Film Festivals 2011

http://michaelstelluridefilm.blogspot.com/2011/03/and-now-38th-telluride-film-festival.html

Saturday, March 5, 2011
And Now the 38th Telluride Film Festival
George Clooney and Alexander Payne on the set of "The Descendants"

83rd Oscars done...Check

TFF #38 passes on sale (started this week)...Check

TFF #37 Yearbook arrives in mail...Check

That means it's time to begin ferreting out the possible films for next Labor Day's Film Soiree in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. T-minus 6 months and counting until TFF #38 unspools at 9,000 feet.

So, what might we see? Thanks to the fine folks at Indiewire, Awards Daily, Hollywood Elsewhere, Film Misery, Rope of Silicon, Ioncinema and Incontention.com, I'm going to try to take a stab at some of next September's lineup in Telluride.

I looked back to last year's two columns in March when I tried this and found that I hit on "127 Hours'" "Another Year," Biutiful," "Black Swan," and "Never Let Me Go." So 5 of the 15 I took a stab with actually ended up in Telluride. I'd be pretty happy if I got that lucky again this year.

So without further ado...here's what might be at Telluride in September....

"The Descendants"- I had this on the list a year ago...didn't happen because it wasn't released. Now it's on the list for 2011. Why? It's director Alexander Payne with his first feature since Sideways in 2004. Payne was the 2009 Guest Director for the festival. You have to believe that if "The Descendants" is any good and since Fox Searchlight is the distributor that if they want it to play for Oscars a year from now its chances at being in Telluride are pretty good. The film stars George Clooney as a father with family issues and is set in Hawaii. Could we see Mr. Clooney on Colorado Ave. on Labor Day weekend? Maybe. Because I have a theory that he may be trying a double whammy with his own directorial effort...which leads to guess #2...

"The Ides of March"...directed by Mr. Clooney based on the political play "Farragut North' by Beau Willmon (adapted by Clooney and writing/producing partner Grant Heslov who brought you "Good Night and Good Luck" in 2005) . Clooney is featured as well as Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei. Why? The only rationale I have is synchronicity...If "Descendants" is there, then maybe Clooney kills two birds with one festival. And he'd get to re-unite on panels with the director of our third guess (and Clooney's director in 2009's "Up in the Air")...

"Young Adult" directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody and starring Charlize Theron. You have to think that this pair that struck like lightening in Telluride in 2007 would try to replicate that experience (and Reitman had great success 2 years later when "Up in the Air" premiered there). The only hesitance I have putting this on the list is that it seems soooo obvious as to be no surprise at all. So the greater surprise might be a decision to go some other direction. But it's hard to argue with success and also, it may depend on Reitman's sense of superstition.

"Love" Michael Haneke returns after directing 2009's brilliant "The White Ribbon." You have to think that if it's ready (IMDB has it listed as a 2012 release) and on par with "Ribbon" (TFF #36) and "Cache (TFF #32) that it would be in the mix. "Love" stars Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

"Moneyball" the story of Billy Beane and the Oakland A's baseball team starring Brad Pitt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (...hmmm) and directed by Bennett Miller could show at The SHOW. Miller had terrific success with "Capote" (which, of course, starred Hoffman and earned him the Oscar....again...hmmmm) at Telluride #32 in 2005. It would also allow a mini-Ocean's 11-12-13 reunion between Pitt and Clooney.

"Shame" from writer-director Steve McQueen. His "Hunger" premiered at Telluride in 2008 and featured Michael Fassbender. Fassbender re-teams with McQueen for this film. So you have to think that because McQueen has some history at Telluride, that he could return with this. Oh, and the film also stars Telluride Belle of the Ball from the past two years, Carey Mulligan...she's been in town for both "An Education" (2009) and "Never Let Me Go." (2010) Three years in a row? I think it 's a real possibility. (If you see me in Telluride in September, ask me about my funny Steve McQueen story).

And speaking of "An Education," Lone Scherfig, is back this season with "One Day" starring Anne Hathaway and "The Way Back's" Jim Sturgess. It's story blurb on IMDB makes it sound a whole lot like "Same Time, Next Year" the Alan Alda/Ellen Burstyn comedy from 1978. Put it down as a possible for TFF #38.

"Wuthering Heights" Andrea Arnold who was a part of TFF in 2009 with "Fish Tank" is back directing this adaptation of the Emily Bronte classic.

"Chicken with Plums" the newest from Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud who charmed Telluride audiences in 2007 with their wonderful animated "Persepolis"

"The Exchange" from director Eran Kolirin who was also a part of Telluride in 2007 with the delightful "The Band's Visit."

Pedro Almodovar who has often been a participant in Telluride Film Festivals could return for the first time sine 2006's "Volver" with his latest "The Skin That I Inhabit" starring Antonio Banderas as a revenge-seeking plastic surgeon.

"The Congress" from Ari Folman who last was in Telluride with his"Waltz with Bashir" in 2008. Although IMDB lists it as a 2013 release.

Others that could show (just because I have a "vibe" that they might): "Albert Nobbs" from director Rodrigo Garcia starring Glenn Close. Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn" from director Simon Curtis. "A Dangerous Method" from director David Cronenberg featuring TFF # 36 tributee Viggo Mortensen and the aforementioned Michael Fassbender as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. "Coriolanus" the little seen Shakespearean play from actor-turned -director Ralph Fiennes.

In the "I'd love it, but there's no way it will be in Telluride" Department: Martin Scorsese's "Hugo Cabret," Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar'" Stephen Daldry's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," Tom Hank's "Larry Crowne," and Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo."

And finally, Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" which I have been stalking obsessively for nearly two years is set to open May 27th...right after the Cannes Festival. So, now, maybe I start stalking the movie he just shot here in Oklahoma! IMDB lists it as a 2012 release. TFF #39 anyone?

Posted by Michael Patterson at 11:52 AM

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http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/films-that-may-play-cannes-2011.php

Wish List: 12 Films That May Play Cannes 2011
Cannes Film Festival By Simon Gallagher on March 23, 2011 |

This being my third Cannes Film Festival in a row, I feel I’m now in the privileged position to demand something of the festival in return for standing thanklessly in queues in the baking sun, and allowing my English Rose skin to wilt/burst into flames under the unforgiving French Riviera sun. So, with that in mind, below is a run-down of what I’d ideally like to see when I get to Cannes in May – along with a few reasonable predictions, based on what’s coming up.
Six Fantasy Picks

Okay, so they aren’t completely pie-in-the-sky fantasy picks, since they all either have the weight of rumour behind them, or have appeared at a festival already this year.

Tree of Life – Terrence Malick

Believe it or not, this was supposed to be shown last year, only to miss the deadline thanks to Malick’s legendary fastidiousness. A year on, it’s still not got a definite US or UK release date (which is often a sneaky indicator of a film’s inclusion), and the rumour mills gone literally a little bit wild over its potential appearance at the 64th festival. As with all of Malick’s projects though, it remains to be seen when it will be released since they usually come around as regular as solar eclipses.

The Rum Diary – Bruce Robinson

Part of me wishes that Pirates of the Caribbean 4 had been chosen as the Opening Film, but since that Depp-related opportunity window is now seemingly closed, I’d wager that Bruce Robinson’s Hunter S. Thompson adap is at least being strongly considered. And if not, I’d like to know why!

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey – Constance Marks

What better a way to turn the frowns of 2010′s sparkle-free Cannes-lite (which incidentally was nearly destroyed by a storm) than to charm the beejesus out of everyone attending. When it played at Sundance, this documentary about the man who regularly has his hand up the most charming of all the Sesame Street clan did just that, with the general feeling of blissful contentment in and around the Utah area officially disappearing off the charts. If it doesn’t show in Cannes, I will personally be very disappointed.

The Devil’s Double – Lee Tamahori

Politically important and made on a relative shoe-string of only 15,000,000 Euros it would certainly set tongues wagging on the Croisette, and having already ticked both the Sundance and Berlin boxes already, it wouldn’t be massively unreasonable to assume the film might score a hat-trick come May time.

A Dangerous Method – David Cronenberg

A film about psycho-analysts comparing notes. Could there be a more Cannes-perfect film than this? I really can’t see enough of Viggo Mortensen or incredibly talented Brit Michael Fassbender, so to see them together, and under Cronenberg’s direction as well will be high excitement indeed. Only rumoured because it has no release date yet, but I’m willing to grasp at that small glimmering chance. Oh, and it’s got Vincent Cassel in it, and the festival notoriously reserves extra space for their own industry natives.

The Impossible – Juan Antonio Bayona

Okay, so all I’m going on here is that the project has been officially classed as in post-production since November last year, but I did say this was Fantasy Picks after all. There is traditionally one grand epic-style title included in the line-up (2009 – Agora, 2010 – Robin Hood), and I think The Impossible fits the bill as a Special Screening contender for sure.
Six Fair Bets

Sundance and the other early year film festivals (like Berlin) are usually a fairly good early indicator for what will screen in Cannes, so there are a number of films that featured in Utah that are reasonable guesses to appear down France way as well. And let’s face it, there’s often more fun in gambling on what will be included than actually watching some of the banal dross that passes for intelligent arthouse cinema these days…

Tyrannosaur – Paddy Considine

Appeared at Sundance, and Considine and star Peter Mullen are European festival favourites, so you have to think there’s a chance.

Taxi Driver: Remastered – Martin Scorsese

Screened in Berlin, and since it is getting a re-release, in the same manner that Psycho did two years ago and African Queen did last year (both of which screened in the Cannes Classic section in their respective years) I’d bet my most favourite body parts on it.

The Skin That I Inhabit – Pedro Almodovar

Apparently already in according to those in the know. And who am I to argue? Excitingly, this looks to be an intelligent, art-house version of Hostel, if such a thing were actually possible. I guess we are all about to find out.

Melancholia – Lars Von Trier

If it’s finished in time and to Von Trier’s exacting (and utterly bonkers) standards, it will be included. Simple as that.

Cleanskin - Hadi Hajaig

The production team confirmed to ObsessedWithFilm that they would be appearing out in Cannes, but whether this is just to sell, or to screen wasn’t as easily extracted. But, I think this ones got Cannes written all over it.

Restless – Gus Van Sant

Another that has been chalked in as a dead cert already in certain circles (including the UK’s Guardian newspaper, which is one of the only dailies that occasionally gets things right). Van Sant’s also a past winner of the coveted Palme d’Or, along with Lars Von Trier, and everyone knows there isn’t a director in the world wouldn’t sell their grandparents to get a second shot at such a big fish.

And 6 Further Unsubstantiated Predictions

* The Grandmasters – Wong Kar-wai
* We Need To Talk About Kevin – Lynne Ramsay
* The Deep Blue Sea – Terence Davies
* The Guard – John Michael McDonagh
* For Ellen – So Yong Kim
* The Loneliest Planet – Julia Loktev

No matter what actually screens, there’s bound to be a heady mix of mainstream cinema, excellent foreign films, insightful documentaries and boring beard-strokers that aren’t actually all that entertaining, but which noone will bad-mouth for fear of appearing terribly low-brow. I won’t be sharing that sentiment when I land in France- and I seriously hope that the festival organisers use this year’s line-ups as an opportunity to thumb their noses at those who sneered at the toned-down festivities of last year’s 63rd festival.

http://www.influence-film.com/2011/03/cannes-wish-list-2011-40-films-we-have-reason-to-hope-for.html

Cannes Wish List 2011: 40 Films We Have Reason To Hope For
Submitted by admin on March 23, 2011 – 8:19 am

With roughly a month remaining until the announcement of the Cannes Film Festival lineup, speculation is intensifying. After what many a deemed a relatively lackluster lineup last year due to many would-be entries not being finished in time, this year looks like it could be quite the doozy.

Cannes alums and internationally celebrated filmmakers like Pedro Almodovar, Andrea Arnold, David Cronenberg, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Bruno Dumont, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Terrence Malick, Brillante Mendoza, Alexander Payne, Lynne Ramsay, Paolo Sorrentino , Lars Von Trier and Gus Van Sant are among those who look like good bets. But then again, you never know; Cannes is a sort of annual cinematic Olympics, with countless countries vying for spots in the official selection.

