Tuesday, September 9, 2014

TIFF Movies So Far




Excellent

Mommy
Mr. Turner
The Keeping Room
While We're Young

Very Good

Love & Mercy
Wild
Leviathan
Time Out of Mind
Bird People
Clouds of Sils Maria
A Second Chance
Breathe
Two Days, One Night
The Price We Pay
Big Game
Return to Ithaca
Elephant Song
Red Amnesia
Nightcrawler 


Good

The Voices
Ruth & Alex
Do I Sound Gay?
Ned Rifle
Magical Girl
Eden
The Grump
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
St. Vincent
Cub
Maps to the Stars
Fires on the Plain
Learning to Drive
The Editor

Fair

The Humbling
Mardan
Tigers
My Old Lady

Poor

Adult Beginners


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

#TIFF14: My Schedule



Here she is.  Total work in progress.

Red means I need tickets. Sell me your extra tickets!



4-Sep The Humbling Visa Screening Room 6:00 PM
4-Sep Clouds of Sils Maria POW 9:45 PM
5-Sep Eden Ryerson 5:45 PM
5-Sep Big Game Ryerson 12:00 AM
6-Sep Ruth & Alex Winter Garden 10:30 AM
6-Sep The Crow's Egg Scotiabank 3:00 PM
6-Sep Return to Ithaca Bader 7:00 PM
6-Sep The Grump Scotiabank 10:00 PM
7-Sep The Price We Pay Jackman Hall (AGO) 9:30 AM
7-Sep Do I Sound Gay Ryerson 12:00 PM
7-Sep Magical Girl Scotiabank 3:15 PM
7-Sep Ned Rifle Ryerson 6:00 PM
7-Sep Bird People Scotiabank 8:30 PM
8-Sep My Old Lady TIFF Bell Lightbox 9:15 AM
8-Sep Mardan TIFF Bell Lightbox 11:30 AM
8-Sep Time Out of Mind Scotiabank 2:00 PM
8-Sep Mr. Turner Visa Screening Room 5:45 PM
8-Sep The Keeping Room Visa Screening Room 9:15 PM
9-Sep Wild Visa Screening Room 11:30 AM
9-Sep Learning to Drive Visa Screening Room 2:30 PM
9-Sep A Second Chance Visa Screening Room 6:00 PM
9-Sep Mommy POW 9:30 PM
10-Sep The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness TIFF Bell Lightbox 9:15 AM
10-Sep Two Days, One Night TIFF Bell Lightbox 12:30 PM
10-Sep Maps to the Stars Visa Screening Room 2:30 PM
10-Sep Leviathan Visa Screening Room 6:00 PM
10-Sep Goodnight Mommy Scotiabank 9:30 PM
11-Sep While We're Young Visa Screening Room 11:30 AM
11-Sep Love & Mercy Visa Screening Room 2:30 PM
11-Sep Cub Scotiabank 8:30 PM
11-Sep The Editor Ryerson 12:00 AM
12-Sep October Gale TIFF Bell Lightbox 9:15 AM
12-Sep An Eye for Beauty Scotiabank 12:00 PM
12-Sep Red Amnesia TIFF Bell Lightbox 3:15 PM
12-Sep The Voices Bloor Hot Docs 6:00 PM
12-Sep Nighgcrawler Ryerson 9:00 PM
12-Sep What We Do in the Shadows Ryerson 12:00 AM
13-Sep Breathe Scotiabank 9:15 AM
13-Sep Adult Beginners Ryerson 12:00 PM
13-Sep The Drop POW 3:00 PM
13-Sep Men, Women & Children Ryerson 6:00 PM
13-Sep The World of Kanako Bloor Hot Docs 9:00 PM
14-Sep The Years of Fierro Bloor Hot Docs 9:45 AM
14-Sep The Look of Silence Bloor Hot Docs 12:30 PM
14-Sep X + Y Scotiabank 3:30 PM
14-Sep 1001 Grams TIFF Bell Lightbox 7:00 PM
14-Sep The Winter Sleep TIFF Bell Lightbox 9:00 PM

Monday, August 25, 2014

Wicked Little Tour

This is the story of how I convinced my favorite singer to cover a song from my favorite movie.

