Ramos Sundance 2005

WHAT DO SUNDANCE CRITICS FIGHT OVER?

2005-01-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

The idea of a Sundance Festival film embraced by everyone is a common myth. The truth is that challenging movies like director Michael Winterbottom’s hardcore love story ‘9 Songs’ and director Gregg Araki’s emotionally wrenching family drama ‘Mysterious Skin’ split audiences because of their daring content. Even the big money deal film as well as the top film with 2005 festival audiences — writer/director Craig Brewer’s Memphis-set drama ‘Hustle & Flow,’ about a pimp trying to become a successful Rapper, has yet to win over the hearts and minds of critics who take issue with its pat finale and clumsy melodrama.
Still, the film usually has to finish for the critical debates to begin. The dramatic exception at this year’s festival is director John Maybury’s supernatural thriller ‘The Jacket,’ starring Adrien Brody as a battle-scarred Gulf War veteran who ends up in a mental asylum.
An army of critics swarmed the makeshift screening room; a small conference room at Park City’s Yarrow Hotel and many were turned away. An early arrival — young male critic who left his coat on a chair — returned to find a woman critic sitting on his coat. He asked her to leave his seat. Because the space was already full, she refused. Then, the pre-show entertainment began, a fight over a chair in a sold-out press screening.
“Who are you?” he screamed in her face. “Who are you to move someone’s coat and take their seat? I have to review this and you are going to cost me my job.”
The woman continued sitting without saying a word. The festival volunteers acted like UN Peacekeepers, meaning they watched from the sidelines and refused to intervene. The film’s publicists stayed outside the room. After a couple minutes of screaming, another audience member got up and offered the steaming critic his seat, right next door to the seat-stealing woman.
Later, after the screening, nobody bothered to debate the qualities of Maybury’s thriller. Instead, the focus was on the off-screen blow up, a high voltage battle for a chair.

THE DIRTIEST (AND FUNNIEST) JOKE EVER

2005-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

An army of comics offer their takes on — what they consider in their insiders opinions — is the dirtiest, most scatological joke in stand up, the description of the filthiest act imaginable to a talent agent.
Co-directors Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette, the large, loud member of the comedy team Penn & Teller, dig up the genealogy of this classic dirty joke but their documentary ‘The Aristocrats’ is the rowdiest, raunchiest, laugh-at-loud funny history lesson you’ll ever experience.
‘The Aristocrats’ is as raw as the joke it follows and reconstructs. Its visuals are threadbare. The camerawork is a static set up of its many talking heads. The editing is matter of fact, nothing more than a straightforward series of face-the-camera interviews and performances by a Who’s Who of comics and comic writers.
The first variety show documentary, some of the ‘Aristocrats' performances are better than others. The standout is Gilbert Gottfried, who tells the joke at the Friar’s Roast of Hugh Hefner in New York City in Sept. 2001.
While the trademark Sundance documentary remains a sociopolitical film like director Eugene Jarecki’s fascinating documentary ‘Why We Fight,’ about the influence of the military industrial complex on the Iraq War, ‘The Aristocrats’ reminds us that a documentary can still succeed with nothing more than a fantastic joke. In the case of ‘The Aristocrats,' the joke also happens to be the filthiest gag imaginable.

THE REDDEST SUNDANCE MOVIE EVER: JUNEBUG

2005-01-26T14:22:00.000-08:00

After attacking Senator John Kerry during the election for his close relationship with artists and entertainers, it’s clear that Pres. Bush is no fan of Hollywood. If Pres. Bush is no fan of Hollywood, then he certainly wants nothing to do with the Sundance Film Festival. Yet, he is here — at least onscreen — in director Eugene Jarecki’s fascinating documentary ‘Why We Fight,’ about the influence of the military industrial complex on the Iraq War.
The results of the recent U.S. Presidential election divide the country into red (Conservative Republican) and blue (Liberal Democratic) states but there are only blue films at Sundance like ‘Why We Fight,’ a film that’s clear in its attacks against Bush’s Iraqi War policies. At least, that was the case until the Jan. 25 screening of the “reddest” film in Sundance history: Director Phil Morrison’s engaging Southern drama ‘Junebug.’
In ‘Junebug,’ Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz), a pretty Chicago gallery owner who deals in outsider art accompanies her new husband George (Alessandro Nivola) to North Carolina to meet a rural painter. While there, they decide to visit his family, conservative, Christians who instantly clash with Madeleine.
The Sundance storytelling formulas before ‘Junebug’ are clear. Liberals are good and tolerant. Conservatives are rigid and bad. Working from Angus MacLachlan’s script, Morrison proves himself to be the most accepting of any Sundance director in recent memory, and perhaps, more tolerant than many of the festival audiences.
George’s ultra-right family is shown honestly, flaws and all, but ultimately in a positive light as they strive to accept their son’s big city, college-educated, arty wife. George, played with charisma by Nivola, may be the most attractive conservative ever to appear on film. When George sings a gospel hymn at a church potluck, you cringe, because, well, that’s not something we expect from the leading men in American independent dramas. ‘Junebug’ reminds us that tolerance goes both ways. Sundance filmmakers would never dream about portraying Muslim Americans as terrorist villains. It’s worth remembering that the Southern, conservative Christians also deserve fair and balanced portrayals. Imagine: the reddest film at Sundance, the surprising ‘Junebug’ is also one of this year’s best.

