Sundance Film Festival 2004 - Film Threat Writers comments

[Chris Gore]

Yes, it's that time of year. Film Threat invades Park City, Utah yet again for the Sundance Film Festival and all the alternative fests -- Slamdance, Tromadance, ExoticDance, Freedom Cinema Film Festival, among others.

I'll be posting my comments about the festival here along with my fellow Film Threat writers, Eric Campos, Jim Agnew, Tim Merrill, Pete Vonder Haar and Brad Slager among others. New reviews will appear twice daily on the site, but you can come here to chat with us about all things Sundance-related.

Stay tuned for reports from all the madness in Park City!

[Rory L. Aronsky]

And while I'm staying nice and toasty warm in good ol' Valencia, California, I'll be covering the shorts from the Sundance Online Film Festival (www.sundanceonlinefilmfestival.org). That way, those of you who can't pony up the 10 bucks for unlimited access can see what it's all about.

[Chris Gore]

Went to the opening night film and heard some inspiring remarks from Redford. He commented that when he first started Sundance, no one thought it would succeed since it was not commercial. Redford then ended his statement commenting on how ironic it was that now Sundance is considered so commercial.

The screening started the usual 30 minutes late. "Riding Giants" was spectacular on the big screen at the Eccles theater. This doc about the history of surfing comes from Stacy Peralta, the man behind the incredible "Dog Town and Z Boys." The surf footage was truly amazing to see, but one thing struck me. While the film focuses on all the milestones and barriers broken by a group of about 5 male surfers, the movie never touched on female surfers once. It seemed like that should have been discussed. Maybe I just got sick at looking at half naked men for 90 minutes, but I really think a female perspective was missing in this movie.

The opening night party was, well, weak. The food was picked over in about 5 minutes and it just seemed to be a wannabe affair. I've never been to the official opening night party because I always heard it was lame and now I know why. Well, at least I am here. Off to the movies!

Going to see "Garden State" with Natalie Portman today. Should be interesting.

[Ellen M.]

Originally posted by Chris Gore
The surf footage was truly amazing to see, but one thing struck me. While the film focuses on all the milestones and barriers broken by a group of about 5 male surfers, the movie never touched on female surfers once. It seemed like that should have been discussed. Maybe I just got sick at looking at half naked men for 90 minutes, but I really think a female perspective was missing in this movie.

What a missed opportunity! Nothing like hard-bodied, wet chicks on surfboards, with close-ups of their "nippage"... oh wait, wasn't that movie called "Blue Crush"?

Anyway, thanks for sharing your opening night experience. Too bad it was a little lame, but I know by next week, you'll have park City rockin'

Ellen :)

P.S. - Have you seen our "buddy"?

[Eric Campos]

Gotta say it's nice to actually have it snowing in Park City this year. Scrumtrulescent!!!

Last Life in the Universe was the first movie I saw at the fest and it's bound to be the best. Bow down!

Finally saw Zatoichi. Fuckin Beat rules! Great film! Problem with the CG blood, though. Big boo on that one.

[Chris Gore]

Saw Garden State at the Eccles premiere. Insane premiere scene, as usual, and I was pleasantly surprised. A perfect mix of high drama and comedy and shockingly, Natalie Portman turns in a hysterical and moving performance. She's not so wooden as she is in those Star Wars prequels. Frankly, this is the best thing I've seen Portman in since the Professional.

Zach Braff writes, directs and stars and seems to handle all tasks well. The results are satisfying to be sure. I just wonder if anyone outside of the industry will relate to a lead character who returns home from Hollywood after pursuing an acting career. I'm not sure, but I quite liked it.

[Kuato]

i saw the Torque premire last night...
the theatre was empty - how did eveyone else get a heads up?
it was an hour and a half long mountain dew - motorcycle commercial

awful

everyone in park city say OOOOOOOOO!!!!'
don't freeze your toes off!

[Eric Campos]

The last of the crew showed up today. Now we are finally assembled. It's time to dominate.

