tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20211766975625725012011-11-27T18:02:05.284-07:00Random waxations on the Sundance Film FestivalGuntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.comBlogger841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-40247530087435060392009-01-20T14:36:00.002-07:002009-01-20T17:49:37.571-07:00

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SALT LAKE CITY AND LOS ANGELESWell folks, this is it for me from the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Over the past five days I've caught twenty-five films, including shorts, and am now in serious need of sleep and relaxation. Hopefully you've enjoyed at least some of my ramblings and have caught a slight glimpse into this year's 25th anniversary festival. For those wanting a

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-68871743112408198842009-01-20T10:55:00.004-07:002009-01-20T16:51:17.949-07:00

Fernando Tielve, Déborah François and director Alexis Dos Santos talk about making "Unmade Beds"MAIN STREET, PARK CITYHaving just taken in my last screening of the 2009 festival, I'm taking a brief pause up on Main Street before heading to the airport for a flight back to LAX. The weather is warm, the crowds have thinned quite a bit from the past few days and there are camera crews everywhere

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-50225335260260064632009-01-20T01:23:00.003-07:002009-01-20T01:34:45.744-07:00

Director Oren Moverman, Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster and a large group of other cast and crew at the world premier of "The Messenger"EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYWith three months left in the service, Will (Ben Foster) has spent a good deal of time in army hospitals, healing scars from his time in Iraq. His chance at a fresh start lies in working shoulder to shoulder with Tony (Woody Harrelson), a

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-46631131995081913152009-01-20T01:07:00.007-07:002009-01-20T01:52:48.639-07:00

Director Ondi Timoner, Internet pioneer Josh Harris (who flew in from Ethiopia) and others take audience questionsEMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYThis film is a total mind trip.Internet pioneer Josh Harris has spent his life implementing his unique vision of the future, where technology and media dictate human social interaction and define our personal identity. At the turn of the millennium, Harris

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-87933996741228891462009-01-20T00:20:00.003-07:002009-01-20T01:07:02.981-07:00

Steven Soderberg, Laura San Giacomo, Andie Macdowell and Peter Gallagher talk about making "Sex, Lies and Videotape"EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYEarlier today I attended a 20th anniversary screening of "Sex, Lies and Videotape." This film quite literally changed the landscape for independent cinema when it came out in 1989. At the time, the filmmakers didn't really realize what they had. In fact,

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-45405629922224738272009-01-19T13:23:00.003-07:002009-01-19T13:57:35.282-07:00

Everyone's ready to throw in their version of how this year's Sundance Film Festival is going to be different from years past. Films will find it tough to find buyers." "Attendance will be way down." "Corporate America is staying home this year." Sure, the hard economic times have had their impact on the festival and the film industry in general, but the evidence of such play has been hard to

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-86462178464676258752009-01-19T13:08:00.003-07:002009-01-20T01:54:54.828-07:00

EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYInsanely intense. That's probably the best way to describe this documentary film from Danish director Anders Ostergaard.Armed with pocket-sized video cameras, a tenacious band of Burmese reporters face down death to expose the repressive regime controlling their country. In 2007, after decades of self-imposed silence, Burma became headline news across the globe when

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-349128698671569732009-01-19T12:51:00.005-07:002009-01-19T13:07:47.871-07:00

EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYThis film has nothing to do with tobacco. There... that's out of the way.Last night was the world premier screening of "I Love You Philip Morris." With both Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor in attendance, this was a close second to the most "Hollywood" screening I've attended this year in terms of screaming fans, red carpets and paparazzi chaos ("Spread" takes first place

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-3970954787072169442009-01-19T12:23:00.005-07:002009-01-19T12:51:36.333-07:00

Jonny Lee Miller, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Pete Travis take audience questionsEMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYThe time - late 1980s. The place - South Africa. Buried under years of oppression, the African National Congress (ANC) wages an armed struggle against apartheid. President P.W. Botha clings to the last threads of power as the country finds itself on the brink of bloody civil war. Based on true

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-28812188487765221792009-01-19T02:44:00.000-07:002009-01-19T02:46:58.120-07:00

I'm three films behind for the day - "Endgame," "I Love You Phillip Morris" and "Burma VJ." Pretty far past exhaustion at this point, having been on the go for the past 20 hours - since 7am this morning. Will post the balance tomorrow after so much-needed sleep.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-75419118555962543912009-01-18T18:00:00.001-07:002009-01-19T02:44:48.865-07:00

