I am insured

I am no longer one of the ga-jillion americans without insurance. Because I was forced to get insurance, I caved in and got it. so hopefully someone will break my nose and i'll have a good story to tell and it will only cost me $50.

My insurance is too expensive, but after this year's taxes I will no doubt look like the working poor and will get a nice discount. I think when I am unconsious in a horrible car accident I will need to present this card for treatment.

more video? what a jackass...right?

INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO

Finishing up the Sundance Bloggin'

Right now I am about 250 miles from Vegas driving back from Park City. I drove us through a shit-ton of snow coming down the mountain and now Katie has taken over the driving for a minute. This'll be a long blog, because I'm going to finish telling you my thoughts on the movies I haven't yet mentioned that I saw.

here's a video that doesn't do all the snow coming down justice:



Prom Night in Mississippi

I realize I never said anything about this movie because I saw it before it premiered...so let me say it now. This movie fucking sucks. Worst thing I saw at the festival. This MIGHT have made a decent 10 minute short....maybe. The Filmmaking is just flat out bad. They provide no insight into their subject, it is really just a prom video with a bunch of high school kids pontificating on race. At the Q&A the filmmakers couldn't really answer a single question about their subjects..at all. It was lame.

Crude

Fell asleep during this snooze-fest so I walked out. Pretty boring, maybe I'll give it another chance. heard a funny story about the director being an ass-hat at a few festival venues. It really is just another Eco-doc....someone is killing the Earth, a Corporate giant is Evil......this won't play anywhere but on PBS and film fests.

No Impact Man

This is an Eco doc that works. I guy decides for him, his wife and child to have no impact on the environment for one year. No trash, no transportation that is not powered by a human. No electricity, toilet paper....they go all out. The reason this doc works is because it is about this couple, who are also doing the eco thing. it is funny and entertaining and you learn shit about all that green living stuff. I enjoyed it and I'm sure it will influence my food habits for a couple of weeks.

World's Greatest Dad

This is Bobcat Goldthwait's film starring Robin Williams as a dad whose son dies in a freak masturbation accident. I heard people say this was a touching film- i don;t agree, but it was entertaining and had funny moments. it is a movie that lives in a weird place, it stars Robin Williams- but anyone who liked his last several movies will abhor this. And the film doesn't really push any boundries or ideas far enough to really appeal to hardcore cinefiles. it is kind of tame, even though it sounds like a black comedy winner. But there are great moments and it is full of sexual perversion.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

I really enjoyed this film even though I really didn't care for about half of it. The film is full of vinettes and monologues by some really talented actors. So when a section would begin that I wasn't into, I would wait it out and usually would like the next. Guys talking about sex, being jerkfaces and all that is always entertaining. The film is directed by Joe Krasinski from The (american) Office and my only criticism was for him to stay the hell out of his movie and never-ever say the line "I stand before you naked." Other than that, he handled everything wonderfully. and it is really well shot and the way several of the scenes plays out is really innovative.

Bronson

This film was right on time. Plotless violence and a great psycho performance from Tom Hardy as Britain's most famous prisoner. The film feels like Chopper at points. I really enjoyed it, especially about 25 movies into the festival. The lead character just likes to fight and stomp people. Never has an actor punched so many people in the face in one film. and he fights pitbulls with his bare hands.

Toe to Toe

i though this was a little too long at 110 minutes. It could have been 85 and really been a contender for some awards. It is about a rich white girl in high school that has more problems than her new friend, the black girl from across the tracks that is gonna study and make something of herself. Good looking cinematography, great acting and "I feel gross" sexual encounters made this an entertaining film even if it was quite bloated. I look forward to another film from this director.

An Education

This movie really ruins itself in the last 15 minutes. It was enjoyable enough for most of the film, then it goes to hell. I won't write more about it because I'm still pissed at the tacked-on, assenbly line ending to this film. Booooooo, BBC Films.

In the Loop

Hilarious political farce. great work all around. One of the few films that didn't insult my intelligence. It also co-stars Ann Chlumsky from BLOOD CAR. This movie should be at a theatre near you. The dialogue in this film is BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM....super fast and sharp. The insults in this film are so great that the same jackasses that do random scenes from Glengarry Glenross will pick up a few of these.

