Hey folks, Harry here... what would Sundance be without the Goddess PARKER POSEY annointing a screen? That's right, a total friggin waste of time. Posey, the most wondrous feminine creation this side of Mrs. Johnson's Doughnuts on Airport Blvd here in Austin, Texas... well... She's pretty darn tasty and cool, but ya know... them pastries... well they's awfully hard to turn down. Meanwhile, Memento Man tells us that Salma's directorial debut ain't all that, and I really hope he's wrong because Salma is just....... um.... yeah, anyway here's the report on Sundance this morn... enjoy...
Hi Harry!
Today was day of star sighting! I saw Edward Burns chatting it up on Main Street, and then sat a few rows away from Salma Hayek, her boyfriend Edward Norton, and Peter Fonda at a screening in the Eccles! Ebert, mysteriously, was a no-show. I hope those sandwiches aren't catching up to him.
THE EVENT (Thom Fitzgerald) * * *
If there is such a thing as Sundance tearjerker, it would be THE EVENT. Matt is dying of AIDS. He decides he wants to have an Event, a final party before his assisted suicide so he can go out while he's still able to function. Unfortunately, Nick (Parker Posey), a hardened district attorney, actively seeks to prosecute those responsible for helping him. Olympia Dukakis' performance as Matt's mother is astounding, particularly in a scene where she washes her dying son in bed and helps him put on a shirt while director Thom Fitzgerald sensitively takes his time to let this near-Pieta moment resonate. In another sublime moment, Matt's lover, a doctor at an AIDS clinic, takes the ashes of all the victims whose relatives have refused to pick them up and scatters them in a trail from his clinic to the Department of Justice. All of this is set against the backdrop of 9/11, which is tastefully incorporated into the film. (This was the first film t! o shoot in Manhattan after that event.) Be ready: not only were many in the audience tearing up at the end but several were sobbing uncontrollably. This is a film that culminates in a feeling of tragedy with the chance for hope that can come by standing by each other in times of crisis.
THE MALDONADO MIRACLE (Salma Hayek) * *
My Big Fat Maldonado Miracle. Charming but forced little film about a small, rural town that is besiged with visitors, publicity, exploitation, and faith when a statue of Jesus in the local Catholic church is seen to have tears of blood on it. Meanwhile, Jose Maldonado, a very young, illegal Mexican immigrant boy whose mother has died and whose father is lost, has sought refuge in the town. Several side characters (such as the woman who discovers the miracle, believes herself to be "the chosen one," and paints crosses on her fingernails) add minor interest to this story which seems to be concerned with the theme that real miracles are the ones we make every day as we interact with other people.
Director Salma Hayek, who deserves an oscar nomination for her work in FRIDA, should have been better able to coach the actors than she demonstrates here. Instead, it feels like we're watching performances from the zombies in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Even the mighty Peter Fonda feels like he phoned in his performance of Father Russell, the local priest.
Filmed entirely in Eureka, Utah, I think the entire town was at our screening today. Salma was very bubbly during the Q and A, and invited the entire cast and crew who were in attendance to come up on stage with her. Then the love fest began. I knew we were in trouble when she hugged her accountant. I wouldn't have been more surprised if everyone joined hands and started singing "We are the World." I'm not sure the Sundance people knew quite what to do with all this. There was a cool moment when the talented young boy (at Selma's request) sang a song from the film a capella in front of the 900 people in the Eccles theater, but all in all, a very unusual Q and A.
SOLDIER'S GIRL (Frank Pierson) * * *
Well constructed classical film based on the true story of Barry Winshell, a soldier in the 101st Airborne Division who falls in love with Calpernia Adams, a transgendered entertainer at a local club. Genuinely played by Troy Garrity, and aided by Pierson's sensitive directing, the audience grows close to Barry, only to have his shocking end (hauntingly crosscut with Calpernia's big moment at a competition) feel all the more painful. This is a case of a strong script in the hands of a gifted director.
At the Q and A afterward, the real Calpernia Adams came up on stage. She also acknowledged the parents of Barry Winshell, who were at this screening. The audience in the Eccles theater really responded to this story, leaping to their feet in a standing ovation.
It's supposed to snow tomorrow! Anybody got any boots? Or a heating pad for my pants?
Until then, this is Memento Man, signing off!
