News and Analysis from Toronto's Announcement

The Toronto International Film Festival announced their first wave of films this morning with Galas and Special Presentations.

All Galas except Brain Hegeland's "Legend" and Atom Egoyan's "Remember" are listed as World Premieres.  "Legend" is listed as an International Premiere but opens in Britain the day before TIFF starts, so it's not a Telluride player. "Remember" is listed as a North American Premiere which takes it off the table for Telluride.

World Premiere Galas (and the opening night film) of note that are removed from Telluride consideration are:

"Demolition"
"The Dressmaker"
"Freeheld"
"The Martian"
"The Program"
"Stonewall"

Among Special Presentations:

Those that are listed as Canadian Premieres and thereby likely Telluride material are:

Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson's "Anomalisa"
Scott Cooper's "Black Mass"
Lenny Abrahamson's "Room"
Laszlo Nemes' "Son of Saul"


Cary Fukunaga's  "Beasts of No Nation" is also a "Canadian" premiere.  Does this mean it could be a Telluride program?

Surprisingly, Jacques Audiard's "Dheepan" is a North American Premiere, meaning that it won't play at Telluride.  Also off the table for Telluride among TIFF Special Presentations announced this morning are: "Trumbo", "The Club", "The Danish Girl", "The Lobster", "Mountains May Depart", "Sicario" and "Youth" which also surprised me (though I had been cooling on its chances for the last couple of weeks).

Among International Premieres in the Special Presentations category are Tom McCarthy's "Spotlight" and Johnny To's "Office".  That would seem to indicate at least a chance that they play Telluride but I Suspect a Venice play is more likely and then both go directly to TIFF.

And then there are a slew of films that were not announced:

"Suffragette"
"Our Little Sister"
"I Saw the Light"
"Our Brand is Crisis"
"In the Heart of the Sea"
"By the Sea"
"Truth"
"Steve Jobs"
"Manchester-by-the-Sea"
"Secret in Their Eyes"
"Bridge of Spies"
"Queen of the Desert"
"Salt and Fire"
"45 Years"
"13 Minutes"
"Carol"
"Macbeth"
"Adam Jones/Burnt"
"Snowden"

There's a lot to chew on here and remember that Toronto has a ton more selections to announce over the next few weeks.  More coming in tomorrow's post.


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"Ten Bets" #4/European Producers: Le French Part Deux/First Trailer for "The Revenant"/Trailer and Interview for "The Assassin"

It's finally Friday...where has the summer gone?

LATEST "TEN BETS" (#4 for 2015)

Here's this week's installment of my weekly guess as to what are the ten most likely films to play as a part of this year's Telluride Film Festival.

First, a look at last week's "Ten Bets":

10) "The Club"
9) "Suffragette"
8) "13 Minutes"
7) "Queen of the Desert"
6) "45 Years"
5) "I Saw the Light"
4) "Carol"
3) "Youth"
2) "Son of Saul"
1) "Dheepan"

  

And now, "Ten Bets" #4

10) "The Club"

9) "Truth"

8) "Queen of the Desert"

7) "Suffragette"

6) "Youth"

5) "45 Years"

4) "I Saw the Light"

3) "Carol"

2) "Dheepan"

1) "Son of Saul"

SPC's "Truth" rejoins the "Ten Bets" replacing their "13 Minutes".  Also, "Mountains Amy Depart" drops a bit farther as its director is on the new "Program" jury for Toronto.  "The Measure of a Man" moves to "near Ten Bets" status.

EUROPEAN PRODUCERS: LE FRENCH PART DEUX

I'm continuing my look at European/French film production firms today with looks at Telluride legacies for France2 Cinema and France 3 as a way of looking for possible shows for The SHOW.

FRANCE2 CINEMA

Here are the films from France2 Cinema that have played Telluride in recent years:

2006: Indigenes
2009: A Prophet, Coco Before Chanel
2010: The Princess of Montpensier
2011: The Kid with a Bike
2012: Rust and Bone

2013: Blue is the Warmest Color
2014: Two Days One Night

TFF #42 possibilities:

"Youth"
"Mon Roi"
"Lolo"
 are the best bets from France2.

FRANCE 3

Here's the track record from France 3 at Telluride for the past several years:

2003: Dogville, The Tripletts of Belleville
2004:
2005: Lemming, Live and Become, Cache
2006: The Page Turner, Indigenes
2007: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Persepolis
2008: I've Loved You So Long
2009: The White Ribbon
2010: The Illusionist, The Princess of Montpensier, Of Gods and Men
2011: The Artist
2012: Superstar, Amour
2013: The Past

2014: Mr. Turner, The Price of Fame, The Gate

Their 2015 slate that might be Telluride possible includes:

"Diary of a Chambermaid"
"Disorder"
"Valley of Love"
 These films seem like the best bets from France 3.

FIRST TRAILER FOR "THE REVENANT"

"The Revenant" trailer via YouTube

Let me be clear, Alejandro Inarritu's "The Revenant" starring Leonardo DiCaprio is almost certainly NOT going to make it to Telluride.  The film is, the buzz says, NOT ready and WILL NOT be ready in time.

