Sundance 2007

SUNDANCE 2007
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

loved these films. they made my day. think they deserve wide distribution:

Clubland

Oh, wow, what fun. An award-worthy performance by . The dynamic between the stand-up comic mom and her 2 VERY different sons is in turn affecting, sad and always engaging. Received a standing ovation AND distribution.

Dedication

Award-worthy performance by Billy Crudup. Mandy Moore, Tom Wilkinson, Dianne Wiest. Wonderful, quirky, unique love story. Never seen anything like it.

Manda Bala (Send a bullet)

The best documentary – from a filmmaking standpoint – I have ever seen. Unforgettable story of the all pervasive violence in Brazil – kidnappings, shootings and corrupt politicians. Should be required viewing for EVERY documentary filmmaker – this demonstrates how to make a documentary as compelling as a dramatic feature. GRAND JURY PRIZE & EXCELLENCE IN CINEMATOGRAPHY - DOCUMENTARY.

Never Forever

Vera Framiga gives an award-worthy performance. Engaging. An affecting romance with a VERY big twist.

Once

Just see this film! Terrific. AUDIENCE AWARD – WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC.

Teeth

I don’t like horror films but this has all the makings of a cult classic. The plot is decidedly weird (girl has teeth in her vagina and uses anatomical “feature” in strange ways). Yup. You read that right. Nevertheless I really liked this film. Very, very unique, creative filmmaking, and the “heroine” – Jess Weixler - was amazing. SPECIAL JURY PRIZE – ACTING – JESS WEIXLER.

Waitress

Just see this film! Keri Russell and “the girls” are terrific.

Life Support

Queen Latifah and a great cast in a personal film about living with AIDS … a must see.

Rocket Science

Just see this film! About competitive debating by the filmmakers who brought us Spellbound. DIRECTING AWARD – DRAMATIC.

Broken English

Just see this film! Parker Posey at her best.

Expired

Samantha Morton – mesmerizing as a traffic cop with heart and Jason Patric as her mean (read damaged and evil) co-worker who she would like to love. His performance defies description – very award worthy. Couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.

absolutely amazing “buzz” … couldn’t fit them into my schedule:

Grace is Gone

Since I could watch John Cusack on a blank
screen, a film with him in an award-worthy performance AND a compelling, heart-tugging, story line is a real winner in my book. AUDIENCE AWARD – DRAMATIC & SCREENWRITING AWARD.

Ghosts of Abu Ghraib

Thought provoking – and disturbing documentary.

No End in Sight

Obviously a documentary about the Iraq war. Some think it may be the Inconvenient Truth about the US occupation of Iraq. Yes, you DO learn some things you don’t already know. SPECIAL JURY PRIZE – DOCUMENTARY.

Zoo

Ready for this: the subject is men who have
sex with horses. Go figure.

Joshua

A scary – really scary – well acted film. EXCELLENCE IN CINEMATOGRAPHY – DRAMATIC.

In the Shadow of the Moon

Documentary about the moon landing. Won World Cinema Documentary award.

Son of Rambow

Quirky British coming of age comedy about 2 boys obsessed with guess what ????. Received $8M for distribution, the most of any Sundance film.

Evening

Frank Langella in a film everyone liked.

The Go-Getter

Road trip “dramedy” with Zooey Deschanel.

Nanking

Based on the book The Rape of Nanking it is about the atrocities uffered by the Chinese at the hands of the invading Japanese army. DOCUMENTARY EDITING AWARD.

Away from Her

Julie Christie, about living with Alzheimer’s.

look for these films. good/interesting/compelling/intriguing … you fill in the blank:

Chicago 10

Unique filmmaking, a combo of sophisticated
animation with documentary footage of the trial of the Chicago 10 in the 60s. Obviously lots of parallels with the war in Iraq.

Hounddog

Dakota Fanning gives an award-worthy performance. Robin Wright Penn. The rape scene controversy was – in my opinion – much ado about nothing. Makes the South live up to ALL it’s stereotypes.

On the Road with Judas

Quirky filmmaking. I found it intriguing while some thought it was ridiculous. Liked the acting and the story within a story aspect.

Strange Culture

Shocking … about the abuses of Homeland Security and how they affect a single (innocent) citizen … need I say more?

Black Snake Moan

If you see this film you may feel compelled to email me and say, “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?”, however, for some strange reason I like this film. Christina Ricci gives an award worthy performance, Justin Timberlake is good and Samuel Jackson is – of course – fun to watch. Weird story, though.

These films were nothing to write home about, but they didn’t completely ruin my day:

Snow Angels

Decidedly dark. Seemed trite and bitter.

Four Sheets to the Wind

Forgettable. Yeah, I know it received a SPECIAL JURY PRIZE – ACTING – TAMARA PODEMSKI.

a decidedly mixed reaction - some liked them, some didn’t:

The Savages

Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Year of the Dog

People liked the first bit but it petered out at the end.

Padre Nuestro

A very violent peek into the life of illegal immigrants. The characters left me cold and I had a hard time caring about what happened to them. Yeah, I know, it won GRAND JURY PRIZE - DRAMATIC. Very engaging, well spoken filmmaker.

OK, so maybe the acting was good, even great, and the filmmaking was slick, but … yuck:

Summer Rain

Antonio Banderas’ directorial debut. Think he should stick to acting.

Fay Grim

Do not waste your time. Boring and stupid. And yes, Parker Posey was good.

Weapons

Beyond violent, oh, and it was boring too.

“The Line” emphatically agreed these films sucked, aka REAL LOSERS:

Adrift in Manhattan

Heather Graham. Supposedly someone in the audience laid down on the floor and went to sleep during one of the screenings.

Smiley Face

Supposed to be funny, but it wasn’t.