FAC Update: Picture, Screenplays, Cinema and Editing/The Jogger/Oscar Underground for 2012/Oscar Pods/Rust and Bone Wins/Ginger and Rosa/Argo News

Good Monday everyone....


FAC UPDATE



Here's my next installment of The Film Awards Clearinghouse Update.  Today I update Best Picture as well as both Adapted and Original Screenplay and Cinematography and Film Editing.  The (#) indicates the position the film had the last time I posted that particular category.  My sources for The FAC:
Scott Feinberg, Kris Tapley, Anne Thompson, Sasha Stone, Film Misery, Film Experience, Rope of Silicon, IndieWire and Awards Circuit.

Bold indicates a TFF #39 film.  ### = Cooling, *** = Heating up.

BEST PICTURE

1) Argo (1)

2) Silver Linings Playbook (3)

3) Lincoln (5)***

4) Les Miserables (2)###

5) The Master (5)

6) Life of Pi (6)

7) Beasts of the Southern Wild (7)

8) Amour (8)

9) Hitchcock (10)

10) Zero Dark Thirty (9)

11) Flight (11)

12) Django Unchained (13)

13) Moonrise Kingdom (14)

14) The Sessions (15)

15) Promised Land (12)###

No Drop Outs

Comment: "Lincoln's" surprise showing as a part of the NYFF has given it a boost.  I'm still dubious that "Amour" will get a Best Picture nomination.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1) Argo (1)

2) Silver Linings Playbook (2)

3) Lincoln (4)

4) Beasts of the Southern Wild (3)

5) The Sessions (8)+++

6) Life of Pi (5)

7) Les Miserables (6)

8) Anna Karenina (7)

9) On the Road (New)***

10) Hitchcock (New)***

Out: The Dark Knight Rises, Killing Them Softly

+++ The Sessions is still receiving some votes in the "Original" screenplay category.  I believe it will be a player in the "Adapted" category.  So, for the time being, those votes are counted in the "Adapted" category.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1) The Master (2)

2) Moonrise Kingdom (1)

3) Amour (4)

4) Django Unchained (3)

5) Zero Dark Thirty (5)

6) Promised Land (6)

7) Looper (New)***

8) Flight (8)

9) Seven Psychopaths (9)

10) Arbitrage (New)***

Out: Frances Ha

Comment: A lot of love for "Looper" since its release.  Personally, I'm not nearly as enamored of it as many are.  

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1) Life of Pi (2)

2) The Master (1)

3) Lincoln (3)

4) Anna Karenina (6)***

5) Les Miserables (8)***

6) Django Unchained (7)

7) Beasts of the Southern Wild (4)###

8) The Dark Knight Rises (5)###

9) Cloud Atlas (9)

10) Skyfall (New)

Out: The Hobbit

BEST FILM EDITING

1) Argo (1)

2) Lincoln (2)

3) Zero Dark Thirty (4)

4) Les Miserables (7)***

5) The Master (3)###

6) Life of Pi (6)

7) The Dark Knight Rises (5)###

8) Silver Linings Playbook (9)

9) Django Unchained (8)

10) Beasts of the Southern Wild (10)

No Drop Outs

Check the Clearinghouse stats against the big boys at:

Gurus of Gold: http://moviecitynews.com/2012/10/gurus-o-gold-after-toronto-part-1/

http://moviecitynews.com/2012/10/gurus-o-gold-after-toronto-part-2/

Gold Derby: http://www.goldderby.com/odds/experts/56/

THE JOGGER

Toss in a few bucks and get involved with "The Jogger" currently shooting in Oklahoma City.  The link is here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1277883372/the-jogger?ref=live

OSCAR UNDERGROUND

That's what I'm calling it this year.  I called it "Occupy Oscar" last year and it's my tiny attempt to bang the drum for Oscar consideration for films and performances that I feel like are deserving of a look but aren't getting as much notice as the "front runners".

This season includes (so far):

Best Actor: Jack Black/Bernie

Best Supporting Actor: Bryan Cranston/Argo

Best Original Screenplay: Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig/Frances Ha (though it may not get a qualifying run for 2012 consideration).

Last year I was all about Asghar Farhadi getting an Original Screenplay nomination which happened and Ezra Miller getting a Best Supporting Actor nomination for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" which didn't happen.

In all likelihood there will be others as we get deeper into the awards season.

OSCAR PODS

Here are the links to this week's Oscar recordings/podcasts and the Oscar Roundtable from Awards Daily.

Oscar Roundtable: http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/10/19/oscar-roundtable-2012-take-one/

Oscar Talk (Thompson/Tapley):
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar-talk-spielbergs-lincoln-is-major-contender-led-by-day-lewis-gothams-flight

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/oscar-talk-ep-92-gotham-nods-flight-lincoln-and-best-supporting-actress

Oscar Update (O'Neil/Travers):
http://ec.libsyn.com/p/c/6/1/c61b4aeb4086e408/Oscars_Update_Peter_Travers.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d01cd8730d5c05a65a3&c_id=5059723

Sasha Stone's Oscar Podcast:
http://www.awardsdaily.com/podcasts/oscarpodcast/episode4.mp3

And Oscar Poker:
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/10/douglas_poker.php


Gold Derby's latest take on the Best Picture race:
http://www.goldderby.com/films/news/3506/argo-les-miserables-entertainment-news-516293847.html

The latest Feinberg Forecast from THR's Scott Feinberg for the Academy Awards:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/ben-afflecks-argo-spielbergs-lincoln-378959


RUST AND BONE WINS

My personal choice for Best Film at this year's Telluride Film Festival was Jacques Audiard's "Rust and Bone" starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts.  Cotillard has generated a good deal of Oscar heat in the Best Actress category, but "R+B" is not France's entry for the foreign language Oscar (that would be "The Intouchables").

