED UP (32)

• 10:30pm Galaxy LUNCHBOX (25)

Sneak Preview: Prisoners

A father (Hugh Jackman) goes ballistic trying to punish the suspected abductor (Paul Dano) of his daughter and another girl, while running afoul of the diligent cop (Jake Gyllenhaal) working the case. Sounds like countless hours of TV procedural-cop dramas? Nope. Director Denis Villeneuve (INCENDIES, TFF 2010), working from Aron Guzikowski’s fiendishly inventive script, reaches Dostoyevskian depths, creating a terrifying, morally ambiguous universe where ordinary human decency faces the harshest of tests. The superb supporting cast includes Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, and Melissa Leo. It may surprise you that Hollywood genre moves can still be this good. (U.S., 2013, 107m) In person: Denis Villeneuve

• Sneak Preview: 12 Years a Slave

In 1840s New York State, Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an impeccable middle-class attorney with a happy family and superb skills as a violinist, is an African American free from birth who has never spent a moment of his life confronting the horrors of black experience down South. Pursuing a business opportunity in Washington, DC, he is kidnapped and enslaved, and descends into a harrowing nightmare of moral corruption and irrational violence. Director Steve McQueen (HUNGER, SHAME) and screenwriter John Ridley shape Northrup’s memoir into a vivid, compelling historical fresco, with superb performances from Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, in his third collaboration withMcQueen, Lupita Nyong'o, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt. (USA, 2013, 133m) In person: Steve McQueen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o

More tomorrow…

Friday's TBAs and Sneaks

FRIDAY'S TBA'S AND SNEAKS

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Best of the Week/First Gurus/Fall Previews

Good Saturday Everyone...

The Patterson Train leaves for Telluride Tuesday afternoon...Counting the hours...

BEST OF THE WEEK

We start Saturday with our review of the best material from this past week...

TEN (+) BETS

This week's "Ten (+) Bets":

1) Nebraska
2) Labor Day
3) Inside Llewyn Davis
4) All is Lost
5) The Unknown Known
6) The Past
7) The Invisible Woman
8) Gravity
9) 12 Years a Slave
10) Blue is the Warmest Color
11) The Immigrant
12) Palo Alto
13) The Story of Children and Film
14) Daughter of the Dawn
15) Prisoners

Other Films with very real chances to play: "The Lunchbox", "Enough Said", "How I Live Now", "Le Weekend", "Burning Bush", "The Armstrong Lie", "Jodorowsky's Dune", "Tim's Vermeer", "Life Itself", "Aguirre: The Wrath of God", "Gloria", "Child's Pose", "You Are Here", "Only Lovers Left Alive", "For No Good Reason" "The Selfish Giant", "The Wind Rises", "Unforgiven", "Quai d'Orsay", "Young and Beautiful", and "Philomena".

CONNECTING SOME DOTS

I'm at that place I get to every year. Pretty convinced I've got a solid hook on many of the films that will play. There is stuff I know and have been able to share. There is stuff that I know that I can't and maybe won't be able to share. There is stuff that I'm guessing at...but they're pretty good guesses and then there are some guesses that are really just that...a stab in the dark.

Then there are still the things that I'd like to have happen and I'm fairly confident will not: "Zero Theorem", "Counselor", "Fifth Estate", "Foxcatcher". But I can't complain in the least. First of all, if I get even half of this right the 40th Telluride Film Fest is going to be EPIC! The kicker is, I'm feeling good about having more than half of it right.

Then there's this:

I passed along yesterday that Telluride.com had posted a"Special Events" calendar for the Fest and that it included a 5:00pm Wed. (Aug. 28) evening "Special Anniversary Event" at the Town Park Stage.

Yesterday the Telluride Planet tweeted:

"@TellurideFilm presents The Punch Brothers Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Town Park to open 40th Annual TFF"

Now, that information by itself is fascinating. But what if reminded you that The Punch Brothers will be heard on a certain soundtrack soon to be forthcoming? A soundtrack focused on the folk music scene of the early 60's. Would you be more interested. I know I am.

Of course I'm referencing the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers upcoming "Inside Llewyn Davis" (#3 on this week's "Ten (+) Bets").