Of course, Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” will open the fest, while earlier this week Anne Thompson speculated on dozens of potential inclusions.

indieWIRE‘s annual Cannes wish list isn’t so much about officially predicting the lineup, but rather is a roster of films we hope are finished in time, good enough and invited to the Croisette (though we do muse about what’s more likely than others).

Movies on this list that don’t get a spot in Cannes (and there will definitely be a few) will immediately become hot topics for a fall fest berth in Venice and/or Toronto. Either way, let the guessing games begin.

”Alps,” directed Giorgos Lanthimos (Greece)
With “Dogtooth,” Lanthimos established himself as one to watch. Now with his third feature, the cinephile crowd is pulling for “Alps” to make its debut in the south of France, where “Dogtooth” won the Un Certain Regard prize in 2009. In “Alps,” a group of people promise to stand-in for others’ dearly departed loved ones to help them with the grieving process. Lanthimos promises that “Alps” will be both “darker and funnier” than “Dogtooth”… a very intriguing promise indeed. [Bryce J. Renninger]

”Les Bien-Aimes,” directed by Christophe Honoré (France)
And how could this not get in? Honoré‘s latest, starring Ludivine Sagnier, Catherine Deneuve, Milos Forman, Louis Garrel and Chiara Mastroianni (Deneuve’s daughter) is a shoo-in, unless the planets are out of allignment come announcement day. Honoré has been absent from Cannes since his 2007 musical, “Love Songs,” and is sure to be back with this feature set in Paris and Prague. [Brian Brooks]

”Café de flore,” directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (Canada)
From the director of 2009’s “The Young Victoria” and 2005’s “C.R.A.Z.Y.,” Vallée’s latest stars young French actress Vanessa Paradis (“Heartbreaker”), Kevin Parent (T.V.‘s “Charles in Charge”) and Hélène Florent (“In the Cities”) in a “love story between a man and woman.” Set in ‘60s Paris, Paradis will apparently play a mother to a developmentally disabled child, with a parallel story set in present-day Montreal. “It’s an epic love story that deals with supernatural forces,” Vallee told Daily Variety about the film, which is listed on IMDb as currently in post-production. With a lineup of good-looking hotties from France that would illuminate Cannes’ famed red carpet and Vallée’s return to French and his recent successes, a place could very well be reserved for “Café.” [Brian Brooks]

”Chicken With Plums, directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi (France/Germany)
The duo behind “Persepolis” are tackling another one Satrapi graphic novel, this time in a live-action adaptation. “Chicken with Plums” will hope to have the same impact as their previous film, the animated “Persepolis” which won the Cannes Jury Prize in 2007. The story revolves around a depressed musician during the last week of his life. [Daniel Loria]

”Code Blue,” directed by Urszula Antoniak (The Netherlands)
“Code Blue,” the second film from Urszula Antoniak, is poised to have a similar fate as the Dutch director’s last film. Her debut effort, 2009’s “Nothing Personal,” had a strong run in the festival circuit and received limited American distribution in late 2010. “Code Blue” tells the story of a middle-aged nurse whose alienation from society reaches a new peak after she and a neighbor both witness a rape together. Antoniak’s latest seems to be a meditation on intimacy and a sort of existential form of social alienation. The film’s greatest asset for consideration in the 2011 festival is its relationship with the Cannes Cinéfondation’s L’Atelier program, which fosters and promotes new works from emerging filmmaking talents. [Daniel Loria]

”A Dangerous Method,” directed by David Cronenberg (Canada/Germany)
In what looks to be one of Cannes favorite David Cronenberg’s most accessible efforts, “A Dangerous Method” details the turbulent relationships between psychiatrist Carl Jung, his mentor Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein, the woman who comes between them. Adapted from John Kerr’s 1993 non-fiction book “A Most Dangerous Method” by “Atonement” screenwriter Christopher Hampton, the film stars frequent Cronenberg collaborator Viggo Mortensen as Freud, as well as Michael Fassbender (as Jung) and Keira Knightley (as Spielrein). The film is reportedly complete, so it seems like a safe bet for the main competition… unless Cronenberg and company decide to avoid what will certainly be a jam-packed lineup and premiere in the director’s native Toronto instead. [Peter Knegt]

”The Deep Blue Sea,” directed by Terence Davies (UK)
The much-loved but barely seen “Of Time and the City” was the last film from British auteur Terence Davies. He’s returning to the screen with an adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s “The Deep Blue Sea,” the exploration of the relationship between wayward neighbors Mr. Miller, who was forced from his post as a doctor, and Hester Collyer, who is at once married to a High Court Judge and having an affair with a pilot in the Royal Air Force. The play was adapted in Hollywood in the 1950’s with Vivien Leigh in the lead role; Rachel Weisz takes the lead this time ‘round. [Bryce J. Renninger]

”The Descendants,” directed by Alexander Payne (USA)
It’s been seven years since Alexander Payne’s critical darling “Sideways” became a huge crossover success story, grossing $70 million, getting nominated for best picture and significantly aiding the domestic wine market (unless you made Merlot). While that film premiered in Toronto, it seems likely his wrapped follow-up, “The Descendants,” will go way of the Croisette (as did Payne’s 2002 “About Schmidt”). Cannes loves them some George Clooney on the red carpet and that’s what they’d get with “Descendents,” which stars Clooney as Matt King, a land baron who tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident. Based on Kaui Hart Hemmings’s novel, the film also stars Judy Greer, Robert Forster, Beau Bridges and rising star Shailene Woodley (in what is said to be a very Oscar-bait role). However, distributor Fox Searchlight recently dated the film for a December release, which suggests that it may all of a sudden be out of Cannes’ reach. [Peter Knegt]

”Drive,” directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (USA)
This is not your typical Croisette fare, but buzz surrounding the Hollywood debut of Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn (“Bronson”) has been huge. Starring a can’t-be-hotter-right-now duo in Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan, the film follows a Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman, who discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong. Perhaps an out-of-competition berth is a possibility (which has been in post since November), though a Toronto debut is much more likely (its official release date is September 16th, conveniently the final Friday of TIFF). [Peter Knegt]

”Elena,” Andrei Zvyagintsev (Russia)
Zvyagintsev’s debut, 2003’s “The Return” won the Golden Lion in Venice and went on to be nominated for a Golden Globe. His follow-up, “Banishment,” went on to premiere in Cannes in 2007 where it nabbed an acting prize for its protagonist. The Russian director’s latest project revolves around an elderly woman who takes back her alcoholic son in an attempt to give his family a better life. The film was a recipient of the 2010 International Filmmaker Awards from Japanese TV station NHK and the Sundance Institute. [Daniel Loria]

”L’Empire,” directed by Bruno Dumont (France)
Dumont’s latest drama, in which a “miracle reveals an unseen side of a village loner,” currently near completion, is ripe for a place in the Official Selection. In the film, the villager helps those around him, but his methodology leaves much to be desired. Dumont won the Grand Prize of the Jury in Cannes for “Flanders” (2006) and the Camera d’Or for Humanité (1999), in addition to a Camera d’Or special mention in 1997 for “The Life of Jesus,” [Brian Brooks]

”The Exchange,” directed by Eran Kolirin (Israel)
The Israeli director’s debut film, “The Band’s Visit,” won the Un Certain Regard prize in Cannes back in 2007 and enjoyed an extensive run in the international festival circuit. With “The Exchange” the filmmaker seems to be going for a more introspective look at a quotidian existence, following a man who begins seeing the world around him under a different light. [Daniel Loria]

”The Grandmasters,” directed by Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)
In production since late 2009, one would think flashy Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar Wai whould be ready to debut “The Grandmasters,” a film that will star sinophone superstars Zhang Ziyi, Tonny Leung, and Chang Chen (though this report suggests otherwise). The film is the biopic of Ip Man, the man who mentored Bruce Lee. The life of Ip Man was subjected to two films already: Wilson Yip’s “Ip Man” and “Ip Man 2.” With anyone else at the helm, we’d have to question if another film needs to be made; but who could pass up any Wong film? [Bryce J. Renninger]

-this article continues on the next page-

http://thefilmstage.com/2011/05/18/new-polanski-cronenberg-and-solondz-films-among-venice-film-festival-premieres/

New Polanski, Cronenberg, and Solondz Films Among Venice Film Festival Premieres
Published on May 18, 2011 by Nick Newman

While Cannes is underway and seems to be having a pretty good year, Venice has announced some of their slate for this September, and it also looks pretty damn impressive. According to Variety, the lineup that they’ve assembled will not only include films from directors who’ve already landed their place in cinema history, but will also contain features from some great, newer talent.

Two of the bigger announced projects are David Cronenberg‘s A Dangerous Method and Roman Polanski‘s Carnage. The former tells of the relationship between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), as well as the love triangle formed from their mutual affection for patient Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley). The latter is an adaptation of the stage play God of Carnage, which tells of two sets of parents who get together to discuss a fight that their children had, but which devolves into a conflict arising between the two couples. It stars Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly.

But the exciting material doesn’t end there, as we can apparently expect Todd Solondz‘s Dark Horse, which stars Mia Farrow, Christopher Walken, Selma Blair and Justin Bartha. Steve McQueen will also be premiering Shame, his follow-up to the magnificent Hunger. Bringing back Michael Fassbender, it also stars Carey Mulligan; this is easily one of my most anticipated movies of 2011. Andrea Arnold is following Fish Tank with an adaptation of Wuthering Heights, and a fan of her last film (like myself) knows that it’s something to look forward to. George Clooney may have two features showing up: Alexander Payne‘s The Descendants, as well as The Ides of March, which Clooney directed himself, starring him and Ryan Gosling.

Yorgos Lanthimos will show his follow-up to Dogtooth, titled Alps. Described as being about “a group of people standing in for each others’ dead loved ones and relatives, duplicating their mannerisms to help facilitate the grieving process,” the director said that it makes Dogtooth “look like a kids’ film.” Should be fun.

There’s some more mainstream fare, with Cameron Crowe debuting his Pearl Jam documentary, PJ20, and Steven Soderbergh is rumored to either show Haywire or Contagion. I would bet on it being the former, as its close to a theatrical release; this may just be a way of it getting a nice premiere. Steven Spielberg, meanwhile, could bring either Tintin or War Horse to the festival. Tintin is getting an international release less than two months later, and I think that – just like Haywire - this would simply be a way of it starting its run in a prestigious setting.

American Psycho director Mary Harron has reportedly submitted her vampire film, The Moth Diaries, while Tomas Alfredson‘s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is rumored for an appearance. The latter of those movies stars Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth, so the mainstream attention it would get could be further reason for it to show up.

Other possible contenders include Wong Kar-wai‘s The Grandmasters, as well as Walter Salles‘ On the Road. Even if those don’t make it in, it wouldn’t diminish this lineup in any way. I would kill to be able to attend it this year, and I’m envious of those lucky enough to do so. Toronto International Film Festival will likely get many of these premieres, so check back for our reviews from that fest.

What do you think of all these movies possibly showing at Venice? Are there any that you find yourself interested in?

http://michaelstelluridefilm.blogspot.com/2011/06/dangerous-methodmore-reitman-newstree.html

Friday, June 17, 2011
Dangerous Method/More Reitman News/Tree of LOOOOOONG Life/Another Coen's Musical
Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin...The Cast of "Labor Day"?
Maybe I spoke too soon...

"A DANGEROUS METHOD" RECONSIDERED

Earlier this week, I all but wrote off the chances that we'd see David Cronenberg's study of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung starring Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender as a part of the program at Telluride this year. My thinking: Cronenberg's film is in place for a Venice unveiling and, acknowledging Cronenberg's Canadian roots, I expect that the film will be front and center at Toronto. That, I assumed would probably be enough as far as the fall fests are concerned.

Until yesterday, that is...
Multiple sources reported a Sony Pictures Classics release saying that the specialty film house has nabbed the U.S. rights for the film. I have included the link to the Kris Tapley/Incontention.com version of the story here:
http://incontention.com/2011/06/16/sony-classics-picks-up-cronenbergs-dangerous-method/#more-39932
That, alone, would have made me pause to reconsider my thinking as SPC has had a very good relationship with the Telluride Film Festival. but there was more...
Tapley tweeted just a little while after posting the story the following:

Kristopher Tapley (@kristapley)
Can't wait to see Dangerous Method at Telluride. Surely it'll play peek-a-boo there (but maybe @guylodge will get a look in Venice first).