With a Dec. 25th release date, Inarritu has plenty of time before its theatrical release to get finished up...maybe.  Honestly, I wouldn't be all that surprised if this didn't get held until 2016 with a play at Cannes and then a 2016 Telluride play.

Nevertheless, we have a trailer that dropped this morning as you can see above and here are some of the related stories from other outlets that accompanied the trailer this morning:

http://www.slashfilm.com/the-revenant-trailer-leonardo-dicaprio/

http://www.thewrap.com/leonardo-di-caprio-does-not-fear-death-in-first-trailer-for-the-revenant-video/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-leonardo-dicaprio-tom-hardy-star-in-the-first-trailer-for-alejandro-inarritus-revenge-thriller-the-revenant-20150717

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/17/revenant-trailer-leonardo-dicaprio?hootPostID=f03a2f8aeed55cacf06a1c7f883a2b2b

http://thefilmstage.com/trailer/first-trailer-for-alejandro-gonzalez-inarritus-the-revenant-with-leonardo-dicaprio-and-tom-hardy/

TRAILER AND INTERVIEW FOR "THE ASSASSIN

Hou Hsiao-Hsien's "The Assassin" won the Best Directing prize at Cannes last May and that might be enough to see it make the Telluride 2015 program.  Last year's Cannes Best Director made the trip to T-ride-Bennett Miller and "Foxcatcher'.  Other Cannes Best Direction winners of recent years that have then played Telluride include: Gus Van Sant ("Elephant" '03), Michael Haneke ("Cache" '05) Alejandro Inarritu ("Babel '06) and Julian Schnabel ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" '07). Additionally, the critical response was very, very good.

The film is being distributed by Well Go Entertainment which has no real Telluride history but that might not matter.  The film also still has no U.S. release date but will have played half a dozen international festivals by the end of August.


I have linked an interview with Hsiao-Hsien from Mubi and the story from The Playlist that includes the trailer for the film:

https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/a-love-story-without-love-hou-hsiao-hsien-discusses-the-assassin/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-trailer-for-hou-hsiao-hsiens-cannes-award-winning-the-assassin-20150704


That's all for Friday.  Have a great weekend and look for a new post Monday.

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European Producers: Le French Part Un/"Steve Jobs" Gets Reactions/"Joy" Erupts with Trailer/"Demolition Departs for April

It's Thursday people!

EUROPEAN PRODUCERS: LE FRENCH PART UN

After the dearth of British production houses involved with Telluride possible films that we explored in yesterday's post, it's good to see that several of the French houses have a stronger hand.  We'll look at a couple of them today beginning with Canal+.

Here's their profile for the past dozen years or so at Telluride:

2003: The Barbarian Invasions, Dogville, Love Me If You Dare, The Tripletts of Belleville
2004: The Weeping Meadow
2005: The Child, Cache, Lemming, Live and Become
2006: Volver, Indigenes, The Page Turner
2007: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Terror's Advocate, Jellyfish
2008: With a Little Help From Myself, I've Loved You So Long
2009: Farewell, Coco Before Chanel, A Prophet, The White Ribbon
2010: The Illusionist, Carlos, Of Gods and Men, The Princess of Montpensier
2011: Crazy Horse, Albert Nobbs, Goodbye First Love, The Kid with a Bike, The Artist, Le Havre
2012: Rust and Bone, Superstar, The Attack
2013: Blue is the Warmest Color", Le Maison de la Radio", "The Past"
2014: Two Days One Night, The Price of Fame

And what might be a T-ride play for Canal+ this year?

"Youth"
"Amnesia"
"The Measure of a Man"
"The Lobster"
 are the most likely Canal+ supported titles.

Additionally, another French production house to pay attention to is StudioCanal.  Here's their recent track record at TFF:

2003: Young Adam, Love Me If You Dare
2005: Cache
2006: Indigines, Catch a Fire
2010: The Princess of Montpensier
2012: Love, Marilyn
2013: Inside Llewyn Davis

No StudioCanal film played Telluride in 2014 and as you can see, their presence is sporadic but there are three films with them aiding in production that could make the TFF #42 lineup:

"A Bigger Splash"
"The Program"
"Mon Roi"

Tomorrow,  a look at more French production firms.

"STEVE JOBS" GETS REACTIONS

Michael Fassbender as "Steve Jobs"

Various and sundry of the folks I follow on Twitter revealed that test audiences have seen Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs" over the past few days.  From all accounts, reactions have been good.  Jeff Wells/Hollywood Elsewhere posted this story about the screening last night:

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2015/07/steve-jobs-west-42nd-street/

I have been wary of the film's Telluride possibilities as it is in the hands of Universal which has had a negligible presence at TFF.  Still, the fact that its a Danny Boyle film makes you think that it should SHOW and the Wells piece reminded me that Scott Rudin is producing the film and he also has a significant film track record at Telluride.  Of course, Rudin produces a ton of films but still, here's his T-ride connection over the past few years:

2006: "Venus"
2007: "There Will Be Blood" (clip), "Margot at the Wedding"
2010: "The Way Back"
2012: "Frances Ha"
2013: "Inside Llewyn Davis"
2014: "Rosewater"

So, perhaps Rudin's involvement tips Steve Jobs" a bit more in Telluride's direction.

