TFF #37...Tree of Life

Rope of Silicon reports that Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" has received an MPAA rating. (PG-13 for those interested)...the link to that report is here: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/latest-mpaa-ratings-bulletin-no-2128

I'm no expert, but it seems to me that it's done...finally.

Where does it go as far as fall fests???

Telluride's submission deadline for feature films is July 15...

Hummmmmm???

Uncle Boonmee...Maybe Not

Another pic from "Uncle Boonmee." He can remember his past lives, but he may not know how to get to Telluride!

In Contention.Com reports that Strand Releasing has picked up the distribution for Cannes Palme D'Or winner "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives". That actually may portend a decrease in the chances that it will unspool in Telluride in 8 weeks.

It's not absolute, but the last Strand film I saw listed at a TFF was 2005's Lemming.

And Telluride doesn't always program the Palme winner. Cannes winner from 2008, "The Class" didn't play...sooo...maybe no Boonmee in the San Juans.

In other news...SPC has picked up "Life, Above All" which created a good deal of stir at Cannes. It was generally well received critically (earning a collective "B" average). This probably increases its chance of being a part of TFF #37. SPC also has "Inside Job" and "Of Gods and Men" making them prime suspects for Telluride inclusion.

Lots of quiet surrounding the following: "True Grit," "The Tempest, " "Love and Other Drugs," "Miral," "Biutiful," "The Social Network," "The Descendants," "Eagle of the Ninth," "Conviction," "Brighton Rock," Howl, " and "127 Hours." So keep them hanging around in the "maybe" column.

Also, not much recently about Malick's "Tree of Life." There had been a good deal of back and forth about its readiness prior to a speculated appearance as a part of the Venice Film Fest...included in that has been some spirited disagreement as to whether Venice is the target or not. As we have said here before, Venice inclusion doesn't automatically mean that a film won't play Telluride ("Life During Wartime" and "The Road" did both last year)...it's just that the overlap between these two festivals is very small.

Ondaatje Part Deux

Jay Fernandez and The Hollywood Reporter add some detail to what we reported yesterday, that author Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient) will be this year's guest director for TFF #37. Here's the link:

http://riskybusiness.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/06/30/telluride-film-festival-taps-michael-ondaatje-as-2010-guest-director/

The TFF #37 Guest Director Is....

Author Michael Ondaatje has been selected to Guest Direct the 37th Telluride Film Festival according to Kris Tapley at In Contention.


Ondaatje is best known as the author of "The English Patient" which won the Booker Prize and, of course, became the film of the same name that won 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Ondaatje shared the USC scripter award that year with Director/Screenwriter Anthony Minghella.

Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka in 1943...but moved to England in 1954 and then to Canada in 1962. He's lived there ever since. He was primarily a poet in his early writing career.

Interesting tidbit: He authored a book in 2002 about Walter Murch and editing. Murch was a Telluride tributee in 2006.

It will be interesting to see what the author of "The English Patient" programs as his selections in this year's festival.

You can check out Ondaatje's "Contemporary Writers" page at:
http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth205

Clooney and Venice and TFF #37

George Clooney takes aim at the Venice Film Festival

A couple of reports that Clooney's "The American" is set for Venice which decreases its likelihood of being in Telluride.

Also, quite a bit of pundit back-and-forth on Malick's "The Tree of Life" being at Venice or not. Sasha Stone at Awards Daily is the latest to opine that "Tree" is probably NOT at Venice, but is likely for Toronto, which oddly, makes Telluride continue to be a possibility. http://www.awardsdaily.com/?p=23068

One other tidbit, "Betty Anne Waters" has a different title..."Conviction"

TFF #37...Coppola...Sofia not Francis Ford

Scene from Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere"

Anne Thompson reports that Sofia Coppola's new directorial effort "Somewhere" has been tabbed to premiere at the Venice Film Fest making it unlikely to be a pick at TFF #37.

TFF #37...Schnabel

(Freida Pinto in Julian Schnabel's "Miral")

Hollywood News Reports that The Weinstein Company has picked up distribution for Julian Schnabel"s "Miral." It tells the story of an attempt to establish an orphanage in post WWII Jerusalem and stars "Slumdog Millionaire" beauty Freida Pinto.

This probably signals a boost for its chances to appear at TFF #37. I was surprised it did not show up at Cannes.