The Road is My Home. My home, the road

But first, let’s take a step back. Tori Amos is not merely my favorite singer, she's practically a hobby.  Having seen more than [REDACTED THREE DIGIT NUMBER] of her concerts in the past 18 years, it's fair to say she's completely changed my life by introducing me to most of my best friends and bringing me on delightful adventures that took me to almost every state, not to mention several foreign countries.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch has been my favorite film ever since I sat transfixed in the audience of the 2001 Sundance Film Festival the day after it won the audience award.    Remind me to tell you about the time I earnestly forced my two Midwestern parents to sit down and watch it, because it “meant so much to me.”

And nine years ago, speaking with Tori  at a meet and greet before one of her shows, I gave her a DVD of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and explained fruitlessly how much I adore the music and thought she’d love the film.  She’s known for her covers, and I was dying to hear her give the Hedwig soundtrack the same treatment she’d applied to, say, her 1992 tender adaptation of Smells Like Teen Spirit, for example.  The recommendation fell on very busy if not deaf ears. 

Skip ahead to spring 2014. Tori was touring in Europe and her nightly setlist included two cover songs, as diverse and timely as T.A.T.U’s Not Gonna Get Us in Russia or Conchita Wurst’s Rise Like a Phoenix in Austria.   “Now’s my chance,” I thought.   So much had changed since 2005 that should improve the likelihood of success.  Hedwig being a smash hit on Broadway and Tori having written a musical being the two most compelling factors there.

I needed to know what I was up against, so before my U.S. shows had even begun but while Tori was still touring Europe, I asked my French friend to do some recon. On my behalf, she asked Tori if she’d seen the film. The answer was… inconclusive. First she said no, she hadn’t, and then her tour manager insisted they’d watched it together once on the bus.  Regardless, it was not the “OMG of course, and I loved it” reply I was secretly hoping for. My battle would be an uphill one, to say the least.  But I don't go down easy.

In my heart, I knew Tori would love the film and could easily do an amazing cover of just about any of the songs. So much of Hedwig is also true of her songs and her live shows – laden with references to religion and mythology.  Reverent to the titans of music from years past.  Deep love for (not to mention loved by) the LGBT community.   And above all, fucking badass as hell.  But, how to plead such a case?

We Are Talking to Phil Collins' People

I decided to make a formal pitch document, presenting all of this information in an organized fashion. What if Tori had a binder that contained not only the sheet music and lyrics, but also key data points?  A little market research on what her audiences would think, maybe some high level analysis of the songs and their relevance to things she cares about, and some extra tidbits like the history of the show and its importance to people she respects?  Surely she would be unable to resist complying with my request if I handed her all of this.

I got to work compiling such a document, spending an hour or so a day on its assembly.  A few weeks later, thanks to Fedex Office, and much to the chagrin of my skeptical (yet supportive) fiancĂ©, my pitch was ready, just in time for the first North American Tori Amos concert – July 16th in Vancouver, British Columbia.

One thing I didn’t want to do was pick a song for her and say “here’s the sheet music, now go.”  She’s so much more than a jukebox to me.  And so is Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  I wanted her to watch the movie, see what I see in it, and choose the song that best resonated with her.  But I know she’s got a lot going on, so I helped her out by narrowing it down to four songs I thought would be best:

The Origin of Love
Wig in a Box
Midnight Radio
Wicked Little Town

Here’s everything the binder included:

The cover
The DVD, taped to the inside of the front cover
The table of contents
The top 15 reasons to cover Hedwig
The market research
The history of Hedwig
The key elements of the four songs I chose
The sheet music
The lyrics
Mp3s, on a Marvin the Martian USB stick, funny considering she has a studio in her home called Martian Engineering.
A CD I burned containing all four songs
A list of every show I’d be attending, so she didn’t kill me by playing it when I wasn’t there







The photo Tori made me take
From East Berlin to Junction City

Tour buds review the binder
I was pretty psyched to give her the binder in Vancouver.