Big Fan

Written and directed by The Wrestler scribe Robert D. Siegel. This is an odd, dark film. I like it....some people might call it a little thin, and maybe it is- but I still like the film. Patton Oswalt is an obsessive Jets fan that lives with his Mom and works in a parking lot. Even if you've never been football crazy- you've been crazy about something else and can relate to this guy. I don;t want to give any more synopsis and ruin the great early turn this film takes- it caught me off guard and really pulled me in-I thought I was going to watch the kind of movie that shows you a pathetic character and you look down on him- but this movie is not that. Oh yeah, and Kevin Corrigan is in it- who doesn't love that guy? WHO? Show them to me!

It Might Get Loud

Rockers Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge (what kind of goddam name is that?) rock out. Jack White is actually pretty interesting but this shit gets pretty old after a while. They should cut this down and sell it to TV.

Stingray Sam

new shit from Cory McAbee....HELL YEAH. I LOVE LOVE LOVE The American Astronaut so I enjoyed this 6 episode series of space cowboy musical awesomeness. I'm so happy that he keeps doing his thing because no one else can do that thing this man does. You'll get to see these on some kind of screen, sometime soon. Till then GO TO THE WEBSITE and watch the trailer and get excited. you fucking should be!

The Big Winner

Tonight I am officially done with this Park City business. Last night, Blake Myers invited katie and I to the Slamdance Party. here's a pic of Blake and Myself:

We hung out with all the good peoples there like Ashley and David, who were jurors for the Docs at Slamdance.Actually, I'm not sure when exactly it was that I was done with the Sundance festival, but I am. When I went up the hill to Slamdance, with their Rock n Roll attitude, drunk yelling awards ceremony and a party full of people I actually knew- I realized I really liked it there (there was also an open bar)



the next day I was hurting a little on my final volunteer shift. Then I saw the ANIMATION SPOTLIGHT at the Eccles theatre. There were 3 really great shorts in this program.

Dear Beautiful
This short has more going on than most features I saw. And it is the first animated short that has actually scared me. It is half married couple drama, half zombie apocalypse. Pretty fucking amazing.

Western Spaghetti
hey festival programmers, do yourself a favor and start a shorts program with this one. You can;t help but be in a good mood after watching it. It is simply cooking with stop motion. Good times.

And the Alex Orr Award for best thing I saw at this mutha goes to:

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU
If you don;t know who Don Hertzfeld is, get with it. His animated shorts are epics with stick figures. There's nothing better. And I can safely say that this film that runs 22min- is the best thing I saw out of 33 programs- short, feature, whatever- this is The Big Winner. It is about Life and Death, family, love and it is hilarious. There's no reason for me to tell you a thing about any of his films. Just whatever it is you have to do to watch them. That's that, mattress man.

I saw a program and a half of live action shorts and I'll highlight my favorites and just forget about the films that made me doubt that all 5600 submissions could have been viewed if this was what they had to show me.

Abbie Cancelled

Abbie cancels on the dinner party. Funny ensues. let me just say that anytime unexpected gas huffing happens in a short film- I'm usually pleased.

Copper on the Chopping Block

There are moments of this film- where a crazy man is alone with tire swings, gas masks and unwanted kitty that is really goddam great. A nice long lock down of him throwing snowballs against a basketball goal is the best. I just loved the simple things this short did- there are also some big things- but somehow the less was more.

Captain Coulier (space explorer)
Let's say you look at me and say "I wanna make a short that kinda makes fun of star trek."
I would reply. "Good luck with that." and then I'd mumble "Asshole." because that shit is played out. Which is why this short is fucking great, because it doesn't do some simple stupid sci-fi parody. The lead in this short is just funny. So his kicking around and not wanting to do the "space captain" thing is great. and the low-fi saucer on a string shots are great. This short should be a TV series, in my opinion. It's like sci-fi hipster pettiness and bitching. funny shit.

This was about all I saw of shorts program 5 ( I saw all of 1) because I left to see what everyone has been calling The Big Winner. It won Audience award for Dramatic Feature, Grand Jury prize and.....something else.