Tonight is the Slamdance party. Perhaps I will die.

[Chris Gore]

I met Al Gore at the HBO party on Saturday. Funny, he looked at my badge and said, "Hey cousin." Snapped a photo with him then asked him about Dean's chances. He said, "We'll see." Today at the Film Threat condo is all about football. Yeah, you heard me, football. I like to take one day a week off from movies to watch sports. So sue me. It's the AFC/NFC Conference Championship Games -- two great match ups.

Anyway, back to movies on Monday. I have to be at the local NPR radio station in Park City at 9:30 AM Monday Morning to talk about the festival. Should be fun.

[judex]

I live in Utah and I can tell you the festival get worse and worse each year. It took three hours to order my tickets, and an hour to pick them up. Saw Zatoichi and that made it worthwhile, almost. I liked it better when in was the U.S. Film Festival and no one came. They are showcasing "Butterfly Effect" for Christ's sake.

[Ellen M.]

Chris Gore meets Al Gore... FUNNY!
Hope you post that picture on FT.
Sounds like you guys are having a blast!

Have you premiered the "MBFIM" trailer yet?...

Hope y'all are wearing your Ugg boots!
Ellen ;)

[Eric Campos]

My shuttle showed up too late for me to make my screening of I like Killing Flies.

Now I go chew on a wooden pickle for a couple of hours.

[Brad Slager]

Coming up here from Ft.Lauderdale everyone was convinced thatI was going to sruggle in the cold. My attitude has been that of G. Gordon Liddy in "All the President's Men": The trick is not minding.

[judex]

Well, I'm gonna brave the roads from Salt Lake to Park City to see the Imedlda documentary. I usually stay in Salt Lake to see the films. This will be my second day headed that way. Went up Saturday to hit the lame Slamdance opening party. What was with that blue vodka/tequila punch?

Hopefully, I can avoid Park City for most of the festival. The Symbonese Liberation doc and Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song are playing in SLC.

SLC is also better for the Slamdance movies. They play at Brewvies. There you can drink beer while you watch the flicks.

[Kuato]

I like killing Fries

[El Duderino Diablo]

Originally posted by Eric Campos

Finally saw Zatoichi. Fuckin Beat rules! Great film! Problem with the CG blood, though. Big boo on that one.

My sentiments exactly. The cgi blood was a bad call in an otherwise fine movie.

[judex]

I seem to be in the minority, but didn't mind the CGI blood in Zatoichi. I thought the Japanese clog dance at the end was pretty cool, also.

[Furious D]

Originally posted by judex
I thought the Japanese clog dance at the end was pretty cool, also.

You can never go wrong with clog dancing.

How's that for a worthwhile intellectual contribution?:p

[Eric Campos]

Yeah, that ending dance number was pretty outrageous and right up Beat's alley.

I'm hoping that the CG blood won't look as horrendous on a small screen when this thing hits DVD. I can hope can't I?

[El Duderino Diablo]

Originally posted by Furious D
You can never go wrong with clog dancing.

How's that for a worthwhile intellectual contribution?:p

Actually, I believe the correct word is Geta (http://kyokusho.com/nonkiya/_private/geta.jpg).

How's that for a worthwhile intellectual contribution? :D

[Brad Slager]

It is a quiet condo tonight as Chris is on the road working his magic and the rest of the staff is busy slugging away at our reviews. Eric is hunched over his keyboard loading them as fast as we sling 'em.

Later we have a crew heading out to the party for the documentary "Dig". Tim and I both loved this doc that catalogued the unhinged antics of the Brian Jonestown Masacre. Rumor has it that Joel from BJM is going to be a guest DJ.

The running commentary around here is whether or not Ashton Kutcher is going to show at our own FilmThreat party tommorow night and take issue with me for my "Butterfly Effect" review. The theories range from me becoming a victim of a "Punk'd" skit to A.K. simply coming up to square-off face-to-face.