"JOY" ERUPTS WITH TRAILER

"Joy" trailer via YouTube

It was hard to miss on the internet yesterday...the above trailer for David O. Russell's "Joy" starring Jennifer Lawrence as the inventor of the Miracle Mop.  The film is set to open on Dec. 25 and is being distributed by 20th Century Fox arm, Fox 2000.

Now, David O. Russell has never been to Telluride and Fox 2000 hasn't either (the 20th Century Fox branch that does do T-ride is Fox Searchlight so the chances of this being in the San Juans on Labor Day weekend are pretty small but never say never.  

The film is produced, in part, by Annapurna Pictures/Megan Ellison, who brought a film to Telluride for the first time last year ("Foxcatcher"). There's your tiny glimmer of hope.

The reality is that the film will likely do what Russell's "The Fighter" and "American Hustle" did and not play any fest at all.

If it is scheduled for a fest appearance, I'd think that Toronto, New York or AFI would all have a better shot before Telluride (Russell has played Toronto twice with "I Heart Huckabees" and "Silver Linings Playbook").

Still, the trailer looks interesting.

Here are a number of links to stories that covered the drop of the trailer yesterday:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-jennifer-lawrence-invents-miracle-mop-in-first-trailer-for-david-o-russells-joy-20150715

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2015/07/trailer-jennifer-lawrence-in-joy/

http://www.thewrap.com/jennifer-lawrence-bradley-cooper-grows-up-in-first-trailer-for-david-o-russells-joy-video/

https://variety.com/2015/film/news/jennifer-lawrence-bradley-cooper-joy-trailer-miracle-mop-1201540711/

http://www.indiewire.com/watch-dazzling-joy-teaser-puts-jennifer-lawrence-and-david-o-russell-back-in-the-oscar-race

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/watch-jennifer-lawrence-stars-in-first-joy-movie-trailer/

http://www.firstshowing.net/2015/teaser-trailer-for-david-o-russells-joy-starring-jennifer-lawrence/

"DEMOLITION" DEPARTS FOR APRIL

Jake Gyllenhaal in "Demolition"

Late word yesterday that Fox Searchlight has pushed Jean-Marc Vallee's "Demolition" to an April, 2016 release date.  That moves the film out of awards season 2015 and probably means no fest exposure whatsoever for the Jake Gyllenhaal starrer.

Fox Searchlight is probably down to three possible films for Telluride: "Youth", "He Names Me Malala" and "A Bigger Splash".  "Demolition's" move likely means that the "Malala" documentary is a bit more likely to make the Telluride lineup.

  

Here are reports regarding "Demolition's " move:

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/demolition-avoids-oscar-season-gyllenhaals-southpaw-performance-gets-a-boost/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/strike-it-from-oscar-season-demolition-with-jake-gyllenhaal-naomi-watts-opens-april-2016-20150715

That's all for Thursday...more tomorrow including a brand new "Ten Bets" list.

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Wells Looks at His Crystal Ball/European Producers: The British/New Looks for "Suffragette"/Toronto Note

Good Wednesday All...

WELLS LOOKS AT HIS CRYSTAL BALL

Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere posted his best guess at Telluride last night.  Wells is a long time Telluride attendee. That along with his status as an industry insider means that we should take a hard look at what he has to say in terms'

Wells lists six films as "All but Locks" for Telluride:

Todd Haynes "Carol", Paolo Sorrentino's "Youth", James Vanderbilt's "Truth", Laszlo Nemes' "Son of Saul", Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette",  and John Crowley's "Brooklyn".

Of these films I'd agree with "Carol" and "Son of Saul".  I feel that "Suffragette", "Truth" and "Youth" are probable/possible but not locks and "Brooklyn" is very, very unlikely as it played at Sundance.

Wells then suggests Tom McCarthy's "Spotlight" may forgo Telluride for Toronto.  You might remember that I suggested a few days back that it was one of about half dozen films about which there are rumors that it could be the Toronto opener. (BTW...see note about Toronto below)

His next list is called "Logical Spitballs" and includes five films:

Jay Roach's "Trumbo", Scott Cooper's "Black Mass", Brian Hegeland's "Legend", Luca Guadagnino's "A Bigger Splash" and Barry Levinson's "Rock the Kasbah"

I'd quibble with the last three and agree that both "Trumbo" and "Black Mass" are logical and two films that I would genuinely be excited to play at the festival.  You might recall that "Black Mass" is one of four Warners films that could make a Telluride play.  The other WB films mentioned by Wells are Jeff Nichol's "Midnight Special" and David Gordon Green's "Our Brand is Crisis".  Unmentioned by Wells from my WB list is Ron Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea"

Wells also includes one film that he calls a  "Bizarro" possibility, Baltasar Kormakur's "Everest" and a list of seven films he calls "Wishy-Wishies" that includes Alejandro Inarritu's "The Revenant" and Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs".

