More Tilda/Reviews: Shame & Descendants/TTSS

Good Morning All...

MORE TILDA

The Tilda Swinton blitz that started 10 days ago in Telluride with her tribute has continued through the Toronto International Film Festival.  Ms. Swinton continues to lead the charge for "We Need to Talk About Kevin."  As a part of that The Lost Boy at indieWire has posted a Q & A that followed the film's presentation at the Canadian fest.  You can find that here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thelostboy/archives/video_from_the_we_need_to_talk_about_kevin_premiere/#

Kevin's IMDb page is here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242460/

Swinton's IMDb page is herte:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0842770/

REVIEWS: SHAME

Reviews continue to come in for TFF #38 films.  Steve McQueen's "Shame" starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan continues to make big waves.  Here is the latest review from Rope of Silicon:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/movie-review-shame-2011

Shame's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723811/

REVIEW: THE DESCENDANTS

Meanwhile, a Washington based radio station review of the Clooney starring vehicle directed by Alexander Payne gets four stars:
http://www.washingtonbanglaradio.com/content/93276911-movie-review-descendants

Descendant's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/

TTSS

And because I can't resist, a link to the domestic trailer for Tomas Alfredson's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy":
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/awards-campaign/posts/watch-first-u-s-trailer-for-gary-oldman-starrer-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy

TTSS IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/

Invitation/The New Rumors/The Newly Nearly Confirmed/New Bets

And here's the last "Hello" from the Oklahoma Panhandle before the 38th Telluride Film Festival gets underway.  The Chief Executive and I will be departing for 9,000 feet in about 4 hours.  I'm watching the clock....

Telluride Daily Planet photo of film cans ready to go up the mountain

1 DAY  and then it begins...and hold onto your hats, it's going to be an insane festival.

We've reached that point that we reach every year when the internet has gone crazy with rumor, counter-rumor, claims, denials...and even when we see the actual lineup later today (and I'll be tweeting [@Gort2] and posting flash updates while I'm on the road!) and even then we won't know the full story because, of course, Luddy, Meyer and Huntsinger will some stuff back and sneak it as the weekend unfolds.  All that  being said, let's try to sort the wheat from the chaff! (hey, I'm an Oklahoma Panhandle boy).

First though, this reminder...

YOUR ENGRAVED INVITATION WOULD LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THIS:

Come and join me for the first ever Michael's Telluride Film Blog get together ( I thought about calling it a "Hootenanny" but I think that legally obligates you to sing folk songs and Union dirges) called: "The Guide to the Ride; The Flow of the SHOW" on Friday, Sept. 2 from 5:00 to 5:30 PM in The River Club in Telluride. Larry and Mitzi Mallard of the Club will be our hosts and I am told that refreshments will be provided. The River Club is located at 550 Depot in Telluride. That's 4 blocks west of the Gondola station. Come by and say hello and we'll talk a little film.


THE NEW RUMORS (AND THEY'RE JUST RUMORS!)

I am always back and forth about passing on blatant hearsay.  I'd much rather be able to cite a source or more than one, or at least if I can't attribute the story, then I want to be on pretty good terms with the source I can't name.  However...sometimes stuff seems like it's just too good to pass up passing on...so, forgive me...

TwitchFilm's posts that they're "hearing" (are you sitting down) both "Carnage" and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" at Telluride this weekend.  The story also says the Herzog doc "Into the Abyss", but if you read this blog regularly, you've been onto the Herzog "news" for a good long while.

Now, I'll be honest, I don't know the reliability of TwitchFilm to save my soul.  It hasn't been a blog that I have visited terribly often in this summer's run-up to the fall festivals...and you know that this space has all but written off the chances for both of these films...

But what if I'm wrong and they're right?  The inclusion of the Polanski play adaptation and the Alfredson thriller would make Telluride's slate stratospherically vital.

Look at the story as it was posted Wednesday afternoon on the TwitchFilm website here:
http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/08/herzog-polanski-and-alfredson-headed-to-telluride.php

And in another "rumor" fueled bit of intrigue, unnamed sources on the ground in Telluride have mentioned a certain "Pirate-y" actor purportedly has been sighted.  Now, there's absolutely no confirmation from any published source as of this morning of the veracity of the claim...but...one could envision the appearance of said actor in conjunction with, say a film that reminded us all of a certain "Gonzo" journalist.  It might involve the consumption of rum...

There, I've said it without saying anything and if you forced me to wager actual money, at this point I'd still be inclined to bet against any of these three films  being on the SHOW's lineup...but it's fun to dream!

And speaking of rumors...independent of TFF #38...who will be in town for the Lauren/Bush wedding?

THE NEWLY NEARLY CONFIRMED

Two BIG lockdowns yesterday...First...

George Clooney WILL BE IN TOWN and is a tributee.  Expect to see him in both "The Descendants" and his own directorial effort "The Ides of March" which opened the Venice Fest yesterday as well.