Given that I'm an acerbic film critic and he is "The Most Talented Person on the Planet" ( Cosmo Girl! Magazine ) I doubt many would be siding with me.

[judex]

So where is this Film Threat party? Can I come crash it? Just kidding. I have a day job and the thought of slogging all the way to Park City to drink myself into a coma when I have to be to work at 7 a.m. makes my skin itch.

Besides, I can still taste that blue punch from the Slamdance party.

[Funky Tiara]

Originally posted by Brad Slager
The running commentary around here is whether or not Ashton Kutcher is going to show at our own FilmThreat party tommorow night and take issue with me for my "Butterfly Effect" review. The theories range from me becoming a victim of a "Punk'd" skit to A.K. simply coming up to square-off face-to-face.

Just keep a 10-lb metal ashtray handy and you should survive - maybe even ENJOY the encounter. Don't forget a certain someone you know would love a picture of the two of you, so before you introduce yourself to AK - maybe you could pose in a big smiley/huggy but completely macho/heterosexually way??? THEN introduce yourself and quickly snap the second picture. I plan to frame them with your review...you know I love my irony and that could amuse me for years.

[Rory L. Aronsky]

I dunno about the Ashton Kutcher thing. I mean, it'd be amazing if he shows up, but then again, through all the gossip and teen mags, they never revealed if he finished his "Hooked On Phonics" program yet. Depends on if he can read that he responds to your review.

[Ellen M.]

Brad,
I think you can take Ashton Kutcher! If he's got a problem with you, just threaten to punch his pretty face & I guarantee that he'll run screaming from the party... that is IF he shows!

Japanese clog dancing... funny!

Ellen ;)

[Chris Gore]

Saw the Machinist yesterday with Christian Bale. Not just an amazing performance, but for this haunting thriller Bale must have lost over 40 pounds. He is truly skin and bones and this isn't some cheap digital effect as was seen with Toby Maguire in Spider-Man. Bale is really creepy in this role. Good thing he's getting bulked up for Batman. I felt like taking a shower after this film it was so damn creepy.

The IFC Party was one of those parties that was impossible to get into so I was lucky I had one of the leather wrist bands required to get into this colossal shindig. One of the coolest things there aside from the DJ spinning was the chocolate fountain. Dark, milk and white chocolate circulated through a fountain and partiers were given these forks to dip strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows, whatever, into the chocolate. Yeah, okay, I'm going on about the food at this thing, but you really had to be there. Brad spotted Natalie Portman by the chocolate fountain but didn't talk to her. Man, I could be posting all kinds of Episode III spoilers if I knew she was there.

Anyway, the Film Threat party is today and we'll debut the trailer for "My Big Fat Independent Movie." I'm curious what people will think. I'll let you know.

[Funky Tiara]

Originally posted by Chris Gore
Brad spotted Natalie Portman by the chocolate fountain but didn't talk to her. Man, I could be posting all kinds of Episode III spoilers if I knew she was there.

If it helps, I already nagged him for that one - not to mention he also walked right past Minnie Driver a day or so ago and didn't say a word. Not "Grosse Point Blank rocked", not "loved you on Will & Grace"....not even "nice ass!" (which I would have completely forgiven him for - she does have a nice ass!)

Anyhoo, good luck tonight with the trailer showing and the party! We want pictures, pictures, pictures! ...And, if by some bizarre twist of Hollywood fate, Ashton Kutcher does come to kick Brad's ass for trashing his film...I could use a few of those pictures too!

Stay warm! Stay busy! Stay un-incarcerated!

Christine :)

[Ellen M.]

Originally posted by Chris Gore
Dark, milk and white chocolate circulated through a fountain and partiers were given these forks to dip strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows, whatever, into the chocolate.

Anyway, the Film Threat party is today and we'll debut the trailer for "My Big Fat Independent Movie." I'm curious what people will think. I'll let you know.

Chocolate fountain... Mmmmmm!
SO bummed that I can't be at the party tonight, so PLEASE take lots of pictures (and back up Brad if AK shows & gets nasty)!