“So, I made you something,” is how I began. She listened with mock dubiousness. “It’s my formal request for you to cover a song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”  A look of minor recognition passed over her face. As she flipped through the pages that expression turned to glee and at one point she grabbed the book out of my hands and made me take a photo of her holding it.  She did not comment that day on whether or not I had a chance in hell, but I did get an enthusiastic “Dor, you win for presentation.”  Good enough for me, as a start! At least it will be stuck in her head, I thought.

A Hedwig reminder I gave Tori
 I talked to her a couple days later and she didn’t bring it up.  Gulp. It was not time to hassle her just yet – I knew I had another six weeks to harp on it.  But then about a week after Vancouver, she brought it up all on her own. “We’re just loving the Hedwig book.  We have been pouring over it backstage.”  YES! She then went on to ask me if I’d shown it to my fiancĂ© yet, who she knows is a filmmaker. I explained to her that of course he’d seen it, but that he was understandably apprehensive about the lengths I’d gone to. “I told him it was outlandish but acceptable in the Tori fan community. He accepts that but probably thinks I’m a little crazy,” I admitted. She was unfazed and leaned in to insist that it might be crazy but that I "might just get all four songs." She then turned to her tour manager and insisted that they really need to watch it.  She assured me at that time that the cover would happen, it was just a matter of time before she learned the music. Squee! 

Another reminder I delivered
The tour continued and the parade of unique and awesome covers continued – Fleetwood Mac’s Silver Springs, PJ Harvey’s We Float, David Byrne’s And She Was, even NIN’s Something I Can Never Have. Meanwhile, I presented her with little reminders, so my Hedwig request stayed top of mind.   It didn’t even matter to me that these little gags were likely lost on Tori, who had not yet watched the movie, despite countless long drives in her DVD player-equipped tour bus.  Alas.

I sighed a bit when my secret hope for her to play Wicked Little Town at the Greek Theater in LA did not come to fruition.  I crossed my fingers that Midnight Radio would show up at the NYC shows, since that’s where the scene in the film takes place.

Hello New York, Hello Missouri

A pal helped me deliver this
to Tori before the NYC shows
We did speak in New York.  I handed her a print out of an obscure line of the film that references NYC.  She seemed to be expecting me to bring it up. There was some bad news – she wasn’t playing it in New York – but that was far outweighed by the good news.  “I watched the film after the Philadelphia show!” She proudly informed me. Her expression turned solemn. She stared deeply into my eyes and took my hand before she firmly spoke these next words. “I loved it.” Those sweet, inevitable words were still echoing in my head as she went onto say that she wasn’t going to play it in New York, because she needed to get to know the songs.  She'd play them before the end of the tour, she assured me.  I could wait. Plus, I was excited to see which song she was feeling the most.
Displaying photo.JPG
The NYC Reminder
A few days later, in Washington DC, we were giving her trading cards we’d made up of a bunch of the folks like us that were following the tour.  I’d come up with this plan to make something like a baseball card for each of us, that gives fun stats like where we are from, the song we’re known for requesting, etc.  On my trading card. I’d put that my signature songs were China and Hedwig.  She pointed to my card and said “Wicked Little Town!” I gave her a look and said “oooh, is that a hint?” She shook her head and insisted she was still listening to all four of them, and that some would definitely work better than others, since they were actually written for a male voice to sing.  “But I’m definitely going to do it,” she assured me.  AHHH!