A blog reader by the name of Mo was kind enough to point me this New York Post story which ran yesterday and seems to remove all doubt:
http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/clooney_rolls_with_his_pals_cNHop2Y03Ie9UvnfqBZy3M?utm_campaign=Post10&utm_source=Post10Alpha

Later in the day The Denver Post got on the bandwagon and confirmed in this story (thanks to @EzeeE1983 for dropping that to me):
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_18797394

Clooney's "Ides" seems to be garnering generally good to great reviews after hits bow at Venice.  I've included links to a sample of the critical response:
Dave Karger at Entertainment Weekly:
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/08/31/george-clooney-the-ides-of-march-best-picture-oscar/

Guy Lodge at Incontention.com:
http://incontention.com/2011/08/31/review-the-ides-of-march/

Oliver Lyttleton at The Playlist via IndieWire:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/venice_11_review_the_ides_of_march/#

And a sampling from Hollywood News:
http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2011/08/31/the-ides-of-march-reviews-from-venice-awards-alley/

The Ides of March IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/

The Descendants IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/

Mr. Clooney's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000123/

The other BIG LOCKDOWN (that I had already become pretty certain of in the last 72 hours...) "A Dangerous Method."  David Cronenberg's Freud vs. Jung period piece WILL PLAY IN THE SHOW! 

How do we know.  Word was around yesterday that there was a new domestic trailer for the film. Friend of this blog Eugene Novikov at FilmBlather.com took a look...and then dropped me a tweet.  (Thanks, Eugene.  Looking forward to shaking your hand tomorrow!)

Right at the beginning of the trailer the "Official Selection of The Telluride Film Festival" comes up...so pretty compelling evidence I think and a thrilling addition to the slate.  Check it for yourself via this link to the story and trailer from Rope of Silicon:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/watch-domestic-trailer-cronenbergs-a-dangerous-method

Method's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1571222/


NEW BETS

In light of today's developments I have put together a revise "Ten Bets" list and expanded it to "Twenty Bets."  Here it is (in order of greatest likelihood of being in the SHOW):
1) The Descendants
2) Into the Abyss
3) We Have to Talk About Kevin
4) The Ides of March
5) A Dangerous Method
6) Shame
7) Goodbye First Love
8) The Skin I Live In
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.

We'll know more later today!

More from the road!!!



FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
@Gort2

Two Trailers/Anne's Interviews/Gurus/Red Riding???Carlos???And???

"Howdy" is what we say in Oklahoma...not the musical, the place...well...OK, the musical too!

8 Days and ...tick...tick...tick...counting...

Come and join me for a Michael's Telluride Film Blog meet and greet called: "The Guide to the Ride; The Flow of the SHOW" on Friday, Sept. 2 from 5:00 to 5:30 PM in The River Club in Telluride. Larry and Mitzi Mallard of the Club will be our hosts and I am told that refreshments will be provided. The River Club is located at 550 Depot in Telluride. That's 4 blocks west of the Gondola station. Come by and say hello or "howdy" if you prefer.

TWO TRAILERS

New versions of trailers for two films that are on the "Ten (plus) Bets list this week.  "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "Drive."

I must say I want both of these films to be in Southwest Colorado next week.  "TTTS" stars Gary Oldman. Colin Firth, John Hurt (one of my favorite under-used actors), Ciaran Hinds (another favorite), Toby Jones, Tom Hardy and Mark Strong in the John LeCarre spy story.  Tomas Alfredson directs.  The new trailer is up from First Showing.net here:
http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/another-great-international-trailer-for-tinker-tailor-solider-spy/

Meanwhile, The Playlist (IndieWire) has a new trailer up for the Nicolas Winding Refn noirish, existential thriller "Drive."  It features Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and comedian Albert Brooks in a performance that is generating Oscar buzz.  The Playlist folks say that the new trailer might be "spoilerish" so I have chosen to avoid looking at it.  You can, though, if you want to here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/watch_another_great_though_potentially_spoiler-ish_trailer_for_drive/#

TTTS IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/

Drive's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/

ANNE'S INTERVIEWS

Anne Thompson (Thompson on Hollywood/IndieWire) gets to talk to interesting people and lately interesting people that may well have film(s) involved in the 38th Telluride Film Festival.  For example, recently she spoke with Antonio Banderas who stars in Telluride possible and Pedro Alomdovar film "The Skin I Live In."  Take a look at what Banderas has to say here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/24/banderas_talks_almodovar_reunion_betrayal

Skin's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189073/

Also up on Anne's site is an interview with the red hot Jessica Chastain.  Chastain has had a crazy, meteoric rise this year.  She's already been seen in Malick's "The Tree of Life" and "The Help."  She could potentially be seen on the streets of Telluride in support of "Take Shelter," "Coriolanus," "The Wettest County," and/or "Texas Killing Fields."

Jessica Chastain with "Coriolanus" co-star and director Ralph Fiennes

Chastain's interview with Thompson can be found here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/23/jessica_chastain_talks_tree_of_life_the_help_the_debt_coriolanus/#

IMDb pages for:
Coriolanus: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1372686/
The Wettest County: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1212450/
Texas Killing Fields: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1389127/
Take Shelter: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675192/

GURUS!

Movie City News has its first "Gurus of Gold" chart up for the 2011 Oscar campaign.  MCN canvases a group of Oscar predictors and then collates their responses.  As you might expect a good number of Telluride possibles/probables are on the initial pre-fall film festival list.  If you're inclined the results are here via Sasha Stone at Awards Daily:
http://www.awardsdaily.com/2011/08/the-gurus-of-gold-pre-toronto-check/

On the Gurus top fifteen  are TFF#38 possibles: "The Ides of March," "The Artist," "The Descendants," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," "We Bought a Zoo," and "Moneyball."  (and at #15 Jason Reitman's festival shunner "Young Adult"...though there's still a part of my that thinks it might still actually "sneak" at T-ride).