Ellen ;)

[Funky Tiara]

Originally posted by Ellen M.
Chocolate fountain... Mmmmmm!
SO bummed that I can't be at the party tonight, so PLEASE take lots of pictures (and back up Brad if AK shows & gets nasty)!

Ellen ;)

Hey, it's Ashton! I mean - what kind of brawl could that be? Brad's only real fear should be of Demi. I'd back up Brad, but I am fairly certain that Demi would kick my ass...(although it we add lime jello and a wrestling ring into the mix I might still give it a fair shot for Brad's benefit. I think he'd like that.)

These conversations take strange turns, don't they?

Hey, forget Celebrity Death Match - Next year's Sundance should offer a wrestling ring and a chance for the dissatisfied reviewees to tangle with the Film Threat reviewers in a steel cage match. Pay-per-View deal, anyone?

[Ellen M.]

Originally posted by Funky Tiara
These conversations take strange turns, don't they?

Madly in love with a pompous film critic since 1994

Yes, They do!
And I'm pretty sure Demi could kick ANY of the FT guys asses (and I'm also pretty sure they'd love to see one of us chicks do a little jello wrestling with her - naked, of course).

BTW - Like your tagline! I've had a crush on one since 1999...

Ellen ;)

[Funky Tiara]

Originally posted by Ellen M.
BTW - Like your tagline! I've had a crush on one since 1999...

Ellen ;)

Awwww....I've been married to one (Brad) since 1996. I'd rather chew Sadam Hussein's toe nails than ever watch a movie with him, but somehow it works in spite of all that and we allow each other to co-exist relatively unharmed. There's sacrifices, right? He's in Sundance and I have the amazing opportunity to redecorate the house without his criticism...and there's nothing he can do about it! Muahahahah. Pink marabou and little flowers everywhere....

Oh wait, he can read this, can't he? I mean to say it's very macho...really. Naked women and beer cans everywhere.

[Eric Campos]

A monkey poured coffee in my boots...

[Funky Tiara]

Originally posted by Eric Campos
A monkey poured coffee in my boots...

All the better to keep the toes toasty. Or toes-ty. Or tasty. I can't decide.

[Ellen M.]

Were they Ugg boots?...

Ellen ;)

[Brad Slager]

Given that Utah is somewhat conservative socially you can image how surprised I am to see what is nearly a glut of beer being sold from numerous Utah breweries. The favorite for me so far has to be Polygamy Porter with the classic tag line, "Why Have Just One?" Why indeed. Of course this being Tabernacle country they can't leave it alone, for even though it is a porter it still only has 3.2% alcohol.

At the condo there was a minor crisis. I have alwys stated that the only group to drink more than film makers are writers, and that theory has been proven correct. The place was stocked with enough beer for the festival but we awoke Monday morning to find we had run out. Hopefully the amount of reviews won't drop off before we restock.

[Funky Tiara]

Originally posted by Brad Slager
Given that Utah is somewhat conservative socially you can image how surprised I am to see what is nearly a glut of beer being sold from numerous Utah breweries. The favorite for me so far has to be Polygamy Porter with the classic tag line, "Why Have Just One?" Why indeed.

Hey....don't get any ideas...

Unless they involve Gwen Stefani and she's willing to help clean the house...then I'm in.

[Kuato]

I think Ashton Kutcher sucks.

and whats all this talk about chocolate jello fountains?
uohhhhhh the presssure

[judex]

As a native Utahn, I should let you know there has always been a lot of drinkin' here. Polygamy Porter is just one of many local Utah beers.

Yes it is 3.2. You can buy real beers at the liquor store, but the state gouges us with inflated prices.

If you get the chance, or just get tired of the film festival, you should make the drive to Huntsville. The have a bar called the Shooting Star. It is the oldest bar in Utah. They have a friggen huge head of a St. Bernard mounted on the wall.

[Kuato]

Cujo's head??

