Showing posts with label The Invisible Woman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Invisible Woman. Show all posts

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Holiday Gurus of Gold/Ralph Fiennes and The Invisible Woman/Gravity Feature

Good Thursday and Post Christmas Day...


THE GURUS HOLIDAY EDITION



The Movie City News posted a quick "Holiday" version of its Gurus of Gold chart focusing on Best Picture and some unusual categories.  The bottom line is that four TFF #40 films are still listed by The Gurus as likely in the Top Six for a Best Picture nomination: "12 Years a Slave" at #1, "Gravity" is at #2, "Nebraska" is at #5 and "Inside Llewyn Davis" is at #6.

You can find the complete Holiday Gurus chart (with categories like "See It on a Big Screen") here:

http://moviecitynews.com/2013/12/gurus-o-gold-holiday-contender-watch-guide/


RALPH FIENNES AND THE INVISIBLE WOMAN



Both HitFix and The Dissolve took a look at Ralph Fiennes film about the secret lover in Charles Dickens' life.  The Invisible Woman will opened yesterday in a limited release.

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/ralph-fiennes-on-bringing-sweat-to-the-costume-drama-in-the-invisible-woman

http://thedissolve.com/reviews/453-the-invisible-woman/


GRAVITY FEATURE



The Hollywood Reporter posted a new featurette on the behind the scenes activity that went into making Alfonso Cuaron's :Gravity".  You can find that story and the video here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/video-sandra-bullock-george-clooney-667545


Hope everyone had a great holiday...more on Monday


Monday, December 23, 2013

Foreign Oscar Shortlist/Dern and Nebraska/Behind Inside/The Past's Farhadi/The Visible Felicity Jones

Good Christmas Eve Eve...or Monday...

OSCAR FOREIGN SHORTLIST



The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences winnowed the list of 70+ Foreign Language Film submissions down to 9 titles this past week and what as noticeable as the films that made the cut were the omissions and that left a number of Telluride films that had been hotly tipped as Oscar nominees out.

Pre-announcement Telluride films that were snubbed included "The Past", "Gloria" and TFF #39's "Wadjda"

Telluride wasn't totally left unrepresented in the shortlist as "The Missing Picture" made the cut and last year's Mads Mikkelsen starrer "The Hunt" was also listed.

The final nine also included:

"The Broken Circle Breakdown"
"An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker"
"Two Lives"
"The Grandmaster"
"The Notebook"
"The Great Beauty"
"Omar"

Next, the Academy members have to knock the list down to five.  If I were handicapping it (like I know anything about this), I'd guess that "The Hunt", "The Grandmaster", "The Great Beauty" and "The Broken Circle" Breakdown" are likely nominees with the fifth film up in the air.

The Playlist has the story about this week's announcement:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-grandmaster-the-hunt-the-great-beauty-more-make-oscar-foreign-language-film-shortlist-20131220

DERN AND NEBRASKA



The Bruce Dern Oscar campaign continues full force.  Dern's interview with AwardsLine's (Deadline.com) Anna Lisa Raya was posted this week and you can find that here:

http://www.deadline.com/2013/12/oscars-2014-bruce-dern-nebraska-interview/


BEHIND INSIDE



One of my favorite moments in The Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" is the recording session that produces "Please Mr. Kennedy".  It sums up a number of the themes of the film and is just a hoot.

In the scene Adam Driver appears as a specialty background singer and is a highlight.  Driver recently talked to Nigel M. Smith for IndieWire about "Inside Llewyn Davis" and other topics here:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/adam-driver-on-singing-for-the-coen-brothers-on-inside-llewyn-davis-and-why-he-keeps-coming-back-to-girls


THE PAST'S FARHADI



Asghar Farhadi's follow up to his Oscar winning " A Separation", "The Past" was very well received at Telluride over Labor Day weekend.  As mentioned above, the film was snubbed by The Academy FLF committee and to the surprise of many, including me, it was not shortlisted for this year's Oscar.

Nevertheless, Film Journal's (And friend of MTFB) Tomris Laffly talked to the auteur about the new film:

http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/news-and
features/features/movies/e3id1e1bc718e4cd0f322b8201ded442ba9

THE VISIBLE FELICITY JONES



The actress at the center of Ralph Fiennes Charles Dickens film, "The Invisible Woman" is Felicity Jones. She is the "invisible" woman referenced in the title.  Reactions to the film was divided in Telluride but ones generally received high marks for her portrayal of the younger woman that captured Dickens heart.

Jones recently sat down with Drew Taylor for this interview with The Playlist:

 http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/interview-the-invisible-womans-felicity-jones-talks-her-dickensian-drama-what-it-was-like-working-with-ralph-fiennes-and-how-much-she-loves-spider-man-20131217


That's all for this Monday.  I'm hoping to catch David O. Russell's "American Hustle" today...really looking forward to it!

For those that celebrate it, Merry Christmas!

More on Thursday!


Monday, October 28, 2013

The FAC #2 Part Two/TFF#40 Echos Continue: 12 Years, Invisible, Blue, Past, Lost, Nebraska/Oscar Matters

Hello Everyone...hope you had a good weekend!

THE FAC #2, PART TWO

As promised last Thursday, here's the other half of the updated Film Awards Clearinghouse with the latest numbers for Best Supporting Actor and Actress as well as Adapted and Original Screenplay.