Add to all of this the earlier in the week announcement that T-Bone Burnett and a bunch of the artists making up the soundtrack will be doing an NYC concert on Sept. 29th which will include cast members from the film...well..

When I let my imagination run wild, I picture a show on Wednesday night that includes more than The Punch Brothers... The New York Concert lineup is listed on the poster above. Look at the names...

It's a head spinning possibility.

Maybe it is The Punch Brothers alone...and that would be very, very cool...but you have to wonder...

INVITATIONS

I really hope you all will join me for the following:

1) "THE GUIDE"-Come and visit, talk a little film, have a beverage and a nosh at The 3rd "Guide to the Ride". It's an opportunity for us all to get together before the serious business of watching film until our heads spin. "The Guide" will be hosted by Mitzi and Larry Mallard at The River Club in Telluride (550 Depot) at 5:00 pm on Thursday, Aug. 29.

Seriously, come and join us...it'll be fun.

2) RATE THE FILMS- For the second year MTFB is calling on you readers to share your impressions of the films you chose to watch during Labor Day weekend. I call it "The People's Telluride". Rate what you see on a 0-5 scale and send those ratings to me. Email, DM, Facebook...whatever. I'll collect and collate and report to everyone the week after the Festival concludes. Also don't forget to check out "The Critic's Telluride". Some very kind and generous people have agreed to rate the films they see as well:

Alex Billington/First Showing

Scott Feinberg/The Hollywood Reporter

Scott Foundas/Variety

Eric Kohn/IndieWire

Eugene Novikov/Film Blather

Sasha Stone/Awards Daily

Kristopher Tapley/HitFix/InContention

AT LEAST ONE COPPOLA?

Emma Roberts star of Gia Coppola's "Palo Alto"

FiveTwo Film Blog was on it first last night. Actor/Director/Writer...etc. James Franco has apparently let slip via Twitter and Instagram that Gia Coppola's "Palo Alto" will screen at Telluride. The film is co-written by Coppola and Franco and based on Franco's "Palo Alto Stories". Last night Franco (who was at Telluride with Danny Boyle and Aron Ralstin for "127 Hours" in 2010) tweeted, " Palo alto by Gia Coppola- Venice/Tornoto/telluride".

You can see the original tweet here:
https://twitter.com/search?q=james%20franco&src=tyah

The FiveTwo film blog post is here:
http://fivetwofilmblog.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/james-franco-leaks-telluride-film-on-instagram/

"Palo Alto" is described (on IMDb) as "a dark drama centered on a group of teens with a penchant for finding trouble". Franco appears in the film. Emma Roberts stars. Val Kilmer is also a member of the cast. Gia Coppola is the grand daughter of Francis Ford Coppola.

Does this fan the flames of the FFC as Guest Director rumors? Probably.

OSCAR TALK AND PRISONERS

Anne Thompson (Thompson on Hollywood) and Kristopher Tapley (InContention/HitFix) have put up their first Oscar Talk podcast for the year. Included in that is a fairly detailed discussion of Telluride and the films that they think are likely; "All is Lost" "Inside Llewyn Davis" "12 Years a Slave" "The Invisible Woman", "The Past", "Gravity", "Labor Day", "Nebraska" and "Blue is the Warmest Color". They also mention "Prisoners" from director Denis Villenueve which I've had on the radar for a while but in recent days seems to be getting bandied about a bit more. Sounds like I might have to re-evaluate it in relation to its position for Friday's "Ten Bets" list...which, again, will actually be more than ten.

Here's the link to OscarTalk from both Tapley and Thompson:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/oscar-talk-2013-so-far-fall-festival-preview-and-a-look-to-the-season-ahead

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar-talk-season-five-episode-one-the-butler

And also, coming out this past weekend, a new television spt for "Prisoners". The Playlist has that here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-new-tv-spots-for-hugh-jackman-thriller-prisoners-and-zack-snyder-produced-300-rise-of-an-empire-20130816

Jackman? Gyllenhall? In Telluride? Maybe. Certainly looking more likely that the film is going to play.

NEW YORK ANNOUNCES...WHAT'S IT MEAN?