Take a look at the entire post here:

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2015/07/telluride-likelies-spitballs-wishies/



EUROPEAN PRODUCERS: THE BRITISH

The first (and as it turns out only) Brit Production house to look at for Telluride clues is Film4 which has this recent track record with Telluride:

2006: Deep Water
2007: When Did You Last See Your Father, Brick Lane
2008: Happy-Go-Lucky, Hunger, Slumdog Millionaire
2009: No film
2010: Another Year, Never Let Me Go
2011: Shame
2012: No film

2013: Under the Skin, 12 Years a Slave, Starred Up

2014: Mr. Turner

Film4 has been associated with 12 films in the past eight years at Telluride, an average of 1.5 films/year.

In 2015, the most likely Film4 associated films that could make Telluride include:

Todd Haynes' "Carol"

Paolo Sorrentino's "Youth"

Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette"

Yorgos Lanthimos' "The Lobster"

Andrea Arnold's "American Honey"

Ben Wheatley's "High Rise"

Lenny Abrahamson's "Room"

As regular readers know, I'm very high on the chances for "Carol" and "Youth" and moderately serious about expecting "Suffragette".  "The Lobster" is certainly a possibility.  

"American Honey" might be higher in my estimation if I knew that the film was ready but I have doubts as Entertainment Weekly was reporting that star Shia LeBeouf was injured on set on June 24th.  Normally, the fact that the director is Andrea Arnold ("Fish Tank" TFF 2009) would have made me think that, were it prepped, it might well be a serious Telluride contender.

I'd be somewhat surprised should "High Rise" or "Room" make a Telluride appearance.

Other British production houses just don't seem to have been involved in much that seems Telluride-likely.  See Saw Films is involved with Justin Kurzel's "Macbeth" but BBC Films, the UK Film Council and The British Film Institute all seem mostly uninvolved in films that feel, to me at least, to be likely Telluride products.

Tomorrow, I'll begin looking at some French production houses that could have films in the mix for Telluride.

NEW LOOKS FOR "SUFFRAGETTE"

New posters dropped yesterday for Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette".  They're very impressive as you can see from the sample above.  I have linked the post from Rope of Silicon that includes all of the new posters that dropped yesterday for the film.


http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/new-suffragette-poster-art-featuring-mulligan-streep-and-carter/


TORONTO NOTE

I confirmed yesterday that Toronto doesn't begin announcing their lineup until July 28.  I had been working on the assumption (stupid me) that they would announce on July 21, one day earlier and in a Tuesday as they have for some time.  What I didn't count on was that Toronto, like Telluride, bumped back to a later calendar start date because of where Labor Day falls.  Consequently, their announcement calendar also follows the bump in dates.  So July 28th it is for TIFF.

That'll do for today...check back again tomorrow for more...

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"Youth" Wins Audience Award/Distribution: Focus Features and Telluride/"Hateful" Happens at Comic Con

And we're back...from the weekend.  Hope yours was good.

"YOUTH" WINS AT KARLOVY VARY

Paolo Sorrentino's "Youth" stuck another feather in its it metaphorical hat with an audience award win this weekend at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.  The film continues to gain steam and attention as one of Fox Searchlight's most likely awards friendly films.

I've felt for some time that it has an excellent chance to play Telluride in September.  It's currently sitting at #3 on the most current MTFB "Ten Bets" list.

I have linked the Karlovy Vary story from The Wrap as well as a link to Variety's coverage of the Harvey Keitel interview that was conducted there as a part of the film's festival presentation:

http://www.thewrap.com/karlovy-vary-film-festival-gives-top-prizes-to-bob-and-the-trees-youth/


http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/harvey-keitel-on-brilliant-auteurs-and-the-importance-of-independents-1201538358/



FOCUS FEATURES AND TELLURIDE

Focus Features films at Telluride since 2003:

2003: Lost in Translation
2004: The Motorcycle Diaries
2005: Brokeback Mountain
2006: Catch a Fire
2012: Hyde Park on Hudson

Focus Features has had a spotty track record at Telluride with 5 films over the past 12 years so chances aren't great, you'd think anyway.  However, a couple of their films have some potential.  Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette" and Tom Hooper's "The Danish Girl".  Both directors have been to Telluride previously.  Gavron in 2006 with "Brick Lane" and Hooper in 2010 with the Oscar Best Picture winner "The King's Speech".  So both could actually be in play.  My assessment is that "Suffragette" is the most likely of the two at 60% (and I have actually had it on and near the "Ten Bets" list so far this summer).  Meanwhile, "Eddie Redmayne's starring role in "The Danish Girl" has people talking that he could be in the running for a second straight Oscar nomination for Best Actor. I put "Danish Girl's" chances of playing Telluride at 35%.

Tomorrow I'll take a look at Strand Releasing and maybe a couple of others...



"HATEFUL" HAPPENS AT COMIC CON

Yes.  Quentin Tarantino and a huge chunk of the cast from his upcoming "The Hateful Eight" made a splashy presentation at Comic Con in San Diego over the weekend.  The presentation included a seven minute reel from the film that QT cut just last week for the event.