I use the publicly posted predictions of these Oscar experts:

Sasha Stone/Awards Daily
Kris Tapley/HitFix-InContention
Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood
Peter Knegt/IndieWire
Alex Carlson/Film Misery
Nathaniel Rogers/Film Experience
Scott Feinberg/The Hollywood Reporter
Clayton Davis/Awards Circuit
Brad Brevet/Rope of Silicon

The films position on the first FAC is in parenthesis.  Telluride #40 films are Bold.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR



1) Jared Leto/Dallas Buyers Club (2)
2) Michael Fassbender/12 Years (1)
3) Tom Hanks/Saving Mr. Banks (3)
4) Daniel Bruhl/Rush (4)
5) Barkhard Abdi/Capt. Phillips (-)
6) James Gandolfini/Enough Said (-)
7) Bradley Cooper/American Hustle (7)
8) Jeremy Renner/American Hustle (-)
9) Matthew McConnaughey/Mud (-)
10) John Goodman/Inside Llewyn Davis (-)

Dropping out: Mark Ruffalo, Daniel Oyelowo

Hot Stuff: Abdi, Gandolfini, Cooper, Renner

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS



1) Oprah Winfrey/LD's The Butler (1)
2) Lupita Nyong'o/12 Years (2)
3) June Squibb/Nebraska (3)
4) Julia Roberts/August: Osage County (7)
5) Jennifer Lawrence/American Hustle (6)
6) Octavia Spencer/Fruitvale (5)
7) Sally Hawkins/Blue Jasmine (9)
8) Margo Martindale/August: Osage County (4)
9) Carey Mulligan/Inside Llewyn Davis (-)
10) Amy Adams/Her (-)

Dropping Out: Cameron Diaz

Hot Stuff: Roberts (at the apparent expense of Margo Martindale), Hawkins, Mulligan and Adams.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY




1) 12 Years a Slave (1)
2) Captain Phillips (3)
3) Before Midnight (2)
4) August: Osage County (-)
5) Philomena (6)
6) The Wolf of Wall Street (4)
7) Labor Day (-)
8) Blue is the Warmest Color (-)
9) Short Term 12 (-)
10) The Book Thief (-)

Dropping: Monuments Men and Foxcatcher as they have been moved to 2014 release dates.

Hot: August, Labor Day, Blue, Short Term and Book Thief.


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY



1) Inside Llewyn Davis (2)
2) Nebraska (6)
3) Blue Jasmine (3)
4) American Hustle (1)
5) Her (5)
6) Gravity (-)
7) Saving Mr. Banks (4)
8) Lee Daniel's The Butler (8)
9) Fruitvale Station (7)
10) Dallas Buyers Club (-)

No drop outs

Hot Stuff: Gravity, Nebraska, Dallas Buyers

ANALYSIS

Here's the breakdown of the "Great Eight" categories vis-a-vis Telluride #40.  If these predictions were true on nomination morning...

12 Years a Slave: Nominated in six (of these 8 categories...I really think it ends up with 11 overall): Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay.

Nebraska: 5 nominations: Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay.

Gravity: 3 Nominations: Picture, Director, Actress and 1 possible for Original Screenplay.

Inside Llewyn Davis: 2 nominations: Picture, Original Screenplay.  3 possibles: Directors, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress.

All is Lost: 2 nominations: Picture, Actor, 1 possibility: Director.

Blue is the Warmest Color: 2 possibilities: Actress, Adapted Screenplay.

Labor Day: 2 possibilities: Actress, Adapted Screenplay.

The Past: 2 possibilities: Actress, Original Screenplay.

In the Big Eight categories Telluride #40 predicted currently to have 18 nominations and another 10 possibilities.
 
In terms of total nominations, I'm still expecting a record number for Telluride films this year.  In the 30's is likely.  40+ is a stretch, but possible.

Other non-Telluride films expected to be big players;

Captain Phillips: 5 nominations.
American Hustle: 4 nominations and another 4 possibilities.
Saving Mr. Banks: 3 nominations and 2 possibles.
August: Osage County: 3 nominations and 2 possibles.
Lee Daniel's The Butler: 2 nominations and 3 possibles.
Dallas Buyers Club: 2 nominations and 2 possibles.
Blue Jasmine: 2 nominations and 2 possibles.
Philomena: 2 nominations.
The Wolf of Wall Street: 1 nomination and 3 possibles.
Her: 1 nomination and 3 possibles.
Before Midnight: 1 nomination and 1 possible.
Fruitvale Station: 4 possibles.

I suspect that "Wolf" lost some predictive steam because of its "limbo" status concerning its release date. Now that that has been resolved, I expect that it will begin to pick up some heat from Oscar pickers.  I also think "Her" picked up some heat from its New York Film Fest debut and that it may still be gaining some momentum.  Same is true for the London premiere of "Mr. Banks".  Reports were very positive, so despite my "vibe" that it wouldn't make much of a dent, people in the know and that have seen it would beg to differ with me.

Right now, I also have a "vibe" that "Dallas Buyers Club" may be a more serious player than merely Actor and Supporting Actor nominations.  I get the sense that it could rise in the Best Pic, Director and Screenplay races as well.

Bottom line for me is that "American Hustle" may still be the biggest threat to "12 Years" Oscar supremacy. Maybe "Wolf" as well, but I think the real race might come from the David O. Russell film.  Even with that being said, my gut tells me that it'll be a "12 Years" night on Mar. 2.  Multiple wins...Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actress, plus under the line wins for Costume, Production Design and maybe Score.  Ejiofor won't win the Actor's trophy, though.  I think it's going Redford's way.

TFF#40 ECHOS CONTINUE

     12 YEARS A SLAVE NEWS



I continue to make it clear that this is the best film of the year.  It continued its roll out this weekend by adding a few more cities.  Coming this weekend it adds a slew more and if you didn't catch it in Telluride (or Toronto) I'd encourage you to go see it.  Frankly, I'm going to find a way to see it again in a theater though I think the chances of it being programmed at my local 8 screener in the middle of the Oklahoma Panhandle is unlikely until it gets the 10-11 Oscar nominations that I think are coming its way.  Probably going to have to catch it in Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque or Santa Fe sometime in the next six weeks or so.