PUSH: based on the novel by Sapphire

Mo'Nique delivers the goods in this heavy handed drama set in 1987 Harlem. people say this movie is uplifting while dealing with incest and horrible abuse- that's not true - it really isn't uplifting, but it does give white people a chance to feel like they understand the plight of the African American. I just can;t give crying middle aged woman a break when they attend a film like this. I'll admit, the movie is really good. There are parts that give me a chance to daydream about this or that, and the film really took about an hour to really grab me. The thing that hurt this film the most to me was the director talking about it. I don't really like someone telling me how much something will affect me before i see it. But there are some solid performances in this film and they really commit to the "break a puppy's neck" school of filmmaking- that doesn't bother me in this film, liek ti does in others.

ok, I'm bouncing in the morning. I could watch a few more movies tomorrow, but its time to go home. I'll write about the other films I've skipped in the car and post them for all 3 of you guys reading this.

Sundance Gossip

I heard the THE CARTER people tried to pull the tape from a screening today. Maybe there is some kinda legal something-or-another that made the producer's (or whoever) wanna get rid of the movie. I'll try to learn more.

Also this is a winner. producer's Rep ("The Dude") and a Variety critic fight....critic wins.

also I have heard from everyone, everywhere that THE INFORMERS is garbage....big surprise

Swag, more movies

I saw a couple good docs.




THE COVE
man they kill a fuck ton of dolphins in this movie- and the whole things can be blamed on Flipper, and the subject of this doc Richard O'Barry- that trained him.
it goes like this:
They make the Flipper TV show, O'Barry trains Flipper, basically makes the show possible- show is a hit. People become obsessed with dolphins and want to swim with them and see them at Sea World and shit. Dolphins become a billions of dollars industry. O'Barry learns how smart dolphins really are and that they cannot be kept in captivity. He becomes THE dolphin advocate, getting arrested all the time freeing dolphins, traveling the world- fighting the dolphin fight.

In a small town in Japan, there is a hidden cove where fisherman slaughter tons and tons of Dolphins and O'Barry and the director get a special ops team of people together to document these atrocities to help bring an end to it. Best Doc i've seen here. I wish they covered the story longer for the end, but that's ok- still a really solid doc.

I'm so tired but I need to blog about:
Big Fan, In the Loop, Toe to Toe, Bronson, World's Greatest Dad, The Immaculate Conception if Little Dizzle, Crude, The Winning Season, No Impact Man, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men....I saw all the online short films. I live in the Woods is the bestest. I think i've done 25 features at this point. few more tomorrow, maybe an award winner or 2-should get me around 30. not too shabby since I had to work too.

I will say before I sign off that The Winning Season is trash.

Sam Rockwell is a drunk high school basketball coach that has to teach some girls to play the game, and they teach him some things about hisself.....PUKE. This was my first walk out. I left in the scene where the tall girl talks to the bus driver about being a lesbian. Sports movies are supposed to be cliche, but they usually are good. But this one is not. It made me angry and then sold for a pile of money.

Video Blog

that was a terrible idea. But i did enjoy watching that film. I'm still waiting to be blown away by something though...maybe The Cove will do that tomorrow.

I watched a few of the online shorts that are free on iTunes a minute ago.

Hug- pretty good. 6/10
This Way Up- not my thing..at all 4/10
Magnetic Movie-somebody tell some science teachers about this short. way cooool 8/10

I have also agreed with Katie that fighting crowds to see movies with Q&A's and with the public and lines and all that shit is for the birds. I'll be doing press and industry for the rest of the fest. easier....more movies to watch and I won't feel bad about walking out of one and I can talk with some friends there and not "nice up" my reactions.

Blogging in line

After waiting in line for hours yesterday at the insanity that is the Eccles theatre at Sundance- I decided to bring my laptop to blog in line on the films of the day so far.

PAPER HEART
I liked this film. It's cute, it's fun. A "doc" about an awkward hipster looking for love and her director friend forcing a movie out of it. The film goes well until the end, until the film within the film kind of drags it down. But I laughed and was actually touched by the stories about love and the relationship from leading lady/screenwriter Charlyn Li and Michael Cera.

