Welp...Not Again / Ten Bets #5 for TFF #48 / Looks at Potentials Including New Dune Trailer / Venice Is Coming / Good News/Bad News

 WELP...NOT AGAIN.

TFF has denied my application to be an accredited journalist again this year.  Here's the wording of  the denial email:

"We unfortunately unable to offer you media accreditation for the 2021 Telluride Film Festival".

It's been exactly the same language for three years running.  They last accredited me in 2018.

Here's a question- anyone else reading this been denied or know of someone who has been denied?

Never a reason.  Just "unfortunately unable".  And believe me, I've asked for a rationale.  

I've been fairly sure that it really comes down to a couple of posts that specifically upset TFF leadership.  So, I've tried to be more sensitive to how what I write might be viewed by TFF leadership.  Tried very hard after a couple of things that the fest let me know that they were not fond of.  Over the last year or so, I have sat on a couple of stories that I felt that the fest would rather not be out of the bag until they were ready.  Just a two-three weeks back, I became aware of a situation wherein a film's IMDb listings had it playing at Telluride.  Rather than report that, I sent a heads up email to the festival.  Those efforts seem to have cut zero ice.

 And then there's the general acrimony about what the central organizing principle of this space has been for 13 years.  

But, you know, lots of other outlets speculate about possible Telluride selections.  Of recent vintage I would point to Pete Hammond's June 18th Deadline post concerning TFF's annual L.A,. party.  In that piece Hammond mentions no less than half a dozen films by name and hints at another four from Netflix.  Yet, I have little doubt that Mr. Hammond and Deadline will receive accreditation and I wonder if Telluride emailed him a note of approbation like they've emailed me in the past.

Same with Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere yesterday (citing the Jordan Ruimy/World of Reel piece you'll see below, in which he rattles off more than a dozen titles of potential T-ride titles.

"But, Mike, maybe it's just because MTFB has such a small readership?"  I hear you asking.  And sure, I'll be the first to admit that the blog's numbers aren't big but I would argue that among that number, it lands with some impact.  I won't get into followers and industry folks who have reached out over the years to remark to me how valuable a resource this thing has been and is, but it's substantial.  And, again, I can imagine someone saying..."well, sure, anyone can claim that what they do has influence-show me the proof."  And I'll say...won't name names...but you know who you are.  

Also, if it's about smallish numbers...why where my numbers big enough for the eight years I was accredited? 

And then there's the point that maybe there are limited spots for journalists.  Could be, but they accredited a brand new Oscar outlet in 2019 which had had absolutely no previous experience at the fest.

TEN BETS #5 FOR TFF #48

Well, this is weird.  Normally. the first Ten bets after  Toronto's first announcement of titles causes a massive re-organization of the Ten Bets in the following post.  This year...not so much.  Last week's ten Bets and other possibilities were:

1) Something from Mark Cousins***

2) Muhammad Ali/Burns. Burns and McMahon

3) The Card Counter/Schrader

4) The Power of the Dog/Campion

5) Madres Paralelas (Parallel Mothers)/Almodovar

6) The Velvet Underground/Haynes

7) Nightmare Alley/Del Toro

8) A Hero/Farhadi

9) Julia/Cohen and West

10) Spencer/Larrain

Other Possibles: Dune, Where Is Anne Frank?, Paris 13th District and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Blonde, Cow, House of Gucci, The Last Duel, Mothering Sunday and Bergman Island.

***Mark Cousins projects that could play:

The Story of Looking

The Storms of Jeremy Thomas

The Story of Film: The Next Generation

With the addition of information from Toronto our fifth edition of "Ten Bets" looks like this:

1) The Electrical Life of Louis Wain/Sharpe

2) Petite Maman/Sciamma

3) The Card Counter/Schrader

4) Something from Mark Cousins***

5) The Power of the Dog/Campion

6) The Velvet Underground/Haynes

7) Madres Paralelas (Parallel Mothers)/Almodovar

8) Julia/Cohen and West

9) A Hero/Farhadi

10) Spencer/Larrain

Other Possibles: Dune, The French Dispatch, Nightmare Alley, Where Is Anne Frank?, Blonde, Cow, House of Gucci, The Last Duel, Mothering Sunday, Encounter, The Velvet Underground, Muhammad Ali, The Hand of God, Don't Look Up, tick, tick..BOOM, Antlers, Being the Ricardos, Titaine, Pig, C'mon C'mon, The Humans, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Red Rocket, Last Exit: Space, Flee, King Richard.

***Mark Cousins projects that could play:

The Story of Looking

The Storms of Jeremy Thomas

The Story of Film: The Next Generation

Paris 13th District, Bergman Island and The Eyes of Tammy Faye all drop from the "Other Possibles" list as their premiere designation for Toronto indicates that they will not have played Telluride but nary a one of the Ten Bets from last week completely disappears this week and that's remarkably unusual.

Also of interest (to me anyway) is that the only film from this year's initial Ten Bets that looks to be out so far is Mia Hansen-Love's Bergman Island.

LOOKS AT POTENTIALS INCLUDING NEW DUNE TRAILER

Continuing to pass along sporadic looks at films that could make the TFF #48 lineup.

***LATE BREAKING: NEW DUNE TRAILER

***TRAILER AND POSTER FOR RIDLEY SCOTT'S THE LAST DUEL

THE CARD COUNTGER POSTER

TRAILER FOR FLEE

VENICE IS COMING

The Venice film Festival is set to announce the bulk of their lineup next week and the reality is that announcement really doesn't rule anything in or out for Telluride.  The real info from Venice will be when they announce their schedule because that will tell you more about what's possible in an overlap between T-ride and Venice.  We won't see the schedule until August, though.

