My Most Recent Sundance Experience
I wasn't all that giddy about my 5th consecutive Sundance (based mainly on what the program guide was telling me), but (as is almost always the case) the movies I got to see where a good deal better than I was expecting. Which is why I love my job so effin' much.
Anyway here's a recap of what I saw, what I wrote, who I saw, and how often I ate junk food. Starting with the movies..
Adrift in Manhattan -- Heather Graham anchors (?) this multi-storied tale of love, loss and angst in NYC. About as interesting as it sounds. (My review at Cinematical.)
An American Crime -- Catherine Keener beats the holy snot out of Ellen Page back in the 1960s. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Black Snake Moan -- Samuel L. Jackson throws a chain around the waist of the slut-tastic Christina Ricci down in the southern country. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Broken English -- Parker Posey is lookin' for love in all the wrong places, so she tries France. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Chapter 27 -- Jared Leto gains 60 pounds, pitches his voice all squeaky-like and waits for the opportunity to shoot John Lennon. Lindsay Lohan is also involved, albeit only in cursory and non-interesting fashion. (My review at Cinematical.)
Dedication -- Billy Crudup is a crusty little bastard of a kids' book writer; Mandy Moore is his new illustrator. It'd be a pretty conventional rom-com were it not for Cruddy's amusingly nasty performance.
Delirious -- Steve Buscemi as a sleazy paparazzi photographer. That alone is enough reason to see it. (My review at Cinematical.)
Eagle vs. Shark -- A Napeoleon Dynamite-ish romantic comedy from New Zealand. I found it rather sloppily charming. (My review at Cinematical.)
Fay Grim -- Parker Posey gets wrapped up in some tongue-in-cheek intrigue, and goes to France.
Finishing the Game -- A spoof about what didn't actually occur on the set of Game of Death after Bruce Lee passed away. Pretty funny one, too. (My review at Cinematical.)
The Good Life -- Another one of those multi-plotted misery-laden dour-fests in which a bunch of people we don't care about suffer through the pain of life. Still, Zooey Descanel is so so cute.
Grace is Gone -- My favorite film of the festival. The awesome John Cusack plays the father of two small daughters, but after his wife is killed in the war, he has no idea how to break the news ... so he takes his girls on a road trip. I loved this movie. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
My Kid Could Paint That -- A very smart documentary about a very trivial issue: Did this little 4-year-old actually paint these VERY profitable artworks? Maybe, but it's a pretty fun story all around. (My review at Cinematical.)
The Nines -- Screenwriter John August directs his first film ... and it's a pretty strange one indeed. Ryan Reynolds plays three different versions of himself in a somehow-connected trilogy about movie stars, reality TV and video games. I don't think I entirely "got" it, but I still enjoyed watching it. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Rocket Science -- A kid with a serious stutter is somehow convinced to join the ultra-competitive debating team. Solid cast and a witty script, but it still feels like something I've seen at Sundance 11 times already. (My review at Cinematical.)
The Savages -- Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman are a pair of siblings who don't know how to deal with their aged father's dwindling health. It's better than it sounds. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
The Signal -- With one director for each act, this one's a pretty intriguing experiment even before the lights go down -- but it's also a gooey, gory, occasionally goofy look at the apocalypse through the eyes of a pretty blonde, her adoring boyfriend ... and her hateful husband. (My review at Cinematical.)
Teeth -- Yes, the movie about the chick with the teeth down there. It's also a very smart, very funny and surprisingly insightful little concoction, too. (My review at Cinematical.)
The Ten -- Skit comedy schtick from the creators of The State. Some of the bits die on impact; others are quite absurdly hilarious. (My review at Cinematical.)
Trade -- Kevin Klin stars in what sure feels like a made-for-TV movie about Mexican girls being kidnapped for sex-slavery. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Waitress -- Along with the Cusack flick, my very favorite film of the fest. Amazingly sweet yet refreshingly cynical at the same time, this is a very funny movie that boasts a very excellent cast and will leave you floating out of the theater with a dorky little grin. (May the man who murdered Adrienne Shelly spend many years in misery.) (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Weapons -- Hey, ever hear the one about those inner-city kids who hate everyone and sometimes murder each other? Oh, never mind then. (My review at Cinematical.)
Year of the Dog -- Molly Shannon plays one of those enthusiastic "dog people" in Mike White's silly-yet-sensitive directorial debut. A solid pace and a great supporting cast add much to the experience. (My review at Cinematical.)
