SUNDANCE & SLAMDANCE 2008 -
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY
loved these films. they made my day. deserve wide distribution:
Flow: For Love of Water
A documentary about, um, water. See this film! Like
An Inconvenient Truth, this is a film with a message that is
important to all of us. Well done and not too preachy. In it’s own way is
even a tiny bit hopeful.
Frozen River
No stars, no “wow” cinematography, just a really great, very thoughtful
film. A down and out, dirt poor single mother of 2 teams up with a Mohawk
woman to smuggle illegal immigrants into the U.S. Emotional and VERY real.
Unforgettable. Received distribution. GRAND JURY PRIZE, DRAMATIC.
Jetsam
Simply wonderful. A thriller … gorgeously shot. A woman is washed up out of
the ice-cold North Sea onto a beach minus her memory. How did she get
there?
Pageant
Wow, not for everyone, but if you want to gain insight into the Miss Gay
America Pageant and some of its contestants, this is the film for you.
Uplifting and fascinating.
Phoebe in Wonder land
(Elle Fanning – even better than her sister, Dakota - Felicity Huffman,
Patricia Clarkson, Bill Pullman, Campbell Scott) About a young girl who is
different, very, very different. On the cusp of a terrible illness the
reactions of the adults (and her sister) are fascinating. Remarkable
performances, a message worth hearing. One of my favorite films. The last I
heard, it hadn’t been picked up for distribution, though.
The Deal
William H. Macy and Meg Ryan are wonderful in this fun, funny, actually
uplifting film about a Hollywood movie producer who decides to “do” a $100
million deal on a script he hasn’t even read.
Young @ Heart
Oh, my GOSH! This film is TERRIFIC! I dare you to watch it without laughing
(and crying). About a chorus of senior citizens that wow audiences with
unique renditions of punk, rock etc. A standing ovation.
look for these films. good/interesting/compelling/intriguing/FUNNY …
You fill in the blank:
Assassination of a High School President
(Mischa Barton, Reece Daniel Thompson, Bruce Willis, Michael Rapaport,
Kathryn Morris) Teen age angst, the craziness of high school, the cool kids
vs. the not-so-cool, this film is inventive, sometimes predictable,
sometimes over the top but overall a fun romp.
Choke
(Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston) A sex-addicted guy who dresses up to work
as a historical reenactor (Rockwell) pretends to choke in restaurants so
people can “save” him. His mother (Huston) is in a mental hospital and it
is there where he meets a “doctor” who just may be able to solve his
addition to sex. She “discovers” that he is actually a direct descendant of
Jesus (are you with me?) which starts to color his life in a different way.
A surprise ending. Rockwell is spectacular and the film is kinda funny.
Received distribution. SPECIAL JURY PRIZE, DRAMATIC, WORK BY AN ENSEMBLE
CAST.
Frontrunner: The Afghan Woman Who Surprised The World (Slamdance)
So, you didn’t think there was such a thing as an up lifting film about
Afghanistan? This is about a WOMAN who runs for political office … the
(obvious) challenges and the amazing triumph of brave fight to begin to
transform the country.
Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Hard to watch at times because of the story and it’s characters, this is a
beautifully shot film. Jon Foster is terrific, so is Peter Sarsgaard. Also
with Sienna Miller, Mena Suvari, Nick Nolte. Based on Michael Chabon’s
novel about a boy’s last summer before becoming an adult.
Sync or Swim (Slamdance)
Documentary about – yup – the Olympic sport of synchronized swimming. Gasp.
This is a lot harder than it looks. Not great filmmaking, but nevertheless
a fascinating glimpse into just what it takes for these athletes to win.
The Wonder Girls (Slamdance – heard a reading of the screenplay)
Hope this one gets made. About the East German girl’s Olympic team during
the “doping” era. Amazing insight into life in a totalitarian state.
Towelhead
(Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Toni Collette and the new and amazing Summer
Bishil) Desert Storm era about the sexual awakening of a 13 year old Arab
American girl. The Lebanese father is a hypocritical tyrant, the mom is an
airhead but the girl is magnificent. Funny at times, I would highly
recommend this film … it will definitely give you LOTS to think about.
Received distribution.
The Wackness
(Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen) This will sound tepid, but all I
can say about this film is it was “interesting”. A pot-dealing loser kid
(Peck who is a treat to watch) strikes up a relationship with one of his
customers (Kingsley), a super-strange, totally unreal/unrealistic
psychiatrist. A strange, uneven but sometimes involving look at the very
messy life of a soon-to-be adult. SEE IT AT THE SAN FRANCISCO FILM
FESTIVAL. AUDIENCE AWARD DRAMATIC.
nothing to write home about, but these films didn’t completely ruin my day:
Anywhere USA
Decidedly kooky and original. Broken up into small vignettes, one of the
stories about a young girl finding out about the tooth fairy would have
made a wonderful short. Uneven but inventive. SPECIAL JURY PRIZE,
DOCUMENTARY DIRECTION.
How to Be (Slamdance)
A coming of age comedy (?) which just missed. Yet another dysfunctional
family saga.