Anne Thompson's picks are missing from this chart but she has posted hers at her site:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/24/oscar_watch_war_horse_ides_of_march_the_artist_lead_early_gurus_o_gold_top_


AND WHAT DO YOU DO AFTER "RED RIDING" AND "CARLOS"?

New friend and fellow Telluride-bound journalist Eugene Novikov of FilmBlather.com asked me yesterday if I thought that German three part film "Dreileben" might be programmed for TFF #38 in the same fashion that "Red Riding" was in 2009 and "Carlos" was in 2010.

After some consideration, my response is a definite "maybe."  Certainly T-ride has established that pattern the last two years and this fits the bill...so it wouldn't surprise me all that much.  Maybe Eugene is prescient or maybe he has some inside dope.  Or (like me) he may just be guessing.

The Hollywood Reporter had this review up for the three parter after its run in Berlin:
 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/dreileben-film-review-167356

We'll find out next week.
Dreileben's three IMDb pages are here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1718775/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1718776/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1718777/

More on the morrow...

Trailers, Trailers, Trailers/Posters Too/And Pictures

Good Morning Starshine...the Earth says, "Hello."  with apologies to Rado, Ragni and MacDermot.

Telluride #38 in TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY.

I'm heading for Telluride later today (the 9 1/2 hour drive won't be complete until after midnight).  I'm going to see my daughter in the Telluride Rep's Shakespeare in the Park production of "As You Like It." 

I'll also be putting together the details of MTFB's meet and greet for Friday, Sept. 2 in Telluride called "The Guide to the Ride, the Flow of the Show."  I should have details in Monday's post.  See you in the park Saturday night???

TRAILERS (FOR SALE OR RENT?)

Clooney and Payne on the set of "The Descendants"

A veritable barrage of posts from a variety of sources yesterday with trailers (some seen previously and others not) of films that could make an appearance at TFF#38.

Starting with a big post from Anne Thompson/Thompson On Hollywood(IndieWire) that includes multiple links to trailer including Telluride possibles "The Descendants," The Skin I Live In," "The Ides of March, " and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy."  Other links are provided to:"Hysteria" and "Anonymous."

That post is here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/18/trailer_watch_new_york_toronto_and_venice_film_festivals

Another Thompson post reveals that Telluride possible (and Sundance success) "Martha Marcy May Marlene" has two trailers that will be out today for those that can find them.  Kind of a trailer treasure hunt it would appear.  Check Anne's other story for the down low about how that's supposed to work here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/18/join_the_hunt_for_martha_marcy_may_marlene_trailer

Another late coming title to Telluride consideration is Michael Winterbottoms' "Tess of the D'Ubervilles" adaptation "Trishna" starring Frieda Pinto.  It has a trailer out as well this morning as we found out from The Playlist (IndieWire).  The link to that trailer and The Playlist post is here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/watch_beautiful_deeply_romantic_trailer_for_michael_winterbottoms_trishna_w

And finally, Kris Tapley at Incontention.com has the "Machine Gun Preacher" trailer up on his site.  "Preacher" features Gerard Butler in a "true story" film about a man who changes his life to help others.  It is directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland)The link to that is here:

http://incontention.com/2011/08/18/machine-gun-preacher-trailer/


Warm up for a fortnight from now by taking a peek at some or all of these trailers.

POSTERS TOO

The Playlist also posted a story that included the "Coriolanus" poster that we passed along yesterday.  Their article does include the new "Contagion" poster pictured above as well as a new poster for "Safe."
You'll find the story and all 3 posters at:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/coriolanus_contagion_jason_stathams_safe_get_posters/


NEW ZOO PICS

I am a bit wary to even include Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo" as T-ride possible.  Not much buzz in that direction and additionally, like a lot of the planet, I was not fond of his last effort "Elizabethtown."  Nevertheless, Rope of Silicon has a post up with 5-6 new stills from the production including the one I have added above.

See the ROS story and other pics at:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/images-cameron-crowes-we-bought-zoo

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More on the morrow...from Telluride!

An Invite/New York Surprise/Coriolanus Poster/SPC at TFF/Inarritu's Next Gig

Good Morning America, How are ya?   Today's apologies to Arlo Guthrie.

The 38th Telluride Film Festival is 2 weeks and 1 day away...

AN INVITATION

You are invited to attend "The Guide to the Ride; The Flow of the SHOW" a brief discussion of Michael's Telluride Film Blog and the selections for the 38th Telluride Film Festival in Telluride on Friday, Sept. 2, 2011.   Location, timing and refreshment details are still being sorted through.  Watch the blog for more especially beginning with next Monday's blog post.

NEW YORK SURPRISE

The New York Film Festival will be featuring Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" as its closing night film.  That information was relayed by various sources yesterday.  The choice was a bit unexpected.  Most speculation had centered on "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "The Iron Lady."

So what does the choice of "The Descendants" for NYFF tell us? 

First, rest assured, it DOES NOT MEAN that we won't see it in Colorado in two weeks.  It's going to be there (I have included the link below to Anne Thompson's "Thompson on Hollywood" post at IndieWire from yesterday and she flat says it's playing T-ride...and I've been saying it for some time). 

