Every July and especially August, Michael’s Telluride Film Blog gets more and more attention. Because for 13 or so years Michael Patterson has been doing a reasonably good job of speculating which films would constitute the annual Telluride Film Festival situation, a task that always involves a mix of rumor-chasing, spitballing, sniffing around and sensible deduction.
Telluride lineups aren’t that mysterious when you factor in each year’s Venice and Toronto lineups and apply a basic industry calculus, and when you consider the tendency of Telluride toppers Tom Luddy and Julie Huntsinger to invite and re-invite certain favorites, just like Cannes honcho Thierry Fremaux has his own special roster.
We’re all presuming that Paul Schrader‘s The Card Counter (Focus, 9.10) and Jane Campion‘s The Power of the Dog (Netflix) will be Telluride highlights. I’m hoping, naturally, that Asghar Farhadi‘s A Hero, which split the Grand Prix prize at the just-concluded Cannes Film Festival, will also be included.
Patterson is speculating that Guillermo del Toro‘s Nightmare Alley (Searchlight, 12.3) might be featured. Ditto Pedro Almodovar‘s Madres Paralelas (Parallel Mothers).
About a month ago Deadline‘s Pete Hammond, wrote that he’d heard that Netflix will have at least four films at Telluride “if things work out”, and that Warner Bros might have a film [in] Telluride as well, likely one of its awaited fall titles like David Chase’s Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho or even November title King Richard with Will Smith.
He added that a couple of Searchlight films, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch or Michael Showalter’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye, are possibilities.
I’m just starting to pay attention to The Power of the Dog. Set in 1920s Montana and based on Thomas Savage‘s same-titled novel, it’s about a strained relationship between two bachelor brothers, the closeted Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his brother George (Jesse Plemons), both of whom are ranch-dwellers. Their relationship goes south when George marries a widow named Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and Phil adopts a hostile, bullying attitude. Or something like that. HE’s two cents: Given Campion’s exalted rep. I’m naturally looking forward to this. Plemons is a fascinating, well-respected actor, but he always plays creeps. I’m hoping to find my way around this concern.
The general Cannes response to Mia Hansen-Love‘s Bergman Island seemed to indicate dismay or disappointment, for the most part. The consensus about Todd Haynes‘ The Velvet Underground doc is that it focused too much on John Cale and not enough on Lou Reed.
Patterson has mentioned Ali or Muhammad Ali, a multi-part doc directed and produced by Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns. It’s apparently slated for broadcast between 9.19 and 9.22.
Other Patterson possibles: Where Is Anne Frank?, Paris 13th District, Blonde, Cow, House of Gucci, The Last Duel, Mothering Sunday.