At an end

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SALT LAKE CITY AND LOS ANGELES

So that's it for me at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. I managed to catch 15 films in five days this year. Not bad considering I made a conscious effort to keep things a bit more sane this year. Getting advance tickets makes a huge difference since I wasn't getting up at 5 or 6 every morning to camp out in line at the Sundance festival box office.

Lots of good stuff at this year's festival. Of all the films I saw, I'd put only two in the category of average and none in the category of a waste of time. Definitely feels like things were overall stronger this year.

So what observations am I taking away from this year's festival?

First off, it was freakin' cold and snowed a lot. Most days the temp ranged between 0 and 15. Overall I'd say we probably got a good six inches of snow over the course of the week.

Second, it seemed like there were a lot more premiers this year. Over half of the films I caught were premiering at Sundance.

Third, digital cinema has arrived. The vast majority of the screenings I saw this year were digitally projected. Funny that the Sundance Fest bumpers are still on film.

Fourth, the festival continues to have a stronger international slant than ever before. Even films, both documentary and narrative, outside of the World competition categories focused more than ever before on stories and events from countries outside of the United States. There was also an especially strong presence of films focused on the Middle East. Not surprising considering the state of the world at the moment, these films really bring home the need for serious education amongst the American public and Washington politicians on the region, its people and its history.

Finally, another theme from this year's festival was the relationships between people... people who are complete strangers, people who are best friends, people who come from completely different sociological and theological backgrounds, people who are romantically involved, people who want desperately change the reality that surrounds them... Underneath everything it's all about how we deal with those immediately around us to those who live on the opposide side of the Earth. Some of these relationships are strong, some are weak and some are in dire need of change.

Here's a quick rundown of the various films I managed to catch this year:

Documentary

• Slingshot Hip-Hop: This film will expose you to the other side of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict like never before. A must-see.
• Young @ Heart: Getting old never looked so fun. Check this out if you get a chance.
• Be Like Others: Intriguing subject with an uninspired presentation. Worth a rental if you're into the topic of transgender and gay issues in Iran.
• U2 3D: Visually stunning. Coolest thing that's been done with 3D technology in the past few years.
• Kicking It: Heartwarming and engaging, it'll teach you things about the homeless you never thought possible. Check it out.
• Nerakhoon (The Betrayal): Epic story of family lost and found. If you like slow films about character and "experience" you'll really dig this. Otherwise it's good for a nap.
• Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden: Morgan Spurlock does it again. If you know nothing about Middle East terrorism this film is for you. If you already know about Middle East terrorism you'll at least laugh a lot and enjoy yourself.
• Made In America: Powerful and frightening. Incredible. A must-see.
• My Olympic Summer: Interesting glimpse into a brief moment in time that changes everything. Not worth going out of your way for.

Narrative

• Transsiberian: Epic journey with twists and turns. Very good. Check this out.
• Perro Come Perro: Your typical story of organized crime going after a double-crosser. Decent film, though. Worth seeing.
• Phoebe In Wonderland: Beautiful story of imagination and creativity. See this.
• Be Kind Rewind: It's Gondry. Need I say more? (ie you should see it if you like Gondry's work)
• Pretty Bird: Quirky and soon to become a cult favorite (if it gets a distributor).
• Under The Bombs: Surprisingly good. Check this out if you get the opportunity.

So that's it for me. As always the Fest was a blast. I'll be back again next year for another round. Thanks for putting up with my lack of a spell-checker... Palm technology apparently hasn't progressed far enough for that to be inclusive without an extra fee. Catch you later.

Pretty Bird

SALT LAKE CITY

Pretty Bird, the directorial debut of Paul Schneider, is one of those films that's going to divide people. You'll either think it's brilliant or the biggest pile of crap ever created. It's incredibly quirky and has a bizarre sense of humor that can make you laugh your ass off or sit dumbfounded that anyone would ever finance a project this strange. Now... I'm not talking David Lynch bizarro strange, but it's definitely off the beaten path.

Inspired by a true story, the film begins with the arrival of a hotshot dreamer (Billy Crudup) bent on making a reality out of his vision for a personal rocket-powered flying machine. His best friend from way back when, who has an empty warehouse and a stockpile of money from his retail mattress business, quickly jumps on board as the two set off on putting a business plan together, getting investors and marketing their idea. They manage to enlist the help of an out of work aerospace engineer (Paul Giamatti), who quickly goes to work building the rocketpack.

Though things are going well with the invention, the relationship between the three men soon deteriorates as tempers flare, lies run wild, and trust vanishes. Bizarre twists follow and things ultimately go pretty far down hill.

The film, should it find a distributor, will certainly attract a cult following. It's the kind of film you have to see with other people to really appreciate. Several people in last night's audience were laughing so hard they were crying. The wit and comedy are definitely what make this film stand on it's own.

Paul's Q&A following the film was almost like watching stand-up comedy. He's a very funny, quirky guy and his touch is definitely evident in the film. The DVD release should absolutely contain interviews with the man, otherwise the audience really misses out on his process and approach to the film.

Until tomorrow...

PARK CITY

Just got out of my final screening of the fest, Pretty Bird. Gotta get some sleep, so I'll be posting on that tomorrow.

Zzzzzzzz

Under The Bombs

Filmmakers discuss making Under the Bombs

PARK CITY

I had somewhat low expectations for Under the Bombs. I can't really pinpoint why... but I assumed I'd find a fairly low budget documentary-style narrative film that was far more interesting in concept and subject than in artistic value and watchability. I saw it because I felt it was one of those films that "had to be seen."

