Venice, Telluride Buzz: 'First Man,' 'A Star Is Born' Oscar Hopes; Redford's Charm; Amazon's 'Jack Ryan' Launch; Lost Landmark TV Series

What's news: First Man's Telluride launch confirms its status as a heavyweight awards contender. Plus: A Star Is Born's tech-plagued premiere in Venice, Crazy Rich Asians' strong Labor Day pacing and the wild story of one of TV's most prescient shows. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( September 01, 2018 What's news: First Man's Telluride launch confirms its status as a heavyweight awards contender. Plus: A Star Is Born's tech-plagued premiere in Venice, Crazy Rich Asians' strong Labor Day pacing and the wild story of one of TV's most prescient shows. — Will Robinson ^Poised for Oscars contention: After screening at Telluride, It looks likely that the Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man, will become 33-year-old phenom Damien Chazelle's third film in a row to land a best picture Oscar nomination, Scott Feinberg writes: + Career promise: Chazelle has now made three A-grade movies by the age of 33, with First Man arriving on the heels of 2014's Whiplash and La La Land, both of which landed best picture Oscar nominations; the same is true of only a very few other filmmakers, such as Orson Welles and Steven Spielberg. In each case, there is really only one explanation: genius. + Expected key nominations: That low-key nature precluded Ryan Gosling from doing showy acting with a capital A, and in some ways makes his performance all the more impressive. ... I fully expect recognition in the categories of picture and director, and probably also supporting actress (The Crown's Claire Foy makes the most of "the wife" role). * Other future nods: Film editor Tom Cross (Whiplash) and composer Justin Hurwitz (Whiplash, La La Land) successfully build tension while contending against a well-known conclusion... A strong screenplay case can be made that Spotlight Oscar winner Josh Singer deserves a nom for his adaptation of James R. Hansen's book of the same name. [Full analysis.]( + Flag planting controversy: There was some concern that the Universal film depicting NASA's Apollo 11 mission didn't properly depict the American flag planted on the Moon in 1969, online outrage sparked by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. * Armstrong's sons and Hansen's statement: "Though there are numerous shots of the American flag on the moon, the filmmakers chose to focus on Neil [looking back]( at the earth, his walk to Little West Crater, his unique, personal experience of completing this journey, a journey that has seen so many incredible highs and devastating lows." More from Telluride... + Robert Redford turns on the charm in The Old Man & The Gun: The Hollywood legend has said this may be his last screen performance, and Fox Searchlight would like to send him into retirement with Academy recognition, but it remains to be seen how well a low-key performance in an understated film can fare in this day and age. [Analysis]( | [Review]( + Jason Reitman's The Front Runner: "This film, adapted from Matt Bai’s book about the Hart campaign, is both provocative and somewhat [disappointing](. Yet the timeliness of the subject and Hugh Jackman’s commanding performance as Hart should generate healthy box office." 'A Star Is Born' Takes Venice Drama shows heart: Bradley Cooper makes his directing debut and headlines opposite Lady Gaga in this third remake of the enduring romantic drama about the meteoric rise of one talent while another crashes and burns, David Rooney reviews: + Muted moments shine: There's real warmth and a sexy spark in Cooper's onscreen chemistry with Gaga that makes their characters' instant connection believable. Those establishing scenes are among the movie's best, particularly since Gaga completely sheds her pop persona and exhibits a scrubbed-clean, relaxed appeal and a deft balance of toughness and vulnerability. * Real-life mirrors low point: Where the movie becomes more pedestrian is in Ally's conquest of superstardom. It's a big disappointment that she trades her authenticity to become, well, an ersatz Lady Gaga. + Admirable remake: But while this is not going to replace either the 1937 Janet Gaynor-Fredric March original or especially the beloved 1954 Judy Garland-James Mason remake as the classic version, Cooper's fresh take finds plenty of mileage left in the well-trod showbiz saga. [Full review.]