[Ellen M.]

Hey guys...

How was the FT party???
Did the "MBFIM" trailer go over well???
Was there lots of beer & hot chicks???
Did Ashton Kutcher show???
Did Brad have to kick his ass???

Inquiring minds want to know, so start talkin'!
Oh wait... they're all prolly still sleeping it off...heh!

Ellen ;)

P.S. - I heard that Chris has lost his voice.
Why does that not surprise me?...

[Funky Tiara]

Originally posted by Ellen M.
Hey guys...

How was the FT party???
Did the "MBFIM" trailer go over well???
Was there lots of beer & hot chicks???
Did Ashton Kutcher show???
Did Brad have to kick his ass???

Inquiring minds want to know, so start talkin'!
Oh wait... they're all prolly still sleeping it off...heh!

Ellen ;)

P.S. - I heard that Chris has lost his voice.
Why does that not surprise me?...

I got a text message from Brad at about 4 am (2 am his time) saying something about breaking into a Premier Mag party. I'm dying to hear the details too. Did everyone survive, relatively speaking? Were there arrests? Should I get Brad a good lawyer?

[Chris Gore]

Okay, first of all, I am losing my voice about every night now. I am taking this herbal remedy called Silver Voice, that actually works. Normally I would lose my voice for days, now I lose it for a few hours then go into recovery with this herbal stuff.

Anyway, we arrived at Cisero's about 3 PM to decorate the place. We've got 7 promotional postcards based on 10 different concepts that we have done that will premiere on the official "My Big Fat Independent Movie" web site in a few weeks. Basically these are parody posters based on very familiar indie movies. Expect to laugh your ass off when you see them. The reaction is always good when people see them, though the favorites vary. You'll see spoofs of the posters for Clerks, Memento, Amelie, Reservoir Dogs, among others. I showed them to Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly at the IFC Party the night before and he cracked up. Hopefully he'll write something. Man, it's weird being on the other side. I've been writing about other filmmaker's movies for years, now I have my own to promote and it's quite unusual. But, I love it! Man, the high from making this film only makes me want to jump in and get another one made.

Anyway, we hung up our two full size concept posters and spread a few thousand postcards of the other 7 designs around the joint. Eric Campos, Jim Agnew, Mitchell Bard and I decorated the place, while Brad Slager and Pete Vonder Haar got their hair and nails done. Actually I don't know what they were doing, but they didn't show up until 4 PM when all the hard work was done. (They were actually working their asses off on reviews, but I have to bust their chops.)

There was a big screen in the back and about 5 other TV throughout and we had a running loop of the Film Threat logo on all the televisions. The place became packed right away and we had open bar. Gotta have open bar! The executive producers of the film David Wiggins and Tim Misenheimer have a buddy who owns a private jet and they flew themselves, the director Philip Zlotorynski and actors Neal Barton, Eric Hoffman and Paget Brewster in for the bash. They just came in for the party, which is cool. (I'll have pics on the site soon!) It was like a mini-reunion.

It got to about 4:30 and people were getting impatient -- "When are you gonna show the trailer?" Man, I have to admit that I was nervous. We worked out some logistics with the sound and I pressed play on the VCR. (Gulp.) The bar stopped and everyone began to pay attention once they realized the trailer was on. Laughs in all the right places and applause at the end. It could not have gone better. We then played the trailer about every 20 minutes as new groups filed in to check it out. David Poland of Movie City News and Elvis Mitchell of the New York Times popped by. If anyone would get this film, it's movie critics. This is a movie not just for indie film fans but film geeks and critics who notice the little things. When they get to see the finished film it really is my hope that they appreciate some of the jokes I put in just for them. I asked Elvis if he might write something and he laughed. Guess that's a no. But it's really not something the NY Times would report on, so I'll hopefully get the review from him when the film gets released.