This past weekend the BFI London Film Festival named "Rust and Bone" its Best Film.  Thanks, London!  Both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety report:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rust-bone-wins-london-festivals-381421

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118061038/

GINGER AND ROSA NEWS

The Sally Potter film is generating some warmth for Elle Fanning's performance...

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-elle-fanning-alice-englert-in-a-new-clip-from-ginger-rosa-20121018

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/128280/1st_trailer_for_Ginger_&_Rosa_Toronto_film_fest_hit_released

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/ginger-rosa-opens-february-1-2013-in-limited-release-15-new-photos-a-new-clip-from-the-elle-fanning-led-drama-20121019

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/elle-fanning-ginger-and-rosa

ARGO NEWS

Interview with Ben Affleck by Tom O'Neil:
http://www.goldderby.com/films/news/3498/video-ben-affleck-on-'argo'-oscars--crazy-hollywood.html

Interview with Ben Affleck from Metacafe:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1aQlXU/www.metacafe.com/watch/9254060/argo_interview_with_ben_affleck/



More on Thursday...

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog/The Film Awards Clearinghouse on Facebook.

Kickstart The Jogger/Argo Opens/Various and Sundry/Oscar News

Good Thursday to All...

KICKSTART THE JOGGER

Casey Twenter and Jeff Robison's "The Jogger" continues to lense in and around the Oklahoma City area.  Here's what they posted on "The Jogger's" Facebook page on Tuesday:

"That's a day 3 wrap. The footage Michael Stine has shot looks fantastic. The work ethic and demeanor of the crew is inspiring. Acting is aces. Time for some sleep and then we're on at 6 again tonight!"

Here's the link to that page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Jogger/359188407489402?fref=ts

The Oklahoma film makers have a Kickstarter account established so that they can do some desired post-production work.  Check that out here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1277883372/the-jogger?ref=city

As I have been saying...support Oklahoma film a drop a dime (or two) into Casey and Jeff's project.


ARGO OPENS

TFF #39 sneak preview "Argo" has been tearing up the festival scene since its debut in Telluride 6 weeks ago.  It opened nationwide last Friday and has benefited from terrific reviews.  Dollar-wise, I gather that the WB folks would have liked it to have done a little better business last weekend (it opened as the #2 film of the weekend behind the second week of "Taken 2") but I think that word of mouth is going to keep it going for a while.

As you might expect there aren't quite as many posts/stories today as there were Monday in the glow of its opening weekend but there are still quite a few "Argo" tidbits to pass along to you.

First, Vulture.com explores the value/utility of all the character actors that make up the "Argo' ensemble and have many thinking that it's the favorite for the ensemble acting award that will be presented by the Screen Actors Guild.  Here's that post:

http://www.vulture.com/2012/10/who-is-the-mvp-of-argos-character-actors.html

Another common thread among "Argo" stories has been the commentary concerning the "comeback' of actor/writer/director Ben Affleck.  The Herald Mail looks at that here:

http://articles.herald-mail.com/2012-10-15/lifestyle/34480754_1_film-review-film-industry-argo

Another common thread through any number of posts about the film has been comparing the fictionalized world of the film to the actual events  it is based on.  Screenrant is among the sites that have taken that on and here is their examination:

http://screenrant.com/argo-movie-facts-fiction-true-story-differences/


Omer M. Mozaffar breaks down the film on Roger ebrt's website here:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/foreignc/2012/10/the-revolution-has-been-filmed.html

And interviews continue to be posted/published.  Below you'll find The Hollywood Reporter's talk with "Argo' screen scribe Chris Terrio and Anne Thompson's talk with Affleck and film editor William Goldenberg:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/argo-screenwriter-chris-terrio-ben-affleck-iran-378972

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/affleck-talks-argo

VARIOUS AND SUNDRY ( "No", "Amour", "Barbara", "The Central Park Five", "Ginger and Rosa", "Rust and Bone" and "Everyday")

  
Here's a collection of posts/stories/reports from the last four days focused on films that played in TFF #39:

***Director Pablo Larrain talks “No” on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pablo-larrain-no-meet-filmmaker/id570750875

***"Amour" and  Haneke…

Director/writer Michael Haneke is awarded the French Legion of Honor

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-haneke-gets-french-legion-378922

Movie City News' Dave Poland interviews Haneke:

http://moviecitynews.com/2012/10/dp30-amour-writerdirector-michael-haneke-la-2012/

***Barbara

Director Christian Peltzold talks with both The Playlist and Mubi.com about Foreign Language Oscar hopeful "Barbara":

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/nyff-barbara-director-christian-petzold-talks-gdr-german-acting-vs-american-20121015

http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/spatial-suspense-a-conversation-with-christian-petzold