Additionally, the film has a new poster and Tarantino dropped the news that Ennio Morricone will be scoring the film.  Perfect!

The presentation renewed speculation among some professional movie blogger types that the film might still be a special sneak at TFF in a few weeks.  That'd be cool but it would still be cutting it mighty close.  Fingers crossed, though.

Here's coverage from Rope of silicon and HitFix:

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/new-the-hateful-eight-poster-ennio-morricone-providing-original-score/

http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/five-takeaways-from-quentin-tarantino-and-the-hateful-eight-comic-con-panel


That's it for Monday, come back again tomorrow...

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Distribution: Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, Saban Films/Ten Bets #3/The Playlist's 50 Film Wish List for Fall Film Fests

It's Friday, Friday, Friday...

DISTRIBUTION: ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS/LIONSGATE/SABAN FILMS

On this Friday I continue my extensive look at film distributors with pasttrack records at the Telluride Film Festival to suss out clues about what films might play at this year's 42nd edition of the fest. Today I'm looking at the inter-related companies of Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and Saban Films.


Taking each as an individual entity, here are their recent Telluride histories, such as they are:

Roadside Attractions:

2010: Biutiful
2011: Albert Nobbs
2012: Stories We Tell
2013: All is Lost, Gloria
2014: '71, The Homesman, Mommy


Lionsgate

2013: All is Lost

Saban:

2014: The Homesman



As you can see, Roadside has steadily increased its presence in the five year run since it first showed up at The SHOW in 2010.  Lionsgate and Saban have been peripherally involved on a couple of projects in that time.  So, what do these firms have in their collective quiver that might whet the appetite of T-ride programmers?

From Roadside: "A Hologram for the King", "Miss You Already", "The Sea of Trees", "Stonewall",

From Lionsgate: "A Hologram for the King", "Freeheld", "Miss You Already", "Sicario" "The Sea of Trees", "Genius"

Saban Films doesn't appear to have any film that looks Telluride-y, at least according to their IMDb listing.

It seems to me that Lionsgate actually has the strongest hand in as far as possible Telluride programming is concerned.  Probably the safest "bet" is Denis Villeneuve's "Sicario".  After that, it's all relatively doubtful for the remainder of the Roadside/Lionsgate/Saban field and even "Sicario" is iffy.

Chances:

"Sicario" 50%
"Freeheld" 40%
"A Hologram for the King" 35%
"Genius" 30%
"Miss You Already" 25%
"The Sea of Trees" 25%

Roadside, after a strong run last year, may be on the outside looking in.




TEN BETS #3

Last week's "Ten Bets" were:

10) "Queen of the Desert"
9) "Mountains May Depart"
8) "Suffragette"
7)  "13 Minutes"
6) "I Saw the Light"
5) "Youth"
4) "45 Years"
3) "Carol"
2) "Son of Saul"
1) "Dheepan"

This week's updated "Ten Bets" for TFF #42:

10) "The Club"
9) "Suffragette"
8) "13 Minutes"
7) "Queen of the Desert"
6) "45 Years"
5) "I Saw the Light"
4) "Carol"
3) "Youth"
2) "Son of Saul"
1) "Dheepan"

Pablo Larrain's "The Club" bumps "Mountains May Depart"...but it's close.


THE PLAYLIST'S 50 FILM WISH LIST FOR THE FALL FILM FESTS

The Playlist was up yesterday with their annual "wish list" of films for the upcoming fall film fest.  The yearly "wish/prediction" post has come to be a staple for parsing here at MTFB...

So, here's what they "wish/predict" as it pertains to what films they feel might make the lineup for Telluride:

The first film referenced for Telluride is the Bradley Cooper starring, Weinstein Company distributed "Adam Jones".  The Playlist says Telluride is a "possibility".

Next is Scott Cooper's "Black Mass" starring Johnny Depp as mob murderer Whitey Bulger.  "Black Mass" is from Warners.  You may recall that I think Warners will have a film or two at Telluride this year's list.  The Playlist suggests that a "sneak preview" is "very possible".

The next Telluride mention is for Guillermo Del Toro's "Crimson Peak".  Read my earlier posts that suggest that Del Toro could follow the footsteps of his "three amigos hermanos" Alejandro Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron.

Their next T-ride mention surprised me a bit as they suggest that Tom Hooper's "The Danish Girl" starring last year's Oscar Best Actor winner Eddie Redmayne could play Telluride as Hooper could follow the path that his "The King's Speech" did to Oscar glory with a Telluride appearance in 2010.

"I Saw the Light" from director Marc Abraham ("Flash of Genius" T-ride 2008) is called a "maybe" for TFF #42.  It's a biopic about country music legend Hank Williams starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen.  I think this film is a real Telluride possibility.

The next film that The Playlist gives a "maybe" is Derek Cianfrance's "The Light Between the Oceans" with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.  It's distribution is still up for grabs for the U.S.

Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester-by-the -Sea" is suggested as a Telluride possible.  The film stars Michelle Williams and Kyle Chandler and is also looking for U.S> distribution.

Joe Nichols' "Midnight Special" starring Michael Shannon is termed a "good bet" and is another of the four Warners films that could make the trip to the San Juans.

