Independent Spirit Nominations/Predictions for NBR, AFI and NYFCC/Gurus of Gold

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone and welcome to this truncated version of MTFB/FAC.  The FAC is taking the day off and will return with an updated assessment of the Oscar race next Thursday.  Have a lovely holiday everyone!

2015 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer. Executive producers are not awarded.)
“Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole
“Boyhood”
Producers: Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, Cathleen Sutherland
“Love Is Strange”
Producers: Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, Jay Van Hoy
“Selma”
Producers: Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey
“Whiplash”
Producers: Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster, Michael Litvak

DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle
“Whiplash”
Ava DuVernay
“Selma”
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
“Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Richard Linklater
“Boyhood”
David Zellner
“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter”

SCREENPLAY
Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski
“Big Eyes”
J.C. Chandor
“A Most Violent Year”
Dan Gilroy
“Nightcrawler”
Jim Jarmusch
“Only Lovers Left Alive”
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias
“Love Is Strange”

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Producers: Justin Begnaud, Sina Sayyah
“Dear White People”
Director-producer: Justin Simien
Producers: Effie T. Brown, Ann Le, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe
“Nightcrawler”
Director: Dan Gilroy
Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak
“Obvious Child”
Director: Gillian Robespierre
Producer: Elisabeth Holm
“She’s Lost Control”
Director-producer: Anja Marquardt
Producers: Mollye Asher, Kiara C. Jones

FIRST SCREENPLAY
Desiree Akhavan
“Appropriate Behavior”
Sara Colangelo
“Little Accidents”
Justin Lader
“The One I Love”
Anja Marquardt
“She’s Lost Control”
Justin Simien
“Dear White People”

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive producers are not awarded.
“Blue Ruin”
Writer-director: Jeremy Saulnier
Producers: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani
“It Felt Like Love”
Writer-director-producer: Eliza Hittman
Producers: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner
“Land Ho!”
Writers-directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens
Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy
“Man From Reno”
Writer-director: Dave Boyle
Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman
Producer: Ko Mori
“Test”
Writer-director-producer: Chris Mason Johnson
Producer: Chris Martin

FEMALE LEAD
Marion Cotillard
“The Immigrant”
Rinko Kikuchi
“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter”
Julianne Moore
“Still Alice”
Jenny Slate
“Obvious Child”
Tilda Swinton
“Only Lovers Left Alive”

MALE LEAD
André Benjamin
“Jimi: All Is by My Side”
Jake Gyllenhaal
“Nightcrawler”
Michael Keaton
“Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
John Lithgow
“Love Is Strange”
David Oyelowo
“Selma”

SUPPORTING FEMALE
Patricia Arquette
“Boyhood”
CIO, CTO & Developer Resources
Jessica Chastain
“A Most Violent Year”
Carmen Ejogo
“Selma”
Andrea Suarez Paz
“Stand Clear of the Closing Doors”
Emma Stone
“Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”

SUPPORTING MALE
Riz Ahmed
“Nightcrawler”
Ethan Hawke
Boyhood
Alfred Molina
“Love Is Strange”
Edward Norton
“Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
J.K. Simmons
Whiplash

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Darius Khondji
“The Immigrant”
Emmanuel Lubezki
“Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Sean Porter
“It Felt Like Love”
Lyle Vincent
“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”
Bradford Young
“Selma”

EDITING
Sandra Adair
“Boyhood”
Tom Cross
“Whiplash”
John Gilroy
“Nightcrawler”
Ron Patane
“A Most Violent Year”
Adam Wingard
“The Guest”

DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
“20,000 Days on Earth”
Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard
Producers: Dan Bowen, James Wilson
“CitizenFour”
Director-producer: Laura Poitras
Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
“Stray Dog”
Director: Debra Granik
Producer: Anne Rosellini
“The Salt of the Earth”
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders
Producer: David Rosier
“Virunga”
Director-producer: Orlando von Einsiedel
Producer: Joanna Natasegara

INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
“Force Majeure”
(Sweden)
Director: Ruben Östlund
“Ida”
(Poland)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
“Leviathan
(Russia)
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Mommy
(Canada)
Director: Xavier Dolan
Norte, the End of History
(Philippines)
Director: Lav Diaz
Under the Skin
(United Kingdom)
Director: Jonathan Glazer

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon

SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Foxcatcher
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik
Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum

18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 18th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Chad Burris
Elisabeth Holm
Chris Ohlson

21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 21st annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
H.
Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia
The Retrieval
Director: Chris Eska

20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 20th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.
Approaching the Elephant
Director: Amanda Rose Wilder
Evolution of a Criminal
Director: Darius Clark Monroe
The Kill Team
Director: Dan Krauss
The Last Season
Director: Sara Dosa

A big day for TFF #41 film "Birdman" which led all films with six nominations.  The Hollywood Reporter breaks down the nominations here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/independent-spirit-awards-good-news-752291

PREDICTIONS FOR NBR, AFI AND NYFCC

Awards Daily's Sasha Stone takes a look at the first wave of year-end superlatives list of films from The National Board of Review, American Film Institute and the New York Film Critics that will be announced in the next few days and makes some predictions about what we might see when those are announced:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2014/11/predicting-afi-producers-guild

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2014/11/predicting-new-york-film-critics-national-board-of-review-and-los-angeles-film-critics/

GURUS OF GOLD

Here's the latest update from The Movie City News Gurus of Gold  predictions for Best Picture:

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/11/gurus-o-gold-thanksgiving-week/

Have a great weekend everyone...more on Monday!

