Confirmation/On the Road/The Kid/Dark Trailer

Good Morning!

Going to see the President this week.

CONFIRMATION

I reported in this space 12 days ago that I believed that I had uncovered reliable evidence that this year's Telluride Film Festival guest director would be British author Geoff Dyer.  Now comes confirmation from none other than TFF co-founder Tom Luddy who was present at a reading by the author in the San Fran Bay Area last Thursday night.  Luddy was interviewed by The El Cerrito Patch which reported the following:

"In what may be a world scoop for El Cerrito Patch, Luddy confided to the audience that Dyer will be the guest director this year for the 39th Telluride festival. Luddy's revelation elicited audience applause. "We haven't officially announced that because we'd like to have a press release to announce the fact a little bit later in the year," Luddy said. The guest director selects six of the films."

Nice try Patch, but readers found that info in this space on March 6.  Still, good to see the confirmation this soon after I dropped the story.  Frankly I thought I was going to have to wait until the official announcement which is likely to be in June.

You can see the entire El Cerrito Patch article here:
http://elcerrito.patch.com/articles/british-writer-draws-100-plus-to-cerrito-theater

ON THE ROAD

I have a reasonably good vibe that Walter Salles "on the Road" adaptation of the Jack Kerouac classic will be on the bill of fare in Telluride this September.  Salles has a history with the fest and Film4 (one of the film's producers) has had a presence there recently with such fare as :"Shame" "Never Let Me Go", "Another Year" and "Slumdog Millionaire".  If it shows up at Cannes, as I suspect it will, I will have it on my first "Ten Bets" list.  Over the last week I saw a couple of "On the Road " related tidbits. 

A new poster featuring past Telluride tributee Viggo Mortensen (maybe another reason to suspect that the film could be there).  The Playlist had the story and the poster:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/viggo-mortensen-says-the-best-teacher-is-experience-in-new-on-the-road-poster

Rope of Silicon had the poster story as well:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/viggo-on-the-road-riddick-creature-men-in-black-iii-in-japanese-and-lily-in-mortal-instruments/

"On the Road's" IMDb page is here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337692/

THE KID

The Dardennes Brothers TFF #38 film "The Kid with a Bike" had a generally warm reception at Telluride this year.  My take was less enthusiastic.  I thought it was well enough executed but just an average film.  For me the big take away from my "Kid" experience was a chance to talk a little shop with big time Hollywood blogger Scott Feinberg.  Nonetheless, "Kid" got a limited e U.S. this weekend and consequently merited some coverage. 

Both Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/cecile-de-france-talks-not-giving-a-performance-for-the-dardennes-kid-with-a-bike

and The Playlist had "Kid" stories:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-dardenne-brothers-say-they-originally-planned-a-different-ending-for-kid-with-a-bike

"Kid's" IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1827512/

DARK TRAILER

 And though it's not related to Telluride in any way, I couldn't resist dropping a link to the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp "Dark Shadows" trailer (via Rope of Silicon).  Though I have to say, the boys may have gone to far into the "camp" camp.  See for yourself here:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/dark-shadows-trailer-poster/

New Shame News/News of the Future/Oscarology

NEW SHAME NEWS

For my money Steve McQueen's "Shame" was the Best Film at Telluride this year and (at least so far) the Best Film of 2011.  Consequently you might want to check out a fairly lengthy article about "Shame" the NC-17 rating and chances for a Best Picture nomination from Film.com here:
http://www.film.com/movies/could-shame-be-the-first-nc-17-best-picture-nominee#fbid=haNlIWlkRPC

Additionally, Fox Searchlight put up a new "Shame" website this week which can access via this post from them: http://content.foxsearchlight.com/inside/node/5021

You can also access through the announcement story posted at Awards Daily here:
http://www.awardsdaily.com/2011/11/beautifully-haunting-new-shame-website-launches/

 FUTURE NEWS

I continue to make the attempt to pass along tidbits from here and there about projects that have some chance of being an "Official Selection of the Telluride Film Festival"

at some point in the next year or two.  This week I ran across three interesting posts that point at some intriguing possibilities.