The New York Film Festival announced its lineup complete yesterday. The NYFF organizers had previously announced their Opening -"Captain Phillips", Closing- "Her" and Special Gala-"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". Yesterday they added 32 films to the lineup.

The NYFF usually has a good deal of overlap with Telluride and I expect that this year that will be no different.

In 2010 the two fests shared: "Another Year", "Carlos", "Inside Job", "Le Quattro Volte", "Of Gods and Men"and "Poetry"(6).

In 2011: "The Descendants", "A Dangerous Method", "A Separation", Footnote", "George Harrison: Living in the Material World", "Goodbye First Love", "Le Havre", "Pina", "Shame", "The Artist", "The Kid with a Bike" and "The Turin Horse" (12).

In 2012: "Amour", "Barbara", ""Frances Ha", "The Gatekeepers", ""Ginger and Rosa", "Hyde Park on Hudson"and "No" (7).

So, as you can see, we could reasonably expect to see anywhere from 6-12 films in Telluride that are on the list that the NYFF announced yesterday. Here's the lineup:

The complete list of main slate films announced on Monday for the New York Film Festival appears below:

ABOUT TIME
Director: Richard Curtis

ABUSE OF WEAKNESS (Abus de Faiblesse)
Director: Catherine Breillat

ALAN PARTRIDGE
Director: Declan Lowney

ALL IS LOST
Director: J. C. Chandor

AMERICAN PROMISE
Directors: Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson

AT BERKELEY
Director: Frederick Wiseman

BASTARDS (Les Salauds)
Director: Claire Denis

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (La Vie d’Adèle)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

BURNING BUSH (Hořicí Keř)
Director: Agnieszka Holland

CHILD OF GOD
Director: James Franco

GLORIA
Director: Sebastián Lelio

THE IMMIGRANT
Director: James Gray

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN
Director: Ralph Fiennes

JEALOUSY (La Jalousie)
Director: Philippe Garrel

JIMMY P: PSYCHOTHERAPY OF A PLAINS INDIAN
Director: Arnaud Desplechin

THE LAST OF THE UNJUST (Le Dernier des Injustes)
Director: Claude Lanzmann

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (Soshite Chichi ni Naru)
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

THE MISSING PICTURE (L’Image Manquante)
Director: Rithy Panh

MY NAME IS HMMM… (Je m’appelle Hmmm…)
Director: agnès B

NEBRASKA
Director: Alexander Payne

NOBODY’S DAUGHTER HAEWON (Nugu-ui ttal-do anin Haewon)
Director: Hong Sang-soo

NORTH, THE END OF HISTORY (Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan)
Director: Lav Diaz

OMAR
Director: Hany Abu-Assad

ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE
Director: Jim Jarmusch

THE SQUARE
Director: Jehane Noujaim

STRANGER BY THE LAKE (L’Inconnu du Lac)
Director: Alain Guiraudie

STRAY DOGS (Jiao You)
Director: Tsai Ming-liang

A TOUCH OF SIN (Tian Zhu Ding)
Director: Jia Zhangke

LE WEEK-END
Director: Roger Michell

WHEN EVENING FALLS ON BUCHAREST OR METABOLISM (Când se Lasa Seara Peste Bucuresti sau Metabolism)
Director: Corneliu Porumboiu

THE WIND RISES (Kaze Tachinu)
Director: Hayao Miyazaki

From that list there are films that we're already pretty confident about appearing at TFF #40:

"All is Lost", "Blue is the Warmest Color", "The Immigrant", "Inside Llewyn Davis", "The Invisible Woman", "Nebraska". So six in total that I'm pretty confident about. If there were to be more than six, and I think there will be; what are the other most likely cross-overs between TFF and NYFF?

My best guesses would include:

"At Berkeley", "Burning Bush", "Gloria", "Like Father, Like Son", "Only Lovers Left Alive", "Stranger by the Lake", "Le Weekend" and "The Wind Rises".

If I was forced to, my guess is that this year would end up with about 10 crossovers, the six I'm pretty sure about plus 4 more from the secondary list.

