For me, Sundance has been a once in a lifetime experience. Being in Park City surrounded by thousands of people who are all here to watch films and to support independent cinema is very exciting, because everyone is here for the same cause, to support art. Everyone is willing to talk about movies and trade stories about their experiences here. it’s easy to find out which films are good and and bad just by catching the bus and striking up a conversation or even just listening to other people talk about films. I certainly didn’t expect to make friends with two middle aged men, Jim and Rene, who told me they had been coming to the festival for the past twelve years. But that’s just the kind of thing that happens, you’ll be standing in a line for something and soon you’re discussing all of the films you’ve seen and haven’t seen. I ended up talking to both Jim and Rene a handful of times during the festival, as I always seemed to find them at my screenings. Both of them wished me good luck in making films, and they promised they would keep an eye out for a film by me at Sundance after five years or so.

While I’ve been here, I’ve really gotten a sense that I’m part of the festival. For each of the films showing here, the filmmakers have put in lots of time and effort to get their film here, and so being at the each of the screenings is very unique. By simply being there, you’re helping to promote the film and independent films in general. For many of the directors here, these screenings are the only way to get their career off the ground, and since I want to direct films myself, you can really understand why the filmmakers here are so excited to be able to show their work to you. (more…)

Adam Salky’s Dare tells the story of three troubled teens struggling to make it through the extremely dramatic years of high school. The story might at first seem a little conventional, but Dare ventures into some new territory by focusing the plot on a love triangle between two boys and one girl. Ben and Alexa have both been best friends since they were young, but soon the two find a rift in their relationship when they are both interested in Johnny Drake, one of the most popular and attractive guys in the school. Alexa seems eager to grow up, and though she dislikes Johnny at first, she forces herself to become intimate with him and becomes very attached in the process. Ben also becomes very attached to Johnny after a drunken night with him, which threatens to destroy his friendship with Alexa.

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A lot of the excitement that was built up before getting to watch Steven Soderbergh’s Sex, Lies, and Videotape was only amplified when I got into the theatre to find out that Soderbergh and most of the cast would be watching it along with us. I was especially excited, because I had never seen the film before, and I had had no real idea of what to expect. But I knew that it was going to be great, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The story  begins with John Mullany, a young attorney, who doesn’t seem to mind the fact that he and his wife, Ann, have sex only a few times a year. Maybe, it’s because he’s too busy sleeping with Ann’s more liberal sister, Cynthia. Everything seems to be fine for a wile unto John’s old friend Graham moves back into town and sets into motion a string of lies that tests the relationships of each of the characters. At first, Ann thinks Graham is creepy with his videotapes that he makes of girls talking about personal sex experiences, but once she begins to suspect her husband of cheating, she finds that graham is the only person she can talk to.

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When going into a documentary about Lil’ Wayne, one of America’s most popular rappers today, it wasn’t at all surprising to see that most of the people at the premiere, even though it was at Sundance, were mostly in the age range of about 15-25. And it was probably a good thing too, because if you’re not a fan of rap or hip-hop, and you’re not really sure who Lil’ Wayne is, then this movie is definitely not for you. If you don’t like Lil’ Wayne then this movie certainly won’t change your mind. In fact, it will probably only make you hate him more. But if you do like him, then this is definitely a movie worth seeing.

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Today, our second day at Sundance, I had the chance to go pick out any movie that was showing today (aand still had available tickets) and go see it. I opted to go see one of the shorts programs, because I love short movies and had no clue what i would be seeing. I really like short films, because they offer a lot of freedom to the filmmakers, because they can be much more abstract and experimental and aren’t quite as tied to plot as full length films. The shorts program that was playing was the fourth one, and I must say that it was very good. All of the films were definitely worth watching and were all very diverse in their subject matter.

The first short that played was The Attack of the Robots from Nebula-5, which was about a teenage boy who swears that robots came and warned him of an impending robot attack, which only he can stop by convincing the world that at 4:50 they must be in a designated place, so as to be spared. The humor was very offbeat and elicited many laughs from the crowd. It was shot incredibly well, all in black and white, often revealing a lot of the hilarity in this situation, as well as some sadness. Though it was a little shorter than expected, it was still very good. (more…)

David Lynch’s Eraserhead is a mindtrip through an industrial world of madness and despair, in which the main character Henry Spencer lives. Henry seems to walk through life in a stupor, not really connecting with anything, and experiencing anxiety from all around him. And it’s no wonder, considering he got his girlfriend Mary pregnant and she had a premature birth to a weird creature that has no limbs except for a sheep-like head that bleets throughout the night. The film is saturated with layers of meaning throughout the scenes, though Lynch refuses to comment on the real meaning behind the film. The film itself is extremely puzzling, and Lynch himself has said that no one has come close to explaining the meaning behind the film. And yet it stands out as one of the greatest and weirdest independent films to become a cult hit.

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The Coen Brothers’ debut film, Blood Simple, brought the film-noir genre to Sundance in 1984 with their story of murder and deception, and won the grand jury prize for drama. The film set a standard for the Coen Brothers that they have succeded in breaking through to become some of the most celebrated storytellers in cinema today. Getting to see Blood Simple for the first time, it was funny how I could still recognize their distinct style in setting up shots even which has only been improved upon. If you’re familiar with the Coen brothers other films, you can expect the plot to reveal itself slowly, scenes of grim violence, and intermingled dark humor. The plot centers around a man named Marty who is having his wife followed by a private investigator. He discovers his wife, Abby, is having a relationship with a man named ray, so he decides to pay the investigator ten thousand dollars to kill both of them. You can expect the plot to turn many times before the end of the film. The film holds a constant tension, as each of the characters hold up their scenes very well which really draws the viewer in. The Coen Brothers definitely have a fine craft for telling stories and it shows through in each scene of the film.

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Larry Clark, a controversial independent film director, was born on January 1, 1943, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He’s known for his screenplays, films, and photography that he has produced throughout his life, and his controversial themes that appear in his work, such as sex, drugs, and violence. And with many of his works, these are themes that plays into the lives of the youth in America. He began working in photography in his teens, often taking drugs while he was doing it. He attended the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and later was drafted into the Vietnam War. Afterwards he published Tulsa, a photo documentary capturing much of the sex and drug experiences of Clark as he set out to show the grittier side of modern life. His films reflect this as well, including his debut for the Sundance and Cannes film festivals, Kids. (more…)