Well...
Now, I'm not saying that Tapley already has some inside dope, but...his guess is always going to be better than mine because he's wired in...so...put "A Dangerous Method" back on the list of possibles..
And, parenthetically, I'm really glad too, because this film is high on my list of Oscar contenders to see this year.

http://mrwillw.blogspot.com/2011/06/possible-2011-tiff-titles.html

Monday, June 27, 2011
POSSIBLE 2011 TIFF TITLES?

Still from Like Crazy
Although the Toronto International Film Festival is only a little over two months away, there already is wide speculation about which major Oscars Keyplayers will be getting a Toronto Premiere here come September. Although these are based purely on rumour, the below v. possibly could be screening in the City - meaning you just might be seeing these Stars here!

Here are a few Candidates:
We Need to Talk About Kevin – starring Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly; about a Mother recounting the series of events leading up to her Son’s massacring of students and teachers at his High School.
Sleeping Beauty – Australian film starring Emily Browning about a Girl who enters a secret underground Prostitution Ring, taking a sleep-inducing Drug which then allows her Clientele to have their way with her without any recollection.
The Ides of March – starring George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti and Evan Rachel Wood. A Staff Member to a new Presidential Candidate is given a quick, dirty Crash Course on Politics during his Campaign Trail.
God of Carnage – two Couples decide to meet after their Sons are involved in fight at School, with matters soon getting out-of-hand. Starring Jodi Foster, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly and Kate Winslet; directed by Roman Polanski who may or likely may not attend.
Like Crazy – a Sundance Film Festival favourite starring Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin; about a British girl who falls madly in love with an American and must leave the Country after she is banned from the U.S. for overextending her visit.
Melancholia - Lars von Trier's new Sci-Fi Film starring Kirsten Dunst, for which she won a Best Actress Award at Cannes in May.
Dream House – Toronto-filmed Thriller starring Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz; yes, the movie responsible for bringing together Craig and Weisz – perhaps their chemistry will burn down the house (literally)?
W.E. – Madonna’s directorial Debut. A film which criss-crosses a modern day love story with that of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
Red State – the latest from Kevin Smith. Allegedly will change the face of Horror Movies forever? Stars Melissa Leo, John Goodman and Dermot Mulroney.
Warrior – an ex-Marine returns home to train as a MMA Fighter; stars Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte.
Contagion – the latest from Steven Soderbergh about an international team of Doctors who are sent on a task to handle the attack of a deadly disease. Stars Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Marion Cotillard.
Take this Waltz - Canadian Director/Actress Sarah Polley's second Feature Film starring Seth Rogen, Michelle Williams and Sarah Silverman
Bel Ami - Period Piece set in France starring Robert Pattinson as a Charmer who manipulates his way through some influencial and Aristocratic French Women. Also stars Kristin Scott Thomas and Christina Ricci.
Breakaway - Indo-Canadian collaboration about a Canadian Boy with Indian heritage who aspires to be a Hockey Player. Stars Rob Lowe, Russell Peters, Camilla Belle and features cameos by Drake and Ludacris.
A Dangerous Method – based on passionate affair between Carl Jung and one of his patients prior to the birth of Psychoanalysis; directed by David Cronenberg and starring Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen and Kiera Knightley.
Shame - Another Michael Fassbender-starring Film about a Playboy who has various sexual escapades only for this to change after his Sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in with him.
The Awakening - Rebecca Hall stars in this Horror about a Hoax Exposer who visits a School after sightings of a Child Ghost are reported.
Jesus Henry Christ – Toronto-filmed project produced by Julia Roberts which was a hit at the Tribeca Film Festival recently, stars Toni Collette and Michael Sheen.
Trespass – Thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage by Director Joel Schumacher about a Couple held for Ransom by a team of Predators.
Butter - about a Girl in the Midwest who learns she has a talent for Butter-carving. Stars Olivia Wilde, Alicia Silverstone, Hugh Jackman and more.
Tinkor, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - a semi-retired Spy is forced back into the game to uncover a case about a Soviet Spy; stars Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy and Colin Firth.
The Iron Lady - Film about British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher starring Meryl Streep.
Young Adult - about a recently-divorced Writer who returns home and tries to rekindle a Romance with her ex-flame who now is married; stars Charlize Theron and is directed by Jason Reitman.
Drive - a Stuntman who also works as a Getaway Driver, discovers that someone has ordered a "hit" on him; stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and Christina Hendricks.
Friends with Kids - about a Couple who unlike their Friends don't aspire to have Children; directed and written by Jennifer Westfeldt and starring her longtime Boyfriend Jon Hamm, plus Kristen Wiig and Megan Fox.

http://www.sff.ba/content.php/news/show/id/751/culture/en

Michael Fassbender the Guest of Sarajevo Film Festival

Sarajevo Film Festival has a great pleasure to announce that in its 17th edition, it will host one of the most relevant actors of today, Michael Fassbender.

In Sarajevo, Fassbender will accompany director Cary Fukunaga and his colleague, actor, Simon McBurney, in order to present the Sarajevo audience the film JANE EYRE within the Open Air Programme.

He has been one of the most wanted actors during the last several years, whose career is vertiginously booming. After a series of roles in TV films and series, among which there are the BAND OF BROTHERS by HBO and HEX by Sky One, he appeared on the big screen in 2006, in the film 300 by Zack Snyder. A year later, he realized the role in the film ANGEL by François Ozon, and in 2008 we could watch him in the multiple-awarded realization by Steve McQueen HUNGER. This role brought him the British Independent Film, Irish Film and Television, London Film Critics Circle awards, as well as the awards at the festivals in Stockholm and Chicago.

Following year he interpreted the role in the film by Oscar winner Andrea Arnold FISH TANK, which the Sarajevo audience had the opportunity to watch within the Open Air Programme. For the role in this film, Fassbender was awarded the London Film Critics Circle, and Chicago Film Festival awards.

Our audience surely remembers him also by his brilliant role of Lieutenant Archie Hicox in the film INGLORIOUS BASTERDS by Quentin Tarantino, for which he was awarded, together with his colleagues, the Screen Actors Guild for the outstanding performance, as well as the Critic’s Choice Award for the Best Acting Ensemble. He realized his latest role in the film X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, which had a remarkable success at the box offices worldwide, bringing Fassbender to the top of popularity charts.

Recently, Fassbender realized roles in the latest films by Steven Soderbergh, David Cronenberg, and Steve McQueen, which we will have the opportunity to watch late this or next year, while the leading roles were entrusted to him in the forthcoming projects by Ridley Scott and Jim Jarmusch.

http://www.sff.ba/news/show/id/794/culture/en

Director Cary Fukunaga Arrives in Sarajevo

Cary Fukunaga, director of the film JANE EYRE which will be screened at the Sarajevo Film Festival’s Open Air program, arrived in Sarajevo today.

Actor Michael Fassbender will join Fukunaga and greet the audience on Wednesday night at the !hej Open Air Cinema after the screening of JANE EYRE.

In Competition at Venice Film Festival:

The Ides Of March, George Clooney (US)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Tomas Alfredson (UK, Germany)
Wuthering Heights, Andrea Arnold (UK)
Texas Killing Fields, Ami Canaan Maan (US) (second work)
Quando La Notte, Cristina Comencini (Italy)
Terraferma, Emanuele Crialese (Italy/France)
A Dangerous Method, David Cronenberg (Germany/Canada)
4:44 Last Day On Earth, Abel Ferrara (US)
Killer Joe, William Friedkin (US)
Un Ete Brulant, Philippe Garrel (France/Italy/Switzerland)
A Simple Life (Taojie), Ann Hui (China/Hong Kong)
The Exchange (Hahithalfut), Eran Kolirin (Israel) (second work)
Alps (Alpeis),Yorgos Lanthimos (Greece)
Shame, Steve McQueen (UK) (second work)
L’ultimo Terrestre, Gian Alfonso Pacinotti (GIPI) (Italy) (first work)
Carnage, Roman Polanski (France/Germany/Spain/Poland)
Chicken With Plums, Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud (France/Belgium/Germany)
Faust, Aleksander Sokurov (Russia)
Dark Horse,Todd Solondz (US)
Himizu, Sion Sono (Japan)
Seediq Bale, Wei Te-Sheng (Taiwan) (second work)
Surprise film


http://thefilmstage.com/2011/07/28/venice-2011-line-up-includes-tinker-tailor-carnage-wuthering-heights-alps-and-many-more/

http://news.sky.com/home/showbiz-news/article/16039807

Brit Cinema Returns To Venice Film Festival

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1:02pm UK, Friday July 29, 2011
British cinema is back in competition at the 68th Venice Film Festival after a three-year absence, with a trio of UK films set to compete for the Golden Lion award.

Gary Oldman stars in the British film Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy

The British offerings include Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, directed by Sweden's Tomas Alfredson and starring Gary Oldman and Oscar winner Colin Firth.

Andrea Arnold's take on the Emily Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights and Steve McQueen's second directorial foray Shame, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, are also in the running.

Roman Polanski's new film Carnage will be screened

In all, 21 films will compete for the prestigious award.

Madonna will present her second work, W.E., a two-tiered love drama, on one level about King Edward VIII and American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Sofia Coppola poses after receiving the Golden Lion award

Sofia Coppola won the Venice Golden Lion in 2010

Alongside the Brits, Venice has no shortage of major Hollywood names.

George Clooney's fourth movie, The Ides of March, will open the festival in a star-studded premiere.

Madonna will present her film W.E.

It is joined by Roman Polanski's new film Carnage, an adaptation of Yasmina Reza's hit play God of Carnage, starring Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster.

The controversial Polish director however "will not be present for legal reasons", according to festival director Marco Mueller.

Hollywood actor George Clooney will open the festival

The filmmaker is wanted in the United States for an alleged sexual assault dating back to 1977.

The 68th Venice Film Festival runs from August 31 until September 10 on the Lido seafront.

http://www.eonline.com/news/venice_film_festival_its_clooney_vs/255150

Venice Film Festival: It's Clooney vs. McConaughey (Plus, Firth, Knightley, Winslet, Mulligan & More!)

Thu., Jul. 28, 2011 5:30 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

There is some major top-tier talent preparing to take the Lido by storm this summer.

It turns out the George Clooney-directed (and starring) political thriller The Ides of March, which will open the 68th Venice Film Festival on Aug. 31, is only the tip of the iceberg as far as this year's competition goes.

Twenty-one films will be battling for the Golden Lion, and it will up to a jury of their cinematic peers to see what roars the loudest, be it Matthew McConaughey as a cop and hitman in Killer Joe; Colin Firth and Tom Hardy as a couple of dashing Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy types; Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet as battling yuppie wives in Roman Polanski's Carnage; or a remake of Wuthering Heights starring a bunch of pretty Brits!

And the star wattage isn't the only thing that's special about these films...

Every single movie in the Competition and Out of Competition categories will be making their world premiere during the always-glamorous festival.

Also vying for a prize are David Cronenberg, who directed Viggo Mortenson, Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley in the sexy psychological drama A Dangerous Method, starring Mortenson as Sigmund Freud, Fassbender as Karl Jung and Knightley as a patient Jung seduces; Todd Solondz, whose Dark Horse stars Selma Blair and Justin Bartha as a couple of typical Solondzian malcontents; and Steve McQueen, whose Shame (the title says it all, doesn't it?) stars Fassbender and Carey Mulligan as brother and sister.

Among the films that are in the fest for the exposure rather than the competition are Steven Soderbergh's Gwyneth Paltrow-killing thriller Contagion, with Winslet and Matt Damon; the Al Pacino-directed docudrama Wilde Salome; and Madonna's feature directorial debut W.E., a dual-period romance about King Edward and divorcée Wallis Simpson and a modern-day affair between a woman and a married man.

But first, The Ides of March, costarring Ryan Gosling as the campaign staffer who pulls Clooney's presidential candidate into a shady predicament, kicks everything off Aug. 31 in the refurbished Sala Grande.

The festival runs until Sept. 10, and it sounds as if tons of A-listers are going to be invited—and, happily, they always go!

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/feature/2011/07/28/eu_venice_film_festival

Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 11:28 ET
U.S. movies headline Venice Film Festival
George Clooney's political drama "The Ides of March" will open the event on August 31
By ALESSANDRA RIZZO, Associated Press

U.S. movies headline Venice Film Festival
Warner Brothers
Ryan Gosling and George Clooney on the poster for "The Ides of March."