The Weinstein Co. had "The Road" at Telluride last year and Schnabel was in Telluride with "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" in 2007...a really great film... and Schnabel was Oscar nominated as Best Director for that.

It's IMDB page is http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366409/

TFF #37 and Post-Cannes

A shot from Palme D'Or winner "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives"...will it be recalled in Telluride in September?

Belatedly, here's a quick rundown of the Cannes scuttlebutt and what it may mean for Telluride's 37th Film Fest.

A Partial List of Cannes Winners (the complete list can be found at http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/theDailyArticle/57863.html):

Palme D'Or: "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives"

Grand Prix: "Of Gods and Men"

Director: Mathieu Almaric/"On Tour"

Jury Prize: "A Screaming Man"

Actor (tie) Javier Bardem/"Biutiful" and Elio Germana/"Our Life"

Actress: Juliette Binoche/"Certified Copy"

Screenplay: Lee Chang-dong/"Poetry"

From the "Un Certain Regard" Segment:

"Ha Ha Ha" and "October"

Indiewire put together a compendium of critical reactions to the Cannes festival...I've listed the films that rated a combined "B" or better (complete grades are here: http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes_2010_the_guide )

Four films earned a collective "A-": "Uncle Boonmee," The documentary "Inside Job," "The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu," and "Draquila - L'Italia che trema"

Films earning a collective "B-plus" were: "Abel," "Chantrapas," "Blue Valentine," Certified Copy," "Poetry, " "Carlos,"and Mike Leigh's "Another Year."

Films earning a collective "B" were: "Of Gods and Men," Life, Above All, "Tuesday, After Christmas," "I Wish I Knew," "Angelica," "Countdown to Zero, " "Heartbeats," and Godard's "Socialism"

What does all this mean???

As mentioned in earlier posts, I think "Another Year" is a virtual lock. And "Uncle Boonmee" and "Biutuful" have increased their likelihood of being in Telluride on Labor Day. I also think "Certified Copy," "Poetry," "On Tour," and "Of Gods and Men" have upped their chances.

I also still think that "Blue Valentine" might follow the path blazed by "An Education" last year and cruise into Telluride despite having been preemed at Sundance.

And Woody Allen's new film ("You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger)....maybe not so much.

Still hoping for Malick's "The Tree of Life"....

And finally, I am headed to Telluride for the the graduation of Ms. Katie Mallard (THS Class of 2010) We understand that "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" will be playing at The Nugget. Might try to catch it there. I have a friend that says its the best movie he's seen in a long time...

More as it becomes available (and as Toronto begins to announce its lineup, because there is usually a big overlap between the two...while almost zero overlap with the Venice Film Fest)...

In Santa Fe to relax. 3 things: In Contention has posted Oscar guesses for 2010, K. Tapley reported here in SF and will post about Cannes on Thurs. BOONMEE!

TFF #37 and Cannes

Word out of Cannes today that Sony Picture Classics has picked up the distribution for Mike Leigh's "Another Year". As I write, it still seems to be the biggest critical darling of Cannes and the days are dwindling for that Festival. The SPC decision increases it's chances to be a Telluride picture. I'm almost to the point of saying "count on it" being at TFF #37.

Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's "Biutiful" has apparently earned split reactions, and very vehement disagreement between critics. I still think it's got a pretty good shot.

Godard's "Socialism" on the other hand sounds like it has landed with a thud and thus drops in our estimation of it's likelihood of being in Telluride.

"Blue Valentine" is getting good press. The knock on it is that it was a Sundance picture, which used to be a disqualifier for Telluride, til last year, when "An Education" showed up both places...so, maybe.

That's what we have for now...check in later...

Cannes update and TFF #37 speculation

Mike Leigh's "Another Year" seems to be the only film in Cannes first few days gaining much traction. Everything else thus far seems to be drawing as much criticism as praise. Including Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger". So you'd have to think Leigh's Telluride stock is up and Allen's is down.

Cannes runs through May 23rd. I'll update this space as critical reception merits from France.

Bon Jour!