But... not only was the film quite watchable, it was actually good! I mean, it's not like it blew me away or anything, but I'd definitely recommend it to others and would gladly watch it again.

So what's the premise here? In the summer of 2006, Lebanon was relentlessly bombed for 33 straight days killing over a thousand people and displacing millions. By the time the UN-backed cease fire finally took hold, families had been scattered, thousands of homes destroyed and much of people's basic needs were nearly non-existent in the south part of the country. Desperately seeking to find her son and sister who were living in the South during the attacks, Zeina arrives on a boat from Dubai and enlists the help of the only cab driver crazy enough to take her to that part of the country. Their journey to reconnect with Zeina's family takes them through landscapes of utter destruction, bombed-out bridges, areas with no remaining gasoline and mourning communities over a period of several days. Initially distant, Zeina and Tony, the cab driver, soon become friends and come together in the task of retracing her son and sister's last whereabouts.

Underneath it all, it's a story about shared humanity that renders differences of class, religion and politics irrelevant when faced by a common goal. Tony and Zeina's journey is long and extremely dangerous, but the bond that grows between them and those around them is incredibly strong.

The most remarkable thing about this film is that it was shot 10 days into the actual bombings using many nonactors by a French-Lebanese documentary filmmaker. Initially no script existed, so they more or less made it up as they went along. However, production value is surprisingly high, rivaling that of many independent Hollywood films. It balances various aspects of documentary and narrative filmmaking to great a film that feels incredibly real, but packs a well-written and personal story. Rather than simply trying to inform you on a subject, the film pulls you in and connects you with these characters who carry out their story in front of a backdrop no production designer could ever create. It effectively illuminates the trauma of war, leaving behind most of the politics of Hezbollah and the Israeli military. Very powerful stuff.

Hitting the slopes

Park City nestled in snow

PARK CITY

Just got out of the Under The Bombs screening. More on the film later today, but I was quite pleasantly surprised.

Since I'm free until 11:30 tonight I'm going to hit the slopes for awhile to get in a bit of snowboarding. Hopefully I don't end up like Morgan Spurlock who broke two fingers snowboarding his first day out at Park City.

Phoebe In Wonderland

Daniel Barnz, Patricia Clarkson and the Phoebe In Wonderland crew field audience questions

PARK CITY

So... Now that I'm once again in a warm theater I can throw a little love out for Phoebe In Wonderland. Premiering at this year's fest, the film's story revolves around a nine year-old girl with an active imagination, played by Elle Fanning (sister to Dakota). She's one of these kids who's a bit special, because it's sometimes difficult for her to separate fantasy from reality. This alone creates problems for Phoebe both at home and at school, but things are made even worse by the fact that she's started acting out by spitting on other students and being somewhat verbally abusive, though she claims it's beyond her control. Phoebe manages to find a safe and supportive place in the school's play, Alice In Wonderland, where she's really able to grow and perhaps find herself.

At the expense of sounding cliché, this film is really about the beauty of the imagination and the struggle of family and of growing up. It's not sappy though, this is really a solid film with a good character arc, lots of good conflict and an ending that doesn't feel like studio bullshit. The performances from Elle, Bill Pullman, Felicity Huffman and Patricia Clarkson are all solid and well fleshed out. All in all it's a really good film from first-time feature director Daniel Barnz who made Variety's "10 directors to watch" list for 2008.

Next film's about to start. Gotta run.

Shuteye

Moonlit view of the ski slopes from the condo

PARK CITY

Nothing like the bite of five degree temps to smack you awake and make you forget how much ass lag you have. Phoebe In Wonderland was great, but I'll be waiting until tomorrow to post on it. Right now it's time for sleep.

The clouds from ealier today have cleared off and given way to some lovely moonlighting on the slopes visible from the condo.

Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?

Morgan Spurlock and nearly the entire production team talk about making Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden at the film's premier.

PARK CITY

Back in line again at Library Center following the premier of Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden awaiting my fourth screening of the day. We'll see how this goes... I'm exhausted.

So... Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? Leave it to Morgan Spurlock (of Supersize Me fame) to turn the subject upside down, dig deeper than you thought possible but still keep a sense of humor about the whole thing.

Here's the deal. Morgan's partner Alex is expecting their first child. Suddenly the current state of the world comes into sharp focus. What kind of a world is this kid going to grow up in when we can't even find one guy supposedly living in a cave? So Morgan, taking a queue from Hollywood films, determines that the perhaps what's needed is for one man to simply go over to the middle east and track him down. So Morgan, being that "one man," does his homework on current events, gets his shots, takes a class on self defense (ie how to defend yourself from grenades, hostage takers, enemy fire, suicide bombers, etc) and heads off to the Middle East to try and track him down.

It's a crazy scheme, but just as with Supersize Me, Morgan manages to uncover a lot of extremely interesting material. How do those in the Middle East really feel about America? How did Osama manage to build such an incredible following? Will it really accomplish anything to bring the man in? What emerges from all this is a uniquely honest portrait of the Middle East and how US foreign policy is shaping the current state of that part of the world. Many of Morgan's findings are expected, but many of them are not.

Morgan's usual wit is apparent here as well, just as it was with Supersize Me. Rather than detract from the subject, the comic elements really help frame the discussion, calling to attention just how insane a lot of this stuff really is.

This film is undoubtedly going to fly at the level of Supersize Me and thus will hopefully really call public attention to some of these issues and incite some much needed change.