American filmmakers dominate the lineup of this year's Venice Film Festival, where George Clooney and four others will be competing for the Golden Lion, while Madonna, Al Pacino and Steven Soderbergh will premiere their latest directorial efforts.

The strong lineup also includes Roman Polanski, presenting "Carnage," an adaptation of the Broadway show "God of Carnage" featuring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz; David Cronenberg's take on psychoanalysis in "A Dangerous Method," featuring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender; and "Shame," a drama by British director Steve McQueen featuring Fassbender and Carey Mulligan.

All 22 movies in competition at the world's oldest festival are world premieres, organizers said Thursday. One of the 22 titles was kept secret and will be announced in coming weeks.

"We have looked for and strengthened a relationship with American cinema each year," said festival director Marco Mueller. However, he stressed that the guidelines for selecting the movies were just "to take beautiful movies, movies that would make one think and dream."

He cited Clooney's political drama "The Ides of March" as an example of a "sharp film that takes a look at today with a critical eye." The film about corruption and idealism in American politics, which stars Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman, will open the festival on Aug. 31.

The other American movies in competition are: the end-of-the-world film "4:44 Last Day on Earth" by Abel Ferrara; "Dark Horse" starring Mia Farrow and Christopher Walken directed by Todd Solondz of "Happiness" fame; "Killer Joe," a black comedy by William Friedkin starring Matthew McConaughey in the title role; and the second feature film by Ami Canaan Mann, "Texas Killing Fields," a murder drama featuring Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain.

Chastain, who had previously starred in "The Tree of Life," also appears in Pacino's "Wilde Salome."

The lineup suggests a star-studded red carpet, though Mueller would not say which stars will attend the festival.

Among the most highly-anticipated events is Madonna's second feature film, "W.E." The movie intercuts between the romance of a modern woman (Abbie Cornish) and the relationship of American socialite Wallis Simpson and Britain's King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne for love in the 1930s.

The festival runs through Sept. 10. The jury awarding the Golden Lion and other official prizes is headed by American director Darren Aronofsky.

http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4284133&tpl=archnews&force=1

Irish in Venice 2011 Line-up: 'The Moth Diaries' & Films from Fassbender, Rea & Hinds

28 Jul 2011 :

The 68th Venice Film Festival Official Competition has been announced including ‘Shame’ and ‘A Dangerous Method’, starring Irish actor Michael Fassbender and ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ with Stephen Rea and Ciarán Hinds. Samson Films co-production ‘The Moth Diaries’, directed by Mary Harron, is to screen out of competition at the festival.

‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ features Irish cast members Stephen Rea and Ciarán Hinds, alongside Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy and John Hurt. Irish actor Michael Fassbender will appear in David Cronenberg’s ‘A Dangerous Method’ and Steve McQueen’s ‘Shame’, both set to screen in the official competition.

‘A Dangerous Method’ explores the conflict between psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, played by Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender, with ‘Shame’ following the drama of 30-something Brandon (Fassbender) and his sexual escapades, and what happens when his wayward younger sister moves in with him. They will be screened in the Official International Competition at Venice alongside such features as Andrea Arnold’s ‘Wuthering Heights’, Roman Polanski’s ‘Carnage’ and Yorgas Lanthimos’ ‘Alpeis’. Opening the festival is ‘The Ides of March’, directed, produced, co-written and featuring an appearance from George Clooney.

Mary Harron’s gothic horror ‘The Moth Diaries’ will receive an out of competition screening at the festival. It is an Irish/Canadian co-production starring IFTA winning Sarah Bolger (The Tudors), Lily Cole (The Rage), Sarah Gadon (A Dangerous Method) and Scott Speedman (Underworld). Samson Films are Irish co-producers on the feature.

The 68th Venice Film Festival takes place from 31st August to 10th September 2011. The full official selection for the Venice Film Festival 2011 can be found here: Venice Film Festival line-up 2011.

translated

http://www.adnkronos.com/mobile/Spettacolo/news/Nudi-integrali-di-Bellucci-e-Fassbender-per-la-hot-parade-di-Venezia-68_3.1.2372191204.php

Fassbender Bellucci naked integrals for the hot parade of Venice 68
from 'A ete' brulant 'by Philippe Garrel

Last Updated: August 21, 16:46 hours

Rome, August 21 (Adnkronos) - The long nude scene in Monica Bellucci in a state of grace in the new film by French master Philippe Garrel 'A ete' brulant 'will send the male audience into raptures at the Cinema Festival of Venice. While the debate already itchy soul professionals who potutto see the movie in a private screening concerns another nude, that of Michael Fassbender. The actor appeared in more than one scene of 'Shame' Steve McQueen's completely naked showing off all of his gifts. So he left, inevitably, the game in comparison with the naked Stefano Accorsi in 'Wherever you are' by Michele Placido that became a real smash of the 2004 Show.

Fassbender stands in the rankings 'hot' at the Lido for its performance in another contest, one of the expected 'A Dangerous Method' by David Cronenberg (TRAILER) that tells the story of two fathers of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (played by Viggo Mortensen ) and Carl Jung (precisely Fassbender), and their relationship with the patient and beautiful student, Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), one of the first women to become analysts.

Jung-Fassbender not just go to bed with his patient, but is left by her sadomasochistic conduct on the ground: the second-stage highlight the rumors of those who have already seen the film is one where Keira Sabrina-whipped by an excited Jung.

The start of the show, after the opening of August 31 with 'The Ides of March' to George Clooney, see Thursday 'September 1 is a' Carnage 'in Roman Polanski's' WE' Madonna undermining the conventions, the bourgeois propriety. But not particularly risqué scenes.

To raise the temperature of the lagoon will think Cronenberg and Friday just Garrel. On the same day also the planning horizon will be particularly strong with the Australian film 'Hail' Amiel Courtin-Wilson, who proposes a journey through the trade of all kinds, including sexual. But even more 'with Tom Thumb, or' Le Petit Poucet 'by Marina de Van, who seems to propose the most outrageous story of the ogre of the film (played by the excellent Denis Lavant), who eats with relish by Gourmet her daughters.

Subtle touches the macabre eroticism that will be the protagonist Saturday, September 3, in the guise of a 'stunt' paid to mourn the dead, the actress (already awarded the Volpi Cup at Venice in 2010) Ariane Labed in the movie 'Alpis' the greek Yorgos Lanthimos

But the next day, Sunday 4, Al Pacino will bring sensuality to the Lido at the highest levels in its laying bare 'Wilde's Salome,' one of the most celebrated actresses of the year: Jessica Chastain (which we also see in the film in Venice Ami Canaan Mann in competition).

Also on Sunday will pass the already mentioned 'Shame' McQueen, in competition, while in Horizons, the first film will be screened by Nicholas Provost, 'The Invader', in which stands a Stefania Rocca involved in a sexual intercourse 'with a view' from a skyscraper in Brussels, where the actress is owned by an African immigrant (actor Issaka Sawadogo).

http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/15334/film-news-ciff-previews-selections-for-47th-festival

Film News: 25 Official Selections Released For 2011 Chicago International Film Festival
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 21, 2011 - 2:42pm.

CHICAGO – Chicago movie buffs psyched for the 47th Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) have a limited-time opportunity to purchase their passes at a discounted price. Festivalgoers can save $10 on their purchase through Sept. 21, 2011. CIFF has wisely enticed attendees by releasing the names of their 25 official selections at the 2011 festival, which is scheduled from Oct. 6 through the Oct. 20, 2011.

Easily the most hotly anticipated picture in the bunch is “A Dangerous Method,” which marks the third consecutive collaboration between director David Cronenberg and star Viggo Mortensen. The film centers on an unbalanced woman (Keira Knightley) and her pivotal relationship with Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Mortensen). “Method” promises to be a typically provocative addition to Cronenberg’s oeuvre, with the added intrigue of psychoanalysis and its origins.

Another must-see selection is “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” the long-awaited third feature from Lynne Ramsay, director of “Ratcatcher” and “Morvern Callar.” The great Tilda Swinton has already been garnering serious Oscar buzz for her role as a diffident mother whose titular teenage son goes on a killing spree. John C. Reilly co-stars as Swinton’s well-meaning husband, while Ezra Miller (as Kevin) is intriguingly cast as a sociopath with striking similarities to his memorable character in Antonio Campos’s “Afterschool.” Though the film received mixed reviews on the festival circuit, it is sure to be the topic of intense discussion and debate in Chicago.


Other highlights at this year’s CIFF include the latest work from filmmakers such as Wim Wenders (“Wings of Desire”), Claude Lelouch (“A Man and a Woman”) Aki Kaurismäki (“The Man Without a Past”) and Chen Kaige (“Farewell My Concubine”). Chicago native Prashant Bhargava will premiere his debut feature, “The Kite,” which was shot in India and tells the tale of a family reunion during the country’s vibrant kite festival. Sam Auster, another Chicago-born filmmaker, will debut his third directorial effort, “The Return of Joe Rich,” featuring Armand Assante and Talia Shire. 89-year-old icon Carol Channing is profiled in Dori Berinstein’s documentary, “Carol Channing: Larger Than Life,” which appears to be one of the festival’s surefire crowd-pleasers. Perhaps the oddest selection so far released is Paul W.S. Anderson’s 3D reboot of “The Three Musketeers,” with an all-star cast including Orlando Bloom, Juno Temple, Mads Mikkelsen, Til Schweiger and Christoph Waltz.

For the complete lineup of the 47th Chicago International Film Festival’s preview selection or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.chicagofilmfestival.com.

http://www.soundonsight.org/tiff-2011-25-most-anticipated-films-pt-4-%E2%80%93/

TIFF 2011: 25 Most Anticipated Films pt.2 – Fairytales, Shakespeare, Silent Film & More

Posted on Aug 18, 2011 by Ricky in Toronto International Film Festival

TIFF 2011: 25 Most Anticipated Films pt.1 – Kids, Monsters, Neurotic Housewives, Greek Insanity & More

Posted on Aug 18, 2011 by Ricky in Toronto International Film Festival

The Toronto Film Festival is a tricky beast when it comes to picking what films to see. There is always the problem that a few movies may screen at the same time, leaving you with the difficult choice of choosing one over the other. This will only be my third year heading to the fest, but I have quickly come to learn a few tricks. The first and most important thing to keep in mind is release dates. There is no sense in purchasing a ticket for a film that will have a wide theatrical release soon after the fest begins if it means missing out on another movie which you may not have the chance to see again for a very long time. A prime example from this year’s line-up is Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, which gets released theatrically the very same week. With that being said, I still to intend on watching Drive at TIFF cause, well, Refn is a genius, and I am not sure if I can wait much longer – but if it came between Drive and, say, Alps, I would gladly choose the Greek film first, knowing it probably won’t ever hit the box office in North America. It is also handy to keep track of the distance between the theaters. You don’t want to leave one film and have only five minutes to run to the next, if it is screening halfway across town. Also for anyone who cares about the red carpets and celebrity sightings, I would offer this piece of advice: the day screenings are less crowded and usually, although not always, the actors/actresses and directors still make an appearance for a Q&A. It is actually much easier to cross paths with anyone of them in the day time after the Q&A on the side entrance of each theater – whereas at night they are usually in a rush to leave, heading out to whatever after party they have planned. With that said, what is really important is the movies, so here is a list of my most anticipated films screening this year at TIFF.

1. Alps

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Way before Yorgos Lanthimos’ provocative Dogtooth ever had an Oscars nomination, we raved about the film on our podcast. The film was so popular amongst the Sound On Sight staff that it made our top 10 both in 2009 and 2010. You see, some of us lucky folks had the chance to see it long before it ever had any sort of theatrical release in North America, thanks to great film festivals worldwide. Not to say we were the only ones. The film landed on the number one spot on Slant Magazine’s best of the year list, and won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes.

Now Lanthimos is back with Alps, which he calls “darker and funnier. It goes to each extreme a little bit more.”

The film stars Dogtooth actress Aggeliki Papoulia in a story that follows a nurse, a paramedic, a gymnast and her coach, who form a service for hire in which they stand in for dead people by appointment, replicating the behaviour and gestures of the deceased, to help friends and relatives with the grieving process.

