Sundance 2012

[Green Lantern]

The time has come to once again for Utahns to overdose on celebrity sightings and art house pretension as the Sundance Film Festival begins next Thursday!

Individual tickets went on sale last weekend and I picked up passes to the following:

• The Raid--Badass looking martial arts flick from Indonesia.
• Shorts Program 5--I always love the shorts programs and you never get a chance to see this stuff otherwise.
• The House I Live In--A doc about the failure of the War on Drugs, made by the guy who did Why We Fight.
• The Imposter--This doc just sounded a like a fascinating story.
• Animation Spotlight--Always weird. Always fun.

There are, of course, dozens of others that look good, including one by comedian Mike Birbiglia and a doc about LCD Soundsystem's final show, that I may try to get into. Also, this nature doc about climate change looks beautiful. Anybody else attending this year?

[PaloAltoCougar]

The time has come to once again for Utahns to overdose on celebrity sightings and art house pretension as the Sundance Film Festival begins next Thursday!

Individual tickets went on sale last weekend and I picked up passes to the following:

• The Raid--Badass looking martial arts flick from Indonesia.
• Shorts Program 5--I always love the shorts programs and you never get a chance to see this stuff otherwise.
• The House I Live In--A doc about the failure of the War on Drugs, made by the guy who did Why We Fight.
• The Imposter--This doc just sounded a like a fascinating story.
• Animation Spotlight--Always weird. Always fun.

There are, of course, dozens of others that look good, including one by comedian Mike Birbiglia and a doc about LCD Soundsystem's final show, that I may try to get into. Also, this nature doc about climate change looks beautiful. Anybody else attending this year?

We've attended 2-3 times in the past, but can't this year. I enjoyed some of the Q&As after the movies (do they still do those?). Several years ago, we attended a viewing of The Trial, a nicely filmed version of the Kafka novel and starring Anthony Hopkins, Kyle McLachlan and Jason Robards. All the ingredients for success right? Wrong--probably the most boring movie I'd seen in many, many years. After a laughably sparse round of applause at the end of the movie (most in attendance were blissfully sleeping), the stars stood to respond to questions from the audience. First one: "Why the hell did you even bother to make that dull, dull movie?" Things went downhill from there.

I envy you, and will look forward to some reviews.

[BoylenOver]

I'll have to remember to register for individual tickets next year. I got to work up at Sundance a few years ago, but didn't get to see any films.

[falafel]

The time has come to once again for Utahns to overdose on celebrity sightings and art house pretension as the Sundance Film Festival begins next Thursday!

Individual tickets went on sale last weekend and I picked up passes to the following:

• The Raid--Badass looking martial arts flick from Indonesia.
• Shorts Program 5--I always love the shorts programs and you never get a chance to see this stuff otherwise.
• The House I Live In--A doc about the failure of the War on Drugs, made by the guy who did Why We Fight.
• The Imposter--This doc just sounded a like a fascinating story.
• Animation Spotlight--Always weird. Always fun.

So, what is the point of short films, especially if no one really ever sees them? Are they just a way for aspiring film makers to get noticed without having to fund and produce a full-length film?

[NorthwestUteFan]

So, what is the point of short films, especially if no one really ever sees them? Are they just a way for aspiring film makers to get noticed without having to fund and produce a full-length film?

You are correct, they are the minor league.

Seeing the movies can be a lot of fun.

Hanging out with celebrities who refuse to wash their hair or shave for 3 weeks, talk loudly into cell phones, and chain smoke clove cigarettes all day, not so much.

[Green Lantern]

So, what is the point of short films, especially if no one really ever sees them? Are they just a way for aspiring film makers to get noticed without having to fund and produce a full-length film?

Yeah, it can be partially for that reason. In actuality, things are better for short films now than they have been in years because of the Internet. These films are probably being viewed more than they ever have. I just really enjoy them for their creativity and their ability to tell a story in a short running time.

The shorts programs at Sundance are always wildly diverse and a lot of fun. Also, the filmmakers are usually there because they are passionate about the project, not because they plan to get rich off the film. One year my friend and I saw a fascinating animated short called Ryan and even chatted with the filmmaker for a bit afterwards. Lo and behold, a couple months later we watched the filmmaker, Chris Landreth, on TV accepting the Oscar for Best Animated Short.

Final plug for the shorts programs: You can almost always get tickets because they rarely sell out.

[Green Lantern]

I'll have to remember to register for individual tickets next year. I got to work up at Sundance a few years ago, but didn't get to see any films.

This was my first year doing the online registration and getting an assigned ticket-buying window of time. It was very convenient, albeit not quite as memorable as camping overnight at Trolley Square back in the day.

[pellegrino]

I need to find a way for my department to pay for a trip to Sundance one of these years.

[HauteCoug]

Hopefully I'll hook up with a celebrity this year.

[hostile]

My wife did the local ticket registration this year and has several movies lined up for us to see.

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap - doc by Ice-T about the roots of rap music

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography - doc by Stacy Peralta

Putin's Kiss - Russian doc about the rise of the modern nationalistic youth movement

Finding North - Doc about the hunger crisis in the US.

Shadow Dancer - Premiere about and IRA family in the 70's

The Atomic States of America - Doc about growing up in a nuclear reactor community

LUV

Man, that's a lot of movies.

Others I thought looked interesting were Detropia, Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, & The Other Dream Team,

[Green Lantern]

So Friday night's movie, The Raid, turned out to be one of the most bone-crunchingly violent action films I've ever seen. Just brutal. But damn were some of the action scenes stunning. It was like a modern-day low budget grindhouse movie: It exists only to give visceral thrills to moviegoers looking for some serious ass-kicking.

The movie is basically one long action setpiece as a squad of Indonesian cops try to take down a heavily fortified apartment block that is controlled by a major crime lord. Death and destruction follow. The climactic martial arts fight scene between two of the protagonists and one of the main baddies was about 10 minutes long and just awe-inspiring. The crowd applauded at the end of it.

The director was there for a Q&A afterwards and he came across as a really cool, unpretentious guy who just wants to make, in his own words, "popcorn movies for Indonesia." He's Welsh and basically moved to Indonesia for his wife. The guy seems a bit Sam Raimi-inspired and has a real talent for shooting action, knowing when to cut and when to just let his camera capture the movements on display. Some of today's big Hollywood action directors could learn a thing or two from him.

Some highlights from the Q&A:

Q: So your movie seems very political, focusing as it does on high-level police corruption. Was there any blowback from the government?
A: Uh, no. It's all fiction. I'm just trying to make popcorn movies for Indonesia. Nobody's going to walk away saying "My heart was changed!" Damaged, maybe, but not changed.

Q: Some of the stunts looked extremely dangerous and painful. Was anyone seriously injured during filming?
A: Well (long pause) define "serious."

[Shaka]

I have tickets to California Solo next Saturday night. I may give them up to go watch Jimmer. It all depends on a certain gal....

[Katy Lied]

GL, I dont know what screening of The Imposter you have tickets to, but dont forget to report back.

[TripletDaddy]

Tracy Morgan collapsed at Sundance and was taken to the hospital yesterday. Apparently the altitude got to him.

[Green Lantern]

GL, I dont know what screening of The Imposter you have tickets to, but dont forget to report back.

Will do. That one's Thursday at the Tower Theatre.