We know that Almodover's Madres Paralelas is opening Venice on Sept. 1 and that Denis Villenueve's Dune is set for Sept. 3.  Both of those are early enough in the Venetian sked to make a cross Atlantic jaunt and be at Telluride.  Films have made that kind of schedule work in the past.

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel, just yesterday posted a "likely for Telluride" list and also some titles that he thinks will NOT play.  Among other notes, he's very confident that Del Toro's Nightmare Alley and Dominik's Blonde will not be on the Telluride list.  That bums me out as they were two of most hoped for Telluride titles.

The good news is that, in his estimation, Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch is back in Telluride play as well as a number of other films...many of which (seven to be exact) are on the Ten Bets list above.

Ruimy's entire post is linked here.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

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"Black Mass" to Venice/"Our Brand" Gets a Release Date/The "Unified Clooney Theory"/This Would Be a Shocker

Good Monday morning campers.  I hope you enjoyed a stress free weekend.



"BLACK MASS" TO VENICE

"Black Mass" trailer via YouTube

The Venice Film Festival announced Friday that Scott Cooper's "Black Mass" will world premiere out of competition as a part of their lineup on Sept. 4.

You probably noticed that I listed "Black Mass" in Friday's MTFB post at #10 and for the first time this summer.  I also mentioned in this space last week that I was seeing a good deal of smoke about the chances that it would play Telluride and in light of the Hollywood Elsewhere story above, the #10 spot seems conservative.

 Finally, I have been suggesting for months now that I thought that Warners would be back at Telluride this year after laying out last year.  Their success with "Argo" in 2012 and "Gravity" in 2013.  In addition to "Black Mass", Warners also has "Our Brand is Crisis" and "In the Heart of the Sea" and "Midnight Special" as potential material for Telluride.

The Telluride/Venice overlap is usually fairly smallish.  In most years, the overlap is around three films.  But...

The dating of the "Black Mass' premiere for Sept. 4th works for a Venice play followed by a Telluride screening half way through.  "Gravity" followed that path in 2013.



A couple of questions remain.  First, does Johnny Depp make the trip from Venice to Telluride and second, do any of the supporting players also come along?  Like Benedict Cumberbatch?  You may recall that in 2013 a mass of the "12 Years a Slave" crew made the journey: McQueen, Pitt, Fassbender, N'yongo, Ejiofor...so maybe the whole gang.

Here is a sampling of the coverage from the media about the Venice "Black Mass" announcement:

http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/johnny-depp-starrer-black-mass-to-world-preem-at-venice-film-festival-1201547904/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/venice-black-mass-world-premiere-810884

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/24/black-mass-venice-film-festival

http://www.indiewire.com/article/johnny-depp-heading-to-venice-film-festival-for-black-mass-world-premiere

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/johnny-depps-black-mass-will-officially-play-the-venice-film-festival-out-of-competition-20150724





"OUR BRAND" LANDS WITH A FALL DATE

Another tidbit of interest that was announced this weekend was the dating of release for David Gordon Green's "Our Brand is Crisis" for Oct. 30th.  That puts the film in prime position to be a part of any number of fall film fests including Telluride.  As mentioned above, "Our Brand" is being distributed by Warners which could bring it to T-ride along with "Black Mass" as they did with "Prisoners' and "Gravity in 2013.

"Our Brand" stars Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton and Zoe Kazan and is based on the 2005 documentary of the same name which explored the extension of American style political campaigning in South America.

The film also shows up below in my look at "The Unified Clooney Theory" of Telluride possibilities.

The stories from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter:


http://variety.com/2015/film/news/sandra-bullock-our-brand-is-crisis-set-for-oct-30-1201548567/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sandra-bullocks-crisis-gets-october-811106

THE UNIFIED CLOONEY THEORY

George Clooney on the set of the Coen Brothers' "Hail Caesar"

It's time once again to re-visit my annual proposal of the "Unified Clooney Theory".  The UCT suggests that Telluride clues can be found by examining the work of George Clooney and his friends and associates.  Last year the UCT was abysmal at suggesting possibilities, but remember that 2013 when the UCT was actually fairly prophetic: "12 Years a Slave" and "Gravity".  So...it's a "so-so" tool at best but kind of fun...

So, start with Clooney himself.  Acting wise, he's involved with a couple of films that might be Telluride worthy: "Money Monster" directed by Jodie Foster that almost certainly is unready (IMDb says it is till filming and isn't "expected until Mar. 31) and "Hail, Caesar" the Coen Brothers (also members of The UCT) film that is set for Feb. 5, 2016 release.

I'd really love "Caesar" to be surprise at T-ride...but it's not likely.

Much more likely is a film that Clooney is a producer on which David Gordon Green's "Our Brand is Crisis"  The film stars (and is also being produced by) Sandra Bullock.  The film is distributed by Warners and I actually think there's a real shot for it to play on Labor Day weekend.

Next up in The UCT is Clooney pal and sometimes co-star Brad Pitt.  Pitt and his wife Angelina Jolie have a much anticipated film that they have done together and was directed by Jolie.  "By the Sea" is at Universal and is set for a Nov. 13th release.  Honestly, I think the film is more likely as a New York Film Fest possibility rather than Telluride...but you never know.

The third member of The UCT to mention is Matt Damon.  Unlike Clooney and Pitt, Damon has not made it to Telluride.  His big acting gig for this year is the upcoming "The Martian" from director Ridley Scott.  "The Martian" is distributed by 20th Century Fox and is scheduled for release on Oct. 2.  One could make the case that it could SHOW with a big splash as "Gravity" did a couple of years ago but I'd be very, very surprised.

Damon, like Clooney, might be more likely to be Telluride involved through hos producing as he is a producer for Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester-by -the-Sea" which, although I don't think its T-ride chances are great, has a greater chance to make the lineup than "The Martian" does.