The Other Eight Categories/Payne Talks to Variety/"Under the Skin" Trailer

Good Thursday Peeps!

THE OTHER EIGHT CATEGORIES

A couple of weeks back I posted The Film Awards Clearinghouse opening line for 13 major Oscar categories.  I'll update those next week.  Today, a look at the remaining eight "feature" categories.  I am hoping to get together enough data to also get in a set of predictions for the "Shorts" categories but as of yet there's just not enough information.

For this set of predictions I have consulted the publicly posted picks from:

Sasha Stone/Awards Daily
Kristopher Tapley/HitFix-InContention
Scott Feinberg/The Hollywood Reporter
Brad Brevet/Rope of Silicon
Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood
Nathaniel Rogers/Film Experience
Peter Knegt/IndieWire
Clayton Davis/Awards Circuit

Films are listed in order of the likelihood that they will win that category.  Telluride Films are Bold.

BEST COSTUME

1) The Great Gatsby
2) American Hustle
3) 12 Years a Slave
4) The Invisible Woman
5) The Grandmaster

Note:  This is fairly tight among the top three films.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1) The Great Gatsby
2) Gravity
3) 12 Years a Slave
4) Her
5) American Hustle

Note:  "Gatsby's" lead is substantial.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1) Gravity
2) Philomena
3) The Book Thief
4) Saving Mr. Banks
5) Her

Note: Gravity's Steven Price is way out front here.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

1) Let It Go/Frozen
2) Ordinary Love/Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
3) Moon Song/Her
4) Happy/Despicable Me 2

Note: "Let it Go" is a prohibitive favorite.

BEST MAKEUP/HAIR

1) Dallas Buyers Club
2) Bad Grandpa
3) The Lone Ranger

Note: DBC is way out front.

BEST SOUND EDITING

1) Gravity
2) Captain Phillips
3) Lone Survivor
4) All is Lost
5) The Hobbit: Smaug

Note:  "Gravity" leads but The Captain is in striking distance.


BEST SOUND MIXING

1) Gravity
2) Captain Phillips
3) Lone Survivor
4) Inside Llewyn Davis
5) The Hobbit: Smaug

Note: Ditto the note from Sound Editing.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1) Gravity
2) The Hobbit: Smaug
3) Iron Man 3
4) Star Trek Into Darkness
5) The Lone Ranger

Note: "Gravity" is the prohibitive favorite here.

Overall, from these eight categories, if The FAC is 100% accurate, "Gravity" adds another four Oscars, "Gatsby" gets two and one each for "Dallas Buyers Club" and "Frozen".



PAYNE TALKS TO VARIETY

Variety's Tim Gray talks to Best Director nominee Alexander Payne about "Nebraska":

http://variety.com/2014/film/awards/alexander-payne-reveals-what-all-the-best-actors-know-1201098203/


"UNDER THE SKIN" TRAILER

Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin" starring Scarlett Johansson has a new full length trailer.  You can find it here along with a story about it and the film from The Los Angeles Times here:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-scarlett-johansson-strips-under-the-skin-trailer-video-20140211,0,7281089.story#axzz2t6wnh1sU


More on Monday...have a great weekend!

2014: The Oscars and TFF #40/Looking to TFF #41/Trailers from TFF #40/Conversations: Dern and Mulligan/Sound and Silence at Telluride

Good 2014 to Everyone...

I hope all the readers/followers and peeps that just stumbled onto this space had a safe and joyous start to their New Year.  The CEO and I saw in 2014 by watching the last few episodes of "Breaking Bad". Good stuff.  Hale Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul.


2014: THE OSCARS AND TFF #40

As we wait for the next two weeks for Oscar nomination morning (Jan. 16), I'll be posting Oscar prediction updates in each of the posts between now and then.  Today...looking at a different metric.  Just to see what it would tell me, I've put together the results of "Best Film" announcements from: The National Board of Review, The American Film Institute, The New York Film Critics Circle, The Los Angeles Film Critics, The HFPA's Golden Globes and The Screen Actors Guild.

Working with the choices from these six organizations and setting a standard that possible nominees had to be named by at least 2 of them, here's what they reveal as the "probable" Oscar nominees on Jan. 16.

Best Picture:  Four films were named four times and would, therefore seem the most likely nominees: "12 Years a Slave", "Gravity", "American Hustle" and "Her".

Three films have three mentions: "Nebraska", "Inside Llewyn Davis" and "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Three films are mentioned twice: "Captain Phillips", "Fruitvale Station" and "Saving Mr. Banks".

How accurate is this method?  I have no real idea as I've never tried it before.  I can tell you that in 2012 the same method would have suggested that the Best Picture nominees would be: "Argo", "Django Unchained", "The Life of Pi", "Lincoln", "Zero Dark Thirty", "Les Miserables", "Moonrise Kingdom", Silver Linings Playbook", "Beats of the Southern Wild" and "The Exotic Marigold Hotel" (seriously).

As you remember, the actual nominees included "Amour" and excluded "Moonrise" and "Marigold".  So this metric would have predicted 8 of the 9 Best Picture nominees last year.

Monday, I'll post an update for the Big Eight categories using my usual methods.

Finally, Kris Tapley at HitFix/InContention reminds us that the Producers Guild announces their nominees today.

LOOKING TO TFF #41

It's never too early to begin thinking about what might be on the bill of fare for the next Telluride Film Festival.  Even though we're still eight months away, we can begin to parse various pieces of information and start speculating.

For example, HitFix posted their "25 Most Anticipated Movies of 2014".  Form their list we can glean some films that have the potential to make the grade at TFF #41.  Obviously, there are some films that aren't likely, Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" for example...although, after seeing "Gravity" at T-ride last year, maybe I shouldn't close that door.  You can find the HitFix complete list here:

http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/25-most-anticipated-movies-of-2014-interstellar-x-men-mockingjay

From their list, films that could conceivably be on Telluride's radar include:

#24 "Foxcatcher"...yea, yea...I know.  I had this on the TFF #40 list for most of last year and then the decision came down to move the film to 2014.  The chances of it being held for an awards friendly release date are probably pretty good (it doesn't have an announced release date to the best of my knowledge) and as I have pointed out before, Bennett Miller had a decent run after "Capote" showed at the SHOW in 2005 and to top it off, its U.S. distributor is Sony Pictures Classics so call it a "maybe".

The only other two on the HitFix list that seem to have some Telluride "feel" are Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken" at #16 and Jon Stewart's (of The Daily Show) "Rosewater" at #8 and neither one would seem to be particularly strong candidate for Telluride inclusion based on the filmmakers, studios and distributors known to be involved at this time.

A COUPLE OF TRAILERS FROM TFF #40

One of the more popular, if not THE most popular film that screened at Telluride last Labor Day was Penn and teller's documentary "Tim's Vermeer".  It's in the conversation for a Best Feature Doc Oscar nomination and it's safe to say that Telluride audiences loved it.  It topped my "People's Telluride" film ratings with a 4.67 average rank on the five point scale, beating "12 Years a Slave" and "Gravity".

The Playlist linked to the trailer for the film in this story this week:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-trailer-for-acclaimed-oscar-contending-documentary-tims-vermeer-20131230

Meanwhile, one of the most divisive and least well received films of the fest also put up a trailer this week.  Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin" was dead last (of the 21 films that got enough ratings to warrant inclusion on the list) on The People's Telluride ratings with a 2.0.  I actually admired the film.  I think it succeeded in creating the world that Glazer wanted us to experience.

Thompson on Hollywood reported that the film will be released April 4 and also linked to its trailer here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/under-the-skin-jonathan-glazer-release-date-a24


CONVERSATIONS

Two of my favorite films from TFF #40 continue to get a lot of ink as the awards season goes on and that includes continuing interviews with the stars of "Nebraska" and "Inside Llewyn Davis".

Bruce Dern's awards offensive included an interview with Walter Scott of Parade that you can find here:

http://www.parade.com/243081/walterscott/bruce-derns-take-on-hollywood-today-you-cant-be-bigger-than-life/

And Carey Mulligan talked to Steve Pond of The Wrap about "Llewyn" (and includes a brief mention of TFF #41 possible film "Far From the Madding Crowd"):

http://www.thewrap.com/carey-mulligan-coen-brothers-inside-llewyn-davis-nasty-girl-swear-words


SOUND AND SILENCE AT TELLURIDE

Deadline put up a story this week about their take on the use of silence in films this past year and the impact that could have on the Sound Editing Oscar field.  The three films they focused on: "Gravity", "All is Lost" and "12 Years a Slave"...Telluride much?

Here's the link to that story:

http://www.deadline.com/2013/12/oscars-sound-editing-gravity-12-years-a-slave-all-is-lost/


More on Monday and Happy New Year one more time.

Day Three from Telluride/Sunday's TBAs and Sneaks

Telluride Day Three…

I opened the day with a fantastic tribute to the Coen Brothers and their collaboration with T-Bone Burnett.  As a “pre-show” we were treated to a mini-concert from “The Americans”.  Their banjo/guitar, stand-up bass performance set the tone perfectly for the program to follow. 

The tribute featured the four films that the threesome have worked on together: “The Big Lebowski”, “The Ladykillers”, “O Brother Where Art Thou?” and the upcoming “Inside Llewyn Davis”.  Scott Foundas of Variety led the Q&A that followed the clip presentation.  As you might expect with three geniuses, the discussion was lively, thought-provoking and often funny.  My favorite couple of moments:  the Coens revealed they’re working on a script about an Opera singer and they want to make a film that has an overture and an intermission.  Additionally, Joel described their movie making genesis and what they do now the same way, “We’re just f*#@ing around”.  Loved it.

I followed the Coens with Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin”.  It’s an interesting film and technically proficient.  You have to give Glazer his due for attempting a film in which we see our world through alien eyes and especially ears.  The sound work is remarkable.  Choices for “dialogue” which often is unintelligible and the music for the soundtrack are universally great choices. 

Scarlett Johansson plays the alien “under the skin” of a human disguise.  Johansson is serviceable in very challenging role.  She has to be temptress that lures humans into her alien lair and still convey the sense of unease with her surroundings and the “alienness” of our species.  She largely succeeds.

Pacing is the issue for me with this film and even that makes sense in the context of what Glazer does.

I concluded the afternoon with the world premiere of Ralph Fiennes sophomore directorial effort, “The Invisible Woman”.  It’s based on the true story of Charles Dickens virtually unknown mistress.  Fiennes cast himself as Dickens and Felicity Jones as the “invisible” woman.  Fiennes is good but, again, pacing is an issue.  It’s just slow.

I finished the evening with Buck Henry presenting Mike Hodges’ 1972 film “The Terminal Man” based on a Michael Crichton novel.  Admittedly I was there to see and listen to Buck.  I’ve been saying for years that I was going to make sure we crossed paths at this festival and this year gave me the opportunity.  I couldn’t pass it up.

Buzzy titles through three days: “12 Years a Slave”, “Gravity”, “Prisoners”, “Tim’s Vermeer” and “Burning Bush”.

 SUNDAY TBA'S AND SNEAKS

Sneak 

• The Wind Rises     CJC/Sun 9p

Reflecting his deep fascination with aviation, the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki's beautifully animated exploration of the early life of aeronautical engineer Jiro Horikoshi. Miyazaki keeps the fanciful elements to a relative minimum, while featuring imaginative, exquisite dream sequences and a stunning recreation of the devastating Kantō earthquake of 1923. This fictionalized biopic—with a liberal dose of Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain as subtext—dramatically details the pacifistic (and overtly romantic) tendencies behind the chief designer of the A6M Zero, one of the most effective warplanes in history. –Jonathan Marlow (Japan, 2013, 126m) Introduced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall



• 9  Nebraska   Palm/Sun 11:15a


• Sneak Prisoners    Galaxy/Sun 1p

• 38   Don DeLillo: Zapruder Film plus panel with Mark Danner and Errol Morris  SOH/Sun 1p

• Sneak   12 Years a Slave  Palm/Sun 2:15p

• 33 Gloria  Le Pierre/Sun 4p

• 15 Tim’s Vermeer  Nugget/Sun 4:45p

• 25 The Lunchbox   CJC/Sun 6:30p

• 35 Before the Winter Chill SOH/Sun 6:45p

• 23 Slow Food Story  Nugget/Sun 7:15p

• 6  Inside Llewyn Davis  Palm/Sun 8:45p

• 16  The Past  Masons/Sun 9:15p

• E   Jodorowsky’s Dune  Backlot/Sun 9:15p

• 28  Palo Alto  SOH/Sun 9:30p

• 36  Ida  Le Pierre/Sun 9:30p

• 22  Under the Skin Nugget/Sun 9:45p

More tomorrow...

Thursday: It Begins!/TFF #40 Program Guide/Last Call/The Kid Does All Right/The Other Thing...

Good Thursday from Telluride, Colorado

IT BEGINS

From the Telluride frontlines…

The 40^th Telluride Film Festival doesn’t actually start until this morning…but it essentially started Wednesday night with a free concert in the community’s Town Park featuring The Punch Brothers.  They will appear on the soundtrack album for The Coen Brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis” which was announced as one of the films making up the program for this anniversary year.  The “Brothers” included songs from “O Brother Where Art Thou?” and “The Big Lebowski” (which also screened in the outdoor theater Wednesday night). 

The Coens were in attendance at the concert and “Llewyn Davis” himself, Oscar Issac, who plays the title role in the film, showed up and added his voice to the occasion. 

Rain then.  A lot of rain.  The concert suffered a deluge and I escaped just before the body of the storm hit.

Lots of talk about the lineup…which is incredibly exciting.  In addition to “Llewyn” the fest announced screenings of Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska” with Cannes Best Actor winner Bruce Dern in attendance, Jason Reitman’s “Labor Day”, Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin”, Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity”, Ralph Fiennes’ “The Invisible Woman”, Errol Morris’ “The Unknown Known”, J.C. Chandor’s “All is Lost” complete with Robert Redford Tribute plus a lot more. 

Then there are the “sneaks”…films that the festival hierarchy has in their pocket which will be announced later in the weekend.  The buzz around town tonight is that there will be three or four and that one of them is almost certainly Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave”.  As to the others, I don’t have any great intell yet, “Salinger”, the documentary about the reclusive author is being mentioned in some circles.  I tend to believe earlier whiffs of the possibility of Denis Villenueve’s “Prisoners” may portend a “sneak” of that film.  Other titles that I've seen/heard: "The Immigrant" and "Parkland".

Then there’s the intriguing story of a last minute screening for festival honchos last night here in Telluride of some “just finished” film.  Is it true?  If so, what film?  Just for fun I’m going to toss out “Foxcatcher”. 

The bottom line is that the weekend is going to offer an embarrassment of riches.  I hope you’ll look here for an occasional report.

Today:  Patron’s Brunch at 10:00 am.  A great opportunity to star gaze, meet old film fest friends and make new acquaintances.    At 1:00-Press meeting-duty calls.  Patron Screening at 2:30.  We don’t know what it will be yet.  Last year it was “Argo”.  5:00-My meet-up with followers of my blog (see below) followed by dinner at the Opening Night feed on Colorado Ave.  After that, a couple of films which will depend on what the Patron Screening is earlier in the day.  I could catch the Redford Tribute, “Inside Llewyn Davis”, “All is Lost”, “Blue is the Warmest Color” or “Under the Skin”. 

The adventure has begun.

TFF #40 PROGRAM GUIDE

Need to look at the Program Guide?  Here's the link to the online pdf version of the guide:

http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/pdfs/40th_TFF_program_guide_final3.pdf

So many choices and more to be announced.

LAST CALL

Please make sure to attend this year's "Guide to the Ride".  It's this afternoon at The River Club (550 W. Depot in T-ride).  I promise to get everyone out in time to make the Opening Night Feed and the Robert Redford Tribute (or "Llewyn Davis" if that's your preference).  We'll talk the lineup, the possible "sneak previews" and other TFF related subjects.  Food, wine...etc.  It's fun.  Come by.

  

Also, don't forget to send me your film ratings to be a part of my "People's Telluride" project.  Rate what you see 0-5.

THE KID DOES ALL RIGHT

The final "Ten (+) Bets:

For the Final "Ten (+) Bets":

1) Nebraska***
2) Labor Day***
3) Inside Llewyn Davis***
4) All is Lost***
5) The Unknown Known***
6) The Past***
7) The Invisible Woman***
8) Gravity***
9) 12 Years a Slave
10) Blue is the Warmest Color***
11) Palo Alto***
12) The Immigrant
13) The Lunchbox***
14) Prisoners
15) Gloria***

***= films announced as part of the TFF #40 program

Also included from the "just below" list were: "The Story of Children and Film", "Jodorowsky's Dune", "Burning Bush", "Tim's Vermeer" and "Aguirre: The Wrath of God".  Also, yesterday's "rumblings" segment turned out to be correct as Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin" is on the program.

"Ten Bets" (really was 15):  Absent "sneak previews" MTFB called the top 8 and 12 of the 15.  I'll also be willing to bet that at least one more from the final list ends up as a "sneak", maybe more.

AND THE OTHER THING ABOUT THIS BLOG

So the fest is about to start.  As we've known now for 24 hours, the slate is jammed packed with great stuff and awards contenders.  As always, this space will report on the fest as it happens and then transition to a post-fest account of how the films that have played here fair in the awards season.  To that end I have linked Scott Feinberg's analysis from The Hollywood Reporter posted last night.  

Scott, who will be a part of MTFB's Film Expert Rating's Panel for the weekend,  also suggests that "12 Years" and "Prisoners" are likely "sneaks" (Dave Poland also tossed in a vote for "Prisoners" via Twitter last night.  Weirdly, as I write this, a "Prisoners" television spot is running on the morning news program my wife has on.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/telluride-fests-jam-packed-40th-616607

PS...

I love this festival and I love this town...there, I said it

More later...

TFF #40 LINEUP ANNOUNCED/SELECTED SUMMARIES

Here's the link for the lineup of films announced for the 40th Telluride Film Festival today:

http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/

40th Anniversary Program Line-up

We are proud to announce official program selections for the 40th anniversary edition of Telluride Film Festival. TFF’s annual celebration of artistic excellence brings together, cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and artists to discover the best in world cinema in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. TFF will screen more than 100 feature films, short films and revivals representing twenty-five countries, along with special artist Tributes, Conversations, Panels, Education Programs and Festivities. 

In honor of its 40th anniversary, the usual four-day Telluride Film Festival has an additional day of programming and takes place Thursday, August 29 - Monday, September 2, 2013. 

In celebration of their contributions to Joel and Ethan Coen’s new film INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS and the 40th anniversary of Telluride Film Festival, Punch Brothers will perform. The performance will include songs featured in several of T Bone Burnett and the Coen Brothers’ collaborations, including songs from the soundtrack of INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS. The concert will be tonight, Wednesday, August 28 at 5:00 pm in Telluride Town Park.

Telluride Film Festival is honored to present the Werner Herzog Theatre, the fourth cineaste for whom the Festival has named a theatre. Situated in Telluride’s Town Park Pavilion, the Werner Herzog Theatre is the Festival’s most technologically advanced theatre accommodating 650 pass holders. Chuck Jones, Abel Gance and Pierre Rissient also share this tribute. 

The past 40 years have seen Telluride Film Festival mixing highly anticipated award hopefuls with the films of talented emerging filmmakers and auteurs from around the globe. First-time filmmakers discovered at TFF include Terry Zwigoff, Jim Jarmusch, Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Rodriguez, Michael Moore, Doug Liman, Jon Favreau, Andrea Arnold, Lodge Kerrigan, Robert Luketic and Sarah Gavron. In addition, TFF has previewed numerous films that have generated wins at the Oscars® in recent years, including FOG OF WAR, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, THE LIVES OF OTHERS, BABEL, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, JUNO, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, UP IN THE AIR, THE KING’S SPEECH, BLACK SWAN, A SEPARATION, THE ARTIST, THE DESCENDANTS and ARGO. 

“This year’s 40th anniversary is a celebration of what Telluride Film Festival has accomplished over the past four decades, as well as what we are doing now and forty years from now” said Telluride Film Festival Executive Director Julie Huntsinger. We are committed to presenting groundbreaking films with the world’s most preeminent talent in technologically advanced, state-of the art facilities including the brand new Werner Herzog Theatre. We look forward to continuing to explore the future in cinema through current masters of the art form and breakthrough talents.”  

40th Telluride Film Festival is proud to present the following new feature films to play in its main program, the ‘SHOW’: 

• ALL IS LOST (d. J.C. Chandor, U.S., 2013)

• BEFORE THE WINTER CHILL (d. Philippe Claudel, France, 2013)

• BETHLEHEM (d. Yuval Adler, Israel, 2013)

• BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (d. Abdellatif Kechiche, France, 2013)

• BURNING BUSH (d. Agnieszka Holland, Czech Republic, 2013)

• DEATH ROW: BLAINE MILAM + ROBERT FRATTA (d. Werner Herzog, U.S., 2013)

• FIFI HOWLS FROM HAPPINESS (d. Mitra Farahani, U.S., 2013)

• THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN (d. Dan Geller, Dayna Goldfine, U.S., 2013)

• GLORIA (d. Sebastián Lelio, Chile, 2013)

• GRAVITY (d. Alfonso Cuarón, U.S./U.K., 2013)

• IDA (d. Pawel Pawlikowski, Poland, 2013)

• INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (d. Joel and Ethan Coen, U.S., 2013) 

• THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (d. Ralph Fiennes, U.K., 2013)

• LABOR DAY (d. Jason Reitman, U.S., 2013)

• THE LUNCHBOX (d. Ritesh Batra, India, 2013)

• LA MAISON DE LA RADIO (d. Nicolas Philibert, France, 2013)

• MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN (d. Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran, 2013)

• THE MISSING PICTURE (d. Rithy Panh, Cambodia/France, 2013)

• NEBRASKA (d. Alexander Payne, U.S., 2013)

• PALO ALTO (d. Gia Coppola, U.S., 2013)

• THE PAST (d. Asghar Farhadi, France/Italy, 2013)

• SLOW FOOD STORY (d. Stefano Sardo, Italy, 2013)

• STARRED UP (d. David Mackenzie, U.K., 2013)

• TIM’S VERMEER (d. Teller, U.S., 2013)

• TRACKS (d. John Curran, Australia, 2013)

• UNDER THE SKIN (d. Jonathan Glazer, U.K., 2013)

• THE UNKNOWN KNOWN (d. Errol Morris, U.S., 2013)

Additional Sneak Previews may play outside the main program and will be announced over the course of the five-day weekend.

“During its 40 years Telluride has brought together established filmmakers and those about to be discovered to celebrate together the joys of great cinema,” commented Festival Artistic Director Gary Meyer. “This year is especially exciting because of the many wonderful movies we were able to consider and then program, and also frustrating given the amount we could not fit into the program.  Our selection of classics this year is truly rich as we celebrate the past, present and future of the art.” 

Since its inception in 1974, Telluride Film Festival has paid tribute to numerous influential filmmakers and artists. Gloria Swanson, Francis Ford Coppola and Leni Riefenstahl were the first to be honored, and forty years later the prestigious list has grown to include Pedro Almodovar, Claudia Cardinale, George Clooney, Penelope Cruz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Catherine Deneuve, Laura Linney, Clint Eastwood, Colin Firth, Jodie Foster, Stephen Frears, Werner Herzog, Isabelle Huppert, Jack Nicholson, Jean Simmons, Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Agnes Varda to name a few. 

Joining that list, the 2013 Silver Medallion Awards, given to recognize an artist’s significant contribution to the world of cinema, go to Grammy and Oscar-winning music producer T Bone Burnett and Oscar-winning filmmakers the Coen Brothers, whose four collaborations together include THE BIG LEBOWSKI, LADYKILLERS, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? and INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS with a 90-minute program featuring a musical performance by the Americans, a clip reel with scenes from the collaborations and an onstage interview; Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof (THE TWILIGHT, THE WHITE MEADOWS, GOODYBE) presenting his latest film, MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN. The program includes a selection of clips followed by the presentation of the Silver Medallion and onstage interview; and Oscar-winning director, actor, producer Robert Redford (ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID) who stars in the TFF selection ALL IS LOST. The program includes a selection of clips showcasing the range of performances during his career, followed by the presentation of the Silver Medallion and an onstage interview. 

“When I joined James Card and Bill Pence to start the Telluride Film Festival, we wanted to make tributes, retrospectives and revivals central to the Festival” said Co-founding Artistic Director Tom Luddy. “40 years later, Julie, Gary and I are still able to present a show which focuses on film artistry and preservation. This is something I’m very proud of. The fact that there is still a large audience for it makes me believe in the future of the cinema.” 

For each of the past 25 years, Telluride Film Festival directors have selected a Guest Director to serve as a key collaborator in the Festival’s programming decisions, bringing new ideas and overlooked films to light. Donald Richie, to whom the Festival is dedicated, had the first honor in 1988 and has been followed by many notable collaborators including Laurie Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich, John Boorman, J.P. Gorin, Edith Kramer, Errol Morris, Alexander Payne, Peter Sellars, Stephen Sondheim, Bertrand Tavernier and Slavoj Zizek, among others. 

This year, Telluride Film Festival invites six past Guest Directors to return with new programs: novelist Don Delillo (TFF 2006) presents LA MORTE ROUGE (d. Victor Erice, Spain, 2006) and analyzes the 26-second ZAPRUDER film; screenwriter, director Buck Henry (TFF 2005) presents the “director’s cut” of THE TERMINAL MAN (d. Mike Hodge, U.S., 1972); writer Phillip Lopate (TFF 1995) presents NAKED CHILDHOOD (d. Maurice Pialat, France, 1969) with Pialat’s short, LOVE EXISTS (France, 1960); novelist Michael Ondaatje (TFF 2010) presents short films LA JETÉE (d. Chris Marker, France, 1962) and ELEPHANT (d. Alan Clarke, U.K., 1989); film scholar, curator and author B. Ruby Rich (TFF 1996) presents ONE WAY OR ANOTHER (d. Sara Gómez, Cuba, 1974); writer Salman Rushdie (TFF 2004) presents MAHANAGAR (d. Satyajit Ray, India, 1963). 

Additional film revivals include Pierre Rissient’s selections, short MUSCLE BEACH (d. Irving Lerner, Joseph Strick, U.S., 1948) and TV episode A PIECE OF THE ACTION (d. Bernard Girard, U.S., 1962); “Pordenone Presents” has two selections: HE WHO GETS SLAPPED with The Alloy Orchestra performing their brand new score, and A SIMPLE CASE (d. Vsevolod Pudovkin, USSR, 1930) with a live musical performance by Gabriel Thibaudeau both presented by Paolo Cherchi Usai; PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (d. William Dieterle, U.S., 1948) presented by David Thomson; LE JOLI MAI (d. Chris Marker, Pierre Lhomme, France, 1963) presented by Colin MacCabe; LA POISON (d. Sacha Guitry, France, 1951) presented by Monique Montgomery; AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (d. Werner Herzog, Germany, 1972); and Michael Barker presents DEATH RIDES A HORSE (d. Giulio Petroni, Italy, 1967).

Backlot, Telluride’s intimate screening room featuring behind-the-scenes movies and portraits of artists, musicians and filmmakers, will screen the following programs, five of which are preceded by short films: 

• DIOR AND I (d. Frédéric Tcheng, U.S., 2013)

• HERE BE DRAGONS (d. Mark Cousins, U.K., 2013) 

• JODOROWSKY’S DUNE (d. Frank Pavich, U.S./France, 2013)

• LOCATIONS: LOOKING FOR RUSTY JAMES (d. Alberto Fuguet, Chile, 2013) select screening will be followed by Francis Ford Coppola’s RUMBLE FISH (U.S., 1983)

• NATAN (d. David Cairns, Paul Duane, Ireland, 2013) 

• MILIUS (d. Zak Knutson, Joey Figueroa, U.S., 2013)

• MULTIPLE VISIONS, THE CRAZY MACHINE (d. Emilio Maille, Mexico, 2012)

• MUSIDORA, THE TENTH MUSE (d. Patrick Cazals, France, 2013)

• PARTICLE FEVER (d. Mark Levinson, U.S., 2013)

• REMEMBRANCE – A SMALL MOVIE ABOUT OUUL IN THE 1950s (d. Peter Von Bagh, Finland, 2013)

• ROAD MOVIE: A PORTRAIT OF JOHN ADAMS (d. Mark Kidel, U.K., 2013)

• A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM (d. Mark Cousins, U.K., 2013)

Telluride Film Festival annually celebrates a hero of cinema who preserves, honors and presents great movies. This year’s Special Medallion award goes to Alejandro Ramirez who runs Cinepolis, the fourth-largest chain of movie theatres in the world, with a focus on how movies can address poverty and social change. Past recipients include C. Chapin Cutler Jr. and Boston Light & Sound, Criterion Collection, HBO, Ninon Sevilla, Ted Turner, Stanley Kauffman, Manny Farber, Pierre Rissient, Leonard Maltin, Serge Bromberg and UCLA Film & Television Archive. 

Telluride Film Festival’s SHOWcase for Shorts features eleven short films chosen to precede select feature films; Filmmakers of Tomorrow includes four programs: Student Prints, Great Expectations – narrative and non-fiction, and Calling Cards from twenty-one emerging filmmakers. 

Telluride Film Festival’s Education Programs present students the opportunity to experience film as an art and expand participants’ worldview through film screenings and filmmaker discussions. Celebrating its 25th year, the Student Symposium provides 50 graduate and undergraduate college students a weekend-long immersion in cinema. In honor of its anniversary, 25 new students and 25 alumni will make up the 2013 Symposium. The City Lights Project, now in its 14th year, brings fifteen high school students and five teachers from three divergent schools the opportunity to participate in a concentrated program of screenings and discussions. In 2011, TFF and UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA-TFT) launched FilmLAB, an extraordinary new program giving ten outstanding graduate film students from UCLA/TFT the opportunity to attend the festival and learn from the greatest filmmakers in the world in a workshop/lab setting: and For The Love Of Movies, a Los Angeles High School Screening Program focusing on the most creatively promising and under-served young talent featuring the “Best” of Telluride Film Festival, managed by UCLA-TFT graduate students and with the participation of selected filmmakers and TFT faculty.

Telluride Film Festival’s Talking Heads programs allow attendees to go behind the scenes with the Festival’s special guests. Eight Conversations take place between Festival guests and the audience about cinema and culture, and three outdoor Noon Seminars feature a panel of Festival guests discussing a wide range of film topics. These programs are free and open to the public. A special seminar, Alice & Friends, with panelists Alice Waters, Michael Pollan and Dieter Kosslick will focus on the issues at the intersection of food sustainability, consumption and art and will be followed by the presentation of Participant Media’s inaugural FOOD, INC. Movement Award to Alice Waters. 

Various Festivities take place throughout the Festival including Book Signings with Don DeLillo signing Libra and Underworld; Robyn Davidson signing Tracks; David Thomson signing Moments that Made the Movies; and Joyce Maynard signing Labor Day. Other festivities include Story Night in Brigadoon; Disney’s never-seen-before short GET A HORSE; and 40 Years of THE SHOW, presented by AMPAS featuring two 40th anniversary exhibitions from the Academy’s Telluride Film Collection, a photography display and clip reels highlighting TFF’s history from the Academy Film Archive to precede film screenings. 

Corporate support at Telluride Film Festival plays an essential role in the life of the Festival and underscores the Festival’s commitment to quality, adventure and distinction in the art of cinema. TFF is privileged to collaborate with some of the world’s most renowned consumer and entertainment brands, including Land Rover North America, Turner Classic Movies, Audible.com, Meyer Sound, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Pine Ridge Vineyards and Universal Studios; and excited to welcome new partners Bombardier Business Aircraft, EY, Film Finances, Inc. and Participant Media-- each of which are aligned with a unique feature of the festival. Equally, Telluride Film Festival is extremely proud of its committed relationships with Americas Film Conservancy, The London Hotels, Teatulia, The Hollywood Reporter, Cinedigm, Dolby, New Sheridan Hotel, Telluride Alpine Lodging, and UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

The 40th Telluride Film Festival’s program will be posted here in its entirety on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at noon.

Here are summaries for select films announced today:

 “All is Lost”- Directed by J.C. Chandor.  The second feature effort from Chandor (Margin Call) stars Robert Redford, a boat and the Indian Ocean.  This film played out of competition at Cannes to very good reviews and started some serious buzz for a possible Best Actor nomination for the 70 year old Redford.  Reportedly it has very little dialogue.  Lionsgate is distributing and the release date is also Oct. 18. The film is being presented in conjunction with a Festival Tribute of Redford. IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2017038/?ref_=ttco_co_tt

“Blue is the Warmest Color”-Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche.  The film that won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Steven Spielberg led jury took the unusual step of specifically recognizing the two lead actresses (Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarcopoulos) in addition to director Kechiche.  The film explores an intense relationship between two young women.  “Blue” is set to be released in the U.S. on Oct. 25.  Oddly, because of its release date in France and Academy rules, it will not be France’s entry for the Foreign Language Oscar.  “Blue’s” domestic distribution will be handled by Sundance Selects.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278871/?ref_=ttco_co_tt

“Gloria” – Directed by Sebastien Lelio.  Paulina Garcia took the Best actress prize at the Berlin International Film Festival as the title character in this film about a woman of a certain age who has a whirlwind romance.  “Gloria” will also play the New York Fest in October.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2425486/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

“Gravity”- Directed by Alfonso Cuaron.  The film stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. As Cuaron returns to feature film directing for the first time since his outstanding 2006 film “Children of Men”.  We’ve heard a couple of things about this highly anticipated film: Clooney’s screen time is limited and it’s reportedly beautifully shot (and in 3D).  There has been quite a bit of buzz that this could return Bullock to the Oscar race.  “Gravity” is from Warner Brothers and is set for release on Oct. 4.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

“Inside Llewyn Davis”- Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen and starring Oscar Issac (as the title character), Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, F. Murray Abraham and Justin Timberlake.  The Coen’s dive into the world of the Greenwich Village folk music scene in the early 1960’s in a film based loosely on Dave Van Ronk’s memoir of the period, “The Mayor of McDougal Street”.  “Llewyn” won the Grand Prix Award at Cannes in May (the unofficial second place award).  The film features a soundtrack of traditional folk music under the guidance of T. Bone Burnett repeating the job he did for the Coen’s “O Brother Where Art Thou?”  “Llewyn” is set for release on Dec. 6 and is being distributed by CBS Films.  The film is being screened as a part of a Festival Tribute of the Coen Brothers. IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2042568/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

“The Invisible Woman” -Directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes.  It also stars Felicity Jones as the title character.  Another true story, this film centers on the secret relationship British literary legend Charles Dickens had with a much younger woman.   Kristin Scott Thomas and Tom Hollander co-star.  Sony Pictures Classics is distributing and have set a U.S. release for Christmas Day.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1700845/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

“Labor Day”-Directed by Jason Reitman.  Reitman returns to Telluride where both “Juno” and “Up in the Air” showed with this film starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.  Winslet is a single mother and Brolin is a con on the lamb whose paths cross with unexpected consequences.  Tobey Maguire and James Van Der Beek co-star.  The script was written by Reitman and bases on a novel by Joyce Maynard. I have a buddy who has seen it and says it is Reitman’s most mature work.  Distribution is under the direction of Paramount who will issue it in limited release on Dec. 25.  IMDb:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1967545/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

The Lunchbox- Directed by Ritesh Batra.  Irrfan Kahn stars in this film set in Mumbai and focused on the relationships that are changed as the result of a mix up in the delivery of a lunchbox.  This was a selection to the Cannes Critics Week.  Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter called it “an ingenious tale of romance by correspondence” IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/?ref_=sr_1

“Nebraska” –Directed by Alexander Payne.  Payne returns to Telluride after the success of “The Descendants” in 2011.  “Nebraska” (which will be presented in the U.S. in black and white) stars Bruce Dern and Will Forte as an estranged father/son duo who make a cross country trip to claim a big money prize.  Dern was named Best Actor at Cannes for his portrayal of the alcoholic father.  Stacy Keach and June Squibb also appear. Paramount is distributing and the film is due in theaters on Nov. 22.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821549/

“Palo Alto”-Directed by Gia Coppola.  The first thing you notice is the relationship of the director and the star, Emma Roberts, to other, more famous people.  Coppola is Francis Ford Coppola’s grand-daughter and Roberts is the daughter of Eric Roberts and niece to Julia.  The film is based on stories by James Franco who also appears in the film as does Val Kilmer.  The story is described a “dark drama” focused on a group of teenagers.  The film does not currently have a U.S. release date.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2479800/?ref_=sr_1

“The Past” –Directed by Asghar Farhadi.  Farhadi returns to Telluride as well with this follow up to his Oscar winning “A Separation”.  Berenice Bejo won the Best actress prize at Cannes for her portrayal of a young wife caught between two men, one of them her past the other her possible future.  Sony Pictures Classics has the distribution for the film which is set for U.S. release on Dec. 20.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404461/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

“Tim’s Vermeer”- Directed by Teller (of Penn and Teller…Penn Jillette is one of the films producers).  Martin Mull is featured in this story about an American inventor, Tim Jenison, and his attempt to understand the intricacies of the paintings of Johannes Vermeer.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3089388/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

“Tracks”-Directed by John Curran.  Mia Wasikowska stars in this true story of a young Australian woman who goes on a lengthy journey of self discovery through the Outback.  “Tracks" also stars Adam Driver and has yet to establish a U.S. release date.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2167266/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

 “Under the Skin”-Directed by Jonathan Glazer.  Scarlett Johansson stars in this film about an alien in human form traveling through Scotland.  The film is playing both Venice and Toronto as well.  Currently, it has no announced U.S. release date.  Glazer returns to direct a feature film for the first time since 2004’s “Birth”.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441395/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

“The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld”.  Documentarian Errol Morris examines the life of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.  IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2390962/?ref_=sr_6