A Couple of Outside Shots / New Del Toro May Have DiCaprio / Fienne's The White Crow Opens This Weekend

Good Thursday morning to all...

A COUPLE OF OUTSIDE SHOTS

Looks these last few days at two films that I have avoided including as TFF #46 possibilities are Ang Lee's Gemini Man and Robert Eggers The Lighthouse.

However, we got the first trailer for Gemini Man this week (from YouTube):

And Ang Lee has, though not for awhile, had a presence at Telluride and the film is set for release on Oct. 11th.  Paramount has it under its wing and has occasionally landed at TFF (the last time in 2017 with Downsizing and An Inconvenient Sequel).

Also, here's the story on Gemini Man from Indiewire

Also, we got the first still from Robert Eggers The Lighthouse.  It's from A24 which has been involved at Telluride quite a bit over the last five years or so.  Here's the still via Indiewire:

The Lighthouse was announced as one of the competition films in the Cannes sidebar section Director's Fortnight.  Sometimes films from DF make their way to T-ride.

I have linked this story about The Lighthouse from Indiewire.

NEW DEL TORO MAY HAVE DI CAPRIO

(Photo via Rob Latour/Shutterstock/Variety)

Word is buzzing that Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio may sign on to an emerging Guillermo Del Toro project currently titled Nightmare Alley.  The film would be a remake of a 1947 film starring Tyrone Power.

Del Toro's play at TFF 44 with The Shape of Water and its win for Best Picture means we'd be wise to keep an eye on its development.

Variety has the details linked here.

FIENNES' THE WHITE CROW OPENS THIS WEEKEND

Sony Pictures Classics reminded us yesterday that the Ralph Fiennes directed film about the life of Rudolf Nuryev, which played TFF #45, opens in New York and Los Angeles this weekend.  The reminder came in the form of an email with a great poster for the film.

Here's a look at the poster:

The White Crow will expand to other parts of the country in the coming weeks.

That's your MTFB for this Thursday.  Thanks for playing.  More will be on its way to you on Monday!

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com OR michael_speech@hotmail.com

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Screen Daily's Festival Temptations (Continued) / SAG Awards Handed Out Last Night / Ralph Fiennes' The White Crow Has a Trailer / Interviews / Michel LeGrand 1932-2019

Good Monday everyone.  Welcome back from your weekend...


SCREEN DAILY'S FESTIVAL TEMPTATIONS (CONTINUED)

In my last post I began looking at Screen Daily's series about films "to tempt festival directors".  That post focused on their take on Irish and UK films that might be chosen for film festivals from Cannes all the way to Venice, Toronto and of course Telluride as well as others.

Today we look at their lists for both the U.S., Canada and Latin America and then European selections.

Among the films from U.S., Canada and Latin America that seem like TFF #46 possibilities are:

Coming Home Again dir: Wayne Wang
The Irishman dir: Martin Scorsese (probably more a wish than a possibility)
The Last Thing He Wanted dir: Dee Rees
Little Women dir: Greta Gerwig
Ema dir: Pablo Larrain


The complete post for U.S., Canada and Latin America is linked here.


Here's are films from the Screen Daily European list of tempting titles that seem Telluride friendly:

Ahmed dir: The Dardennes Brothers
Bergman Island dir: Mia Hansen-Love
The County dir: Grimur Hakonarson
Pinocchio dir: Matteo Garrone

The complete article for Europe is linked here.


SAG AWARDS HANDED OUT LAST NIGHT

Winners from last night's Screen Actors Guild from last night:

Best Cast: Black Panther
Actress: Glenn Close/The Wife
Actor: Rami Malek/Bohemian Rhapsody
Supporting Actress: Emily Blunt/A Quiet Place
Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali/Green Book
Stunt Cast: Black Panther

Five performances from TFF #45 films were nominated but none came away with a trophy: Colman, Stone and Weisz for The Favourite and McCarthy and Grant for Can You Ever Forgive Me?