***The Central Park Five

The Ken Burns/Sara Burns/David McMahon doc gets a poster.  Here's the skinny from Hollywood Elsewhere and Ioncinema:

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/10/cut_and_dried.php

http://www.ioncinema.com/movies/central-park-five

***Ginger and Rosa

A first clip from the Elle Fanning starrer directed by Sally Potter is here via The Playlist:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-clip-from-sally-potters-ginger-rosa-starring-elle-fanning-20121017#

***Rust and Bone

My favorite film of TFF #39 has an official U.S. trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uwwJWgD6J8&feature=youtu.be

***Everyday

Michael Winterbottom's experimental, five-years-in-the-making film with a post from The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/oct/15/child-stars-michael-winterbottom-everyday?newsfeed=true

OSCAR NEWS

Here's this week's link to Scott Feinberg's (of The Hollywood Reporter) "A Few Minutes with Feinberg":

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/a-few-minutes-feinberg-view-379501

And I have added a link to a new (well new to this blog) Oscar prognostication site.  This one is from the Huffington Post.  Here's the link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-hogan/academy-award-predictions-2013-gold-rush_b_1967374.html

More on Monday...have a great weekend...

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog/The Film Awards Clearinghouse on Facebook.

FAC Update: Best Pic and Supporting/Kick In for "The Jogger"/Argo Onslaught/Oscar This and That/Various Notes/Coming Attractions

Good Monday to Everyone...

FAC UPDATE OCTOBER 15...

Here's this week's snapshot from The Film Awards Clearinghouse of the races for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress and Actor:

Best Picture (last week's position in parenthesis with *** indicating heat and  ### for those losing significant steam):

1) Argo (1)
2) Les Miserables (3)
3) Silver Linings Playbook (2)
4) Lincoln (5)
5) The Master (4)
6) Life of Pi (6)
7) Beasts of the Southern Wild (7)
8) Amour (8)
9) Zero Dark Thirty (9)
10) Hitchcock (15)***
11) Flight (10)
12) Promised Land (13)
13) Django Unchained (11)
14) Moonrise Kingdom (14)
15) The Sessions (New)***

Dropping Out: Anna Karenina (#12 last week)###

Comment: "Hitchcock" continues to gain steam.  Though, I have to say, I'm not bowled over by the trailer.

Best Supporting Actress (previous rank is from the week of Sept. 20)

1) Anne Hathaway/Les Miserables (1)
2) Amy Adams/The Master (2)
3) Helen Hunt/The Sessions (3)
4) Maggie Smith/Quartet (5)
5) Sally Field/Lincoln (4)
6) Samantha Barks/Les Miserables (6)
7) Scarlett Johansson/Hitchcock (New)***
8) Kerry Washington/Django Unchained (7)
9) Jessica Chastain/Zero Dark Thirty (New)***
10) Jacki Weaver/Silver Linings Playbook (New)***

Dropping Out: Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave and Annette Bening

Comment:  There's a pretty substantial chasm between the top five and the rest of the field at this point.  I don't know if it will stay that way.  Scarlett Johansson's ascent mirrors the emergence of "Hitchcock" as a potential major player.

Best Supporting Actor:

1) Philip Seymour Hoffman/The Master (2)
2) Leonardo DiCaprio/Django Unchained (1)
3) Alan Arkin/Argo (3)
4) Robert DeNiro/Silver Linings Playbook (8)***
5) Tommy Lee Jones/Lincoln (New)***
6) Russell Crowe/Les Miserables (New)***
7) Dwight Henry (4)###
8) Matthew McConaughey/Magic Mike (6)###
9) William H. Macy/The Sessions (7)
10) David Stratharin/Lincoln (5)

Dropping Out: Hal Holbrook and John Goodman

Comment: "Lincoln's" "surprise" showing at the New York Film Fest catapulted Tommy Lee Jones into the race.  My personal choice, Bryan Cranston in "Argo" currently sits at #11.


KICK IN FOR "THE JOGGER"



Screenwriter/director (and friend of the blog) Casey Twenter and his writing/directing partner Jeff Robison (TeeRob Productions) are shooting their first feature in Oklahoma City.  Production began on Oct. 13th.  They have the film budgeted and cast.


The two budding filmmakers have established a Kickstarter account for additional funding that will primarily be used for upgrading post-production items.

I am very pleased to include the link to that account here and encourage any and all to take a look and get involved.  These are good guys and I am thrilled to support a "made in Oklahoma" film project.

Here's the link:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1277883372/the-jogger

ARGO ONSLAUGHT

Ben Affleck's Telluride favorite and current Oscar frontrunner "Argo" opened Friday and as you might expect, it was all over the film blogosphere and news space last week.  I've linked any number of reviews, posts and articles ranging from an analysis of its Oscar chances based on hair...to discussions of its throwback to 70's style film making.  There's a lot:

http://www.dfw.com/2012/10/11/694992/in-argo-ben-affleck-mixes-history.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/12/3863595/third-times-the-charm-for-director.html

http://www.hollywood.com/news/Argo_Ben_Affleck_Hair_Oscars/42095460

http://www.ibtimes.com/will-argo-earn-ben-affleck-best-director-oscar-844981

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/ben-affleck-real-story-argo-watch-dvd-60281

http://www.examiner.com/article/argo-premieres-washington-dc

http://www.wordandfilm.com/2012/10/the-70s-new-wave-ben-affleck-george-clooney-and-matt-damon-mix-politics-and-pleasure-at-the-argo-premiere/

http://www.kentucky.com/2012/10/11/2367843/argo-great-blend-of-action-humor.html

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/ben-affleck-argo-hard-movie-sell-exclusive-60546

http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/sound-off-ben-afflecks-real-life-thriller-argo-your-thoughts/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/leonardmaltin/argomovie-review