Second, I really think that it means that "Tinker" is now 50/50 for Telluride.  At this point it's the only game in town before it opens in Britain except for its Venice showing.  So I have a good vibe going on here.

Third, the overlap between TFF and NYFF may be very pronounced this year.  Look at the list of NYFF films and it is full of TFF possibles via the NYFF official website ( I have placed an *** by those films I've had on my Telluride radar).

The 49th New York Film Festival main slate:

Opening Night Gala Selection
CARNAGE
Director: Roman Polanski
Country: France/Germany/Poland

Centerpiece Gala Selection
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
Director: Simon Curtis
Country: UK

Special Gala Presentations
A DANGEROUS METHOD***
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: UK/Canada/Germany

THE SKIN I LIVE IN***
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Country: Spain

Closing Night Gala Selection
THE DESCENDANTS***
Director: Alexander Payne
Country: USA

4:44: LAST DAY ON EARTH
Director: Abel Ferrara
Country: USA

THE ARTIST***
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Country: France

CORPO CELESTE
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Country: Italy/Switzerland/France

FOOTNOTE***
Director: Joseph Cedar
Country: Israel

GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD***
Director: Martin Scorsese
Country: USA

GOODBYE FIRST LOVE***
Director: Mia Hansen-Løve
Country: France/Germany

THE KID WITH A BIKE***
Director: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Country: Belgium/France

LE HAVRE***
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Country: Finland/France/Germany

THE LONELIEST PLANET
Director: Julia Loktev
Country: USA/Germany

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE***
Director: Sean Durkin
Country: USA

MELANCHOLIA
Director: Lars von Trier
Country: Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany/Italy

MISS BALA
Director: Gerardo Naranjo
Country: Mexico

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA***
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Country: Turkey

PINA
Director: Wim Wenders
Country: Germany/France/UK

PLAY
Director: Ruben Östlund
Country: Sweden/France/Denmark

POLICEMAN
Director: Nadav Lapid
Country: Israel/France

A SEPARATION***
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Country: Iran

SHAME***
Director: Steve McQueen
Country: UK

SLEEPING SICKNESS
Director: Ulrich Köhler
Country: Germany/France/Netherlands

THE STUDENT
Director: Santiago Mitre
Country: Argentina

THIS IS NOT A FILM
Director: Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
Country: Iran

THE TURIN HORSE
Director: Béla Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky
Country: Hungary/France/Germany/Switzerland/USA

 

In 2010 Telluride and the NYFF shared these titles: Another Year, Carlos, Inside Job, Le Quattro Volte, Of Gods and Men and Poetry.

In 2009 they shared: Life During Wartime, Vincere, Room and a Half, Inferno and The White Ribbon.

So overlapping is going to occur and I think perhaps even more than has been the case the last two years.

The Anne Thompson post is here and it is extensive:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/17/george_clooneys_the_descendants_to_close_nyff_main_line-up_of_27_films/

CORIOLANUS HAS A NEW POSTER

I am really hoping that The Weinstein Company and TFF have agreed to include “Coriolanus” as a festival offering.  After watching the trailer I am amped to see the Ralph Fiennes directorial effort. 

TWC played at T-ride last year with “The King’s Speech.”  My hope is that they have more than one film in play this year.  I’m fairly confident that their “The Artist” will be in Colorado.  I’m also fairly confident that two TWC offerings won’t be: “The Iron Lady” and My Week with Marilyn.”  That leaves “Coriolanus” and Madonna’s “W.E.” as TWC films still in the Telluride mix.

The Hollywood Reporter had a new “Coriolanus” poster up yesterday and I pass that along to you here:

You can see the complete THR story here:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/first-look-coriolanus-poster-featuring-224505
The Coriolanus IMDb page is here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1372686/


SPC AT TFF

Scene from "Footnote"

I have often noted that Sony pictures Classics has had a big presence at TFF for a while now.  Anne Thompson (mentioned above) has a good look at the SPC slate for the fall awards season here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/17/oscar_watch_sony_pictures_classics_boasts_strong_fall_line-up_midnight_in_p/

I think we can almost guarantee that "Footnote" will be in the San Juans in two weeks.  It will probably show up somewhere in next week's "Ten(+) Bets list.  Thompson also mentions "A Separation" in the SPC stable...TFF bound?  Maybe so.

INARRITU'S NEXT GIG

I'm always trying to keep my eyes open to the earliest possible inkling of films that seem to be potential Telluride selections in the future and I have a new one today via The Wrap which posted that Telluride fave Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is set to direct his next project.  Inarritu's "Babel"
 and "Biutiful" both played at Telluride so you have to figure that his next project will bear watching.  The film is entitled "The Revenant" and is based on a novel by Michael Punke.

Check the complete Wrap post at:
http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/babel-director-alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-attached-wbs-revenant-exclusive-30191

Inarritu's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0327944/

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More on the morrow...

MTFB Up Close/Goodbye Says "Hello"/Posters Again?/Can't Stop It

Hello It's Me...with apologies to Todd Rundgren.

The 38th Telluride Film Festival will be under way in 2 weeks and 2 days....

