Jane Keeps Losing Her Guns/Countdown to Cannes/The Attack/More Baumbach

Good Thursday!

JANE KEEPS LOSING HER GUNS

The saga continues in New Mexico.  If you've been following along you may not be surprised to learn that there has been yet another defection from "Jane Got a Gun" .  The film stars Natalie Portman (at least for now) and Joel Edgerton and, until this week, Bradley Cooper.  Now word is the Cooper has left the snake bitten project.

Previous defections include the original director Lynne Ramsay, Michael Fassbender and Jude Law.  The film apparently will go forward as reports indicate that producers are looking for a replacement for Cooper.  Check details with these links from The Hollywood Reporter and The Playlist:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bradley-cooper-exits-jane-got-450340

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/bradley-cooper-exits-jane-got-a-gun-tobey-maguire-joseph-gordon-levitt-tom-hiddleston-being-sought-to-replace-20130501

COUNTDOWN TO CANNES-THE PAST

The Cannes Film Festival is 2 weeks away and a number of sources have been focusing on the upcoming lineup including Jake Howell at Music City News.  I've linked to his rundown of Asghar Farhadi's "The Past" today and will try to do the same for other films that feel like Telluride possibilities.  Here's Jake's take from MCN:

http://moviecitynews.com/2013/05/countdown-to-cannes-asghar-farhadi/

THE ATTACK

One of the best received films at TFF #39 was Ziad Doueiri's "The Attack" which now has a trailer.  I have linked to IndieWire story that has that:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/exclusive-a-man-is-torn-between-losing-his-wife-and-accepting-her-as-a-suicide-bomber-in-the-attack-trailer

MORE BAUMBACH

Last week I reported that Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, who were represented at TFF#9 with their delightful "Frances Ha", had collaborated on another film that would soon be coming around.  Baumbach has been one busy man as news has come that he's already at work on another project tentatively entitled "While We're Young" that would star Ben Stiller and which apparently is in the process of casting.  The Playlist reports that Naomi Watts may come on board.  Check that story here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/girls-star-adam-driver-reteaming-with-noah-baumbach-for-while-were-young-starring-ben-stiller-20130501

More on Monday!

TFF #39 is a Wrap/Critical Consensus/Monday Viewings/Remember TFF #40/And Thanks/And Finally

Good Tuesday Everyone!  It's done and I am rolling back to Oklahoma...

TFF #39 IS A WRAP

I tweeted at one point yesterday that Monday of the Film Fest is always kind of a bummer...tinged with melancholy because I know that the magic that has been created in this beautiful place is coming to a close and that I have to return to my real life.  Now, don't get me wrong...I love what I do and the kids I get to teach...but this weekend...it is very, very special.  Here's the closing press release in its entirety:

39^TH TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL’S FOUR-DAY EVENT COMES TO A CLOSE

Telluride, CO, September 3, 2012 – Telluride Film Festival (August 31 – September 3, 2012), presented by the National Film Preserve, draws to a close today following a spectacular weekend of diverse programming, surprise screenings and special guests.

“As the 39^th Telluride Film Festival closes, we are energized by the talent we’ve seen by both emerging and established filmmakers,” said Festival Co-Directors Julie Huntsinger, Gary Meyer and Tom Luddy. “Following what has been a bountiful cinematic feast, we look toward next year’s 40^th Anniversary of TFF with anticipation of what’s yet to come.”

Telluride Film Festival screened twenty-five new feature films in its main program, seven film revivals selected by Guest Director Geoff Dyer, twelve Backlot programs, six revival programs, 29 shorts and student films, and hosted ten seminars and conversations between festival guests.

Ben Affleck presented his newest film ARGO (U.S., 2012) as an unofficial part of the Telluride Film Festival program known to attendees as a “Sneak Preview.”