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/review-ben-afflecks-70s-flavored-argo-is-a-terrifically-suspenseful-entertaining-thriller-20121011

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/ben-affleck-says-whitey-bulger-project-with-matt-damon-one-more-picture-away-talks-argo-anxiety-20121010

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/10/argo-artifacts/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/sc-mov-argo-movie-review-20121010,0,983178.column

http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/q-a-ben-affleck-on-going-back-to-1980-jimmy-carter-and-the-real-people-behind-argo

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8489869/argo-redemption-ben-affleck

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ben-afflecks-argo-star-bryan-378259

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/argo-2012-movie-review/

http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2012/10/11/ben-affleck-talks-argo-kevin-smith-fans-and-more-lehane-stories-oscars/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/alan-arkin-takes-afflecks-argo-seriously-its-not-a-spoof-satire-or-parody

http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/q-a-bryan-cranston-on-surprising-the-cia-and-ben-affleck-as-a-director-in-argo


Told you there was a lot.

Couple of notes...I am all about how good "Argo" is.  Tremendously entertaining and great attention to detail.  Funny, shrewd and phenomenally well paced.  Great ensemble work across the board and a seldom seen willingness by the director/leading man to allow the ensemble to do a lot of the heavy lifting.  Alan Arkin seems to be getting the lion's share of attention for potential Oscar consideration (see above) but there is also some for John Goodman and Bryan Cranston who is the guy I think deserves the nod more than anyone else in the film with Scoot McNairy a close  second.

At any rate, if you didn't see "Argo" at Telluride and you didnt catch it thius past weekend...go...now...thank me later...it's very good.


OSCAR THIS AND THAT

Kristopher Tapley (HitFix/InContention) and Anne Thompson (Thompson on Hollywood/IndieWire) have posted their latest Oscar Talk podcast here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar-talk-supporting-actress-not-fade-away-biopics-and-small-contenders

and here:
http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/oscar-talk-ep-91-not-fade-away-drops-on-nyff-and-surveying-best-supporting-actor

And Gold Derby's Tom O'Neil has been uber busy as he has recorded Oscar prognoticative podcasts with both Pete Hammond of Deadline.com and Susan  Wloszczyna of USA Today.
http://www.goldderby.com/films/news/3485/oscars-academy-awards-predictions-entertainment-news261792538.html

http://www.goldderby.com/films/news/3482/oscars-academy-awards-predictions-entertainment-news-72618953.html


Feinberg Forecast: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/ben-afflecks-argo-oscar-predictions-377402

Awards Daily's Oscar Podcast: http://www.awardsdaily.com/podcasts/oscarpodcast/episode3.mp3

Hollywood Elsewhere's Oscar Poker: http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/10/kenny_poker.php



VARIOUS NOTES FROM TFF #39 FILMS

***Marion Cotillard honored again after being one of the is year's Telluride tributees:
http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/roundup-marion-cotillard-to-be-honored-at-gotham-awards

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-afi-fest-life-of-pi-silver-linings-marion-cotillard-20121011,0,2950444.story

***Hyde Park plays NYFF:
http://www.examiner.com/article/hyde-park-on-the-hudson-premieres-at-new-york-film-fest

***SPC acquires Saudi's "Wadjda":
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118059312?refCatId=13

***"No" getting a lot of "Yes" for Foreign Language Oscar:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/gael-garcia-bernal-no-lead-377644

***"The Gatekeepers" continues to impress:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erica-abeel/the-gatekeepersand-shin-b_b_1956077.html

***"Stories We Tell" continues strong:
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/1266408--sarah-polley-doc-stories-we-tell-when-blood-is-thicker-than-gossip#

***Dave Poland talks to TFF #39 tributee Mads Mikkelsen:
http://moviecitynews.com/2012/09/dp30-tiff-2012-the-hunt-a-royal-affair-actor-mads-mikkelsen/

***More news on the Central Park Five":
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-film-stirs-central-park-rape-case-article-1.1183532

***"Love Marilyn" to HBO:
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/123173/


COMING ATTRACTIONS

My continuing rock turning to highlight projects that are in development that could make their way to Telluride for TFF#40 or even #41 this week highlights "Jane Got a Gun" since I highlighted Lynne Ramsay's "Mobius" (?) last week...her "Moby Dick in Space" film that is expected to be her next project after "Jane" I thought I'd better mention that film as well as it has a decent chance to be in Telluride in the next year or two...probably a better chance than "Moby in Space".

"Jane Got a Gun" reportedly has Michael Fassbender and Natalie Potrtman on board...two actors who have certainly been featured the last few years in Telluride films ("Hunger", "Shame", "Black Swan" "A Dangerous Method") and, of course Ramsay's "We Nedd to Talk About Kevin" (TFF 2011) led to an Oscar nom for Tilda Swinton.  Ramsay was also iun Telluride in 2002 with "Movern Callar".

