Look, we really want to go to the Toronto International Film Festival, but we realize we may be ruining our chances here, but honest thoughts come first, no?
Anywhoo, is the 65th Annual Venice Film Festival going to scoop up all the world premieres of all the 2008, prestigious Oscar-bait and more importantly, does Toronto even care for those bragging rights considering if they show the same flicks, they’ll still likely be the North American premieres? (What do they care about Eurotrash film critics, right?) [ed. We like this angle, it’s less offensive, go with this].
Due in late August, the Venice film fete is stockpiling up its A-list films. The Coen brothers, “Burn After Reading,” is already opening the cinema celebration and now “The Burning Plain,” starring Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger is set to make its world debut at the Italian event. ‘Burning’ is written and directed by Guillermo Arriaga, the every things-always-connected screenwriter behind, “Amores Perros” (2000), “21 Grams” (2003), and “Babel,” (2006), and a key player in the Mexican film renaissance in recent years (which includes Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and his now estranged film partner, Alejandro González Iñárritu, who directed the aforementioned every things-always-connected trifecta).
What is ‘Burning Plain’ about? Well, naturally, the multi-part story strands are woven together to chronicle “very intense love stories here that take place in different places and times,” Arriaga told Variety in July of last year. Oh yeah, there’s a lot of forgiveness and redemption thrown in to boot (but of course).
Venice runs Aug. 27-Sept. 6, and other films rumored to be on tap for the fest include “Milk,” Gus Van Sant’s biopic of slain gay ’70s San Fran mayor Harvey Milk, (starring Sean Penn), “Righteous Kill,” starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and 50 Cent, “Genoa” by Michael Winterbottom and Spike Lee’s “Miracle at St. Anna.”