The Yes Men, along with one of their Haliburton natural disaster suits, answer questions following the screeningECCLES THEATRE, PARK CITYBack in line at Eccles awaiting my fourth screening of the day after seeing the world premier of "The Yes Men Fix the World." This is a self-produced documentary following the Yes Men on several of their "projects." For those of you unfamiliar with the Yes Men

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-29683899705240321722009-01-18T14:18:00.000-07:002009-01-19T02:27:32.145-07:00

Paul Giamatti, director Sophie Barthes and other cast and crew from "Cold Souls"LIBRARY THEATRE, PARK CITYNow back the the Library Theatre having just a few minutes ago left the Racquet Club and the screening of "Cold Souls." From director Sophie Barthes, this film centers on Paul Giamatti as... Paul Giamatti. He's doing a stint as Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and is having trouble separating himself

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-75238362692484129722009-01-18T11:01:00.000-07:002009-01-18T17:19:59.384-07:00

Director Havana Marking and "Afghan Star" host Daoud Siddique take questionsRACQUET CLUB, PARK CITYJust got out of "Afghan Star," the first of six screenings of the day. This documentary film centers on "Afghan Star," a televised competition program in Afghanistan similar to "American Idol." Themes here at first appear similar to what you'd expect for a competition - who will win, who will be

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-85595148732472188942009-01-18T03:11:00.000-07:002009-01-18T03:12:21.595-07:00

Cast and crew of Dead Snow talk about the filmEMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYA Norwegian Nazi zombie horror film. Need I say more?It is nothing less than pure awesomeness destined to become a cult classic I originally landed tickets to the screening on a complete whim when I made selections for the fest back in late December. Left with a hole in my schedule at the 'Dance, I was poking around for

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-32006648518962899082009-01-17T23:59:00.000-07:002009-01-18T02:58:28.901-07:00

Ashton Kutcher and crew answer questions from the audience EGYPTIAN THEATRE, PARK CITY I'm now awaiting the dimming lights of my fifth screening of the day. It's amazing how doing little other than seeing movies all day can completely wear you down. Today I had five films. Tomorrow I have six. That's going to be interesting, since two of them are back to back in completely different

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-22159789827582493092009-01-17T19:39:00.003-07:002009-01-17T20:04:40.329-07:00

Mike Tyson and James Toback run a Q&A session following the filmEMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYWould you knowingly choose to lock yourself in a room with Mike Tyson for 30 hours in the name of cinema?I'm back in the warmth for a few brief moments before heading off to my next screening. Just moments ago I left a screening of "Tyson," a brutally frank, no-holds barred documentary about the life of

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-15705959638663643852009-01-17T17:32:00.001-07:002009-01-17T17:32:42.115-07:00

LIBRARY CENTER, PARK CITYJust got out of the world premier of "Over the Hills and Far Away." This documentary follows a family's journey as they travel halfway across the world in search of a miracle to heal their autistic son. The father is a British journalist and human-rights activist. The mother a psychology professor from suburban California. A perfect life begins to unravel when their

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-25815892048399403612009-01-17T12:22:00.005-07:002009-01-17T12:56:05.714-07:00

Director Antoine Fuqua and writer Michael Martin discuss Brooklyn's FinestEMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYGrabbing a quick lunch following the world premier screening of Antoine Fuqua's newest film, "Brooklyn's Finest." The film is a return to a familiar genre for Fuqua and could, in many ways, be pitched as the New York version of "Training Day." Here once again we find ourselves in a gritty, raw

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-77265736872555594962009-01-16T20:46:00.002-07:002009-01-16T21:29:49.830-07:00

Director Doug Pray, along with his crew and a smattering of advertising luminaries highlighted in the film, present the world premier of Art & Copy at SundanceEMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYThough the weather is far warmer than last year's balmy 5 degree highs, it's still most definitely winter outside in Park City. Thus I'm quite glad to be back in front of a nice, warm fire after returning from the

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-34589171155714998522009-01-16T17:30:00.000-07:002009-01-16T20:39:34.957-07:00

Dana Perry, Hart Perry and editor Geof Bartz discuss their filmPROSPECTOR THEATRE, PARK CITY"Oh my God, we're at the Sundance Film Festival because my son killed himself."These are the words spoken by Dana Perry, director of "Boy Interrupted," when asked what was going through her head while watching the world premiere of her documentary film. Since leaving Temple Theater about 30 minutes ago,

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-11655790855580256252009-01-16T12:33:00.005-07:002009-01-16T13:18:25.819-07:00

EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYJust returned from the US premier of "It Might Get Loud," my first screening of this year's fest. I was pretty excited to be able to catch this film here at Sundance since it got pretty good buzz when it first screened back in May at the Cannes Film Festival and subsequently in September at the Toronto Film Festival. Sony Pictures Classics has already picked up

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-21562352529954442262009-01-16T00:00:00.001-07:002009-01-16T00:25:17.756-07:00

EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITYIf the conversations at the opening night party are any indication of the festival landscape, it may well be that the 25th anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival proves that there's still plenty of opportunities to sell a film. While in the midst of flowing absynthe (not to be confused with absinthe, illegal in most countries) and, for once, a decent DJ, I picked the

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-50428858986905663922009-01-15T14:08:00.001-07:002009-01-15T17:01:11.843-07:00

SEAT 14B - SOMEWHERE BETWEEN LOS ANGELES AND SALT LAKE CITYAs I sit here crammed into an airplane seat the size of a tin can looking out at the Grand Canyon from 35,000 feet, it's tough to believe that we once again find ourselves in the middle of January on the first day of what's become an annual pilgrimage to one of the world's most revered film festivals. Yes, that's right - today marks the

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-32552942756193987602008-01-23T18:18:00.000-07:002008-01-25T11:03:43.532-07:00

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SALT LAKE CITY AND LOS ANGELESSo 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-43391352906177179852008-01-23T17:15:00.000-07:002008-01-25T11:00:32.155-07:00

SALT LAKE CITYPretty 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-23676762816609032292008-01-23T02:45:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:58:23.918-07:00

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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-47480680636111998022008-01-22T20:16:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:57:58.699-07:00

Filmmakers discuss making Under the BombsPARK CITYI 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-71978402113189669342008-01-22T13:03:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:56:14.136-07:00

Park City nestled in snowPARK CITYJust 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.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-16775771223767660352008-01-22T10:05:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:55:11.471-07:00

Daniel Barnz, Patricia Clarkson and the Phoebe In Wonderland crew field audience questionsPARK CITYSo... 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-62438756603516340342008-01-22T02:57:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:51:45.668-07:00

Moonlit view of the ski slopes from the condoPARK CITYNothing 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-42240108278372253842008-01-22T00:34:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:50:47.552-07:00

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 CITYBack 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 (

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-60438352045766779732008-01-21T20:55:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:47:05.202-07:00

PARK CITYWaiting 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.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-11215050574138331862008-01-21T19:16:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:44:59.642-07:00

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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-48895162529664054782008-01-21T14:40:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:42:30.557-07:00

PARK CITYBe 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-14860603889421821832008-01-21T08:57:00.000-07:002008-01-25T10:40:29.784-07:00

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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-9568506572930272492008-01-21T01:25:00.000-07:002008-01-24T18:02:09.693-07:00

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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-18474613266318865382008-01-20T21:26:00.000-07:002008-01-24T17:57:08.333-07:00

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?

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-62556416806646409892008-01-20T13:53:00.000-07:002008-01-24T17:54:52.190-07:00

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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-6646444021860359012008-01-20T03:58:00.000-07:002008-01-24T12:24:56.762-07:00

The members of U2 provide an introduction at the U2 3D premierPARK CITYOh yeah... And the members of U2 themselves (sans Larry Mullen who was "under the weather") introduced the film to us.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-91181709760064298962008-01-20T03:54:00.000-07:002008-01-24T12:22:39.439-07:00

PARK CITYMy 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-81334616167290429102008-01-20T00:33:00.000-07:002008-01-24T12:11:24.759-07:00

PARK CITYHomosexuality 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-19328972948176743002008-01-20T00:16:00.001-07:002008-01-24T10:23:54.785-07:00

PARK CITYThank 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.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-57477166055982718712008-01-19T12:40:00.000-07:002008-01-24T12:08:41.234-07:00

Brad Anderson talks about making Transsiberian following the screeningPARK CITYExceptional 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-21166470912517683682008-01-19T00:31:00.000-07:002008-01-24T12:04:47.123-07:00

Filmmaker Q&A following the Young@Heart screeningPARK CITYJust 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...