So what IS "Jane Got a Gun"?

IMDb has it categorized as "Action. Drama. Western." and the tagline there reads:
"A woman asks her ex-lover for help in order to save her outlaw husband from a gang out to kill him."


"Jane's" IMDb entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140037/

Here's some of the recent buzz concerning "Jane Got a Gun":

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/michael-fassbender-may-star-in-natalie-portman-western-for-lynne-ramsay-20120827

http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/michael-fassbender-joins-natalie-portmans-western-jane-got-a-gun/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/natalie-portman-jane-got-a-gun-lynne-ramsay-365840


More on Thursday.


Follow me on Twitter @Gort2.

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog/The Film Awards Clearinghouse on Facebook.

Oscar Updates and Lincoln/Argo Sails/Foreign Submissions/The Jogger

Good Thursday everyone...It's Regional One Act Week in Oklahoma...

OSCAR UPDATES AND LINCOLN

Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" was a "surprise" screening as a part of the New York Film Festival this week and the Oscar specialists seem to be taken by the film with many recalibrating their view of awards season prospects as a result.  Here's a sampling:

Awards Daily Podcast:  http://www.awardsdaily.com/podcasts/oscarpodcast/episode2.mp3

Feinberg Forecast: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/feinberg-forecast-updated-projections-20-375666

A Few Minutes with Feinberg: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/scott-feinberg-academy-awards-2013-lincoln-377354

Gold Derby: http://www.goldderby.com/films/news/3472/why-oscars-prophets-are-going-crazy-old-rules-don't-apply.html

Rope of Silicon: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/2013-oscar-predictions-spielbergs-lincoln-premieres-and-prompts-immediate-updates/


ARGO SAILS

Ben Affleck's TFF ##9 hit and current Oscar favorite is set to open tomorrow nationally and "premiered" in NYC this week.  Consequently a large number of stories/posts up this last few days about the thriller:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscar-fav-argo-attracts-massive-377729

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/ben-affleck-says-he-pulled-from-kevin-smiths-red-state-talent-pool-3-more-things-learned-from-argo-20121009

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/07/ben-affleck-argo_n_1946884.html

http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2012/10/11/new-character-featurette-for-ben-afflecks-argo/

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/interview-alan-arkin-on-teaming-with-ben-affleck-and-john-goodman-in-argo

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121008/PEOPLE/121009975

FOREIGN SUBMISSIONS

The deadline for entries for the Foreign Language Oscar has come and gone and a record 71 nations have entered a film for consideration.  Anne Thompson, HitFix and the LA Times have coverage here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2012-foreign-oscar-submissions-break-record-71-will-vie-for-academy-award

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/final-foreign-language-oscar-longlist-numbers-a-record-71-titles

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-oscars-2013-foreign-language-race-20121008,0,5582289.story
 

THE JOGGER AND KICKSTARTER

Screenwriter and soon to be director (and friend of the blog) Casey Twenter and his writing/directing partner Jeff Robison are on the brink of shooting their first feature in Oklahoma City.  Production is set to begin on Oct. 13th.  They have the film budgeted and cast.

The two budding filmmakers have established a Kickstarter account for additional funding that will primarily be used for upgrading post-production items.

I am very pleased to include the link to that account here and encourage any and all to take a look and get involved.  These are good guys and I am thrilled to support a "made in Oklahoma" film project.

Here's the link:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1277883372/the-jogger

I'll continue to update as the film goes into production (they say they plan a 15 day shooting schedule).

More on Monday...have a good weekend!

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2.

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog/The Film Awards Clearinghouse on Facebook.

FAC Update/All Things Argo/CP5 to Court?/Coming Attractions

Good Monday Everyone, if such a thing is even possible...

Here's this week's FAC on the Oscars for Best Picture as well as Best Actress and Best Actor

BEST PICTURE


1) Argo (1)
2) Silver Linings Playbook (2)
3) Les Miserables (3)
4) The Master (4)
5) Lincoln (5)
6) Life of Pi (7)
7) Beasts of the Southern Wild (6)
8) Amour (8)
9) Zero Dark Thirty (9)
10) Flight (13)***
11) Django Unchained (10)
12) Anna Karenina (12)
13) Promised Land (14)
14) Moonrise Kingdom (11)###
15) Hitchcock (New)***


Dropping Out: The Sessions

Comment: “Flight” takes flight in the last two weeks and the Fox Searchlight announcement that “Hitchcock” will play in awards season has been met with a lot of anticipation. “The Sessions” and “Moonrise Kingdom” suffer as a result.


BEST ACTRESS


1) Jennifer Lawrence/Silver Linings Playbook (1) (Perfect Score)
2) Quevenzhane Wallis/Beasts of the Southern Wild (2)
3) Marion Cotillard/Rust and Bone (4)
4) Keira Knightley/Anna Karenina (5)
5) Emanuelle Riva/Amour (6)
6) Naomi Watts (3)###
7) Helen Mirren/Hitchcock (New)***
8) Meryl Streep/Hope Springs (7)
9) Judi Dench/Best Exotic (New)***
10) Mary Elizabeth Winstead/Smashed (New)***



Dropping Out: Viola Davis, Laura Linney, Maggie Smith

Comment: Two weeks after the first Clearinghouse and no one doubts that Jennifer Lawrence is the odds on favorite to win the category. The “Hitchcock” announcement catapults Helen Mirren into serious consideration.