Then there's Damon's longtime friend and occasional collaborator Ben Affleck who is all about being Batman now in the upcoming "Batman vs. Superman" flick.  Affleck is also starring in "The Accountant" from Warners which has late January release date.  Warners could conceivably include it at T-ride with the roll out of "Black Mass".

Known Clooney accomplice Julia Roberts could show at The SHOW with "Secret in Their Eyes".

Cate Blanchett, another Clooney crony, has both "Truth" (which appears to be set for Telluride-see above) and "Carol" (which may not be as solid for Telluride as I have been thinking-also see above).

Of course, Clooney pal Don Cheadle is off the T-ride chart with his Miles Davis biopic that has been announced as the world premiere closing night film for the New York Film Fest.

Then there's Tilda Swinton who received a tribute at Telluride the same year as Clooney and has been in a number of films with Clooney and/or other UCT members: "Michael Clayton", "Hail, Caesar", "Burn After Reading", "Benjamin Button".  She's in "A Bigger Splash" which could be in the TFF #42 lineup.

Best UCT Telluride chances this year are:

1) "Truth" (Blanchett)
2) "Carol" (also Blanchett)
3) "Our Brand is Crisis" (Clooney)
4) "Manchester-by-the-Sea (Damon)
5) "Secret in Their Eyes" (Roberts)

THIS WOULD BE A SHOCKER

Roger Freidman's ShowBiz411 posted this tasty rumor/tidbit over the weekend: the Warren Beatty Howard Hughes project could show up at one of the three upcoming festivals...including Telluride.

The story seems unlikely, but I guess it's possible.  Freidman cites a "source close to the production" who also is reported to have claimed that if it were to show at Venice, Toronto or Telluride that it might well be a "surprise" screening.

That would be a stunning coup for any of the fests as the project is shrouded in mystery.

Here's the IMDb page for the untitled film:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1974420/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

and the link to the Freidman post:

http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/07/24/warren-beattys-howard-hughes-movie-may-surface-at-fall-film-festival



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Save the Dates/And Speaking of Cannes...

Good Thursday everyone...

SAVE THE DATES

I make the case frequently that Telluride is one of the five most influential/important film festivals on the planet...and sometimes people will ask me what the other four are...which is a good question, because they all have ramifications in as far as Telluride is concerned.  Additionally, they've all announced their dates which can give you a rough template about how films will jockey about and when.

Sundance, of course, has already happened. 

Sundance and Venice tend to be exclusive...though there are usually 2-3 films the cross-pollinate between Venice and Telluride.

Toronto tends to be inclusive...there is usually a good deal of overlap between Toronto and T-ride although there have been rumbles that that might be less true in the future.

New York tends to act in both capacities.  The NYFF will often have Telluride overlap, but it will also seek to snag 2-3 films exclusively.

Cannes #66 is scheduled for: May 15-26.

Venice is set for: Aug. 28-Sept. 7.

and Toronto is scheduled for: Sept. 5-15.

I think you could plausibly make the case that The New York Film Festival is the other possible "one of the five most..." film festivals on the planet and it, too, has an impact on what does and doesn't play at Telluride.  It's dates are: Sept. 27-Oct. 13.

So, for now, it's all about the Cannes fest and the choices those programmers make primarily for competition and the "Un Certain Regard" section.  They're are likely to be a number of films in those two Cannes categories that we'll see over Labor Day weekend.


AND SPEAKING OF CANNES...

The organizers of the 66th edition announced this week that Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" will open the festival.  Seems a little weird that it is the choice as it will have opened here in the U.S. the weekend before.  Curious.

Nevertheless, Cannes is two months away and we're starting to see some serious speculation about possible films for competition and other parts of the program.  I've included two that were just posted within the last few days:

Here's Deadline.com's speculation: http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/cannes-2013-lineup-predictions-films/

It includes Telluride possibles such as: "Nebraska", "Twelve Years a Slave", "Blood Ties", "Lowlife" and "The Past".

Brad Brevet at Rope of Silicon also posted a Cannes spec piece this week that builds on the Deadline post which I have linked here:

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/what-movies-will-play-at-the-2013-cannes-film-festival/


And so we await the Cannes announcement of the actual lineups to see what insights we can draw about the potential TFF #40 list of films.

More on Monday...

"Thirty (32) That Could Play-Ranked/Mikey's Wish List/New Player/And Now the Craziness/Best of the Week

Good Saturday to All!  6 Days until The SHOW (Panhandle Express leaves in 5!)



YOUR INVITATION...

I want to make sure every reader knows that they (well, everyone) is cordially invited to a brief reception on Friday, Aug. 31 at 5:00pm at The River Club (550 Depot) in Telluride.  The soiree is called "The Second Annual(?) Guide to the "Ride; The Flow of the SHOW".  We'll rub elbows and talk a little bit about what the weekend is going to hold for us.  Should be fun.  Hosts Mitzi and Larry mallard tell me that we can expect refreshments...maybe a little wine, maybe a nosh.



RANKING THE "THIRTY" (32) THAT COULD PLAY

Pics from Jacques Audiard's "Rust and Bone"...currently #1 on my "Ten Bets" list

This week's effort to identify 30 films beyond that "Ten Bets" list that have some chance of playing this week as a part of the 39th Telluride film Festival is repeated here and ranked according to what I think the film's chances are:

Here’s where we stand at the end of the week vis a vis that “Thirty That Could Play” (now 32 with yesterday’s additions of “Ginger and Rosa” and “The Act of Killing”) from most likely to least likely. Some of these will actually move into the “Ten Bets” list on Monday.

