Linda, whom many of you may remember for her involvement in the early
years of Eeyore's Birthday Party, is reachable at
linda.addison(a)nortonrosefulbright.com. She's now on both the Google
Groups and Wikimedia Winedale-alum mailing lists.
Welcome!
--Mike
Here it is. Sorry not the first time.
Doc
Link to your HR Video:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/tiff-sony-pictures-classics-presiden…
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.