( + Tech-plagued premiere: The film's world premiere was derailed by a technical malfunction that [occurred]( during the showing, according to attendees at the Aug. 31 screening. The movie was said to have gone black in the middle of the screening. The screening was said to have been interrupted at about 8:30 pm Venice time with an interruption that lasted for 15 to 20 minutes. + Gaga's scene-stealing looks: For Lady Gaga's big film debut, she [channeled]( one of America's most iconic movie stars: Marilyn Monroe. She made quite the entrance Thursday, riding to the Venice Film Festival in a boat, wearing a black minidress by Jonathan Simkhai and a single red flower, and later posting with a black Celine tote (a first look at Hedi Slimane's designs). On the festival circuit... ► Coen bros. say their Netflix Western Ballad of Buster Scruggs will get theatrical release. “The fact there are companies that are financing and making movies outside of the mainstream is very important,” Joel Coen said. “It keeps the art form alive. The more, the merrier.” [Quotes]( | [Review]( ► Toronto Film Festival to sign gender parity and inclusion charter. The zeitgeist-catching [move]( by artistic director and co-head Cameron Bailey follows similar commitments to the 5050x2020 movement by Cannes and Venice. Elsewhere in film... ► Cats movie adaptation dated. Universal has set the Andrew Hooper-directed pic for Dec. 20, 2019, which was previously [occupied]( by another movie musical, Wicked. The studio says that the Wizard of Oz re-telling will be re-dated soon. [Quoted:]( "Most of the film, I have no makeup on my face. At the beginning of my career, I always liked to transform, to shape-shift and become different characters, that's part of my artwork and part of my music. But Bradley really wanted to see me with nothing." — Lady Gaga, on the power of her A Star Is Born character. ^Crazy Rich Asians eyeing decade-best Labor Day. The Jon M. Chu-directed rom-com is [expected]( to earn another $5 million on Friday for a projected four-day Labor Day gross of $24 million-$26 million — the third best Labor Day behind Halloween ($30.6 million) in 2007 and The Sixth Sense ($29.3 million) in 1999, not adjusted for inflation, according to early Friday returns. ► Mission: Impossible — Fallout opens in China to $28M on Friday. Paramount and Skydance's action sequel [posted]( a franchise-best opening day gross, according to early estimates. The sixth installment in the action spy franchise has grossed nearly $550 million worldwide and is widely expected to become the top-grossing title in the series by the end of its global run in theaters. ► The Weinstein Co. bankruptcy takes weird turn. A money crunch [caused]( by a diminished sale of assets and uncooperative insurers is causing dissent, Eriq Gardner reports. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, a group dominated by some of Harvey Weinstein's alleged victims, wishes to stand in the way of activating a key piece of the lawsuit from another alleged victim, Alexandra Canosa. ► Georgia selects Namme for foreign-language Oscar. Zaza Khalvashi's poetic and lyrical film that [pitches]( the natural world against industrial progress had its international premiere at the Tokyo Film Festival. * Palestine selects Ghost Huntings. In the documentary, Palestinian ex-prisoners [re-enact]( their nightmarish interrogation memories. ► Trailer: The Predator shows trademark alien vs. soldier violence. Shane Black's science-fiction film, which is the fourth installment in the Predator series, begins with a young boy named Rory (Jacob Tremblay), who accidentally triggers an alert that brings a group of violent aliens, dubbed the Predators, back to Earth. [Watch.]( What happens when fandom doesn't grow up? Adults are [insisting]( childhood brands from Star Wars to Marvel continue to cater to them, but Richard Newby explores if preserving the past limits the future. Behind Amazon's Spy Blockbuster Jack Ryan's journey: Co-creator Graham Roland speaks with THR about John Krasinski's turn as the globe-trotting analyst and the elements from Tom Clancy's novels that remain unavailable for the show, Josh Wigler reports: + Why Krasinski was perfect: "He's a very intelligent man. It comes across in every role he does. You have to have an actor who you believe is that smart playing this role. ... I think the other thing that John has, which is it's kind of intangible in the same way that Tom Hanks has it, is this relatability, this earnestness that makes you just root for him." + Goal for premiere: "We wanted to show the scope of the show. ... It was very important to us that no matter how we got there, that we took Jack out of the comfort of his cubicle in Langley and put him in some dangerous place on the other side of the world, just to show what this show is, and what the season is going to be about." * Dynamic villain: "We wanted to communicate really quickly that we were going to try to do something a little bit different with our bad guy and make it a little bit more complex." [Full interview.