RALPH FIENNES' THE WHITE CROW HAS A TRAILER

Here's a trailer for director Ralph Fiennes under seen TFF #45 entrant The White Crow which tells the story of ballet dancer supreme Rudolf Nuryev:

Trailer posted via YouTube.

I have also linked an accompanying story from Deadline.com here.

The White Crow currently has no U.S. release announced. Sony Pictures Classics has the film for U.S. distribution.

INTERVIEWS

Linked here is an Entertainment Weekly interview with Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy (who was lovely when I talked to her in Telluride) for her role in Marielle Heller's Can You Ever Forgive Me?  The interview was conducted by Joey Nolfi.

Here's that link.

Additionally, here's a link to Kris Tapley's Variety/Playback podcast with writer/director Jason Reitman (The Front Runner) who is making a lot of news in the last week as it was announced that Reitman will direct the next iteration of the Ghostbusters franchise.

Here's the link to that podcast.

 MICHEL LEGRAND 1932-2019

I felt I needed to write a quick note on the passing of musician/composer Michel Legrand.  Legrand was a Tribute recipient in 2007.  He won three Oscars for his musical additions to Yentl, The Thomas Crown Affair and The Summer of 42.  He was nominated an additional six times.

One of the most electrifying musical moments I ever saw on television was a duet with Legrand and Ray Charles on some talk show probably in the 70's sometime.  It was breathtaking to watch the two master from very different backgrounds and approaches play off one another.  Thrilling.

Legrand was 86.

Here is his obituary from The Guardian.

That's the MTFB for Monday, Jan. 28, 2019.  I'll have more on Thursday... (expecting a link to a new Gurus of Gold that will turn to predicting this year's Oscar winners)

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com OR michael_speech@hotmail.com

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Is SPC Back in the Game? / New Trailer for Possible Documentary / Stills from Non-Fiction

Welcome to Tuesday...

IS SPC BACK IN THE GAME?

Among the weirder things that I've noticed this summer as we edged ever closer to the opening of the 45th TFF is that habitual Telluride presence, Sony Pictures Classics (SPC) has had no film pop up as a potential choice for TFF #45 inclusion.

That's stunning as SPC has been the singularly most consistent distributor present in all the years that I've been attending.  Most years SPC has averaged 4.5 films per year.  There has never been a year when there wasn't at least one SPC film playing since my first Telluride in 2006.  2015 was that rare year when there was just one SPC film in play at T-ride and that was the incredibly powerful Son of Saul.

So, the lack of any prospect for SPC at TFF has just seemed almost impossible to believe.

Now, though, there is a new possibility.

Multiple sources reported yesterday that SPC had secure North American distribution for Ralph Fiennes' The White Dove.

The White Dove deals with the events surrounding the defection of ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev.

Suddenly, SPC seems like they could be back in the game regarding a Telluride berth.  The late acquisition is certainly no guarantee, but I would point out that Fiennes was in Telluride in 2013 with his last directorial effort, The Invisible Woman and that film was also distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.

Again, no guarantee, but you have to think that the film is a real candidate for TFF #45.

Details of the acquisition news is linked here from:

Variety

Deadline

The Wrap

NEW TRAILER FOR POSSIBLE DOCUMENTARY

After last week's Toronto reveal of the documentaries playing there I'm modestly convinced that mountain climbing saga Free Solo will probably play in The SHOW.

National Geographic is the film's distributor and released a full trailer for the late last weekend.

Here's the stunner from YouTube:

A release date for the film has not been announced.

I have linked this story about the film and the trailer release from Alex Billington at FirstShowing.

STILLS FROM NON-FICTION

The Playlist tweeted a series of new images from Olivier Assayas' Non-Fiction yesterday.  The film seems a dead certainty to play TFF and was listed at #10  on last week's Ten Bets list.

Here are a couple of the new pics from the film:

Still stumping here for Juliette Binoche to make an appearance on Colorado Ave.

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

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com OR michael_speech@hotmail.com

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