Exclusive articles:
2011 Midway Point: Our Five Critics Reveal the Best So Far
Seeing that we're at the half-way mark, I figured I'd round-up the troops and take a mid-season temperature -- assessing the noteworthy film titles that were theatrically released and the the first six months of the film festival season has brought us so far. Including myself, I asked our regular contributors Ryan Brown, Jesse Klein, Jordan M. Smith and Blake Williams to submit their mid-year "Best of" Lists so far, no surprises here: we have a broad range of films to watch out for, some overlapping selections, some unique picks, a consensus top pick in this year's Palme d'Or winner, but the real shocker is the omission of last year's Palme recipient (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) which received a small theatrical release.
Felicity Jones Infiltrates Zal Batmanglij’s ‘The East’
After placing a bet on Elizabeth Olsen and wagering on Brit Marling on a couple of titles, it appears that Fox Searchlight are gaga for another Sundance 2011 starlet in Felicity Jones. Among the studios that lost out on the bid to grab the North American rights to Like Crazy, it appears that Jones is being strongly considered to topline The East, Zal Batmanglij's sophomore film which is being tagged as a dramatic thriller.
Clooney’s ‘Ides of March’ Opens Venice, Followed by TIFF
George Clooney's The Ides of March is set to open the 68th edition of the Venice Film Festival. As tradition would have it (recent examples: The Wrestler and Burn After Reading), it's a safe bet that that it'll show at Toronto Int. Film Festival a couple of days after it's August 31st world preem date.
Eva Mendes and Greta Gerwig Bring Female Presence to Cianfrance’s ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’
Deadline reports that Eva Mendes will play the robber's love interest (Gosling) and mother of his child, and Greta Gerwig is in talks to play the politician's wife, joining the already cast Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond The Pines.
Cinema Guild Prepared to Work into the Wee Hours with ‘Once Upon a Time in Anatolia’
Reminiscent of Corneliu Porumboiu's Police, Adjectiv for its marathon run time (film is easily over the two-hour mark, but doesn't feel like it) and wry sense of humor in what essentially tackles the underlining politics in procedural police work, Ceylan's Grand Prix winner (tied with the Dardennes' Kid With a Bike) has found a home with The Cinema Guild folks and though no immediate plans were made for a 2011 release, expect the ideal locations of TIFF and NYFF to provide settings for the North American and U.S premieres.