This film also saw one of the best Q&As from the fest. Not only did Morgan bring his entire production team, including one of the field producers from Saudi Arabia (who had never seen snow before this week), but also Morgan's partner Alex. With such a huge turnout, it was a great opportunity to ask the tough questions... like "what the hell were you thinking?!" and "how the hell did Alex ever let you go off and do this when you were expecting a child!?"

In line

PARK CITY

Waiting in line now for the premier of Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden. Nice to be in out of the single-digit cold. We're still a good 15 minutes from being let into the theater and already the line is out the door of the waiting area. Yay for being close enough to walk from the condo.

Nerakhoon (The Betrayal)

Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath present the premier of Nerakhoon (The Betrayal)

PARK CITY

If Terrence Malick were ever to make a documentary, it would probably look a lot like Nerakhoon (The Betrayal). Long, sweeping camera shots of stunning vistas and incredible focus on the emotions of the characters and their relationship with their surrounding environments make this a documentary that's not for you if you want excitement, action and a real character arc. Clocking in at a mere 87 minutes in length, it actually feels much more like three hours.

But for all the slow movement, this film has some real underlying intensity. It's a story about a family ripped apart by the rise of the Communist government in Laos during the 1970s, a time before which the US dropped three million tons of bombs on the country in the fight to overcome the North Vietnamese, more than the total of all US bombs used during both world wars. With the new Communist government came killings and arrests against those who were affiliated with the former government and the US. Many families scattered in attempts to save themselves.

What's truly remarkable about this film is the breadth. The film took 23 years to complete and primarily follows Thavisouk Phrasavath, a son in one of the escaping families. We start by following him and his family of nine through the capture of the father by the Communist government and the family's escape to Thailand (sans father). Expecting the US to greet them with open arms due to their father's "assistance" with the bombings during the Vietnam war, they relocate to New York only to find little support and hardly any acceptance. Life in their new world is very hard, but they try to acclimate themselves to American culture and make a new life.

Fifteen years later, the father whom everyone thought to be dead calls out of the blue and comes out for a visit. The family is happy for the first time in many years... but that happiness only lasts for a week. The father tells them he is leaving to return to Florida where he has a new wife and two children. Destruction reigns under this news as the family virtually disintegrates in the wake of the father's departure and everyone scatters again.

From here on the film becomes a story of the son's determination to rebuild the family, reconnect with his father and find two of his sisters who were left behind when the family evacuated Laos. Epic, very lyrical in quality and drawing many techniques from cinéma vérité, one of the most striking things about this film is that the main subject is also the codirector and editor. The product of a collaboration of more than 20 years with director Ellen Kuras, famed cinematographer, Nerakhoon is at it's base a tale of family, perseverance and a country betrayed by the United States. It's powerful stuff, but isn't going to catch the heart of anyone who can't sit back and simply let a story unfold piece by piece.

The premier of Nerakhoon was preceded by a screening of My Olympic Summer, a documentary short telling the story of a now-adult son's discovery of undeveloped 8mm film and an unopened letter that reveal a previously unknown rift between his parents just before his birth. His mother felt that she had all but lost touch with his father, who had been increasingly distant and unavailable due to his work - she felt like she was completely living in his shadow. It's a journey through the relationships and emotions that define and divide man and wife, echoed in the son's recent divorce from his own wife. But his parents were still together in apparent happiness. What had brought them back from the brink so many years ago? The summer that his mother shot that undeveloped roll of film and wrote that unopened letter was in 1972 and his parents were living in Munich. His father, a rabbi, was assigned to the Israeli Olympic team and was taken hostage along with the team when the Palestinian terrorists stormed the team dormitories. Several days later, his father was released by the terrorists. A week later his mother gave birth to their son. Sometimes the world has a way of making you reevaluate everything.

Be Kind Rewind

PARK CITY

Be Kind Rewind is pretty classic Michel Gondry, but with a more realistic slant than much of his past work.

For the most part, it's a very straight forward (albeit quirky) film about an old video store in New Jersey that's seen far better days. They rarely rent more than a few videos a day, much of their business likely having gone to larger chain stores that stock more copies and carry DVD. The building is condemned and is soon to be demolished to make way for condominiums (isn't that always the excuse?). To try and save his store, Mr Fletcher (Danny Glover) goes on a research mission for a week to see what the chains are doing to increase profits and maximize volume. While away, he entrusts the store to the only employee Mike (Mos Def). He's under explicit instructions not to let his crazy friend Jerry (Jack Black), who lives in a trailer at the back of a junkyard a block away, into the store for fear he'll scare away customers and destroy things (Jerry's a bit accident-prone and is always coming up with crazy ideas). Unfortunately, the effective communication of this message gets lost in translation until it's too late to reverse the damage.

After a bit of a slow start, things get interesting when Jerry accidentally erases all of the tapes in the store due to having been magnetized while trying to attack the power substation next to the junkyard. Yeah... just stick with me here... Since the few customers that still frequent the store are becoming irate at having all their rental tapes come up blank, Jerry and Mike hatch a hair-brained idea to shoot their own versions of the films. Since the customers have never seen these movies before, how can they tell the difference, right? Sure the movies are all shot with an ancient VHS camcorder and are only about 20 minutes long, but this might just work. It all starts with a particularly low-budget version of Ghostbusters shot under the gun in about two hours time. This is the kind of film that you may well have made yourself when you were little. Fishing line is used for "floating" objects, tinfoil is used for costumes and pretty much whatever they happen to find lying around becomes used for props, the Ghostbusters car, etc. It's horrifically bad, but incredibly funny. Next up they have to churn out a version of Rush Hour 2, using every trick in the book to recreate the movie as closely as they can remember... using only available settings, objects, costumes and special "effects." Their remade Hollywood "classics" soon become a surprise hit with the neighborhood clientèle, making Mike and Jerry go into full production, ultimately remaking over 200 titles from Driving Miss Daisy, to Robocop, to King Kong. Business is booming! Unfortunately, this cannot be permitted by the Hollywood powers that be, so the friends and the now-returning Mr Fletcher are faced with multiple copyright infringement lawsuits and the loss of the store unless they can come up with a new plan.