Not that this was any particular comfort, though, since she’d recently sworn on her life she was going to cover a certain Queen song for my dear friend.   When the show ended with no sign of Freddie’s brilliance, my friend was understandably confused.  It wasn’t until he watched a TV interview a couple of days later that he understood, because she looked straight into the camera and mentioned him by name, apologizing for not being able to work up a version of the song that was acceptable to her.   So, you can see why I was hesitant to take her word as gold, here.
Mia did her part for the cause

Another reason the stakes were high was that I had assembled, online and in person, what felt like a small army of my musical and Tori loving friends who were as excited as I was to hear the cover.  Not all of them could make it to as many shows as I did, so many of them cheerleaded with me from the sidelines, or helped me make a case in person when their shows came around.   My friends Luis and Mia stand out here as folks from Peru and Missouri respectively who I met through the Tori would but who made the trip to NYC to see Hedwig on Broadway. 



My God, I Deserve a Break Today

Once the day of the Orlando show arrived, I felt a little like a kid on Christmas – but one who was pretty sure Santa would call it quits before he got to her house. 

My hopes and the stakes were high, only to fall later during the show when she said to the entire audience that nearly the entire show was made up with requests, but some of them she was not going to be able to do. “Don’t take it personally,” she advised.  My heart did flip-flops and I squeezed the hand of my Hed-head friend Luis sitting next to me.

By now you must know – SHE PLAYED IT! She chose to play Wicked Little Town. The Hedwig version, not the Tommy Gnosis version.  It was tender, sweet, flawed, emotional, and absolutely fucking perfect, all at once.  I didn’t scream, but a tear or two did fall down my cheek.   I could not have been happier.    


The official Orlando setlist

Something Beautiful and New

In the day or so since the Orlando show, I’ve enjoyed the hell out of all the Internet comments about the cover, and Tori was delighted when I told her about the blogs and tweets and various sentiments expressed.   I love that it’s not necessarily a song the entire audience recognized immediately and freaked out about, but that the video is finding its way to folks who don’t just like it but are, like me, incredibly moved by the fact that Tori is singing music they so treasure.  As a bunch of other folks have said – it’s just a great fit.

This is going to sound dorky, but what makes me happiest is that Tori loves the movie.  My friends must have grown so tired of my nonstop Hedwig request blathering, but I did say out loud more than once that I’d rather she love the movie and not play the request than play one of the songs without knowing the movie. I’ve since learned that Tori actually has watched the film not once but several times in the past couple of weeks, including at least one time since performing this cover.  No doubt Hedwig has stolen a piece of her heart forever just as she’s done to so many others.

I say to Stephen Trask, who wrote the music I love so much – you’re going to have to add one more name to the lyric in Midnight Radio listening the greats (“Here’s to Patti and Tina, Yoko, Aretha…”).  And I think you know which one.





Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Sundance 2014 Summary

Sundance is over! Long live Sundance!

It was my 15th festival, and ranks highly for me as one of the best.  Was the program stronger than it ever has been, or am I continuing to get better at guessing and selecting which movies I'll like the best? Either way, a great year all around.

I set out with the same goal I've had the past few years: to see 50 films.  I'm not an accredited member of the press or the industry, as it were.  But maybe one day, the latter. 

Final stats:

Total films seen: 52
Total docs seen: 13 (25% of total)
   
Here's how I'd categorize my films.  It's sort of shocking to me that I really didn't see anything I hated.  Some were "fair" and these are ones I wouldn't recommend but still had a redeeming quality or two.