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-12946570326113933742008-01-18T16:19:00.000-07:002008-01-24T11:23:28.216-07:00

PARK CITYPalestinian 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-38158319533963651322008-01-18T01:41:00.000-07:002008-01-24T11:14:14.535-07:00

PARK CITYOne 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-85503929061197357502008-01-17T19:50:00.000-07:002008-01-24T11:13:13.459-07:00

PARK CITYThe 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-556300062647517622008-01-17T12:56:00.000-07:002008-01-24T10:36:46.218-07:00

SALT LAKE CITYSo... 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-66677795018818844602008-01-17T10:44:00.001-07:002008-01-24T10:35:54.816-07:00

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN LAX AND SLCAs 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-74638968532257696422008-01-17T07:46:00.000-07:002008-01-24T10:30:54.040-07:00

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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-30237616892246696502008-01-16T01:06:00.000-07:002008-01-16T13:06:15.010-07:00

LOS ANGELESSo 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

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-23048390004328903122007-01-27T19:10:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.039-06:00

SLCSo that’s it for me at the 2007 Sundance film fest. Over seven days I managed to see four short films, twelve dramas and eight documentaries. So… 24 films in all. There was a lot of phenomenally good stuff this year. Wish I had another week to see all of the other films that I wanted to check out but didn’t have the chance. But… now it’s back to LA and real life…In other news, I just

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-31501347077098047622007-01-27T16:45:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.040-06:00

SLCWe just finished our last screening of the festival with Welcome Europa, a visually poetic portrait of several young immigrants to Europe. It’s a devastating story of Kurdish, Moroccan and Romanian immigrants who come looking for a better way of life, hoping to make enough money to send something home to their impoverished families. What’s revealed is a community of men who move from city to

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-9870164686432097912007-01-27T14:05:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.040-06:00

SLCToday we're only catching one screening for which we already have tickets, which of course means that I was able to sleep in until 10:30a, thus getting over ten hours of much needed sleep. Currently we're waiting in the Broadway theater for a screening of Welcome Europa.Blame It On Fidel, the film we saw last night, was really pretty good. The story follows Anna, a young girl who's parents

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-55685083080970574162007-01-27T00:30:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.041-06:00

SLCThe three hours of sleep from last night and a week's worth of rising at 5:30a have caught up with me. Thoughts on Blame It On Fidel will need to wait until tomorrow.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-86116686361157778822007-01-26T21:30:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.042-06:00

SLCSo Hounddog, the film that's been referred to as the "Dakota Fanning rape movie" at the fest and panned by critics was surprising. Not that it was an amazing film, but it wasn't bad at all. It definitely deals with some very sensitive subject matter (the rape of an eleven year old girl), but it does so with a lot of respect and taste. The story takes place in the rural Deep South and

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-23602919305582946342007-01-26T14:45:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.042-06:00

Park CityJust got out of our Teeth screening. Wow... what a film. I'm not even sure where to begin. This was a film that Kit and I put down on our early list of potential to-see films and once we started hearing all of the amazingly positive buzz, we had to see it. I'm so glad we did.The story is based off vagina dentate mythology and follows a Christian high school girl caught up in her

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-74243664586719793302007-01-26T09:10:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.043-06:00

SLCIt was touch and go there for a bit, but I managed to grab tickets for everything I wanted. Here's what we're looking at for the day:Teeth - Lots of good buzz around the fest on this one. Supposedly disturbing and category defying. Why not? It's one of four films at this year's fest to be on the "audience advisory" list for explicit material.Hounddog - What has come to be called "the

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-38151412839779030012007-01-26T07:10:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.044-06:00

SLCThree hours of sleep later, I'm back in the queue at the SLC festival box office. It's going to be tight: I've got one film that has six tickets left and another that has twelve. Fortunately I got here a bit earlier than I have been and secured a spot two people in from the front of the line. We'll see how things go...So... Black Snake Moan. This was the world premier (I'd say at least

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-17940149894684388052007-01-25T23:30:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.044-06:00

Park CityWaiting for the shuttle bus after having just gotten out of a screening of Hot House, a doc from Israel about Palestinian incarceration. Most Israelis regard the nearly 10,000 Palestinian prisoners as murderers and criminals. To the Palestinians, however, they are heroes and freedom fighters, many of whom were and are extremely politically active. Granted unprecedented access to the

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-29921226459218232442007-01-25T18:15:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.045-06:00

Park CityI think it's safe to say that the biggest surprise at the fest so far is Chasing Ghosts, a doc about the rise of competitive arcade gaming in the early 1980s. Reading the description in the festival program really didn't make it appeal much to me. I mean, how interesting can a bunch of hard-core gamers be? I'd been hearing a substantial amount of positive buzz from people around the

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-33960385725772992852007-01-25T14:30:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.046-06:00