Gift House Confidential

2005-01-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

The nightmare for publicists who’ve come to the Sundance Film Festival carrying bags of promotional goods — Ipods, Xboxes, Motorola V3 Razr phones, Levi’s jeans and Timberland boots — to stock the many “gift houses” — is that their buzz building and star photo ops might turn out disastrously.
True story: Actress Lisa Kudrow and the rest of the ensemble cast of the opening night 2005 Sundance Film Festival film ‘Happy Endings’ stayed close to the swag — short for stolen without a gun —by conducting their interviews at a well-stocked gift house located at a ski resort outside Park City. Asked by a rep if she wanted a bottle of Aquafina water (one of many corporate sponsors in town) while looking over the promotional freebies, Kudrow answered yes. The overzealous rep spun around and hit Kudrow in the head with the bottle, knocking off the bottle cap and drenching the former TV “friend.” When it came time for Kudrow to hold up the bottle of Aquafina water for a photo, the rep didn’t even bother to ask.

The Big Deal - 'Hustle & Flow'

2005-01-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

The morning of Jan. 24 began with news of the largest deal in Sundance Film Festival history — Paramount Picture’s $16 million buy for writer/director Craig Brewer’s Memphis drama Hustle & Flow, about a pimp (Terrence Howard) trying to leave change his life and become a Rapper.
The big money deal - $9 million acquisition for Hustle & Flow and a commitment to finance two more of producer John Singleton’s films at $3.5 million each — was finalized in the early hours and Brewer’s heavy eyes reflect someone who’s been up all night.
But lack of sleep did not stop Brewer and his leads, Howard and Taryn Manning, from celebrating the film’s good fortunes in an early afternoon interview.
“We have climbed the mountain,” Howards said, with a preacher’s passion. “Like all trips up the mountain, it is hard and painful. You fall down a number of times. But once you’re on top, and you look down on the valley where you were before, it’s worth everything. We (Hustle & Flow) have the biggest sale in Sundance history — end of story.”

The New New David Schwimmer

2005-01-25T10:51:00.000-08:00

For an established “friend” like David Schwimmer, at the fest with director Matt Mulhern’s life adrift drama ‘Duane Hopwoood,’ he comes to Sundance with little to prove in terms of career success. His goal is convince festival audiences of his dramatic potential, playing a divorced alcoholic as scruffy as the casual jeans and boots he wears for an afternoon interview.
Asked if comic actors like himself are well equipped to handle the demands of drama, Schwimmer answers with a resounding yes.
“I believe that,” he says, smiling. “I know that comedy is not something you can learn. It’s innate. It’s about timing and I believe that a comic actor can do drama. I directed a TV pilot last year and I learned firsthand that you can’t teach comedy to a dramatic actor if they don’t already have that talent within.”

Friends Forever: Naomi Watts and Rebecca Rigg in ‘Ellie Parker’

2005-01-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

The story of Ellie Parker, a struggling L.A. actress trying to further her career, first came to Sundance in 2001 as a short film. Watts was not yet the star that she is today and the small movie generated little attention. Flash forward three years later and Watts’ showbiz clout enables her to re-team with friends Scott Coffey (Ellie Parker’s director) and longtime friend and actress Rebecca Rigg, for a feature-length treatment of Parker’s tale of humiliating auditions. This time, everyone is paying attention.
“This film is not my diary per se,” Watts says, sitting alongside Rigg. “But I’ve been on auditions like Ellie’s. It’s hard and humiliating but I promised myself I wouldn’t return to Australia with my tail between my legs.”

David Schwimmer (right) joins his Duane Hopwood director Matt Mulhern to promote his Sundance drama

2005-01-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

DSCN1737
Originally uploaded by billbullock.

Longtime friends Naomi Watts and Rebecca King star in the showbiz comedy Ellie Parker

2005-01-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Longtime friends Naomi Watts and Rebecca King star in the showbiz comedy Ellie Parker
Originally uploaded by billbullock.

Festival crowds outside the Holiday Village cinemas

2005-01-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

DSCN1721
Originally uploaded by billbullock.

