Sundance Ends

In case you missed it, you better read my Sundance wrapup. I talk about award winners and some stuff that was good that didn't win awards. Exciting stuff.

You may also like to re-read my previous Sundance coverage, including my mid-festival mopery and IN capsule reviews.

I'm always interested in how the jury reacts to Sundance's odd tendancy to play "One of These Things is Not Like the Other" and break their implied programming guidelines. In general, Sundance focuses on lesser-known filmmakers for its competition categories, while they place the bigger names in Premieres and Spectrum (formerly American Spectrum, and for a year or two they created American Showcase, so that American Spectrum could devote itself to small films that didn't make competition while Showcase highlighted established talent). For example, this year's documentaries by Morgan Spurlock and Stacy Peralta were in Spectrum this year because "Super-Size Me" and "Dog Town and Z-Boys were already Sundance hits.

But Sundance programmers occasionaly break this rule. Indie celeb Steve Buscemi made the competition with "Lonesome Jim" a few years back. David Gordon Green is always in competition as part of Sundance's penance for the infamous and unforgivable "George Washington" snub. This year, Sundance put "Sugar" in competition, even though it was by the talented duo behind "Half Nelson" (see previous entry). These films rarely win awards, although "All the Real Girls" did receive a Special Jury Prize. It could be the jury didn't think the films were as good, but in the case of this year's selections, "Sugar" easily deserved recognition over crap like "Anywhere, USA ."

If you were a jury member at Sundance, would you feel obliged to pick the best films for awards, or to draw attention to independent filmmaking? It's kind of tricky, really.

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'Parnassus' is Go

According to the film's producers and Phil at Dreams, Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" will resume its production schedule very soon. All of the late, great Heath Ledger's performance filmed prior to his death will remain in tact. The film's shooting schedule was such that all the material previously shot in London took place on "real" earth, while the remaining soundstage footage takes place in a fantasy world. Ledger's character also wears a series of disguises during the film, which lends itself to the recasting process.

The film's official website launched today, too (whereby "launched" I mean, "they put up a 'coming soon' marker").

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Obama wins Missouri

CNN doesn't have the balls to call it yet, but I do.

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Sundance Reliables Satisfy, but I'm Still Bummed

Two of the best films at Sundance have come from already established names. Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden cemented themselves as first-rate creators of emotionally affecting character studies with their follow-up to 2006's "Half Nelson," "Sugar." And Austrian Michael Haneke, a giant who has established himself over the past few decades as a purveyor of endlessly fascinating cinematic reflection, unveiled his English-language remake of his 1997 film "Funny Games."

"Sugar" follows the coming-of-age of a baseball player for the Dominican Republic who carries with him the dream of his nation. Every major league team from the United States has a farm camp in the country, where they develop talented players who hope to go to the United States and work their way up from the minor leagues. Sugar is the most promising young pitcher of his group, and is confident that he can conquer America. But this isn't a traditional sports movie with a grand big game and a dramatic finish—it's about a young man who still hasn't found himself, who tries to make his way in a foreign land.

Fleck and Boden understand the immigrant experience and the lives of players whose immense talent sadly might not be enough to carry them to a lucrative career. Some men from Sugar's town have already made it to the states, and wound up right back where they are. Unknown actor Algenis Perez Soto provides a remarkable performance, proving that the two knock-out performances from "Half Nelson" were no fluke.

Haneke's new "Funny Games" is just as challenging and disturbing as the original. Haneke turns his thriller of cruel torture into a satirical commentary on the material and the viewer's desires. While some might argue that it's pointless to remake a film in English, Haneke's shocking style and the brilliant cast, particularly Michael Pitt, definitely make it worth while.

While I'm happy to have seen films as good as "Sugar" and "Funny Games," I can't help but be disappointed in the festival as a whole. I already knew Fleck and Boden could make a great film, and in the case of "Funny Games" I even knew the specific brilliance of Haneke's conceit. Two years ago, I had a real Sundance experience when I stumbled into "Half Nelson" expecting nothing. I'm glad "Sugar didn't disappoint, but am sad that so many of the unknown filmmakers' work did. Sundance is supposed to be a festival of discoveries, but for these titles, but I already had a roadmap.

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Sundance Films to Avoid Like the Plague

If you are presented with the opportunity to see these titles, run the fuck away.

"Love Comes Lately" is about a self-obsessed acclaimed old writer who can't write for shit. His stories are every bit as boring and trite as his life.