Frances Ha 85%
Argo 70%
To the Wonder 70%
Rainy Day Tales 65%
Something in the Air 65%
Song for Marion 65%
Ginger and Rosa 65%
The Sapphires 60%
Ernestine and Celeste 55%
Trouble with the Curve 55%
The Silver Linings Playbook 55%
The Hunt 55%
Reality 50%
Passion 50%
Hannah Arendt 50%
The Reluctant Fundamentalist 50%
The Act of Killing 50%
Cloud Atlas 50%
The Impossible 50%
Yellow 50%
At Any Price 45%
Killing Them Softly 45%
The Sessions 45%
Like Someone in Love 40%
Great Expectations 40%
You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet 35%
The East 35%
Anna Karenina 30%
Promised Land 30%
The Angel’s Share 25%
The Master 25%
Quartet 25%


Of course, Thursday I also included an additional list of "possibles" just floating below these 32.  They included: "The Company You Keep", "A Late Quartet", "Arthur Newman", "Dangerous Liaisons", "Caesar Must Die" (look out for this one), "Everybody Has a Plan", "The Gatekeepers" (also this), "In the Fog", "Laurence Anyways", "Love is All You Need", "Much Ado About Nothing", "The Place Beyond the Pines", "Populaire", "Post Tenebras Lux", "Room 237", "Seven Psychopaths" and "The We and the I".

And, of course, there will be films I just don't even have on my radar at all that make the SHOW...What can I say?  It's not an exact science.

MIKEY'S WISH LIST

So, irrespective of their chances of playing...what 10 films would I MOST like to see programmed for this week?

1) The Master
2) The Sessions
3) Cloud Atlas
4) Rust and Bone
5) Hyde Park on Hudson
6) Amour
7) Argo
8) No
9) To the Wonder
10) The Silver Linings Playbook

Alternates: Song for Marion, The Sapphires, Quartet, Midnight's Children, On the Road

What would be a shocker???

Lincoln
Inside Llewyn Davis
Zero Dark Thirty
Les Miserables
Django Unchained (which reportedly just wrapped a couple of weeks ago).


NEW PLAYER IN THE CONVO

News broke yesterday afternoon that Sony Pictures Classics had signed on to distribute Robert Redford's new film "The Company You Keep".  This has led to a good deal of speculation that it could pop up this week in Telluride (and I'd be pretty happy if it did).

Redford stars and directs.  The story centers on a man whose past is discovered and forces him to take flight.  Shia LeBoeuf and Julie Christie lead the rest of an incredible cast: Sam Elliot, Chris Cooper, Susan Sarandon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Stanley Tucci, Terrence Howard, Nick Nolte and Brit Marling...and that's not the complete cast.

Details in posts linked here from The Wrap, Thompson on Hollywood, The Playlist and Rope of Silicon:

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/robert-redford-keeps-company-sony-pictures-classics-53376

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/sony-pictures-classics-takes-redfords-venice-toronto-bound-the-company-you-keep

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/sony-pictures-classics-picks-up-robert-redfords-the-company-you-keep-starring-shia-labeouf-20120824

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/movie/company-you-keep/

Personally, I have reservations about the its chances because it's already set for Venice and Toronto but the SPC pickup means that you have to give it some consideration.

Here's "Company's" IMDb entry:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1381404/


AND NOW THE CRAZINESS

I can tell we're down to less than a week because the annual insanity has begun.  What do I mean?  Well, I do this "what's going to be at Telluride?" thing for 6 months of the year (really year round, but with serious of purpose from March until the Festival) but now a lot of people are going to chime in.  Some of that has value.  The bloggers/reporters that I typically cite and that are by and large linked to on the right side of this blog are very good at this...but there will be plenty of folks over the next few days that aren't as reliable or who are just making stuff up that will claim some knowledge of what's going to be on the SHOW program.  It's entertaining, to a point.  And I diligently follow those trails to see if there really is anything there...but beware, my friends, not every claim about what's going to make the festival should be given credence (or rumor of what celebrity is already on the ground in Telluride...I swear I hear Brad Pitt every year).

Case in point: late yesterday a post showed up in a forum on one of the best blogs I follow that claimed to have essentially the whole T-ride program and then listed "it".  And there's enough that's believable in it that a casual observer might buy the whole thing (there's also some stuff listed that I wish WOULD be true...but am really skeptical about).  For example it claims "Hyde Park on Hudson"...and I think that's going to play. It claims "The Company You Keep" which is highlighted in the above story and has just become a real hot piece of Telluride speculation.

Well, you know, you get excited...then you really look at what it's claiming...and, well...it just doesn't stand up to serious scrutiny.  It claims things which are just factually untrue...like an "opening" and "closing" film.  Telluride doesn't really do that (or at least they haven't in the past).

So take it with a grain of salt my friends, even THIS BLOG...it's gonna get crazier before we get there!


BEST OF THE WEEK

Best of the week...shorter than normal since I covered a good portion of it above in the "32 That Could Play" section...


LAST TORONTO TITLES

The Toronto International Film Festival announced their last round of titles yesterday and they, not surprisingly, include a number of Telluride-likely projects including: "Amour", "Something in the Air"< "Beyond the Hills" and "Like Someone in Love".  Check these links for a variety of reports about the final films added to the TIFF lineup:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/michael-winterbottoms-everyday-premieres-at-tiff-amour-something-in-the-air-more-round-out-lineup-20120821

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/toronto-festival-adds-david-geffen-johnny-depp-javier-bardem-and-michael-haneke-52841

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118058104.html?cmpid=RSS|News|FilmNews

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/toronto-2012-bernardo-bertolucci-michael-haneke-masters-lineup-364265

PS...I don't think we'll see "The West Memphis Three" next week for two reasons...1) It was a Sundance debut and 2) topically, it's somewhat similar to "The Central Park Five" which I'm thinking is a virtual lock.  BUT, if by some happenstance it IS playing (maybe it's a theme doc year?) then maybe we see Mr. Depp in support of it before he jets to Toronto to do the same thing...which would be cool.