Nevertheless, for those who haven't seen the film or wish to re-visit it, The Playlist posted links to two clips and a Steve McQueen featurette here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-2-clips-directors-vision-featurette-for-steve-mcqueens-12-years-a-slave-20131024

Also, Canada.com's Bob Thompson talks to "12 Years" star Chiwetel Ejiofor:
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/scene-and-heard-12-years-a-slaves-chiwetel-ejiofor-would-rather-talk-about-the-film-than-the-oscars/

     THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, VISIBLE IN A DIFFERENT CATEGORY



News reported by The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg that Felicity Jones who is the titular "Invisible Woman" in the Ralph Fiennes film will be campaigned by Sony Pictures Classics as a Best Actress candidate rather than Supporting which most observers thought would be the direction that SPC would take.  Here's the post from Feinberg:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscars-invisible-womans-felicity-jones-651103


     BLUE CONTINUES TO MAKE WAVES



Julian Scanton of Esquire talked recently to "Blue is the Warmest Color" co-star Lea Seydoux as the film continues to spark controversy and conflicting commentary and reportage from the stars and the director. Here's the Esquire interview with Seydoux:

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/lea-seydoux-interview

     FARHADI ON THE PAST AND THE FUTURE



Indie Wire's Laya Maheshwair talks to the Iranian genius about his current film and some thoughts about future projects:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/asghar-farhadi-on-oscar-odds-for-the-past-iranian-filmmaking-directing-an-opera-and-making-an-english-language-movie

     ALL IS LOST'S CHANDOR ALSO PAST AND FUTURE



"All is Lost" director J.C. Chandor talked to Alex Billington at FirstShowing.net about the survival film starring Oscar favorite Robert Redford and also about some of his future plans:

http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/video-interview-talking-with-all-is-lost-writerdirector-j-c-chandor/

     NEBRASKA IN NEW YORK



If there was no "12 Years a Slave" Alexnader Payne's "Nebraska" would probably be in the tank for.  It or "Inside Llewyn Davis".  Nevertheless, Edward Davis writing for The Playilist explores the tone of "Nebraska" and includes the link to the half hour conversation about the film from the New York Film Festival with Alexander Payne, Bruce Dern and Will Forte:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/nyff-alexander-payne-bruce-dern-will-forte-talk-the-particular-tone-of-nebraska-20131009


 OSCAR MATTERS



In addition to the above addition to The Film Awards Clerainghouse, here are some other Oscar-y tidbits. For example, tale a look at the latest from Gold Derby (which varies a bit from The FAC):

http://www.goldderby.com/news/4952/gravity-12-years-a-slave-oprah-entertainment-news-721480395.html

And here is the link to the latest Oscar Podcast from Kris Tapley of HitFix/InContention and Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/oscar-talk-nyff-gotham-nominations-awards-contenders-head-for-2014

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar-talk-where-are-we-now


More to come on Thursday...





Thursday, October 17, 2013

A Day to 12 Years/Nebraska in New York/Invisible Woman, Fiennes and Oscar/NYFF Critics and Telluride/Fever Has a Date/Who's Who for Oscar

Good Thursday to Everybody...

A DAY TO 12 YEARS



Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" opens in limited release tomorrow in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Toronto and Atlanta.  Next week (Oct. 25) it expands to Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore.  Fox Searchlight then says it will open "everywhere" on Nov. 1.

My advice...go see it.  If you didn't catch it at Telluride, go see it.  If you DID catch it at Telluride, go see it again.

As you might expect, as its release date draws closer, the media deluge has increased and I have dutifully included some of that material here if you care to take a look.

First, take a gander at this interview from HitFix/InContention's Kristopher Tapley with McQueen:
http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/steve-mcqueen-on-12-years-a-slave-squeamishness-its-the-truth-and-should-be-respected-as-such

You also might want to watch this DP/30 episode from David Poland at Movie City News:
http://moviecitynews.com/2013/10/dp30-sneak-peek-12-years-a-slave/

McQueen and some of the cast answered questions/talked about the film this week following an L.A. screening at the Director's Guild.  Terese Torgersen reported for The Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/12-years-a-slave-steve-648500

Meanwhile, one of the bigger stories that emerged this week regarding "12 Years" was the reportage that Michael Fassbender won't be working the awards circuit much on his own behalf.  Start with Guy Lodge's story via HitFix/InContention:
http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/roundup-michael-fassbender-too-busy-for-an-oscar-campaign

Also Brent Lang at The Wrap:
http://www.thewrap.com/michael-fassbender-will-campaign-oscar-nomination/

And Pete Hammond at Deadline.com adds his two cents here:
http://www.deadline.com/2013/10/oscars-why-michael-fassbenders-refusal-to-campaign-could-actually-help-him-win/

Meanwhile, if you read the complete story from The Wrap, you'll have noted that the Fassbender/Marion Cotillard collaboration on "MacBeth" is close to starting up.  if.com from Australia reports that the film is ion pre-production (and it's a definite "Coming Attraction" possibility for Telluride):
http://if.com.au/2013/10/14/article/Strong-Australian-accent-for-Macbeth/DDUZQNXDOT.html



NEBRASKA IN NEW YORK



The New York Critics Series has announced that it will bring Alexander Payne's "Nebraska" to the screen in a setting that will include a simulcast from NYC on Nov. 5th.  That's two and a half weeks before it scheduled release date.  The program is designed to provide a nationwide presentation that allows a broad audience to see the film and then hear from the film makers.

Peter Travers of The Rolling Stone will moderate and organizers say that stars Bruce Dern and Will Forte will participate.

The NYCS says they have 50+ theaters nationwide that will screen the film and Q+A.

More information can be found from the NYCS website:
http://www.nyfilmcriticsseries.com/

Also, here is the link to the list of theaters nationwide that are set to air the series:
http://www.nyfilmcriticsseries.com/Locations.html

And, for good measure, the story about "Nebraska's" screening reported by Ray Pride at Movie City News:
http://moviecitynews.com/2013/10/peter-travers-qa-national-simulcast-series-starts-with-nebraska/


INVISIBLE WOMAN, FIENNES AND OSCAR



Gold Derby assesses the Oscar chances of Ralph Fiennes "The Invisible Woman".  For what it's worth, they come out about where I do...if anything, their assessment is a little more optimistic than mine:
http://www.goldderby.com/news/4910/oscar-invisible-woman-ralph-fiennes-entertainment-news-625341978.html

NYFF CRITICS AND TELLURIDE



IndieWire has put up its critic poll following the New York Film Festival's conclusion.  As you might expect, the poll includes a number of Telluride films that doubled at the NYFF.

Telluride films and their results (with rank in parenthesis) included:

Best Picture: "12 Years a Slave" (1), "Nebraska" (3) and "Inside Llewyn Davis (4)

Best Director: Steve McQueen/12 Years (2), Alexander Payne/Nebraska (3), The Coen Brothers/Llewyn Davis (4).  Spike Jonze was the top director for "Her" which finished the Best Picture poll at #2.

Best Lead Performance: Chiwetel Ejiofor/12 Years (1), Adele Exarchopoulos/Blue is the Warmest (2).