2. Dreileben Trilogy

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One of the most talked-about world-premieres at Berlin, Dreileben is also one of the longest: a triple-bill of 90-minute movies, made by respected German writer-directors Christian Petzold, Dominik Graf and Christoph Hochhäusler. That’s right, there is a trilogy playing at TIFF this year and it is a must-see. Also I am including this as one film even though technically there are three.

Synopsis:

A thrilling trio of interlocking films, Dreileben explores the story of an escaped murderer from three different angles, in three different styles, by three of Germany’s leading filmmakers.

3. Kotoko

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Shinya Tsukamoto, the director of the black & white 16 mm feature Tetsuo: The Iron (a film considered the definitive example of Japanese cyberpunk), and also the creator of Tokyo Fist, Bullet Ballet and Snake And June, is back at TIFF with Kotoko, the story of a single mother who suffers from double vision; caring for her baby is a nerve-wrecking task that eventually leads her to a nervous breakdown. She is suspected of being a child abuser when things get out of control and her baby is taken away. It’s nice to see the director doing something original and staying away from sequels, which has kept him busy for far too long. If you are not familiar with the filmmaker, I suggest you get busy and rent some of his older stuff. I promise even if you don’t like it, you won’t forget it.

4. Monster’s Club



One of the films in that selection that we are all extremely excited to see is Toshiaki Toyoda’s Monster’s Club, a dark fantasy from the director of Blue Spring and Nine Souls. So the controversial and acclaimed director is back after his career was cast into the shadows of guilt when arrested on drug charges and then subsequently blacklisted by the conservative Japanese film industry. There is a reason Toyoda was named one of the most promising new filmmakers in the early aughts. Check out the trailer for his latest film below.
5. Play

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Writer-director Ruben Ostlund (The Guitar Mongoloid and Involuntary) brings us Play, based on a spate of real cases of bullying and robbery that took place in Gothenburg, Sweden between 2006 and 2008. The film had its World premiere at Cannes, Directors’ Fortnight and was received with a very positive response. Also worth noting is that the film was shot entirely in long takes. The trailer below should be enough to sell you.

6. Livid

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I was a huge fan of the French New Wave horror film Inside by directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. The duo is back this year at TIFF with Livid, starring Marie-Claude Pietragalla, Chloe Coulloud and Felix Moati. Livid is a horror fairytale set during Halloween night when three youths decide to burglarize an old lady’s desolate house, but what awaits them is no ordinary house…

7. A Dangerous Method

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David Cronenberg is my favourite working director, so having A Dangerous Method appear on this list is no big surprise. His latest film marks his third collaboration with Viggo Mortensen, but even more impressive is the supporting cast which includes Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel. The screenplay was adapted by Academy Award-winning writer Christopher Hampton from his 2002 stage play The Talking Cure, itself based on the 1993 non-fiction book by John Kerr, A Most Dangerous Method.

8. Kill List

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A professional killer becomes a pawn in a supernatural mystery when he accepts an assignment from some shadowy clients. Our team has been rightfully raving about Ben Wheatley’s Kill List ever since it screened over at SXSW earlier this year. Emmett Duff concluded his fantastic review saying, “it plays like a brutal, exhausting shaggy dog tale with a dark as night punchline. And it comes highly recommended.” Here is the trailer.
9. The Artist

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The Artist, directed by Michel Hazanavicius and starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, had critics and audiences stunned at its beauty and throwback to classic Hollywood story telling when it premiered at Cannes (and netted star Jean Dujardin a Best Actor prize). The black-and-white silent film follows George Valentin (Dujardin), a silent-era film star struggling to make it in the talkies. Mark Adams of Screen Daily called the film “a real pleasure”; “propelled elegantly forward by delightful performances from Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo it is the most unlikely of feel-good movies.” The Artist makes my list of most anticipated films to see at TIFF – what looks to be a witty and visually enthralling homage to early cinema with supporting performances by Malcolm MacDowell, John Goodman and James Cromwell.
10 – Coriolanus

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Shakespeare’s historical play Coriolanus has never before been adapted for the big screen, and for good reason. It’s one of the Bard’s longest plays and also one of his most complicated. In December, the Weinstein Co. will release Coriolanus in U.S. theatres hoping for more Oscar gold. But before than, the film, which is stars its director by Ralph Fiennes, will premiere at TIFF. The screenplay is written by Tony-winning playwright John Logan (Red) and places the action in a contemporary setting that is reminiscent of the Bosnian wars. The cast includes Gerard Butler as Aufidius, Coriolanus’ chief rival; Vanessa Redgrave as Volumnia, his mother; Brian Cox and Menenius, a politician; and Jessica Chastain as Virgilia, his wife. That alone is more than enough reason to place Coriolanus on my list of most anticipated films to see at this year Toronto International Film Festival.

#11 – Keyhole

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Guy Maddin doesn’t harbour any particular resentment towards the Toronto International Film Festival for rejecting his first feature film Tales From the Gimli Hospital way back in 1988. Over the course of a career that has spanned nearly two decades and 25 films, Maddin has cemented his repututation as one of Canada’s most important, daring, unique filmmakers. His latest Keyhole is described as a surreal indoor odyssey of one man, Ulysses Pick (Jason Patric) struggling to reach his wife (Isabella Rosellini) in her bedroom upstairs, this hypnotic dreamlike journey bewilders and captivates.

12 – Killer Joe

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After a five-year hiatus, legendary filmmaker William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) returns with Killer Joe, a black comedy inspired by yet another Tracy Letts play (the first being Friedkin’s last film, Bug).

Synopsis: Emile Hirsch plays a desperate Texas debtor who plots to kill his mother, with help of his family (Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon). They hire a crooked cop (Matthew McConaughey) to do the job, but Killer Joe asks for their teenage daughter (Juno Temple) as a “retainer.”

13- Dark Horse

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While I haven’t been the biggest fan of the last two Todd Solondz films, I really can’t help but taking interest on all his projects. Dark Horse, the latest Solondz comedy is set to play the Toronto International Film Festival, and the fest has dropped the first footage of the film which you can see below. Dark Horse stars Christopher Walken, Mia Farrow, Selma Blair, Zachary Booth and Donna Murphy, with the lead role played by Jordan Gelber of Boardwalk Empire and Law & Order.

Synopsis: A thirty-something guy with arrested development (Justin Bartha) falls for a thirty-something girl with arrested development (Selma Blair), but moving out of his junior high school bedroom proves too much and tragedy ensues.

14- Melancholia

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Melancholia tells a story that re-tells the final days of an apocalypse on Earth as the planet Melancholia (which has been hiding behind the Sun), draws close. The film premiered at Cannes this past May, and despite controversy surrounding its director, the film received extremely positive reviews.

Here is what Lars Von Trier had to say about Melancholia as quoted in Politiken:

“In Melancholia I start with the end. Because what is interesting is not what happens but how it happens! So we begin by seeing the world being crushed, then we can tell the story afterwards… In this way you don’t have to sit and form theories about what will happen, but can delve down into some other levels and become interested in the pictures and the universe – that’s what I imagine”.
15- Martha Marcy May Marlene

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One of the most critically acclaimed and talked about films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Martha Marcy May Marlene will screen at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The film marks the directorial debut of Sean Durkin and stars Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes. Here is the official plot summary: Watch the trailer below.

Martha Marcy May Marlene stars Elizabeth Olsen as Martha, a damaged woman haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, who struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing a cult.

16 – Moth Diaries

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Mary Harron (American Psycho) is ready to rock for her big screen adaptation of Rachel Klein’s The Moth Diaries, at the Toronto International Film Festival next month. The Moth Diaries stars Scott Speedman, Lily Cole, Sarah Gadon and Sarah Bolger (the little lead girl from In America all grown up). It is always great to support Canadian filmmakers, and since she is from Ontario, I have to place her movie on my must see list.

Synopsis: At an exclusive girls’ boarding school, a sixteen-year-old girl records her most intimate thoughts in a diary. The object of her growing obsession is her roommate, Lucy Blake, and Lucy’s friendship with their new and disturbing classmate. Ernessa is a mysterious, moody presence with pale skin and hypnotic eyes. Around her swirl dark rumours, suspicions, and secrets as well as a series of ominous disasters. As fear spreads through the school, fantasy and reality mingle. What is true and what is dreamed bleed together into a waking nightmare of gothic menace, fuelled by the anxieties, lusts, and fears of adolescence.

17 – Shame

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While many Film Festivals hope to land a few big movies, this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is an insane lineup that’s loaded with not only Hollywood fare but strong indie features. I not only consider British filmmaker Steve McQueen’s 2008 debut film Hunger to be one of the best of that year, but also of the decade, so it is no secret that I am highly anticipating McQueen’s new film called Shame. The sex-driven New York City drama stars Michael Fassbender (also from Hunger) as Brandon, a man living in New York who is unable to manage his wild sex life. Now I’m sure that the ladies and gay men out there will appreciate Fassbender in the role.

18 – The Skin I Live In

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Director Pedro Almodovar and actor Antonio Banderas are no strangers to each other. The pair have worked together in some of Spain’s most critically acclaimed films of the past twenty years. Their latest pairing The Skin I Live In made it’s World Premier at Cannes in May, and will screen at TIFF next month before its November release in the US.

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19 – Take Shelter

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Take Shelter won over audiences at Sundance and Cannes earlier this year making it quite the calling card for Austin filmmaker Jeff Nichols. In his second collaboration with Michael Shannon following Shotgun Stories, Nichols has written a role tailored to the actor’s talents in Curtis LaForche. Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.

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20 – Trishna
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Michael Winterbottom is the prolific English filmmaker who has directed seventeen feature films in the past fifteen years, three of which (Welcome to Sarajevo, Wonderland and 24 Hour Party People) were nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Well as expected he is back at TIFF and a trailer has dropped for his latest dramatic endeavour ahead of its Toronto premiere next month.

Synopsis: Based on Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Trishna tells the story of one woman whose life is destroyed by a combination of love and circumstances. Set in contemporary Rajasthan, Trishna (Freida Pinto) meets a wealthy young British businessman Jay Singh (Riz Ahmed) who has come to India to work in his father’s hotel business.

After an accident destroys her father’s Jeep, Trishna goes to work for Jay, and they fall in love. But despite their feelings for each other, they cannot escape the conflicting pressures of a rural society which is changing rapidly through industrialization, urbanization and, above all, education. Trishna’s tragedy is that she is torn between the traditions of her family life and the dreams and ambitions that her education has given her.

21 - Crazy Horse

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Documentary master Frederick Wiseman (La Danse, Boxing Gym) goes inside Paris’s Crazy Horse cabaret, the most famous nude dance show in the world, offering audiences an all access look behind the scenes. The cabaret is one of the most mythic and colourful places dedicated to women, and through the years has become a must see for tourists ranking alongside the Eiffel tower. The film shows us the rehearsals and the unveiling of the upcoming show. Here is the trailer. The film will premiere at TIFF next month. Enjoy!

22 – Sleeping Beauty
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One of the directorial debuts I am most existed for is Julia Leigh’s Sleeping Beauty. My anticipation is based both on word of mouth from the Cannes screening, and also on the marvellous trailer (see below) which boasts some strong words of support from fellow Aussie Jane Campion, who “presents” the film. That might have been unnecessary – the trailer is more than striking enough to stand on its own. Emily Browning stars as a young woman drafted into the escort business.
23-We Need To Talk About Kevin

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One of my favourite British directors, Lynne Ramsay is back with We Need To Talk About Kevin. Ramsay first hit the scene with he incredible debut Ratcatcher in 1999, and went on to make one of the best films of the aughts with Morvern Callar. Now almost a decade later, she returns and her new film has me very excited, making my muse see list at the Toronto International Film Festival. We Need To Talk About Kevin is an adaptation of the best-seller from Lionel Shriver, about a mother’s difficult relationship with her sociopathic son, who also happens to be the perpetrator of a high school massacre. We’ve posted three chilling clips from the film already, but now we have the first trailer.

synopsis: A suspenseful and psychologically gripping exploration into a parent dealing with her child doing the unthinkable, We Need T0 Talk About Kevin is told from the perspective of Eva, played by Tilda Swinton in a tour-de-force performance. Always an ambivalent mother, Eva and Kevin have had a contentious relationship literally from Kevin’s birth. Kevin (Ezra Miller), now 15-years-old, escalates the stakes when he commits a heinous act, leaving Eva to grapple with her feelings of grief and responsibility, as well as the ire of the community-at-large. We Need To Talk About Kevin explores nature vs. nurture on a whole new level as Eva¹s own culpability is measured against Kevin¹s innate evilness, while Ramsay¹s masterful storytelling leaves enough moral ambiguity to keep the debate going.
24 – Wuthering Heights

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After retiring from her career as a television presenter, Arnold studied directing at the prestigious AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles and trained in screenwriting at the PAL Labs in Kent. She won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for Wasp, in 2005. Red Road is the first instalment of Advance Party, a planned set of three conceptually-related films by different first-time directors made my list of the best films of the decade – as did her follow up Fish Tank. Now she’s back taking on Emily Brontë’s classic novel while lollowing her bracing portraits of female desire in her two previous works.