Tff #37 Beyond the Poster

As we reported earlier today, the Festival has a poster, though there is some indication that there may be another poster before the fest begins on Sept. 3. Also there is speculation in the LA Times story about Ralph Eggleston's design that Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" may show at the SHOW. John Horn's article concludes:

"While the festival is eager to announce its posters early, it never releases its film lineup until the day the festival opens. But there's already one high-profile film that might be in the Telluride mix if it can be completed in time: Boyle's "127 Hours," a drama about hiker Aron Ralston (played in the film by James Franco), who amputated his own right hand after being pinned by a rock in a 2003 Utah back country accident."

We reported it as a possibility a couple of posts back...

TFF #37...Poster!!!

No real news or rumors to report, but the poster for TFF #37 is out...And here it is from Pixar artist Ralph Eggleston. The word "whimsical" comes to mind...Reportedly it is inspired by the Classic multiple Oscar winner "It Happened One Night" starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert...

Cannes and TFF#37

Anthony Hopkins and Naomi Watts on the set of Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" set to appear at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

Here are the films chosen for inclusion in the Cannes Film Festival announced last weekend. You can almost certainly count on seeing 6-12 of these at TFF #37 if past trends hold true. I have included some notes for some of the films that may have the best likelihood of being in Telluride.

IN COMPETITION

Tournee, directed by Mathieu Almaric...25% chance...

Des Hommes des Dieux, directed by Xavier Beauvois

Biutiful, directed by Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu...maybe the most likely due to “Babel’s” success at Telluride

Hors-la-loi, directed by Rachid Bouchareb

Un Homme Qui Crie, directed by Mahamat-Saleh

HarounHousemaid, directed by Im Sangsoo

Copie Conforme, directed by Abbas Kiarostami

Outrage, directed by Takeshi Kitano

Poetry, directed by Lee Chang-dong

Another Year, directed by Mike Leigh...”Happy Go Lucky” 2 years ago

Fair Game, directed by Doug Liman...just got a feeling

You, My Joy, directed by Sergei Lovnitsa...ditto

La Nostra Vita, directed by Daniele Luchetti

Utomlyonnye Solntsem 2, directed by Nikita Mikhalkov

La Princesse de Monptpensier, directed by Bertrand Tavernier...because it's Tavernier

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul...intuition again

OUT OF COMPETITION

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, directed by Woody Allen...because its SPC

Tamara Drewe, directed by Stephen Frears...because its Frears

Wall Street – Money Never Sleeps, directed by Oliver Stone

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS

Kaboom, directed by Gregg Araki

L’Autre Monde (Blackhole), directed by Gilles Marchand

UN CERTAIN REGARD

Blue Valentine, directed by Derek Cianfrance...only a guess

O Estranho Caso de Angelica, directed by Manouel de Oliveira

Les Amours Imaginaires (Heartbeats), directed by Xavier Dolan

Los Labios, directed by Ivan Fund and Santiago LozaSimon

Werner a Disparu… directed by Fabrice Gobert

Film Socialisme, directed by Jean-Luc Godard...because its Godard and a doc

Unter Dir Die Stadt (The City Below), directed by Christoph Hochhausler

Rebecca H. (Return to the Dogs), directed by Lodge Kerrigan

Pal Adreinn (Adrienn Pal), directed by Agnes Kocsis

Udaan, directed by Vikramaditya Motwan

Marti Dupa Craciun (Tuesday, After Christmas), directed by Radu Muntean

Chatroom, directed by Hideo Nakata

Aurora, directed by Cristi Puiu...Romainia returns to TFF?

Ha Ha Ha, directed by Hong Sangsoo

Life Above All, directed by Oliver Schmitz

Octubre, directed by Daniel Vega

R U There, directed by David Verbeek

Rizhao Chongqing (Chongqing Blues), directed by Xiaoshuai Wang

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Inside Job, directed by Charles Ferguson

Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, directed by Sophie Fiennes

Nostalgia for the Light, directed by Patricio Guzman

Draquila - L’Italia Che Trema, directed by Sabina Guzzanti

Chantrapas, directed by Otar Iosseliani

Abel, directed by Diego Luna

Other notes...reportedly Cannes organizers might still slip in Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” if it’s “finished”...doesn’t seem likely now, which may increase its chances at being at Telluride.
I was a little surprised that I did not see Julian Schnabel’s “Miral” or Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere”.

Updating the First Call

Thanks to the fine folks at Rope of Silicon we can add some other possibilities to our list for TFF #37...