MTFB UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

It looks increasingly as if there will be a "Michael's Telluride Film Blog" shin dig"/"meet and greet"/seminar/thingy in Telluride on Friday, Sept. 2.  I'm working on the details right now and will be passing them along as they get firmed up.  If it comes together like I think it's going to, it will be a pleasant way to get together and talk a little bit about the Festival before it really cranks up.

I'll let you know as we get closer to the festival.

"GOODBYE" SAYS "HELLO"

Ioncinema reports late yesterday that they're fairly certain that writer-director Mia Hansen-Love's "Goodbye First Love" is headed to the Telluride Film Festival.

Ioncinema tweeted:
"Goodbye First Love-looks like it's Telluride Bound"

The French/German film follows the ups and downs of a romantic relationship of a couple beginning in their adolescence.

Adding some background info that sort of provides a semi-Telluride connection to past festivals is the nugget that Hansen-Love is purportedly engaged to Olivier Assayas ("Carlos"-TFF #37).

Goodbye First Love's IMDb page is here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1618447/

MORE POSTERAGE

The Playlist, First Showing.net and Movie Web all had versions of posts up yesterday with new posters for "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" that are character specific (so I imagine that there will be others rolled over over the next few days)

and the first (to my knowledge) of Mark Forster's "Machine Gun Preacher" which I think has a chance to be at Telluride.

Tinker's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/

Machine Gun Preacher's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1586752/

Check the full stories at:

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

FirstShowing.net
http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/check-this-out-gerard-butlers-new-poster-for-machine-gun-preacher/

MovieWeb:
http://www.movieweb.com/news/two-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-posters-with-colin-firth-and-tom-hardy

YOU CAN'T STOP IT...

Sasha Stone of Awards Daily has a nice post up that focuses on her view of the state of the race for Oscar glory as we approach the thundering tumult that will be Telluride, Venice, Toronto and New York.  She gives a clear eyed assessment of what's what and the players in the line-ups of those fests that we know about.  Take a look at it, see what you think:
http://www.awardsdaily.com/2011/08/cantstop/

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http://twitter.com/#!/Gort2


More on the morrow...

New York Galas/Thompson and Wells on the NYFF/Posters of Possibles

Good Morning All.

I may have further personal developments concerning this year's festival by the end of the week...or maybe not.  We'll see.

NEW YORK GALAS

The New York Film Festival (in October) announced two more gala presentations yesterday afternoon (in addition to "My Week with Marilyn" which had already been announced) and both of the films chosen have been on our Telluride watch list.  Gala presentations were announced for David Cronenberg's Freud vs. Jung duel  "A Dangerous Method" (Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender) and Pedro Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In" (Antonio Banderas).

This leaves New York's fest with its closing night film still yet to be named and that is supposed to happen by the end of the week. 

In all likelihood the addition of "Method" and "Skin" to New York's lineup while not eliminating the chance that one or both might play Telluride diminishes the chances that they turn up there. 

THOMPSON AND WELLS ON NEW YORK

Three posts from yesterday afternoon provide some context and in one case, sort of opposing perspectives from two of the best in the business.  I have included two posts from Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood.  The first is a straight up presentation of the two films that have been added to the NYFF slate as Gala Presentations:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/15/nyff_cronenbergs_dangerous_method_and_almodovars_skin_i_live_in_added_to_ga/

Following that is Anne's discussion in a separate post of the chances that "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" might be offered the closing night slot at NYFF.  She also mentions "The Iron Lady" as a possible for that spot but it almost seems as if that is a secondary consideration.  Clearly, if TTSS closes New York it is my belief that it will definitely be off the Telluride list.  That second Thompson post is here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/15/will_tinker_tailor_soldier_spy_or_iron_lady_land_new_york_film_festival_ber/?utm

However, Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere in his post late yesterday about New York's selections seems to at least imply that TTSS is all but off the table as far as any participation in the New York Festival is concerned.  And Wells suggests in the comments section that he thinks TTSS at Telluride is still a possibility.  The Wells post is linked here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/15/will_tinker_tailor_soldier_spy_or_iron_lady_land_new_york_film_festival_ber/?utm

It will be really interesting to see what comes out later this week as the NYFF actual closer.

So, in review:

Chances for "Method" DOWN
Chances for "Skin" also DOWN (but not down as much as "Method" I think)
Chances for "TTSS":  HOLDING STEADY

NEW POSTERS

A big post from Rope of Silicon with new poster art for a number of films including at least three that I have been including on the TFF #38 watch list.  "Drive," "Carnage" and "Moneyball" (see above).  Of the three, "Drive" may be the most likely to actually be in Colorado in two and a half weeks. Then "Moneyball."  "Carnage" is unlikely as it is the NYFF opener.

Take a look at the new poster art for them plus sevearl other films at this link to ROS:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/posters-drive-american-reunion-moneyball-carnage-harold-kumar


Hope you're having a good week...more on the morrow...

Opposing Drives/Looking at Tinker/Descendants Look/Thompson on Coriolanus

Good Morning America...and all the ships at sea!

Friday was a really interesting day.  A nice little bit of badinage with Sasha Stone of Awards Daily and a note that Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere has added me as a follower on Twitter.  Freaking out a little.

Also finished the first (and largest step) of a big, BIG summer project.

So all in all, a really nice day.  Now some film stuff...

DRIVE'S POSTERS COMPARED

I have high hopes that I have been reading the tea leaves correctly and that Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" will unspool (a term that doesn't make sense in an age of digital film) in Telluride in less than three weeks.