Here are a series of links to massive coverage of the announcement from the New York Fest from

The Film Society of Lincoln Center (the NYFF people): http://www.filmlinc.com/daily/entry/nyff-new-york-film-festival-main-slate-announced

The New York Times: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/19/new-york-film-festival-announces-its-main-slate/

Awards Daily: http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/official-new-york-film-festival-lineup/

HitFix/InContention: http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/2013-new-york-film-festival-line-up-unveiled-inside-llewyn-davis-the-wind-rises-and-more

The Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-york-film-festival-announces-
608936

Thompson on Hollywood: http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/nyff-inside-llewyn-davis-coen-brothers

The Playlist: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-york-film-festival-inside-llewyn-davis-nebraska-the-immigrant-more-round-out-2013-slate-20130819

The Wrap: http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/coen-brothers-alexander-payne-james-gray-coming-new-york-film-fest-111636

Rope of Silicon: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/complete-2013-new-york-film-festival-line-up/

PALO ALTO PICS

I wrote yesterday that James Franco as apparently let slip that Gia Coppola's "Palo Alto" has made the Telluride lineup via Twitter and Instagram yesterday. Now, today, comes a serious look at stills from that film via The Playlist. Take a look at the post which also includes stills from Franco's own directorial effort "Child of God":

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-images-from-james-francos-child-of-god-adaptation-of-his-book-palo-alto-starring-emma-roberts-20130816

"Palo Alto" is described as a dark drama focused on the lives of a group of teens.

SO LONG ELMORE

Elmore Leonard died this week. He was 87. He was a writer and if you've never read anything by him, that's you're loss. The man could flat write. Westerns at first, then crime fiction in the second half of his career. That's where I ran across him. The crime stuff.

There are few authors who could write better, cleaner dialogue and characters than Elmore. And funny...Good Lord, his characters could be so funny.

We're lucky that there have been some pretty good film/TV adaptations of his work: "Out of Sight", "Get Shorty", "Jackie Brown" (Rum Punch) and FX's current "Justified". But as good as some of the film stuff is...reading Elmore was always better.

He was also a Telluride guy. Leonard was a fest guest in 1991 and a Special Medallion recipient in 2000.

He was a unique and wondrous talent and will be missed in my home and many, many others.

BLUE IS VERY BLUE?

The Motion Picture Association of America ratings bulletin for this week includes an NC-17 rsing for Cannes Palme d'Or winner "Blue is the Warmest Color". The word is that Sundance Selects, which is hadling the film here in the states, has determined that they won't appeal nor will they ask direcotr Abdellatif Kechiche to alter the film.

I am 90% convinced that "Blue" will be a part of the TFF #40 lineup when it is unveiled next Wednesday.

Links to the ratings stories below are from HitFix and The Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hitfix.com/news/palme-dor-winner-blue-is-the-warmest-color-gets-nc-17-rating

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/blue-is-warmest-color-palme-609966

PRE-FESTIVAL OSCAR THOUGHTS

Movie City News has convened its first gathering of Oscar experts to establish the opening line for the Gurus of Gold. Anticipated/Possible Telluride #40 titles that make the first Gurus list are (and their opening position):

"12 Years a Slave" (Tied #1)
"Inside Llewyn Davis" (tied #4)
"Gravity" (#9)

Other T-ride probables/possibles on the Gurus list:
"Nebraska"
"Labor Day"
"All is Lost"
"Blue is the Warmest Color"

Interesting side note: TFF #39 films "Frances Ha" and "Stories We Tell" also get mentioned.

Other films that are tied for the top spot are: "American Hustle" and "Lee Daniels' 'The Butler''

Check the complete Gurus Pre-Fest Best Picture predictions here:

http://moviecitynews.com/2013/08/mcn-gurus-o-gold-pre-fall-fest-edition/

LOOKING TO THE FALL

Any number of publications, websites and blogs are making their lists previewing the films of the fall. I've included a couple of links here.

The Wrap: http://www.thewrap.com/gallery/fall-movie-preview-wolf-wall-street-don-jon-her-and-every-other-movie-begging-box-office-att

Huffington Post: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3773225

Follow/Like Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2.

More on Monday...unless there's "Breaking News"...

Monday, August 19, 2013

Milestones/At Least One Coppola?/Saturday Re-cap: Blue and Foxcatcher/Oscar Talk and Prisoners/Enough Said/Reminders

Good Monday Everyone. 10 days and counting to TFF #40!