Some more possibles (and why):




"127 Hours"...Danny Boyle's post-Slumdog feature from Fox Searchlight...James Franco stars. You have to think that they'd want to try to repeat the track that led to 8 Oscars for Slumdog (much like Jason Reitman sneaking "Up in the Air" at TFF #36 clearly following the path that "Juno" had established). Also it's scripted by "Slumdog" wirter Simon Beaufoy and is based on the true story of a hiker trapped in the Utah wilderness and forced to make desperate choices about his own life and death.





"Another Year"...Mike Leigh directs...and has a history with Telluride including "Happy Go Lucky" two years ago. Jim Broadbent (also featured two years ago at TFF#35 in "When Did You Last See Your Father") and Imelda Staunton star.






"Casino Jack"...George Hickenlooper directs Kevin Spacey in a telling of the Jack Abramoff scandal with Spacey as Abramoff. Rumored for a Cannes slot.






"The Descendants"...TFF #36 Guest Director Alexander Payne directs George Clooney in this domestic dramedy set in Hawaii. From Fox Searchlight. With Payne directing, and Fox Search producing, this is the film that might get Clooney to show up in the San Juans over Labor Day.


"Love Ranch"...Taylor Hackford (who was at TFF last year with his wife, Helen Mirren) directs Helen Mirren (who was at TFF last year with "The Last Station"...and it led to her Best Actress nomination). Based on the story of the husband and wife who established the first legal brothel in Nevada. Joe Pesci also stars.


"Miral" directed by Julian Schnabel. His first film since TFF #35"s "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"...straight up one of the ten best films of the first decade of the 21st century. Schnabel directs Willem Dafoe, who was at TFF #36 with "Adam Resurrected" and Freida Pinto of "Slumdog Millionaire"...which had a TFF #36 pedigree as well. The story focuses on the attempt to establish an orphanage in 1948 in Jerusalem.


And as mentioned previously...remove "Chloe" from the possible list as it opens soon...I need to pay more attention.

Other notes: Carey Mulligan has reportedly dropped out of "Brighton Rock". "The Tree of Life" is purportedly set to be released in November...but it's Terrence Malick...so...

Scratch Chloe as a possible for TFF #37...opening soon...

In Santa Fe for spring break. Word is that the cast and crew for the Coen Bros. re-imagining of True Grit are here to brgin filming. May try to track 'em down

TFF #37...Coming Soon to a Mountain Near You! (well Sept. 3-6)

Well, before we go away for awhile (and we may not stay away as much or as long as we have in the past)...we thought we'd collate some information and speculation to take our first stab at guessing some films that may show at the SHOW... and why we think they might. (Our thanks to In Contention and Ioncinema...their 2010 Oscar guesses and Cannes guesses are what are forming the basis for this first attempt...5 1/2 months before it happens!)

Here goes nothin'...

1) "Betty Anne Waters"...why...Fox Searchlight...Tony Goldwyn directs Hilary Swank looking to come back after the dud that was "Amelia" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1244754/

2) "Biutiful"...why...Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directing his first film since "Babel" and "Babel" had a great start at Telluride in 2006...He might be back. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1164999/

3) "Black Swan"...why...Fox Searchlight...Darren Aronofsky directing after "The Wrestler" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/

4) "The Eagle of the Ninth"...why...Kevin Mcdonald is the director and he has been a Telluride favorite with his last two projects: "My Enemies Enemy" and "The Last King of Scotland".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034389/

5) "Chloe"...why...Sony Pictures Classics...which has a great relationship with TFF...Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson star in this feature from Atom Egoyan...whose "Adoration" played at Cannes...and Cannes is another indicator of a possible Telluride presentation. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1352824/

6) "Howl" ...why...Because it seems to be the kind of unusual film that does get chosen...like "Fur" in 2006 or "I'm Not There" in 2007. This is the Allen Ginsburg picture starring James Franco. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049402/

7) "Never Let Me Go"...why...Fox Searchlight...and it stars Sally Hawkins ("Happy Go Lucky" her last in Telluride in 2008) and Carey Mulligan (who was the belle of the Telluride ball last year with "An Education"). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/