Though tedious at various times and perhaps not as comic as it could be, Be Kind Rewind manages to walk a nice balance between being "bad" and really pulling off some beautifully funny moments. Jack Black is just as annoying as he always is, but at least here it totally fits the character. Mos Def is... well... not really anything exciting - unfortunate considering I usually really enjoy him. Gondry's unique visual style comes heavily into play in the various remade films, giving them all a very organic feel as if they really could have been made in someone's backyard ten years ago before computerized video editing became widely available for the average consumer. Expectedly quirky, this is a film that really celebrates the idea of taking a story and shooting it with whatever means you have available - something that's lost on most modern day filmmakers.

You can see some of Jerry and Mike's remade movies at www.bekindrewind-themovie.com

Early show

Dragged myself out of bed this morning at 7am to make the short hike over to Library Center to wait in line for Be Kind Rewind. Sure, I already have a ticket, but you still need to be there at least 30-60 minutes before hand to guarantee you'll actually have decent seats.

Very serene outside this morning. Snow's still falling since last night. Probably have at least two inches of fresh stuff on the ground.

Made In America

Stacy Peralta, his crew and several former members of the Bloods and Crips discuss Made In America following the premier

PARK CITY

Few films will scare the shit out of you like this.

And I'll warn you in advance that without seeing the film itself it's even hard to start a discussion on the topic.

South Central Los Angeles. Bloods and Crips. Rampant gang violence. Turf wars, daily shootings. This war zone (and I'm using that term at the same level as it applies to Baghdad or any other war zone) really used to be a middle-class suburban community of nuclear black families? Yes. It absolutely did. So how the hell did we get to the shit we're in now?

Through brutally honest interviews with those who were there and who still live there, Stacy Peralta's Made In America traces the inception of gangs all the way back to the 1950s when black teenagers started forming their own "clubs" in response to being denied entry into the very white Boy Scouts of America. These "clubs" provided a place to belong, a place to learn a sense of community and a place to connect with others like yourself. Black "clubs" soon sprouted up in other neighborhoods and competition started to grow. While their inception was completely benign in today's standards, these "clubs" became the seeds that grew over several generations into the current day gangbanger mentality. Decades of white oppression and police brutality in the South Central communities finally came to a head in 1965 when the Watts "revolt" broke out (white history usually refers to the 1965 events as "riots," but in the words of one of the interviewees, they weren't riots because their communities "knew exactly what [they] were doing"). While the "revolts" were eventually contained, the oppression and systematic removal of black leadership (MLK, Malcolm X, Black Panthers, etc) pushed these communities further into hatred of themselves and "The Man," leading to the creation of a new element: the Crips (followed shortly by the Bloods). Following another "revolt" in 1992 in response to the Rodney King verdict, we find ourselves in a landscape vastly different from just 40 years earlier. It's dog eat dog, where the enemy is now your own people. You either kill or be killed - it's as simple as that. You can't go more than a block or two without having to "represent" by "busting a cap" in someone's ass to insure your continued survival. Simply put... the whole world (as South Central knows it) is fucked.

So that's a gross simplification of the film. In looser terms, you pretty much sit there for at least 50% of the film with your jaw hanging open - half because you had no idea this shit was going on and half because the lines that are being drawn between these various events seem to make a lot of sense. How the hell could "The Man" not see this shit coming? And how the hell can "The Man" not realize that they things He's trying to do to squash the gang "problem" are the very same things that catalyzed this shit in the first place? Can gang violence really be fixed simply by locking up anyone who's affiliated with a gang? Does being locked up really mean anything to you when you're already completely oppressed and don't give a shit? Does locking everyone up really help the communities build strong families (over 75% of black babies are born to single mothers, according to the film). Would not the lack of a strong family and crushing oppression lead you to try and find a sense of belonging with a group that provides all your family cannot? So now your kids are in a gang. And their kids. And their kids. It's a vicious cycle. How can the world break free from this?

And here we are with only a few minutes left in the film. Mothers with tear-streaked faces have shared their stories of sons and brothers lost to rival gunfire, gang members have laid out plain and simple why selling drugs is the only way they can make a living (damn near impossible to get a real job when you have a criminal record, but you gotta do something to make ends meet) and you're pretty much ready throw Molotov Cocktails at the capital building in Sacramento. The evolution of the issues are clearly complicated and not easily explained (most of those who were deeply involved are buried in the ground), but where do we go from here? Here... we'll throw you a potential tiny little glimmer of hope: some of these guys have quit the gang life and are trying to start up grassroots movements in their communities. They're starting programs to try and educate the new generations so they can make informed choices about their futures. Will this make a difference? Only time will tell.

Now.. The fun thing about all of this is that the audience in Park City is about as white as the snow that was gently falling outside the theater during the screening. Yeah... that means the majority of people seeing this are considered to be part of "The Man" that created this whole problem to begin with. "What can we do," asked one guy during the Q&A following the film that featured six of the former gang members who are trying to change the current course of history. Get involved, vote for change and realize that this shit is going on, came the responses. "Do you think there will be another riot on the scale of '65 and '92?" Yes... absolutely... it's just a matter of when, came the response. The scary thing now is that back in '65 and '92 "we still considered our fists to be our primary weapons." Now everyone has machine guns. Chew on that for a few minutes.

