Obsessing about the Telluride Film Festival and the film awards season since 2008!
"The best blog out there for predicting what will be going to Telluride."-Matt Neglia, Next Best Picture
"The Nostradamus of Telluride"
-Tim Appelo, Movies for Grownups
"But it's our job." - Anne Thompson, Indiewire
Good Thursday Everyone! One more blog post to come before election day...exercise your franchise!
FINAL JOG
"The Jogger" wraps in OKC
Friend pf the blog, Casey Twenter has wrapped primary photography on his (co-director/co-writer) feature film "The Jogger". "The Jogger" still has a few days to go on its Kickstarter clock to put together money for post-production extras. You can toss "The Jogger" a buck or two here:
Getting closer to its U.S. release (limited on Nov. 23), Rust and Bone and SPC are stepping up the PR around the film including an official website here:
Dror Moreh's look at the Israeli intelligence community made big waves at Telluride this year and has continued to do so post-festival. The Jewish Daily Forward sat down with the filmmaker for this interview:
Big buzz generating documentary "The Act of Killing" is also creating a good deal of heat/news as you can see below with links to the news that Drafthouse Films will distribute the film:
Last week my "Coming Attraction" was Alexander Payne's "Nebraska". This week I jumped the gun and put up George Clooney's emerging "The Monuments Men" on Monday instead of waiting for its normal slot today...so...here is a quick addition of updates to both of those films.
First, a story of Payne returning to rural Nebraska to work on the film of the same name:
Good Thursday to All from the Oklahoma 5A State One Act Play Competition in Wagoner, OK!
JOG A BUCK FOR "THE JOGGER"
Filming continues for friend of the blog Casey Twenter making his debut as a feature co-director shooting his script of "The Jogger" (co-written and co-directed by Jeff Robison). Check their Kickstarter account they have ongoing to further enhance the film in post-production. Drop a dime or two and support film in Oklahoma! Here's the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1277883372/the-jogger
Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon's documentary about injustice in NYC in the 80's has a n official trailer. That's linked above and I have also linked a couple of stories announcing the trailer here:
Continuing to build momentum towards its release here in the U.S. is Jacques Audiard's "Rust and Bone" and to that end a new clip from the film is out and featured at The Playlist. It releases here in the U.S. on Nov.23.
This "Coming Attraction" is probably as close to a lead pipe cinch as you can imagine this far away from its completion. This week's addition to the conversation about future Telluride possibilities is Alexander Payne's "Nebraska". Payne has become a real fixture at Telluride. So much so that he told me in September that he has the green light to pursue films that he finds interesting for possible presentation as part of the festival.
"Nebraska" stars an incredibly eclectic cast of Bruce Dern and Will Forte of SNL and MacGruber fame(?). Also listed in the cast are: Bob Odenkirk and Stacy Keach. The IMDb description says:
"An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes prize."
So, here are the various links to stories about "Nebraska" that I've been hoarding for the past few months:
Casey Twenter and Jeff Robison's "The Jogger" continues to lense in and around the Oklahoma City area. Here's what they posted on "The Jogger's" Facebook page on Tuesday:
"That's a day 3 wrap. The footage Michael Stine has shot looks fantastic. The work ethic and demeanor of the crew is inspiring. Acting is aces. Time for some sleep and then we're on at 6 again tonight!" Here's the link to that page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Jogger/359188407489402?fref=ts
As I have been saying...support Oklahoma film a drop a dime (or two) into Casey and Jeff's project.
ARGO OPENS
TFF #39 sneak preview "Argo" has been tearing up the festival scene since its debut in Telluride 6 weeks ago. It opened nationwide last Friday and has benefited from terrific reviews. Dollar-wise, I gather that the WB folks would have liked it to have done a little better business last weekend (it opened as the #2 film of the weekend behind the second week of "Taken 2") but I think that word of mouth is going to keep it going for a while.
As you might expect there aren't quite as many posts/stories today as there were Monday in the glow of its opening weekend but there are still quite a few "Argo" tidbits to pass along to you.
First, Vulture.com explores the value/utility of all the character actors that make up the "Argo' ensemble and have many thinking that it's the favorite for the ensemble acting award that will be presented by the Screen Actors Guild. Here's that post:
Another common thread among "Argo" stories has been the commentary concerning the "comeback' of actor/writer/director Ben Affleck. The Herald Mail looks at that here:
Another common thread through any number of posts about the film has been comparing the fictionalized world of the film to the actual events it is based on. Screenrant is among the sites that have taken that on and here is their examination:
And interviews continue to be posted/published. Below you'll find The Hollywood Reporter's talk with "Argo' screen scribe Chris Terrio and Anne Thompson's talk with Affleck and film editor William Goldenberg:
Dropping Out: Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave and Annette Bening
Comment: There's a pretty substantial chasm between the top five and the rest of the field at this point. I don't know if it will stay that way. Scarlett Johansson's ascent mirrors the emergence of "Hitchcock" as a potential major player.
