Friday, 22 January 1999

I decided to get to Park City early on Thursday to get myself settled in. And it's a good thing that I did because, man, has Park City changed. My last trip to Sundance was five years ago. I wasn't here as a journalist, but simply as a young screenwriter with too much money in his hands. I stayed in the Yarrow. (I'm staying there again. The prices have gone up.) I hung out in a barbecue joint called Texas Red's. (That's where I had my first meal this trip. They have really skinny toothpicks that come in a matchbook. That just goes to show that little things mean the world to me.) And I spent my days split between movies and the slopes. (This time, I'm off the slopes so that a broken limb doesn't threaten my coverage.)

I would say that Park City has tripled in size in the last five years. It's quite remarkable. And it's going to be growing even more with investment focused on the Olympic Games just revving up to full speed. About five miles out of town, they already have the bobsled, cross-country and luge runs set up. And for the tidy fee of just $130, you can ride the bobsled (as a passenger -- driver and steerer are provided) at speeds more that 80 miles per hour. Of course, if you are a wimp or short of funds, there is a 45 mile-per-hour run for only 45 bucks.

Of course, the upside of growth is good food. This ain't a one-horse-for-dinner town anymore. Of course, that means that when Los Angeles empties its wretched refuse, the film industry, upon this steroidal village, 8:00 p.m. reservations are at a premium. Most restaurants take your credit card number as a guarantee that you'll show up for your reservation. (You have 24 hours to back out.) And a few actually charge you for the dinner before you even arrive. At one hot Italian spot, it's $55 before tax, tip or actual arrival.

So far, the spot for serious socializing has been the 24-hour Albertson's supermarket. There you will find celebrities and others, stocking up on food as though they were headed for the bunkers. But you can't walk in without seeing people you know from L.A. And only a small percentage of festival-goers have even gotten here yet.

Oh yes, about the movies. The only film to unspool so far was Cookie's Fortune, the new Robert Altman movie that got a nice review in The Hollywood Reporter today that contradicts the buzz-addicted naysayers. The screening was in Salt Lake City and was followed by a gala reception. By the time it was time for me to care about securing tickets, I had already decided that I didn't need the experience of driving back and forth from Park City on the snowy dark mountain roads. But that won't stop me from talking to the entire cast, from Glenn Close to Ally Sheedy tomorrow and reporting on it on Saturday. We are also trying to do a live Cookie's Fortune chat sometime in the next few days.

About chats. Tonight at 6:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. PT will be our first one of the festival. It's me and the mighty Quinn brothers, Aidan (the movie star), Paul (the director) and Declan (the cinematographer). The film also stars James Caan, Stephen Rea and John Cusack. The film is This is My Father and it's a family history drama. Some say it's the Quinn's history. Come on by. You can ask them yourself.

BACK IN HOLLYWOOD: I'm a little worried. I think I'm getting soft. We haven't even hit Valentine's Day yet and it looks like we may be in for one of the best years for movies in a long, long time. First, there are Rushmore and Still Crazy, both of which had one-week Academy runs on the coasts, but really are 1999 movies, due out in the next few weeks. Two tremendous movies. Then I saw October Sky and was pleasantly surprised by the little gem. Next, I saw Analyze This. Pretty good. It's hard to figure as it's not yet finished (sounds, effects and more are missing) and I saw a terrible work print. Comedy is a little delicate for this kind of rough treatment, but it looks very promising. Looks like a hit. Then, I saw Go. WOW! That movie is going to do big business and deserves to do big business. And then, after a call gently asking, "Do you like love stories?" I said that I did and went to see the film. It was Message in a Bottle.

What can I say about Message in a Bottle? Robin Wright Penn is one of the great movie stars working today. She should earn that kind of respect with this film. The only thing that could keep Paul Newman from an Oscar® nomination is the February 12 release date. Kevin Costner hits all the right Kevin Costner notes and does what he's rarely done during his down years -- he lets the other actors have their space. This is not all about Kevin. His film is a beautiful ensemble piece that also includes John Savage's best work since Inside Moves. One reason is the wonderful understated screenplay by Gerald Di Pego, but the leading hero here is director Luis Mandoki. What a piece of work he turns in! (He also gets a wonderful visual assist by cinematography icon Caleb Deschanel.) Mandoki lets all the actors do their best work, has the guts to allow some of his best scenes play without words and the taste involved with choosing his supporting cast, loaded with actors like Robbie Coltrane, Illeana Douglas and relative novices Jesse James and Hayden Panettiere.

This, for me, is a better film than Ghost and it's certainly the best love story put on film since that film stole audience's hearts in 1990. It has the "women" moments you'd expect, but it also has great stuff for and about men. The stuff men don't like to talk about but feel nonetheless. And yet, Mandoki never lets it get hokey or over-the-top. Silence can be as powerful on film as it is in real life. It's just a terrific weepy -- a classic Hollywood melodrama in all the right ways. It's too early to get into details and, in truth, I hope you discover it for yourself. I've gotta tell ya, that feeling I've had walking out of these movies this month, amazed and enthralled, has been glorious. What else could I ask for?

That's six really good studio movies all due before April. Six! There wasn't one last year, and there was only Liar, Liar the year before that, as I recall. I can't remember a year that started this strong. And then we have a pretty overwhelming summer to come (Eyes Wide Shut, Star Wars, The Wild, Wild West, Man on the Moon, The Mummy (which has Harry Knowles in a state of permanent arousal), Tarzan and Mystery Men (that one could be great or crap, nothing in between) for starters, plus Austin Powers 2, the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, Fight Club, Costner and Sam Raimi's For the Love of the Game and The Haunting of Hill House (one or two of which have to be great).

And here I am at Sundance, ready to see some really good films that may not be so popular. I'm like a pig in excrement.

 

---

E ME: So, can you remember a year that started off with more than a couple of good movies? Think hard and write harder.