MILESTONES

Just a quick note...over the weekend I posted to Michael's Telluride Film Blog for the 750th time and, coincidentally, the blog past its 90,000th view...On to 100,000! Never thought I'd write this much about anything ever. Also never thought anyone would ever read it.

AT LEAST ONE COPPOLA?

Emma Roberts star of Gia Coppola's "Palo Alto"

The Cannes winner has an international trailer that dropped yesterday. You can access it via any of the following posts from Awards Daily, Rope of Silicon and The Playlist:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/dive-into-the-beauty-blue-is-the-warmest-color-international-trailer/

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/blue-is-the-warmest-color-international-trailer/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-international-trailer-for-cannes-palme-dor-winner-blue-is-the-warmest-color-20130816

I'm still fairly bullish on our chances to see this film in Telluride in a week and a half.

FOXCATCHER FIRE DIMS

This week has seen a flurry of activity and speculation about Bennett Miller's "Foxcatcher". We found out this week (officially) that Sony Pictures Classics has now got the distribution for the film and I (among others) thought that increased its chances of playing Telluride.

Now comes news via an anonymous comment to yesterday's blog post and Kris Tapley's (InContention/HitFix) twitter thread about the film that it's just not ready. Tapley had a respondent who claims that the film is still far too long and unfinished and references a test screening from a couple of weeks ago.

If that's true..."Foxcatcher" goes back to the lower end of Telluride possibilities...not completely impossible, but incredibly unlikely.

Which is too bad because I am immensely intrigued by this project. I think Miller is a real talent and I am embarrassingly anxious to see Steve Carell in a real departure for him.

OSCAR TALK AND PRISONERS

Here's the link to OscarTalk from both Tapley and Thompson:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/oscar-talk-2013-so-far-fall-festival-preview-and-a-look-to-the-season-ahead

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar-talk-season-five-episode-one-the-butler

And also, coming out this past weekend, a new television spt for "Prisoners". The Playlist has that here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-new-tv-spots-for-hugh-jackman-thriller-prisoners-and-zack-snyder-produced-300-rise-of-an-empire-20130816

Jackman? Gyllenhall? In Telluride? Maybe. Certainly looking more likely that the film is going to play.

ENOUGH SAID

Her in the late stages of pre-Telluride prediction a couple of films are generating some heat. Kevin Macdonald's "How I Live Now" and Nicole Holofcener's "Enough Said". It's the latter that benefited from the release of several new images over the weekend. The film stars James Gandolfini (in one of his last films) Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Catherine Keener. There's a lot of smoke out there that this could be on the Telluride schedule.

I've included links to stories from The Film Stage...which also includes images and clips from other Telluride possibilities including Roger Michell's "Le Weekend", David Gordon Greene's "Joe" and Kelly Reichardt's "Night Moves":

http://thefilmstage.com/news/clips-and-photos-from-tiff-titles-visitors-night-moves-joe-enough-said-and-le-week-end/

Additionally, here are stories from The Hollywood Reporter and The Playlist:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/said-clip-james-gandolfini-julia-608213

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/7-new-photos-clip-from-enough-said-james-gandolfinis-penultimate-feature-film-20130816

REMINDERS...

Don't forget your invitation to this year's "Guide to the Ride" featuring yours truly. We're set up for 5:00 pm Thursday, Aug. 29th at The River Club, 550 Depot in Telluride. I promise we'll be done to get to the Thursday night feed downtown or make a 6:00 o'clock film.

Also...don't forget to send me your film ratings. 0-5 with 0 being awful. Email them, Tweet or DM me, Facebook... or just comment here on the blog. You can do it as the fest goes along or all at once after it's all over. It'll take me about a week to get that all collated.

Remember that I'm doing the same thing with a select group of industry watchers, Oscar experts and critics including:

Alex Billington/FirstShowing

Scott Feinberg/The Hollywood Reporter

Scott Foundas/Variety

Eric Kohn/IndieWire

Eugene Novikov/Film Blather

Kristopher Tapley/InContention-HitFix

Sasha Stone/Awards Daily

I'm still working for and hoping to add another two or three folks to this lineup. You'll want to check their reactions from the festival.

