I'm sure you're thinking, a guy from Colorado wouldn't be mesmerized by snow, and I wasn't. It was just a great day because right smack in the middle of it, some thick, heavy snow started falling. It didn't last too long (damn!), but it did give me enough time to ride over to Main Street downtown and go on a quick photo shoot before catching my 5:30PM movie. And beyond that, it was a glorious and good day in Park City. Not only did I catch three more movies, one being incredible, but I interviewed three great filmmakers. And when that happens, I go to bed with a big smile on my face.
My interviews today were with The Wackness director Jonathan Levine and Baghead directors Mark and Jay Duplass. Curious as to why I really wanted to interview these guys? Let's take a quick look back at my reviews for both of the films. For The Wackness, I said that Levine is "defining a new generation of filmmakers", and in Baghead, I called the brothers "the new generation of filmmakers." In essence, I think both the Duplass Brothers and Levine are part of the new generation of filmmakers, and I wanted to chat with all of them about just that, because I think all of you will find this new gen kicks some serious ass.
All three of the guys were great interviews, which we'll have up in the next week or so here, so check back for those. But back to the wonderful snow. It was near blizzard conditions, and I was hoping it would just stay that way all night so I could get some great blizzard-like photos, but by the time I got off the bus, it had nearly died down. But that didn't stop me from shooting some photos and putting together a Sundance 2008 street triptych, which you can see below. I really love winter and snow and Park City looks great when the snow is falling, and I really wanted to capture that in photos. I hope this does justice, especially for all of you who have never been here before and aren't here now.
Click the photo for a much larger and glorious version.
The last thing to mention is in regards to another surreal experience at Sundance was when I finally caught a screening of American Teen. I mentioned this documentary a few days back when Paramount Vantage had purchased it for a mere $1 million. When I went to get in line, my friends mentioned to look back a few spots in the line to see who it was. And lo and behold, Pixar's Oscar-winning Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles and Ratatouille, happened to be waiting in line, hoping to get in. No, he's wasn't at Sundance with a movie, he was there just to enjoy movies. And I'm guessing he had heard good things about American Teen and wanted to see it. Glad you could join us, Brad!
I didn't have a chance to talk with him afterwards, as I think he took off quickly at the end after he heard me musing about him, but it was still boggling to know he was there in the audience watching, too. And as for the movie itself, American Teen was awesome. I laughed, and I nearly cried, but I still loved it. My friend Quint, from Ain't It Cool News, was sitting right in front of me, and I think him and I were the only two people who laughed the whole movie. And it was plenty of fun, enjoyable laughter, because there are so many great moments that I guess Quint and I only got. But more on that later! For now it's time to cuddle up under a blanket and dream about seeing more movies…
Sundance 2008 Review List:
FRIDAY (JAN 18)
In Bruges - 8.5/10
The Yellow Handkerchief - 5/10
The Wackness - 9/10
Sunshine Cleaning - 6.5/10
SATURDAY (JAN 19)
Blind Date - 3/10
The Great Buck Howard - 8/10
Sleep Dealer - 5.5/10
Otto; or Up with Dead People - 0/10
SUNDAY (JAN 20)
Be Kind Rewind - 8/10
Smart People - 9/10
Pretty Bird - 7/10
Chronic Town - 7/10
MONDAY (JAN 21)
Phoebe in Wonderland - 8/10
Sugar - 8/10
Choke - 7.5/10
Hell Ride - 9.5/10
TUESDAY (JAN 22)
Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? - 7/10
Death in Love - 4/10
Baghead - 9/10
The Escapist - 9/10
WEDNESDAY (JAN 23)
Mysteries of Pittsburgh - 8.5/10
Sleepwalking - 5/10
Assassination of a High School President - 9/10
Funny Games - 8/10
THURSDAY (JAN 24)
Goliath - 5/10
Red - 6/10
American Teen - 9/10
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