Best Supporting Performance: June Squibb/Nebraska (1), Lupita Nyong'o/12 Years (2), Michael Fassbender/12 Years (3), Lea Seydoux/Blue is the Warmest (5)

Best Ensemble: Nebraska (1), Inside Llewyn Davis (2), 12 Years a Slave (3)

Best Scene: 12 Years a Slave (1), Nebraska (2), Inside Llewyn Davis (5)

Biggest Surprise: Tim's Vermeer (4), 12 Years a Slave (5).  The biggest surprise: Spike Jonze's "Her"


The complete story is here:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/her-and-nebraska-join-festival-favorites-12-years-a-slave-and-blue-is-the-warmest-color-atop-indiewires-nyff-critics-poll

The poll results are here:
http://www.indiewire.com/survey/best-films-and-performances-from-nyff-2013/

THE FEVER HAS A DATE

Documentary "Particle Fever" has a release date next spring according to a report from mxdwn.com.
http://movies.mxdwn.com/news/particle-fever-opens-march-2014/

WHO'S WHO AS WE ENTER OSCAR SEASON



IndieWire has put together an impressive post that breakdowns the Oscar films and chances for those films by distributor.  It's kind of interesting:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/for-your-consideration-a-studio-scorecard-for-2013


More on Monday.  I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Monday, October 7, 2013

12 Years Spot/Llewyn and Oscars and John/The Visible Invisible/Brolin Talks Labor Day/Oscar Matters

Good Monday to All...

12 YEARS SPOT

Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" has run its first television promo.  It's here:


I'm still of a mind that this film is the best film I'm going to see all year.

LLEWYN AND OSCARS AND JOHN



The Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" is not going to be everyone's cup of tea.  It's certainly Coens-y but it sets its own distinct tone and isn't afraid of that.  Its title character isn't warm and fuzzy.  The film is an interesting mix of comedy and drama...mostly comedy, I think, but of a sly, low key sort.  Some have suggested that it's plotless which I think is a little silly.  There's certainly a plot, it's just not big and grand.  It's small and introspective.

All of the above is offered as I get to these posts from this week about the film.  The first is an examination from FirstShowing's Joey Magidson regarding the awards prospects for this difficult-to-pigeonhole film:

http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/where-do-oscar-isaac-inside-llewyn-davis-fit-into-the-oscar-race/

The other post is a look at John Goodman's career in the films of the Coens including his turn in "Llewyn" that I believe has a chance to earn Goodman his first Oscar nomination.  The post is from Greg Cwik for CriticWire/IndieWire:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/john-goodman-the-coen-brothers-common-man


THE VISIBLE INVISIBLE

Ralph Fiennes' "The Invisible Woman" has a trailer out this past week.  Here it is:




I've also linked a number of posts from around the web tied to the release of this trailer:

http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/watch-felicity-jones-in-ralph-fiennes-the-invisible-woman-trailer/

http://movies.yahoo.com/video/invisible-woman-trailer-211016775.html

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-charles-dickens-has-a-secret-in-trailer-for-ralph-fiennes-the-invisible-woman-20131004

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/watch-first-trailer-ralph-fiennes-invisible-woman/


BROLIN TALKS "LABOR DAY"



Recently HitFix's Greg Ellwood sat down with "Labor Day" star Josh Brolin to talk about the Jason Reitman film.  Here's a link to that interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSRZiUK_M4A&feature=youtu.be&a


OSCAR MATTERS



Scott Feinberg has updated his Feinberg Forecast for The Hollywood Reporter.  His "scorecard" for Telluride films looks like this at the moment:

Best Picture:
Frontrunners: "12 Years", "Gravity", "All is Lost".
Major Threats: "Inside Llewyn Davis" and "Nebraska".
Possibilities: "Blue is the Warmest Color" and "Prisoners".
Long Shots: "The Past" and "Labor Day"

Director:
Frontrunners: McQueen/12 Years and Cuaron/Gravity.
Major Threats: Chandor/Lost, Coens/Llewyn and Payne/Nebraska
Possibilities: Villenueve/Prisoners, Kechiche/Blue
Long Shots: Farhadi/Past, Reitman/Labor

Actress:
Frontrunners: Bullock/Gravity
Major Threats: Exarchopoulos/Blue, Winslet/Labor, Bejo/Past
Possibilities: Gerwig/Frances Ha (TFF #39)

Actor:
Frontrunners: Redford/Lost, Ejiofor/12 Years
Major Threats: Dern/Nebraska, Issac/Llewyn
Possibilities: Jackman/Prisoners
Long Shots: Fiennes/Invisible

Supporting Actress:
Frontrunners: Nyong'o/12 Years
Major Threats: Leo/Prisoners, Squibb/Nebraska, Seydoux/Blue
Possibilities: Mulligan/Llewyn, Jones/Invisible
Long Shots: Paulson/12 Years

Supporting Actor:
Frontrunners: Fassbender/12 Years
Major Threats: Gyllenhaal/Prisoners
Possibilities: Clooney/Gravity, Brolin/Labor

Adapted Screenplay:
Frontrunners: 12 Years
Possibilites: Labor Day
Long Shots: The Invisible Woman

Original Screenplay:
Frontrunners: Inside Llewyn Davis
Major Threats: Gravity, All is Lost, Nebraska
Possibilities: Prisoners
Long Shots: Bethlehem, The Past, Frances Ha (TFF #39)

Animated Feature:
Frontrunners: The Wind Rises

Documentary:
Frontrunners: Tim's Vermeer, Stories We Tell (TFF #39)
Major Threats: The Unknown Known, Jodorowsky's Dune, The Act of Killing (TFF #39)
Long Shots: Salinger

For those keeping track, Feinberg has Telluride films  listed as Frontrunners in these "Big 8" categories 15 times, "Major Threats" 20 times, "Possibilities" 12 times and "Long Shots" 11 times.

Here's the latest Scott Feinberg Forecast from The Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/feinberg-forecast-updated-projections-21-639287



In other "Oscar Matters", Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elksewhere references David Thomson's look at Robert Redford and J.C. Chandor's "All is Lost" and suggests that the Best Actor race is all but over.  I'm not so sure that's the case.  Take a look here:

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2013/10/redford-vs-chewy/


 More on Thursday...