The Playlist actually says that Jodie Foster's "Money Monster" starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts could make the Telluride program.  That would be cool.  Sony Pictures/TriStar are distributing.  (See my upcoming 2015 edition of "The Unified Clooney Theory" in a week or so).

David Gordon Green's "Our Brand is Crisis" is the third Warners film that the article says could make it to Telluride.  The film stars Sandra Bullock and is produce, in part, by Clooney (see "UCT" note above).

Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette" is said to be "expect(ed)" for Telluride after its announcement as a "European" premiere to open the London Film Fest.  The film stars Carey Mulligan and is distributed in the U.S. by Focus Features.

Richard Linklater's follow up to his critical darling "Boyhood" and the "spiritual sequel" to his classic "Dazed and Confused",
"That's What I'm Talking About" is called "very likely" for Telluride or Toronto or New York.

The last film that The Playlist lists Telluride as a possibility is "Truth" from director James Vanderbilt.  The post says that the film is "very likely" as it's from  Sony Pictures Classics.  The film stars Robert Redford as newsman Dan Rather and tells the story of his fall from grace at CBS News.

That's 13 of the 50 films listed in the post mentioning Telluride.

There are 37 other films (plus a bonus set at the end of the article) that The Playlist does not mention Telluride as a possibility.  Of those, I actually think that some DO have a shot.  For example:

Thomas Vintenberg's "The Commune"
Jean-Marc Vallee's "Demolition"
Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight"
Ron Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea"
Stephen Frears' "The Program"
Billy Ray's "Secret in Their Eyes"
Thomas McCarthy's "Spotlight"
Danny Boyles' "Steve Jobs"
Jay Roach's "Trumbo"
Justin Chadwick's "Tulip Fever"

are among The Playlist's 50 that they don't peg for a Telluride slot but that I think could play.

The only "Honorable Mentions" that they include that I feel have some shot at making Telluride is "Freeheld"

A lot to digest...

The complete post is here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/50-movies-on-our-fall-film-festival-wishlist-20150709

That's all for Friday.  Have a great weekend!  More on Monday...


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Distribution: Fox Searchlight/New P.R. Gambit for "Sicario"/Spooky Looks from "Crimson Peak"

Welcome to a Tuesday in July...

We continue our look at film distributors with Telluride track records...

DISTRIBUTION: FREQUENT DISTRIBS AT TELLURIDE: FOX SEARCHLIGHT

Here's what we have seen from them art Telluride over the past 11 years:

2004: Kinsey
2005: Bee Season
2006: The Last King of Scotland, The Namesake
2007: Juno, The Savages
2008: Slumdog Millionaire
2009: ZIP
2010: Never Let Me Go, 127 Hours, Black Swan, Millions
2011: Shame, The Descendants
2012: ZIP
2013: 12 Years a Slave
2014: Birdman, Wild

16 films over that time span, which averages to 1.55 films/year.  2009 and 2013 were outliers with no Fox Searchlight films at T-ride.  2010 was extraordinary with the company having four films make the program.  Most importantly, probably to Fox Searchlight, is that they have three Best Picture Oscar winners since 2008, all of which played Telluride: "Slumdog Millionaire" (08), "12 Years a Slave" (13) and "Birdman" (14).  So, you kind have to be believe that if they have a film that they feel has a Best Picture shot, that it will likely play Telluride (and the buzz is that they do).

What's in the Fox Searchlight cupboard for this year?  They have a number of goodies including much ballyhooed Cannes Palme competition piece, Paolo Sorrentino's "Youth" with both Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel considered serious Oscar acting awards candidates.

Then there's Jean-Marc Vallee's "Demolition" starring the red hot Jake Gyllenhaal.  Vallee was in Telluride last year as the director of "Wild" which earned Oscar nominations for Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern.

Also in the FS house, the much anticipated documentary "He Named Me Malala" about Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai who was the victim pf a Taliban assassination attempt because she dared to be a young girl who wanted an education.  "Malala" is directed by Davis Guggenheim who directed "Waiting for Superman" and "An Inconvenient Truth".

These three films all have some serious Telluride potential.  The other Fox Searchlight picture that could be in the mix is Luca Guadagnino's "A Bigger Splash" starring Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson but I think it's Telluride profile is much smaller...

Other Fox Searchlight films that could make a splash as we move through the end of the year have already premiered/opened: "True Story", "Mistress America", "Brooklyn", "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl", "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", and "Far from the Madding Crowd" have either played Sundance, opened theatrically or both.

Ultimately at least one Fox Searchlight film will play and probably two.  There could be three altogether.


Chances:

"Youth" 80%
"Demolition" 60%
"He Named Me Malala" 50%
"A Bigger Splash" 25%

Of course, I have "Youth" on the current "Ten Bets" list at #5.

Tomorrow's distribution outlet:  The Weinstein Company.


NEW P.R. GAMBIT FOR "SICARIO"

Lionsgate, which is distributing Denis Villenueve's "Sicario", which played Cannes in competition, has debuted a different P.R. move releasing "Loteria" cards for the film. You see one above.   Loteria is a bingo-like game that comes from Latin America.