25 – Drive

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Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan, Drive generated a lot of buzz at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and won him the best director awards. Like the book, the movie is about a Hollywood stunt performer (played by Gosling) who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong. Drive might just be my most anticipated film of the Toronto International Film Festival.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/26/us-venice-10towatch-idUSTRE77P2YJ20110826

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at the Cinema Palace in Venice September 2, 2007. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:35am EDT

(Reuters) - The 2011 Venice film festival opens on Wednesday and ends on September 10. After last year's low-key affair, this year promises A-list stars on the red carpet and several eagerly awaited productions.

Following are some of the films generating early buzz ahead of the festival. Unless otherwise stated, the movies appear in the main competition lineup.

1. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

- Swedish director Tomas Alfredson tackles John Le Carre's 1974 classic Cold War spy thriller, with a stellar cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and John Hurt.

British viewers will inevitably compare it to the classic television version featuring Alec Guinness as George Smiley, the espionage veteran brought out of semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent who has infiltrated British intelligence.

2. Wuthering Heights

- British festival favorite Andrea Arnold gives her take on the Emily Bronte novel, which was famously adapted in 1939 in a version starring Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff.

On the festival's website, the director hints in a statement that this will be a hard-hitting version: "The novel by Emily Brontë is full of violence, death and cruelty. Living with that for the last eighteen months has been hard."

3. The Ides of March

- George Clooney is handed the coveted opening film slot for his movie based on Beau Willimon's play "Farragut North."

The film is set in the near future in the world of American politics during the Democratic primaries for the presidential election.

Ryan Gosling portrays an idealistic young press secretary to governor Mike Morris (Clooney) who is drawn into a dangerous game of deceit and corruption.

4. A Dangerous Method

- David Cronenberg renews his partnership with actor Viggo Mortensen for this "dark tale of sexual and intellectual discovery" based on the lives of fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Mortensen).

Between them comes the beautiful Sabina Spielrein, played by Keira Knightley, based on the real-life psychoanalyst rumored to have had an affair with Jung.

5. Killer Joe

- William Friedkin, the American director behind such classics as "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist," is in Venice with "Killer Joe" about a detective, played by Matthew McConaughey, who is also a hit man for hire.

In his director's statement, Friedkin calls it a Cinderella story and, despite its dark themes, "quite humorous."

6. Carnage

- Franco-Polish director Roman Polanski worked on the script of "Carnage" while under house arrest in Switzerland in 2010.

The 78-year-old behind movies "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby" was freed after the Swiss authorities decided not to extradite him to the United States, where he was wanted for sentencing for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977 in Los Angeles.

Unsurprisingly, Polanski is not expected to leave France for Italy to attend the world premiere, although members of his cast including Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster are.

The movie is about two sets of New York parents who meet up after their children are involved in a brawl.

7. Faust

- Russian film maker Alexander Sokurov is a favorite on the European festival circuit for movies like the single-take "Russian Ark" and his "power trilogy" based on the lives of Hitler, Lenin and Hirohito.

In fact, Sokurov has called "Faust" the fourth installment in the series, adding: "The symbolic image of Faust completes this series of great gamblers who lost the most important wagers of their lives."

8. Tahrir 2011 (out of competition)

- A three-part documentary on the recent revolution in Egypt is likely to generate significant media interest given the relevance of the subject matter to what is happening in north Africa today.

The film is divided into three parts -- The Good, The Bad, The Politician -- all directed by different people.

9. La Desintegration

- Philippe Faucon, a Morocco-born French director, is the latest film maker to tackle the theme of radical Islam.

Set in contemporary Lille, three young Muslims get to know the older Djamel who gradually "indoctrinates" them.

Faucon has criticized cinema's treatment of the subject, and said he believed that society was, at least in part, to blame for extremist religious views and acts.

"In my film, the radical, violent shift also has a metaphorical sense: it is the symptom that reveals a fatal condition in society."

10. W.E.

- Pop superstar Madonna presents her second feature film, loosely based on American divorcee Wallis Simpson whose relationship with King Edward VIII led him to abdicate the throne in 1936.

Madonna's track record on the big screen has been patchy, with her performance as Eva Peron in "Evita" lauded but that in erotic thriller "Body of Evidence" derided.

Her directorial debut, the 2008 comedy drama "Filth and Wisdom," was generally poorly received by critics.

http://mimiatthemovies.blogspot.com/2011/09/it-isnt-fall-yet-but-festivals-dont.html

Saturday, September 03, 2011
It Isn't Fall Yet, But Festivals Don't Know It
I tried to stretch my hiatus out a little longer, but when the Venice International Film Festival started Wednesday, I knew it was time to start paying attention to what was happening on the movie scene. Thus, a break from the cookout today for this post.

Venice IFF's Golden Lion Award

Two major Film Festivals are underway this weekend. For starters, the graddaddy of the film festivals, the 68th Venice International Film Festival - La Biennale di Venezia - opened Wednesday, 31 August, with the well-received world premiere screening of The Ides of March, the highly anticipated new film written, directed, and starring George Clooney, in the Palazzo del Cinema, following the opening ceremony. Co-starring with Clooney are: Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei.

The Ides of March is the only U.S. film screening in competition. However, David Cronenberg's - A Dangerous Method, Germany/Canada, is worth noting. It stars Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud, Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung, and Keira Knightley as a troubled young woman seeking treatment. There are no films of note from the USA screening out of competition.
The complete list of films in competition Here.


Telluride

George Clooney
The other festival is the 38th Telluride Film Festival (2-5 September), to which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded a $50,000 grant to underwrite this year's Festival’s Guest Director program, featuring musician Caetano Veloso, who is described as ". . . a musician who loves movies." For more on the Academy's grant to Telluride, click the title of this post.

George Clooney’s The Ides Of March may have been well-received in Venice, but it did not make the Telluride roster. None-the-less, Clooney headed from Venice to the Colorado San Juan mountain festival to support the other movie in which he stars this year, The Descendants. It is the new film from director Alexander Payne, his first since his Oscar-winner Sideways (2007). Telluride will host tributes for Clooney, and actress Tilda Swinton, who won a best supporting actress Oscar in 2008 as Clooney's co-star in Michael Clayton.

Besides Venice, Telluride is also a stop in the film festival circuit between Cannes and New York. There's The Artist, a black and white silent film directed by Michel Hazanavicius, and the new David Cronenberg film, A Dangerous Method, mentioned above.

There's Martin Scorsese’s new documentary about the late member of The Beatles - George Harrison: Living in the Material World, and the Irish drama Albert Nobbs, co-written by Glenn Close, which has the actress playing a shy butler who is hiding the fact that he/she is a woman.

At Telluride, there are the "to be announced" slots, which keep festival goers guessing. In the past, some films shown in these TBA slots, including last year's The King's Speech, also received Oscars. Therefore, there is big buzz of speculation about this year's TBA films. One that has been revealed is Butter, a comedy starring Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde and Hugh Jackman. Telluride Festival.


Coming up, the San Sebastian Festival in Spain (16-24 September), has set it's jury members. Serving as part of the official selection jury will be Babel screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, director Álex de la Iglesia (The Last Circus) and actresses Bai Ling (The Crow), Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda) and Frances McDormand (Fargo). American writer and film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum will chair the New Directors competition at the festival. This from Nikki Fink's Deadline/Hollywood blog.
Posted by Mimi Fink at 2:35 PM

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/lineup-for-telluride-film-festival-is-announced/

September 2, 2011, 8:49 am
Lineup for Telluride Film Festival Is Announced
By A.O. SCOTT

The Venice Film Festival started on Wednesday, at or below sea level. I headed in the other direction, to Telluride, the former mining town in Colorado whose high-altitude festival occurs every year on Labor Day. Some people — and a handful of movies — manage to be in both places at once.

George Clooney, for example. Mr. Clooney, after premiering “The Ides of March” — of which he is director and star — on the Lido, will come up to the San Juan mountains to receive a tribute. (Tilda Swinton will too.) Mr. Clooney stars in “The Descendants,” the new film from Alexander Payne, his first since “Sideways,” which will be shown here. So will ”George Harrison: Living in the Material World,” Martin Scorsese’s new documentary.

The Telluride lineup, a tightly held secret until yesterday (screenings commence this afternoon) is, as always, an eclectic and careful selection of restored classics, potential Oscar contenders (“The King’s Speech” was here last year) and documentary and foreign-language films plucked from the international festival circuit. Among this year’s films are a handful stopping over between Cannes and New York: “The Artist,” a black and white silent film directed by Michel Hazanavicius; “Le Havre” by Aki Kaurismaki and “The Kid With a Bike,” the latest from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The new David Cronenberg film, “A Dangerous Method,” is also here, starring Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud, Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung and Keira Knightley as a troubled young woman seeking treatment.

That is some of what is known about the festival, which likes to keep a few surprises up its sleeve. A handful of boxes on the schedules distributed today read TBA. Last year two of those slots were filled by “Black Swan” and “127 Hours,” so speculation has already begun about which of the coming season’s cinematic conversation pieces will be discussed here, on the sidewalks of Colorado Avenue and in the cars of the gondola — of the aerial rather than the Venetian variety — that is Telluride’s main form of public transportation.

http://hop.dartmouth.edu/featured/telluride-at-dartmouth

Telluride at Dartmouth
Experience the 26th Telluride at Dartmouth!

Telluride at Dartmouth was born 26 years ago through a long-standing relationship between the Festival and College. Each year, six films come directly from Colorado for special advance screenings at the Hopkins Center. This is a unique opportunity for the Dartmouth community to get a sneak peek at the latest international films–often months before they’re released.

The 26th annual Telluride at Dartmouth plays in Spaulding Auditorium. The “Telluride Pass” provides admission to all six films with your choice of screening times and priority seating. For tickets and information, visit hop.dartmouth.edu. Enjoy the SHOW!


