Testing...Testing... / Venice Certainties? / Trailer for On the Basis of Sex

Good Tuesday everyone...

TESTING...TESTING...

Variety's Kris Tapley tweeted late Sunday evening that both Josie Rourke's Mary Queen of Scots and James Gray's Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt, Ruth Negga and Tommy Lee Jones will be test screening this week:

I have avoided talking/thinking about Ad Astra all summer as it has been dated as a 2019 release.  However, I have seen some mention that if 20th Century Fox thought the film had a strong play that they might move the release to compete in this season's awards melee.

This sounds as if that process is on-going.  The other 20th Century Fox player is Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born.

Could it play at The SHOW?  Still very unlikely but the fact that it's testing this week suggests that it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility.

Similarly, Tapley later added that Backseat (the Dick Cheney film with Christian Bale) is also testing.  The film is being distributed by Annapurna which I am morally certain will be at TFF with If Beale Street Could Talk.  I could see them bringing a second film and they have a deep bench of other possible films: Backseat, Destroyer, The Sisters Brothers.

VENICE CERTAINTIES?

Jordan Ruimy's World of Reel posted "Venice Certainties" on Sunday night.  Ruimy says he's (as I mentioned yesterday) that he's hearing the same Venice rumor about The Other Side of the Wind opening that fest. 

He also says he's heard four films are locks for Venice:

Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria

Jacques Audiard's The Sisters Brothers

Alfonso Cuaron's Roma

and Francois Ozon's Alexandre.

The inclusion of the films from Audiard and Cuaron would not surprise nor would they preclude a double play at Telluride.  Frankly, I doubt that we'll see Suspiria.  However, the Ozon is another matter.  That popped up from nowhere.  Alexandre is dated for 2019 according to IMDb.  

It's worth noting that Ozon's Frantz played at TFF in 2015.

The Ruimy post at World of Reel is here.

TRAILER FOR ON THE BASIS OF SEX

We got word last week that the trailer for Mimi Leder's Ruth Bader Grinsburg flick starring Felicity Jones as the young but eventual Supreme Court justice would be dropping soon.  "Soon" was yesterday.

Here's the trailer via YouTube:

On the Basis of Sex is set to open on Dec. 25th.

I have linked coverage of the trailer release from:

The Film Stage

Indiewire

Variety

BTW: rumors are swirling that trailers for Biy Earsed and Bohemian Rhapsody will appear tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

That's your Tuesday wrap for MTFB.

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First Signs of Beale Street / The Usual Suspects -Part One 2018 / The Favourite Teaser Appears

Welcome to Tuesday, July 10, 2018...


THE FIRST SIGNS OF BEALE STREET

Stefan James, Kiki Layne, Regina King and Barry Jenkins at Essence Fest

One of the most hotly anticipated titles of the fall has to be Oscar winner Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk.  The film is the writer/director's follow up to the thrice Oscar winning Moonlight.  It's an adaptation of the James Baldwin novel of the same name.

That alone would be enough to pique the interest of Telluriders but adding fuel to the fire has been the relative quiet surrounding the film.

There is a good deal of speculation that it will play Venice and I have had it at the number one spot on this summer's first Ten Bets lists for TFF #45.  We also know that its one of the films that Annapuna Pictures is distributing this fall...as Megan Ellison's production company adds distribution to its list of services.  Other films in their lineup include: Backseat, The Sisters Brothers and Destroyer.

All that to get to the story that Jenkins and some of the actors in the film: Regina King, Stephan James and Kiki Layne, were featured in a Q+A about the film at New Orleans' Essence Fest this past weekend.

Here's the 14 minute interview from YouTube:

I found the interview via a story from Awards Watch and that story is linked here.

More coverage is here from BlackFilm.com and also from Hollywood Elsewhere.

If Beale Street Could Talk is not yet scheduled for release in the United States.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS-PART ONE 2018

If Beale Street Could Talk director and TFF Usual Suspect Barry Jenkins

There are a number of people that have, over the years have become frequent players at Telluride.They're folks that may not always be there and even if they are there, they don't always have a project that screens at the fest but often times you can predict some of the choices for the fest based on The Usual Suspects and what they do have to offer.

For example...Barry Jenkins...who has been a part of the fest in a variety of ways for a decade and a half.  That's why his If Beale Street Could Talk is at the top of the Ten Bets list.