First, the news that the next two Alexander Payne projects.are still moving forward  "Nebraska" and "Wilson" continuing to make progress according to this story from The Playlist:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/alexander-payne-says-nebraska-likely-to-be-retitled-wilson-keeps-moving

It wouldn't surprise me that one or both of these films when (and if) they're completed make their way up the pass into Telluride.

Then there is the news that Aki Kaurismaki's "Le Havre" is the beginning of a planned "Coast town" trilogy.  "Le Havre" was well received at T-ride, though I wasn't as impressed as others.  Check out Kaurismaki's plans in this post also from The Playlist:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/aki-kaurismakis-le-havre-the-first-of-a-trilogy-director-plans-future-entries-in-spain-germany

And finally, The Playlist completes the hat trick with this story about casting two of this year's Telluride favorites together.  Jean Dujardin (The Artist) and Cecile De France (The Kid with a Bike) are set to star together in "Mobius".  Look here for early details:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-artist-kid-with-a-bike-stars-jean-dujardin-cecile-de-france-team-for-mobius

OSCAROLOGY

Of course you all know the big Oscar news of the last 48 hours (get that reference?)  Ratner-GONE, Eddie Murphy...NOT HOSTING...what's going to happen?  News last night was that Brian Grazer is on board to produce and rumors are floating about Ben Stiller as the possible host (so "Tower Heist" might still provide the key).  Meanwhile...

A new Gurus of Gold is up from Movie City News.  Descendants, Artist and increasingly Shame are continuing to figure into awards conversations.  Take a gander at what top Oscarologists are thinking:
http://moviecitynews.com/2011/11/gurus-o-gold-november-8-2011/

Also, you might enjoy a look at Mark Harris' "Oscarmetrics" has to say as he previews the end of the year releases that will form the crucible for this year's awards season.  That's here:
http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/36966/oscarmetrics-your-2011-awards-season-cheat-sheet


Also take a look, if you care to, at Movieline.com's Oscar index, new as of last night (and continuing to dump on J. Edgar's chances):
http://www.movieline.com/2011/11/oscar-index-hello-hugo-and-goodbye-j-edgar.php

And That's a Wrap for 2011

For a change the projected schedule actually played out as planned yesterday.

Quick responses from Day Four of the 38th Telluride Film Festival...

A Separation...The script is brilliant and the acting is top notch from all involved.  Hope Iran allows this to play in the Oscar race for Best Foreign Film...it would have a shot....

We Need to Talk About Kevin...perhaps a case where knowing less about the film might have been a better situation.  The film is executed well enough and Tilda Swinton is fine, but the real revelation is Ezra Miller as Swinton's teenage son...he's fantastic.

The Kid with a Bike...Kind of, if you'll pardon the expression, pedestrian...

A Dangerous Method...Tapley has best quick take..." really smart paint drying"  It's beautifully shot.  But with Cronenberg directing Fassbender and Mortensen I expected a film about the "talking cure" that was done energetically and kinetically.  Um...not so much.  (This is the director of "Eastern Promises" and "A History of Violence"?)

The Chief Executive says "Hollywood Don't Surf" was excellent, a fun, fun ride.
And  Pina...mind numbing

Excellent shorts this weekend: La Luna, Luminaris, Oh Paris!


ODDS AND ENDS...

Mitzi and Larry Mallard and The River Club staff...thank you once again!

Thanks to all of you who have followed the blog this year...stay tuned.  Over the next few days we'll wrap of TFF #38 and start the transition to Awards season coverage with emphasis on this year's Telluride slate...

Check out Anne Thompson's roundups of T-ride critical reaction that includes, well, me as "The Playlist":
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/09/05/telluride_film_fest_review_butter/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/09/05/telluride_film_fest_review_glenn_close_passion_project_albert_nobbs/

And you girls that I spoke with and took pics with at "The Guide to the Ride; The Flow of the SHOW"  email/tweet/fb me...I don't have names and I'd like to have them (CU film major?)

And also a quick shout out to Scott Feinberg newly of The Hollywood Reporter...nice conversation before "Kid with a Bike".

MTFB will take a day off Wednesday and be back on Thursday, Sept. 8.