A third reminder: I'll be writing daily summaries this year fro Screencraft.org. The plan is a quick overview of key films on Wednesday, Aug. 28th when the lineup is announced and then a summary of film news, scuttlebutt, reaction and buzz each evening of the fest. Look for that at www.screencraft.org.

And finally...

I posted my "Wish List" of films on Friday. What's on your Telluride "Wish List"? Drop me a line or two in any way that's convenient for you. Let me hear what you'd like to see.

Follow/Like Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2.

More on Tuesday...

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Toronto Announces...Clues?/Wells on Toronto/New Pics from Prisoners

Good Wednesday to All,

TORONTO ANNOUNCES...CLUES

The Toronto International Film Festival announced the addition of over 6 dozen titles to various sections of their slate of films yesterday. As you might expect, there was a good deal of coverage across the interweb and I have kinked a number of those stories/posts below.

The Playlist: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/tiff-2013-how-i-live-now-southcliffe-a-field-in-england-therese-blood-ties-child-of-god-more-added-20130813

Rope of Silicon: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/2013-toronto-festival-90-new-titles-added-including-new-miyazaki-turturro-durkin-gibney-macdonald-and-wheatley/

The Wrap: http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/toronto-film-festival-2013-full-lineup-110251

IndieWire: http://www.indiewire.com/article/toronto-adds-75-titles-to-2013-edition-james-franco-alex-gibney-hayao-miyazaki-sean-durkin-and-kevin-macdonald-among-them

After looking at the films announced yesterday, I would venture to say that some films getting a hint of Telluride as a possible pre-Toronto destination included:

"Blood Ties"
"The Armstrong Lie"
"How I Live Now"
"Therese"
"An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker"
"Child's Pose"
"The Selfish Giant"

I am intrigued by John Turturro's "Fading Gigolo", Lee Sang-il's "Unforgiven" and Hayao Miyazaki's "The Wind Rises" (which I do think now may have a shot at Telluride).

WELLS' TAKE

Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere had his own take on the Toronto announcement yesterday in a very Telluride specific way. Wells continued with a theme he began with back a few weeks ago.

Check his blog post here: http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2013/08/confirmed-no-lost-davis-or-nebraska-at-toronto/

The upshot of this is that "Inside Llewyn Davis", "All is Lost" and "Nebraska" continue to look strong for Telluride inclusion.

NEW PICS FROM PRISONERS

The Playlist posted a story yesterday afternoon with new still from three films...one of which, "Prisoners" from director Denis Villenueve has some chance of playing Telluride. One of those new views is above. You can find the other plus pics from "Anchorman 2" and "Grudge Match" here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-images-from-anchorman-the-legend-continues-prisoners-grudge-match-get-in-the-ring-20130813

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More on Thursday...

Friday, July 26, 2013

Ten Bets #5/Venice Re-Post/Multiple Photos/Enough Said/Invitation/

Good Friday Everyone...

TEN BETS #5

What a crazed week this has been with the first wave of announcements for Toronto and the main announcement for Venice. That news has dominated the film world this week (much as Comic Con news the week before). With those announcements, we can at least pretend that there are clues about the Telluride Film Festival. We're also armed with Telluride-y analysis from Kris Tapley (HitFix/InContention), Jeff Wells (Hollywood Elsewhere) and Pete Hammond (Deadline). That leads me to this week's new "Ten Bets" list. Let's review last week's list:

1) Nebraska
2) The Invisible Woman
3) The Unknown Known
4) The Story of Children and Film
5) The Past
6) The Immigrant
7) Daughter of the Dawn
8) Labor Day
9) Blue is the Warmest Color
10) Aguirre: The Wrath of God

Here are this week's "Ten Bets" for Telluride:

1) Nebraska
2) The Invisible Woman
3) The Immigrant
4) The Past
5) Inside Llewyn Davis
6) Labor Day
7) The Unknown Known
8) The Story of Children and Film
9) Blue is the Warmest Color
10) The Lunchbox

Lurking just below these "Ten Bets": "Aguirre: The Wrath of God", All is Lost", "Captain Phillips", "12 Years a Slave", "Like Father Like Son", "Life Itself", "Quay d'Orsay", "Philomena", "Heli", "Only Lovers Left Alive", "The Good Lie".