People keep asking to see it, but the film is far from done. There are 30 digital effects shots being done at the moment by top special effects artists, we haven't locked picture yet, though we have a rough cut at about 94 minutes from Phil. There's also the original score that must be done and Joe Kraemer is working on that. One thing that is almost complete is the title sequence. Animator Evan Mather has been working on this 2:30 sequence for the better part of a year. It's weird, two minutes and thiry seconds and he's been doing this for a year. What has been fun is sneaking in all sorts of in jokes into this title sequence. If you like "My Big Fat Independent Movie" and you eventually get the DVD, you're gonna need the pause button to catch everything.

Oh, yeah, getting distribution. We still don't have it. Which is why we had this party, just to get awareness out there. It seems to be working. I've now had the experience where I begin to tell someone about the film and they stop me and say, "Oh, yeah, I've heard of that." They better have or I haven't done my job.

Anyway, the party was a success and now I feel that a huge weight has been lifted so that I can actually enjoy this festival. Now off to see some movies!

[Funky Tiara]

Originally posted by Chris Gore
Eric Campos, Jim Agnew, Mitchell Bard and I decorated the place, while Brad Slager and Pete Vonder Haar got their hair and nails done. Actually I don't know what they were doing, but they didn't show up until 4 PM when all the hard work was done.

Leave it to the Dutch...

--Goldmember: Can I paint his yoo-hoo gold? It's kind of my thing.
--Dr. Evil: How about no, you crazy Dutch bastard?

Anyway, Congratulations Chris! I've already heard how great the promo cards are and I can't wait to see all the rest!

[Brad Slager]

Tuesday you can say I "did" Sundance. Had a clutch of movies to see in the A.M., some write-ups in the afternoon, and then a slew of parties.

Our Threat party was loaded to the walls and filled with film makers. Later was the Burlesque party which was less organized as it was bi-sected in a mall--the films showing on one side with the beer and food across the way.

Later I tried to get into the Kodak party and was almost in, but after copping the badge off someone as they left the line had tripled and I would have been standing in line for 45 minutes just to get to the door, and my tropical hide isn't that rugged.

The only solution was to slide to the bottom of Main and sneak into the Premeire Magazine party at around 1:30. In a word--weak. Quaint people milling around and poaching from all the gift bags, and worst of all--a cash bar! I still had to grin as I bounced around with the FilmThreat badge on display.

[Eric Campos]

Gonna roll up to the FCUK party tonight. I'll be selling wooden pickles at the door.

Tom Noonan grinned at me today while walking past me on the street. It was scary and I cried. :(

[judex]

I just saw on the news that the stars are getting a lot of free stuff. If they are big enough (like Paris Hilton & Ashton Kutcher) they get fancy rides to tool around in while at Sundance.

Has the Film Threat staff get any pricey freebies? Probably not. The advertisers are too busy giving free stuff to folks who make a jillion dollars a picture.

P.S. The news reported that Mercedes had to repossess Hilton's Sundance car.

[Kuato]

i cried today because a piece of Sushi shit on the floor

i say a chunky soup fountain at the next film threat party - that would be the coolest :D

[Brad Slager]

One of the coldest nights of our stay and naturally I have a 10:30 film scheduled, meaning I had to freeze my stones waiting for a bus at midnight.

Before the screening I jumped down to Main to catch the Troma Dance closing party--as diverse a crowd as you'll find in Park City. The men were the expected lot of denizens you'll find populating family basements, and the women were a peroxide platoon who normally would have nothing to do with these type of men.

At the center of the throng was the diminutive king himself, Lloyd Kaufman. Quite the honor to get my picture with the myth behind "Surf Nazis Must Die". Many people are afraid to touch a dicey subject like Nazis, let alone their obscure aquatic offshoot. Kaufman not only took them on but was bold enough to proclaim that they "Must Die!".

I don't normally like politics getting mixed in with my cinematic entertainment, but this is a case in which I'm on board.

[Ellen M.]

Originally posted by judex
I just saw on the news that the stars are getting a lot of free stuff. If they are big enough (like Paris Hilton & Ashton Kutcher) they get fancy rides to tool around in while at Sundance.