And I'll be back in Telluride in 362 days (2012 is a leap year) for the 39th Telluride Film Festival!

Day Three/Day Four/Good Buzz/Thanks/TBA's

The first show out of the shoot this morning could be any oner of four: "Swinton Tribute/We Need to Talk Abot Kevin", "Footnote", "The Island President", or "A Seperation".  Then the plan is to snag lunch at the Labor Day Picnic and follow up in the afternoon and evening with TBAs...see below...

GOOD BUZZ

Pina...Shame...Descendants...The Artist...A Separation...In Darkness...Into the Abyss...A Trip to the Moon...The Kid with a Bike...Albert Nobbs...Target

THANK YOU

A big THANK YOU to Rodrigo Perez and the entire staff at The Playlist for allowing a "greenhorn" his first shot at film criticism.  The time taken to mentor and edit is duly appreciated.  The Playlist at indieWire.com!!!



TBAs for MONDAY/LABOR DAY:

TBAs • Monday, September 5, 2011

SNEAK PREVIEW
Le Grand Amour  L/ Mon 4:00 PM
Pierre Etaix’s lost and hilarious masterpiece, never-before-seen in
North America, tells the story of a man who, having lost the spark in
his marriage, begins dreaming about his cute young secretary. (France,
1967, 87m)

• 25  Albert Nobbs                     P/ Mon 3:45 PM

SNEAK PREVIEW  

• Butter                       P/ Mon 6:30 PM

• 32  A Dangerous Method      P/ Mon 8:30 PM

• 20  Pina                            G/ Mon 4:15 PM

• 3  Living in a Material World       G/ Mon 6:45 PM

• 22  Goodbye First Love              C/ Mon 3:00 PM

• 2  Le Havre                                 C/ Mon 5:30 PM

• 21  Kid With a Bike                 S/ Mon 4:00 PM

• 30  Shame                           S/ Mon 6:00 PM

• 13  A Separation                    S/ Mon 8:15 PM

• 14  Footnote                        N/ Mon 1:15 PM

• 15  In Darkness                             N/ Mon 3:30 PM

• 27  The Way Home                    N/ Mon 6:30 PM

• 12  The Artist                      N/ Mon 8:45 PM

• 16  Into the Abyss                 M/ Mon 1:00 PM

• 13  A Separation                   M/ Mon 3:00 PM

• 9  Bonsai                          M/ Mon 5:45 PM

• 15  In Darkness                            M/ Mon 8:00 PM

SNEAK PREVIEW  

• Le Grand Amour                     L/ Mon 4:00 PM

* 33  Black God, White Devil          L/ Mon 6:00 PM

SNEAK PREVIEW

• Crazy Horse                          L/ Mon 9:00 PM
Frederick Wiseman’s portrait of the famed Paris burlesque hall.

• E  In the Tracks of Georges Delerue B/ Mon 1:15 PM

• D  I Am My Films                    B/ Mon 3:00 PM

• I  Tropicália                       B/ Mon 5:15 PM

• 7  From Morning to Midnight         O/ Mon 8:30 PM
with the Alloy Orchestra

Seminar: Monday, 12 noon, Town Park, Passholders only
Actor as Auteur?: How do actors influence not only their own
performances, but the deeper layers of a film?
With Rodrigo Garcia, Lynne Ramsay, Asghar Farhadi

Saturday TBAs

SNEAK PREVIEW


• Butter G/ Sat 8:15 PM • C/ Sat 10:45 PM
In person: Jennifer Garner, Jim Field Smith, Ty Burrell


• 21 The Kid With a Bike L/ Sat 3:45 PM

• 2 Le Havre L/ Sat 10:45 PM

G = Galaxy
C= Chuck Jones
L= Le Pierre

Mea Culpa/Invitation/Playlist Gig/Well, Have You Heard???/And What's REALLY Playing/Final Note

MEA CULPA

First, my apologies.  For not posting/tweeting nearly enough yesterday.  Meant to.  Intended to. Was committed to it.  DROVE 560 miles!  I have to figure out a better way to handle this Thursday before the Festival starts in the future.  Anyway, I am really sorry that I wasn't better in the loop yesterday...sincerely.

