Restless Trailer/Women of Oscar at TFF#38?/Play Dates/Marlon and Me

Good Morning Ladies and Germs,

RESTLESS TRAILER

Gus Van Sant has been to Telluride more than once with films that he's directed.  In 2008 we thought he could be there with "Milk."  Of course, that didn't happen.  Now the auteur has a new film described, probably pretty accurately, as "quirky".  "Restless" could be a part of Telluride's lineup this year.  It features red hot actress Mia Wasikowska (one of the busiest actresses during this year's coming awards season), Henry Hopper (Dennis Hopper's son), Jane Adams and Ryo Kase.  It involves a dying girl, a Japanese ghost and a young man who likes to attend funerals.  Sounds "Van Santy."
The film also appeared at Cannes as the opener to the Un Certain Regard segment.  It is also in the Sony Pictures Classics stable.  All of which are good indicators that "Restless" could be programmed at TFF #38.  But...
The critical reception at Cannes wasn't raving...so maybe not.
All of that to say this:  a couple of outlets posted the trailer for it yesterday.  You can access it at firstshowing.net here:
http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/newest-theatrical-trailer-for-gus-van-sants-quaint-indie-restless/
or via The Playlist here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/watch_new_trailer_for_gus_van_sants_relentless_quirk_fest_restless/


WOMEN OF OSCAR

Movieline.com had an interesting piece on the perceived looming Best Actress battle between Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) and Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) both of which could be on the Telluride slate in September.
You can see that story here:
http://www.movieline.com/2011/07/who-gets-your-unqualified-vote-in-the-2011-oscar-race-thus-far-meryl-or-glenn.php#.ThYu9Xx1gFE.email

Add to that the chance that we could also have "My Week with Marilyn" starring Michele Williams and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" starring Tilda Swinton and (I suppose) the still outside shot that Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia" with Kirsten Dunst all at the Opening Night Feed on Colorado Avenue and this could be the year that the Best Actress battle starts and ends in Telluride.
Wouldn't that be cool?
And that would also defy recent Telluride convention.  Best Actor Oscar winners have been coming out of Telluride with a lot of frequency in recent years, 4 of the last 6...

2010: Colin Firth-"The King's Speech"
2007: Daniel Day-Lewis-"There Will Be Blood"
2006: Forest Whitaker-"The Last King of Scotland"
2005: Philip Seymour Hoffman-"Capote"

And, yes, I know that Natalie Portman won for "Black Swan" last year, but you have to go back to 2005 and Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line" to find the next previous Best Actress Oscar winner from Telluride.  The women could be dominant this year...no jokes please...

PLAY DATES

A nice article yesterday from Brad Brevet at ropeofsilicon.com about release dates for Oscar bait-type films including these which I think have at least some potential to play at this year's Telluride Film Festival:

Carnage
The Artist
Coriolanus
W.E.
My Week with Marilyn
The Iron Lady
That post is here:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/oscar-update-start-engines-release-dates-set-flag-waved

MARLON AND ME

I sometimes forget that this happened when I was in college but I met Marlon Brando.  Yeah, I know.  It happened on Labor Day (there's your tenuous connection to Telluride) 1978.  I was in school at Southwestern Oklahoma State University ("Standing firmly on the hilltop..." Go Bulldogs!) in Weatherford, Oklahoma.  I was in my senior year as a Speech/Theater Ed major and working almost full time at a local motel as Asst. Manager and general flunky.  Thanks to my wife (who was working at the Weatherford Police Dept. at the time) I found out that Brando was in Weatherford and staying secretly at the motel where I was employed and though I hadn't planned to go in on that Labor Day...I changed plans in a heartbeat.  As a result, I got a chance to meet and talk to a man who is arguably America's finest actor...ever.

Brando was purportedly in the area scouting locations for a project he wanted to do and to attend a large Pow Wow that was going on just down the road from Weatherford.  At the time he had just finished shooting as Joe-El for the original "Superman" and was about to film his stunning turn as American Nazi George Norman Rockwell in "Roots II."  He won an Emmy for that.

Needless to say, as a theater major, I was on the verge of exploding.  And I'm fairly certain that Brando thought I was mentally challenged as I don't think I strung together a single coherent sentence.  But what a thrill for a 20 year old college kid in nowheresville south central Oklahoma to stand next to one of the all time greats.

The picture above is my college copy of "A Streetcar Named Desire".  Below is me and the 2 time Oscar winner (On the Waterfront and The Godfather):

Who is that young kid standing to Brando's left...HE PUT HIS ARM AROUND ME!