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Bosch adds Bianca Kajlich to season five cast. The former Rules of Engagement actress will [play]( Christina Henry in the Amazon series, an investigator looking into one of Bosch's (Titus Welliver) past cases when he was a member of the LAPD. ► ER actress Vanessa Marquez shot and killed by L.A. authorities. While speaking to Marquez, authorities say she [became]( uncooperative and appeared to be possibly suffering from mental health issues. An L.A. County Mental Health clinician was also sent to the scene. Marquez allegedly retrieved a gun — later confirmed to be a BB gun — and pointed it at the officers, prompting police to fire. ► NFL eyes streaming. "NFL is working with Twitch to develop what it calls 'engaged social viewing,' according to one league insider ... and the NFL will continue to provide highlights to Twitter and YouTube to increase viewership via the platform. Viewers who don’t want to deal with pay-TV logins will be able to watch using the NFL app." [[NBC News](] ► Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy welcome baby boy. This is the second child for the [couple](, giving 5-year-old son Cyrus Michael Christopher a little brother. [Quoted:]( "I feel very confident that I can say whatever I have to say about any topic that exists, whether it hurts the president or helps the president. I just know that I appreciate the freedom to say what I have to say." — Geraldo Rivera, on being outspoken on Fox News. ^Goodbye to Aretha. "[Aretha Franklin's] funeral, at a megachurch on the outskirts of Detroit, was suitably regal, with tributes that stretched on for eight hours by Bill Clinton, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, the basketball star Isiah Thomas, [Jennifer Hudson] and others." [[New York Times](] Talking points... ► Washington says goodbye to John McCain. Friday's memorial was the first of two days of services in D.C. to honor the Arizona senator, who [served]( in Congress for 35 years. * Saturday services. McCain's funeral is happening Saturday morning in D.C. Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush will speak. [Watch on CNN.]( ► The Village Voice folding. The venerable alt-weekly will close shop after being in business for 63 years, Christopher Robbins reports. Owner Peter Barbey told staffers that 15 to 20 people will stay on to wrap up the publication, while the rest were laid off. [[Gothamist](] Coming attractions... ► Teaser: ABC's quick look at The Conners. ABC shows a view into the titular family's living room, asking, "What's next?" [Watch.]( Frank Darabont pauses Walking Dead profits claim related to Kirkman deal. The primary contention of Darabont and Creative Artists Agency is that AMC Network must pay a fair market fee for the show from the company's studio arm, Eriq Gardner reports. Darabont estimated $270 million in damages. [More details.]( The Most Prescient Show on TV Forgotten trailblazer: In 1968, The Name of the Game predicted everything from cable-style dramas to Game of Thrones-sized budgets, a magazine called People, in addition to giving early career chances to Steven Spielberg and Steven Bochco, Michael Callahan reports: + Ambitious conceit: The Name of the Game was a 90-minute cable-style adult drama that came on the air decades before anybody had heard of cable TV. The show centered on the glamorous Howard Publications magazine empire and the adventures of its various writers and editors — played by Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry and Robert Stack, with Susan Saint James as their frequently kidnapped secretary. * HBO forefather: The show drilled down into the inner workings of a media company a half-century before HBO got around to doing it with Succession and floated a gaudy $400,000-per-episode budget, paving the way for GoT. + Star trouble: For years, Tony Franciosa’s mood swings and fickle behavior had rattled a string of publicists. There were volatile marriages to Shelley Winters and Judy Kanter, the daughter of Paramount Pictures CEO Barney Balaban. Franciosa once