I was lukewarm about it as I read descriptions coming out of Cannes in May (very good notices) but really came around after seeing the trailer.  Now I think it might have a shot to be one of the two or three best films of the year.  So hopes and expectations are high.

Yesterday, via different film sites, we got 2 views of differing posters for the film.  From Awards Daily this view of the "drive" poster for the U.K.

From FirstShowing.net this view of the official U.S. poster:

Personally I prefer the U.S. version.

"Drive" stars Ryan Gosling (as you can clearly see in the posters), Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks (Oscar buzz) and Ron Perlman (who I swear I saw in Telluride the first time I was there for the film fest in 2006).

Drive's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/

LOOKING AT TINKER

Another film I have a vibe for and that I am crossing my fingers for is Tomas Alfredson's spy thriller/existential meditation "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" from the John LeCarre novel and featuring Gary Oldman (Oscar buzz), Colin Firth (Oscar buzz), John Hurt, Mark Strong and Toby Jones.  Next week's announcement from the New York Film Fest about its closing film may tell us about TTSS' chances of actually being in the San Juans.  Again, I'm hoping...

The Playlist (at IndieWire) has a post up with a discussion of clips from the film.  They seem positively giddy with what they've seen.  That whets my appetite even more.

Here's the link to The Playlist's story:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/empire_big_screen_11_first_footage_from_tinker_tailor_soldier_spy_is_flat-o

Tinker's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/


DESCENDANTS LOOK

It's no secret that I'm 99.99% certain that Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" starring George Clooney will be in Telluride...the film...Clooney?...who knows.

This is also a film I am very high on and I've had it on the Telluride radar for more than a year.  Good buzz on it from some insider types has also built my anticipation.

Again, The Playlist was up this weekend with a new post and a new still from the film.  The post also has a good description via the press info out from the Toronto fest where it will also play after T-ride ( as well as a mention that they "won't be surprised" if it is headed to Telluride...go with that, I say).

Here's The Playlist story:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/new_photo_george_clooney_shailene_woodley_in_alexander_paynes_the_descendan

The Descendant's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/

BTW... for those interested...The Playlist also has a couple of new posts up this weekend about "Carnage" and "My Week with Marilyn" both of which I have virtually dropped from serious Telluride consideration because of their positions in the New York Film Festival.

And Playlist...I'm still available...

THOMPSON ON CORIOLANUS

Anne Thompson is one of my favorite film bloggers (Thompson on Hollywood/IndieWire).  I had a chance to meet and talk with her briefly two years ago at Telluride #36.  She was very kind. 

Last year she went to Venice and missed Telluride #37 but I hear that she's returning to southwest Colorado this year and I say "Yea!"

Yesterday Thompson posted an informative piece about the initial reactions from those who have seen Ralph Fiennes' adaptation of Shakespeare's "Coriolanus."  Suffice it to say that the early buzz is very good (Vanessa Redgrave-Oscar buzz).
I have seen the trailer for the film and as a result I am extremely hopeful ends up on the TFF#38 playbill.  You can link to the trailer if you'll look at my Aug. 10th post of this blog. 

The Thompson story is here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/08/12/coriolanus_fiennes_and_redgrave_stand_out

Coriolanus IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1372686/


AND TWO TIDBITS

News out of Hollywood the last 24 hours that really doesn't have Telluride implications but that I find interesting:

Disney has apparently pulled the plug on the Johnny Depp/Lone Ranger project...that's all over the Interweb...wow.

And the announcement that Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) has grabbed the option to adapt and direct the new Stephen King novel "11-22-63."  This combination of material and auteur intrigues me.

The novel is out in November for us mere mortals and centers on time travel and the attempt to re-write history.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Tinker Spec/Another Kevin/Into the Abyss/Poland's View

Good morning all.  Still kind of back to waiting...

The 38th annual Telluride Film Festival happens in 22 days!

Three weeks away and I keep getting reminders in various ways that people are coming to the blog in increasing numbers in hopes that it does what it's intended to do: give some insight about the likely films that will play at the uber-secret Telluride Film Festival.  As the days get fewer, the traffic gets bigger.  No pressure!

TINKER SPECULATION

Last year's TFF Tributee, Colin Firth, in TTSS

                                                            

Tomas Alfredson's film adaptation of the John LeCarre novel, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" has been on my Telluride radar for quite some time now.  If you range through past posts of this blog you can find poster, stills and trailer links.  I thought it was only about a 25% possibility to be at TFF #38 for a long time. 

Lately, I've been thinking that its chances are increasing especially since it wasn't tagged for Toronto and wasn't chosen to open New York ("Carnage" was) or stand as its middle of festival special presentation (My Week with Marilyn" was).  Last week I suggested that it might be a part of a Gary Oldman tribute...and I'm not saying definitively that one of Telluride's three tributes will be devoted to Oldman...just that that is a scenario that makes some sense to me.

Nevertheless, bigger show biz brains than mine are thinking in a similar direction.  Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood elsewhere posted just yesterday that he's thinking along the same lines. Wells' view for TTSS: Telluride, close the NYFF (Wells says that the closer will be announced by NYFF next week) or no U.S. festival presentation at all.

Consequently, I have bumped the chances of seeing TTSS in Telluride up to 40%...and it would definitely be on my must-see list.