BEST ACTOR

1) Joaquin Phoenix/The Master (1)
2) John Hawkes/The Sessions (2)
3) Daniel Day Lewis/Lincoln (3)
4) Denzel Washington (4)
5) Bradley Cooper/Silver Linings Playbook (5)
6) Anthony Hopkins/Hitchcock (New)***
7) Jean Louis Trintignant/Amour (7)
8) Hugh Jackman (6)###
9) Jamie Foxx/Django Unchained (9)
10) Bill Murray/Hyde Park on Hudson (8)###



Dropping Out: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Comment: “Hitchcock” momentum in this category puts Sir Anthony Hopkins into play in a serious way. Jackman and Murray seem to be fading. My bet is that the Murray balloon will continue to deflate but that we haven’t seen the last of Mr. Jackman just yet.


ALL THINGS ARGO

With its release this week the "Argo" hype is building dramatically.  I have included multiple links to interviews and other pieces about the film, Ben Affleck and its Oscar status...

http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/clooney-and-affleck-bring-argo-to-hollywood

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox

http://www.freep.com/article/20121007/ENT01/310070054/Ben-Affleck-s-latest-project-Argo-puts-him-firmly-on-Hollywood-s-A-list?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscars-argo-ben-affleck-the-master-silver-linings-playbook-369718

http://millvalley.patch.com/articles/ben-affleck-s-argo-holds-up-to-the-hype-at-the-35th-mill-valley-film-festival

http://www.examiner.com/article/ben-affleck-s-new-film-argo-premieres-beverly-hills

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ben-affleck-shines-in-front-of-and-behind-the-camera-in-argo/2012/10/05/348aa03c-0cc9-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_gallery.html#photo=1

http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/oscar-ben-affleck-george-clooney-argo-hollywood-premiere/


CP5 SUBPOENAED

A big splash of news out of New York this week that the city had subpoenaed unused film from the TFF #39/Ken Burns Documentary "The Central Park Five".  Movieline included a couple of posts that explained:

http://movieline.com/2012/10/03/new-york-city-subpoenas-ken-burns-film-central-park-jogger-rape-89-central-park-five/

http://movieline.com/2012/10/04/sarah-burns-central-park-five-subpoena-accusations-ken-burns/#utm_campaign=homepage&utm_source=maincolumn&utm_medium=topstories&utm_content=slot5#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referralhttp://bit.ly/PZsULh


COMING ATTRACTIONS

This week's "Coming Attractions" focuses on recent announcements about the next (well, maybe after "Jane Got a Gun") Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin).  Because it's Ramsay and because she's been a Telluride player and because it just sounds...odd...here it is:

Ramsay is setting up to direct a "Moby Dick" adaptation set in space...I do not lie.

Take a look at this from Get the Big Picture:

http://www.getthebigpicture.net/blog/2012/10/4/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-director-developing-space-themed.html

and Anne Thompson:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/in-the-works-lynne-ramsay-tackles-moby-dick-her-way-with-sci-fi-thriller-mobius-scott-pictures-to-produce


and The Playlist:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/lynne-ramsays-sci-fi-moby-dick-tale-mobius-gets-backing-20121002

Intrigued?  Confused?  Yes.

More on Thursday...

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2.

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog/The Film Awards Clearinghouse on Facebook.

600/Argo News/Gurus of Gold/Oscar Poker/Few with Feinberg/Oscar Guy/Central Park Five News/Beasts and SAG

Good Thursday World!

600

Today marks the 600th post of Michael's Telluride Film Blog/The Film Awards Clearinghouse.  Thanks for playing!  Hope that some of you have enjoyed it these last four years and found it informative and occasionally entertaining.

ARGO NEWS

Bryan Cranston's character poster for "Argo" (Supporting Actor nom please!)

Ben Affleck's "Argo" was the toast of Telluride this year and continues to ride a wave of buzz and popularity following the Toronto Festival.  Its roll out is complete next week when it opens nationally on Oct. 12th.  I'm looking forward to it as I will likely see it again.

WB has released 6 clips that together provide the set up for the Iranian hostage crisis set thriller that finds itself in the thick of the early awards conversation.  You can access those clips below via either Cinema Blend or The Playlist:

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/6-Clips-From-Ben-Affleck-Argo-Reveal-Wild-Idea-Just-Might-Work-33294.html

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-6-clips-from-ben-afflecks-argo-set-up-the-story-plus-a-character-poster-for-bryan-cranston-20121001


Also available is this interview with Affleck from Hollywood News in the midst of the ongoing New York Film Festival (where Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" has been very well received):

http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2012/10/01/ben-affleck-on-argo-and-why-his-ensembles-work-so-well oscars/


David Poland of Movie City News also shared this sit down with Affleck earlier this week:

http://moviecitynews.com/2012/10/dp30-argo-directoractor-ben-affleck/


"Argo" has also been named this week to receive the Ensemble Acting Award from The Hollywood Film Awards:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-argo-cast-hollywood-film-awards-20121003,0,2477025.story