MARION

"Rust and Bone" trailer with subtitles

I feel good about the chances that we'll see Jacques Audiard's "Rust and Bone" show up next week.  I'd love to see Ms. Cotillard there in Telluride as well...tres bien!!!

Cotillard has this interview up yesterday with Jada Yuan of Vulture.com:

http://www.vulture.com/2012/08/marion-cotillard-rust-and-bone-interview.html





PASSION TRAILER

Trailer for DePalma's "Passion"

Also moving up on the is Brain DePalma's "Passion" which released a trailer yesterday...looks...intriguing?  It stars Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams.

Check the post from Rope of Silicon here:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/watch-passion-trailer-brian-de-palma-mcadams-rapac/



FRANCES HA

Just yesterday I reported that Jeff Wells had posted that he was hearing the Noah Baumbach's and Greta Gerwig's "Frances Ha" was likely going to show at the SHOW next week.  Consequently I included it in the concluding (part 3) portion of my "Thirty That Could Play" and put its chances at 60%.

I'm bumping that up today.  I'm saying with very little equivocation, count on it playing.  So much so that "Frances Ha" will be somewhere on Monday's (and the final) "Ten Bets" list.

Wells also revisited the film yesterday at some length and you can find that post linked here:
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/08/spiritual_buoya.php


"Frances" has an IMDb entry here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2347569/



More on Monday unless late breaking news demands special posts...

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70mm in T-ride/Sessions Plug/Invitation/Best of the Week

Good Saturday to Everyone!  TWO WEEKS TO THE SHOW!


70 MM IN TELLURIDE

I continue to hold out some hope that Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" appears as a part of this year's festival.  Part of that hope has continued because of the fact that Telluride has done the 70 mm presentation of films occasionally in the past.  Friend of this blog Christopher Schiller, who has a longer history of attendance at the festival than I do, has been invaluable at recalling those past instances and pointed me to this story that ran in 2002:

http://www.in70mm.com/news/2002/telluride/index.htm


For those of you reading along that have been as obsessed as I have, you know that "The Master" screened this week in Chicago purportedly as an "unfinished" film.  It seems it doesn't have end credits yet.  Further, there is some buzz now that it's going to pop up somewhere on the west coast in a "surprise" screening as well.  Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere addresses that issue and some of the reactions to the Chicago screening here:
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/08/uh-oh_1.php


So Wells implies that it's not L.A. which makes sense since PTA has already shown the film in Santa Monica two weeks ago.

So, two weeks out and still fingers crossed...


SESSIONS PLUG

I've been pounding the drum for the festival programmers to chose Ben Lewin's "The Sessions" despite that fact that it has premiered in the U.S. at Sundance.  If you've read this space very often, you know that circumstance would be highly unusual, but not unprecedented.  You also know that I have reported earlier that we've heard that Fox Searchlight wanted/wants to play it at Telluride which at least seems to make it possible.

Anyway, there's a new poster out for the film, as you can see above thanks to this release from Fox Searchlight:
http://content.foxsearchlight.com/inside/node/5240

You'll find the trailer there as well.

INVITATION

Here's your reminder to come along to the party...The Second Annual(?) Guide to the 'Ride; Flow of the SHOW" is set for Friday, Aug. 31 at 5:00 pm at The River Club in Telluride (550 Depot).  Come for a rocking good time!

BEST OF THE WEEK

This week's "Ten Bets" were:

1) Rust and Bone
2) Hyde Park on Hudson
3) Midnight's Children
4) Amour
5) No
6) The Central Park Five
7) Bromberg's Chaplin
8) Pixar's "Rainy Day Tales"
9) On the Road
10) Beyond the Hills
 

New "Ten Bets" on Monday.

THE ICEMAN WILL THAW IN T-RIDE

It's one of those quirky rabbit hole trails that I went down on the internet yesterday and lo and behold, it looks to have paid off.  I can say with some level of confidence that Ariel Vromen's "The Iceman" will be playing at Telluride in 2 1/2 weeks.  "The Iceman" is a true crime/mob story featuring Michael Shannon, James Franco, Chris Evans, Winona Ryder and Ray Liotta.  Vromen directed and co-wrote with Morgan Land.

"The Iceman" was given up as a Telluride film in a post on...of all places...MafiaToday.com...I'm not kidding.  You can find the entirety of that post here:
http://mafiatoday.com/tag/richard-the-iceman-kuklinski/

That post correctly reports that "The Iceman" is programmed at Toronto and Venice which lends a good deal of credence to the Telluride claim.  Could it be that Mafia Today has broken Telluride's own "Omerta/Code of Silence"?  Looks like it.

"Iceman's" IMDb entry is here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1491044/



ICEMAN HIDING

Yesterday I reported that a website called MafiaToday.com had let drop that Ariel Vromen's "The Iceman" would play at Telluride.  It seemed legit as it also referenced confirmed slots for the film at both Toronto and Venice.  Then, late in the day, I was informed via comment on yesterday's post that MafiaToday.com was either down or didn't exist...

So I took a look and sure enough...no mafiatoday.com.

However, after some poking around, two things...Google still has that post cached and I was able to get to the sourced article from northjersey.com which makes the same claims.  You can find that here:
http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/television/166075186__Iceman__is_dead__but_his_tale_still_chills_audiences_.html

So, all in all, I still feel pretty good about "The Iceman" in the Telluride lineup.






MORE FROM TORONTO

The Toronto International Film Festival looks to have completed their lineup with another huge announcement of films yesterday including the word that their fest will close with "Song for Marion" which has been very high on my Telluride possibles list all summer long.  It's inclusion as the TIFF closer doesn't absolutely nuke it from Telluride consideration...but it also doesn't help.  I've had "Song" as a "Ten Bets" film for a good portion of the run up to T-ride but have let it slide off the list of late...maybe for good reason now.