The link to the Wells post is here:
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2011/08/tinker_cant_hid.php

Tinker's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/

PS...the comments section of the Wells story indicates that Wells is now leaning toward the belief that TTSS won't play anywhere domestically prior to its London debut.


ANOTHER KEVIN

"We Need to Talk About Kevin" has been on our Telluride radar in a serious way since it made waves in May at the Cannes film festival.  Starring John C. Reilly and Tilda Swinton (in what has been touted since Cannes as an Oscar caliber performance), the film got a boost, in my estimation, of its chances of being in
T-ride during the Toronto fest announcements as the result of a cryptic tweet from Ioncinema.  Currently I have it sitting at #5 on my "Ten Bets" list.

Well, as fall fests draw closer, we're seeing more info from film distributors and studios including a new (and what most are saying is an improved) poster for the film.

The Playlist (at IndieWire) posted the new version of the poster in a story yesterday.  The post also contains the new poster for Steven Spielberg's animate "Adventures of Tintin."  Here's the new "Kevin" version via their website:

Yup..works better.  You can find The Playlist story at:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/new_posters_for_the_adventures_of_tintin_we_need_to_talk_about_kevin/

Kevin's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242460/


INTO THE ABYSS

Werner Herzog is a Telluride mainstay.  He's on the festival's advisory board.  I think he's been there all five of the years I have.  He almost always has something in the can to show.  This year doesn't appear to be any different.

I fully expect his Texas death row documentary "Into the Abyss" (at least I think that's what he's calling it now) to be on Telluride's program when it is unveiled on Sept. 2.  We already know that it will be playing in Toronto, so we know that Herzog has it ready for public display.  So my feeling is "bank on it."  It's sitting at #2 on this week's "Ten Bets" for a reason.

All that is to get to this: Movie City News has a post up with three clips from the doc that you can look at.  Here's the link:
http://moviecitynews.com/2011/08/tiff11-three-clips-from-herzog-on-death-row-into-the-abyss/


The Abyss IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1972663/


POLAND'S VIEW

Could we see "Chicken with Plums" in Telluride?

Speaking of Movie City News, their David Poland had a really great three part awards-type preview last week up on their site.  The links for all three parts are provided below.  Some notes that may have Telluride implications:

From Part One: Includes discussion of Telluride possibles "Chicken with Plums," "Dark Horse," and "The Oranges."   He also talks "Friends with Kids" and "Trishna" both of which could show at The SHOW.  I actually was teetering on calling "Trishna" a T-ride "possible" as well.

Part Two: Is chocked full or Telluride "maybes" including: "360," "The Deep Blue Sea," "Eye of the Storm," "Killer Joe," "The Lady," "Peace, Love and Understanding," "Rampart," "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen," "Shame," and "Take this Waltz."

Part Three: Starts out looking at "big" films that probably won't be in play for Telluride (with the exception of the above noted "Tinker, Tailor..." and maybe "The Rum Diary").  After that, Poland switches back to some films that definitely are possibles for Telluride: "Albert Nobbs," "The Artist," "Coriolanus," "A Dangerous Method," and, of course, the George Clooney double bill of "The Descendants" and "The Ides of March."  Additionally, Poland concludes with comments about "Moneyball," "Take Shelter" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin."

The three parter is fun and informative.  Take a look at it.

Part One link:
http://moviecitynews.com/2011/08/6-weeks-to-tiff-a-20-weeks-to-oscar-prequel-part-1-of-3/

Part Two link:
http://moviecitynews.com/2011/08/6-weeks-to-tiff-a-20-weeks-to-oscar-prequel-part-2-of-3/

Part Three link:
http://moviecitynews.com/2011/08/6-weeks-to-tiff-a-20-weeks-to-oscar-prequel-part-3-of-3/


More on the morrow...

Ten Bets/Tinker Trailer/Kevin Too/Animated Offering?/15,000

I'm being proactive today!  Hope everyone had a great weekend.

The 38th Telluride Film Festival Countdown: 25 Days

THIS WEEK'S TEN BETS

Last week's list of ten films I feel the most strongly about being on the TFF #38 program:

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

Last week's positioning on the list was fueled in part as a result of tweets from Ioncinema during the announcements for the Toronto lineup.  This week, the list fluctuates due to the announcement that "The Artist" is headed to the Montreal World Film Festival this month.

1) The Descendants (I'm telling you it's a lock ladies and germs)
2) Gazing Into the Abyss
3) A Trip to the Moon
4) The Artist
5) We Have to Talk About Kevin
6) Le Havre
7) Prohibition
8) Drive
9) Shame
10) The Kid with a Bike/Dark Horse (tie)

TINKER TRAILER...

Tomas Alfredson's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy has a new trailer out over the weekend.  It looks good.  Here's the link to the story and trailer from First Showing.net:
http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/watch-second-thrilling-uk-trailer-for-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy/

Additionally, I continue to think that TTSS has somewhere in the neighborhood of a 50/50 chance to be in Telluride.  That feeling got a little boost as the result of a post from Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere yesterday.  Wells seems to think that TTSS almost has to be at either Telluride or New York and he implies that he's pretty sure that Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" is likely to be the NYFF closer...which would leave Telluride as the last fest standing for a U.S. film fest presentation for TTSS prior to its scheduled opening on Nov. 18.