Sunday, September 1, 2013

Day Three from Telluride/Sunday's TBAs and Sneaks

Telluride Day Three…

I opened the day with a fantastic tribute to the Coen Brothers and their collaboration with T-Bone Burnett.  As a “pre-show” we were treated to a mini-concert from “The Americans”.  Their banjo/guitar, stand-up bass performance set the tone perfectly for the program to follow. 



The tribute featured the four films that the threesome have worked on together: “The Big Lebowski”, “The Ladykillers”, “O Brother Where Art Thou?” and the upcoming “Inside Llewyn Davis”.  Scott Foundas of Variety led the Q&A that followed the clip presentation.  As you might expect with three geniuses, the discussion was lively, thought-provoking and often funny.  My favorite couple of moments:  the Coens revealed they’re working on a script about an Opera singer and they want to make a film that has an overture and an intermission.  Additionally, Joel described their movie making genesis and what they do now the same way, “We’re just f*#@ing around”.  Loved it.



I followed the Coens with Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin”.  It’s an interesting film and technically proficient.  You have to give Glazer his due for attempting a film in which we see our world through alien eyes and especially ears.  The sound work is remarkable.  Choices for “dialogue” which often is unintelligible and the music for the soundtrack are universally great choices. 

Scarlett Johansson plays the alien “under the skin” of a human disguise.  Johansson is serviceable in very challenging role.  She has to be temptress that lures humans into her alien lair and still convey the sense of unease with her surroundings and the “alienness” of our species.  She largely succeeds.

Pacing is the issue for me with this film and even that makes sense in the context of what Glazer does.



I concluded the afternoon with the world premiere of Ralph Fiennes sophomore directorial effort, “The Invisible Woman”.  It’s based on the true story of Charles Dickens virtually unknown mistress.  Fiennes cast himself as Dickens and Felicity Jones as the “invisible” woman.  Fiennes is good but, again, pacing is an issue.  It’s just slow.

I finished the evening with Buck Henry presenting Mike Hodges’ 1972 film “The Terminal Man” based on a Michael Crichton novel.  Admittedly I was there to see and listen to Buck.  I’ve been saying for years that I was going to make sure we crossed paths at this festival and this year gave me the opportunity.  I couldn’t pass it up.

Buzzy titles through three days: “12 Years a Slave”, “Gravity”, “Prisoners”, “Tim’s Vermeer” and “Burning Bush”.

 SUNDAY TBA'S AND SNEAKS

Sneak 

• The Wind Rises     CJC/Sun 9p

Reflecting his deep fascination with aviation, the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki's beautifully animated exploration of the early life of aeronautical engineer Jiro Horikoshi. Miyazaki keeps the fanciful elements to a relative minimum, while featuring imaginative, exquisite dream sequences and a stunning recreation of the devastating Kantō earthquake of 1923. This fictionalized biopic—with a liberal dose of Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain as subtext—dramatically details the pacifistic (and overtly romantic) tendencies behind the chief designer of the A6M Zero, one of the most effective warplanes in history. –Jonathan Marlow (Japan, 2013, 126m) Introduced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall



• 9  Nebraska   Palm/Sun 11:15a


• Sneak Prisoners    Galaxy/Sun 1p

• 38   Don DeLillo: Zapruder Film plus panel with Mark Danner and Errol Morris  SOH/Sun 1p

• Sneak   12 Years a Slave  Palm/Sun 2:15p

• 33 Gloria  Le Pierre/Sun 4p

• 15 Tim’s Vermeer  Nugget/Sun 4:45p

• 25 The Lunchbox   CJC/Sun 6:30p

• 35 Before the Winter Chill SOH/Sun 6:45p

• 23 Slow Food Story  Nugget/Sun 7:15p

• 6  Inside Llewyn Davis  Palm/Sun 8:45p

• 16  The Past  Masons/Sun 9:15p

• E   Jodorowsky’s Dune  Backlot/Sun 9:15p

• 28  Palo Alto  SOH/Sun 9:30p

• 36  Ida  Le Pierre/Sun 9:30p

• 22  Under the Skin Nugget/Sun 9:45p


More tomorrow...

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

TFF #40 LINEUP ANNOUNCED/SELECTED SUMMARIES

Here's the link for the lineup of films announced for the 40th Telluride Film Festival today:

http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/

40th Anniversary Program Line-up
We are proud to announce official program selections for the 40th anniversary edition of Telluride Film Festival. TFF’s annual celebration of artistic excellence brings together, cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and artists to discover the best in world cinema in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. TFF will screen more than 100 feature films, short films and revivals representing twenty-five countries, along with special artist Tributes, Conversations, Panels, Education Programs and Festivities. 

In honor of its 40th anniversary, the usual four-day Telluride Film Festival has an additional day of programming and takes place Thursday, August 29 - Monday, September 2, 2013

In celebration of their contributions to Joel and Ethan Coen’s new film INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS and the 40th anniversary of Telluride Film Festival, Punch Brothers will perform. The performance will include songs featured in several of T Bone Burnett and the Coen Brothers’ collaborations, including songs from the soundtrack of INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS. The concert will be tonight, Wednesday, August 28 at 5:00 pm in Telluride Town Park.

Telluride Film Festival is honored to present the Werner Herzog Theatre, the fourth cineaste for whom the Festival has named a theatre. Situated in Telluride’s Town Park Pavilion, the Werner Herzog Theatre is the Festival’s most technologically advanced theatre accommodating 650 pass holders. Chuck Jones, Abel Gance and Pierre Rissient also share this tribute. 

The past 40 years have seen Telluride Film Festival mixing highly anticipated award hopefuls with the films of talented emerging filmmakers and auteurs from around the globe. First-time filmmakers discovered at TFF include Terry Zwigoff, Jim Jarmusch, Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Rodriguez, Michael Moore, Doug Liman, Jon Favreau, Andrea Arnold, Lodge Kerrigan, Robert Luketic and Sarah Gavron. In addition, TFF has previewed numerous films that have generated wins at the Oscars® in recent years, including FOG OF WAR, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, THE LIVES OF OTHERS, BABEL, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, JUNO, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, UP IN THE AIR, THE KING’S SPEECH, BLACK SWAN, A SEPARATION, THE ARTIST, THE DESCENDANTS and ARGO. 

