Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Joe Bradley’s one of the guys who files a report with us every single year on Sundance, and in a case like this, we say better late than never. This is it, our last Sundance coverage, so let’s enjoy the final look back, shall we?
Hi Harry -
It's a little late, but here it is, my annual Sundance summary. So you've probably heard that this year (my 8th running) was completely insane, what with the totally f.u.b.a.r ticket ordering process, the 40,000 attendees (20K is normal), the cocktail lounges with free and bottomless Absolut Mandarin martini wells, the lovely $5000 gift bags I didn't get, the DemAshton and Ben without Jennifer sightings, and the omnipresent and minimally clothed Paris Hilton (who managed to show up for the opening of everything, including envelopes). Total craziness reigned this year, and it was hard not to leave the festival completely overwhelmed, exhausted and mildly (or extremely) bleary-eyed and hung-over.
That said, there were, as usual, some extraordinary films to be seen. The hype machine was loud this year, so now that I've had a week to clear the PR bullshit from my head and remove the Sundance audience movie blinders from my eyes, here are my best of Sundance picks for 2004.
(1) RIDING GIANTS. This extraordinary documentary about big wave surfers was the most purely entertaining film in the festival. Weaving archival footage, news reels, and interviews with past and present surf champions, director Stacy Peralta managed to come up with an unforgettable, and truly fun, moviegoing experience that tells the story of the rise of surf culture in the 20th century. And in Greg Noll, one of big wave surfing's pioneers, Peralta found the perfect movie star - funny, salty, candid, and full of big-wave wisdom. This movie was picked up by Sony Classics and if there's any justice, it should become a big hit this summer.
(2) OVERNIGHT - The only movie I wait-listed for at the festival, and it was worth the wait. This documentary tells the story of Troy Duffy, screenwriter, bartender, musician, and director wannabe who lands a deal with Miramax to direct his first screenplay, "The Boondock Saints," and to compose the soundtrack for the resulting film. In a bizarre negotiating strategy, Miramax also bought Duffy's bar as part of the deal. Unfortunately, Duffy turned out to be a foul-mouthed and arrogant ass who alienated everyone who crossed his path - Miramax dropped the deal, Duffy went mad with power and imploded, and the cameras were there to film the fast trip down to the bottom of the Hollywood barrel. Hugely entertaining and fascinating.
(3) DIG - The winner of the Documentary Competition, this film follows the rollercoaster relationship between the lead singers of two up-and-coming late 90s bands, the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The director, Ondi Timoner, appears to have had almost unrestricted access to the bands and as a result, the movie captures the dynamics of the bands in an extremely intimate and disturbing manner. Timoner's non-judgmental approach to the subject matter also results in a film that seems to be heading to the predictable "Star is Born" conclusion but in fact takes entirely unexpected turns. A must-see for any music fan.
(4) MARIA FULL OF GRACE - Given the high quality of most of the Sundance Dramatic Competition entries of the last few years (American Splendor, The Station Agent, Pieces of April, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, etc.), I was truly disappointed by this year's dramatic prize competitors. One of the exceptions, however, was Joshua Marston's first feature, which tells the tale of a poor Colombian girl who is recruited to be a drug courier, or "mule" - someone who smuggles huge quantities of cocaine from Colombia to the US by ingesting the drugs as contained in a tightly sealed condom, flying to the US, and excreting the drugs on arrival for a cash payout. Rather than sensationalizing the subject matter, the film was brutally honest about why someone might become a mule and the consequences that result. Surprisingly, for a movie filmed entirely in Spanish, it won the Dramatic Competition audience award, one that was richly deserved.
(5) FARMINGVILLE - Since the dramatic films this year were so weak, the documentary films stood out as universally excellent and exceptional, particularly in their ability to tell relevant and important stories while still being eminently watchable. This documentary chronicles the impact of the influx of a huge number of migrant workers and illegal aliens on a small Long Island town. While ostensibly focusing on the immediate battles between the Farmingville residents and the organizations trying to help the workers, the film also manages to tell the broader story of America's ongoing reliance on what is effectively an indentured laborer class. The directors should be credited for painting a balanced picture of the relevant issues and raising more questions than they answer. This one deserves a theatrical release.
(6) NEVERLAND: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SYMBIONESE LIBERATION ARMY - Another outstanding documentary. While most of us have seen a film or program about Patty Hearst, this is the first program I've seen that goes beyond just the details of the Hearst kidnapping and tells how the Symbionese Liberation Army was created, evolved, and eventually self-destructed. The Hearst kidnapping, which makes up a major part of the film, is told in an unbiased manner that raises the question as to whether Hearst really was a willing collaborator and whether her affliction with the so-called "Stockholm Syndrome" was merely a creative legal defense. Fascinating and timely.
(7) I LIKE KILLING FLIES - What? Another fantastic doc? This one follows the last days of the original site of Shopsin's, a quintessential New York diner run by a quintessential New York crank, Kenny Shopsin. The director, Matt Mahurin, just focuses his camera on Shopsin and lets him roll, and the results are hilarious and touching. Shopsin, of course, has an opinion on everything, including proper diner etiquette and attire, politics, sex, and of course, how to cook over 300 dishes in a kitchen the size of a refrigerator crate. Nothing much happens, but what does is vastly enjoyable.
(8) IRON JAWED ANGELS - OK, so it's an HBO film (airing later this month), but it still was one of my Sundance faves. Featuring an all-star cast (Hilary Swank, Anjelica Huston, Frances O'Connor, Patrick Dempsey), this one tells the story of the battle during World War I on America's homefront for a woman's right to vote. As historical docudramas go, this one was extremely interesting, well-acted, and inspirational. Well worth catching.
(9) NAPOLEON DYNAMITE - Probably the biggest audience favorite comedy of the festival, this one was criticized by many who saw it as being extremely adolescent and silly. Well, duh - that was part of its charm. The movie tells the story of a bunch of dweebs in a small town in Idaho, and unlike most comedies in the festival, it had a completely unique point of view (um, adolescent and silly) and was utterly original - after all, how many films about dweebs in rural Idaho have you seen? It will be interesting to see what the general public makes of this when it comes out this summer.
(10) FRANK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - The best short in the festival, this one, directed by the genius known as Bob Odenkirk and about a film festival run by a guy named Frank in his mom's garage, was completely hilarious.
OTHER GOOD THINGS: WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (featuring the all-star cast of Mark Ruffalo, Peter Krause, Naomi Watts, and Laura Dern); ONE POINT ZERO (a creepy sci-fi thriller with Jeremy Sisto from "Six Feet Under"); EVERGREEN (a sweet family drama filmed in Washington State).
DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE: PRIMER (the dramatic prize winner, which managed to be both boring and pretentious); MARIE AND BRUCE (Can a film starring Matthew Broderick and Julianne Moore, and written by Wallace Shawn, be that bad? Yes.); THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD (Sure, it's got Isabella Rossalini, but did anyone really enjoy this film?)
BELIEVE THE (BAD) HYPE: HARRY AND MAX
Well, that's it for this year's fest. See you next year from Park City!!
- Joe Bradley
I gotta see MARIA FULL OF GRACE. Sounds amazing. And I’m obligated now to see I LIKE KILLING FLIES after my parents, who were staying in Santa Monica for a convention, had a long conversation with Matt Mahurin, who ended up telling them some great stories about what he went through to get his film in the festival and finished exactly the way he wanted. It really did sound like a great year at Sundance this year, and I’m sorry to have missed it. Now I get to start looking forward to each of the titles as they make their way into distribution.
"Moriarty" out.