Park CityIt's really quite balmy today. I'm standing here waiting for the shuttle to take me from Prospector Square up to Main and I'd say it's probably at least 30 degrees. Maybe this sounds really cool to some of you, but to me it feels pretty good. My jacket's unzipped, no gloves, no hat. If I had shorts I would wear them.So I just got out of a screening of Girl 27, a doc about Patricia

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-36993965889704190982007-01-25T07:30:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.046-06:00

SLCI ended up getting out the door a bit late this morning. As a result, I'm eighth or ninth in the line so I'm not sure what ticket availability will be for a few of the hotter screenings on my list. So... I've put together a list of alts should I need them. Chasing Ghosts only has 10 tickets left, so it's likely it'll be sold out by the time I can buy anything. Guess we'll see what happens.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-38144416895282076952007-01-25T01:10:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.047-06:00

SLCGrace is Gone is a film I can’t quite put into words. Not that it’s all that far out there, but more that it goes to some interesting emotional places and doesn’t really contain a lot of substance beyond the huge personal journeys traveled by the characters. Stanley Philips, played by John Cusack, is a patriot and father of two. When he learns that his wife, Grace, has been killed in the

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-26173778806535807232007-01-24T21:50:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.048-06:00

SLCBajo Jaurez – When you’re already seeing one film about the rampant crime in Jaurez, Mexico, why not see another? This morning it was a fictionalized portrayal of the sex trade. This evening it was a documentary that follows unsolved and highly publicized crimes against women in the same city. Focusing mainly on young women and girls who are kidnapped, raped and killed, this doc takes

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-18153358829485791012007-01-24T18:00:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.048-06:00

Park CityI purposefully took this afternoon off. Probably should have spent it sleeping, but I didn't. Some of the afternoon was spent meeting up with various friends who are also at this year's fest. But mostly I went and shot off a lot of film (both real and digital). Yeah... you knew it was coming :) I've actually been very focused in my time at the fest and haven't brought any kind of

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-23321998413109882522007-01-24T14:55:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.049-06:00

Park CityJust got out of the Trade screening. Think it's safe to say it'll be awhile before I'm fully recovered from the experience. The film is phenomenally good. Great performances, excellent cutting, great photography and great attention to detail. The subject matter, however, definitely leaves you reeling. It's incredibly powerful and heart wrenching. God... what else can I say other

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-11128991020330844252007-01-24T08:50:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.050-06:00

SLCToday I'm going to try and get tickets to...- Trade, a gritty film set in a sinister world where young children are sold into sexual slavery. It's directed by Marco Kreuzpainter and stars Kevin Kline among other relatively unknown actors.- Grace is Gone, a James C Strouse film with John Cusack about a patriot and father who receives news that his wife has been killed in Iraq.- Bajo Juarez, a

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-37831821245505513982007-01-24T00:20:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.051-06:00

SLCSo… still trying to make up my mind on Joshua. Certainly there’s a huge creep factory and as well as a solid helping of “WTF was that?!”, but there’s also a lot to be said for the fact that the experience of watching the film is a lot like the world experienced by those in it…. i.e. you don’t really know what the hell is going on and you’re constantly trying to second guess what you’re being

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-71578493219516436652007-01-23T18:30:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.052-06:00

Park CityI really like Hal Hartley’s work. Over the past twenty years, he’s produced some truly great independent films that have a pretty unique style. Fay Grim, a follow up to his 1997 film Henry Fool is a really fun and involving film…and very much a Hal Hartley film. What makes it a Hal Hartley film? For one, the dialog is extremely fast-paced and incredibly detailed. Hal actually warned

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-76444489721431396722007-01-23T15:25:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.052-06:00

Park CityManda Bala... quite possibly one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. It's a deftly woven story of kidnapping, political corruption, plastic surgery and frog farming in Brazil. Eliciting nearly every emotion from the audience in its 85 minute running time, this film manages to not only tell an incredibly compelling and emotional story about the rampant crime problems in Sao Paulo,

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-83526758263387846892007-01-23T12:15:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.053-06:00

Park CitySo I've been thinking about Noise. I'm usually not one to say this, but I feel like this film could really benefit from the involvement of a studio. Usually I feel like studios shit all over most films and turn them into mediocre crap. But... if a studio were to buy Noise and recut it, they might come out with something really good. The concept is there... the material is there... it

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-1238745956528492702007-01-23T07:10:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.054-06:00