Even if you're not from Los Angeles you'll find this film to be exceedingly powerful and scary as hell.

Subject matter aside, I'll say that Peralta has created a pretty incredible piece of work in this documentary film. It's constantly engaging and leaves you asking the kinds of questions you should be asking after seeing something like this. There's no issue of "I didn't understand the material," just of "how the hell did we let this happen and how can we possibly hope to fix it?" It's a powerful, politically and racially-charged piece of film making.

Now... keep in mind this is all coming from a guy who's previous documentary films explore the rise of skateboarding (Dogtown and Z-Boys) and the world of surfing (Riding Giants). That's quite a leap to make and land with this level of success.

Kicking It

PARK CITY

I'm sitting here at Library Center waiting for the screening of Made In America to begin, so I figured I'd take a moment to fill you all in on the last screening we caught down in Salt Lake a few hours ago.

Kicking It. It's a doc about the Homeless Soccer World Cup. Without even reading the description I was already hooked. Homeless people playing soccer at the level of the World Cup? My interest was piqued. And this film delivers in a big way. It's got heart, soul, a sense of humor and a really good message about those living on the edge of society with sometimes massive drug and anger problems teaming together and finding a reason to dream again. Sappy, maybe. But it's really a very honest look at one way to help get people off the street.

So what is the Homeless Soccer World Cup? Teams from 48 countries meet one a year to compete against each other for three cup titles. Some countries have officially sponsored teams while some, like Russia where being homeless is a social taboo, simply form under their own steam.

This film follows several teams through a six month period leading up to and following the 2006 competition, that year held in Cape Town, South Africa. The teams highlighted include those from Ireland, USA, Kenya, Afghanistan, Spain and Russia. Each team experiences various trials and tribulations, some winning only a single game while others take it all the way to the final game for the World Cup.

Not only is the material absolutely fascinating, but you leave feeling like you've really had the opportunity to connect with several of the players, learning their stories and watching them pull themselves up and try to live again. There's a really good arc throughout the film, making you feel like more than just a passive observer.

You also get some really great interactions between the different countries. One of the team members from Afghanistan discovers he's being pursued by a girl from the Paraguay team. The Irish and Kenyan teams find some camaraderie. And nearly everyone gets exposure to an outside world they had no idea existed.

So... Great story, great characters and really good production value (good sound design and the whole thing was shot HD).

Now... My one gripe. And it's a big one. The film is narrated by Colin Farrell, who has no connection to homelessness or soccer other than having really liked playing the latter when he was young. Okay... Fine. March of the Penguins has Morgan Freeman (in the American version) who, far as I know, has nothing to do with penguins. But, the film is bookended by an introduction and postlogue featuring the actor. It's a really poor choice on the part of the filmmakers because not only does it completely pull you out of the world of the film (Colin is shot with a full light rig in a very clean bridge overpass), but it turns the whole thing into a PSA (Colin asks the audience to "help out" at the end of the film). You could probably have the alternate title of the film be "Colin Farrell Presents: Kicking It." Cut the first and last two minutes off the film and you're in a much stronger place. Oh well.

ESPN picked up the rights to the film last night at the fest, so hopefully it'll at least get a run on TV and DVD if not theatrically.

Perro Come Perro (Dog Eat Dog)

PARK CITY

So many films are about the journey. In Perro Come Perro (Dog Eat Dog) the journey feels incredibly long, though the last 20-30 minutes generally make up for the arduous first half.

The first Colombian film to ever screen at Sundance, Perro Come Perro is fundamentally about how money brings corruption and death. Against the backdrop of the Cali area in Columbia, we dive deep into the world of underground crime where gangsters are as vicious as street dogs and voodoo reigns as the ultimate form of revenge. Sent out to collect money from a pair of twins, small-town criminal Victor Peñaranda makes the disastrous decision to keep the cash for himself - a decision the ultimately wreaks havoc through several cities and cuts deep into the world of organized crime.

It's a story that's been done before, so there's really nothing new here other than having things set in the unfamiliar world of Columbia.

Production value on this film is incredibly high, with stellar cinematography and good cutting. The performances are also quite strong.

Just wish the first half moved a bit better.

A moment

The members of U2 provide an introduction at the U2 3D premier


PARK CITY

Oh yeah... And the members of U2 themselves (sans Larry Mullen who was "under the weather") introduced the film to us.

U2 3D

PARK CITY

My ears are still ringing.

Just got out of U2 3D.

Wow.

This is a film I've had on my to-see list since a shorter cut screened at Cannes back in May to rave reviews. Tonight marked the world premier of the final theatrical cut, clocking in at 85 minutes and featuring 14 songs from the South American leg of U2's Vertigo tour.

In many ways I find myself surprised by the experience of this film. Having considered myself a U2 fan since the early 90s (yeah... there are a ton of people who were fans long before I was, but I can still count at least 16 years of fandom), I was hugely disappointed by a shoot from a Chicago show of the Vertigo tour I caught on HDNet awhile back. Energy was flat, Bono's notes were flat and the whole thing really made it feel like the group has lost its luster. The whole thing was hugely disappointing. Considering U2 3D covers that very same tour, I expected more of the same.

But I was completely wrong.