“This year’s 40th anniversary is a celebration of what Telluride Film Festival has accomplished over the past four decades, as well as what we are doing now and forty years from now” said Telluride Film Festival Executive Director Julie Huntsinger. We are committed to presenting groundbreaking films with the world’s most preeminent talent in technologically advanced, state-of the art facilities including the brand new Werner Herzog Theatre. We look forward to continuing to explore the future in cinema through current masters of the art form and breakthrough talents.”  

40th Telluride Film Festival is proud to present the following new feature films to play in its main program, the ‘SHOW’: 
ALL IS LOST (d. J.C. Chandor, U.S., 2013)
BEFORE THE WINTER CHILL (d. Philippe Claudel, France, 2013)
BETHLEHEM (d. Yuval Adler, Israel, 2013)
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (d. Abdellatif Kechiche, France, 2013)
BURNING BUSH (d. Agnieszka Holland, Czech Republic, 2013)
DEATH ROW: BLAINE MILAM + ROBERT FRATTA (d. Werner Herzog, U.S., 2013)
FIFI HOWLS FROM HAPPINESS (d. Mitra Farahani, U.S., 2013)
THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN (d. Dan Geller, Dayna Goldfine, U.S., 2013)
GLORIA (d. Sebastián Lelio, Chile, 2013)
GRAVITY (d. Alfonso Cuarón, U.S./U.K., 2013)
IDA (d. Pawel Pawlikowski, Poland, 2013)
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (d. Joel and Ethan Coen, U.S., 2013) 
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (d. Ralph Fiennes, U.K., 2013)
LABOR DAY (d. Jason Reitman, U.S., 2013)
THE LUNCHBOX (d. Ritesh Batra, India, 2013)
LA MAISON DE LA RADIO (d. Nicolas Philibert, France, 2013)
MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN (d. Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran, 2013)
THE MISSING PICTURE (d. Rithy Panh, Cambodia/France, 2013)
NEBRASKA (d. Alexander Payne, U.S., 2013)
PALO ALTO (d. Gia Coppola, U.S., 2013)
THE PAST (d. Asghar Farhadi, France/Italy, 2013)
SLOW FOOD STORY (d. Stefano Sardo, Italy, 2013)
STARRED UP (d. David Mackenzie, U.K., 2013)
TIM’S VERMEER (d. Teller, U.S., 2013)
TRACKS (d. John Curran, Australia, 2013)
UNDER THE SKIN (d. Jonathan Glazer, U.K., 2013)
THE UNKNOWN KNOWN (d. Errol Morris, U.S., 2013)

Additional Sneak Previews may play outside the main program and will be announced over the course of the five-day weekend.

“During its 40 years Telluride has brought together established filmmakers and those about to be discovered to celebrate together the joys of great cinema,” commented Festival Artistic Director Gary Meyer. “This year is especially exciting because of the many wonderful movies we were able to consider and then program, and also frustrating given the amount we could not fit into the program.  Our selection of classics this year is truly rich as we celebrate the past, present and future of the art.” 

Since its inception in 1974, Telluride Film Festival has paid tribute to numerous influential filmmakers and artists. Gloria Swanson, Francis Ford Coppola and Leni Riefenstahl were the first to be honored, and forty years later the prestigious list has grown to include Pedro Almodovar, Claudia Cardinale, George Clooney, Penelope Cruz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Catherine Deneuve, Laura Linney, Clint Eastwood, Colin Firth, Jodie Foster, Stephen Frears, Werner Herzog, Isabelle Huppert, Jack Nicholson, Jean Simmons, Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Agnes Varda to name a few. 

Joining that list, the 2013 Silver Medallion Awards, given to recognize an artist’s significant contribution to the world of cinema, go to Grammy and Oscar-winning music producer T Bone Burnett and Oscar-winning filmmakers the Coen Brothers, whose four collaborations together include THE BIG LEBOWSKI, LADYKILLERS, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? and INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS with a 90-minute program featuring a musical performance by the Americans, a clip reel with scenes from the collaborations and an onstage interview; Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof (THE TWILIGHT, THE WHITE MEADOWS, GOODYBE) presenting his latest film, MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN. The program includes a selection of clips followed by the presentation of the Silver Medallion and onstage interview; and Oscar-winning director, actor, producer Robert Redford (ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID) who stars in the TFF selection ALL IS LOST. The program includes a selection of clips showcasing the range of performances during his career, followed by the presentation of the Silver Medallion and an onstage interview. 

“When I joined James Card and Bill Pence to start the Telluride Film Festival, we wanted to make tributes, retrospectives and revivals central to the Festival” said Co-founding Artistic Director Tom Luddy. “40 years later, Julie, Gary and I are still able to present a show which focuses on film artistry and preservation. This is something I’m very proud of. The fact that there is still a large audience for it makes me believe in the future of the cinema.” 

For each of the past 25 years, Telluride Film Festival directors have selected a Guest Director to serve as a key collaborator in the Festival’s programming decisions, bringing new ideas and overlooked films to light. Donald Richie, to whom the Festival is dedicated, had the first honor in 1988 and has been followed by many notable collaborators including Laurie Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich, John Boorman, J.P. Gorin, Edith Kramer, Errol Morris, Alexander Payne, Peter Sellars, Stephen Sondheim, Bertrand Tavernier and Slavoj Zizek, among others. 

This year, Telluride Film Festival invites six past Guest Directors to return with new programs: novelist Don Delillo (TFF 2006) presents LA MORTE ROUGE (d. Victor Erice, Spain, 2006) and analyzes the 26-second ZAPRUDER film; screenwriter, director Buck Henry (TFF 2005) presents the “director’s cut” of THE TERMINAL MAN (d. Mike Hodge, U.S., 1972); writer Phillip Lopate (TFF 1995) presents NAKED CHILDHOOD (d. Maurice Pialat, France, 1969) with Pialat’s short, LOVE EXISTS (France, 1960); novelist Michael Ondaatje (TFF 2010) presents short films LA JETÉE (d. Chris Marker, France, 1962) and ELEPHANT (d. Alan Clarke, U.K., 1989); film scholar, curator and author B. Ruby Rich (TFF 1996) presents ONE WAY OR ANOTHER (d. Sara Gómez, Cuba, 1974); writer Salman Rushdie (TFF 2004) presents MAHANAGAR (d. Satyajit Ray, India, 1963). 

