Hey folks, Harry here... I've been in agony ever since Cannes last year dying to see STORYTELLING. Another positive view on STOLEN SUMMER and then CHERISH... which sounds pretty cool. Ya know, this sounds like Sundance has been being fairly damn good. Not a lot of hatred thus far... good!
From: Monkeyfinger
Stolen Summer, Storytelling, Cherish
I’m working the Festival and have been able to see a few films at one of the Press Screening rooms and at the Library. Park City is definitely in the throes of Olympic-installation-itis but Sundance seems to me to be running relatively smoothly all things considered.
The quality of the venues and equipment is better than it has been in the past. In particular, new projection and sound gear at the Library is top-notch. In the past, there were some venues that were slightly above the "ding-ing" filmstrip projector from elementary school and a white sheet tacked to the wall.
Anyway, on to the films!
Stolen Summer
Friday 1/11 – Press Room
The "Project Greenlight" film was screened for the press last Friday night (1/11) to a full house. I wasn’t sure what to expect, having watched most of the HBO series which chronicles the making of this film.
Stolen Summer is the story of two young boys – one Catholic one Jewish - who spend a summer trying to figure out how to get into heaven. I expected the film to be more "religious" than it was, and I was pleased that it tackled the subject matter without preaching to me in some way.
Aidan Quinn, Bonnie Hunt and Brian Dennehy as well as the child actors turn in solid performances. However, the standout performance belongs to Kevin Pollock portraying the Rabbi and father of the Jewish child.
The script is actually pretty solid and has some nice bits. Production is better than average, but left me wanting something I can’t put my finger on. This movie won’t be a classic coming of age movie, but it leaves me wondering what scripts Pete Jones (writer/director) could come up with in the future.
See it if you get a chance.
Storytelling
Saturday 11/12 – Press Room
Wow. This "half-fiction/half non-fiction" movie contains two completely unrelated stories that revolve around telling the truth. The first half stars Selma Blair and is a disturbing look at a student/teacher relationship in a writing class. Events unfold between the two and irony ensues when her writing tells of their sexual interludes. Again, very dark, very disturbing, solid performance by Blair.
The second half of the film involves an upper-class family in denial. Stoner son, precocious young child, bland middle child, naïve parents. A documentary filmmaker decides to make film about teenagers featuring Scooby, the stoner son. Scooby dreams of being a talk show host, and the documentary film will show his efforts to achieve his dream. In the end, the family (especially Scooby) learns that the truth hurts.
Definitely not main stream fare, but hey this is Sundance. Dark, cynical, funny – this is one of those films you should see because you probably won’t see it anywhere else. John Goodman, Julie Hagerty star. The young, bright child is great! You won’t see smarmy smart-ass played as well by a 10 year old anywhere else.
Cherish
Sunday 11/13 - Library.
Finn Taylor brings us an updated take on the romantic comedy. Robin Tunney is spectacular as an accused killer who must keep a tracking bracelet on her ankle while under house arrest. The story follows her frustrations with incarceration and lack of human interaction. The ankle bracelet adjustment guy soon falls for her and the story unfolds.
Perfect 70’s and 80’s soundtrack underscores a great performance by Tunney, who comes off as a sophisticated and sexier version of Alicia Silverstone. Also featured is a dwarf actor, Ricardo Gil, as a downstairs neighbor, who can actually act.
Don’t miss this one – it has a chance at being the dramatic winner. We will see more of Tunney in the future, I’ll bet.
This was quite a star-studded event, since it was the first showing at the festival for this film. The cast and crew were there, and addressed a short Q & A afterwards. Soundstrack CDs were handed out, very cool. In attendance were Mr. Redford and entourage, Robin Tunney, Jason Priestly, Nora Dunn, John C Reilly (Chest Rockwell from "Boogie Nights"), and Molly Shannon.
I also saw John Waters, Kevin Pollock, and Jennifer Aniston earlier in the day – but now I’m just name dropping.
More movies to come all this week. Keep you posted!