Over The Hills and Far Away

Pretty amazing. A straightforward doc about a couple with an autistic child. 4 years old, refusing potty training and prone to constant 4-hour-long screaming tantrums. I was terrified by the thought of raising an autistic child.

The child shows a weird and mesmerizing....how do i describe it....its like he can talk to animals. he can do anything to them, they love him. It's amazing. Especially horses. On a horse, his tantrums quit and he seems at ease. So his father does some research and takes the family to Mongolia, to take the child to Shamans and ride reindeer. Seriously. There's some more plotting but that's basically what they do. What follows is very beautiful; and amazing, but honestly after the screening my cynicism kicked in. When the kid was "healed" in a sense by the Shamans I though- if you wanted to you could cut this kid to look like he's now the Queen of France. It is an edited documentary. BUT, it is an amazing and harrowing tale that will make a hard-as-hell to shoot narrative that is currently being penned by the father in the doc.


oh hell TIGHT!
I just got a BLACK DYNAMITE T SHIRT IN LINE. I'll take a pic.


Cold Souls

This started good. There is a New Yorker article about a company that can remove and store your soul for you, so Paul Giamatti (played by Paul Giamatti) wants to get rid of his because the current production of Uncle Vanya is just killing him.

then the movie just becomes some weak Charlie Kaufman. Half Eternal Sunshine, half Malkovich. Coulda been a good short. that's all I really have to say.

THE CARTER!!!!

I'm tired, so I'm not gonna spend too much time on the movies I wasn't into.

but i was into THE CARTER this film reminds me of Bunuel's LAND WITHOUT BREAD- the film seems like a rock (rap) doc. people get loaded and see an artist behind the scenes. Big whoop...right? and that's what I was thinking half way through the movie...i looked at Katie and said, "this is trash" then the film turned. It turns against the audience that would normally pay to see it after getting high, turns against fans of Little Wayne and turns into a wonderful doc. As equally subversive as Bunuel's "doc" The Carter goes from simple glamour of a rap star that makes prolific amounts of music (at least 2 tracks a day) to a look into a man hiding from himself and his fame in drug use and making music. Wayne is an unhappy man addicted to "Syrup" which is a combination made up chiefly of promethazine and codeine and is the same shit that killed Pimp C of UGK. So the film becomes about addiction, but not overtly- i honestly don;t think the audience really grasped it. The film is set against the backdrop of Wayne's last album going Platinum in a week- which means that this crazy drug addict (whom I really enjoy watching- he's fucking great) is INSANELY popular with all of America's youth. The film has a wonderfully edited scene of concert footage that was built to scare the shit out of white america. Bravo, Adam Bhala Lough- that dip shit crowd at Eccles may have tried to give you flak at the Q&A, but you've made a music doc that can stand up against any that I have seen. This is subversive doc filmmaking that may get a pan from rap fans and even from critics- but fuck that. this is the best film I've seen at Sundance so far. The director did snap back at a few dickhead questions, which was sweet.

here's the rest from the last 2 days.

500 Days of Summer
even though this films steals so much from Annie Hall- I still enjoyed watching it. there are a few missteps (FYI: BAD BAD BERGMAN PARODY IS FOR FILM SCHOOL) but also some wonderful scenes that made me laugh my stupid face off. Joseph Gordon Levitt is great, and just keeps getting better film to film. I really like that kid and have enjoyed watching him grow into a great leading man. He keeps control of this film the entire time despite of some cliche storypoints and scenes that need to be dropped on the floor. But all in all, a really great first feature from Marc Webb.

THE GREATEST

This movie sucks. The plot gun goes BANG BANG- it's like daytime TV. Melodrama, bad scenes, telling me about things I should see. Sappy, I-hope-they-cry horseshit. Paul Haggis type trash to be honest. I was in hell during this film. But most people seemed to love it, I was surrounded by blubbering in sniffling. next time you see me, let me recount the film for you- it's funny because you can't believe that all the shit in this movie could be written, and then actually shot.

MOON
I really wanted to like this film. Technically is pretty fucking cool. The idea sounds great. Sam Rockwell is a moon farmer- of sorts- and he's the only human there for 3 years. And he starts to go bananas, then he bumps his head. Sounds good, could be creepy. But it goes in a direction that kept me from giving a damn about anything. Fucking clones. But Sam Rockwell does a good job with the film, and its REALLY PRETTY, nice Clint Mansell score- it's just not on the page.

