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.