VENICE RE-POST

Here's another look at what I wrote yesterday in light of the Venice Film Festival lineup announcement:

In Competition:

The Rooftops

L’intrepido

Miss Violence

Tracks

Via Castellana Bandiera

Tom at the Farm

Child of God

Philomena

La Jalousie

The Zero Theorem

Ana Arabia

Under the Skin

Joe

The Police Officer’s Wife

Parkland

Kaze Tachinu

The Unknown Known

Sacro Gra

Stray Dogs

Out of Competition:

Space Pirate Captain Harlock

Gravity

Moebius

Locke

Unforgiven

Wolf Creek 2

Home from Home

Gondola

The Canyons

Che Strano Chiamarsi Federico Scola Racconta Fellini

Walesa: Man of Hope

And a couple of documentaries to notice from that portion of Venice’s program:

The Armstrong Lie

At Berkeley

Here’s my take. As noted, Venice and Telluride usually share 3-4 titles. From this morning’s announcement the most likely this year (at least from my perspective) are:

The Armstrong Lie

Philomena

The Unknown Known

The Zero Theorem

Gravity

Parkland

Still in the wind now after TIFF and Venice announcements: "Captain Phillips", "Saving Mr. Banks", "The Wolf of Wall Street", , "The Monuments Men", "The Counselor", "Grace of Monaco", "Diana", "Out of the Furnace"and "Foxcatcher".

Makes you wonder where or if any or all of these will land. My bet right now is that New York gets "Wolf of Wall Street". I've also been hearing that "Out of the Furnace" may forgo the festival scene entirely. The "no fest" strategy could also be true for any of the films listed above, though there does seem to be some belief that "Captain Phillips" might well play in the San Juans.

Should be interesting over the next 5 weeks as we try to figure this out.

Here are some links to this morning's Venice coverage:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/venice-international-film-festival-line-up/

http://networkedblogs.com/Nvj08

https://www.thewrap.com/awards/column-post/venice-film-festival-lineup-includes-terry-gilliam-james-franco-lindsay-lohan-offerings-

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/venice-film-festival-lineup-announced-592893

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-films-from-terry-gilliam-hayao-miyazaki-david-gordon-green-jonathan-glazer-top-70th-venice-film-festival-line-up-20130725

MULTIPLE PHOTOS

With the announcement of so much fall festival news, there has been a flood of new images from a number of films that have Telluride potential. Here's a look at some of those that emerged this week:

Dallas Buyers Club:

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him/Her

Dom Hemingway

The Invisible Woman

Life of Crime

Prisoners

The Railway Man

You Are Here

*********************************************************************************************************************

ENOUGH SAID

The Los Angeles Times reports that Fox Searchlight has set the release date for "Enough Said" for Sept. 20th. The film stars the late James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and as directed by Nicole Holofcener was announced earlier this week as a selection of the Toronto International Film Festival. The Times story does drop the hint that "the film is also considered a likely selection as a sneak preview for the Telluride Film Festival over Labor Day weekend."

Check "Enough said" out at IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2390361/?ref_=ttco_co_tt

Here's the link to the story in the L.A. Times:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-enough-said-among-gandolfinis-final-films-gets-a-sept-date-20130725,0,6354151.story

INVITATION

I've been holding back on this for a little bit because I/we weren't sure (and we really still aren't exactly sure) how we would configure it this year because of the added day for the festival but, nonetheless and after careful consideration, I can INVITE YOU to "The 3rd annual Guide to the Ride/Flow of the SHOW". We will be doing our meet and greet for Telluride Film Festival fans who take an interest in this blog.

Details are still to be worked out, though it is likely to be Thursday, Aug. 29th...the first day of the fest rather than on Friday. Plans are to hold it at The River Club once again and I expect refreshments to be provided.

I'll pass on more as the weekend's organizational structure becomes clearer over the next few weeks.

Hope you can come. We've had some fun and good conversation over the past couple of years and I'm pleased our hosts, Mitzi and Larry Mallard and The River Club have offered again.