"Sicario" will open in the U.S. on Sept. 18 and remains a film with some possibility of playing Telluride largely due to Villeneuve's past participation at Telluride with "Incendies" (TFF 2010) and "Prisoners" (TFF 2013).

Here's the Rope of Silicon article that includes all five of the Loteria cards for the film released yesterday:



http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/five-loteria-card-posters-for-sicario-released/


SPOOKY LOOKS FROM "CRIMSON PEAK"

I talked last week about the unlikely, but nevertheless, possible appearance of Guillermo Del Toro's "Crimson Peak".  Yesterday we were treated to new character posters for the Gothic horror film that features Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston.

Check out the links to HitFix and The Playlist for all of the posters and a couple of new stills from the film:


http://www.hitfix.com/harpy/exclusive-jessica-chastain-is-a-gothic-queen-in-blood-red-crimson-peak-poster

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-images-and-posters-for-guillermo-del-toros-gothic-horror-crimson-peak-20150706


That'll do for Tuesday...more tomorrow...


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Domestic Trailer for the "Queen/Wozniak on "Jobs"/"Ten Bets" #2

Good Morning Star Shine...the Earth says, "It's Friday!"


DOMESTIC TRAILER FOR THE "QUEEN"

Werner Herzog's long gestating "Queen of the Desert" dropped a trailer for U.S. audiences yesterday. The film stars Nicole Kidman as real life British pioneer Gertrude Bell.  The film also stars James Franco, Robert Pattinson and Damian Lewis.  "queen" premiered last February at the Berlin Film Festival.  I had it last week as the #10 film on the first 2015 Telluride "Ten Bets' list.  Does it continue on the list this week?  Find out below.

"Queen of the Desert" trailer via YouTube

Here's coverage of the U.s. trailer release from yesterday:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-epic-new-trailer-for-werner-herzogs-queen-of-the-desert-with-nicole-kidman-robert-pattinson-more-20150702

http://www.firstshowing.net/2015/full-us-trailer-for-herzogs-queen-of-the-desert-with-nicole-kidman/


http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/new-3-minute-queen-of-the-desert-trailer-starring-nicole-kidman-and-robert-pattinson/


WOZNIAK TALKS "JOBS"

Yesterday's release of a full scale trailer for "Steve Jobs" looks to have prodded a couple of outlets to publish reaction stories from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (who is played in the film by Seth Rogen).  Business Insider and Variety posted stories based on Wozniak's response to Bloomberg Business which sought him out to get his reaction to the scenes in the trailer,

Here are those stories from Variety and Business Insider:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/steve-wozniak-steve-jobs-trailer-1201533382/

http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-wozniak-steve-jobs-movie-trailer-exaggerated-2015-7


TEN BETS #2

As we toil toward the first wave of films that will be announced at the Toronto Film Festival (less than three weeks away) and its possible use as a tool to derive clues for the Telluride lineup, it's time to re-evaluate my list of ten films that seem, to me anyway, to be the most likely to play come Labor Day.

Last week's "Ten Bets" were:

10) "Queen of the Desert"
9) "Suffragette"
8) "Truth"
7) "45 Years"
6) "13 Minutes"
5) "I Saw the Light"
4) "Youth"
3) "Carol"
2) "Son of Saul"
1) "Dheepan"

This week's updated "Ten Bets" list:

10) "Queen of the Desert"
9) "Mountains May Depart"
8) "Suffragette"
7)  "13 Minutes"
6) "I Saw the Light"
5) "Youth"
4) "45 Years"
3) "Carol"
2) "Son of Saul"
1) "Dheepan"

Minor movement with "Truth" dropping out of the list, but still hovering just below, and "Mountains May Depart" moving onto the list.  The top three remain the same with minor shuffling in the 4-7 spots.


That's all for this week.  Come back Monday for the start of my look at film distributors and their relationship to Telluride and what that could tell us about which films could make The SHOW.


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Oscar Hopeful Trailers/"Steve Jobs" Full Trailer/The Guardian Ups Its Game and Sponsors Too/Reminders

It's Thursday and this must be Michael's Telluride Film Blog...



OSCAR HOPEFUL TRAILERS

David Poland and Movie City News have posted a series of 17 trailers for films that he/they have deemed as Oscar possibles.  The trailers include a number of possible Telluride films: "Carol", "Black Mass", "In the Heart of the Sea", "The Program", "Sicario", "Youth" and "Suffragette".

Take a look at the post, which is expected to be updated as we move through the summer and into awards season with trailers from other films:

http://moviecitynews.com/2015/06/30-weeks-to-oscar-trailer-parade-17-currently-available/


"STEVE JOBS" FULL TRAILER

The full trailer for Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs" dropped yesterday to a good deal of fanfare in the media.  The film stars Michael Fassbender as Jobs along with Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet and Jeff Daniels.  We had already seen a teaser for the film but this is a full two and a half minute trailer.