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/argo-ben-affleck-bryan-cranston-hollywood-film-awards-375905

http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2012/10/03/ben-affleck-alan-arkin-john-goodman-and-bryan-cranston-to-receive-the-hollywood-ensemble-acting-award/


GURUS OF GOLD

Movie City News has updated the Gurus of Gold Best Picture race and you can find it here:

http://moviecitynews.com/2012/10/gurus-o-gold-after-toronto-part-1/

Sasha Stone of Awards Daily compares this week's new Guru rankings with the past three years at this point in her post here:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/10/02/movie-city-news-releases-gurus-of-gold-part-1-post-toronto-still-anyones-game/

And the conclusion you should draw is that Telluride, for better or worse, has the MOST TANGIBLE EFFECT ON THE OSCAR RACE!  More than Venice, Cannes, Sundance and even Toronto.  Just look at the front runners at this point in 2009, 2010 and 2011.  Then there's the whole "Slumdog Millionaire" phenomena that happened in 2008.  Some won, some ultimately did not.  But if you're a producer/distributor/director and you want/think your film is Oscar worthy, Telluride is almost indispensable as THE PLACE you want your film to drop...

Now, you can argue with whether that's what Telluride should be, is intended to be...whatever...but the proof is in the pudding.  And I know there is some resistance in some quarters about Telluride's place in the scheme of awards season.  Further, I know that there are some film outlets/individuals that resist going to Telluride for whatever reasons (time, distance, etc.).  Bu, seriously, how can you argue with the recent past?

2012 Gurus of Gold Best Picture  chart leader the first week of October: "Argo"
In 2011: "The Descendants" (Eventual winner "The Artist" was at #3...still proving my point)
In 2010: "The King's Speech"
In 2009: "Up in the Air"

In part Two, the Gurus weigh in on Best Actress, Actor, Supporting Actress and Actor:

http://moviecitynews.com/2012/10/gurus-o-gold-after-toronto-part-2/


OSCAR POKER

Jeff Wells has a version of Oscar Poker up this week without past partner Sahsa Stone.  Scott Feinberg has stepped in for a one time/stand alone appearance.  I don't have a clue what went down between Stone and Wells...but it appears that that relationship is very, very done.  Stone has said she's moving onto another podcast and Wells is saying Oscar Poker will continue in some capacity...

Here's this week's link to the Wells/Feinberg edition:

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/10/oscar_poker_95.php


FEW WITH FEINBERG

And speaking of Scott Feinberg, here's this week's link to his video "A Few Minutes with Feinberg":

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/a-few-minutes-feinberg-fest-376292

SETH MAC FARLANE

Well, you have to hand it to the Academy.  They clearly wanted to shake things up for this year's Oscars and  almost certainly have done it by tapping comedian/actor/producer/writer/director...etc. Seth MacFarlane as this year's host.

I'm of a split mind here.  I've never been a big fan of MacFarlane's "work'.  I think the mix of topical satire and gross out humor doesn't play particularly well.  Though I do have to say, I mostly enjoyed his hosting gig on Saturday Night Live a couple of weeks ago.  Additionally, I understand that the Academy wants a draw for the telecast and is obviously wanting the demographics to go a bit younger...but still...I don't think that this is the way I would have gone.

Here are a couple of links concerning the MacFarlane choice from The Playlist and The Hollywood Reporter:



http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/surprise-seth-macfarlane-selected-to-host-the-oscars-20121001

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/seth-macfarlane-hosting-oscars-375327

CENTRAL PARK FIVE NEWS

Scott Feinberg re-tweeted news yesterday that the producers of the Ken Burns led documentary "The Central Park Five" have had he film subpoenaed in the lawsuit that has been brought against New York as a consequence of  that case.  Here's the link to the New York Times from Scott's tweet with those details:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/03/nyregion/ny-city-subpoenas-ken-burns-film-on-89-jogger-rape.html?hp&_r=0

And also from Movieline:

http://movieline.com/2012/10/03/new-york-city-subpoenas-ken-burns-film-central-park-jogger-rape-89-central-park-five/


BEASTS AND SAG

Earlier this week the Screen Actor's Guild ruled that "Beasts of the Southern Wild", which has been considered a strong contender for recognition this awards season, was ineligible for the SAG ensemble award.  Will that affect its Oscar chances?  Hard to tell, but Scott Feinberg at The Hollywood Reporter thinks it could.  Two stories and links from The New York Times and from THR:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/beasts-of-the-southern-wild-ineligible-for-sag-awards/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/beasts-southern-wild-sag-awards-375204


More on Monday...have a good weekend.

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2.

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog/The Film Awards Clearinghouse on Facebook.

FAC Update/New History/SPC at 20/Argo Pics/Oscar Talk/Coming Attractions

FILM AWARDS CLEARINGHOUSE: UPDATING BEST PICTURE AND DIRECTOR

With this year's Oscar season underway, I have decided to try a new approach to The Film Awards Clearinghouse.  What I will attempt is a weekly update of the Best Picture race and added to that a rotation of the other 9 Oscar races (today it's Best Picture and Director) I'll be following until we get to the turn of the new year.  At that point, I'll begin to expand to eventually include all 24 categories.

