I Love You Phillip Morris

EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITY

This 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 with Ashton and Demi getting mobbed by a crowd of mostly screaming teenage girls).

So what is this film about? Well, it's an improbable but true story of a spectacularly charismatic and resourceful con-man’s journey from small-town cop to flamboyant white-collar criminal. Created by the guys who brought you Bad Santa, what lands on screen is truly stranger than fiction. It's a comedy. It's a love story. And you never really know where it's going to go next. When a local Texas policeman, Steve Russell (Carrey), turns to cons and fraud to allow him to change his lifestyle, his subsequent stay in the state penitentiary results in his meeting the love of his life, a sensitive fellow inmate named Phillip Morris (McGregor). What ensues can only be described as a relentless quest as Russell attempts escape after escape and executes con after con, all in the name of love. And yes, it features many scenes of Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor making out and otherwise getting it on.

I'll admit I have mixed feelings about this film. I came in with low expectations, primarily because I've been burned far too often by films that bank on people being drawn by the idea of two brand-name male actors humping each other. But the film doesn't use anything like that as a crutch and I found myself genuinely enjoying the film for the most part. I wouldn't say it was way up there on my top films of the fest, but it exceeded expectations and I wouldn't be adverse to watching it again. It does help to be in a theater with 1200 people, most of whom are friends of those involved with the film.

Endgame

Jonny Lee Miller, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Pete Travis take audience questions

EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITY

The 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 events, this film follows the struggle from Nelson Mandela’s prison, to Botha’s chambers, to ANC headquarters, and, to the car of a British businessman. Consolidated Gold, a British mining company, is convinced that a peaceful resolution to the conflict in South Africa serves their interests. Thus, they initiate covert, unofficial talks between the opposing sides while bombs continue to destroy civilians. "Endgame" chronicles these talks where Michael Young, Consolidated’s head of public affairs, pushes a reluctant group to confront intractable obstacles in the way of reconciliation.

From director Pete Travis, this film is not an action movie. This is first and foremost about the history of South Africa, the fall of apartheid and the steps taken to resolve the conflict between the ANC and the white government. While strong performances abound from the likes of William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jonny Lee Miller, you're not going to walk away feeling like you really saw the true Mandela or really dug deep into the psyche of those involved.

Calling it a night

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.

The Yes Men Fix the World

The Yes Men, along with one of their Haliburton natural disaster suits, answer questions following the screening

ECCLES THEATRE, PARK CITY

Back 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, they're a pair of activists who look to call attention to the ridiculous nature of various corporate and political positions through targeted "pranks." These pranks typically take the form of them posing as spokespeople for these organizations at conferences and other events where they take the stance that they believe that organization should be holding. Examples? Going live on the BBC News as a spokesperson for Dow Chemical to "take full responsibility for Bhopal" and promise to spend upwards of 12 billion dollars to compensate people affected by what was the largest industrial accident in history. Or posing as guys from Exxon at a national petroleum conference where they presented new technology that would convert dead human beings into fuel to reduce dependency on oil. The thing about these stunts is that generally no one realizes that they're not who they say they are. What's worse is that many people who are on the wrong end of the pranks actually think their ideas or decent. When presenting a new Haliburton product to a large group of insurance industry people designed to withstand nearly every conceivable natural disaster (it's basically a giant inflatable sphere costing an exorbitant amount of money), people think it's a great idea. The point of all these stunts is to open people's eyes to how crazy things have gotten with the "free market" and the corporate world in general. Anyone who's looking in from the outside is in for a good laugh laced with disbelief, but the wanted impacted amongst those they're targeting is virtually nonexistent.

Though not the first documentary to highlight their work, this film is really a chance for the Yes Men to tell their own story. Mostly, though mixed with plenty of humor, it's a depressing commentary on our current world of corporate greed, government mismanagement and human suffering. However, they manage to turn things around to a very positive place by the end and really make you feel like there's hope for "saving the world." Any self-respecting left-leaner will find this film eye-opening.

Learn more at http://www.theyesmen.org/theyesmenfixtheworld

"The Yes Men Fix the World" was preceded by "Joel Stein's Completely Unfabricated Adventures," a short film documentary that runs a quick pass at the new and somewhat controversial Orange County toilet-to-tap program. It's a comic, animated look at Stein's visit to an OC water treatment plant to learn about the process and sample processed water.