Michael Keaton's "The Merry Gentlemen" sends out a wave of depression with its unimaginative and inexplicable direction. The acting might have pulled it through, if only the characters hadn't been so poorly conceived.

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Sundance's Refrain: 'Nothing Great'

"Nothing Great." This is the most common response I hear when I ask my fellow Sundance FIlm Festivaleers what they've seen so far. But that doesn't mean everything is middle of the road. There are plenty of films that I have outright hated, and plenty that were good, but "nothing great."

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Sundance Begins

The Sundance festival is just barely underway, but I've already witnessed a car accident and seen a few good films.

The festival opener, "In Bruges," which I reviewed for Film Threat, is one of the best films I've ever seen at the festival on opening night. That might not say a whole lot, but that doesn't mean the film isn't a great dark comedy.

I wrote a helpful guide to stereotyping your fellow festival-goers and participated in IN's staff's most-anticipated films list, even though I find it's best not to anticipate anything at Sundance, other than that you'll be surprised.

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I Moved, Don't Have the Internet and Sundance is Coming

I moved on Thursday and have since been living a sad, cold, Internet-less existence. It's a lonely world when you aren't wired to everyone else. I'll try to catch up on what I missed (including the apparent death knell for HD DVD) before Sundance starts.

In the last issue of IN, I turned in a second year-end column that touched on my favorite moments. I also lamented the awkward "Romance and Cigarettes."

This week's issue tackles Sundance, but not all the stories seem to be online. Yet they are, if you look in the archive section. I looked over the track record from Sundances past and compared the Salt Lake City and Park City festivals. My column is a list of my favorite films that came out of Sundance's Dramatic Competition category. I'm sure I left out some great ones, but that's how it goes some times. (Sorry, "Manda Bala." On the bright side, you didn't qualify for this list.)

It has the wrong rating on it, by my review of "The Orphanage" should reflect my admiration for the film. I also reviewed "Youth Without Youth," but that's not coming out this weekend any more so I guess we'll pretend that I never wrote about it at all.

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How Does It Feel? Like 2007 Rocked

It's official. Todd Haynes's "I'm Not There" is at the top of my best films of 2007 list. Check it out.

I also reviewed the sometimes outstanding and sometimes obnoxious"Juno" and Mark Forster's increasingly ridiculous "The Kite Runner."

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Utah Film Critics Association announces year-end awards

You'll see my own best-of next week, but here's where my organization landed:

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Juno
 
Best Achievement in Directing: Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
 
Best Lead Performance, Male: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
 
Best Lead Performance, Female: Ellen Page, Juno
Runner-up: Amy Adams, Enchanted
 
Best Supporting Performance, Female: Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Runner-up: Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
 
Best Supporting Performance, Male: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
 
Best Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Diablo Cody, Juno
 
Best Documentary Feature: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Runner-up: My Kid Could Paint That
 
Best Animated Feature: Ratatouille
Runner-up: The Simpsons Movie
 
Best Non-English Language Feature: The Host
Runner-up: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
 
Utah Film Critics Association Top 10 Films of 2007 (alphabetical):
3:10 to Yuma
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
No Country for Old Men
I’m Not There
Into the Wild
Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Once
There Will Be Blood

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Need Gifts? Need estranged sisters? Need Cox?

I've met all my holiday deadlines and fulfilled all my voting obligations, and then slept for a very long time. If you haven't seen it yet, you don't have much time to read my holiday gift guide for film snobs, part of IN's last-minute gift issue.

You should also check out my reviews of Noah Baumbach's "Margot at the Wedding," which features Nicole Kidman in one of the best performances of the year, and "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," a hilarious parody in which John C. Reilly reveals he can sing like nobody's business.

And, don't forget my column about how much motion capture sucks.

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WTF? 12 Best Picture Nominees and No 'Knocked Up'

Judd Apatow's "Knocked Up" received exactly zero Golden Globe nominations. No nomination for its brilliant screenplay or direction. No nomination for Seth Rogen's breakout performance or Paul Rudd's endlessly surprising supporting role.

There must have been a three-way tie for fifth place in the Golden Globes' Best Picture - Drama category, as there are seven nominees: "American Gangster," "Atonement," "Eastern Promises," "The Great Debaters," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood."

With all of those out of the way, you'd think there would be room for "Knocked Up." But the Best Picture - Musical or Comedy category only includes "Across the Universe," "Charlie Wilson's War," "Hairspray," "Juno" and "Sweeney Todd." Why not have six films in this category and nominate one of the funniest and most observant films of the year?

PS Casey Affleck is the lead in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."

