Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Hard to believe that Sundance is already winding down. I’ve been watching the half-hour show FESTIVAL DAILIES on The Sundance Channel, and I think I’m going to have to go back to the fest next year. I got the jones something fierce about two days in this time.
Thankfully, we’ve had some great correspondents there this year, like Opie and the always-reliable Memento Man, who’s back to wrap things up with two last reviews...
Harry!
The last day of the festival!
The awards were announced last night. You can find a list right here.
Here's what I've seen lately:
THE JACKET * * 1/2 (John Maybury, 2005)
A trippy time-traveling piece that nearly works. Adrian Brody is Jack Starks, a man who is wounded in Iraq in 1991 and subsequently framed for the murder of a policeman. Sentenced to a hospital for the criminally insane, he soon finds himself the victim of a cruel, experimental treatment by Dr. Becker (a weathered Kris Kristofferson) in which he is injected with banned drugs, fitted with a straightjacket, and placed in a very tight morgue drawer. He not only experiences disturbing flashbacks, but he also finds himself traveling forward in time from 1992 to 2007 where he meets Jackie (Keira Knightley) who joins him on the quest to solve his own murder which, he is told, took place at the end of 1992. The film has a strong opening with maddening extreme close-ups that help the spectator feel a bit of Jack’s own madness. The ending, however, is a bit of a letdown with several glaring plot holes that are difficult to reconcile.
GRIZZLY MAN * * * 1/2 (Werner Herzog, 2005)
Haunting documentary about Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived among bears in Alaska every summer for 13 years until he and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were killed by a bear in 2003. Herzog not only interviews Timothy’s friends, parents, and autopsy-peformer, but also shows some of the 100 hours of footage Timothy shot of himself in the wilderness with bears. The camera was rolling when Timothy and Amie were being killed, but the lens cap was left on the camera. Herzog films himself listening to that audio for the first time but the audience doesn’t hear it. Some parts chilling, other parts humane, GRIZZLY MAN is a powerful documentary by legendary filmmaker.
A very cold Memento Man
He also sent along his final wrap-up for us:
Hi Harry!
It's been a great 5th year here at Sundance. The weather has been warmer, the celebrities have been nicer, and the food in the Eccles Theater has been better.
Here are the films I saw this year:
1. Grizzly Man * * * 1/2 (Verner Herzog, 2005)
2. Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School * * * 1/2 (Randall Miller, 2005)
3. The Upside of Anger * * * 1/2 (Mike Binder, 2005)
4. The Chumscrubber * * * 1/2 (Arie Posen, 2005)
5. Reefer Madness * * * 1/2 (Andy Fickman, 2005)
6. Brick * * * (Rian Johnson, 2005)
7. Thumbsucker * * * (Mike Mills, 2005)
8. The Squid and the Whale * * * (Noah Baumbach, 2005)
9. Dear Wendy * * * (Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark, 2005)
10. Drum * * * (Zola Moseko, South Africa, 2005)
11. The Ballad of Jack and Rose * * * (Rebecca Miller, 2005)
12. The Dying Gaul * * * (Craig Lucas, 2005)
13. Lonesome Jim * * * (Steve Buscemi, 2005)
14. Loverboy * * * (Kevin Bacon, 2005)
15. The Jacket * * 1/2 (John Maybury, 2005)
16. On a Clear Day * * 1/2 (Gaby Dellal, U.K., 2005)
17. Junebug * * 1/2 (Phil Morrison, 2005)
18. Heights * * 1/2 (Chris Terno, 2005)
19. MirrorMask * * (Dave McKean, 2005)
20. Forty Shades of Blue * 1/2 (Ira Sachs, 2005)
21. Game 6 * 1/2 (Michael Hoffman, 2005)
22. High School Record * 1/2 (Ben Wolfinsohn, 2005)
23. Between * (David Ocanas, 2005)
24. Who Killed Cock Robin? * (Travis Wilkerson, 2005)
Until next year, this is MEMENTO MAN, signing off!
Thanks, man. Guys like you make it possible for us to offer our readers a great look at the fest each and every year.
"Moriarty" out.