Steve McQueen-His Hunger, Shame and Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave all screened at Telluride which leads one to think that Widows is a good bet.  I've been holding back on putting it in the Ten Bets because the film's description seems less Telluride-y than McQueen's previous efforts.  Still, it wouldn't surprise if it were to screen at T-ride.

Jacques Audiard-Audiard has been represented thrice at TFF 1996- A Self Made Hero, 2009-A Prophet and 2012-Rust and Bone.  However his Palme D'or winning Dheepan wasn't at The SHOW in 2015.  His The Sisters Brothers could get him back to the San Juans.

Alejandro Inarritu is a great example of a "usual suspect" who attends even when he doesn't have a project.  That happened last year when he was in town to support his amigo Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water.  I suspect that could happen again this year for Alfonso Cuaron's Roma.  Cuaron, himself would become a "usual suspect" this year if Roma plays.  I think that could happen.

Jason Reitman- At one point Reitman was a sure TFF bet as he ran off a series of SHOW entrants: Juno (07), Up in the Air (09) and Labor Day (13) but Young Adult and Men, Women and Children which might have played The SHOW did not.  Reitman could return this year with The Frontrunner.  There's a decent chance that could happen.

I'll look at more of  "The Usual Suspects on Thursday.

THE FAVOURITE TEASER APPEARS

Yorgos Lanthimos has made a big splash on the art house circuit over the past few years with The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer including an Oscar nomination for writing The Lobster.

This year he has directed the historically based The Favourite set during the reign of Queen Anne in Britain in the 1700's.  Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone star and the film is reportedly more "accessible" than either Lobster or Scared Deer.  As it is from Fox Searchlight, this might be the year that a Lanthimos film makes the TFF lineup.

All of that reminder material is to get to the fact that the film had a teaser/trailer release on Monday.  Here it is from YouTube:

The Favourite is scheduled for release on Nov. 23rd.

That's your Tuesday MTFB.  More to come on Thursday.


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The Distributors 2018: Annapurna Pictures / Ivory/Payne Joint?

The week comes to a close on this late Friday in June...


THE DISTRIBUTORS 2018: ANNAPURNA PICTURES

So, here's the thing, Megan Ellison and her Annapurna Pictures have been producing films for awhile.  IMDb suggests that's been true since 2012.  Within the last few months, however, Annapurna  has made the decision to move into film distribution and that could open up some serious fall festival possibilities including Telluride.

Up to this point, the only Annapurna joint to have played Telluride was 2014's Foxcatcher.  I can clearly remember catching sight of Megan Ellison at the Fox Searchlight party in T-ride in 2014.

Now, with the move into distribution, I suspect there's a reasonable chance that Annapurna may well show up at Telluride with more frequency.

For example, Annapurna has the rights to Barry Jenkins' follow-up to the Oscar winning Moonlight in If Beale Street Could Talk and if that film doesn't make the TFF #45 lineup, I'll eat my hat (metaphorically, of course).

But in addition to Beale Street, Annapurna has a number of other films that could also be possible for TFF...

Backstreet...or whatever it will ultimately be called, is director Adam McKay's examination of the life and career of former Vice President Dick Cheney.  The film stars Christian Bale as Cheney, Amy Adams as his wife Lynne and Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld (I kid you not).  It could play TFF.

The other most likely Telluride player in the Annapurna stable id Jacques Audiard's The Sisters Brothers starring Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly in a western of sorts.  Audiard's history at Telluride and with Cannes means we should at least pay attention to it as a potential film for Labor Day in the San Juans.

Chances for each...

If Beale Street-90%
The Sisters Brothers- 50%
Backseat (or whatever)- 45%

Maybe all three make the cut...

And...is it possible that Steve Carell could make a triple play appearance at TFF #45?  Beautiful Boy, Welcome to Marwen and Backseat...



IVORY/PAYNE JOINT

In the middle of March several outlets reported that frequent TFFer Alexander Payne was setting up to direct The Burial.  That may not be his next project as The Film Stage reported this week that Payne may well be team up with recent Oscar winner James Ivory to direct The Judge's Will.

The film, reportedly based on true story from India, would be re-set in Chicago and reveal the tale of a judge who tasks, in his will, that his family be responsible for the care of his mistress.

The Film Stage says that the project will be set up at Fox Searchlight.

Here's the story from The Film Stage.