8) "Rabbit Hole"...why...also Fox Searchlight...and it seems to be the kind of film that might be connected to a tribute (like "The Road" and Viggo Mortensen last year and "Benjamen Button" and David Fincher in 2008). Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhardt star in the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize Winning play. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0935075/

9) "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger"...why...It's from Sony Pictures Classics. It's rumored to be in the Cannes lineup. It already has some speculation that it might be Telluride-bound (Hit Fix). Why not??? I have a hard time believing that Woody Allen shows up in the San Juans on Labor Day...but, if he did... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182350/

10) "Love and Other Drugs"...why...Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere has speculated that it might be a part of the Telluride lineup. The film stars Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhall...already some Oscar buzz for Hathaway... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758752/

Others from the "well, maybe..." list: Jodie Foster's "The Beaver", Carey Mulligan and Helen Mirren (both at TFF #36) in "Brighton Rock", Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere", "The Rum Diary" with Johnny Depp in Hunter S. Thompson's story, "My Own Love Song" starring Renee Zellweger and Forest Whitaker (who won his Oscar for "Last King" after it got its start at Telluride), "The Social Network", David Fincher's post-Button project.

AND THE HOLY GRAIL(S) FOR THIS FALL:

The Coen Brothers re-invention of "True Grit" with Oscar winner Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn and Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" with Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.

True Grit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/

Tree: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/

O...we can only hope...

The Verdict/The Oscar Clearinghouse

Ms. Bigelow...a big night for her...

Well...I have hesitated to post since Sunday night because I have been extraordinarily busy in the real world this week and because the prediction success was less than stellar. I managed to miss about every category that seemed to be the least bit competitive...so,

If there were surprises to be found they occurred when Precious won adapted screenplay and Hurt Locker won Sound Editing and Sound Mixing...Maybe a little surprise that The Secret of Her Eyes won Foreign Film, but there had been some buzz that that might be the case the last couple of weeks before the ceremony.

I also managed to goob the categories that receive less attention, missing Short Doc, Live Short and Animated Short... and if you're supposed to be any good at this, that's where you should shine. Overall, I got 14 right and missed on 10...and cannot point to a single pick this year that makes me look prescient.

Time for a break...I will probably post one more speculative pre-summer analysis for this falls TFF line-up and then the blog will be gone for the next 3 months or so...We'll crank the blog back up again in late May/early June to start the real speculation for TFF #37...and actually that's already begun. We've already reported Jeff Wells' speculation that the Hathaway/Gyllenhall starrer Love and Other Drugs might show up on Labor Day...and late last week Hit Fix suggested that Woody Allen's new film "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" might also be in line....

More in a couple of days...

The Oscar Clearinghouse #12...Last Call???

Probably the last post til it's all over on Sunday night. Here's the best guesses...

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow-The Hurt Locker

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges-Crazy Heart

Best Actress: Meryl Streep-Julie and Julia (bold, huh?)

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique-Precious

Best Supporting Actor-Christoph Waltz-Inglourious Basterds

Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds (bit of a surprise over Hurt Locker)

Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air

Animated Film: Up

Foreign: The White Ribbon

Cinematography: The Hurt Locker (bit of a surprise over Avatar...tho White Ribbon w/n surprise me either)

Film Editing: The Hurt Locker

Art Direction: Avatar

Sound Editing: Avatar

Sound Mixing: Avatar

Visual Effects: Avatar

Makeup: Star Trek

Score: Up

Song: The Weary Kind-Crazy Heart

Costumes: Young Victoria

Documentary: The Cove

Short Doc: The Last Truck

Live Short: The Door

Animated Short: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Comments:

1) Only 5 categories are the least bit competitive, if the conventional wisdom is correct...Actress (and that's probably just me that thinks it's competitive. I seem to be very lonely picking Streep...everything else says it's Bullock's to win), Foreign Film, Editing, Cinematography and Original Screenplay.

2) My totals if correct: Hurt Locker-4, Avatar-4, Up-2, Crazy Heart-2 and Inglourious Basterds-2...as your only multiple winners.

3) Telluride films win 4 Oscars if I'm right...Adapted Screenplay for Up in the Air, Foreign Film for The White Ribbon, Short Doc-The Last Truck and Live Short-The Door.

And this last word...Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere speculates that "Love and Other Drugs" featuring Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhall may be in line to play at TFF #37...so the game begins anew!

See you on the other side...