Excellent

Life Itself
Whiplash
The Overnighters
Land Ho!
Love is Strange

Very good

The Green Prince
Obvious Child
Calvary
Boyhood
War Story
Blind
Happy Christmas
Wetlands
The Skeleton Twins
Stranger by the Lake
Frank
Dear White People
What We Do in the Shadows
Nymphomaniac Part 1
The Babadook
Captivated
Listen Up Philip
Kumiko the Treasure Hunter
They Came Together

Good

The Guest
God Help the Girl
The Foxy Merkins
Ping Pong Summer
Doc Shorts 1
Alive Inside: Music and Memory
The One I Love
Infinitely Polar Bear
Laggies
The Case Against 8
To Kill a Man
Drunktown's Finest
To Be Takei
Happy Valley
Cooties
Life After Beth
The Locksmith
Hellion
Rudderless
Appropriate Behavior

Fair:

20,000 Days on Earth
I Origins
Dinosaur 13
Fed Up
My Prairie Home
Mr. Leos CaraX
Hits
God's Pocket


Poor:

Nothing!

And now, a few photos from my adventures.










Also, here are my SXSW predictions for what'll double dip:

I think all of these would play really well at SXSW.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
God Help the Girl
To Be Takei
The Guest
Cooties
Under the Electric Sky
Land Ho!
Ping Pong Summer
Boyhood
Frank
Hellion
I, Origins
The One I Love
The Raid 2
The Voices
White Bird in a Blizzard
Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory
The Internet's Own Boy
20,000 Days on Earth
Love Child
Web Junkie

And sadly, here is what I missed but really want to see ASAP, based on positive buzz:

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
The Voices
Rich Hill
No No: A Dockumentary
Cold in July
Fishing Without Nets
Low Down

Til next year!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Sundance Film Festival Award Predictions

Here are my predictions for the Sundance Film Festival awards tonight. I agree with Matt Patches (whose post I copied and pasted and then replaced with my own choices) when he says basically that this is really hard to guess because the slate was so damned good this year. 
U. S. Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic: KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HNTER
U. S. Grand Jury Prize, Documentary: THE OVERNIGHTERS
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic: BLIND
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, Documentary: THE GREEN PRINCE
Audience Award, U. S. Dramatic: INFINITELY POLAR BEAR
Audience Award, U.S. Documentary: ALIVE INSIDE: A STORY OF MUSIC AND MEMORY
Audience Award, World Cinema Dramatic: DIFRET
Audience Award, World Cinema, Documentary: SEPIDEH
Audience Award, Best of NEXT: LAND HO! 
Directing Award, U. S. Dramatic: HELION
Directing Award, U. S. Documentary: THE OVERNIGHTERS
Directing Award, World Cinema Dramatic: 52 TUESDAYS
Directing Award, World Cinema Documentary: CONCERNING VIOLENCE
Cinematography Award, U. S. Dramatic: KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER
Cinematography Award, U. S. Documentary: DINOSAUR 13
Cinematography Award, World Cinema Dramatic: VIKTORIA
Cinematography Award, World Cinema Documentary: MY PRAIRIE HOME
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic: THE SKELETON TWINS
Screenwriting Award: World Cinema Dramatic: BLIND
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: I ORIGINS
Special Jury Prizes:
Lead performance for Carla Juri from Wetlands

Monday, January 20, 2014

First 20 Films of Sundance

Here's everything I've seen, and how I'd rate it on a ten point scale.

1. The Green Prince (8)
2. Dinosaur 13 (5)
3. Whiplash (8)
4. Stranger By the Lake (7)
5. God's Pocket (3)
6. To Kill a Man (6)
7. The Guest (7)
8. Frank (7)
9. Obvious Child (8)
10. Drunktown's Finest (6)
11. God Help the Girl (6)
12. To Be Takei (6)
13. Dear White People (7)
14. Fed Up (5)
15. Happy Valley (7)
16. Life Itself (10)
17. Boyhood (7)
18. Calvary (8)
19. What We Do in the Shadows (7)
20. The Foxy Merkins (7)

Some random thoughts:

It's been a great festival so far. To be 20 films in and only have two movies I gave a 5 or less rating to is pretty awesome, if you ask me.

I haven't had a six movie day yet, and I won't have one today either. This is most irregular.   Also unexpected is that despite my slower pace, I'm definitely feeling tired (though I haven't fallen asleep in a movie once).