HitFix has the complete lowdown on all the films added yesterday here:
http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/new-films-from-nick-cassavetes-ed-burns-and-peter-webber-join-toronto-film-festival-2012-lineup

Among the films added that are Telluride possibles (at least according to me):

"Song for Marion"  (still going to say that there is a chance)
"Love is All You Need"
"On the Road"
"Passion"
"Therese Desqueyroux"
"Yellow"
"In the Fog"



NEW YORK SLATE

Right on time (it was Aug. 17th last year, I think) the New York Film Festival which had already announced its opener, centerpiece and closer has announced the rest of their lineup and if the recent past is any guide we can expect that 8-12 of those titles will have played at Telluride...


HitFix says it thinks that Brian DePalma's "Passion" is a potential Telluride choice but otherwise none of the other blog posts I have accessed about New York's lineup explicitly mention TFF #39.  Nevertheless, looking at the announced group of films there seem to be several that have a good chance to have played T-ride.

Here's the NYFF lineup per Thompson on Hollywood:

Opening Night Gala Selection
LIFE OF PI
Director: Ang Lee

Centerpiece Gala Selection
NOT FADE AWAY
Director: David Chase

Closing Night Gala Selection
FLIGHT
Director: Robert Zemeckis

AMOUR
Director: Michael Haneke

ARAF – SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN
Director: Yeşim Ustaoğlu

BARBARA
Director: Christian Petzold

BEYOND THE HILLS (După dealuri)
Director: Cristian Mungiu

BWAKAW
Director: Jun Robles Lana

CAESAR MUST DIE (Cesare deve morire)
Directors: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani

CAMILLE REWINDS (Camille redouble)
Director: Noémie Lvovsky

THE DEAD MAN AND BEING HAPPY (El muerto y ser feliz)
Director: Javier Rebello

FILL THE VOID (Lemale et ha'halal)
Director: Rama Burshtein

FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED
Director: Alan Berliner

FRANCES HA
Director: Noah Baumbach

THE GATEKEEPERS (Shomerei Ha’saf)
Director: Dror Moreh

GINGER AND ROSA
Director: Sally Potter

HERE AND THERE (Aquí y Allá)
Director: Antonio Mendez Esparza

HOLY MOTORS
Director: Leos Carax

HYDE PARK ON HUDSON
Director: Roger Michell

KINSHASA KIDS
Director: Marc-Henri Wajnberg

THE LAST TIME I SAW MACAO (A Última Vez Que Vi Macau)
Director: João Pedro Rodrigues

LEVIATHAN
Directors: Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel

LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE
Director: Abbas Kiarostami

LINES OF WELLINGTON (Linhas de Wellington)
Director: Valeria Sarmiento

MEMORIES LOOK AT ME (Ji Yi Wang Zhe Wo)
Director: Song Fang

NIGHT ACROSS THE STREET (La Noche de enfrente)
Director: Raul Ruiz

NO
Director: Pablo Larrain

OUR CHILDREN (À perdre la raison)
Director: Joachim Lafosse

PASSION
Director: Brian De Palma

SOMETHING IN THE AIR (Après Mai)
Director: Olivier Assayas

TABU
Director: Miguel Gomes

YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN’ YET (Vous n'avez encore rien vu)
Director: Alain Resnais

Among these titles the most Telluride-esque are probably:

Amour, Beyond the Hills, Caesar Must Die, Frances Ha, The Gatekeepers, Holy Motors, Hyde Park on Hudson, Like Someone in Love, No, Passion, Something in the Air and You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet.

I have linked a load of posts concerning the NYFF selections here:


http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/amour-hyde-park-on-hudson-and-more-set-for-ny-fest

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/nyff-announces-33-new-titles

http://moviecitynews.com/2012/08/the-film-society-of-lincoln-center-announces-main-slate-of-selections-for-the-2012-new-york-film-festival/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/amour-something-in-the-air-beyond-the-hills-more-added-to-new-york-film-festival-slate-20120816

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/cannes-winner-amour-joins-new-york-film-fest-lineup-52361



MASTER TEASE

Well, you know just when I thought I was out they pull me back in...

Cinema Blend, among a billion other websites (including this one) was all about hooking readers up to the second full trailer for "The Master" the last couple of days.  The difference...they're still thinking it's a T-ride possibility.  Here's the text from the post:


"Anderson’s screening the film in select cities ahead of its pre-destined screenings at the prominent fall film festivals (Venice, Toronto and possibly Telluride)."

Here's the link to the full post from Cinema Blend:
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Master-Clip-She-Wrote-Me-Letter-32514.html

Oh, and then there's this comment to MTFB concerning yesterday's post:

Anonymous said...

"I think "The Master" shows up at TFF if they can do it on 70mm... that's still a pretty special opportunity a lot of people won't have had yet (if ever)."

Now that just makes me a little dizzy and kind of crazy.  We know from friends of the blog that have reached out to us that Telluride HAS done 70mm in the past.  We know that Jeff Wells has heard that there might be some 70 mm prep going on in T-ride as we speak...though I couldn't get a whiff of it when I was there this past weekend...

So...keep the flame alight...maybe "The Master" still has a shot.



More later...have a great weekend...

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2.

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook.

Invitation/Iceman Will Thaw in T-ride/More from Toronto/Future Telluride

Good Wednesday to Everyone!


INVITATION

Another reminder to join me at The River Club on Friday, Aug. 31 at 5:00PM for the Second Annual "Guide to the Ride; Flow of the SHOW". Last year was a lot of fun and we're going to try our level best to have a great time again this year. So, come, enjoy. We may have a special guest or two...we're trying anyway.