SLCIt's another day and as usual I'm back hanging out in the line at the SLC festival box office. Today I took a shorter route and used the building's service entrance (the line forms inside) instead of walking around for five minutes trying to find an unlocked door.So... about Hear and Now... as I mentioned last night, it's a documentary about a 65-year-old deaf couple who decide to get

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-6299362918358165222007-01-23T00:50:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.055-06:00

SLCJust got out of a screening for Hear and Now, a great documentary about a 65-year-old deaf couple who decide to get cochlear implants and how their new ability to hear sounds affects their life and relationships. I desperately need to sleep since I’m again jumping out of bed at 5:30a to wait in line for day-of-show tickets, so I’ll be writing more tomorrow on the film. For now, we’ll just

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-11818592213039616892007-01-22T18:30:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.056-06:00

Park CityThis morning we saw an absolutely beautiful film. This afternoon we saw the antithesis: a completely inane experience lasting an hour and 45 minutes but feeling more like three. Another world premier at this year’s fest, Noise had a lot going for it. It’s an Australian film that’s a feature debut for Matthhew Saville, a guy who’s done a lot of short film work over the past few years.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-20015950312038525422007-01-22T15:30:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.056-06:00

Park CityWe're now sitting back at the Egyptian just a few minutes away from a screening of Noise have just grabbed some food after getting out of Waitress. So what about Waitress… I was very pleasantly surprised. There's been a lot of hype surrounding this film, mainly because of director Adrienne Shelly's untimely death this past year. This film, premiering at Sundance, now marks her final

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-73786591682781589732007-01-22T09:15:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.057-06:00

SLCAight... two hours in line and countless solitaire games later, I have tickets to everything I wanted for the day. Now, back to the apartment for a quick nap, a much-needed hot shower and a second pass at breakfast.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-56761638913622199872007-01-22T07:15:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.058-06:00

SLCBright and early, I'm back in the line at the festival box office in SLC. At least there wasn't any new snow last night and the cool weather, at a frigid 11 degrees, definitely forces one wake up.Assuming enough day-of-show tickets are released (all films are considered sold out at this point, but the fest releases a handful of tickets the day of if you're early enough to grab them), we plan

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-91412028345483938662007-01-22T00:10:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.058-06:00

Park CityWe're now huddled under a propane heater waiting for the shuttle bus to take us back to the Eccles parking lot having just gotten out of Save Me. Damn. That was a really good film! Quick synopsis: Mark is a lost, young, gay man who leads a wild life of meaningless sex and drugs who gets checked into a 12-step, Christian, “ex-gay” ministry specializing in healing “sexual brokenness”

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-44763933501360611882007-01-21T21:10:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.059-06:00

Park CityI started writing this a half hour ago while we were in line for Save Me and then I got talking to an drunken festival goer. C'est la vie. So... The Legacy was a really cool idea. Basically it's a film about three French travelers in Georgia who, along with their French/Georgian translator, take a two day bus journey to visit a ruined castle that one of them has inherited. Early in

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-49768386536727255732007-01-21T18:50:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.060-06:00

Park CityAfter waiting in a line outside the Egyptian for the first Park City screening of The Legacy we're now snuggled in the very warm and comfortable theater. Truly... being warm is the most underrated thing on the planet. I think I'm going to start carrying around my own little propane heater to avoid freezing in line.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-7173332787212912092007-01-21T18:10:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.060-06:00

Park CityKit and I have been enjoying making snide remarks about the disgusting trendiness of some of the people here at the festival. It's like being in Bev Hills on Rodeo, but it's 20 degrees outside and everyone's crammed into a much smaller area. Regardless, there are way too many dead animal pelts draped over people who disappear when they turn sideways.

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-43371558263679580382007-01-21T16:45:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.061-06:00

Park CityWaiting in yet another line... this time to grab some grub at the Main Street Deli after seeing our first two screenings of the day. Just about half an hour ago we got out of a screening of On A Tightrope, a film showing in World Documentary Competition. This film focuses on the Uighur people, China's largest Muslim minority. What's striking about this film is that it's the first one

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021176697562572501.post-3663873114643955972007-01-21T07:45:00.000-07:002007-09-27T10:09:05.062-06:00

SLCSo here I am waiting in a line. Something I'll probably be doing a lot of over the next week.Today marks my first official day of Sundance. And, of course, it's already been anything but dull. Rising at 5:30a to camp out for day-of-show tickets (as necessitated by the fact that when we committed to doing Sundance the passes were sold out and we weren't able to get a slot for locals-only

Guntherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14684681146019202972noreply@blogger.com0