At its core it's a concert film. But this is a concert film like you've never seen before. Totally immersive, both in sound and vision, the filmmakers really use the idea of 3D to the extreme. Over the past few years, the new wave 3D technology has really been coming into its own for filmmaking, and this film is really a poster child for all the format can be. You experience U2 like you never have before, even if you were lucky enough to get front row tickets to see them live. Blending 3D concert footage with occasional animation, the film seamlessly blends arena and stadium gigs together into one set list that reminds you why U2 is... well... U2. My faith has been restored.

While you might expect the 3D to be a bit of a gimmick... it's anything but. Sure you have a few obligatory shots of Adam Clayton and Bono throwing hands and guitar parts into the lens, but overall the 3D is really used more as a compliment to the live show rather than an excuse. The cinematography is absolutely stunning. Pair that with some pretty incredible sound design and mixing and you quickly forget you're sitting in a movie theater (albeit a movie theater absolutely shaking with sound). In fact, it felt extremely strange to be sitting down, passively watching. I found it hard to restrain the urge to jump out of my seat, scream and join the thousands of fans on screen. Numerous times I saw others in the audience (the audience of the film, that is) jump up, wave their hands and even throw their lighted cell phones high in the air during the few ballads in the set. The boundary between the screen and the seat utterly vanished.

Needless to say I'm pretty pumped right now. But... It's almost 3am and I have a 9am screening tomorrow. Time to get some shuteye.

Be Like Others

PARK CITY

Homosexuality is illegal in the Islamic Republic of Iran - a crime punishable by death. But... Sex changes are completely legal. In fact, the state will pay for half the cost of the procedure. However, you have to first go through six to twelve months of psychiatric evaluation to determine if you really are trapped in a body of the gender opposite to that which you feel you are. It turns out, perhaps not surprisingly, that semantics are very important here. If the psychiatrist determines that you are a transsexual, you're cleared for gender reassignment surgery. However, if the psychiatrist determines that you simply are attracted to members of the same sex, you're a homosexual and thus pretty much sentenced to death. Still, many men and women are eager to go through the process because if successful, it will mean you're legally allowed to be "involved" with members of your former sex, wear clothes appropriate to your new gender and are generally you're much more accepted by society.

Problem is... There are many people who are trying to change their gender simply to avoid being labeled a homosexual. This creates all kinds of problems as their formerly same-sex relationships fall apart after gender reassignment and things aren't as rosy as they expected.

Be Like Others ultimately follows several men as they go through the reassignment process with high hopes, only to find that things aren't what they expected. It's a hugely fascinating process that you never expected from a country like Iran.

Unfortunately, once you take away the subject matter, the film falls flat and never manages to express any passion of the subject. Narration is dry and the story is without much of an arc. Ultimately you leave the film with so many questions that should have been answered, you feel as if you really just scraped the surface. This theme was continued through the Q&A following the screening as a gauntlet of raised hands with burning questions mostly netted "I don't know" responses from the director, who appeared to have approached the whole project without much research, passion or even interest. While documentary filmmakers must remain open to all sides of a story and let the subject speak for itself, a strong film absolutely requires a point of view. Be Like Others came close a few times to expressing a view, but the Q&A made it pretty clear that there wasn't much of one if any. Too bad, since a hugely political subject like this could really have made for a powerfully moving piece. I'd recommend the film for it's subject matter in the same way I'd recommend a run-of-the-mill PBS special on the African Serengeti for those merely interested in watching a day in the life of lions.

I'm currently waiting in line for the premier of U2 3D, one of my more anticipated screenings of the fest. At least this year Sundance sprung for a heated tent to wait in outside of Eccles so we're not stuck out in the 10 degree cold for an hour like we were last year.

Yay for heated tents

PARK CITY

Thank God for heated tents. Been waiting in line outside Eccles for over an hour due to the last show getting out late. Good thing I was here early enough to score a spot inside the tent. Otherwise I'd be outside freezing my ass off.

Transsiberian

Brad Anderson talks about making Transsiberian following the screening


PARK CITY

Exceptional suspense. That's what I'd call Transsiberian, the latest work from director Brad Anderson premiering at this year's festival. The basic premise follows a couple, played by Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer, as they depart from a church mission helping kids in China on a journey from Beijing to Moscow aboard the Transsiberian Express. It's a journey through a land of beautiful desolation, filled with colorful locals and snow cover trees. The couple makes fast friends with their backpacking bunkmates, a Spaniard played by Eduardo Noriega and a 20 year old girl from Seattle played by Kate Mara. The claustrophobic train warms with their friendship as they share stories of their travels and their past. But not all is as it seems. The film's story soon turns to one of heroin trafficking, murder and corruption, fueled by layer upon layer of lies as Russian cops (one played by Ben Kingsley) and mobsters enter the fray.

What emerges is a film that defies expectations: a film that takes you deep within the psychology of the characters and continually keeps you on your toes. This is a film that never stoops to cater to an audience, instead establishing early on that you can't believe most of what you hear and can't expect that things will ever go as planned. Never rushed, and never feeling like artistic masturbation, Transsiberian ultimately delivers an incredible rollercoaster ride that shortens your breath (though some of that may be the altitude here in Park City) and keeps you guessing until the very end. The performances are all hugely engaging and top-notch, including Woody Harrelson who, for once, doesn't play Woody Harrelson (he's a huge train buff with a spotless past who's not yet wise to the realities of traveling outside of the US).

Though at it's core Transsiberian is an independent film with a European flavor, there's enough commercial appeal that I expect it will easily find a buyer at Sundance and will make a full theatrical run in the not too distant future, especially considering the pedigree of those involved.

Now... grub.