Some strangeness - one day I saw two movies where a body was stored in a refrigerated truck. Another day I saw two movies where characters attempt to scatter ashes and end up scattering them on themselves.  The next day, I saw two movies which feature Katie Couric in some way.  

My favorites are Life Itself, Whiplash, Obvious Child and Whiplash.  So much more to see though - another 30 films left to see before my Sundance experience ends.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

A love/hate rant about the childhood obesity documentary FED UP


[Forgive the typos - I typed this up in 20 minutes between movies]

I just saw the world premiere of FED UP, the new documentary narrated and executive produced by Katie Couric.  I'm happy that it exists, sad that it needs to, and looking forward to a much more nuanced, complete and spirited conversation about it in the years to come. 

The doc takes aim at childhood obesity and howe we as a nation got to where we were in the first place as well as what steps we're taking now (versus the ones we need to) to reduce it and avoid the "public health tsunami" headed our way.  It offers emotional profiles of multiple families in their attempts to eat healthy, and intercuts it with experts - doctors, public health advocates, writers, etc.  

Here's what I liked about it:

  • It exposes the "calories in/calories out" myth that all calories are created equal, and it does so with some simple animation.   
  • It includes Mark Bittman and Michael Pollan and other popular advocates from what I guess I could call the "real food" movement
  • It rightfully de-emphasizes the vital importance exercise in the weight loss conversation (though they didn't mention much of the health benefits outside of weight loss

Here's what I didn't like about it:

  • Too much time spent on the problems and not enough spent on the solutions.  I would love it if they'd followed fewer obese children and spent more time following some of the many organizations that are working on affordable and sustainable real food solutions
  • I was surprised they didn't mention any conflicts of interest in US government - but I guess Food Inc did a pretty good job of covering that
  • It was almost too basic for me.  It felt like it was 30 minutes into the film before they finished making the "our kids are fat" case and started talking about how processed foods were the issue.  Really? You think? They took so long to get into that that I was almost starting to wonder if there was going to be some other out of left field solution they were proposing, the way they were building up the mystery there.
  • I hate, hate, hate images of fat people walking around with their heads cut off.  It is exploitative and fat shaming, and it undermines what the film is trying to do.  There's a talking head wisely quoted with "The deck is stacked against healthy eating." So the film understands that the issues are systemic and supported by our government. Why do we need images shown that reinforce the exploitative, fat-shaming approach so commonly adopted by less enlightened media reports?
  • There was some time spent on the fact that thin people can be as unhealthy as fat people, but this wasn't very kindly, respectfully or clearly outlined.  Someone basically said "You might be fat and you don't know it." A term called TOFI was introduced - thin on the outside, fat on the inside. 

That last bit reinforced for me that the film was a missed opportunity.  It starts an important conversation into the idea that focusing too much on willpower and exercise is distracting us from seeking the real cause of childhood obesity and stopping it. But it doesn't go far enough at making the distinction between the way you look and the way you feel.  By using cut-off heads,  it reinforces the idea that if someone looks fat, they are fat. And fat is, you know, the worst thing.

I see a lot of movies, but I don't write reviews. Even if I did, though, It's hard for me to objectively "review" a movie like this because it's a subject on which I feel a lot of passion.   So perhaps I'm being unfairly critical of a film whose intentions are without a doubt completely noble.  And I don't begrudge the filmmakers at all . The movie isn't for me, though - it's preaching (wisely) to a less informed public and probably (hopefully) one that sees fewer than 75 documentaries a year theatrically.   When I try to remove any bias and I try to think about the merits of the film, I am left with the fact that it is a simple, familiarly-structured advocacy documentary, and those are increasingly less my favorite genre.  

