Hey folks, Harry here... We've heard opinions on each of these projects, but here's someone to affirm or have a difference of opinion with each of those. Here ya go....
Hey Harry,
Adam Mast from Zboneman.com here. I write in every now and then when I feel
I have something worthwhile to contribute. I'm up here in glorious Park City
Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. This is my ninth year attending the
festival and I've seen some good stuff as well as some bad stuff. I'll be
brief as I've seen quite a bit.
THE LARAMIE PROJECT
This was actually the Opening Night Gala film and my friend Estee and I had mixed feelings about it. The film is actually based on a horrible hate crime that claimed the life of Matthew Shepard, an openly gay man from Laramie Wyoming. The film centers around a group of journalists who interview the residents of Laramie hoping to get some feedback on the awful events that took place there. The movie is strange in that the film makers have opted to replace the actual residents with actors. True, many of the performances are very strong, particularly Janeane Garofalo, Jeremy Davies and Dylan Baker.
The problem is, the all star cast seems to take away from the reality of the
situation. As it stands, The Laramie Project is a thought provoking film
that raises a lot of tough questions. I just wish the film makers would
have made a straight forward documentary. That would have been far more
effective.
THE DANCER UPSTAIRS
At the moment, this is the strongest picture I've seen at the festival. It's
John Malkovich's directorial debut, and I have to tell you, this guy directs
with the same intensity that comes across in his performances. Javier Bardem
is brilliant as an investigator embroiled in an intense political mystery.
At moments, the film has a dark dreary tone that recalls David Fincher's
Seven. Rest assured, however, this is a much different movie. This is a
terrific character study about an honest man in a corrupt world, and
Malkovich gets stellar performances out of everyone involved.
GERRY
Where do I begin with this one? Let me start by saying that this is one
bitch slap of a picture. This movie is even more of a letdown when looking
at the big talent involved in the production. This experimental movie was
directed by Gus Van Sant and stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. Gerry is
mostly improvised and features Damon and Affleck as a couple of guys who
find themselves lost after a lengthy hike in the mountains. What follows, is
series of painfully tedious sequences that lead to absolutely no payoff.
Damon and Affeck are engaging when they're talking (which is only for about
ten minutes of the picture), but the rest of time, we get dull shots of the
two walking across the vast landscape. While the movie does have a couple of
bright spots, and Van Sant manages some beautiful shots of mountain country,
that hardly makes up for the rest of the picture. If Van Sant thinks this is
audacious film making, he's out of his damn mind. There is probably some
kind of meaning buried deep within this picture, but it's so uninteresting,
I didn't feel like figuring it out. As a film about survival and friendship,
Gerry fails on both levels. As experimentation, it's dreadfully dull. This
could be Van Sant's worst picture.
STOLEN SUMMER
I was really excited about Stolen Summer because of the whole Project Greenlight thing. For those not familiar, Project Greenlight was a competition set up by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Chris Moore, in which screenwriters could submit screenplays and possibly get a chance to shoot their picture. After a long process, Pete Jones found himself the winner, and before long, he was out shooting a movie. This is the end result. Stolen Summer will be dismissed as sap by many, but I enjoyed its gentle, light tone. True, this movie is predictable, but it is Jones' first picture, and it boasts some impressive performances by Bonnie Hunt, Kevin Pollack and Aidan Quinn. Jones also shows a true flare for working with kids. Touching on obvious themes of religion and family, Stolen Summer is a well intentioned flick with heart. Congratulations Mr. Jones. I look forward to your next project.
I've seen a lot of other stuff as well. We even had the good fortune of attending the Piper-Heidsieck tribute. The honor went to Benicio Del Toro. This guy is incredibly humble and it was really cool seeing clips from his movies and being able to watch his reaction to his own work. We've also attended tons of parties and rubbed shoulders with everyone from Ebert and Roeper to John Waters and James Cromwell. The only person I haven't seen is...Harry. Where the hell have you been? (ED. NOTE: I'm in Austin) I look forward to meeting you. Anyhow, I'll try and send you guys some more stuff later.
Adam Out!