The Year of Getting to Know Us
(Jimmy Fallon, Lucy Liu, Sharon Stone, Tom Arnold) A forgettable film, but
not absolutely horrible. Close, but not quite. About a commitment phobic
son whose father (a nasty guy played by Tom Arnold) has childhood issues he
tries to explore when his father has a stroke and he has to go home to sort
things out. Yup, its another highly dysfunctional family.
The New Year Parade (Slamdance)
Who knew there are marching bands who put on a Mummer’sparade, complete
with lavish costumes, every New Years in Philadelphia? An affecting story
about the affects of divorce on young people. GRAND JURY AWARD – BEST
NARRATIVE FEATURE
a decidedly mixed reaction - some thought these films were good, even very
good, others despised them:
Be Kind Rewind
Received distribution. Not my cup of tea, but if you like Jack Black, know
yourself out.
Downloading Nancy
(Maria Bello, Jason Patric, Rufus Sewell, Amy Brenneman) Sadism, severe
dysfunction, abuse, perversity, violence, self mutilation … what more could
you want? Nevertheless, I was riveted by the performances, and for me, it
provided some insight into the long term ravages of abuse.
OK, so maybe the acting was good, even great, and the filmmaking was slick,
but … yuck:
Henry Poole Is Here
Luke Wilson in a role that would make paint drying seem like a thriller.
Oh, and this includes the appearance of a mold-like substance on Luke’s
house that doubles as a miraculous image of Jesus. The acting is NOT good.
It is painful to watch. Received distribution.
Savage Grace
Great cast (Julianne Moore) and I suppose good acting … but I hated and was
offended by this film. It received distribution (natch). If incest and
extreme family dysfunction interests you, then this is a film for you.
Based on a true story.
Good “buzz” … but couldn’t fit them into my schedule, so they are going
straight onto my netflix list:
American Teen
Yeah, I know, another film about 4 teenagers – the insecurities, cliques,
jealousies and heartbreaks … documentary that looks like fiction. Received
distribution. SEE IT AT THE SAN FRANCISCO FILM FESTIVAL. DIRECTING AWARD,
DOCUMENTARY
An American Soldier
Documentary about the most successful Army recruiter in America today. What
a salesman!
August
An aggressive young dot-com entrepreneur struggles as the bottom falls out
of the market. Ah, remember when Americans thought we were untouchable?
Blind Date
Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as a married couple struggling to
reconnect after the death of their daughter.
Goodbye Baby (Slamdance)
About a woman who decides to try stand up comedy.
Hamlet 2
Zany and unique, a high school drama teacher decides to stage and original
production of Hamlet. Received a hefty check for $10 million, the biggest
sale in the history of Sundance. Soon to be seen in a theatre near you.
In Bruges
Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes as hit men. Coming to a theatre near you.
Incendiary
Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor in a story of tragedy, sex and politics
that takes place 2 days before a terrorist bombing in London.
I.O.U.S.A.
From American taxpayers to government officials, a close up look at the
national debt and what it mean to each of us from the Director of Wordplay.
Secrecy
Who knew – or even ever thought about – the millions of people involved in
the production of the government’s classified documents? It cost 8 BILLION
dollars a year just to keep the secrets secret. Yikes! SEE IT AT THE SAN
FRANCISCO FILM FESTIVAL.
Smart People
Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page are
coming to a theatre near you in a dark comedy.
Stranded: I’ve come from a plane that crashed on the mountains
Billed as one of the greatest survival stories of all time … about the
rugby team from Uruguay whose plane crashed in the Andes in 1972. Told by
the survivors. Many said this was the best film in the festival. SEE IT AT
THE SAN FRANCISCO FILM FESTIVAL.
Strangers
Israel. Impossible love between an Israeli kibbutznik and a Palestinian
living in Paris.
Sugar
By the filmmakers of Half Nelson, and for that reason alone I will see this
film about a baseball player struggling to make it to the big leagues to
pull his family out of poverty.
Sunshine Cleaning
Amy Adams, Emily Blunt … how could you go wrong seeing a film that stars
these two as sisters who clean up the blood at crime scenes?
The Great Buck Howard
A law school drop out takes what he hopes is a glamour job as an assistant
to a has-been magician. Colin Hanks, John Malkovich, Emily Blunt, Tom
Hanks, Steve Zahn.
U2 3D
Concert film “experience” about U2. Received distribution.
Under the Bombs
Lebanon. A beautiful woman returns to Lebanon in 2006 when, for 34 days
running, the town was being relentlessly bombed. Desperate to find her
sister and son she hires a taxi driver to locate them amidst the chaos.
Up the Yangtze
Documentary about China’s Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric power
station in the world, and its affect on the people it displaces. Received
distribution.SEE IT AT THE SAN FRANCISCO FILM FESTIVAL.
Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?
Morgan Spurlock, the director of Super Size Me goes in search of the most
wanted man in the world … and has a good time doing it. Received
distribution.
Yellow Handkerchief
Maria Bello, William Hurt in a backwater Louisiana town hitchhike with a
awkward young man, tell stories and transform their lives.