And when I go back to my personal feelings, I guess can't help but wait for someone to make the movie about those same kids where we sit them down and say "yeah, you're fat.  And it isn't your fault, and there are some things you can do to change it.  But in the meantime, don't listen to a society that despite doing little to help your generation change, continues to tell you that you're worthless unless you do.  Be proud of the exercise you do because it makes you feel good, even if it hasn't caused you to lose any weight yet.  Don't get so bogged down by the focus on the way that you look that you can't find the motivation to continue seeking real, healthy alternatives to processed foods because you don't even feel like you're worth the effort because you are."

</end rant>


I still hope this film gets the widespread support it deserves as unfortunately it sounds like people still need to learn these basics, and I am looking forward to more documentaries this week that are likely more nuanced and artistic in approach.  

Friday, January 17, 2014

Sundance Day One: Doc Crazy

I think this is the first Sundance where I began things with two docs on day one.  It was sort of an accident since I'd originally picked a different first film but it was sold out.  Not to worry - I totally realize that's how some of the most exciting discoveries are made at festivals.

And how true that ended up being! I grabbed a ticket for THE GREEN PRINCE only through process of elimination - it being, you know, not sold out.  Lucky me, because it was fucking great.

Simple, direct, linear story-telling.   But you really have no idea what's coming next.  I went back and forth thinking at first the film has a solid opinion on who the good guys and the bad guys are - particularly sensitive in an Israel/Palestine doc.  But I stuck with it and was so pleased to see there was far more to it.    I found it hopeful without being sentimental, and most importantly and increasingly important in this competitive documentary landscape - it was a super compelling story.   I'd really love to see this remade as a narrative feature, too.  Great stuff.

Next up was DINOSAUR 13, which was on my original list.  This was the tale of a handful of paleontologists in the Black Hills who stumbled upon the find of a lifetime - the world's most complete T-Rex. And then, the unbelievably shitty things that happened to them as a result.  

I couldn't help but think as I watched this what a fascinating mostly untold story it was. Great access, gorgeous photography, and tons and tons of footage including shot on video stuff from the day of the actual find.  Ultimately, though, it was as missed opportunity. I'm glad I watched it - it gave me lots to think about - but there was a much tighter film in there, and a much more suspenseful way of telling that story.  I think it needs a restructuring and a little bit of trimming, and then it could do well on television.  I will say that Louie Psihoyos (director of THE COVE and renown photographer for National Geographic) had some particularly insightful contributions as an interview subject.    

Tomorrow is either five or six movies, depending on my luck with ticketing.  Fingers crossed.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

My Sundance Secret - CRUNCHERS.

How does one stay awake through 50 movies in ten days?
How does one find the time to eat?

These are two dilemmas facing me for which I have found, over the years, but one solution. And it's contained in a tiny ziploc baggie.

CRUNCHERS! That is - healthy to not-so-healthy snacks eaten slowly throughout the day, during movies, to keep me awake.  Something to bite on that keeps me awake and ensures that I actually find the time for fuel.  It's day six? Feeling like a miniature nap during the second hour of a "deliberately paced" drama? No problem.  Out come the pretzels.   Or the gummy bears. Or, okay, some carrots, mom.   Instant jolt of energy. Also, yums. 

Here's this week's stash all ready to go.   


Sunday, January 12, 2014

SUNDANCE HELP NEEDED: Anybody Have Any Extra Tickets?

UP TO DATE AS OF THURSDAY NIGHT 1/16!

I'm on a quest to see at least 50 films at Sundance this year. I've done this for the past several years (52 last year, 55 the year before), so I have no reason to think I can't achieve this again.

THE PLAN:

I'm not accredited this year.  I'm seeing only public screenings.  That's fine, because I actually prefer seeing films with a general audience.   But it means I've got some hustling to do.

I've got an Adrenaline Badge which gets me into the morning movies and the midnight movies, and guarantees very, very little sleep. But one doesn't go to Sundance to sleep, does one.

I also got a 20-pack of tickets for the first half.  I had a bit of bad luck in the ticket selection process, though.  Lots of sold out shows, even my second and third choices. Sad face. Determined face.

