Monday, 22 January 2001

SUNDANCE: DAY FOUR

It was worm-turning Sunday at Sundance. At least for me.

As the work of Sundance seemed to become easier (thanks to the Roughcuteers), suddenly the films seemed to be a bit disappointing. At first, the disappointment was mild, as two films I expected a lot from were good but not breathtaking. Then, I found a film that took my breath away... and my wallet, folding cash, and will to live.

But I want to start on the happy side by reflecting on the Roughcut Dinner that we had Saturday night for The Dish. Wow. What a joyous time. Sam and Noriko Neill were soft-spoken and charming and couldn’t be more friendly to strangers. Director Rob Sitch and producer Michael Hirsh continue to remind me how success can lead to sanity instead of mania. Roger Ebert was in grand form, leading the rounds of great stories. Everyone was in fine form. A real treat.

Sunday afternoon, I got another treat that will also stay with me for a long while. I spent an hour with Jacqueline Bisset (in town for The Sleepy Time Gal) doing a Yahoo! Chat, and not only was Ms. B. funny, elegant, and charming, she is still one of the most astoundingly beautiful women walking on Bob’s green earth. (Look for the new Sundance film, "Trembling before B-b.") She mentioned, as we talked and typed, that she is happiest when engaged in wide-ranging, smart conversation. Boy, should we have invited her to that Saturday dinner! Of course, all the guys -- I think it was a 10-to-1 ratio -- would have probably clammed up in her presence.

But enough with the happiness...

I was able to grab a screening of the much-anticipated Sony Classics film, The Road Home. They might consider changing the title to "Yimou Luvs Ziyi," since the film is composed mostly of photo ops of The Most Adorable Girl in the World (trademark pending, Sony Classics). She’s irrepressible, she’s beautiful, she knows how to do wire work! It’s not that the movie is bad. It isn’t. But I expected more than a 90-minute travelogue of Zhang Ziyi’s face. And mind you, I am one of the people pushing for her to be nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But here, the road was like a drive though the Utah desert in summer... beautiful, but pretty repetitive after the first 200 miles.

Green Dragon, from the "other" Bui Brother, Timothy, is another good movie that doesn’t quite get where it wants to go. There are wonderful performances here from Don Duong, Forest Whitaker, and Patrick Swayze, who seems poised to make a career resurgence as an (gasp!) actor with and Donnie Darko at the festival. The movie takes place in a refugee camp for Vietnamese who came to America near the end of the Vietnam War. Every character has an arc of love and loss in a moment where clear answers seemed impossible. Honestly, I always felt that Tony Bui’s Sundance winner, Three Seasons, was over-rated. But Green Dragon is a step behind that film, because it doesn’t have the great moments and the kind of ground-shaking actors that Three Seasons had. Whitaker is capable of being this film’s Harvey Keitel, but his character has his most challenging moments off camera, with only allusions to them and a lame post facto explanation about them in the movie. This is a movie of internalized emotions. And while that may ring true for the Vietnamese as a people, it doesn’t make for the most compelling drama. I always had the feeling that the moments I wasn’t seeing might affect me more than the ones they showed.

Then, of course, there was After Image. How does one describe After Image? Even the Maria Salas pull-quote might read "Stunningly Bad!" I’m sure that writer/director Robert Manganelli would explain that I just don’t understand great art. And maybe I don’t. But I do understand that renting rain machines doesn’t make you an artist. I understand that story structure shouldn’t be made of day-old linguini. I’m pretty sure I understand that when a serial killer turns his attentions toward The Cop’s family, he needs some motivation. But don’t get me started on a list of the obvious inconstancies in this film. Just ride that wave of pretentiousness down Main Street and try not to get hurt too badly when you crash into the rocks at the corner of Depth and Insight.

Afterthought: The buzz around Intimacy continues to build, and Jump Tomorrow sold British and French rights on Saturday, with a domestic deal on the way. Could it be Fox Searchlight? Tune in tomorrow for more of "As Sundance Deals Turn."

E ME: Sorry I’ve left this off the column lately. It was unintentional. I miss you guys. Write on.