BOY INTERRUPTED
is another great doc. ultra personal, very moving- heartbreaking. It is about suicide and mental illness in the filmmakers oldest son. It really hit home to me. See it.

The Missing Person

just watch this goddam trailer

doesn;t that look great? all the elements are there for me. Dark Cruddy film noir, Michael Shannon (OH, who is in a coma in The Greatest, yeah put him in a coma- great idea to use him that way....WTF?) and Amy Adams. Well the movie falls short. Broke my heart- but it is a snoozer with a few good scenes. and an ending that baffles me. what a shame.

RUDO Y CURSI

this is not a bad film, but its not that great either. I want something more challenging from these Mexican wonderkids (the company Cha Cha Cha, Cuaron, Del Toro and Inaritu) the writer direct did have a funny quote about the end "If these guys came out on top, they wouldn't be Mexican."

what else...oh Prom in Mississippi.....i hate this doc. should be 10 minutes but its a feature. what toture. I'll go into detail later. soooooooo tired. I don't want to link to this film or do anything that may extend it's shelf life. It needs to quickly go into obscurity and be forgotten. What.....a.......dump- this film took on the screen. Just flat out amateur hour.

Watching Movies!

I am here at the Sundance Film Festival, watching movies- doing the volunteer thing. all that stuff.



That's me sitting by the fire in my nice condo.

I have seen 3 movies- 2 of which that have already played another festival, so I will talk about those. I will save my thoughts on Prom Night in Mississippi until after that film premieres.

I saw JOHNNY MAD DOG a couple nights ago. I didn't really give a damn about this film. I know there's an audience for it- but I don't care. It seems like an exploitation film that is set in an environment suitable to a film festival audience. let me explain- if I make a movie about some vicious people, doing heinous crimes and show you these things to shock you, and call the movie- The Mean Ass Bikers That Fuck Shit Up- that is an exploitation film. But if you make the bikers- Child Soldiers- then you have social commentary.......I don't think so. I think all the ideas in this film were addressed in about 3 minutes of Blood Diamond or 2 scenes of that Nick Cage movie Lord of War. Little kids with guns are bad.......got it. Child soldiers- not cool. I'm with you. Getting that took about 2 minutes of movie. Then I just watched this little bastards in a war zone. I didn't like it, didn't like the damn camera operator either. But moments of the film were pretty. But if you only break up Child Soldiers shooting people and going to war with Child Soldiers raping people, and leave the plot behind- I'm not gonna tell people to buy a ticket. (i capitalize Child Soldiers to emphasis the gravity of this calamity)

I just saw LYMELIFE. Fucking great. easily comparable to The Ice Storm. both the Culkin brothers are great, Alec Baldwin gives a wonderful performance. Timothy Hutton is AM-AZ-ING but the real shoiw stealer to me was Jill Hennessy


She plays the Mom. She steals the scene after scene, and holds more than her own against Alec Baldwin in the film. Why the hell is she in not in everything?

See this film, comes out in April, made for $1.5 Mil- shot in 22 days, developed at the Sundance Institute and winner of the Audience Award at Toronto FF. A real Winner in my book. let me tell you a few things to look forward to: classic Baldwin asshole action-suburban meltdown(s), white tail deer, coming of age and Lyme disease. WHO'S NOT IN FOR THIS?

on a side note...I have a sweeeeeeeet condo. let me give you a tour tomorrow sometime. Now I have to go to bed, because there are films to see tomorrow. Many films. And Mike Tyson is around here somewhere. and hopefully Michael Shannon.

what else? Drove to Park City from LA, that was nice- stopped in Vegas. Vegas- you suck. maybe I need to go again, but I don't like the Vegas vibe. I also did not eat a $4 steak dinner. made a pot of 15 bean soup for $2 yesterday that is SOLID. ok, more movies tomorrow. Maybe a video blog if I feel like it.

back to Sundance

So I'm going back to Sundance to watch movies and share my thoughts. I haven't really even looked at the program, but I'll watch tons and tons of stuff and report back here.