Here's the inside cover of my copy of "Streetcar":

Yes, that's right, an autographed copy of "A Streetcar Named Desire"

Other than the pictures (and there are one or two others), the only objective proof I have that any of this actually happened was this blurb that ran the next day in the local Weatherford newspaper:

Brando had already achieved his reputation for prickliness when this happened, but I will tell you that he was nothing less than pleasant, kind and charming to a grinning kid who was clearly overwhelmed to have the opportunity to be in the same room with him.

It's all in a small shrine in my living room bookshelves.

Parsing the Cannes Prizes

Will "The Source" be in Telluride?

The 64th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is in the books.  Now we look at the outcome and see if we can read the tea leaves and divine any conclusions for the Telluride Film Festival 3 months from now.

One conclusion...for the second consecutive year the Palme D'Or winner will NOT be on Telluride's list.  Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" begins its roll out in the U.S. on May 27th and will continue on a 5 week schedule to add theaters nationally.  You can find that schedule on the Fox Searchlight website at:
http://content.foxsearchlight.com/inside/node/4851
(I'll always say that "The Tree of Life" played at Tff#37 because that's where the deal was made for Fox Searchlight to pick it up after an incredibly small special screening occurred there).

Here is the list of winners from this afternoon's announcement (and from all categories in addition to the main competition) from Cannes:

In Competition :


Feature films

Palme d'Or

THE TREE OF LIFE directed by Terrence MALICK

Grand Prix Ex-aequo

BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU'DA (ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA) directed by Nuri Bilge CEYLAN

LE GAMIN AU VÉLO (THE KID WITH A BIKE) directed by Jean-Pierre et Luc DARDENNE

Award for Best Director

Nicolas WINDING REFN for DRIVE

Award for Best Screenplay

Joseph CEDAR for HEARAT SHULAYIM (Footnote)

Award for Best Actress

Kirsten DUNST in MELANCHOLIA directed by Lars VON TRIER

Award for Best Actor

Jean DUJARDIN in THE ARTIST directed by Michel HAZANAVICIUS

Jury Prize

POLISSE (POLISS) directed by MAÏWENN

Short Films

Palme d'Or - Short Film

CROSS (CROSS - COUNTRY) directed by Maryna VRODA

Jury Prize - Short Film

BADPAKJE 46 (SWIMSUIT 46) directed by Wannes DESTOOP

Un Certain Regard :

Prize of Un Certain Regard Ex-aequo

ARIRANG directed by KIM Ki-Duk

HALT AUF FREIER STRECKE (STOPPED ON TRACK) directed by Andreas DRESEN

Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize

ELENA directed by Andrey ZVYAGINTSEV

Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard

BÉ OMID É DIDAR directed by Mohammad RASOULOF

Cinefondation :

1st Prize Cinéfondation

DER BRIEF (THE LETTER) directed by Doroteya DROUMEVA

2nd Prize - Cinéfondation

DRARI directed by Kamal LAZRAQ

3rd Prize Cinéfondation

YA-GAN-BI-HANG (FLY BY NIGHT) directed by SON Tae-gyum

Golden Camera :

Caméra d'or

LAS ACACIAS directed by Pablo GIORGELLI





From this list I'd venture to guess that the Dardennes "The Kid with a Bike" still stands an awfully good chance to be at TFF #38.  I'm also betting on "The Artist."  Other "in competition titles that I still think have a good shot at being in T-ride despite not winning a prize include: Lynne Ramsey's "We Need to Talk About Kevin," Aki Kaurismaki"s "Le Havre."
 
I am less inclined to think we'll Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In (or Inhabit...depending on how you want to translate it) or Winding Refn's "Drive" (despite the fact that it stars Carrie Mulligan).
 
I also continue to think the Lars Von Trier probably closed the book on his chances to have "Melancholia" play at Telluride with his press conference antics concerning Nazism from earlier this week.
 
In the "It wouldn't surprise me" category: "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" and "The Source."
 
And let's not forget that over the years Telluride programmers have not limited their Cannes selections to the main competition category.  Telluride films have also been culled from Un Certain Regard and Special Screenings as well.   Among those from this year that might be part of the Telluride program are Gus Van Sant's "Restless" and don't forget Serge Bromberg's restoration project of "A Trip to the Moon" that we reported about earlier this week.

Attention now turns to upcoming announcements about what will play at other fests especially Toronto, Venice and New York as those announcements can sometimes provide insight into whether a particular film may be in the San Juans on Labor Day.  Meanwhile, congratulations to Terrence Malick and "The Tree of Life."