I'll try my luck in the public on-sale in a few days.  But I wonder now, and will continue to do so...

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXTRA TICKETS?

Maybe you thought you could go but you can't, or you got two for a friend, but your friend changed her mind?

Here's my entire schedule.  The ones in red are what I still need.   Yes, it is up to date.  I still need those ones in red.

[BUT DOR - WHY NOT TRY THE WAIT LIST?  Yes. I'll try.  But it's better to have a guaranteed ticket, especially considering that on five and six movie days there isn't enough time to wait in line.]

[CAN I SELL YOU MY TICKET FOR $100?  No, because as much as I really want to see all of these movies, I don't believe in scalping tickets at a film festival.]

Friday the 17th:

Whiplash at the Eccles at 9 AM
Stranger by the Lake at the Temple at noon
God’s Pocket at the Eccles at 3:30 PM (GODSP17CA)
Obvious Child at the Prospector at 5:45 PM (OBVIO17PE)
To Kill a Man at the Egyptian at 9 PM
The Guest at the Library at midnight

Saturday the 18th

Frank at the Eccles at 9 AM
Wish I Was Here at the MARC at 11:15 AM (WISHI18MD)
Drunktown’s Finest at the Yarrow at 3 PM
God Help the Girl at the Egyptian at 6 PM
To Be Takei at the Yarrow at 9 PM (TOBE18YN)
White Shadow at the Prospector at midnight

Sunday the 19th:

Young Ones at the Eccles at 9 AM
Fed Up at the MARC at 11:30 AM (FEDUP19MD)
Happy Valley at the MARC at 2:15 PM
Life Itself at the MARC at 5:15 PM 
Jamie Marks is Dead at the Library  at 8:30 PM (JAMIE19LN)

Monday the 20th:

Calvary at the Library at 8:30 AM
What We Do in the Shadows at the Prospector at 11:45 AM
The Foxy Merkins at the Prospector at 2:30 PM
My Prairie Home at the Prospector at 5:45 PM
No No – A Dockumentary at the Temple at 9 PM

Tuesday the 21st:

Song One at Prospector at 8:30 AM
War Story at the Library at 11:30 AM
Cooties at the MARC at 2:30 PM
Wetlands at the Prospector at 5:30 PM
The One I Love at the MARC at 8:30 PM (ONEIL21MN)
The Babadook at the Library at 11:45 PM

Wednesday the 22nd:

Hits at the Eccles at 9 AM
The Skeleton Twins at the Eccles at 12:15 PM (SKELE22CD)
Camp X-Ray at the MARC at 2:30 PM
Low Down at the Library at 9:30 PM
The Overnighters at the Library at 8:45 PM (OVERN22LN)
Life After Beth at the Library at 11:45

Thursday the 23rd:

Listen Up Philip at the Prospector at 8:30 AM
Infinity Polar Bear at the Prospector at 11:45 AM
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter at the Prospector at 2:30 PM 
Mr leos caraX at the Egyptian at 6 PM
The Internet’s Own Boy at the Prospector at 8:30 PM (INTER23PN)
Cold in July at the Library at 11:45 PM

Friday the 24th

I Origins at the Eccles at 9 AM
Appropriate Behavior at the Library at 11:30 AM 
Land Ho! At the MARC at 2:45 PM (LANDH24MA)
Hellion at the Library at 5:30 PM
They Came Together at the Eccles at 9:45 PM (THEYC24CN)

Saturday the 25th

Rudderless at the Eccles at 9 AM
Dear White People at the Prospector at 11:30 AM (DEARW25PD)
Happy Christmas at the Library at 2:30 PM (HAPCH25LA)
Laggies at the Egyptian at 5:45 PM
Love is Strange at the MARC at 8:30 PM (LOVEI25MN)

Sunday the 26th

TBD
TBD

TBD