I had not heard of "Truth," but what a great story for a film. I know a number of people involved in the "60 Minutes" blowup, including some of the principals, and I've never seen the story told properly, so I'm looking forward to it. Also looking forward to the Maggie Smith movie!
--Mike On Mon, Sep 21, 2015 at 9:26 PM, James Ayres <[email protected]> wrote: > 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