Three on the Fence: Director Alice Wu and costars Michelle Krusiec and Lynn Chen break out with 'Saving Face'

2005-01-25T09:43:00.000-08:00

Veteran actress Joan Chen (The Last Emperor) may be the famous face that brings a marquee boost to the bouncy mother/daughter drama Saving Grace but it’s more about the next generation of Asian American film talent. Michelle Krusiec, who plays Wilhemina “Wil” Pang, the high-achieving daughter of widow Ma (Joan Chen), and co-star Lynn Chen, as Vivian Shing, a pretty ballet dancer who captures Will’s heart, are enjoying breakout roles for the first time in their young careers.
Will hides the fact she is a lesbian from her mother, grandparents the entire close knit Asian community of Flushing, Queens where they live, which speaks directly to the life experience of Saving Face’s debut filmmaker Alice Wu, who based the script on her own coming out experiences with her mother.
At an afternoon interview with her pretty costars, Wu laughs about snowboarding lessons and jewelry. All three of them are excited about the positive response to the film from Sundance Festival audiences. What has Wu worried is the response from her family.
“My biggest fear is how my mom’s friends are going to take this film because I am writing about characters I really love and at the same time I grew up in a very strict Confucius household and one of the greatest sins you could do is reveal any secrets about your family.
But I am also writing about acceptance and no matter who you are — Asian or white, gay or straight, everyone wants to love.”

Another Unhappy Sundance Opening

2005-01-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Another Unhappy Sundance Opening: ‘Happy Endings’ launches the 2005 festival with a misfire

Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal is the brightest star of the opening night 2005 Sundance Film Festival film, writer/director Don Roos’ overreaching ensemble drama ‘Happy Endings’ but a report in the Jan. 20 issue of ‘Daily Variety’ focuses on the studio side of her career. Gyllenhaal will soon star opposite Will Ferrell in ‘Stranger Than Fiction,’ a Marc Forster-directed comedy scheduled to begin production in April.
Gyllenhaal is a good example of the key industry “dance” behind Sundance, the constant jog made by actors, both upcoming and veteran, between smaller, independent films and larger, more mainstream studio features.
A handful of promising stories are squeezed into the sloppy and chaotic ‘Happy Endings,’ a L.A.-set ensemble drama as sprawling as its Southern California surroundings.
A single woman (Lisa Kudrow) partners with a student filmmaker (Jesse Bradford) to learn about the baby she gave up for adoption a long time ago. A gay man (Steve Coogan) goes to extremes to determine if his partner is the father of a lesbian couple’s baby.
Gyllenhaal makes good use of her tomboy appearance and winsome smile as the singer in a start up band who sleeps with its sexually confused drummer (Jason Ritter) and his wealthy father (Tom Arnold). ‘Happy Endings’ jumps a notch every time Gyllenhaal appears but she alone can’t salvage Roos’ runaway train of a film, a jumbled feature with half the spark of his previous drama, another Sundance entry, ‘The Opposite of Sex.’
Roos lets loose a barrage of last-act secrets, high pitch melodrama and messy attempts at closure for each of the film’s small dramas. What it lacks is intimacy, a key ingredient for any filmmaker attempting to capture the subtleties of humanity.

Opening Day starts busy at the Sundance Film Festival HQ

2005-01-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

Pack Your Sundance Bags

2005-01-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

Pack Your Sundance Bags

Dateline: Park City, Utah

For a publicist, packing for the Sundance Film Festival means confirming that the mountains of swag — short for stolen without a gun — and bags of promotional freebies arrive in Park City by day one so the film buzz building and critic campaigning can begin in earnest.
For established stars like Pierce Brosnan, at the fest with the hit man drama 'The Matador', and Kevin Costner, here to promote his romantic comedy 'The Upside of Anger', it’s recommended that they pack their scruffiest jeans and snow boots in order to emphasize their newfound sense of independent grit.
Sundance packing for Dayton, Ohio filmmaker Selena Burks, who comes to Park City for the first time in support of her documentary short 'Saving Jackie', covers more than just clothes and a toothbrush. Her top accessory is her short film, and the festival’s requirement that 'Saving Jackie' be available for screenings on High Definition Video created a race to finish the film in time.
Burks completed the new dub of 'Saving Jackie', about her troubled relationship with her crack addict mother, thanks to fundraising support from Dayton organizations and use of editing facilities at Columbus’ Wexner Center for the Arts.
“I don’t think it will hit me until I’m standing at the festival itself,” Burks said, speaking recently from her Dayton home about getting into Sundance.
Her film finally finished to Sundance standards, Burks can now focus on other things, like how many pairs of jeans to pack and what to do once she arrives in Park City in a few days.

— Steve Ramos