A FINAL INVITATION...

I am very pleased to invite all blog readers to an intimate and reflective moment or two this afternoon at 5:00PM at The River Club at 550 Depot St. in Telluride.  My hosts, Larry and Mitzi Mallard are being generous enough to provide me with a forum to do a little meeting and greeting and they're throwing in a nosh and a drink or two.  So come by, say hi, and we'll talk a little film before the ball really gets rolling...

PLAYLIST GIG

You may have seen a quick tweet and/or post yesterday afternoon concerning me, The Playlist and film reviews.  Yes.  It's true.  I'm going to attempt to provide a review here and there this weekend for The Playlist.  It's a very real and impressive cinema blog hosted by IndieWire.com and regular readers of this blog know that I reference them constantly.  They're very good.

Soooo, maybe I get published, maybe not, but a BIG thank you to The Playlist for giving me a shot...

WELL, HAVE YOU HEARD???

I arrived in Telluride at about 9:00 PM local time after about 10 hours on the road...and through the entire journey and even after arrival, I was constantly monitoring Rumor Central...because, let's be real...rumors fly around like untethered kites in the 72 hours before the Telluride Film Festival actually kicks off.

Here's what I think is really real at this point:

1) GEORGE CLOONEY IS IN TOWN AND WILL BE TRIBUTED.  "The Descendants" will play but the best info right now is the "Ides of March" will not.
2) THe RUMOR is that Johnny Depp IS IN TOWN....possibly for a sneak of "The Rum Diary."  Now, I haven't actually seen Mr. Depp...a lot of sources say it's true...BUT, you know...IT'S A RUMOR.
Of course he could be here for the Lauren/Bush wedding...which leads me to
3) 2 former Presidents (Clinton and GW Bush) will be within 10 square miles of me before the weekend is over.  Purportedly Clinton is already here in Mountain Village. Both for the aforementioned wedding.  Oh, and Oprah too...

4) Glenn Close has been reported. in town....nice...

5) Tilda Swinton is here...another Tributee ( a side note...TFF...very sneaky on the playing of "Michael Clayton" in Elks Park Thursday night...so cagey.  I love it!
6) Eugene Hernandez of IndieWire cryptically tweets that there will be 2 and only 2 "Sneaks" and that one will be a comedy and one is a film set for the New York Film Fest...and that these clues could be about the same film or not...thanks, Mr. Hernandez!  My guess is that "Butter" is the comedy...after that...the NYFF presentation could be: "My Week with Marilyn," "Carnage," "The Skin I Live In," "Miss Bala," "Martha, Marcy May Marlene," or "4:44: Last Day on Earth"...or something else entirely.

[My "no guts, no glory" prediction is "Butter" and "Miss Bala"]

7) Keira Knightley rumored in town in support of "A Dangerous Game."  Just a RUMOR!

I will live tweet and blog from the Patron Brunch later this morning...that should settle some things...

AND NOW FOR THE REAL DEAL:

Here's the official announced lineup for the 38th Telluride Film Festival:

38^TH TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2011 FESTIVAL LINEUP

George Clooney, Pierre Étaix and Tilda Swinton to receive Silver Medallion Awards

Over twenty-five new features plus revival programs and unique programming from Guest Director Caetano Veloso will be presented as part of the 2011 exhibition

Telluride, CO (September 1, 2011) – Telluride Film Festival (September 2-5, 2011), presented by the National Film Preserve, announces its program for the 38^th Telluride Film Festival. Featuring diverse programming from around the globe, TFF once again sets the stage for some of the year’s most highly anticipated films.

TFF opens its 38^th year with over twenty-five new feature films plus special artist tributes, Guest Director programs selected by Caetano Veloso, Backlot programs, classics and restorations, shorts, student films, seminars and conversations, each introduced or proceeded with a Q&A by its filmmaker, actors, writer or producer. Telluride Film Festival opens Friday, September 2 and runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 5.

