Thank you very much Sent from my iPhone
> On Sep 21, 2015, at 9:15 PM, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > > Congratulation, Michael. Those sound like great "pictures". Having seen > Maggie Smith on stage and being a long-time fan of Alan Bennett, I'll very > much want to see "The Lady in the Van". And "Truth" sounds killer. > > As always, well done. > > Quoting James Ayres <[email protected]>: > >> Here it is. Sorry not the first time. >> >> Doc >> >> >> Link to your HR Video: >> http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/tiff-sony-pictures-classics-presidents-823444 >> >> DEADLINE - Sony Pictures Classics Comes Out Swinging With Three World >> Premieres – Toronto Film Festival >> by Pete Hammond >> >> Sony Pictures Classics literally has taken the 40th Toronto International >> Film Festival by storm in the past 24 hours. Not even a steady downpour >> could dampen the spirits of SPC as they threw their annual Saturday night >> dinner at Creme Brasserie here to celebrate no less than three major world >> premiere Oscar contenders unveiled in less than a day. Co-Presidents >> Michael Barker and Tom Bernard have been busy to say the least. On top of >> that their Cannes Grand Prize winner, Son Of Saul , continues its festival >> march to the Dolby as one of the favorites to land a Best Foreign Pete >> Hammond badgeLanguage Movie Oscar. But it was the triple header I saw >> yesterday that grabbed my attention at this Canadian feast of cinema that is >> almost impossible to navigate with so many movies competing for attention. >> In consecutive order I saw first-ever public screenings of director Marc >> Abraham’s Hank Williams biopic I Saw The Light, then a transcendent >> performance by the great Dame Maggie Smith in director Nicholas Hytner’s The >> Lady In The Van, and capped off by the terrific directorial debut of James >> Vanderbilt with Truth. >> >> The latter tells the story of the CBS 60 Minutes 2004 scandal about the >> investigation of President George W. Bush’s National Guard record that >> almost took CBS News down with it, ended Dan Rather’s career with the >> network, and forced the firing of star news producer Mary Mapes who sadly >> hasn’t worked in television news since. Writer/Director Vanderbilt has >> crafted a true eye-opener and a hell of a journalistic thriller that will be >> a must-see for serious moviegoers when it opens October 16. I am told that >> getting it finished in time for Saturday’s 5 pm premiere was nearly as >> nail-biting as what’s on screen, but Vanderbilt has really pulled it off. >> Although neither star, Cate Blanchett, who brilliantly plays Mapes, and >> Robert Redford who is terrific as Rather, made the trip to TIFF, there is >> no question that their performances have thrust them into the awards >> conversation with Blanchett turning in another remarkable lead performance >> this year, and Redford, who despite directing and Honorary Oscars has only >> been nominated once for acting (1973’s The Sting, which was the same year >> Bush joined up with the Guard possibly in order to avoid Vietnam). He >> should definitely be a contender for Best Supporting Actor. He’s that good. >> Even Dan Rather himself, who was in attendance for the screening and party, >> told me he was impressed. “It wasn’t an impersonation, but a real attempt to >> get at the essence,” he told me about the performance. Rather gave a ringing >> endorsement of the film itself. You can’t do better than that, and now over >> a decade later this film (based on Mapes’ book) 75aims to get at the “truth” >> whatever that might be. >> >> Redford still looks like Redford but you really feel like you are watching >> Rather. Not an easy trick for someone so famous playing another person >> equally famous. The entire cast is excellent and two of them were at TIFF, >> Topher Grace and Elisabeth Moss, who play members of the 60 Minutes >> investigative unit. Grace compares the movie to 70’s classics like All The >> Presidents Men and The Parallax View and said working with Redford was a >> highlight in his career so far. He also mentioned that it really has >> something to say about the declining state of TV news pointing to inane >> questions he was asked just while doing the TIFF red carpet for the film. >> He’s excited about working now on Brad Pitt’s Netflix project War Machine, >> which he describes as in the spirit of Dr. Strangelove. Emmy nominee Moss >> spent much of the evening deep in conversation with her tablemate – Rather – >> who seemed to be enjoying this foray into the world of film festivals. >> >> As for Blanchett who already has the highly praised Cannes entry Carol (The >> Weinstein Company, November 20) firmly planting her in the running for Best >> Actress, this riveting turn as Mapes could thicken the plot. There is no way >> either role could be shoehorned into supporting nods which is often the case >> when an actor has two competing leading roles in the same year, so what >> happens? “I thought she was great in both so that’s up for all of you to >> decide, ” Barker diplomatically answered when I asked about the campaign >> tactics that might be employed here. My personal opinion is that the Mapes >> role is just so overwhelmingly powerful that it would be hard to deny her a >> nod. This is going to be a real Solomon’s choice for the actors branch. Of >> course there is also the factor that Blanchett won two years ago for another >> Sony Classics film Blue Jasmine, so voters may not want to go back to this >> well so quickly, but hey when a star is on this kind of roll just go with it. >> >> And speaking of the Best Actress race, whatever happens in the case of >> Blanchett, I do not see how the legendary 80 year old Dame Maggie Smith can >> be denied yet another nomination for her hilarious, heartbreaking, cranky, >> wry and winning performance as a homeless woman who parked her van in a tony >> British neighborhood and ended up living in the driveway of playwright Alan >> Bennetts for 15 years. She’s magnificent in a full-blooded leading role in >> Hytner’s very fine adaptation of Bennett’s 1999 stage play in which Smith >> starred. Like Blanchett, Smith already has a leading and a supporting Oscar >> on her mantle but hasn’t won since 1976’s California Suite (her first came >> in 1969 for Best Actress in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie), so they both may >> be going head to head for a third. This film was not developed by SPC, but >> rather Sony’s Tri Star label shortly after new Sony chief Tom Rothman took >> over that division. He was at last night’s SPC party and told me he decided >> to turn it over to Barker and Bernard. “They are the experts at releasing >> this kind of movie,” he said. “We made it because I really believe in the >> international aspect of the business. That’s where everything is headed now >> and I think it’s important to make movies for the international market.” He >> added this film will be very big in the UK and those territories when it >> opens in November. It hits the U.S. in December in time to qualify for the >> Oscars. If Dame Maggie isn’t one of the five there should be a 60 >> Minutes-style investigation. Although only Hytner made the trip to Canada I >> am told Smith is understandably very proud of this film. The Best Actress >> race is really heating up this year. >> >> Of course the Best Actor contest is always competitive and it looks like >> that again. British star, Tom Hiddleston could well be a contender there >> for his powerful interpretation of country singing legend Hank Williams who >> died at age 29 and had a troubled, dark life in the limelight that is >> depicted in a no holds-barred way in SPC’s other TIFF World Premiere I Saw >> elizabeth-olsen-tom-hiddleston-isawthelight5The Light. Hiddleston, who does >> all his own singing, really inhabits this man who had an everlasting impact >> on country music. Elizabeth Olsen plays his first wife and delivers her >> finest work to date. Although it will inevitably be compared to the Johnny >> Cash biopic, Walk The Line, this one dares to go into much darker places, >> enriched by that unforgettable music. George Hamilton made a corny >> Hollywood style biopic Your Cheatin’ Heart in 1964, but this one should >> stand the test of time. >> >> Quite a day in Toronto for Sony Pictures Classics, as always a real player >> in awards season. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Shakespeare at Winedale Email List" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > > _______________________________________________ > Winedale-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/winedale-l _______________________________________________ Winedale-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/winedale-l
