At the start of every film shown at Sundance they show a short clip with various directors sharing funny stories about Sundance (OK funny the first time, not so much after the 15th time…). So here is our own version…
Ben Hamburger should be credited as the editor of this clip.
It is hard to say what my favorite films were here at Sundance as there were so many great innovative films. Sin Nombre definately stood out as one of the best and most moving films about gangs and immigration. It was beautifully shot and masterfully intimate. TheImmaculate Conception of Little Dizzlei was one of the weirdest for sure, but was really well done and edited fantastically. Men poop out fish after getting addicted to cookies that warm up in your mouth… need I say more? Shrink was also a really multi-dimensional film about a Hollywood shrink going through tough times. It was ballanced perfectly with the right amount of halariousness and sincerity.
On the other end of the spectrum was Mystery Team which was the stupidest comedy I have ever seen. It was not witty or redeeming in any way. The Missing Personwas a boring film that was a slow paced noir very little that grabbed my attention. Overall, the movies at Sundance this year were great and below is a list of others that I saw, most of which moved me in one way or another and will stay with me for a long time. (more…)
Silence. The screen is blank and credits slowly start to roll. The tennis-courts-turned-movie-theater starts to illuminate before the lights come on. The glow of black berries and iPhones begin to fill the room as the credits roll and the film’s impact is fresh and intense in my mind. I hope everyone is typing what I am thinking: ‘That was one hell of a movie!’
Like most adventures, the reality of Sundance was not what I could have ever imagined. I was here during the inauguration of Barak Obama in my hometown in D.C., and although I was beyond pumped and honored to be involved with arguably the best film festival in the world, I was a little bit reluctant to leave my home town during such a historic and wild event. I was sure that I was going to see some amazing movies and probably get in a little skiing but I would miss all the parties, the important people, the diverse crowd all assembled to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and being able to witness an optimistic future unfold back home. Much to my pleasant surprise, Sundance, as an event, reflected a great deal of the same dynamic that made this inauguration what it was. (more…)
Oh, the Rockies! It is always exciting for me to get onto that other coast and experience an entirely different world of skiing. Park City offered that same fulfillment even during this bleak season. Having the opportunity to ski on Olympic quality slopes through such a dramatic landscape showed me another side that Park City has to offer in addition to this fantastic film festival.
Much to my surprise, during Sundance is one of the best times to go skiing out of the main season. Apparently people who come to Sundance, are pretty much here just for the films and could care less about extreme sports. And the people who care about extreme sports get so fed up with the people that come in for the festival and all the commotion that it brings, they leave town. I found myself somewhere in the middle of this odd dynamic, skiing on a pretty much empty mountain after I got out of the coincidentally related film, Dead Snow. I guess I got the best of both worlds. (more…)
Waiting in line at Prospector theater at 8:00 am, I am surrounded by coffee cups, hand-held touch screen devices and a rainbow of fur. There are some people mixed in too. It becomes apparent that while waiting in line at Sundance that the native language is schmooze. Locals refused to partake; I try.
Even at this absurd time of day that no man should ever be awake to experience, I am jittery, eagerly anticipating another film at Sundance. I take a sip of my coffee.
‘You in the business?” I turn around to face a tuft of chest hair poking through a dark orange North Face jacket. I look up to find a scruffy face shielded by top-dollar sunglasses and topped off with a taupe.
“Blogging. I blog,” I nod. “How about you?”
“Mark Higgins, Google,” he slipped me a business card. “This is my wife Leanne.” Red lipstick covered implants smiled at me as she offered her hand in my direction. “So you doing reviews or what’s your beat?” Mark inquired. (more…)
I was pretty pumped walking into the theater for The Killing Room. The title automatically caught my attention, then when I scanned the description I knew I had to see it. A psychological thriller about a sick confidential government experiment… my kind of flick. But, in the back of my mind, I knew there was the chance that this horror kind of movie could leave me feeling like most in the genre do: disappointed.
I was lucky enough to be there for the world premiere and the director and most of the cast was there. Director Jonathan Liebesman made a brief statement before the film where he thanked those that worked on the film. He immediately mentioned Nick Cannon and thanked him for taking care of his mother on the set when he forgot about her. A loud voice responded from the back of the theater “Gotchu Baby!” At this point I became extremely skeptical. The simple fact that this former Nickelodeon child star, turned crappy MTV show host was starring in one of my most highly anticipated films of Sundance made me a little bit sad before the film had even begun. (more…)
I came to Sundance eagerly anticipating this one after reading an article about the most bizarre world record holding athlete. Martin Strel is an overweight Slovenian alcoholic who is the greatest endurance swimmer in the world. Big River Man documents this intriguing concoction through Strel’s greatest feat yet: swimming the entire length of the Amazon river.
Director John Maringouin and his crew followed Strel throughout the entire journey beginning in Slovenia where Strel trained. It is there that we are able to get the foundation for the entire film. Eastern European hilarity ensues as the audience gets a look into the life of this unique man. We see him eat at his favorite horse burger joint, then partake in classic Slovenian multitasking by driving drunk while listening to beginner English tapes and practicing breathing using a device to expand his lungs. The tone is set. (more…)
Newlyweds need not see John Cassavetes’ A Woman Under The Influence. The film portrays a terribly coo-coo wife and a husband that does not handle any situation properly. The mother of this disaster family is Mable, played fantastically by Gena Rowlands, and she lets it all out.
The film is really a personal look into a family who is deeply troubled by the mental state of the maternal figure. Mable drinks heavily and is promiscuous due to her alcohol abuse. She is extremely emotionally unstable and has mood swings like I never wish to experience in real life. The dynamic of this family and the depth of the relationships are shown extremely well. Mable’s husband’s love for her contrasting with his intense anger due to her actions and interactions with others is an interesting driving force throughout the film. (more…)
Blood Simple, written in 1984 by the Coen Brothers, is one hell of a thriller. It was their directorial debut and really put the brothers on the map in the movie scene. The film is dark and violent filled with misunderstandings that lead to blood… then more blood. It is a kind of film-noir of its time.
The plot begins when bar owner Marty knows his wife is cheating on him with a younger man that works at his bar. Marty hires a greasy hit man to kill his wife and her lover. This is when things start to get far bloodier and far less simple than expected. The hit man deceives his client and a number of misunderstandings ensue. (more…)
Watching male rapes and Nazis over a late fifties bubble-gum music soundtrack made me wish Kenneth Anger had never gotten a hold of a video camera, but by looking back as his work as a whole it becomes apparent that he was a visionary. He experimented with elements of film and controversial issues that were far before his time, diving into the counter-culture. At first glance my impression was that Anger’s full intent and purpose when making his films was to shock, disgust, and mystify his audience to make them think about the art of cinema. But with some further investigation, I think maybe these troubling shorts may just be true expressions of a bizarre man.