Here's the link to the Jeffrey Wells post:
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2011/08/eliminations.php

And Tinker's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/


KEVIN HAS A TRAILER TOO

The Playlist posts a story and link to the trailer for Lynne Ramsay's "We Need to Talk About Kevin."  The film stars Tilda Swinton (in what is said to be a possible Oscar nominated role) and John C. Reilly as parents dealing (or not) with the aftermath of violence committed by their son.

The film was fairly well received at Cannes and I have it currently at #5 on the list of Ten Bets for this week.
Here's your link to The Playlist story with the trailer included:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/watch_international_trailer_provides_first_look_at_lynne_ramsays_we_need_to/

Kevin's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242460/


ANIMATION AT TELLURIDE

A Tweet this weekend from Jarvis Films leads me to add "The Birds Upstairs" " to the list of probable films this year.  It's an animated short.

Quoting the tweet here:

JarvisFilms (@JarvisFilms)

8/5/11 10:47 PM

"Incredibly honored to be part of the Telluride Film Festival this year!"

After an inventory of the Jarvis Film website, it's my guess that "The Birds..." is the film that makes the cut for T-ride.
The Jarvis Films website is at:
http://www.jarvisfilms.com/

The Birds IMDb page is here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1709146/
 15,000

And finally, this blog passed 15,000 views over the past weekend.  5,000+ since April 26th.  Thanks to everyone that takes a look and apologies for all the things I get wrong.

Tomorrow!

Future Festival Films?/Pix of Possibles/More Le Havre/TTSS

Waiting...waiting...waiting...

FUTURE FESTIVAL FILMS?

It's become a habit of mine to start to try to identify possible TFF films as far out as possible.  Sometimes I miss (The Tree of Life).  Sometimes I hit (Black Swan).  In that tradition I have been tracking the progress this summer of a few films that look like they would at least be a consideration for inclusion at TFF #39 or #40.

One of these is Danny Boyle's "Trance" which has had some interesting casting bumps this summer in terms of one of the male leads.  First it was supposed to be Michael Fassbender, then Colin Firth and currently Vincent Cassel.  And actually, any of those fellows would probably strengthen the chances of the film getting picked up for Telluride.  The other male lead also does no harm to the film's Telluride profile.  That's James McAvoy.

Now comes word of the casting of Rosario Dawson from The Playlist.  You can find the link to that story here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/rosario_dawson_joins_danny_boyles_trance_vincent_cassel_confirmed

I wouldn't expect to see "Trance" until TFF#40.

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

Also on the horizon is news of a new film that could have some Telluride potential next year.  It's called "Darling Companion" and both Ioncinema and The Hollywood Reporter have tidbits about it.

An ensemble piece from Lawrence Kasdan featuring Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Richard Jenkins and Sam Shepherd among others, "Darling Companion" is under the auspices domestically of Sony Pictures Classics.

The Ioncinema story (with a synopsis) is here:

http://networkedblogs.com/kWypX

The Hollywood Reporter version of the story is here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-pictures-classics-takes-domestic-216104

Darling Companion's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1730687/

PIX OF POSSIBLES

A slew of Telluride film possibles have been flooding the internet and news outlets with stills of their wares.  I thought I'd pass some of those along this morning.

"Drive" starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan (and implied as a lock for Telluride by Ioncinema) has a new poster out now.  It (not surprisingly) features Mr. Gosling.

Drive's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/

Also from Rope of Silicon, new pictures from the set of Ralph Fiennes directorial debut "Coriolanus."  Here's a teaser. 

Check out the full story at:

Coriolanus' IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1372686/

The Playlist dropped some beautiful photos from Madonna's directing debut as well.  "W.E." tells the story of Wallace Simpson and Prince Edward (the King who abdicated in England that made "The King's Speech" possible).

Again a teaser:

The whole post with more pix can be found here:

W.E.'s IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1536048/

MORE LE HAVRE NEWS


 "Le Havre" is a film that I have been thinking could/would be on this year's Telluride playlist since it debuted at Canes in May.  Last week's announcement that it had been picked up by Janus Films only strengthened my belief that we'll see it in the Rockies in four and a half weeks. 

In the midst of the news it was being picked up came a tweet from Anne Thompson (Thompson on Hollywood) that she believed that it is to be the first of a trilogy from director/writer Aki Kaurismaki.  That would be interesting by itself and it also would be interesting to see if the rest of the string of films might also make their way to Cannes and then T-ride.  We'll have to wait and see.

Here's the text of the Thompson tweet:
"Me too @GuyLodge Surprised that SPC didn't go for it. Apparently 1st of trilogy: wouldn't be surprised if Aki adopts different tone for next."


Le Havre's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1508675/


TTSS

Soooo..."Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"...not in Toronto...not the opener for The New York Film Festival (Roman Polanski's "Carnage" is).  There is a good deal a speculation that it might close the NYFF.  (There's also speculation that the closing spot might go to Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar).

Personally, I think that this is one instance where a film's absence from Toronto increase it's chances of being in Telluride's program.  Jeff wells at Hollywood Elsewhere isn't ruling that out.

See here:
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2011/07/ohsorry_missed.php

I would love to see Gary Oldman kick his Oscar campaign off on Colorado Ave.  (Do I smell a tribute possibility here?)

TTSS's IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/

Until tomorrow...