THE ‘SHOW’

38^th Telluride Film Festival is proud to present the following new feature films to play in its main program, the ‘SHOW’:

·       ALBERT NOBBS (d. Rodrigo Garcia, U.S., 2011)

·       THE ARTIST (d. Michel Hazanavicius, France, 2011)

·       BECOMING BERT STERN (d. Shannah Laumeister, U.S., 2011)

·       BITTER SEEDS (d. Micha X. Peled, U.S., 2011)

·       BONSÁI (d. Cristián Jiménez, Chile, 2011)

·       A DANGEROUS METHOD (d. David Cronenberg, U.K.-Switzerland-U.S.-Canada, 2011)

·       THE DESCENDANTS (d. Alexander Payne, U.S., 2011)

·       DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL (d. Lisa Immordino-Vreeland, U.S., 2011)

·       FOOTNOTE (d. Joseph Cedar, Israel, 2011)

·       THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD (d. Joshua Marston, U.S.-Albania-Denmark-Italy, 2011)

·       GOODBYE FIRST LOVE (d. Mia Hansen-Løve, France, 2011)

·       LE HAVRE (d. Aki Kaurismäki, Finland, 2011)

·       HOLLYWOOD DON’T SURF (d. Greg Macgillivray, Sam George, U.S., 2011)

·       IN DARKNESS (d. Agnieszka Holland, Poland, 2011)

·       INTO THE ABYSS: A TALE OF DEATH, A TALE OF LIFE (d. Werner Herzog, U.S., 2011)

·       THE ISLAND PRESIDENT (d. Jon Shenk, U.S., 2011)

·       THE KID WITH A BIKE (d. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Belgium, 2011)

·       LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD (d. Martin Scorsese, U.S., 2011)

·       PASSERBY (d. Eryk Rocha, Brazil, 2011)

·       PERDIDA (d. Viviana García Besné, Mexico, 2011)

·       PINA (d. Wim Wenders, Germany, 2011)

·       A SEPARATION (d. Asghar Farhadi, Iran, 2011)

·       SHAME (d. Steve McQueen, U.K., 2011)

·       THE STORY OF FILM: AN ODYSSEY (d. Mark Cousins, U.K., 2011)

·       TARGET (d. Alexander Zeldovich, Russia, 2011)

·       THE TURIN HORSE (d. Béla Tarr, Hungary, 2011)

·       THE WAY HOME (d. Dr. Biju, India, 2010)

·        WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (d. Lynne Ramsey, U.K., 2011)

Here's the "Twenty Bets" that MTFB made last night with confirmed plays indicated with 3 asterisks ***

1) The Descendants***
2) Into the Abyss***
3) We Have to Talk About Kevin***
4) The Ides of March (I look silly...)
5) A Dangerous Method***
6) Shame***
7) Goodbye First Love***
8) The Skin I Live In (still could be a "sneak")
9) The Artist***
10) Footnote***
11) A Trip to the Moon***
12) The Birds Upstairs
13) Prohibition
14) Le Havre***
15) The Lady
16) Dark Horse
17) Butter
18) Miss Bala
19) Drive
20) Martha Marcy May Marlene

I'm still greedy enough to pull for "Coriolanus," "The Kid with a Bike,"*** "Wuthering Heights"  "W.E." and the Georgre Harrison Doc*** directed by Martin Scorsese.

Additionally, I think MTFB could fairly claim to have been at least marginally aware that "Albert Nobbs" could play as well as "A Separation."

FINAL NOTE (before the fest takes flight...)

I am HOT to see:

"The Descendants"
The Artist"
"Le Havre"
"Living in the Material World"
"A Dangerous Method"
"Shame"
"Albert Nobbs"
"The Kid with a Bike"
"We Need to Talk About Kevin"
"A Separation"
"The Turin Horse"

And whatever the "sneaks" are...

It makes me sad that...
Clooney is a Tributee but no "Ides of March" (Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood @ IndieWire is adamant that Ides is not playing...

No "Tinker, Tailor....I'm too tired to finish the title...

No "Drive"....man, I am really bummed..."Drive" lost traction after its Comic Con screening but I was hoping...

Kind of sad about no "The Lady" or "Dark Horse"

Still and all...no real complaints.  I think TFF #38 looks like a colossal win from the start!


More later today...from the Patron Brunch!