Zoo -- Yeah, the doco about the guy who died last year after letting a horse insert its penis into his rectum. How such a colorful story could yield such a ponderous and pretentious documentary is beyond me. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Anyway here's a recap of what I saw, what I wrote, who I saw, and how often I ate junk food. Starting with the movies..
Adrift in Manhattan -- Heather Graham anchors (?) this multi-storied tale of love, loss and angst in NYC. About as interesting as it sounds. (My review at Cinematical.)
An American Crime -- Catherine Keener beats the holy snot out of Ellen Page back in the 1960s. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Black Snake Moan -- Samuel L. Jackson throws a chain around the waist of the slut-tastic Christina Ricci down in the southern country. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Broken English -- Parker Posey is lookin' for love in all the wrong places, so she tries France. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Chapter 27 -- Jared Leto gains 60 pounds, pitches his voice all squeaky-like and waits for the opportunity to shoot John Lennon. Lindsay Lohan is also involved, albeit only in cursory and non-interesting fashion. (My review at Cinematical.)
Dedication -- Billy Crudup is a crusty little bastard of a kids' book writer; Mandy Moore is his new illustrator. It'd be a pretty conventional rom-com were it not for Cruddy's amusingly nasty performance.
Delirious -- Steve Buscemi as a sleazy paparazzi photographer. That alone is enough reason to see it. (My review at Cinematical.)
Eagle vs. Shark -- A Napeoleon Dynamite-ish romantic comedy from New Zealand. I found it rather sloppily charming. (My review at Cinematical.)
Fay Grim -- Parker Posey gets wrapped up in some tongue-in-cheek intrigue, and goes to France.
Finishing the Game -- A spoof about what didn't actually occur on the set of Game of Death after Bruce Lee passed away. Pretty funny one, too. (My review at Cinematical.)
The Good Life -- Another one of those multi-plotted misery-laden dour-fests in which a bunch of people we don't care about suffer through the pain of life. Still, Zooey Descanel is so so cute.
Grace is Gone -- My favorite film of the festival. The awesome John Cusack plays the father of two small daughters, but after his wife is killed in the war, he has no idea how to break the news ... so he takes his girls on a road trip. I loved this movie. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
My Kid Could Paint That -- A very smart documentary about a very trivial issue: Did this little 4-year-old actually paint these VERY profitable artworks? Maybe, but it's a pretty fun story all around. (My review at Cinematical.)
The Nines -- Screenwriter John August directs his first film ... and it's a pretty strange one indeed. Ryan Reynolds plays three different versions of himself in a somehow-connected trilogy about movie stars, reality TV and video games. I don't think I entirely "got" it, but I still enjoyed watching it. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Rocket Science -- A kid with a serious stutter is somehow convinced to join the ultra-competitive debating team. Solid cast and a witty script, but it still feels like something I've seen at Sundance 11 times already. (My review at Cinematical.)
The Savages -- Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman are a pair of siblings who don't know how to deal with their aged father's dwindling health. It's better than it sounds. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
The Signal -- With one director for each act, this one's a pretty intriguing experiment even before the lights go down -- but it's also a gooey, gory, occasionally goofy look at the apocalypse through the eyes of a pretty blonde, her adoring boyfriend ... and her hateful husband. (My review at Cinematical.)
Teeth -- Yes, the movie about the chick with the teeth down there. It's also a very smart, very funny and surprisingly insightful little concoction, too. (My review at Cinematical.)
The Ten -- Skit comedy schtick from the creators of The State. Some of the bits die on impact; others are quite absurdly hilarious. (My review at Cinematical.)
Trade -- Kevin Klin stars in what sure feels like a made-for-TV movie about Mexican girls being kidnapped for sex-slavery. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Waitress -- Along with the Cusack flick, my very favorite film of the fest. Amazingly sweet yet refreshingly cynical at the same time, this is a very funny movie that boasts a very excellent cast and will leave you floating out of the theater with a dorky little grin. (May the man who murdered Adrienne Shelly spend many years in misery.) (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)
Weapons -- Hey, ever hear the one about those inner-city kids who hate everyone and sometimes murder each other? Oh, never mind then. (My review at Cinematical.)
Year of the Dog -- Molly Shannon plays one of those enthusiastic "dog people" in Mike White's silly-yet-sensitive directorial debut. A solid pace and a great supporting cast add much to the experience. (My review at Cinematical.)
Zoo -- Yeah, the doco about the guy who died last year after letting a horse insert its penis into his rectum. How such a colorful story could yield such a ponderous and pretentious documentary is beyond me. (My mini-review at JoBlo's.)