39^th Telluride Film Festival guests and program participants include: Oskar Alegria, Nikolaj Arcel, Ramin Bahrani, Noah Baumbach, Gael García Bernal, Satya Bhabha, Wayne Blair, Katriné Boorman, Serge Bromberg, Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, Roger Corman, Marion Cotillard, Mark Cousins, C. Chapin Cutler Jr., Christine Cynn, Ziad Doueiri, Geoff Dyer, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Dave Eggers, Michael Fitzgerald, Scott Foundas, Liz Garbus, Jack Garfein, Greta Gerwig, Shirley Henderson, John Horn, Viktor Denes Huszar, Katrina Kirk, Robert Kirk, Shaun Kirk, Stephanie Kirk, Ed Lachman, Pablo Larraín, Valentina Leduc, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Leonard Maltin, Haifaa Al Mansour, Todd McCarthy, David McMahon, Deepa Mehta, Kad Merad, Mads Mikkelsen, The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, Dror Moreh, Kim Morgan, Errol Morris, David Moynihan, Bill Murray, Marielle Nitoslawska, Alessandro Nivola, Joshua Oppenheimer, Alexander Payne, Christian Petzold, Sarah Polley, Sally Potter, Juan Carlos Rulfo, Salman Rushdie, Carolee Schneeman, Matthias Schoenaerts, Donald Sosin, Mickey Sumner, Margarete Tiesel, Paolo Cherchi Usai, Ariel Vroman and Michael Winterbottom.

Previously announced Telluride Film Festival Silver Medallion awards, given to recognize an artist’s significant contribution to the world of cinema, went to Roger Corman, Marion Cotillard and Mads Mikkelsen. The Special Medallion award, given to a hero of cinema who preserves, honors and presents great movies, went to C. Chapin Cutler Jr. and Boston Light & Sound.

Previously announced new feature films that played in the official 39th Telluride Film Festival main program: THE ACT OF KILLING (d. Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark, 2012); AMOUR (d. Michael Haneke, Austria, 2012); AT ANY PRICE (d. Ramin Bahrani, U.S., 2012); THE ATTACK (d. Ziad Doueiri, Lebanon-France, 2012); BARBARA (d. Christian Petzold, Germany, 2012); THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE (d. Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon, U.S., 2012);EVERYDAY (d. Michael Winterbottom, U.K., 2012); FRANCES HA (d. Noah Baumbach, U.S., 2012); THE GATEKEEPERS (d. Dror Moreh, Israel, 2012);GINGER AND ROSA (d. Sally Potter, England, 2012); THE HUNT (d. Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark, 2012); HYDE PARK ON HUDSON (d. Roger Michell, U.S., 2012); THE ICEMAN (d. Ariel Vromen, U.S., 2012); LOVE, MARILYN (d. Liz Garbus, U.S., 2012); MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN (d. Deepa Mehta, Canada-Sri Lanka, 2012); NO (Pablo Larraín, Chile, 2012); PARADISE: LOVE (d. Ulrich Seidl, Austria, 2012); PIAZZA FONTANA (d. Marco Tullio Giordana, Italy, 2012); A ROYAL AFFAIR (d. Nikolaj Arcel, Denmark, 2012); RUST & BONE (d. Jacques Audiard, France, 2012); THE SAPPHIRES (d. Wayne Blair, Australia, 2012); STORIES WE TELL (d. Sarah Polley, Canada, 2012); SUPERSTAR (d. Xavier Giannoli, France, 2012); WADJDA (d. Haifaa Al-Mansour, Saudi Arabia, 2012); WHAT IS THIS FILM CALLED LOVE? (d. Mark Cousins, Ireland-Mexico, 2012).

Previously announced film screened in The Backlot, venue: BREAKING THE FRAME (d. Marielle Nitoslawska, Canada, 2012); CARRIÈRE 250 METERS (d. Juan Carlos Rulfo, Mexico, 2012); CELLULOID MAN: A FILM ON P.K. NAIR (d. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, India, 2012); CINEMA JENIN (d. Marcus Vetter, Germany-Israel-Occupied Palestinian Territory, 2012); FINAL CUT: LADIES AND GENTLEMAN (d. György Pálfi, Hungary, 2012); IN SEARCH OF EMAK BAKIA (d. Oskar Alegria, Spain, 2012); JONATHAN MILLER (d. David Thompson, U.K., 2012); JOURNAL DE FRANCE (d. Raymond Depardon and Claudine Nougaret, France, 2012); ME AND ME DAD (d. Katriné Boorman, U.K., 2012); MIKIS THEODORAKIS, COMPOSER (d. Klaus Salge and Asteris Kutulas, Germany, 2012); ON BORROWED TIME (d. David Bradbury, Australia, 2012); THE SHORT FILMS OF JEAN NEGULESCO.

Telluride Film Festival celebrated the 100^th birthday of its friend Chuck Jones (who died in 2002). Classic cartoons and his words of wisdom were included at screenings throughout the Festival. Animator-artist Jones, who received his first retrospective at Telluride in 1976, made regular visits to Telluride with his characters – The Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Pepe Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin Martian, Michigan J. Frog plus those he directed including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd. Jones’s daughter, Linda Jones Clough, was present for a special animation conversation, which took place at the Chuck Jones Cinema.