Trance Links/Le Havre News/Dardennes "Bike"/Nobbs

Me and my buddy Oscar winner Colin Firth...will he be at T-ride this year (TTSS) or in 2013 (Trance)?

Good Morning Peeps!

TRANCE LINKS

Yesterday I posted news that Danny Boyle's next film project, "Trance," has apparently lost Michael Fassbender and that Boyle was seeking Colin Firth to replace him.  I thought you'd like more detail and so have provided some links to various versions of that news (and the additional news that Boyle was seeking to sign up Scarlett Johannson as well).  Here are the various links:

Slashfilm:
http://www.slashfilm.com/danny-boyle-eyeing-colin-firth-scarlett-johansson-trance/#more-106947


Cinemablend:
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Colin-Firth-Scarlett-Johansson-For-Danny-Boyle-s-Heist-Thriller-Trance-25525.html

The Playlist:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/danny_boyle_wants_colin_firth_and_scarlett_johansson_to_join_james_mcavoy_i/

Trance" IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1924429/
 

LE HAVRE NEWS

One of the well received films from the Cannes film festival that I think has a reasonably good chance of being a Telluride film pick this year is Aki Kaurismaki's "Le Havre."  I reported a few weeks back that there was a hint that The Weinstein Company was about to secure distribution for the U.S. for the film but since that time there has been no news, no confirmation.

Now comes the news from The Hollywood Reporter that "Le Havre" has won the Best International Film award at the Munich Film Festival which should put it back into the conversation for Telluride and for someone to pick up its distribution rights. I maintain that it's still a definite possibility for TFF #38.

Here is the story from The Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/aki-kaurismakis-le-havre-paddy-207913

Le Harve IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1508675/

DARDENNES "BIKE"

Another Cannes film that I think has an excellent chance of being at Telluride is the Dardennes Brothers "The Kid with a Bike."  Anne Thompson reports that the brothers are continuing to pick up a slew of awards for the film and their career in the next few months leading me to believe that the film would be a tremendous addition to the TFF playlist.  However, Thompson notes that one of the awards that the Brothers Dardennes are set to receive happens at the Venice Film Fest.  But since the film is already playing in Europe (and specifically in Italy) and since one would expect the award presentation to come at the end of the Venetian festivities ( it closes on Sept. 10) I have to believe that there is still a large window of opportunity for the film to play in T-ride.

The link to the Thompson story (which also includes a link to the trailer) is here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/07/05/dardennes_the_kid_with_the_bike_wins_awards_needs_us_distribution/#more

The Kid with a Bike IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1827512/

ALBERT NOBBS WHERE ARE YOU?

Way back in March when I foolishly began to pontificate about what pictures could make their way to the San Juans, one of the films that I thought just sounded like a Telluride possibility was "Albert Nobbs" starring Glenn Close.  Since then there has been very little news about the project and its disposition.  Over the last two days, however, there has been some movement that indicates that we could see the film lined up for a serious Oscar run especially for Close.

The Playlist and The Hollywood Reporter both had stories yesterday detailing the involvement of Roadside Attractions and Liddell Entertainment which have secured the U.S. rights to the film.  Close co-wrote the screenplay and produces as well as acts the title role which she reprises from her 1982 performance in the play.

The Telluride connection?  Roadshow and Liddell teamed up last year on Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's "Biutiful."  It's not beyond the realm of possibility that they will seek to  follow the same path that resulted in an Oscar nom for Javier Bardem.

Here is the Playlist's story:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/albert_nobbs_picked_up_by_liddell_entertainment_and_roadside_attractions/

And the Hollywood Reporter version:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/glenn-close-drama-albert-nobbs-208022

Albert Nobbs IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602098/

More Companies and their Telluride connections

"The Artist" has a chance to be at Telluride

A slow day around the interwebs about much of anything that rings a bell as far as the Telluride Film Festival is concerned.  Really, no good nuggets to share at this point. 

We had the last call for submissions for the festival this week with the deadline for student and short films passing yesterday and the deadline for feature film submissions looming on July 15.  And,of course, the Festival announced its guest director for 2011 this week.  It is Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso. 

We do have time, then to look at three more film companies that have had a presence at the festival recently and see what's in their respective quivers for possibles for this year.