Cold Souls

Paul Giamatti, director Sophie Barthes and other cast and crew from "Cold Souls"

LIBRARY THEATRE, PARK CITY

Now 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 from the role. His agent turns him onto soul storage, a new service in which the soul is removed from the body and stored, leaving the person feeling light and unburdened. Unfortunately it also has side effects, ultimately leading Paul to "try out" the imported soul of a Russian poet. This works wonders for his Vanya, but causes much internal struggle that ultimately leads him to demand his original soul back, with all its weight and imperfections. But the soul has gone missing. Thus we tumble into a world of soul trafficking, soul "mules" and an exploration of what a soul is really worth.

The film, despite its crazy premise, is actually quite believable. The concepts are equally absurd to the characters as they are to the audience, so suspension of disbelief comes easily. There are echoes of familiar absurdest fare such as Being John Malkovich, but the inspiration ultimately comes much more from French surrealist cinema. It's a good ride that doesn't screw too much with your head and is easily likened to a strange dream that seemed all too real - not a stretch considering the original inspiration for the film came when Barthes had a dream one night several years back where she and Woody Allen found themselves going through their own soul extraction procedures.

The ending comes a bit abruptly and without a lot of closure, but that doesn't much sour the film.

Afghan Star

Director Havana Marking and "Afghan Star" host Daoud Siddique take questions

RACQUET CLUB, PARK CITY

Just 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 cut before the final round. But the canvas on which the stories are painted are markedly different from what those of us in the West are familiar with. The country is divided amongst many ethnic groups and each supports their own "star." The Taliban decries that all cell phone networks in "sensitive areas" be shut down at night, effectively cutting off voting for the show which is done via SMS. When one woman dares to dance as part of her song on the program, she receives many death threats and is unable to return to her home for nearly three months due to safety concerns. Dancing of any kind is ultimately banned from television. Fear is constant and the show, then in its third season, is nearly shut down on several occasions. But the show is extremely popular, drawing viewership from a third of the country for its final showdown episode. People cross ethnic boundaries, voting for singers who come from backgrounds different from their own. It's even rumored that members of the Taliban have texted in some votes. Unifying a diverse country takes unorthodox means, and it's clear that "Afgan Star" is a strong force in that battle.

For the Q&A following the film, director Havana Marking was joined by Daoud Siddique, the host of "Afghan Star," who had come all the way from Afghanistan to see the film screen at Sundance.

"Afghan Star" was preceded by a short film entitled "Theresa's Story," which explores the unique storytelling abilities of young children. The film was quite non-traditional, employing a technique where two different tellings of the same story by a particular child were placed side by side and overlaid in audio. The rest was mass confusion, punctuated by the fact that the audience couldn't figure out that the short had ended until titles for "Afghan Star" appeared on the screen. Interesting, but it managed to convey little or nothing to the audience. So much for storytelling.

Dead Snow

Cast and crew of Dead Snow talk about the film

EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITY

A 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 films that sounded worthwhile and, well, I couldn't pass this one up.

The basic premise: At the close of WWII, Nazi soldiers near the snowy village of Øksfjord were driven into the hills by an angry mob where they supposedly froze to death, never to be seen again. In the present day, eight medical students take a ski trip, fueled by mostly beer, to these same hills. Raucous behavior and promiscuity of this younger generation raise some evil spirits and... well... soon you have machine guns strapped to snowmobiles and undead Nazis being blown sky-high. Will anyone make it through the night alive?

As one of the senior Sundance programmers said while introducing the film, "if you're queasy at the sight of blood, this ain't the film for you." The filmmakers used over 450 litres of blood to create a horror film that harkens back to the feel of those created in the 1980s: little substance and a lot of slashing. The film is spiced with a number of great moments of homage to other horror films.

Where else other than Sundance can you expect to see such cinema?

Check out the trailer and more at http://www.dodsno.no/

Screening prior to "Dead Snow" came a fantastic short horror film from Jason Eisner entitled "Treevenge." The basic premise? After years of being brutally sawed down and forced to endue tinsel and ornaments, Christmas trees take matters into their own hands and fight back. Gallons of blood ensue.

You can find out more at http://www.treevenge.com/

It's now past 3am and my next screening is at 8:30. Time for some sleep.