THE ICEMAN WILL THAW IN T-RIDE

It's one of those quirky rabbit hole trails that I went down on the internet yesterday and lo and behold, it looks to have paid off.  I can say with some level of confidence that Ariel Vromen's "The Iceman" will be playing at Telluride in 2 1/2 weeks.  "The Iceman" is a true crime/mob story featuring Michael Shannon, James Franco, Chris Evans, Winona Ryder and Ray Liotta.  Vromen directed and co-wrote with Morgan Land.

"The Iceman" was given up as a Telluride film in a post on...of all places...MafiaToday.com...I'm not kidding.  You can find the entirety of that post here:
http://mafiatoday.com/tag/richard-the-iceman-kuklinski/

That post correctly reports that "The Iceman" is programmed at Toronto and Venice which lends a good deal of credence to the Telluride claim.  Could it be that Mafia Today has broken Telluride's own "Omerta/Code of Silence"?  Looks like it.

"Iceman's" IMDb entry is here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1491044/


MORE FROM TORONTO

The Toronto International Film Festival looks to have completed their lineup with another huge announcement of films yesterday including the word that their fest will close with "Song for Marion" which has been very high on my Telluride possibles list all summer long.  It's inclusion as the TIFF closer doesn't absolutely nuke it from Telluride consideration...but it also doesn't help.  I've had "Song" as a "Ten Bets" film for a good portion of the run up to T-ride but have let it slide off the list of late...maybe for good reason now.

HitFix has the complete lowdown on all the films added yesterday here:
http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/new-films-from-nick-cassavetes-ed-burns-and-peter-webber-join-toronto-film-festival-2012-lineup

Among the films added that are Telluride possibles (at least according to me):

"Song for Marion"  (still going to say that there is a chance)
"Love is All You Need"
"On the Road"
"Passion"
"Therese Desqueyroux"
"Yellow"
"In the Fog"


FUTURE TELLURIDE

Two developments yesterday that have a better than fair chance of impacting Telluride Film Fests in the future.  Director/writer Jason Reitman tweeted that he had wrapped his latest "Labor Day" starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin and accompanied that tweet with this pic:

And we found out from multiple sources that it appears that Robert Pattinson will work with Telluride regular Werner Herzog in "Queen of the Desert".  This from IMDb news:
http://www.imdb.com/news/ni34121933



More later...

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook

Pi to NY/View of Expectations/More from Toronto Today

Good Tuesday All!


PI TO NY

Yesterday I wrote that I had never expected that Robert Zemeckis' "Flight" was a likely Telluride contender and that its choice to close the NY Film Fest probably closed any crack of an opening in that door.

Today comes news that the opening film for NYFF will be a film that has been on my TFF #39 radar...Ang Lee's "Life of Pi".  That also likely removes its chances for T-ride considerably.



Here's what I mean:

2011 NYFF Opener: "Carnage", Closer:"The Descendants" "Centerpiece: "My Week with Marilyn"
2010: Opener: "The Social Network", Closer: "Hereafter", Centerpiece: "The Tempest"
2009: Opener: "Wild Grass"
2008: Opener: "The Class"
2007: Opener: "The Darjeeling Limited"
2006: Opener: "The Queen"

They just don't book "tentpoles" that overlap with Telluride (the exception being last year's "The Descendants").

So "Life of Pi"...pretty much off the table...however...look for the NYFF regular lineup announcement as a semi-good predictor of TFF fare. 

In 2011 these films overlapped: "A Dangerous Method", "A Separation", "Footnote", "George Harrison: Living in the Material World", "Goodbye First Love", "Le Harve", "Pina", "Shame", "The Artist", "The Kid with a Bike" and "The Turin Horse".  That's 11 of the 24 non-"tentpoles" that NYFF offered that played in both fests.

In 2010 the overlap included: "Another Year", "Carlos", "Inside Job", "Le Quattro Volte", "Of Gods an Men" and  "Poetry".  6 of 25. 

So parsing the NYFF lineup announcement should be instructive.

Here are links to posts concerning the announcement yesterday that "Life of Pi" will open the NYFF:

http://www.ioncinema.com/news/film-festivals/major-awards-race-title-secured-for-50th-anniversary-opener-life-of-pi-is-shipwrecked-at-nyff

http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/ang-lees-life-of-pi-will-open-the-50th-new-york-film-festival

Also, here's the trailer:

VIEW OF GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Speaking of trailers...here's the just released trailer for Mike Newell's "Great Expectations" which could be a Telluride possibility...InContention/HitFix's Kris Tapley lists it as a "Maybe":



Posts for the trailer release for "Great Expectations:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-international-trailer-for-great-expectations-starring-ralph-fiennes-helena-bonham-carter-20120813

http://www.deadline.com/2012/08/great-expectations-trailer-helena-bonham-carter-video/

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/watch-latest-great-expectations-adaptation-gets-an-international-trailer/


MORE FROM TORONTO

Toronto's International Film Festival is set to announce 3 more Galas and 18 Special Presentations this morning...I'll peruse them and see if that announcement gives us any clues for our fest in the San Jauns in 2 1/2 weeks.


More later...

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook

No?/More for Toronto/Inside Inside Llewyn

Good Wednesday All!


NO?

Gael Garcia Bernal in Pablo Larrain's "No"

I still have a strong feeling that Pablo Larrain's "No" which played to very good review out of competition in Cannes last May will turn up in Telluride.  This despite the fact that it was once a "Ten Bets" film but has slipped to somewhere in the 11-20 spots.

That being said, I have included a post that popped up in the last 48 hours concerning the film which stars Gael Garcia Bernal.  Here it is...