Additional film revivals include Pierre Rissient’s selections, short MUSCLE BEACH (d. Irving Lerner, Joseph Strick, U.S., 1948) and TV episode A PIECE OF THE ACTION (d. Bernard Girard, U.S., 1962); “Pordenone Presents” has two selections: HE WHO GETS SLAPPED with The Alloy Orchestra performing their brand new score, and A SIMPLE CASE (d. Vsevolod Pudovkin, USSR, 1930) with a live musical performance by Gabriel Thibaudeau both presented by Paolo Cherchi Usai; PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (d. William Dieterle, U.S., 1948) presented by David Thomson; LE JOLI MAI (d. Chris Marker, Pierre Lhomme, France, 1963) presented by Colin MacCabe; LA POISON (d. Sacha Guitry, France, 1951) presented by Monique Montgomery; AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (d. Werner Herzog, Germany, 1972); and Michael Barker presents DEATH RIDES A HORSE (d. Giulio Petroni, Italy, 1967).

Backlot, Telluride’s intimate screening room featuring behind-the-scenes movies and portraits of artists, musicians and filmmakers, will screen the following programs, five of which are preceded by short films: 
DIOR AND I (d. Frédéric Tcheng, U.S., 2013)
HERE BE DRAGONS (d. Mark Cousins, U.K., 2013) 
JODOROWSKY’S DUNE (d. Frank Pavich, U.S./France, 2013)
LOCATIONS: LOOKING FOR RUSTY JAMES (d. Alberto Fuguet, Chile, 2013) select screening will be followed by Francis Ford Coppola’s RUMBLE FISH (U.S., 1983)
NATAN (d. David Cairns, Paul Duane, Ireland, 2013) 
MILIUS (d. Zak Knutson, Joey Figueroa, U.S., 2013)
MULTIPLE VISIONS, THE CRAZY MACHINE (d. Emilio Maille, Mexico, 2012)
MUSIDORA, THE TENTH MUSE (d. Patrick Cazals, France, 2013)
PARTICLE FEVER (d. Mark Levinson, U.S., 2013)
REMEMBRANCE – A SMALL MOVIE ABOUT OUUL IN THE 1950s (d. Peter Von Bagh, Finland, 2013)
ROAD MOVIE: A PORTRAIT OF JOHN ADAMS (d. Mark Kidel, U.K., 2013)
A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM (d. Mark Cousins, U.K., 2013)

Telluride Film Festival annually celebrates a hero of cinema who preserves, honors and presents great movies. This year’s Special Medallion award goes to Alejandro Ramirez who runs Cinepolis, the fourth-largest chain of movie theatres in the world, with a focus on how movies can address poverty and social change. Past recipients include C. Chapin Cutler Jr. and Boston Light & Sound, Criterion Collection, HBO, Ninon Sevilla, Ted Turner, Stanley Kauffman, Manny Farber, Pierre Rissient, Leonard Maltin, Serge Bromberg and UCLA Film & Television Archive. 

Telluride Film Festival’s SHOWcase for Shorts features eleven short films chosen to precede select feature films; Filmmakers of Tomorrow includes four programs: Student Prints, Great Expectations – narrative and non-fiction, and Calling Cards from twenty-one emerging filmmakers. 

Telluride Film Festival’s Education Programs present students the opportunity to experience film as an art and expand participants’ worldview through film screenings and filmmaker discussions. Celebrating its 25th year, the Student Symposium provides 50 graduate and undergraduate college students a weekend-long immersion in cinema. In honor of its anniversary, 25 new students and 25 alumni will make up the 2013 Symposium. The City Lights Project, now in its 14th year, brings fifteen high school students and five teachers from three divergent schools the opportunity to participate in a concentrated program of screenings and discussions. In 2011, TFF and UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA-TFT) launched FilmLAB, an extraordinary new program giving ten outstanding graduate film students from UCLA/TFT the opportunity to attend the festival and learn from the greatest filmmakers in the world in a workshop/lab setting: and For The Love Of Movies, a Los Angeles High School Screening Program focusing on the most creatively promising and under-served young talent featuring the “Best” of Telluride Film Festival, managed by UCLA-TFT graduate students and with the participation of selected filmmakers and TFT faculty.

Telluride Film Festival’s Talking Heads programs allow attendees to go behind the scenes with the Festival’s special guests. Eight Conversations take place between Festival guests and the audience about cinema and culture, and three outdoor Noon Seminars feature a panel of Festival guests discussing a wide range of film topics. These programs are free and open to the public. A special seminar, Alice & Friends, with panelists Alice Waters, Michael Pollan and Dieter Kosslick will focus on the issues at the intersection of food sustainability, consumption and art and will be followed by the presentation of Participant Media’s inaugural FOOD, INC. Movement Award to Alice Waters. 

Various Festivities take place throughout the Festival including Book Signings with Don DeLillo signing Libra and Underworld; Robyn Davidson signing Tracks; David Thomson signing Moments that Made the Movies; and Joyce Maynard signing Labor Day. Other festivities include Story Night in Brigadoon; Disney’s never-seen-before short GET A HORSE; and 40 Years of THE SHOW, presented by AMPAS featuring two 40th anniversary exhibitions from the Academy’s Telluride Film Collection, a photography display and clip reels highlighting TFF’s history from the Academy Film Archive to precede film screenings. 

Corporate support at Telluride Film Festival plays an essential role in the life of the Festival and underscores the Festival’s commitment to quality, adventure and distinction in the art of cinema. TFF is privileged to collaborate with some of the world’s most renowned consumer and entertainment brands, including Land Rover North America, Turner Classic Movies, Audible.com, Meyer Sound, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Pine Ridge Vineyards and Universal Studios; and excited to welcome new partners Bombardier Business Aircraft, EY, Film Finances, Inc. and Participant Media-- each of which are aligned with a unique feature of the festival. Equally, Telluride Film Festival is extremely proud of its committed relationships with Americas Film Conservancy, The London Hotels, Teatulia, The Hollywood Reporter, Cinedigm, Dolby, New Sheridan Hotel, Telluride Alpine Lodging, and UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

The 40th Telluride Film Festival’s program will be posted here in its entirety on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at noon.