Sorry for the short Friday post...More on Monday and have a good weekend.



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The Sixth Telluride Film Festival-1979 / Trailers from Burning, Cold War and The Sisters Brothers / First Looks at Boy Erased

Good Thursday film friends...


THE SIXTH TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL-1979

We're slowly edging closer to the end of my series about the history of the Telluride Film Festival with today's re-visitation of the Sixth Fest which ran from Aug. 31-Sept. 3, 1979.

My plan (fingers crossed) is have this series completed prior to the start of TFF #45 and the new Expanded Telluride History page on this blog up and accessible by that time as well.  We'll see if that actually happens.

Here's the re-cap of TFF #6:

TRIBUTES:  Klaus Kinski, Robert Wise, Abel Gance

SHOWS:

Aguirre, The Wrath of God
Born to Kill
Bulldog Drummond
Charm of Dynamite
Closely Watched
Executive Suite
For a Few Dollars More
Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers
Gates of Heaven
The Haunting
The Informer
J'Accuse
La Salamandre
The Last Tasmanian
La Soufriere
Loves of Beethoven
Lucrece Borgia
The Mango Tree
The Marriage of Maria Braun
Messidor
Andrei Rublev
Napoleon
No Maps on My Taps
Nosferatu
Que Viva Mexico
Redskin
Rosie Radiator and the Push Rods
The Sand Pebbles
Servant of a Good God
The Set-Up
Ship of Lost Men
Stroheim: The Man You Love to Hate
Those Wonderful Men with a Crank
Tooth and Claw
Woyzeck
Young Girls of Rochefort


Notable short film: The King of the Z's...which has a very specific place in Telluride Film Fest history.

Guests:

Joe Dante
Jacques Demy
Chuck Jones
Werner Herzog
Errol Morris


TRAILERS FROM BURNING, COLD WAR AND THE SISTERS BROTHERS

Trailers were released this week for two critically acclaimed Cannes #71 films that will be a part of our early summer TFF #45 speculation- Burning and Cold War as well as a trailer for a film that many thought would be a Cannes invitee, Jacques Audiard's The Sisters Brothers which, due to Audiard's past with Telluride has to be considered a possibility for Telluride as well.

I have included them here all via YouTube.

Burning is first up.  The film from Lee Chang-dong was the runaway critical darling of Cannes yet received no award from the Palme d'Or competition jury.

Cold War from past Oscar winner and TFF #40 participant Pawel Pawlikowski:

And from Audiard's The Sisters Brothers:

FIRST LOOKS AT BOY ERASED

Joel Edgerton's Boy Erased is one of two "Boy" pictures floating around my TFF #45 possibles list (the other being Beautiful Boy).

The film is a fact base story of a family forcing a son into gay conversion therapy and stars Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Lucas Hedges.

A number of outlets debuted stills from the film earlier this week such as the one above.

Other pics and associated stories are here from:


Entertainment Weekly

Awards Daily

Indiewire


That's  a wrap for this Thursday.  More to come on Monday and have a great Memorial Day weekend!


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Cannes Speculation Begins in Earnest / New Trailer for The Rider / Tapley Muses on Telluride's Popularity

Welcome to the Jungle...on this Thursday...


CANNES SPECULATION BEGINS IN EARNEST

The 71st Cannes Film Festival is less than two months away (it runs May 8-19) and Screen Daily has posted what I believe to be the first large Cannes speculation piece that I have come across.

As many Telluride attendees know, the Cannes-Telluride crossover is usually quite significant from year to year.  It's not at all uncommon for 25% or more of the features that screen at Telluride to have played at Cannes previously.  So, a discerning assessment of what may make the Cannes lineup also serves as a window on some possible TFF selections.

Last year, for example, the first Cannes piece here went up on March 9th and included Wonderstruck, Downsizing and Loveless.The Mar. 13th post added Lean on Pete and The Insult.

In my look at the corresponding Screen Daily article from a year ago, I included Wonderstruck, Lean on Pete and Loveless.  That SD article also included The Insult and Foxtrot.

That said, here are the films that Screen Daily suggests for Cannes that could also be Telluride players in my estimation:

From North America: The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, Beautiful Boy, Boy Erased, At Eternity's Gate.

From UK/Ireland: Peterloo, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, The Eyes of Orson Welles.

From France: The Sisters Brothers, Non Fiction.

From Italy: Dogman.