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AMPTP for Fake

Can you tell which of these sites is the real home of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and which is a fake (perhaps created by WGA strikers)?

www.amptp.org
www.amptp.com

Be sure to read the FAQ.

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Awards Announced

The first set of critics awards has been coming in this weekend. The New York Film Critics Circle heavily favors the Coen Brothers' "No Country for Old Men," while the Los Angeles Film Critics Association favors Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood," which the New York critics honored with Best Actor and Best Cinematographer. The Boston Society of FIlm Critics also favored "No Country," and gave Best Director to LA's most popular runner-up, Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."

Amy Ryan took the treble with the supporting actress awards from all three organizations for "Gone Baby Gone" (LA also included her work in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"). Other recurring names include Marion Cotillard in "La Vie En Rose (Best Actress in Boston and LA), Persepolis (Best Animated Film in Boston and LA (tied with "Ratatouille"), "Ratatouille" (Best Animated Film in LA (tie) and Best Screenplay in Boston. Janusz Kaminski's cinematography in "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" won top notice from Boston and LA, while Robert Elwit's work in "There Will Be Blood" was New York's top choice and LA's runner-up. Javier Bardem won Best Supporting Actor for "No Country for Old Men" in New York and Boston, but LA conspicuously snubbed the Coens' film in all categories.

New York and LA both went with Sarah Polley's "Away from Her" in their award for young filmmakers, while Boston favored Ben Affleck's impressive "Gone Baby Gone" for its new filmmaker award.

My favorites? I'm still rewatching some stuff (Utah Critics vote next week), but for the most part all these organizations picked respectable contenders.

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Ever Launched a Format Before You Finished It?

Gizmondo has provided an excellent rundown of the current state of the HD DVD format, to compliment their state of Blu-ray Disc piece from last month.

As you may remember, I recently declared my love for HD DVD (as well as my timidity and frustration—thanks format war!) in a column. Gizmondo's enlightening rundowns only make me more confident in the future success of HD DVD. The HD DVD piece juxtaposes the slick and agreed-upon HD DVD standard with the still-in-the-air features of Blu-ray, whose various manufacturers can't agree on anything. A comparison of the user experience of the "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" discs is most enlightening.

"Never mind that you could watch the entire HD DVD with pop-up actor-commentary windows on screen—if Warner had implemented this in the Harry Potter Blu-ray, it would have been compatible with exactly one currently shipping Blu-ray player.

The surprising thing was, even when you compared the exact same experiences, the HD DVD behaved much better. Every so often an icon appears in the top left corner of the screen, indicating a behind-the-scenes featurette about that particular scene. On the HD DVD, you click it, watch what you want to, then click Enter again to return to the point you left off in the main movie. With the Blu-ray, the system had no way of returning you to the movie; it could only dump you in the featurette menu, where you were stuck watching more of those."

Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go in the format war, but it's clear that Blu-ray can no longer be painted as the runaway winner.

And at the current bargain prices available from retailers like Amazon.com, you can get an HD DVD player for similar prices to up-converting DVD players. I'm routinely impress by how well my HD-A3 plays standard-definition DVDs on my HDTV.

NOTE: The Amazon deal linked above now charges $50 more for the player and gives two fewer free discs than it did a short while ago. And it's still a good deal.

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This Compass Points in All Sorts of Directions

When viewed with the wrong attitude, all fantasy is nonsense. Elves, witches, wizards—these things don't exist in real life, and certain people refuse to accept them as fictional constructs as well. These certain people I speak of are rubes, churls, killjoys. So why did writer/director Chris Weitz feel the need to give them "The Golden Compass?" The film lets them sit back and smirk—the film makes their argument for them.

While I'm unfamiliar with Philip Pullman's popular and controversial source novel, there's no denying that the resulting film adaptation is pure nonsense—nonsense posing as repetitive exposition, nonsense disguised as bad computer animation, nonsense as the basis for a cursory plot. The movie takes place in a parallel universe, see, and the worlds are connected through dust. I'd be happy to leave it at that, but the characters are obsessed with it. They want to kill the dust or love the dust or moisten the dust, depending on their outlook and circumstances.

I didn't care about the dust, I just wanted to know what the people in the story felt and what they were trying to accomplish. It's apparent enough that young Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) is simultaneously running from Miss Coulter (Nicole Kidman), and trying to rescue her friend Roger (Ben Walker), whom Miss Coulter kidnapped. But why exactly is Miss Coulter kidnapping children all the time? To stop the dust, of course.