A DANGEROUS METHOD
FRI | SEP 23 | 4 & 7 PM

In 1904, Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), the daughter of wealthy Russian Jews, is diagnosed with acute hysteria. The young Swiss doctor Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) begins treating her with psychoanalysis, the radical new “talking” cure. His success connects him with the pioneering Dr. Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) until Jung’s growing passion for Sabina and his own poetic imagination clashes with his mentor. David Cronenberg (History of Violence) deepens his mastery of adult psychological drama in this new high point of his career. Cronenberg, Fassbender and Mortensen transform an intellectual power struggle into an almost hypnotic dance. And Knightley, the film’s astonishing heart, makes Sabina’s violent sexuality and incisive intelligence both extraordinary and believable. (UK, 2011, 98m) Courtesy Sony Classics
ALBERT NOBBS
SAT | SEP 24 | 4 & 7 PM

1890s Dublin: for a woman to be independent and single, she must live as a man. Five-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close is Albert, a shy, fastidious hotel butler with a deep secret. Recreating her award-winning stage role (which she co-wrote), Close gives a triumphant, transformative performance as an emotionally scarred woman who has lived in disguise for so long her own identity has nearly vanished. A series of encounters with fellow staff (the equally remarkable Janet McTeer and Mia Wasikowska) rekindle in Albert the dream of a better life. Under Rodrigo Garcia’s elegant hand and with exquisite production design by Oscar-winner Patrizia Von Brandenstein (Amadeus), Albert Nobbs paints an alternately comic and heartbreaking portrait of female solidarity in the classist, sexist society of the 19th century. (Ireland, 2011, 108m) Courtesy Roadside
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
SUN | SEP 25 | 4 & 7 PM

In this exquisitely realized adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s bestseller, Tilda Swinton (I Am Love) and John C. Reilly play an estranged couple whose 15-year-old son commits a sociopathic act of violence. Swinton, in a tour-de-force performance, masterfully inhabits the lonely world of a guilt-riddled survivor, split between horror and responsibility. As the details of their son’s crimes are revealed, the intricacies of marital and parental relationships are examined with a narrative pace that is both foreboding and deliberate. A sensitive psychological study that nevertheless packs a powerful and provocative punch, this film asks unsettling questions about the nature of violence. Director Lynne Ramsay relates a horror story through a lens of harrowing and confrontational realism in this deconstruction of suburbia and the modern American family. (UK/US, 2011, 112m) Courtesy Oscilloscope
IN DARKNESS
TUE | SEP 27 | 4 & 7 PM

In WWII Poland, collaborationist, anti-Semitic Ukrainians prove as enthusiastic about slaughtering Jews as the Germans ever were. Determined to evade deportation and certain death, a small band of Jews from disparate backgrounds find a nightmarish hiding place in Lvov’s sewers, where survival is almost indistinguishable from hell. They soon discover they must pay the mercurial Leopold Socha (the superb Robert Wieckiewicz)‚ a con man and garden-variety Polish-Catholic anti-Semite‚ for concealment. In retelling this true story, master filmmaker Agnieszka Holland alternates scenes of almost unbearable suspense‚ like a childbirth in the sewers, with moments of startling sensuality and beauty, revealing, step by step, how Socha comes to care for his Jews. (Poland, Polish with subtitles, 2011, 145m) Courtesy Sony Classics
THE KID WITH A BIKE
WED | SEP 28 | 4 & 7 PM

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, the latest film by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne centers on Cyril, a restless 11-year-old boy (played with terrific intensity by newcomer Thomas Doret) placed in a children’s home after being abandoned by his father. Unwilling to accept this betrayal, Cyril runs away to his former home in search of both dad and his abandoned bicycle. Instead, he meets Samantha (Cécile de France), a kind hairdresser who helps him on both fronts. But literally and figuratively, Cyril isn’t out of the woods just yet. Shooting once more in the Belgian seaport town of Seraing, the Dardennes’ latest poetic, universally resonant drama about parents, children and moral responsibility shows us life itself in more dimensions than 3D technology will ever allow. (Belgium, French with subtitles, 2011, 87m) Courtesy IFC
LE HAVRE
THU | SEP 29 | 4 & 7 PM

Max (André Wilms), an aging failure as an artist, lives a marginal yet serene life shining shoes, watched over by his protective wife (Kati Outinen), and tolerated by the merchants in his working-class neighborhood. But Max’s sanguine perspective is tested when his wife becomes gravely ill and he accidentally becomes responsible for a young, illegal African immigrant. For the past 25 years, Aki Kaurismaki has combined detached, ascetic visual strategies, terse epigrammatic dialogue and an utterly distinctive melancholy-comedic tonality, creating a cinema that is his and his alone. Here is a hopeful tale of redemption streaked with paradoxical bleakness, with regulars Wilms and Outinen luminous and heartbreaking as the late-age romantic couple. (France, French with subtitles, 2011, 103m) Courtesy Janus Films

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/Venice+Film+Festival-10590.html

What To Watch At The Venice Film Festival

02 September 2011

It doesn't seem like five minutes since we were praising the likes of Somewhere and Meek's Cuttoff at Venice Film Festival 2010 and the event has rolled around again.

And trust me there are a whole host of movies that we should be getting excited about - possibly that may find favour with the Academy next year; you never know.

So with Venice Film Festival now underway we take a look at some of the movies that you absolutely should be looking out for.

- A Dangerous Method

A Dangerous Method is the favourite with the bookies to walk away with the Golden Lion at the end of the festival as David Cronenberg returns to the director's chair.

It's the first film for the director since Eastern Promises back in 2007 - the project sees him reunite with Viggo Mortensen.

Oscar nominee Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender and Eastern Prmises actor Vicent Cassel complete a very impressive line-up - no wonder everyone is excited.

The movie follows the founding fathers of psychoanalysis, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, and their complicated relationships with a brilliant and beautiful patient, Sabina Spielrein.

A Dangerous Method is released 10th February 2012.

- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

The adaptation of the John Le Carre novel looks set to be one of the best political thrillers of 2011 when it hits the big screen later this month.

Tomas Alfredson, the man behind Let the Right One In, is in the director's chair and he has assembled one hell of a British cast - that alone is enough to get excited about.

Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch are all present - I told you it was impressive!

In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is released 16th September.

- Ides of March

George Clooney's last directorial outing, which was Leatherhead, wasn't too successful - but that hasn't detered him form getting back in the chair.

His new project Ides of March sees him direct, star in as well as pen the script as he returns to the big screen for the first time since The American.

Based on the play by Beau Willimon the movie follows an idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.

Ryan Gosling, who has had a great year with Crazy, Stupid Love and Blue Valentine, is also on the cast list alongside Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Ides of March is released 28th October.

- Shame

It's been a busy year for the incredibly talented Michael Fassbender as a second porject of his is set to be screen in Venice.

The movie sees hism team up once again with Steve McQueen, the director who shot him to fame in Hunger, in the director's first movie since that debut success.

Brandon (Fassbender) is a 30-something man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life.

After his wayward younger sister (Mulligan) moves into his apartment, Brandon’s world spirals out of control.

Shame is released 13th January 2012.

- Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is one of the most celebrated romance stories of all time and, much like Jane Eyre is re-visualised and re-adapted regularly.

This year sees the Emily Bronte novel re-worked once again for the big screen as Kaya Scodelario and James Howson take over the famous roles of Cathy and Heathcliff.

Andrea Arnold, who brought us Red Road and Fish Tank, is in the director's chair for the movie for the first time since the acclaimed Fish Tank back in 2009.

A poor young English boy named Heathcliff is taken in by the wealthy Earnshaw family where he develops an intense relationship with his young foster sister, Cathy.

Wuthering Heights is released 11th November

- Carnage

Carnage has already won over critics and audiences at the festival as Roman Polanski makes a successful return to the chair.

And is seems that actors are lining up to work with his as he bagged three Oscar winners for his latest project: Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly are all on the cast list.

Tells the story of two sets of parents who decide to have a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a schoolyard brawl.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

http://moviecitynews.com/2011/09/tiff11-preview-galas-and-masters/

By Kim Voynar Voynar@moviecitynews.com
Posted Thursday, September 1st, 2011

TIFF’11 Preview: Galas and Masters

Next week the Toronto International Film Festival will kick off, and cinephiles, film critics and industry folks will be running amok all over downtown Toronto, rushing to get to screenings and saying things like, “Hey, I’d love to chat, but I’m rushing to get to the new Cronenberg! Catch you for drinks later?” And sometimes the drinks happen, but often they don’t because you’re just tired from seeing four or five films and you still need to write about them.

Every year, I try my darnedest to carefully plot and plan my schedule, only to have this or that throw it awry. So this year, I’ve decided to try something different. I’m using the TIFF preview as a way of narrowing down a list of the films I really want to see, and then I’ll look at the press schedule each day and catch as many of them as I can. If there’s two playing opposite each other (usually the case), maybe I’ll coin flip or something.

To kick things off, here’s a look at the films I’m most interested in seeing from the Gala, Masters and Special Presentation sections of the fest; more previews of the other sections will be coming shortly.

GALA PRESENTATIONS

Albert Nobbs
Rodrigo Garcia, Ireland

Award winning actress Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) plays a woman caught in an unusual love triangle. Passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland, some thirty years after donning men’s clothing, she finds herself lost in a prison of her own making. Mia Wasikowska (Helen), Aaron Johnson (Joe) and Brendan Gleeson (Dr. Holloran) also join a prestigious, international cast that includes Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Janet McTeer, Brenda Fricker and Pauline Collins.

Pedigree: Close previously played the title role in a stage production. Garcia, among other things, previously directed the excellent 2009 TIFF debut Mother and Child.

Comments: Close worked for something like 15 years to get this film made, which ought to get her some kind of perseverance award, if nothing else. She co-wrote the script with Booker Prize-winner John Banville. Looking forward to seeing what this film’s TIFF debut portends for awards season.

Beloved (Les Bien-Aimés)
Christophe Honoré, France


Starring beloved French actresses Catherine Deneuve and (her real-life daughter) Chiara Mastroianni, this sly and lovely new work from writer/director Christophe Honoré takes us from Paris in the sixties to 21st century London as it follows a mother and daughter’s twin adventures in love.

Pedigree: Cannes closer.

Comments: Pedigreed cast, and the director previously made the interesting Love Songs. (He also made Man at Bath, which I kind of hated, but since this film has Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni, I’m willing to overlook that one.)

A Dangerous Method
David Cronenberg, Germany/Canada

For his third consecutive collaboration with Viggo Mortensen, David Cronenberg adapts Christopher Hampton’s 2002 stage play concerning the turbulent relationship between Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) as they struggle to treat a troubled patient (Keira Knightley).

Pedigree: Playing Venice before TIFF. Third collaboration between Cronenberg and Mortensen (following A History of Violence and Eastern Promises).

Comments: Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley, directed by Cronenberg in a “brooding, dark” historical period piece about desire? Yes, please.

A Happy Event
Rémi Bezançon, France

Rémi Bezançon’s A Happy Event explores one of the most thrilling, painful, joyful, terrifying and altogether life-changing expe­riences of any woman’s life: the birth of her first child.

Pedigree: Toronto debutante

Comments: At first glance, the idea of yet another film about a couple adjusting to the birth of a baby might seem trite. However, the synopsis of this film indicates that it’s exploring ideas around a mother finding it hard to connect to her pregnancy and baby, which could make it a more interesting exploration of motherhood than a lot of what we’ve seen. Worth a look.

The Ides of March
George Clooney, USA

George Clooney is back in the director’s chair for this edgy political drama set in the days leading up to a fictional presidential primary. Clooney also stars as a Democratic candidate who schools his idealistic campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) in the dubious machinations of modern politics.

Pedigree: Venice opener before heading to TIFF.

Comments. I liked Clooney as a director with both Good Night, and Good Luck and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and the supporting cast is solid. As a director, he seems to be gravitating toward the kind of interesting movies that we don’t see enough of out of Hollywood. Early reviews of out Venice make this one I don’t want to miss. Get in line early, P&I folks.

Starbuck
Ken Scott, Canada


Ken Scott’s colourful Québécois comedy follows a middle-aged slacker (Patrick Huard) who’s just been informed that the sperm he once donated has fathered no less than 533 children, many of whom are now suing the clinic to meet their maker.

Pedigree: Opened in Quebec in June.

Comments: This comedy might just be better than your average sperm-donor film, based on reviews I’ve seen since it opened in Quebec in June. Definitely worth checking out, if nothing else to see it before someone in Hollywood decides to do a remake starring Adam Sandler.

Take This Waltz
Sarah Polley, Canada

When Margot (Michelle Williams), 28, meets Daniel (Luke Kirby), their chemistry is intense and immediate. But Margot suppresses her sudden attraction; she is happily married to Lou (Seth Rogen), a cookbook writer. When Margot learns that Daniel lives across the street from them, the certainty about her domestic life shatters. She and Daniel steal moments throughout the steaming Toronto summer, their eroticism heightened by their restraint.

Pedigree: TIFF World Premiere

Comments: Sarah Polley’s excellent 2006 film Away from Her was one of my favorite films of that year, but for its assured direction and spectacular cinematography by Luc Montpellier, who also shot Take This Waltz. The stills from the film look luscious, and Michelle Williams hasn’t made a bad script choice in a long time. This is one of my must-sees of this year’s TIFF.

Winnie
Darrell J. Roodt

Starring Academy Award®-winner Jennifer Hudson and Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard, this intimate, in-depth and unbiased film will take the audience on a remarkable journey of understanding Winnie Mandela, exploring both her personal and political life.

Pedigree: Toronto debutante.

Comments: Roodt previously made the excellent film Cry, the Beloved Country, and the cast is solid. “Epic biopics” can be tricky to pull off, but with what the director and cast bring to the table, this one should be worth checking out.

___________________________________________________

MASTERS


I Wish
Hirokazu Kore-Eda, Japan

In his latest film, Japanese master filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-Eda returns to familiar ground, crafting a lighthearted tale of childhood desires and imaginative adventures. Both playful and perceptive, I Wish is bursting with quick, stylish montages, an energetic score and memorable performances from its young stars.