Has the Film Threat staff get any pricey freebies? Probably not. The advertisers are too busy giving free stuff to folks who make a jillion dollars a picture.

P.S. The news reported that Mercedes had to repossess Hilton's Sundance car.

Yep, that's what an indie film festival is all about... FREE shit for the big celebs!

Well, I think we can all rest assured that Chris & the rest of the FT gang will NEVER become sell-outs (unless someone offers him a fabulous distrubution deal on "MBFIM" - kidding!)!

Hmmm, Paris Hilton's Mercedes got repossesed...what a shocker! I hope she left behind a few personal porn videos...heh!

Ellen ;)

[Chris Gore]

Today was all about recovery from too many parties and it has to be the first day that I have not taken advantage of an open bar. Dan Mirvish's film "Open House" premiered at Slamdance as a work in progress and I was pleasantly surprised. In the style of Woody Allen's "Everyone Says I Love You" this musical has an amazing cast including James Duval, Sally Kellerman, Anthony Rapp and many other recognizable actors. I was skeptical about how this film might work and it works beautifully. Every musical number resulted in an eruption of applause from the audience. Kellerman is simply on fire in this film as her solo performance brought hoots and applause. The Q&A session resulted in Dan grilling his cast about their experiences and all of them were happy to be a part of a smaller film that offered them more creative freedom.

I packed it in early last night to save it for the next day where I'll see three movies, then we're having a private party at the Film Threat condo. More on that later...

[ecampos]

Sundance crime scene photos. Courtesy of Pete Vonder Haar.

http://www.whiterose.org/pete/blog/

[GiGi]

Thanks ecampos :)

Gawd I wish I was there. There has not been SHIT on TV where I live about Sundance other than some redundant interviews with Robert Redford. I have been so looking forward to seeing things on it. Thank goodness for the net and sites like this...the pics and updates are appreciated. I feel like Im talking to a buddy who was there and one who gives me the gossip. LOVE IT!

Next year, I will so be there. Oh yeah.

[GiGi]

Thanks ecampos :)

Gawd I wish I was there. There has not been SHIT on TV where I live about Sundance other than some redundant interviews with Robert Redford. I have been so looking forward to seeing things on it. Thank goodness for the net and sites like this...the pics and updates are appreciated. I feel like Im talking to a buddy who was there and one who gives me the gossip. LOVE IT!

Next year, I will so be there. Oh yeah.

[judex]

Everybody's packed up and left Park City. You can find parking now and actually get into a restaurant. The only star left in Utah is Treat Williams, main actor in the shot-in-Utah TV series, Everwood.

See you guys next year. Hope they have better premieres than "Butterfly Effect."

[Graham Rae]

What's Sundance?

G.

[Kuato]

Sundance is a movie festival for rich people ;)

[Furious D]

Originally posted by Kuato
Sundance is a movie festival for rich people ;)

Nobody goes to Sundance anymore. It's too crowded.;) ;)

[GiGi]

Id give my nipples to have went.

[Pete Vonder Haar]

I did. Give my nipples, I mean. Frostbite.

Very little in the way of free shit, beyond the odd key chain or button. Some of the parties gave out swag bags, but I wasn't pretty enough to get into any of them.

The films were (mostly) good this year (I didn't see "Butterfly Effect," so consider the source). I checked out a lot of documentaries, the best of which were "Riding Giants," "Super Size Me," and "The Corporation."

"Stander" was also quite good.

Had a great time. Got home feeling like someone had been laying into my legs and liver with tire irons, but it was worth it.

[candleboy]

So did anyone see Primer??? I just watched the awards ceremony (thanks to a Sundance Channel and Tivo one-two punch) and there was a lot of talk about it having been made for $7000 etc. How was it? Was it good, like El Mariachi good?