From The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/actor-gael-garcia-bernal-says-no-film-taught-him-about-chiles-pain-during-dictatorship/2012/07/30/gJQATEKkLX_story.html


"No's" IMDb entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2059255/


MORE TORONTO

Toronto's International Film Festival added nearly 70 more titles to their lineup yesterday.  The story can be found at this link to The Playlist:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/toronto-adds-over-60-new-2012-titles-including-documentaries-midnight-madness-and-tiff-kids#

You can also access their full look at all of the TIFF films announced so far here:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/tiff-list-2012-an-updated-list-of-all-films-at-the-toronto-international-film-festival#

If the recent past is a guide, something around 16-18 films will be on both the Telluride and the Toronto programs; 6-8 of those are likely to come from Galas and Special Presentations.  Of what has been announced thus far, the most likely overlaps include:

Among Galas: "Hyde Park on Hudson", "The Reluctant Fundamentalist", "Midnight's Children" and "The Silver Linings Playbook".

Among Special Presentations: "Cloud Atlas" (yeah, I said it), "Frances Ha" (new from Noah Baumbach and really has been under the radar), "Hannah Arendt", "The Hunt", "The Impossible", "A Late Quartet", "No", "Quartet", "Reality", "Rust and Bone"and  "The Sapphires".

Additionally, the Ken Burns doc "The Central Park Five" has been announced for Toronto's Documentary segment.  I count on it being in Telluride.


INSIDE INSIDE LLEWYN

Carey Mulligan in "Inside Llewyn Davis"

It's no secret that I'm a Coen Brothers fan and eagerly await each of their films and "Inside Llewyn Davis" is no exception.  Is it done?  Probably not.  IMDb lists it as being in post production.  There had been some speculation by people smarter than I that it might, indeed be ready and show up somewhere.  If it is, it hasn't been announced for any fest; so does that mean Telluride is possible?  Probably not.

My expectation is that if it shows up at all, it will be as the opening or closing or the capstone presentation of the New York Film Festival.

That being said, here's a small article/interview with Oscar Issac who plays the titular role in the film from The Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/oscar-isaac-inside-llewyn-davis-coen-bros-356396

"Llewyn's" IMDb entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2042568/


More later...

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2.

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook.

Master Disaster/Guessing Telluride/Invitation

Good Monday from San Diego!

Here's where I was (at least early) yesterday!

Slide Rock Canyon north of Sedona, AZ.

MASTER DISASTER

It was a roller coaster day yesterday.  I'm on the road...literally driving from Flagstaff, AZ. to San Diego, CA. yesterday...while catching the occasional tweet at gas stops and at lunch...

And so as the day evolved, I got the news that "The Master" WILL play Venice after all...despite not being announced last week and even reported denials that it would...

The Playlist: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/paul-thomas-andersons-the-master-will-play-the-venice-film-festival-after-all-20120730

As you know, I have often pointed out that Venice and Telluride have little overlap...so  this probably means the death knell for its Telluride chances...which had begun to look somewhat promising in light of the lack of the film on Venice's list nor Toronto's.

Then late yesterday the word that IT WILL PLAY TORONTO TOO!

The Wrap: http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/master-added-toronto-film-festival-lineup-49936

Now virtually every pundit that plays this game has agreed that Telluride is a non-starter...and they're very likely right...but...the addition of Toronto dates actually gives me a bit of hope...what few films that do make the Venice to Telluride run generally play Toronto as well...so maybe...

And then there has been a good deal of discussion that part of the Venice/Toronto sluggishness in announcing has been the result of Anderson's desire to present it in the 70mm format he shot it in.  Some commenters think that, too, could complicate it's possibility of Telluride.  But The Playlist points out (and an MTFB reader confirms) that Telluride can actually and has shown 70mm in the past...so...

Finally, there's also a lot of talk about the impossibility of dates and doubt about simultaneous play dates and locations of Anderson, Phoenix, Hoffman etc.  I'm not all that sure that is really much of an impediment.  If everyone wants it to happen in all three locales, I'm pretty sure that all involved could find a way to make it happen.  And I really do think Harvey Weinstein likes to have his big pony in the San Juans...

I'm saying, yes, "The Master" is probably not going to play T-ride...but all hope is NOT lost.

GUESSING TELLURIDE

I do this "guessing" Telluride thing for about 6 months of the year and then do awards season in the context of those films that do play Telluride the other 6 months of the year.  But now, with only a month left to some of the serious peeps in the business of film blogging are casting their   Kris Tapley of HitFix/InContention is among the very best and he has his Telluride prognostication post (along with Oscar spec).  You can find it here:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/fall-fests-set-to-fire-the-oscar-starting-gun

Highlights of his prognostications include his feel that "Rust and Bone" "No" and "Amour" all have a good shot..as have I.

He also have a vibe for "The Silver Linings Playbook"...I agree and Tapley suggests Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut "Quartet" which would thrill me...I'd love nothing more than to see Hoffman on Colorado Ave.  But I have reservations that it's likely to occur.

Tapley also goes with "Midnight's Children" and Matteo Garrone's "Reality" as likely to show in addition to "Hyde Park on Hudson".  I'm pretty high on MC and "Hyde Park" being there, less so about "Reality".

And finally, Tapley has one big surprise guess, and he admits it really is just a hunch...that Robert Lorenz's "Trouble with the Curve" appears along with Mr. Eastwood.  That would be incredible!

Finally, as a way of comparing...look at Mr. Tapley's prediction for last year's fest:

http://www.incontention.com/2011/07/28/telluride-guessing-game/

You'll find that he was 5 of 7 on films he called "likely" and 3 of 4 on "Quite Possible".  He was also very good at what wouldn't be playing.

INVITATION

To the Second "Guide to the Ride, Flow of the Show" at 5PM on Friday, Aug. 31 at The River Club (550 Depot) in Telluride.  We'll talk about the festival and film and have a refreshment or two!

More later...

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2.

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook.