Showing posts with label War Machine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label War Machine. Show all posts

Friday, August 5, 2016

Ten (Plus) Bets #7 / Wilson, HHhH, War Machine and Silence Bid Adieu / Taxi Driver 40th Anniversary Poster

Hello World on this Friday!

TEN (PLUS) BETS #7



Here's your weekly update of the films that appear to be the most likely to be on The SHOW's program when it's announced on Sept. 1.  First a re-cap from...

Last week's Ten (Plus) Bets:

13) Fire at Sea
12) Moonlight
11) The Red Turtle
10) Manchester by the Sea
9) Maudie
8) Frantz
7) Una
6) Neruda
5) Bleed for This
4) Arrival
3) Things to Come
2) La La Land
1) Toni Erdmann

Close: Aquarius, Dog Eat Dog, The Sense of an Ending, The Unknown Girl


This week's Ten (Plus) Bets #7

15) Defying the Nazis (Ken Burns PBS Doc)
14) High Summer (Animated short)
13) The Red Turtle
12) Manchester by the Sea
11) Moonlight
10) Fire at Sea
9) Maudie
8) Frantz
7) Una
6) Things to Come
5) Neruda
4) Bleed for This
3) Arrival
2) La La Land
1) Toni Erdmann

Close: Aquarius, Dog Eat Dog, I Daniel Blake, The Unknown Girl, The Sense of an Ending, Graduation, Sieranevada, The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez

Keeping an eye on: Gold, The Oppenheimer Strategies, The Circle, The Promise, Eternity, The Mercy


WILSON, HHhH , WAR MACHINE AND SILENCE BID ADIEU



For a long time during the run up to TFF #43 I have thought that Craig Johnson's Wilson might well be a serious player for the fest. but news broke yesterday that Fox Searchlight has dated the film for Mar. 3, 2017.  So say goodbye to Wilson.  Truth be told, I had a hunch was on the ropes for about the last three weeks and that explains why it disappeared from the Ten Bets list.




Meanwhile, you may have seen over the last 48 hours some news regarding a major shakeup at The Weinstein Company with at least two major executives exiting the company.  In the news about one of those moves, we discovered that TWC will only be releasing three films this fall: Lion, The Founder, and Gold.  HHhH is nowhere mentioned in the Variety story which suggests that it's fate is up in the air.

It may well mean that TWC doesn't have a film at TFF for the first time since I've been attending (since 2006).  Lion's World Premiere status for Toronto means it's off the Telluride table.  The Founders musical chairs style release changes doesn't inspire confidence and Gold isn't dated for release until late December which makes me think it won't be ready for an audience during the first week in September.

Here's the Variety story:

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/weinstein-companys-acquisitions-and-production-head-dan-guando-exits-exclusive-1201830775/



Jeff Wells/Hollywood Elsewhere reports that he's been told that David Michod's War Machine is going to be pushed to 2017.  If true, especially for the rationale stated (so as not to conflict with Brad Pitt in another WWII film-Allied), then it's off the T-ride list as well.  Here's the Wells/HE story:

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2016/08/war-machine-allegedly-opening-in-17/



And finally, in depressing "not playing Telluride news" is the word from Martin Scorsese that Silence won't be ready for human consumption until October at the earliest.  I never really thought TFF would likely have the film, but this looks like a confirmation:

From ShowBiz411:

http://www.showbiz411.com/2016/08/04/oscars-martin-scorsese-says-silence-will-be-golden-for-end-of-year-release



ON THE OTHER SCORSESE HAND...TAXI DRIVER 40TH ANNIVERSARY POSTER

I offered up a suggestion on Tuesday that the T-ride powers that be contemplate a tribute to a film, as they did with Apocalypse Now two years ago and my suggestion was Taxi Driver which is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its release this year.

I included the teaser for the 40th anniversary re-release of the Martin Scorsese classic...his best film in my opinion.

In the intervening time, I have discovered that there is a 40th anniversary poster as well>  Here it is via The Playlist:





http://theplaylist.net/first-look-brad-pitt-marion-cotillard-allied-20160803/


Friday's done.  More Monday...

Contact MTFB at:

mpgort@gmail.com

OR on Twitter @Gort2

OR check out Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook:


Or leave a comment.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

The Guardian Predicts / The Euro Producers; The French-Cinecinema/Cine+ / Fences Swings for the Fences

Good Thursday World!


THE GUARDIAN PREDICTS



Britain's The Guardian posted a "40 Films We Predict Will Premiere at Venice, Toronto or Telluride" story yesterday.  The predix offer some surprises.  Breaking it down: the article bresks the 40 films into three categories-Dead Certs, Quite Likely and If It's Ready.

The piece names Telluride as a specific possibility for two films that we already know will play somewhere before the BFI/London Fest owing to their status their as European premieres: A United Kingdom and The Queen of Katwe.  United Kingdom seems to me to be the more likely T-ride player of the two.  Venice is listed as a specific designated fest probability for Planetarium while Toronto is listed for A United Kingdom, The Queen of Katwe, The Girl on the Train, Free Fire and The Seagull.

Among their "Dead Certs" the best Telluride potentials look like: Denial (from Bleeker Street which partnered with Netflix last year on Beats of No Nation), One or the other of TWC's The Founder or Lion and Arrival.  Outside T-ride shots in this category: The Secret Scripture, The Mercy and the Malick double play of Weightless and The Voyage of Time.

Interestingly, The Guardian lists Warren Beatty's Rules Don;t Apply in the Dead Cert category which is very intriguing,

In the Quite Likely category you'll fins Telluride possibilities such as HHhH and Gold (the other two Weinstein fall films...at least for the moment), 20th Century Women, War Machine (from Netflix), Wilson and How to Talk to Girls at Parties.

Among the "If It's Ready" films I don't find anything that's A) likely to be ready and B) if it is, likely to be a Telluride bound...though I'd really like to put in a word for Miss Sloane.

It's worth noting that The Guardian sponsored TFF #42.

Check the complete article here:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jul/20/40-films-predict-premiere-venice-toronto-telluride-festivals




THE EURO PRODUCERS: THE FRENCH-CINECINEMA/CINE+



CineCinema changed over to Cine+ within the last few years but it's all the same.  This production company has often been represented at Telluride over the last few years:

2005: Lemming, Live and Become
2006: The Page Turner, Indigenes
2007: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
2008: With a Little Help from Myself
2009: Farewell, Coco Before Chanel, A Prophet, Inferno
2010: The Illusionist, The Princess of Montpensier, Of Gods and Men
2011: Goodbye First Love, The Kid with a Bike, Le Havre, The Artist
2012: Rust and Bone, Superstar, The Attack, Amour
2013: The Past, Blue is the Warmest Color, Le Maison de la Radio
2014: The Gate. The Price of Fame, Two Days One Night, Diplomacy
2015: Marguerite

The best opportunities for Cine+ to play Telluride this year is Slack Bay.  After that their slate doesn't look, at this point, to offer a lot of other possibilities.


FENCES SWINGS FOR THE FENCES


Fences still from Deadline.com


We missed mentioning this acouple of days ago but Denzel Washington's adaptation of August Wilson's Fences has been dated for an awards season qualifying time frame.  Mutiple reports put the film which Washington both directs and stars in as being released in a limited fashion on Dec. 16 and then going wider on Dec. 25.  Fences is from Paramount which is loaded with titles for this awards season.  In addition to Fences they have Allied, Arrival and Silence.

Admittedly, Fences is an unlikely Telluride film...but you never know...

Coverage of the Fences date announcement:

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/denzel-washington-fences-december-release-1201816381/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/denzel-washingtons-fences-snags-awards-912004

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/18/denzel-washington-fences-release-date

That's it for Thursday.  Come back tomorrow for the latest Telluride Ten Bets.  It's the last one before announcements from Toronto and Venice.


Contact MTFB at:

mpgort@gmail.com

OR on Twitter @Gort2

OR check out Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook:


OR leave a comment...

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

What About the Big Dogs? / A Look at Daniel Blake

Good Wednesday to everyone...

Again, my apologies for not getting a post out yesterday.


WHAT ABOUT THE BIG DOGS?


There are films every year that get scheduled for fall and holiday seasons that are expected to resonate with film goers and the awards community and a constant mystery and guessing game is where and when they might land festival-wise or if they will land at a fest at all.

Our central question/speculation focuses on Telluride and so, let's take a look at that type of film and assess if the various BIG films coming soon might have the stuff to make an appearance at Telluride in September.

The candidates:



Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk-dir: Ang Lee.  Pro (making a Telluride play) Ang Lee has been around T-ride before: Brokeback, Crouching Tiger.  Con: Distrib is Sony and Tri Star which doesn't bode well.

Silence-dir: Martin Scorsese.  Pro: Scorsese was a Telluride player long ago and has continued to be a "presence" there in recent years as a producer of documentaries: Living in the Material World, The 50 Year Argument, Letter to Elia.  Also, Bill Pohlad's River Road is one of the producers.  Con: Paramount is distributing.


Allied still from Variety.com


Allied-dir- Robert Zemeckis.  Pro: Film stars Telluride sweetheart Marion Cotillard.  Con: Paramount again and the lack of history between  Zemeckis or the film's producers with T-ride.

Sully- dir- Clint Eastwood.  Pro: Eastwood has some history with Telluride; White Hunter, Black Heart.  It's from Warner Brothers which has a had a serious Telluride profile recently (Gravity, Black Mass).  Con: Eastwood has been content to avoid fall fests for a good long while.

Passengers-dir-Morten Tyldum.  Pro; Tyldum's last effort, The Imitation Game. played Telluride. Con: Sony distributes...no Telluride history beyond specialty arm Sony Pictures Classics.

War Machine-dir-David Michod.  Pro: Netflix distributes (Beasts of No Nation, Winter on Fire) and Brad Pitt's Plan B aids in producing (12 Years a Slave).  Con: Netflix may be eclipsed by Amazon as the streaming service with the profile at Telluride this year.

For other films expected to land as popular, critical or awards players check this post from Indiewire:

http://www.indiewire.com/2016/06/2017-oscar-predictions-best-picture-1201687971/


A LOOK AT DANIEL BLAKE



Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake was a surprise winner of this year's Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or. That makes it a serious possibility for Telluride.  Added to that, Ken Loach has played Telluride before as a tribute recipient in 1993.

Additionally, the film is being released in the U.S. through by Sundance Selects which has a significant T-ride profile.  Also, Telluride hasn't scheduled a Palme winner since 2013's Blue is the Warmest Color and history suggests that we're due for a Palme winner in the San Juans.

All of that to tell you that we have our first look at a trailer for the award winning film via YouTube:


I, Daniel Blake is still unscheduled for U.S. release.

The Playlist has coverage of the trailer release:

http://theplaylist.net/first-trailer-ken-loachs-palme-dor-winner-daniel-blake-takes-tender-look-good-people-20160615/

That's it for Wednesday...

Contact MTFB at:

mpgort@gmail.com

OR on Twitter @Gort2

OR check out Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook:



OR leave a comment...


Thursday, March 10, 2016

More Post-Oscar Pre-Oscar Speculation / Post-Oscar Statistics

It's a Thursday in March...

MORE POST-OSCAR, PRE-OSCAR SPECULATION




The fine folks at Awards Watch have put their collective heads together to make their first set of way-too-early Oscar predictions for 2016 (and the 2017 Oscars).  You can find their lists of a number of categories here:


http://awardswatch.com/category/predictions/film-predictions/oscars-predictions/gold-rush-gang-oscar-predictions/2017-oscar-predictions/


Among their Best Picture Oscar picks that seem to have some Telluride potential are:

Ang Lee's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (distrib: Sony, opens Nov. 11)
Jeff Nichol's Loving (distrib: Focus Features, opens TBD)
Ben Affleck's Live by Night (distrib: Warners, opens TBD)
Barry Jenkins' Moonlight (distrib: A24, opens TBD)
David Michod's War Machine (distrib: Netflix, opens TBD)
Damien Chazelle's La La Land (distrib: Lionsgate, opens Dec. 2)
Garth Davis' Lion (distrib: The Weinstein Company, opens Nov. 25)
James Marsh's Deep Water (no distrib or release date)


From other categories besides Best Picture:

Craig Johnson's Wilson (Fox Searchlight, TBD)
Mike Mills' 20th Century Women ( No distrib, TBD)


POST-OSCAR STATISTICS



Nathaniel Rogers and The Film Experience take a look at any number of statistics and oddities that came to light as a result of this year's Academy Awards:

http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2016/2/29/pt-1-winners-trivia-stats-howd-you-do-on-your-predictions.html

Also from the Academy itself... a database of all the Oscars from the beginning:

http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies


More to come on Monday...


Contact me at:

michael_speech@hotmail.com OR

mpgort@gmail.com OR

via Twitter @Gort2 OR to