39^th Telluride Film Festival was dedicated to Bingham Ray (1954-2012) and Jan Sharp (1946-2012).

The 39^th Telluride Film Festival program is available in its entirety at www.telluridefilmfestival.org.

Film stills available upon request. Email shannongmitchell@gmail.com for more information.

Festival photos available at www.wireimage.com.

40^th Anniversary of the Telluride Film Festival

Next year Telluride Film Festival will be celebrating its 40^th Anniversary, scheduled for August 29 – September 2, 2013.  To commemorate this special occasion an additional day has been added to the usual four-day Festival, making room for a five-day bounty of special programming and festivities. Passes will be available for purchase beginning in March 2013.  

About Telluride Film Festival

The prestigious Telluride Film Festival ranks among the world’s best film festivals and is an annual gathering for film industry insiders, cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and critics. TFF is considered a major launching ground for the fall season’s most talked-about films. Co-founded in 1974 by Tom Luddy, James Card, and Bill and Stella Pence, Telluride Film Festival, presented in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado, is a four-day international educational event celebrating the art of film. Telluride Film Festival’s long-standing commitment is to join filmmakers and film connoisseurs together to experience great cinema. The exciting schedule, kept secret until Opening Day, consists of over two dozen filmmakers presenting their newest works, special Guest Director programs, three major Tributes to guest artists, special events and remarkable treasures from the past. Telluride Film Festival is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit educational program. Festival headquarters are in Berkeley, CA.

CRITICAL CONSENSUS

I'm putting together a critical consensus from the weekend from a number of critics and bloggers of this weekend's films and will report the results later this week.  I've asked a number of people who spent the last few days in the Colorado Rockies to rank the films they saw and I'm going to collate the results and pass them on to you readers.  I'm pretty excited about this mini-project.  Stay tuned...I already have some excellent people who have agreed to participate.

MONDAY VIEWINGS

Still from Baumbach and Gerwig's "Frances Ha"

The Art Director and I caught Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig's collaboration" France Ha" Monday morning and found it engaging and well constructed.  Something of a  departure for Baumbach.  We enjoyed it a great deal...as parents of a 27 year old, it rang true.

Midday was a screening of  "The Attack" which was beyond sold out at The Nugget.  Personally, I felt it was a good not great piece of film making.  Frankly, I had a hard time believing that Israeli intell would be that far behind the story's protagonist.  Some good scenes and fine acting make it something that I'd recommend, but I'll bet I'm not as enthusiastic as others.

We closed out the fest with Ramin Bahrani's "At Any Price" which I found almost insufferable.  It's over-acted, telegraphically scripted and as subtle as a hammer.  I think there might be a good film in there somewhere, but this is not it.

REMEMBER TFF #40

Yes, it's me.  Already trying to figure out next year's films

I'm starting the reminders right now.  TFF #40 will be a 5 day affair next year.  Organizers plan to start on Thursday next year as they add an extra day to celebrate the festival's 40th anniversary.  Obviously, as you can tell from my moaning above, an extra day of paradise will be welcomed.

AND THANK YOU!

My gratitude to the Telluride Film Festival and in particular Muffy Deslaurier, Erica Gioga, Shannon Goodwin Mitchell and the phenomenal Julie Huntsinger...you make this special weekend even more special for this small town Oklahoma boy.

Thanks to all the readers out there who spend some time looking at these pages.  I am still honestly stunned that someone reads it besides me, my wife and my mom.  It's for you!

And speaking of family...a big thank you to The Art Director who puts up with this endeavor/obsession.  The woman has patience.
 

AND FINALLY...

Michael's Telluride Film Blog will continue for just a few more days as a daily blog...certainly until the critic's project is complete but there will be a couple of transitions coming soon.  First, as has been the custom, MTFB will transition to The Film Awards Clearinghouse as I track this year's Telluride slate of films through the awards season including Critic's kudos, the Guilds, the Golden Globes and ultimately the Oscars (TM).

Additionally, I'll go back to a twice a week posting schedule until and when awards season conditions warrant.  Starting Monday, Sept. 10th, I'll be going back to a Monday/Thursday posting schedule with special additional posts as news/conditions warrant.

More later...

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