-Bill Simmon
www.candleboy.com

[Brad Slager]

Sir Eric Campos saw Primer and his less than glowing review is in our Sundance collection on page one. You get a hint at the nebulous quality of the movie by reading the description of it in the Sundance Festival guide.
"...overflowing with nonstop dialogue yet intermittently incomprehensible"

Also--
"Primer's" narrative is impossible to summarize." and also, "It takes you on a ride that is engrossing even if you don't know what's happening."

Makes me begin to ask why they even selected it in the first place. However my favorite line has to be this :
"Primer" almost demands repeated viewings" After freezing your ass off waiting in line for an hour to see a film that makes no sense are you going to rush back a few days later and repeat that process?

[Eric Campos]

Yeah, not to lay into this movie anymore than I did in my write up a couple of weeks ago (wow, it's already been that long - time flies when you're freezing your ass off), but I too found it curious that a film was accepted into the festival that couldn't bee explained in the festival guide. Furthermore, I find it strange that it won the major festival award when, after the public screening I attended, the confusion displayed in the festival guide had taken the audience by storm. It's fine with me that the filmmakers won, and congrats are in order, but I'm just wondering why they won.

[Mark Bell]

Originally posted by Eric Campos
It's fine with me that the filmmakers won, and congrats are in order, but I'm just wondering why they won.
I think it's just a case of the whole "not wanting to look like they didn't get it" thing. Like, the movie was insanely confusing, possibly pointless, but you get a bunch of Sundance audience members all posing and saying "oh, you didn't get it, I got it, blah, I'm going to RUN OUT RANDOMLY IN TRAFFIC" (sorry, pet peeve of mine in PC, folks who come to town and forget how to cross a street... and feel cool about it). Sundance just doesn't want to seem like they programmed a film like that for no real reason. So, to justify, they threw it an award. And no one (save us) will question that, because no one got the movie and wants to be the one who admits to it.

This movie won for no good reason...

All that said, didn't see it. Didn't see any Sundance movies, since I was holed-up in a condo working on "Open House" and only got out to ogle the drunken dances of Utah's finest...

[candleboy]

Well the Sloan award for science and technology would have sufficed if all they wanted to do was "throw it an award." But this film also won the freaking grand jury prize. Someone (several someones) must have liked this movie A LOT.

The description quoted from the festival guide makes me think of Darren Aronofsky's Pi--a film I personally fell asleep in the first time I saw it, but which garnered much acclaim.

Anyone see some shorts? I'm particularly interested in the Sundance shorts program because I am considering submitting my most recent film to the 2005 festival. Is it worth it? Is it as highly competetive and politicized as the features and docs programs?

-Bill Simmon
www.candleboy.com

[DonLewis]

Candleboy- before submitting your film to ANY festival, you should read Jedi Master Chris Gore's "Ultimate Film festival Survival Guide" and then you can answer the submission question yourself. Well...the film festival submission one anyways. Ask Eric about other submissive behavior :D

[candleboy]

Don,

When you post a suggestion like that, you really ought to provide a link for obtaining a copy of such a coveted work.

I read Gore's guide to film festivals article in a recent issue of Film Festival Toady (ahem, I mean Film Festival Today), which had some good advise, but it was just an article so there really wasn't room for a festival by festival break down.

So c'mon people, what's the skinny?

-Bill Simmon
www.candleboy.com

[DonLewis]

Dude, if you're on filmthreat.com, you're about 2 clicks away from getting the book! Go look in the store or better yet, go look on amazon.com. The book isn't a rarity.
And it's an invaluable resource as well...and I'm not just kissing Gore's ass. :eek:

[candleboy]

Yeah, I looked it up on amazon after my last post and ordered a copy. Dammit I want one click connectivity or nothing!:mad:

Thanks for the info.

-Bill Simmon
www.candleboy.com

[GiGi]

I havent seen the movie, but the Primer Director, Shane Carruth, seems like a really nice guy.

How was the movie techinically? Was it awesome for 7 grand?

That kind of thing is what they looked at first and foremost. Because after all...movies are rehashed formulas. It's all down to how ya do it.