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

Mexi-GoGo

Okay, so as promised I will keep this blog as travel blog... so it was my intention to blog while in Mexico this Christmas, Cancun to be exact, however do to the lack of accessible Internet and my inherent laziness... I am forced to do this update after the fact...

So, without much cultural insight or sharpened palaver... here is a basic breakdown of our trip...

Eight almost sunny days, in the somewhat culturally devoid "island" of Cancun, Mexico. Typically thought of as a haven for drunken Spring Break-ers this area was a beautiful escape from work and stress. While there were no real "party-ers" there considering our stay ran through Christmas day, the nightlife was still hoppin' and the people ready to sell you anything you could fathom.

My sister did not enjoy being pestered by the locals, my dad was the watchdog as always, while my mom and I pointed at pretty things and skipped along without worrying about much (we usually leave that up to the other two, and throw in our opinion when the time comes)

I didn't realize how devastated Cancun was from Hurricane Wilma (the big one right after Katrina) I am sure American Media was much more concerned about New Orleans at the time, but I was totally unaware of the fact that much of Cancun was straight-up DESTROYED. In addition, most of the sand was washed away from the storm and they had to dredge some up from the middle of the ocean... one hotel actually had the beach in the lobby of their hotel after the storm.

I guess the Mexican Caribbean hadn't seen a Hurricane like that in 80 years, so they really weren't prepared for it.

Anyway hope you enjoy the photos, we kayaked, motor-boated through mangroves, played on the beach and utilized the all-inclusive bar at the hotel. It was a nice and warm Merry Christmas for us... the cherry on top being the para-sailing Santa Claus on Christmas day.

AAAAAAAAAAAAmerica

Well, I have been back in the states for a month now and Madrid seems like a dream. "Home" is such a natural state that you forget what a different world you were in for the last five months of your life.

When I was in Madrid I kept imagining what it would be like to be home, and now its flipped. I can still see my street and all the other places I wandered daily, but it still isn't the same. I am happy to be around the people I love, but I just can't help but miss Europe. It was so different that it was scary and I definitely love the comforts of home, but it was still adventurous. Now my biggest adventure will be to put my old room back together and get a job... woohoo. Definitely not as exciting as flying to Paris for a weekend or getting lost in Barcelona.

So the life of this blog will come to an end. It was a fun few months and I hope you all enjoyed my stories. I wish I could have been more creative with my language, however, when you are immersed in another language you lose the ability to speak both. Sounds strange, but it's true.

I think I will now use this blog for the other adventures I happen to find myself in, whether it be in the states or abroad, it will always keep the theme of "American Girl In Madrid" because when you travel, no matter how hard you try, you will always be a foreigner. But whether I am in Madrid or Milan, Thailand or Japan I will always be that American girl... which is why this blog's title still stands.

So until the next adventure.... au revoir, adieu, adios, arrivederci, auf wiedersehen, cheerio, sayonara, so long


"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." -- Helen Keller

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -- Lin Yutang

"I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." -- Mark Twain

5.4.3.2.1. take off...

Alright I have two full days left in Madrid. ? I have no idea. It is so strange I cannot believe it. It so overwhelming that I kinda just wanna lay in my bed until it's over.
But don't worry I have been living it up, much to my discomfort because I believe that I am coming down with a cold, although that will come in quite handy when I have sit on a plane from Munich to LA for 12 hours and 30 minutes. Maybe I can scare off the people sitting near me and have a whole row to myself? Ah the power of snot.
Well, In other news I have one whole bag packed! It's very exciting and I don't think I will have a problem fitting the last four and a half months of my life into the other bag because it is quite large.
Lidia is taking Tara and I around Madrid and then out to dinner tonight so I should go get ready. <3 peace out