Hey folks, Harry here with Jason Bourne's summing up of his Sundance Experience. As for you other folks that were at Sundance. Did you happen to see some strange films, foreign films, little things that made you go Ewwww and Ahhhhh? Well let's hear about them. They may not have picked up awards, may not of had the glamour of the fest buzz, but they meant something to you, so they may mean something to someone else, including me. The hidden jewels of Sundance, put em on display...
Hi Harry -
Some items from this year's Sundance.
The bottle. As previously reported by Memento Man, the water bottle thrown by the crazy woman at the BUFFALO SOLDIERS screening did not hit Anna Paquin. However, it did almost hit me (sitting in the first row of the second section -- with only the main aisle separating me and Rogue!). I was lukewarm to this updated version of "M*A*S*H"; my cohorts liked it much better. I disliked the black & white nature of the characters -- and while there was much killing and bloodshed, the Hollywood feel of this expensive movie (what happened to the Independent nature of this festival?) certainly comes out in the end.
28 DAYS LATER.
Awesome! The story isn't all that original, but it's still good (think "12 Monkeys" meets "The Omega Man" -- two very cool movies to borrow from). However, the cinematography and direction are great! Shots of London streets with only the hero running around -- London Bridge, Big Ben,.... Worth the admission price just to see these shots. Director Danny Boyle's post-screening story about how they saved money on "big name actors" and used the money to "rent London" f/or one Sunday, from 4am - 8am was neat (and I thought the acting was very good!). As for the use of Digital Camcorders? While the 10+ cameras allowed them to shoot quickly (and from many angles) and made it efficient & effective in the post-production phase, it definitely negatively affects the quality of the finished work. Still, it is a very tense, cool movie and I put it in my top 3 or 4 for sure.
THE SHAPE OF THINGS
Neil LaBute's THE SHAPE OF THINGS was probably the best movie I saw -- it should get national attention with the subject matter and the way the story progresses. Neil LaBute was funny and insightful in the post-screening Q&A; this is a good one to see without hearing much about it.
CONFIDENCE
As good as Rachel Weisz is in this movie, she is just as flat and mis-cast in CONFIDENCE. I liked Ed Burns -- excellent work and very cool. I liked the twists and turns; everyone else I saw this with got distracted by Dustin Hoffman and his weird character (and tendency to overact). I'd recommend this con movie for those (like me) who liked PAYBACK with Mel Gibson.
BEND IT LIKE BECHAM.
Very fun, very nice movie and a great follow-up after seeing two heavier movies. This is "My Big Fat Indian Soccer Story". Very attractive and likable lead actresses. If you liked "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", go see this when it comes to your multiplex in April.
THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND.
Top 5 movie for me. Excellent acting by Kevin Spacey, the always-excellent Don Cheadle, and Ryan Gosling (amazing after very diverse "The Believer" and "Remember the Titans"). Interesting way to tell the story and the supporting cast is very strong too -- Jena Malone (who appeared at the screening in a crew cut length 'do), Chris Klein (playing his usual Chris Klein nice guy character with a twist), Lena Olin (two words: "Me"- "ow"), and Michelle "Dawson's Creek" Williams (who doesn't suck to badly).
THIRTEEN.
Very dark tale of a good girl gone bad thru the friendship she develops with the popular (but bad) girl in school. Evan Rachel Wood is great as the girl, Holly Hunter is great as her mother, and newcomer Nikki Reed (who co-wrote the script) is very good. I had trouble believing the rate (and depth) at which Wood's character falls; this movie seemed to split my group's favor evenly.
THE COOLER.
Only two things you need to know about this one: William H. Macy (at 50) finally gets to play a romantic leading man, and Maria Bello gets naked. Top 5 stuff for sure!
STEVIE.
I'll end with a dark horse candidate for my top 5 of Sundance. This 2 1/2 hour long documentary from Steve James (maker of the documentary "Hoop Dreams") didn't show alot of promise when I went into the 9:15pm screening, but it flew by and was incredibly interesting in what it had to say about the influence family has on the development of each individual, the role of state agencies in making things better, and our role in the whole process. The freakin' sub-head should be "IT TAKES A VILLAGE". See this when it comes to your local arthouse or to PBS. Based on "Hoop Dreams", look for it in a year or so.
I won't talk about the average films I saw (including PIECES OF APRIL, BOOKIES, LIFE SHOW from Shanghai) except to say that the movies at this Sundance were consistently interesting. Only bad one I saw was WHITE OF WINTER, which compares favorably to the average of 5 dogs I normally see.
If you use any of this, you can call me: JASON BOURNE.