Here are summaries for select films announced today:



 “All is Lost”- Directed by J.C. Chandor.  The second feature effort from Chandor (Margin Call) stars Robert Redford, a boat and the Indian Ocean.  This film played out of competition at Cannes to very good reviews and started some serious buzz for a possible Best Actor nomination for the 70 year old Redford.  Reportedly it has very little dialogue.  Lionsgate is distributing and the release date is also Oct. 18. The film is being presented in conjunction with a Festival Tribute of Redford. IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2017038/?ref_=ttco_co_tt



“Blue is the Warmest Color”-Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche.  The film that won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Steven Spielberg led jury took the unusual step of specifically recognizing the two lead actresses (Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarcopoulos) in addition to director Kechiche.  The film explores an intense relationship between two young women.  “Blue” is set to be released in the U.S. on Oct. 25.  Oddly, because of its release date in France and Academy rules, it will not be France’s entry for the Foreign Language Oscar.  “Blue’s” domestic distribution will be handled by Sundance Selects.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278871/?ref_=ttco_co_tt

“Gloria” – Directed by Sebastien Lelio.  Paulina Garcia took the Best actress prize at the Berlin International Film Festival as the title character in this film about a woman of a certain age who has a whirlwind romance.  “Gloria” will also play the New York Fest in October.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2425486/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt



“Gravity”- Directed by Alfonso Cuaron.  The film stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. As Cuaron returns to feature film directing for the first time since his outstanding 2006 film “Children of Men”.  We’ve heard a couple of things about this highly anticipated film: Clooney’s screen time is limited and it’s reportedly beautifully shot (and in 3D).  There has been quite a bit of buzz that this could return Bullock to the Oscar race.  “Gravity” is from Warner Brothers and is set for release on Oct. 4.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt



“Inside Llewyn Davis”- Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen and starring Oscar Issac (as the title character), Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, F. Murray Abraham and Justin Timberlake.  The Coen’s dive into the world of the Greenwich Village folk music scene in the early 1960’s in a film based loosely on Dave Van Ronk’s memoir of the period, “The Mayor of McDougal Street”.  “Llewyn” won the Grand Prix Award at Cannes in May (the unofficial second place award).  The film features a soundtrack of traditional folk music under the guidance of T. Bone Burnett repeating the job he did for the Coen’s “O Brother Where Art Thou?”  “Llewyn” is set for release on Dec. 6 and is being distributed by CBS Films.  The film is being screened as a part of a Festival Tribute of the Coen Brothers. IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2042568/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt



“The Invisible Woman” -Directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes.  It also stars Felicity Jones as the title character.  Another true story, this film centers on the secret relationship British literary legend Charles Dickens had with a much younger woman.   Kristin Scott Thomas and Tom Hollander co-star.  Sony Pictures Classics is distributing and have set a U.S. release for Christmas Day.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1700845/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt



“Labor Day”-Directed by Jason Reitman.  Reitman returns to Telluride where both “Juno” and “Up in the Air” showed with this film starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.  Winslet is a single mother and Brolin is a con on the lamb whose paths cross with unexpected consequences.  Tobey Maguire and James Van Der Beek co-star.  The script was written by Reitman and bases on a novel by Joyce Maynard. I have a buddy who has seen it and says it is Reitman’s most mature work.  Distribution is under the direction of Paramount who will issue it in limited release on Dec. 25.  IMDb:


The Lunchbox- Directed by Ritesh Batra.  Irrfan Kahn stars in this film set in Mumbai and focused on the relationships that are changed as the result of a mix up in the delivery of a lunchbox.  This was a selection to the Cannes Critics Week.  Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter called it “an ingenious tale of romance by correspondence” IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/?ref_=sr_1



“Nebraska” –Directed by Alexander Payne.  Payne returns to Telluride after the success of “The Descendants” in 2011.  “Nebraska” (which will be presented in the U.S. in black and white) stars Bruce Dern and Will Forte as an estranged father/son duo who make a cross country trip to claim a big money prize.  Dern was named Best Actor at Cannes for his portrayal of the alcoholic father.  Stacy Keach and June Squibb also appear. Paramount is distributing and the film is due in theaters on Nov. 22.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821549/



“Palo Alto”-Directed by Gia Coppola.  The first thing you notice is the relationship of the director and the star, Emma Roberts, to other, more famous people.  Coppola is Francis Ford Coppola’s grand-daughter and Roberts is the daughter of Eric Roberts and niece to Julia.  The film is based on stories by James Franco who also appears in the film as does Val Kilmer.  The story is described a “dark drama” focused on a group of teenagers.  The film does not currently have a U.S. release date.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2479800/?ref_=sr_1



“The Past” –Directed by Asghar Farhadi.  Farhadi returns to Telluride as well with this follow up to his Oscar winning “A Separation”.  Berenice Bejo won the Best actress prize at Cannes for her portrayal of a young wife caught between two men, one of them her past the other her possible future.  Sony Pictures Classics has the distribution for the film which is set for U.S. release on Dec. 20.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404461/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

“Tim’s Vermeer”- Directed by Teller (of Penn and Teller…Penn Jillette is one of the films producers).  Martin Mull is featured in this story about an American inventor, Tim Jenison, and his attempt to understand the intricacies of the paintings of Johannes Vermeer.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3089388/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

“Tracks”-Directed by John Curran.  Mia Wasikowska stars in this true story of a young Australian woman who goes on a lengthy journey of self discovery through the Outback.  “Tracks" also stars Adam Driver and has yet to establish a U.S. release date.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2167266/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt



 “Under the Skin”-Directed by Jonathan Glazer.  Scarlett Johansson stars in this film about an alien in human form traveling through Scotland.  The film is playing both Venice and Toronto as well.  Currently, it has no announced U.S. release date.  Glazer returns to direct a feature film for the first time since 2004’s “Birth”.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441395/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1


“The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld”.  Documentarian Errol Morris examines the life of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2390962/?ref_=sr_6