FRANCE 3 CINEMA

2007: Persepolis, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2008: I've Loved You So Long
2009: The White Ribbon
2010: Of Gods and Men, The Princess of Montpensier, The Illusionist

In play for 2011: The Artist and We Have a Pope.

Analysis:  Both films could be on the Telluride list.  Both were featured at Cannes.  "The Artist" had a better critical response and therefore, I think, has the greater chance of playing at T-ride. "Artist" had a cumulative 2.6 rating from participating critics in Ioncinema's poll that was held as Cannes was unfolding.  "We Have a Pope" had a 2.1.  Intuitively, I really think that "The Artist" is very likely to be at this year's Telluride Film Festival.

CANAL+

Canal+ has also had a substantial presence at Telluride recently:

2007: Terror's Advocate, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2008: Flame and Citron, I've Loved You So Long
2009: Coco Before Chanel, A Prophet, The White Ribbon, Farewell
2010: The Illusionist,The Princess of Montpensier, Of Gods and Men, Carlos

Potential 2011 films at Telluride: Pater, Melancholia, The Kid with a Bike, We Have a Pope.

Analysis: "Pater" suffered from the same lukewarm response at Cannes that "We Have a Pope" did.  Lars Von Trier burned a lot of goodwill with his antics about Nazism during the Cannes fest.  So I have all but discounted "Melancholia" which leaves "The Kid with a Bike."  It WAS well received critically at Cannes (2.9 on the Ioncinema critics board)  and the Dardennes Brothers films have often played at Telluride.  I think it is very likely to be on the lineup on Labor Day.

UK FILM COUNCIL

Again, this company has been a frequent player at Telluride in the last five years...

2006: Venus, The Last King of Scotland, Severance
2007: When Did You Last See Your Father, Brick Lane
2008: Happy-Go-Lucky
2009: Bright Star, Fish Tank
2010: The First Grader, Tamara Drewe, Another Year

Possibles in 2011 include: The Iron Lady, My Week with Marilyn and Wuthering Heights

Analysis: I think all three films are 50/50 possibilities at best.  My strongest sense right now for any of them is for "Wuthering Heights" from director Andrea Arnold but even that is tepid.

Have a good Independence Day holiday everyone!

Ten Bets/Diablo's Dream Deferred/War Horse???/12,000 Views

Any chance we'll see this at Telluride?

TEN BETS

The Telluride Film Festival's 38th edition starts in just a hair over 2 months (Sept. 2 to be exact) and I thought I'd take a whack today at a list of the ten films that I think have the most likelihood of playing as a part of the festival.  Then, over the next 8 weeks I'll try to update it each week and see how close we can actually get to the films that show at The SHOW.  In order of greatest likelihood (at least according to me):

1) The Descendants
2) The Artist
3) The Kid with a Bike
4) Young Adult
5) Le Havre
6) A Trip to the Moon
7) Gazing Into the Abyss
8) Dark Horse
9) We Have to Talk About Kevin
10) Shame

Check back next Monday and see if there are any changes.

DIABLO'S DREAM DEFERRED

Last week (June 20) I passed on the information that Oscar winning writer Diablo Cody dreamed of penning a screenplay based on the life of Beach Boy Brian Wilson.  Now, it seems she's been beaten to the punch.  News this week that River Road in the person of Bill Pohlad in addition to John Wells were going forward with the same idea with Oren Moverman  (The Messenger) to do the script.  You can find that story from The Wrap here:
http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/river-road-make-brian-wilson-biopic-28538

Telluride chances for #39 or #40 would be pretty good as Pohlad has been a prime supporter of the Festival over the years. 

WAR HORSE AT TELLURIDE???

Made you look.  Seriously, I don't really think it's a likely candidate to show during Labor Day Weekend, but if I had to I could make a case for considering the possibility and here it is:
1) Wants to be Oscar Bait
2) But has no "names"  in the cast to speak of (biggest "name" is probably Emily Watson)...
3) Based on a play...with big horse puppets...no puppets in the movie, so it's dicey...
4) The Kennedy/Marshal Company is involved (no surprise, they often are involved in Spielberg's projects)
5) Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are big supporters of the Telluride Film Festival
6) No other Festival buzz that I've tripped to...So...