Young@Heart

Filmmaker Q&A following the Young@Heart screening


PARK CITY

Just got back from a screening of Young@Heart down at the Broadway in Salt Lake. This is a film I've wanted to see now for several weeks, having seen a trailer for it at one of the Landmark theaters in LA. Fox Searchlight is releasing it in April, so this is one film at the fest that won't have to worry about trying to find a buyer.

So... The basic premise: senior citizens singing rock and roll songs? They can't necessarily carry a tune, but they sure can warm your heart. Founded in 1982, the Young@Heart chorus, composed entirely of senior citizens in their 70s, 80s and 90s, has entertained audiences around the world with "unique" renditions of rock, punk and other songs by artists such as the Clash, Coldplay, James Brown and Talking Heads. The film follows the group through six weeks of heavy rehearsal leading up to their new concert, for which their choral director has introduced six new songs for them to learn, including Sonic Youth's "Schizophrenia" and Allen Toussaint's "Yes, We Can Can."

At first glance, you're pretty much thinking this is a one trick pony... a gimmick if you will. Sure, it's great fun to watch these elders try to learn lyrics to songs that they can barely stand, but there's more going on here. Beneath the hilarity lies a heartwarming look at a group that's found new life together - a group that, despite all the gripes about not liking various songs and being annoyed at the time they have to spend memorizing lyrics that muddle their tongues, still meets regularly for rehearsal even when one of their members is going through chemotherapy. This is a tale about finding a reason to get up in the morning and scream when you're at an age where being passive and quiet are mostly expected. And, inevitably, it's also a tale about death and the loss of close friends (which I won't detail for fear I'll ruin too much of the story).

Ultimately Young@Heart is a film that manages to be funny, inspirational and touching all at the same time. Anyone who thinks that life ends after 70 should absolutely see this film. And even if you're quite sure life doesn't end after 70, you'll still get a total kick out of watching these vibrant characters perform song after song in a way you've never heard it before.

Following the film we had a great Q&A with the filmmakers (director, producer, editor) as well as Bob, the choral director of Young@Heart. As with nearly any documentary, these Q&As really help to flesh out the story within and beyond the film, giving insight into how the group got started, how Bob chooses songs for the group and how the filmmakers even hit upon the idea to document the group in the first place.

We're off bright and early tomorrow morning for an 8:30 screening of Transsiberian. For now, time to sleep.

Slingshot Hip-Hop

PARK CITY

Palestinian rap. This isn't about acting tough, proving your lyrical skills and showing bling. This is about personal and political expression in a part of the world that generally crushes those who overtly challenge the powers that be. In her film Slingshot Hip-Hop, Jackie Reem Salloum spotlights a vibrant hip-hop scene as artists discover rap and use it as a means to empower, create hope and unify a divided land.

In Gaza, the West Bank, Lyd and other Palestinian communities within Israel, the daily reality of the "occupation" is one akin to imprisonment - families and communities divided across only a few miles separated by walls, razor wire, checkpoints and deep-rooted hatred of the Arab people. Any real level of school and work are luxuries seldom seen here for young people, leading many to turn to selling drugs. Enter the world of underground rap. This is a community bent on highlighting the daily struggles of their people, spreading the message of hope amongst despair and giving birth to a subculture with real goals and aspirations. Taking inspiration from black rappers like Tupac and Public Enemy, they use their lyrics to speak out against their oppression and attempt to incite change amongst their own as well as within the Israeli state.

Focusing on the genesis of several artists including DAM, the first-ever Palestinian hip-hop group, PR (Palestinian Rapperz), Abeer, a female Palestinian rapper, and Arapeyat, this is a documentary with a huge amount of emotional energy. You see the members of DAM emerge from their attempts to emulate the bling and thug image of American gansta rap (the guys actually make quite a bit of fun of their early attempts) into their own as politically-charged messengers of hope capable of playing sold-out shows in Europe. But, underneath the glamor of stardom, there's the cold reality of daily gunfire, exploding bombs and high political tensions. Everyone knows people who have been killed. Nearly everyone has been shot themselves... but here it's not from rival gangs but from Israelis. The artists tell it like it is, painting a very sobering picture of their lives and how their art gives them and those around them hope for the future and, in many cases, brings about real change. What emerges from the film as a whole is a really heartwarming experience, but also a raw look at the current situation in Palestine. It's very one sided... but to try and balance this story to show the Israeli side would soften the impact to a point where the incredible empathic connection you feel with the artists would be nonexistent. Sometimes you have to tell things from a single viewpoint to get your point across and make people take notice.

Sundance being what it is, the film's credits did not signal an end to the experience. The Festival had pulled countless strings and had managed to get visas for Abeer, all three members of DAM and one member of PR. Considering it took over a year to even get the necessary papers to allow PR out of Gaza to do a show with DAM 10 miles away, it's an absolute miracle that they were able to fly them out and into the US. To a standing ovation, they each warmed everyone up with some freestyling and then took questions from the audience. What do you ask when you only have 10-15 minutes to really talk to these people in the flesh? Two hours of documentary film can't really even do their story justice in the truest sense.

So... the fest is off to a fantastic start. Great film, emotional Q&A and a real sense that there's always some hope in the world. Sounds cliché... but words pretty well fail to capture the experience.

Energy

PARK CITY

One giant ski lodge.

Thousands of watts in club lighting and sound fed by a killer DJ.

Several hundred filmmakers.

Open bar.

One hell of an opening night party.

I now crunch my way back through the snow and 13 degree temps to get some much needed shut eye. First screening's tomorrow at 11:30a.