Miss Coulter is part of the Magesterium, a government organizations who believes they can do whatever they want, but that everyone else shouldn't be afforded the same right. That's all well and good, but the film rushes through the story so quickly that we don't really feel any impact of the oppression. Even the kidnapping is glossed over.

In story's universe, souls are on the outside of bodies instead of the inside. They take the form of poorly computer-animated animals called daemons who have an uncanny knack for stating the obvious. For example, if I lived in this universe and some thugs jumped me in an alleyway, stabbed me, and stole my money, my little chipmunk daemon might declare, "Psst. Hey Jeremy—those people weren't very nice! They stabbed you and stole your money. Also, we're in an alleyway. They jumped you. They looked like thugs to me."

Lyra's shape-shifting daemon, Pan (voiced by Freddie Highmore), excels in this exercise. When Lyra tries to infiltrate an evil lair, he lets his human counterpart know that she shouldn't use her real name. When a character says something that Lyra and the audience know to be untrue, he pipes in, "Liar!"

To aid her in her voyage, Lyra meets a group of anti-Magisterium sea folks, an aeronaut named Lee (Sam Elliot) and a drunken polar bear named Lorek (voiced by Ian McKellen). The quality of Lorek's CG animation almost equals that of the Coca Cola bear. Polar bears don't have daemons, they have armor. When Lyra meets Lorek, he doesn't have his armor because the townsfolk stole it.

Luckily, Lyra has the only golden compass in the world, and is the only person who can read it. She asks it a question, the compass answers by pointing at a bunch of symbols. Turns out her ability to read it fulfills a prophesy or something—whatever, let's keep the plot moving. Where is the armor? Ih the town's most heavily guarded building—what a surprise. With a remarkable disregard for character explanation or storytelling, the film rushes through the motions of Lorek's transformation with the disinterest of a grade schooler writing a report on Andrew Jackson.

The film treats all its developments with the same slap-dash lack of wonder. Eva Green appears twice as a witch who, I'm told, wore very little clothes in the book. In the movie, we don't see enough of her, in both senses of the phrase. It's too bad, as Green's saucy persona might have brought a bit of liveliness to the sterile proceedings. And when a story like this is told without passion, it turns out looking like a bunch of nonsense.

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Sundance Selections, Snubbed Oscar Docs, Women in Film, etc.

I haven't been feeling up to updating this rickety old blog, but I have been able to write columns, including a brief rundown of Sundance's lineup, the five best Oscar-snubbed documentaries of 2007, the obsession with seeing Natalie Portman naked, my enthusiasm for HD DVD, the writers strike, a look at the justifiably delayed release of "Home of the Brave", and Jeff Robinov's decree that no woman will star in a Warner Bros. film.

I also wrote reviews of the mediocre "Martian Child" and the unbearable "August Rush".

Enjoy!

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Lame Movie Theater Entertainment, Some Movies That Aren't Lame

My column covers the latest pre-movie entertainment at the old Megaplex theater chain.

And I also reviewed these movies:

"Into the Wild" ***1/2

"Lars and the Real Girl" ***

"Dan in Real Life" ***

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A Bit of Time in Chicago

So I ended up in Chicago last weekend, saw a few movies about its International Film Festival and wrote my column about it.

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Not Quite Dead

Well, I'm finally feeling much better than I was, having overcome the worst part of mononucleosis, which I've had for the past couple months. There are many interesting movies and other items from the dead-air interval that I hope to discuss, but let's start with the columns and reviews I managed to file during my illness. In general, the writing process was similar to my usual method. I passed out, my head on the keyboard, and ran a word count when I woke up. If the article wasn't long enough yet, I passed out again.

Enjoy!

Columns
Wilder's "Ace in the Hole" makes it to DVD at long last

Digital not there yet

Summer recap

Kenneth Branaugh's "Hamlet" makes it to DVD [NOTE: The headline claim of the DVD matching the film's native "resolution" is incorrect—70-mm film his much higher res.]

Get thee to a DVD release!"

The Iraq movies of the prestige season

Summer movies not about Iraq

An airline movie bill? Please let it prevent airlines from showing movies!


Reviews
Apatow and Rogen continue their roll with "Superbad"

"Becoming Jane": Kinda like a Jane Austen novel, but boring

Frank Oz delivers a harmless but less-than-hilarious farce in "Death at a Funeral"

"No End in Sight" an engaging modern history lesson.

James Mangold helms a traditional western with great performances in "3:10 to Yuma"

"In the Vally of Elah" Features a great performance and a forced third act

"Feast of Love" sucks

So does "The Game Plan"

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