This week's BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTION race as determined by collating the predictions of :

Film Experience

Film Misery

Anne Thompson/Thompson on Hollywood

Brad Brevet/Rope of Silicon

Sasha Stone/Awards daily

Clayton Davis/Awards Circuit

Kristopher Tapley/InContention-HitFix

Scott Feinberg/The Hollywood Reporter

Peter Knegt/IndieWire

Trailer for "Argo"

BEST PICTURE

1) Argo (last week's spot-1)

2) Silver Linings Playbook (2)

3) Les Miserables (6)***

4) The Master (4)

5) Lincoln (3)###

6) Beasts of the Southern Wild (5)

7) Life of Pi (8)

8) Amour (7)

9) Zero Dark Thirty (9)

10) Django Unchained (10)

11) Moonrise Kingdom (12)

12) Anna Karenina (15)***

13) Flight (13)

14) Promised Land (11)###

15) The Sessions (14)

*** = RED HOT

### = COOLING OFF

"Amour" director Michael Haneke

BEST DIRECTOR:

1) Ben Affleck (2)

2) Paul Thomas Anderson (1)

3) David O. Russell (3)

4) Tom Hooper (6)***

5 ) Steven Spielberg (4)

6) Ang Lee (7)

7) Michael Haneke (5)###

8) Behn Zeitlin (8)

9) Quentin Tarantino (9)

10) Kathryn Bigelow (10)

NEW ADDITION TO TFF HISTORY

I have taken a few moments to add the basic information from TFF #39 top the TFF history page you can find as a part of this blog.  That entry is as follows:

2012- Tributes: Marion Cotillard, Mads Mikkelsen, Roger Corman

           Shows: Argo, Amour, No, The Gatekeepers, Stories We Tell, Rust and Bone, The Sapphires, Ginger and Rosa, At Any Price, Love, Marilyn, Midnight's Children, Barbara, The Central Park Five, A Royal Affair, The Hunt, Frances Ha, The Iceman, Hyde Park on Hudson, The Attack

            Guests: Laura Linney, Ben Affleck, Bill Murray, Dennis Quaid, Ramin Bahrani, Salman Rushdie, Ken Burns, Wayne Blair, Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig, Gael Garcia Bernal, Peter Sellars, Serge Bromberg, Ray Liotta, Mark Cousins, Roger Michell, Ariel Vromen, Michael Winterbottom, Shirley Henderson, Leonard Maltin, Alexander Payne

Click on the link above to look at a brief hsitory of the festival year by year.

SPC AT 20

Sony Pictures Classics is 20 years old and The Hollywood Reporter has a retrospective about the history of the film distributor/production company.  It's interesting and reminds one of how much SPC and TFF have been intertwined the past two decades.  Take a look:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/sony-pictures-classics-20-year-232954

ARGO PICTURES

The Playlist posted a slew of stills fro Ben Affleck's "Argo" this week and I though I'd pass on that link:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/25-new-photos-from-ben-afflecks-thriller-argo-20120927

In addition, The Playlist also posted a story this week with three character posters from the film:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/3-character-posters-new-image-for-ben-afflecks-argo-20120925

OSCAR TALK

Here are your links to Oscar Talk with Anne Thompson and Kris Tapley:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/oscar-talk-ep-89-life-of-pi-opens-nyff-but-is-it-a-player

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar-talk-life-of-pi-best-actor-race

Meanwhile, Sasha Stone and Jeff Wells who have been doing Oscar Poker together for quite some time are apparently doing that no more.  Stone tweeting last night that Wells will be continuing tat but that she's moving on to some other podcast(s).  This week she posted and Oscar Update with Gold Derby's Tom O'Neil.  That's here:
http://ec.libsyn.com/p/f/2/9/f2973e155700d68a/Oscars_Best_Picture.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d01cc8e37d8cc55fea2&c_id=5002060

COMING ATTRACTIONS

I've been filing away articles for over  a year now on films that I think sound like they might be a Telluride possibility for 2013 or even 2014 and I decided to inventory them this past week to get an idea of what had really caught my eye and what I've already begun to obsess over.  I found that I had stashed some info on over 60 films.  So over the next few weeks I'll be passing along the 10-12 or so films that have really sparked my interest/curiosity and that I think or hope (or both) may show up at The SHOW in the next couple of years.

Beginning with "Child of God"  directed co-written and starring James Franco (who was in Telluride in 2009 with "127 Hours") and Tim Blake Nelson (who supported "American Violet" in 2008).

IMDb lists it as a 2013 release and Rabbit Bandini is listed as the lone production company.  Rabbit Bandini had a presence at Telluride this year with "The Iceman".

"Child of God's" IMDb entry is here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951095/

"The Counselor"  stars Michael Fassbender ("Hunger" 2008 and "A Dangerous Method" and "Shame" 2011) and Brad Pitt ("Babel" 2006 and "Benjamin Button" 2009).  It's directed by Ridley Scott which may cut against its Telluride chances but is written by Cormac McCarthy which could be a lure.  It's distributor is 20th Century Fix which distributed 2011's "The Descendants".  It's currently scheduled for a Nov. 15, 2013 release.

Its IMDb entry is here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2193215/

More on Thursday...Have a good week Everyone!

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2

"Like" Michael's Telluride Film Blog and The Film Awards Clearinghouse on Facebook.