And yes... My wife finally made it in to Salt Lake at around 8:15p - about eleven hours later than scheduled.

Settling in

PARK CITY

The condo is now full of the former contents of the car and I'm resting up a bit before heading down to the airport to pickup my wife who finally got on a (delayed) flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake.. Ironic that she was originally to get in over an hour before me and now she's arriving nearly 10 hours after me. Even with all the pain, at least this means she'll make our 11:30a screening tomorrow morning.

Going to the big opening night party later. We'll see how long I manage to stay awake.

Another wrinkle

SALT LAKE CITY

So... My wife's flight out of LAX on US Air got grounded due to some kind of problem with the"lights" on the plane. An hour and a half later, they're apparently going to take another shot at departure. Still no word if she'll have a flight on the other end to get her into SLC.

Meanwhile, I've unearthed the world's longest car rental line, having spent over half an hour to only make it sightly over half way to the counter. Ironically, most of the other rental companies have little or no line. Good thing I don't have anything scheduled until tonight.

Complications

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN LAX AND SLC

As it turns out, my wife ran into huge complications after making the trek from terminal 5 over to terminal 1 to catch her "confirmed" US Air flight. Seems the faceless entity on the other end of Delta's "black courtesy phone" not only neglected to get someone at the Delta ticket counter to print the appropriate vouchers to authorize travel on US Air, but also had only put a seat hold in for the LAX - PHX flight and not for the PHX - SLC flight. By the time US Air (who kindly provided a physical person who was actually interested in "helping" a frustrated traveler) sorted out the voucher issue, all seats on the second leg were book (presumably by those displaced from the Delta flight and who had been fortunate enough to stumble upon the "secret password."

Right now her plan is to fly to Phoenix and see if she can wrangle a seat on a flight to Salt Lake. At least she has tickets... so that's a step in the right direction.

Apparently the "official airline of the Sundance Film Festival" doesn't exactly go out of its way to ensure you're actually able to go to the fest.

Score one for Delta.... or not

LOS ANGELES.

So we get to LAX at around 5am this morning. I check in for my flight. My wife checks in for her flight... Or at least tries to. The kiosk says it "can't find" her reservation. Technical issue? No... Her flight's been canceled. Guess that boarding pass she printed at home eight hours ago is worthless.

So now what? Self checkin agent to the rescue! We're kindly told, in that fantastic "I'm not equipped to fix your problem"/"I'm too busy"/"I couldn't give a shit" way that's likely to win prestigious customer disservice awards, that we need to make our way toward one of the "black courtesy phones" down somewhere over yonder. Yup... The giant FU. Now... I've had the privilege of using these "black courtesy phones" before and I can tell you they're definitely not "courtesy" and barely pass for "phones." At least they're black.

So we manage to fight our way through the mob of displaced Sundance travelers (what airline cancels a 6:30 flight from LAX to SLC on the opening day of Sundance and doesn't plan for an angry Hollywood mob?) to one of the three "black courtesy phones." Yeah... In one of the busiest airports in the country you offer up only three phones for those requiring assistance? Good call.

We wait "on hold" for a good ten minutes.

Finally a person who's here to "help us!" Our phone agent deftly offers up the next possible flight option:

We can get you a seat on a flight that leaves a bit later... On the 19th

On the 19th?!

Yes.. THE 19th.

That's two days from now. Unacceptable.

Are there other options?

Well... I can get you a flight at around 9am on the 18th?

That's more than 24 hours from now.

Sorry... We're all booked. Didn't you know that a lot of people were traveling to Sundance today?

I had no idea.

So... Can you get me on another airline today?

- on hold -

Everyone is booked.

Every single flight on every single airline out of LAX that could possibly connect to a flight that ends up in SLC is booked?

Apparently.

Okay... I'll take the flight on the 18th.

So now we're on hold again. Me being the diligent person that I am I jump onto the Orbitz website on my phone and check flights to SLC for today. Hmm.... There are five US Air flights to SLC via Phoenix before 3pm today with available seats.

The agent on the "black courtesy phone" returns...

Okay... We have you going out tomorrow morning.

I checked online and found four US Air flights today that have seats available (the first US Air flight was too close to reasonably make). Here are the flight numbers and times.

- on hold -

Okay... We can get you on the 9:40a US Air flight.

Great.

So apparently there were available flights... But you have to know the magic words. The person on the "black courtesy phone" was not so lucky and had been sentenced to a flight on more than 24 hours in the future. Wanting to stay her fate, I quickly threw the "secret password" US Air info her way. Another soul saved.

Delta definitely wins major awards for this one.

My flight (now massively overbooked and bleeding passengers) is boarding. Catch up with you when I get to Park City.

Escape from LA

LOS ANGELES

So here we are again. Another January is upon us and it's time to head off to another round of cinematic excitement at the Sundance Film Festival. With the WGA work stoppage still going strong after a full ten weeks, it's high time to escape the confines of LA and the "studio system" to catch up on filmic fare of a more independent flavor. As with last year, I'm going to be blogging on a regular basis from the festival, using cutting edge technology (aka mobile email) to magically beam postings to the world in near real time. Yes, it'll be Sundance like you've never seen it before. If you think this is exciting... well.. it really isn't, but it sounds cool and I'm all about spin. But, suffice it to say it's going to be worth your while to continually check back here over the next few days for myriad new waxations as I depart for the Fest at the ungodly hour of something like 4:30am tomorrow morning. The Festival itself goes into full swing starting tomorrow evening and runs through the 27th.

See you bright and early tomorrow morning.