Hey folks, Harry here... Well, sounds like NEVER DIE ALONE is a pretty good film! Awesome! Personally, I've been a fan of Ernest Dickerson's ever since TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT, and have enjoyed a couple of his other films, but this sounds intense... Plus it is a good sign that Fox Searchlight is releasing it, they seem to be on a helluva good run here. Well, except maybe this CLUB DREAD thing which has a trailer I loathe... but Moriarty should be telling us more on that soon. Here ya go...

Harry/Moriarty --

Greetings from Park City. This is my first Sundance, thought I'd give a report to the folks in Austin and the rest of the world about the scene.

"Scene" is the operative word. Yes, this is a film festival. And yes, there are tons of film lovers here, trying to gorge themselves on the latest the indie/world cinema scene has to offer. But it's also one big schmooze-fest and a non-stop party. Sort of like Mardi Gras, but with gift bags, cel-phones and two-way pagers instead of beads. I saw Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie not one, not two, but THREE separate times (and for those of you interested, Paris is freakier looking than she appears on TV and Nicole is actually kinda cute). But I digress....

Everything I'd heard is true -- Sundance truly is amazing. Unfortunately, unless you're a pass holder, it's a bitch to get tickets. I spent a good 50% of my time waiting in the "wait list" line trying to get tickets for movies, to no avail. Thanks to some friends, kind strangers with extras, and just plain good luck, here are a few of the films that I DID manage to see:

SUPER-SIZE ME

(Director: Morgan Spurlock)

This amazing documentary asks the question: "what would happen if you subsided on a diet of super-size McDonalds meals three times a day for a month?" Well, if you've read the book "Fast Food Nation" you might have an idea, but this movie will blow you away. The director makes himself is own human guinea-pig, much to the consternation of his girlfriend and doctors. The results: chest pains, liver problems, 25 pounds of extra baggage... you get the picture. Along the way, he interviews experts, nutritionists, even Jared from Subway. A great doc that is as entertaining as it is unnerving. Don't be surprised if McDonalds tries to stop you from ever seeing this film.

BROTHER TO BROTHER

(Writer/Director: Rodney Evans)

I heard a lot of buzz about this one and it was a good find. Definitely not to everyone's taste, this is the story of a young, gay black artist in NYC who develops a friendship with one of the lost figures from the Harlem Renaissance. As the older man tells the younger man his tales, we get black and white flashbacks to the era, and a glimpse into the lives of such legends as Langston Hughes, Zora Neal Hurston, etc. Sometimes the film gets a bit didactic, but the performances are amazing, particularly an older actor I've never heard of before named Roger Robinson as the old poet. This piece is clearly a labor of love -- the kind of film a festival like Sundance is made for -- and while shot on DV, it has a good look and really compelling characters. Don't know if this film will get distribution -- more likely the kind of film that might get play on PBS or at one of the many gay film fests in major cities -- but look for it. It's a small gem.

NEVER DIE ALONE

(Director: Ernest Dickerson; Writer: James Gibson)

Three words (actually three letters): D-M-X. You heard right: DMX in a Sundance movie (I'll pause a moment to let your stunned disbelief pass). OK, still with me? And the verdict? IT KICKS ASS. This was shown in the premieres showcase, as it already has a distributor (Fox Searchlight) and is coming out in March. Don't miss it. While on the surface it may seem like just another blaxploitation shoot-em-up (not that there's anything wrong with that -- the world needs more good blaxploitation shoot-em-ups), it's really a sly deconstruction of the whole "gangsta" lifestyle and brutal, grim, powerful character portrait of a sociopath run amok.

DMX plays King David, a drug dealer returning to NYC to set thing straight after a long absence. Unfortunately, he has enemies waiting for him. One of them, a young man named Mike, stabs King David to death. David Arquette plays a good samaritan/journalist who finds DMX and takes him to the hospital before he dies. Afterwards, he finds the gangster's journals and learns about his life and how he got to where he ended up. From here, we get flashbacks into DMX's past and this is where the film shines. This is one of the most dark, twisted studio films in a long time. DMX gives a no-holds barred performance as a total psycho shit-heel and he's amazing. The man can act. Other standouts are Michael Ealy (from the BARBERSHOP films) and a young actress named Regan Gomez (she apparently was the little girl on the Robert Townsend sitcom THE PARENTHOOD -- well, she's all grown up now, if you know what I mean).

Dickerson's other films have been hit and miss (the good: JUICE, the Clarence Thomas movie for Showtime; the ugly: BONES, BULLETPROOF), but this is maybe his best ever. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and is intelligent and ironic at the same time. The DP was Matthew Libatique and the movie has an insane look, gritty but extremely stylized. This one divided the audiences -- you could hear audible gasps and see some walkouts at some of the more shocking moments -- but it's really powerful and stays with you. Don't miss it.

DIG!

(Director: Ondi Timoner)

This is a doc about the rivalry between two bands: The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Doesn't sound like the most interesting subject matter, but it is. The director followed the two bands around for something like 8 years and gets amazing footage, particularly of the BJM's leader Anton, who is sort of the rock and roll version of Troy Duffy (didn't get to see OVERNIGHT, but boy did I hear amazing stuff about it.) This guy is the most self-destructive guy I've ever seen in my life -- blows record deals, takes heroin, tells off crowds at concerts -- and the director gets all of his behavior on film. Even if you've never heard of any of these bands, you can't take your eyes off this movie. The buzz was that it was going to get picked up for distribution. Be sure to check it out.

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE

(Director: Jared Hess; Writers: Jared & Jershua Hess)

This was the big buzz film of the festival (sold to Fox for something like $4 mil), but frankly I was a bit disappointed. It was funny, but sort of felt like 2nd tier Wes Anderson/Coen Bros.-lite. It's the story of a high-school geek named Napoleon Dynamite (played by a newcomer named Jon Heder) and his weird friends and family. There's his brother Kip, who has an on-line dating obsession; weird Uncle Rico who is still burning about a botched football championship 20 years ago and now sells door-to-door herbal products; Pedro, who's running for student body president. There isn't much of a story, just an oddball assortment of weird characters and off-beat moments. The actors are all great, but the movie doesn't really go anywhere and the tone often seems forced. Forced wackiness for its own sake isn't always as entertaining as it might seem. I couldn't help but feel "is that all there is?" after seeing this movie, but maybe I was just reacting to the hype. Decide for yourself.

Well, that's all I got to see. Went to lots of parties, saw a few panels, did some snowboarding.... all in all, a good time.

Call me SHOMER SHABBAS.....