Hi everyone,
To see the photos that I've uploaded go to the following address:
http://tsm4.blogs.friendster.com/photos/sundance_2006/
Thanks again for reading!
Your 2006 Sundance Film Festival correspondent,
Ted
A compilation of musings from a Sundance Film Festival volunteer.
Hi everyone,
To see the photos that I've uploaded go to the following address:
http://tsm4.blogs.friendster.com/photos/sundance_2006/
Thanks again for reading!
Your 2006 Sundance Film Festival correspondent,
Ted
Hi everyone!
Well, I survived the ten days of Sundance without catching any of the colds or flus that were going around while I was there. Of course, now that I'm back home, stuffy head, fever, and overall soreness have reared their ugly heads. At least it let me enjoy my time in Utah.
But here, in my Daytime NyQuil-induced stupor, let me recap my first year as a Sundance Film Festival volunteer. It was certainly exhausting, but it was all worth the lack of sleep to be part of the grand-daddy of independent film festivals. It was such a pleasure to meet so many other volunteers and filmgoers. It was such an easy venue to talk with strangers on the shuttle buses, on the street, and in the theaters, because most everyone was there to enjoy these films and it was fun to discuss your opinions together.
Yes, I did have some celebrity sightings, but, as some of you have noted, I could have stalked these celebs much better than I did. That wasn't my goal, so I was happy with randomly coming across stars when I did. Yes, it's too bad that I wasn't one of the many people who saw Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake gallivanting around town, and it's too bad that apparently Gwyneth Paltrow walked right in front of us at our box office and I didn't even notice, but that does not negate the wonderful time that I had.
Apparently my movie-going at Sundance was not the same as the jury and other audience members, because of all of the Sundance award winners, I only saw one of them (and that one I didn't like). You can view the list of Sundance award winners here ... http://festival.sundance.org/2006/festival/press.aspx, but below is the list of films that I saw, ranked, in my opinion, from best to worst:
1. Stay ****1/2
2. Friends with Money ****1/2
3. The Illusionist ****1/2
4. The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros ****1/2
5. Lucky Number Slevin ****
6. The Descent ****
7. The Night Listener ****
8. Alpha Dog ****
9. All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise ****
10. Man Push Cart ****
11. SherryBaby ***1/2
12. Forgiving the Franklins ***1/2
13. Adam's Apples ***
14. Half Nelson ***
15. Flannel Pajamas **1/2
16. The Darwin Awards **
17. Right at Your Door (which won an award for cinematography) **
Normally, I try to see short film programs during film festivals, but this time I stayed with features and documentaries, since all of the short films are available to watch on-line until June. I'll take my time and watch some of those now that I'm home. You can check them out at http://festival.sundance.org/2006/watch/index.aspx.
So, thank you for reading my Sundance tales, and if I have inspired anyone to take a couple weeks to work at next year's festival, you can find a volunteer application at http://festival.sundance.org/2006/utilities/volunteers.aspx.
Your trusty Sundance correspondent,
Ted
PS - Pictures should be available in the next couple days.
My final movie review is for "Alpha Dog" which I saw yesterday afternoon. Overall, I liked it, although parts of it annoyed me. This film answers the question of whether or not Justin Timberlake is an actor (He's not - he basically plays himself, with more cursing.) The story involves a lot of cursing. Oh yeah, and I guess there was some plot about young gangsters who kidnap a rival gangster's kid brother and all of the repercussions of that. Besides JT, it starred Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Emile Hirsch, and Ben Foster (who plays a much different character than he did on "Six Feet Under") among many others. 4 stars (out of five).
For those of you who see this film later in the year, please let me know if you become distracted during the scene where Sharon Stone plays an older and fatter version of herself. (If you weren't going to be distracted, you will be now that I'm bringing it up.) The prosthetics department does a fairly good job of adding bad skin and heft to the beautiful and skinny actress. However, during the entire scene, I kept thinking "you missed a spot." Her entire face is made up to be bloated and dirty - except for this perfect area of skin between her nose and her mouth. I dare you to watch that scene without fixating on that flawless patch of skin.
I'll write a final Missives wrap-up tomorrow. Until then...
Ted
Hi everyone,
A couple more movie reviews from yesterday and today.
During my volunteer shift yesterday, I was able to see most of one of the screenings of "Forgiving the Franklins." This was an odd little film about a conservative Christian family who are in a car accident and then they live in a near-death state where their thoughts of original sin have been removed. They become very free and open and liberal, much to the shock and dismay of their neighbors. It was very funny at times as it skewered both liberal and conservative values. 3 1/2 stars (out of five).
I just saw a showing of a Filipino film called "The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros." This was really well-done and it would be great if it gets picked up for U.S. distribution. The story is about a young, feminine Filipino boy named Maxi who falls in love with a local police officer. There is a lot of conflict with this because his family is in trouble with the law. The movie was both funny and tragic. 4 1/2 stars.
I will write my final thoughts and reviews once I return home tomorrow.