Still, I'd be stunned if it's playing at The Chuck...


"MISSING PIECES"

Watched Kenton Bartlett's very personal film last night and am still mulling it over.  Review to come shortly...

12,000 VIEWS

Over the weekend this blog passed it's 12,000th view.  You can tell that TFF #38 is getting closer because my traffic is picking up...

Among items in tomorrow's blog...a focus on two companies and what they may have for The SHOW this year.

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."

Counting Down to the Palme

Does Terrence Malick win the Palme D'or today???

With just hours left before we find out the jury's decision ab out which films receive what awards at the 64th Cannes Film Festival I can confidently say that there is absolutely no consensus about where this jury, headed by Robert DeNiro, is going to land.  Every one of the films that Cannes regulars seem to think have a chance also has some serious baggage to overcome.  Added to that is the fact that predicting a jury's decision when the members are new each year is a fool's game.  Nevertheless, no one ever said I wasn't a fool, so here's some speculation...

The big prize, of course, is the Plame D'Or.  Films thought o have the best chance are "The Skin I Inhabit" from Pedro Almodovar, "The Tree of Life" from  Terrence Malick, "Melancholia" from Lars Von Trier, "The Artist" from Michel Hazanavicius, "The Kid with a Bike" from The Dardennes Brothers, "Drive" from Nicolas Winding Refn, "La Havre" from Aki Kaurismaki and "We Have to Talk About Kevin" from Lynne Ramsay. 

Late entries for which there has been little time for critical response were "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" from Nuri Bilge Ceylan and "The Source" from Radu Mihaileanu.  I mention these despite not having their critical reaction in total because of late Cannes has made something of a habit of awarding the Plame to a late showing film and because the limited critical reception to both pf these late films has had at least some high praise...

I think it's a fair bet that almost all (if not all) of the major awards will come from the above list.  But as mentioned.  These "heavy hitters' also have some issues.  Different ones for different films...but issues nonetheless.  To wit:

"Skin" and "Drive" have both been well received critically ("Skin" is at #1 on Ioncinema's compiled critical chart: http://www.ioncinema.com/images/cannes2011/day10part2.pdf) but both films are regarded as "genre" pictures and lacking as much "art" as Cannes is used to rewarding.

"The Artist" and "La Havre" are also critically well received but the knock on them "too light."  Crowd pleasers for sure, so the thinking goes in some corners, but not enough heft to merit the top honor.

"Melancholia"  In light of Von Trier's "Nazi week" and his status now as a Cannes "persona non grata," I'd be stunned that this jury decided to award it the Plame.  The jury's makeup doesn't say to me "we will buck the negative reaction to reward the cinematic art of Von Trier."  I don't see them separating the Von Trier's meanderings from the top award.  Additionally, it's not like "Melancholia" was a cinch to win the Palme before Lars put his foot in his mouth.

"The Kid with a Bike" suffers from the fact that The Dardennes have won twice previously.  Would this jury make them the first 3 time Palme winner in the history of the festival for this film? 

"We Have to Talk About Kevin" from Lynne Ramsay.  Early presentation may doom it.  It was the first film to be presented in competition after the opening from Woody Allen.  Also, if Tilda Swinton wins Best Actress (and many think she will) then that lessens the films chance at the Plame.  Cannes does have a history of "spreading the wealth" between many films 

And finally Malick's "The Tree of Life."  A lot of people think its going to win.  A lot of people don't.  Again, I'm not sure that the makeup of this year's jury does Malick any favors.  (the jury this year consists of: DeNiro, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Olivier Assayas, Martina Gusman, Linn Ullmann, Johnnie To, Nansun Shi, and Mahamet-Saleh Haroun).

As I write rumors have begun floating that Tilda Swinton has won Best Actress and that Jean Dujardin has won Best Actor for "The Artist."  We'll know soon.

In addition to the Palme, there's the Grand Prix (sort of like a second place) the jury prize, actor, actress, director and screenplay.  The announcement is scheduled tentatively for about 2 hours from now.