belted an L.A. news photographer. When the show was in full swing, Franciosa once chased producer Dick Irving around the set with a two-by-four. + Spielberg's shot: Joan Crawford called Universal chief Lew Wasserman to personally lobby for the young Steven Spielberg, with whom she had worked on a Night Gallery installment, to helm an episode about a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles titled "L.A. 2017." + Bochco's tough first credit: The Nixon administration ordered every TV series to produce an anti-drug episode, resulting in arguably the series’ worst program ever, a feckless story about a group of recovering teenage addicts. It was Bochco’s first solo writing credit in television. Writer Phil DeGuere called him after the second commercial break and said, “This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen.” [Full story.]( What to watch this weekend... THR critic Daniel Fienberg sends his recommendation: In anticipation of a three-day holiday weekend, Amazon and Netflix have both released some big guns with Jack Ryan and a second season of the Emmy nominated Ozark. My recommendation, instead, is a different kind of binge. AMC's Lodge 49 is an odd little show — think of it as Terriers without the mystery or John From Cincinnati without the Milch-infused flights of wild fancy — and it requires time to settle into its laconic, quirky rhythms. Fortunately, four episodes have aired and that's more than enough time to get accustomed to the Lebowski-esque journey of self-discovery for Wyatt Russell's Dud, accompanied by great supporting performances from Brent Jennings, Sonya Cassidy and a cast of character acting greats. It's trippy and funny and strange and one of the late-summer's best shows. What else we're reading... — "Eminem’s Surprise Album Kamikaze Is an Epic Fail." Jonny Coleman scathes: "Aging respectably in any popular music scene can be extremely difficult, but the Beastie Boys — among others in hip hop — have proven it’s not a total impossibility. ... While they [and Eminem] started at similar places, their flight trajectories finally couldn’t have been more different. " [[THR](] — "8 Podcasts About Film History." Omar Sanchez compiles: "Some touch on the life of classics, like The Wizard of Oz or Citizen Kane. Others focus on analyzing some of the best in the industry in order to tackle: Why was this movie important and why will it still be important in the future?" [[THR](] — "Succession's Satisfyingly Nasty Family Ties." Emily Nussbaum hails: "The great strength of the show is that it manages to deepen these monstrous characters—to grant them meaningful context, even pathos—without glamorizing them. They’re ultrapowerful weaklings, not cathartic fantasy figures." [[The New Yorker](] — "Movie Madness: Why Chinese Cinemas Are Empty But Full." Stephen McDonell reports: "How many hundreds of thousands of seats would a company need to buy to boost the figures enough to make a difference to its own stock price? Well what if the cinema chain is also an investor? It can just sell itself the phantom tickets for free." [[BBC](] — "TV's 18 Most Gloriously Obnoxious, Unintentional Villains." Laura Bradley unconventionally lists: " The writers might have liked these characters—even considered them heroes. But fans have known the truth all along: they were the worst." [[Vanity Fair](] — "Inside Abbey Road’s User-Friendly Makeover." Kory Grow details: “There was this view of Abbey Road that was a bit out of reach, a bit unattainable, a little bit aloof. … For me, it was about being a lot more open and humanizing Abbey Road.” [[Rolling Stone](] What else we're watching... + "Patton Oswalt skipped the Solo premiere for his daughter." [[Conan](] + "Ray Romano takes the jump scare dare challenge." [[Tonight Show](] From the archives... + On Sept. 1, 1954, Alfred Hitchcock unsettled viewers with Rear Window. The Jimmy Stewart thriller is considered one of film's finest, and impressed at the time: "When [Hitchcock] takes on a stunt of this sort ... he may be counted on to pull it with a maximum of build-up to the punch, a maximum of carefully tricked deception and incidents to divert and amuse. This time he does it with precision." [[New York Times](] Today's birthdays: Zendaya, 22, Zoe Lister-Jones, 36, Boyd Holbrook, 37, Lara Pulver, 38, Scott Speedman, 43, Burn Gorman, 44, Padma Lakshmi, 48, Phil McGraw, 68, Lily Tomlin, 79. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2018 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( September 1, 2018