Your Sundance correspondent,
Ted
Ted
Hello everyone,
Ok, I'm tired once again. After our shift last night, our condo hosted a party to celebrate one of the roommate's (Nathan) birthday as well as to showcase the musical stylings of another roommate, Jeromy, and his friend Jeremy (whose alter ego is called Vince Diamond). When a party begins at 2am and I try to get up for an 8:30am screening, that is just a recipe for exhaustion. It was a fun party, but most of us are paying for it today.
The movie I saw this morning was called "Right at Your Door" and unfortunately, it was not worth going to so early in the morning. The plot involves a series of dirty bomb attacks on L.A. and how that affects one couple - the guy is sealed in their house, while the woman has been contaminated and cannot be let back in. It sounded like a good concept, that's why I wanted to see it, but it just was pretty slow and not that interesting. 2 stars (out of five). Afterwards, I went back and took a nap. I'll be trying to another movie this afternoon called "The Darwin Awards" starring Joseph Fiennes. Review in the next volume, if I get in.
Last night during work, I sold a wait list ticket to the actor who plays Jackson on "Gilmore Girls." Unfortunately, I didn't know the actor's name, so I didn't want to say "Hey, you're Jackson from Gilmore Girls." Doubly unfortunately is that I actually could have said that because I've looked him up on the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/) and his real name is actually Jackson. Darn, well now I know.
As an addendum to a previous volume... about a half hour after I sent out Volume 5 (where I spoke of seeing "The Illusionist" co-starring Paul Giamatti), I actually ran in Mr. Giamatti on the street, where he was having some press photos taken. As they were moving to a new location, I went up to him and told him that I had just seen his movie and that he had done a terrific job. He replied, "Thanks man, I really appreciate it. And hey, watch out for that dog shit," which we were both walking towards. Seems like a very nice guy, and very conscientious as well.
I'm going to go get in line for the next movie. Lining up for movies is a big part of the Sundance experience. Depending on the popularity of the move, a.k.a. the "buzz" that you hear about the film (I'm talking so "L.A." after a few days here) you may need to line up a couple hours before the screening time. It's not usually too bad, as you can talk with your fellow filmgoers in line or catch up on some reading.
Until next time...
Ted
Hi All!
It's another cold and snowy day here in Park City, but still having a great time. When we last left the Missives, I was heading off to a concert at the Music Cafe. Caught a couple of great acts - Imogen Heap is a singer that I've just recently been hearing about and she put on a great set (although the sound quality in the venue didn't do her any justice). After her, I got to see part of set by Rufus Wainwright (before I had to head out to my volunteer shift), one of my favorite singers. He's doing much better in concert these days (I've seen him about five times previously) now that he's more sober (He used to be quite messy). I caught both of these performers for a second time this afternoon.
My first shift last night was plagued with glitches (computer system not working, people coming in after we had closed our register , etc.) but we made it through. Luckily we only had one screening, so we were able to take our time with everything. Tonight will be a test with two separate screenings.
Movies I've seen:
Saw "Lucky Number Slevin" this morning which was very good. A bit of violence, but it was a cool movie with a lot of misdirection about the characters (sort of like "The Usual Suspects") with a big reveal at the end. It starred Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu (who were there for a Q&A and I was a little closer for pictures this time), along with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Ben Kingsley. Liked it a lot (but at 8:30 in the morning, the violence was a bit shocking). 4 stars.
After that I saw a rather depressing movie called "SherryBaby," starring Maggie Gyllenhaal. It was about an addict who is out on parole and trying to get her life back together, but it doesn't go so well. It was really well done and well-acted, but it certainly is not a feel-good movie. The director and a bunch of the cast were there for a Q&A. It was certainly a shame that I didn't notice Jake there to support his sister. Oh well. :) 3 1/2 stars.
Time to head to work again. Until next time....
Ted
PS - I've been asked about sending some pictures along with the Missives. I am accessing my e-mail from public computers, so I can't upload the pictures I've taken. I'll be sure to send some pictures once I return home.
Hi again,
Still here in Park City, but still haven't worked a shift (that will be in a few hours). Just wanted to let you know what's been going on since Vol. 1.
Saw a couple movies:
Adam's Apples -- a Danish film about a neo-nazi who gets out of prison and goes to live at a church and all of the dealings that he has with other people living there. A lot of odd characters and some sudden violence, but it was pretty good. 3 stars (out of five).
Friends With Money -- an excellent flick which opened the festival last night. I saw the early morning showing of it today and liked it a lot. It stars Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusack, Frances McDormand, and Catherine Keener about a single woman (Aniston) who works as a maid while all of her friends are living wealthy. Excellent acting, great story. It will be released to theaters on April 7th. I'd recommend it. 4 1/2 stars (I have to save the five star in case there's something better).
Celebrity sightings:
John Waters was in the crowd waiting to enter the movie this morning (but apparently you can see him all the time in P'town during the summer).
After Friends with Money screened, the director, Nicole Holofcener, had a Q&A session and she brought some of the cast, including Aniston, Cusack, Jason Isaacs, and Greg Germann. That was cool, but I've now learned that I should try to get a seat as close to the front as possible for these photos ops that might turn up. I got some far away shots of the above people. You live and learn.
Heading now to see if I can get into see some musical acts. Info in Volume 3 if I can get in.
Until next time...