Last Day at Sundance

Sundance doesn't officially end until Sunday but my class and I are peace-ing out tomorrow. I have seen some great movies so far... Last night the two that were particularly interesting were Choke and Pheobe in Wonderland. I also saw Anywhere USA which was also quite interesting, but more artsy.


of all... Choke is an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's book by the same name. I just read online that Fox Searchlight picked up the film last night for $5 million. It wasn't my favorite Chuck book but they did a great job of bringing it to the screen. You can read more about the synopsis (here)
I can't deny tho that the greatest part of last night was meeting Chuck P himself. I, of course, acted like a fool, even though I had my entire little shpeal laid out. But whatever I got to take a picture and talk with him for a minute, so my life is complete!

The second movie I saw yestarday was Pheobe in Wonderland, that starred Dakota Fannings little sister Elle. Acting seriously runs in that family because she did an amazing job! The movie was whimsical and beautiful... you can read more (here)

Thats all for now... I have two more movies today and then I am done! Now I am off to get more swag!!!

Sundance so far...

funny...
People cheer during the opening credits, because all those people are actually in the theater.
Every seat is full, and most audience members had to jump through hoops-- or worse, wait in the cold for 3 hours+ to get tickets. So everyone in the theater is into it, and it is great to see everyones reactions to the film.
There are a ton of friendly people here and a ton of exclusive places I am not allowed in, even though I have a fairly exclusive pass... its not good enough.
And I just watched a German film called The Wave which was excellent. Brief review (here)

The Wackness

I will not be surprised if this film was picked up just after its premier last night at the Racket Club Theater here at Sundance. As soon as the film was over I was ready to watch it again. So here is a little background...It took place in NYC in the summer of 1994 and did a great job of representing the 90’s especially the first few months of Giuliani’s NYC crackdown on crime and the rising popularity of rap music. The filmmaker made countless 90's jokes, most, but not all of which I understood.
There is a good review on Film School Rejects (link)
and I actually met the guy who wrote it after the screening.

Even more exciting was the cast of this movie... Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby, Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, Mary Kate Olsen, Method Man. IMDB them for more info. They all worked flawlessly together. (IMBD pics here)

In addition I was sitting across the aisle from Mary-Kate Olsen, who was next to Ben Kingsley (who I shook hands with and talked to after the show) THEN I realized we were sitting next to Sandra Oh from Gray's Anatomy, and I spoke with her for a minute, and we were also sitting next to Gael García Bernal (Babel, Motorcycle Diaries, Y Tu Mama Tambien) and THEN Quentin Tarentino walked in. So it was pretty interesting.

I just found out where Perez Hilton is so I am gonna go stalk him now. I will try to update again but I have no Internet in my condo so I must go to Main st. to get wireless.

Just a bunch of film nerds hanging out in the snow: Sundance 2008

Last night was the opening of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. We arrived in Salt Lake City in the afternoon and after stocking our condo with food and dragging our luggage through snow we finally settled in. It was our choice to either attend the opening night party or the screening. I choose the screening along with three of my roommates. We traveled in a pack along with a few other students and hiked up the hill to the lodge where the party was.
I really didn’t know what to expect, but it ended up being a laid back party with excellent food and a crazy bongo-playing deejay. We basically hung around in a pack. There was a vodka sponsor, 360 vodka, playing up its eco-friendliness and having people take pictures with a bottle of their liquid.
We left just before midnight; we were tired, and frankly a bit bored. The parties are much more fun in your imagination, just a bunch of film nerds hanging out in the snow.
Today it is 15 degrees… maybe I will get used to it, but who am I kidding.

I see my first film today called "The Wackness" but until then I am going to roam around and try and find Perez Hilton, because apparently he is here. I wish ppl weren't wearing hats so I could spot his crazy hair.

I will post if sucessful... pics to come!


Here are my films.

Friday:

5:30pm: The Wackness at Racquet Club

Saturday:

9:00am: The Wave at Egyptian Theatre

8:30pm: Sleep Dealer at Racquet Club

Sunday:

2:30pm: Gonzo at Library Center

Monday:

2:15pm: Anywhere USA at Racquet Club

8:30pm: Choke at Racquet Club

11:30pm: Phoebe in Wonderland at Library Center

Tuesday:

11:30am: IOUSA at Prosector Square

7:00pm: Women of Bruckman at Holiday Village