From Central and Eastern Europe: Sunset and Cold War.

From Spain: Everybody Knows.

From Latin America: Roma.

From Asia: Ash Is Purest White, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Shadow.

The complete Screen Daily article is here.


NEW TRAILER FOR THE RIDER

A new trailer has been released from SPC for Chloe Zhao's The Rider.  Here it is from YouTube:

The Rider opens April 13th.  Here's Alex Billington's/FirstShowing.net article that accompanied the trailer's release.

TAPLEY MUSES ON TELLURIDE'S POPULARITY

If you haven't heard, 2018 passes for TFF #45 are sold out.  Every level...sold out. Depending who your read , that happened in 2-4 days.  Kristopher Tapley, co-editor at Variety and long time Telluride attendee tweeted his astonishment this week:

Here's Tapley's article from two years ago that he linked in the tweet.

That's all for this Thursday.  More to come on Monday.  Enjoy your weekend.

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Tapley Taps in / Variety's Anticipation / U.S. Trailer for Foxtrot / Jenkins On The Shape of Water

Hello to all on this last Thursday in December and 2017.


TAPLEY TAPS IN

Kristopher Tapley of Variety/In Contention has been a big presence in this space over the past several years as one of the best and best known Oscar prognosticators in the business.  Since I began the practice of following Telluride films through the awards season, Tapley's take on the Oscar scene is one that I have referenced religiously for many years.  But this year, Tapley has been quiet.

Variety has him running their podcast interviews and that seems to have become his central responsibility there.  At any rate and forever reasons, Tapley hasn't had any set of published predictions yet this season...until this week.

Tapley's InContention went up on Tuesday with a full set of predictions in all 24 Oscar categories.

In terms of films from TFF #44...here's what Mr. T predicts:

The Shape of Water gets 12 nominations: Best Picture, Direction, Actress, Supporting Actor (Richard Jenkins-yeah!), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Costumes, Film Editing, Score, Production Design, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

Darkest Hour gets 5: Actor, Cinematography, Makeup. Score and Production Design

Lady Bird gets 4: Best Picture, Actress, Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay

And one nomination each for:
Downsizing: Supporting Actress
Loving Vincent: Animated Feature
The Insult: Foreign Language Film
A Fantastic Woman: Foreign Language Film
Loveless: Foreign Language Film
Faces/Places: Documentary Feature
Heroin(e): Documentary Short

A total of 28 nominations for TFF #44 films  if Kris is 100% accurate which is right at the Telluride Oscar average over the past several years.

Other films Tapley names for Best Picture and their predicted total nominations are: Dunkirk-7, Call Me By Your Name-5, The Florida Project-3, Get Out-3, The Post-6 and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri-6.

Tapley's complete set of predictions is here.



VARIETY'S ANTICIPATION

Also this week, Variety's critics gazed into their collective crystal ball and published a list of 20 films they are most excited to see in 2018.  Their list gives us a chance to ponder possible TFF #45 titles.

So, here are the films from Variety's 2018 most anticipated that feel like they have some T-ride potential:

Boy Erased-directed by Joel Edgerton
Burning -director Lee Chang-dong's last film was Poetry in 2010 which played Telluride
Everybody Knows- could be the film that gets Asghar Farhadi back to TFF
First Man- director Damien Chazelle's follow up to La La Land
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote- does Terry Gilliam return to TFF?
Roma-Alfonso Cuaron has been working on this since Gravity
The Sisters Brothers-Another possible return to TFF from Jacques Audiard
Sunset-director Laszlo Nemes first feature since his stunning Son of Saul

The complete listing of 20 films with commentary from Variety is linked here.



U.S. TRAILER FOR FOXTROT

Sony Pictures Classics Foreign Language Film Oscar contender Foxtrot from director and writer Samuel Maoz has its U.S. trailer which was released this week.

You can access it here from FirstShowing.net.



JENKINS ON THE SHAPE OF WATER

And finally today a link to a new interview from Deadline's Pete Hammond with Best Supporting Actor contender Richard Jenkins from Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water.  As many of you know, Jenkins has been  a favorite of mine for Oscar consideration for this role since seeing the film.

That interview is here.


That's your last MTFB for 2017 friends.  I'll have 2018's first post (of some sort) up on Monday, Jan. 1, 2018.  Happy New Year and thanks for spending some of your 2017 reading these ramblings...


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