Best Supporting Actor:
1) Philip Seymour Hoffman/The Master (2)
2) Leonardo DiCaprio/Django Unchained (1) 3) Alan Arkin/Argo (3)
4) Robert DeNiro/Silver Linings Playbook (8)***
5) Tommy Lee Jones/Lincoln (New)***
6) Russell Crowe/Les Miserables (New)***
7) Dwight Henry (4)###
8) Matthew McConaughey/Magic Mike (6)###
9) William H. Macy/The Sessions (7)
10) David Stratharin/Lincoln (5)
Dropping Out: Hal Holbrook and John Goodman
Comment: "Lincoln's" "surprise" showing at the New York Film Fest catapulted Tommy Lee Jones into the race. My personal choice, Bryan Cranston in "Argo" currently sits at #11.
KICK IN FOR "THE JOGGER"
Screenwriter/director (and friend of the blog) Casey Twenter and his writing/directing partner Jeff Robison (TeeRob Productions) are shooting their first feature in Oklahoma City. Production began on Oct. 13th. They have the film budgeted and cast.
The two budding filmmakers have established a Kickstarter account for additional funding that will primarily be used for upgrading post-production items.
I am very pleased to include the link to that account here and encourage any and all to take a look and get involved. These are good guys and I am thrilled to support a "made in Oklahoma" film project.
Here's the link:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1277883372/the-jogger
ARGO ONSLAUGHT
Ben Affleck's Telluride favorite and current Oscar frontrunner "Argo" opened Friday and as you might expect, it was all over the film blogosphere and news space last week. I've linked any number of reviews, posts and articles ranging from an analysis of its Oscar chances based on hair...to discussions of its throwback to 70's style film making. There's a lot:
Couple of notes...I am all about how good "Argo" is. Tremendously entertaining and great attention to detail. Funny, shrewd and phenomenally well paced. Great ensemble work across the board and a seldom seen willingness by the director/leading man to allow the ensemble to do a lot of the heavy lifting. Alan Arkin seems to be getting the lion's share of attention for potential Oscar consideration (see above) but there is also some for John Goodman and Bryan Cranston who is the guy I think deserves the nod more than anyone else in the film with Scoot McNairy a close second.
At any rate, if you didn't see "Argo" at Telluride and you didnt catch it thius past weekend...go...now...thank me later...it's very good.
OSCAR THIS AND THAT
Kristopher Tapley (HitFix/InContention) and Anne Thompson (Thompson on Hollywood/IndieWire) have posted their latest Oscar Talk podcast here:
My continuing rock turning to highlight projects that are in development that could make their way to Telluride for TFF#40 or even #41 this week highlights "Jane Got a Gun" since I highlighted Lynne Ramsay's "Mobius" (?) last week...her "Moby Dick in Space" film that is expected to be her next project after "Jane" I thought I'd better mention that film as well as it has a decent chance to be in Telluride in the next year or two...probably a better chance than "Moby in Space".
"Jane Got a Gun" reportedly has Michael Fassbender and Natalie Potrtman on board...two actors who have certainly been featured the last few years in Telluride films ("Hunger", "Shame", "Black Swan" "A Dangerous Method") and, of course Ramsay's "We Nedd to Talk About Kevin" (TFF 2011) led to an Oscar nom for Tilda Swinton. Ramsay was also iun Telluride in 2002 with "Movern Callar".
So what IS "Jane Got a Gun"?
IMDb has it categorized as "Action. Drama. Western." and the tagline there reads: "A woman asks her ex-lover for help in order to save her outlaw husband from a gang out to kill him."
Good Thursday everyone...It's Regional One Act Week in Oklahoma...
OSCAR UPDATES AND LINCOLN
Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" was a "surprise" screening as a part of the New York Film Festival this week and the Oscar specialists seem to be taken by the film with many recalibrating their view of awards season prospects as a result. Here's a sampling:
Ben Affleck's TFF ##9 hit and current Oscar favorite is set to open tomorrow nationally and "premiered" in NYC this week. Consequently a large number of stories/posts up this last few days about the thriller:
The deadline for entries for the Foreign Language Oscar has come and gone and a record 71 nations have entered a film for consideration. Anne Thompson, HitFix and the LA Times have coverage here:
Screenwriter and soon to be director (and friend of the blog) Casey Twenter and his writing/directing partner Jeff Robison are on the brink of shooting their first feature in Oklahoma City. Production is set to begin on Oct. 13th. They have the film budgeted and cast.
The two budding filmmakers have established a Kickstarter account for additional funding that will primarily be used for upgrading post-production items.
I am very pleased to include the link to that account here and encourage any and all to take a look and get involved. These are good guys and I am thrilled to support a "made in Oklahoma" film project.
Here's the link:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1277883372/the-jogger
I'll continue to update as the film goes into production (they say they plan a 15 day shooting schedule).
More on Monday...have a good weekend!
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