"Steve Jobs" trailer via YouTube

Additionally, I have linked a bunch of the coverage that accompanied the trailer's release yesterday:


http://variety.com/2015/film/news/michael-fassbender-steve-jobs-1201532460/

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2015/07/oscarwatch-michael-fassbender-and-kate-winslet-in-danny-boyles-steve-jobs/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-fassbender-steve-jobs-trailer-806209

http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/new-steve-jobs-trailer-apple-co-founder-was-more-of-a-jerk-than-you-thought

http://www.firstshowing.net/2015/must-watch-full-length-trailer-for-danny-boyles-steve-jobs-movie/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/watch-steve-jobs-trailer-stars-michael-fassbender-as-apples-enigmatic-genius-20150701

http://www.indiewire.com/watch-michael-fassbender-and-danny-boyle-resurrect-steve-jobs-in-pulsating-trailer

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/steve-jobs-trailer-show-of-hands-whos-seeing-this-one/


Does "Steve Jobs" play Telluride?  That's a maybe.  It likely depends on how much sway Danny Boyle has and if he wishes to return.  I'd expect that Boyle would prefer to come back to Telluride as he has had so much success with "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2008 and "127 Hours" in 2010.



THE GUARDIAN UPS its GAME AND SPONSORS TOO

British publication The Guardian has a new reporter and anew emphasis on American film with their hiring of Nigel Smith.  The story from The Guardian yesterday also revealed that it would be involved in the Telluride Film Festival in a "premiere partnership" capacity.

In concrete terms, The Guardian will be sponsoring Telluride's Noon Sessions and the Labor Day picnic.  The complete story is here:

http://www.theguardian.com/guardian-us-press-office/2015/jun/30/nigel-m-smith-joins-the-guardian-as-entertainment-writer-increasing-film-coverage-in-the-us




REMINDERS:  The second edition of 2015's Telluride "Ten Bets" from MTFB is coming tomorrow. Also, don't forget, MTFB begins its annual July look at distributors, producers and "usual suspects" for clues as to what may play at TFF #42 ON MONDAY!

That's it for Thursday...come back tomorrow for more...


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Future Telluride: "Wilson" Begins Filming/Coppola and Insdorf Talk Film/2015's First "Ten Bets"

Welcome to Friday...


FUTURE TELLURIDE: "WILSON" BEGINS FILMING

Once director now producer of "Wilson", Alexander Payne

Principal photography has begun on "Wilson" a film that, at one point was to be directed by Alexander Payne but is now under the direction of Craig Johnson ("The Skeleton Twins").  Payne is still listed as a producer which makes me think that it is still a film that we probably should have on our T-ride 2016 watch lists.


"Wilson" will star Woody Harrelson, Judy Greer and Laura Dern.

I have linked reporting from Thompson on Hollywood and The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/wilson-starring-harrelson-and-dern-starts-filming-for-fox-searchlight-20150625

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/production-begins-on-adaptation-of-dan-clowes-wilson-starring-woody-harrelson-full-cast-revealed-20150625



COPPOLA AND INSDORF TALK FILM

It seems like it should have, has happened at Telluride.  Long time Telluride interviewer Annette Insdorf sat down with legend Francis Ford Coppola for 92Y's Reel Pieces series.  The 30 minute interview and brief story can be found here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/watch-francis-ford-coppola-on-the-future-of-cinema-marlon-brando-and-regrets-20150625



2015'S FIRST "TEN BETS"

It's the last Friday in June and that means it's ponce again time for me to put my figurative money where my mouth is and take a stab at naming ten films that I think have a real shot at making the Telluride lineup for this year.

If the past is any guide, anywhere from five to seven of the following films will actually end up being a part of the TFF #42 lineup.

I'll continue through the rest of the summer posting revised "Ten Bets" lists each Friday right up to the final "Ten Bets" a day or two before the official lineup is announced.

So...here goes nothin':

#10) "Queen of the Desert" Despite it's sub par critical reception at Cannes I expect Werner Herzog's film to make The SHOW.

#9) "Suffragette"  Makes the list, barely, on the thinnest of clues...it's "European" premiere designation for the London Film Fest.

#8) "Truth" The Dan Rather story starring Robert Redford from SPC

#7) "45 Years"  Double acting wins at Berlin and from the Sundance Selects/IFC Films stable.

#6) "13 Minutes" Also a Berlin standout from SPC

#5) "I Saw the Light"  Other than it's from SPC, I have no other really great reason that I think it'll play T-ride...but I have a feeling...

#4) "Youth" Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel earned high praise at Cannes and it may be Fox Searchlight's strongest shot at awards season.

#3) "Carol" from Todd Haynes, who I'm predicting returns to Telluride with this awards season shot from The Weinstein Company.

#2) "Son of Saul"  SPC's Cannes sensation.

#1) "Dheepan"  I really do anticipate that Jacques Audiard returns to Telluride with this year's Palme d"Or winner.

On the outside...but close: "Macbeth", "Our Little Sister", "He Named Me Malala", "Demolition", Freeheld", and something from Warners: "Our Brand is Crisis", "Black Mass" or "In the Heart of the Sea"


That's your first "Ten Bets" and that's all for this week...more on Monday...

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