Pedigree: A director with a strong track record (Nobody Knows, Still Walking). Making its North American debut at TIFF after opening in June in Japan.

Comments: This tale of two brothers looks to be potentially engaging and charming. Hirokazu Kore-Eda has a knack with child actors (film buffs may recall the 14-year-old star of Nobody Knows won the Best Actor award at Cannes in 2004). Definitely worth a check-out.

The Kid with a Bike
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne ,France/Belgium/Italy

The Kid with a Bike is about a feisty eleven year- old who refuses to accept his abandonment by his parents. The film opens at the home of Cyril (Thomas Doret), who is about to take flight after his young and irresponsible father, Guy (Jérémie Renier, star of the Dardennes’ La promesse and L’enfant), fails to answer the phone. What Cyril doesn’t know is that his father has taken a flight of his own — the kind with no forwarding address.

Pedigree: Debuted at Cannes to strong reviews.

Comments: It’s by the Dardenne brothers. What else do you need to want to see this one?


Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Turkish master Nuri Bilge Ceylan has made a film that demands great patience, but that patience is magnificently rewarded as the narrative moves toward its conclu­sion. Although the title is a nod to Sergio Leone, Ceylan is very much his own man, determined to create a mythology around a subject that defines an era and a country.
The plot follows the outline of a routine police procedural, but as one would expect from this distinctive filmmaker, Once Upon A Time in Anatolia is far from routine.

Pedigree: Debuted at Cannes to overall strong reviews.

Comment: Its 157-minute running time seems a little (okay, maybe a lot) daunting, but Ceylan is a marvelous, insightful storyteller, and the meticulously paced Three Monkeys was one of my favorite films at Cannes in 2008. I have to make room in my TIFF schedule for this one.


The Turin Horse
Bela Tarr, Hungary


While travelling in Turin, Italy, in 1889, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche witnessed a horse being whipped. He tossed his arms around the horse’s neck to protect it, and then collapsed. Less than a month later, Nietzsche would be diagnosed with a mental illness that left him bedridden and mute for the next eleven years, until his death at age sixty-five. But whatever hap­pened to the horse? After opening with this ingenious set-up, The Turin Horse, the latest and reportedly last film from Hungarian maestro Béla Tarr, plunges us into a feat of speechless, spellbinding storytelling.

Pedigree: Won the Silver Bear at the 2011 Berlinale.

Comments: Reportedly the Hungarian master’s last film, this black-and-white, nearly dialog-free film is a must catch for cinephiles at TIFF.

*(All film descriptions are from the TIFF catalog.)

http://www.reelisor.com/newsItem/id__1367/

Sep 1, 2011

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68. Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica - La Biennale di Venezia
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In Competition
Chicken with Plums

France/Germany

by Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
with Isabella Rossellini, Maria de Medeiros, Mathieu Amalric, Jamel Debbouze, Chiara Mastroianni
Production: TheManipulators
World premiere: 03.09.2011 Toronto premiere: 09.09.2011
A Dangerous Method

France/Ireland/United Kingdom/Germany/Canada

by David Cronenberg
with Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel
Production: Lago Film
World premiere: 02.09.2011
Toronto premiere: 10.09.2011
The Exchange

Israel/Germany

by Eran Kolirin
with Rotem Keinan, Sharon Tal, Dov Navon, Shiri Ashkenazi, Zvika Fishzon, Michael Kfir
Production: Pandora Film Produktion
World premiere: 07.09.2011
2nd film on the Opening Night
Vivan las Antipodas!

Germany/Argentina/Netherlands/Chile

by Victor Kossakowsky
Documentary
Production: ma.ja.de
World premiere: 31.08.2011
Settimana della Critica
The Land of Oblivion

France/Germany/Poland/Ukraine

by Michale Boganim
with Olga Kurylenko, Andrzej Chyra
Production: Vandertastic
World premiere: 04.09.2011
Toronto premiere: 09.09.2011
Orizzonti – Competition Short
Parabeton. Pier Luigi Nervi and Roman Concrete

Germany

by Heinz Emigholz Documentary, work in progress Production: Filmgalerie 451 World premiere: 09.09.2011

http://www.medienboard.de

http://www.indiewire.com/article/venice_2011_a_complete_guide_to_the_festival/

Venice 2011: A Guide To The Film Festival
iw by Peter Knegt and Steve Greene (August 30, 2011)
Venice 2011: A Guide To The Film Festival
The scene at the Venice Film Festival. Image courtesy of the festival.

The Venice Film Festival kicks off Wednesday, August 31st with the world premiere of George Clooney’s “The Ides of March,” leading into eleven days that feature some of the most anticipated premieres of the year, from David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” and Roman Polanki’s “Carnage” to Madonna’s “W.E.” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion.”

It’s one of the year’s major international cinematic events and indieWIRE will be offering a variety of coverage over the course of the fest. We have also put together film pages for a number of titles at the festival and will be updating them as the festival progresses to include links to coverage, criticWIRE grades and any other information that might come along. A handy guide to the pages (which already include photos, plot synopses, and trailers), is below.

The Venice Film Festival runs through September 9th, closing down with the world premiere of Whit Stillman’s “Damsels in Distress.”

In Competition:

”4:44 Last Day on Earth” (USA) [Film Page]
Director: Abel Ferrara; Cast: Willem Dafoe, Shanyn Leigh, Paz de la Huerta, Natasha Lyonne

”Alps” (Greece) [Film Page]
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos; Cast: Aggeliki Papoulia, Aris Servetalis, Johnny Vekris, Ariane Labed

”Carnage” (France/Germany/Poland/Spain) [Film Page]
Director: Roman Polanski; Cast: Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly

”Chicken With Plums” (France/Belgium/Germany) [Film Page]
Director: Marjane Satrapi; Vincent Paronnaud; Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Maria De Medeiros, Golshifteh Farahani, Isabella Rossellini, Chiara Mastroianni

”A Dangerous Method” (France/Ireland/United Kingdom/Germany/Canada) [Film Page]
Director: David Cronenberg; Cast: Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley

”Dark Horse” (USA) [Film Page]
Director: Todd Solondz; Cast: Selma Blair, Justin Bartha, Christopher Walken, Donna Murphy, Mia Farrow

”The Exchange (Hahithalfut)” (Israel/Germany) [Film Page]
Director: Eran Kolirin; Cast: Dan Navon, Rotem Keinan, Sharon Tal

”Faust” (Russia) [Film Page]
Director: Aleksander Sokurov; Cast: Johannes Zeiler, Anton Adasinskiy, Isolda Dychauk, Hanna Schygulla

”Himizu” (Japan) [Film Page]
Director: Sion Sono; Cast: Shôta Sometani, Fumi Nikaidô, Tetsu Watanabe, Mitsuru Fukikoshi

”The Ides of March” (USA) [Film Page]
Director: George Clooney; Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Max Minghella

”Killer Joe” (USA) [Film Page]
Director: William Friedkin; Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon, Juno Temple

”Life Without Principle” (Hong Kong) [Film Page]
Director: Johnnie To; Cast: Lau Ching Wan, Richie Jen, Denise Ho

”Quando la notte” (Italy) [Film Page]
Director: Cristina Comencini; Cast: Claudia Pandolfi, Filippo Timi, Michela Cescon, Thomas Trabacchi

”Saideke Balai” (China/Taiwan) [Film Page]
Director: Te-Sheng Wei; Cast: Da-Ching, Umin Boya, Landy Wen, Lo Mei-ling

”Shame” (UK) [Film Page]
Director: Steve McQueen; Cast: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie

”A Simple Life” (Hong Kong/China) [Film Page]
Director: Ann Hui; Cast: Andy Lau, Deanie Ip, Wang Fuli, Qin Hailu

”Terraferma” (Italy) [Film Page]
Director: Emanuele Crialese; Cast: Filippo Pucillo, Donatella Finocchiaro, Mimmo Cuticcho, Giuseppe Fiorello, Timnit T.

”Texas Killing Fields” (USA) [Film Page]
Director: Ami Canaan Mann; Cast: Chloe Moretz, Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain, Annabeth Gish

”That Summer (Un été brûlant)” (France/Italy/Switzerland) [Film Page]
Director: Philippe Garrel; Cast: Monica Bellucci, Louis Garrel, Céline Sallette, Jérôme Ro

”Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (UK/France) [Film Page]
Director: Tomas Alfredson; Cast: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, Stephen Graham, Ciaran Hinds

”L’Ultimo Terrestre” (Italy) [Film Page]
Director: Gipi; Cast: Gabriele Spinelli, Anna Bellato, Roberto Herlitzka, Teco Celio

”Wuthering Heights” (UK) [Film Page]
Director: Andrea Arnold; Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Oliver Milburn, Nicola Burley, James Howson, Paul Hilton

Out of Competition: (selected titles)

”Alois nebel” (Czech Republic/Germany/Slovakia) [Film Page]
Director: Tomás Lunák; Cast: Miroslav Krobot, Marie Ludvíková, Karel Roden, Leoš Noha, Alois Švehlík, Voríšková

”Contagion” (USA) [Film Page]
Director: Steven Soderbergh; Cast: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Bryan Cranston, Lawrence Fishburne

”Crazy Horse” (France/USA) [Film Page]
Director: Frederick Wiseman

”Damsels in Distress” (USA) [Film Page]
Director: Whit Stillman; Cast: Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Analeigh Tipton

”Summer Games” (Italy/Switzerland) [Film Page]
Director: Rolando Colla; Cast: Armando Condolucci, Fiorella Campanella, Alessia Barela, Antonio Merone, Marco D’Orazi

”The Moth Diaries” (Ireland/Canada) [Film Page]
Director: Mary Harron; Cast: Scott Speedman, Sarah Bolger, Lily Cole, Sarah Gadon, Valerie Tian

”W.E.” (UK) [Film Page]
Director: Madonna; Cast: Abbie Cornish, Natalie Dormer, Oscar Isaac, James D’Arcy, Annabelle Wallis, Richard Coyle

”Wilde Salome” (USA) [Film Page]
Director: Al Pacino; Cast: Al Pacino, Jessica Chastain, Kevin Anderson, Estelle Parsons, Roxanne Hart
iW

What Venice Film Festival competition title are you most excited to see?
4:44 Last Day on Earth
Alps
Carnage
Chicken With Plums
A Dangerous Method
Dark Horse
The Exchange
Faust
Himizu
The Ides of March
Killer Joe
Life Without Principle
Quando la notte
Saideke Balai
Shame
A Simple Life
Terraferma
Texas Killing Fields
That Summer
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
L'Ultimo Terrestre
Wuthering Heights
Read & React: Venice 2011: A Guide To The Film Festival

http://theawardspsychic.blogspot.com/2011/08/venice-film-festival-preview.html

Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Venice Film Festival Preview
Over the next week or so, we will finally get a look at some of the biggest Oscar contenders this year. Here are the ones I am looking most forward to:

1. The Ides Of March - George Clooney + Political storyline of a presidential elections + Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, and Evan Rachel Wood = Political film heaven. The Oscars routinely nominate really good political films, and if the hype on this one holds up, it is definitely in the equation.

2. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Gary Oldman has been on the cusp of Oscar contention for way too long, and the intriguing trailer makes this look like it could be a stellar adaptation of the best selling novel. Plus you add in some Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, and a rather capable crew, and this could be the Brits big movie this year in America.

3. Carnage - The trailer for Carnage is interesting to say the least, and while I'm sure some people will shy away from the storyline, and from the fact that Polanski's name is attached, I think that this could be a dark-horse contender in the big categories, particularly with the pedigree of the four main actors, all of whom have found their way into Oscar limelight (3 winners, 1 nominee).

4. A Dangerous Method - A lot of people are doubting this one, but Cronenberg is consistently good, as are these main cast members, so until I start hearing naysayers, I am going to continue to have a high opinion of the chances of this film to do well this Oscar season. At least a nod for Michael Fassbender and Kiera Knightley are possibilities probably no matter what.

5. Shame - Steve McQueen's films have the trouble of not playing to big enough audiences, but with names like Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender, I hope that this one can at least have a decent enough indie release, and maybe people will start to appreciate McQueen's unnatural style of film. Although it needs a good premeire here to get all of that launched.
Posted by Andrew at 4:56 PM