January 6, 2006

I was going to write the second half of the business piece today, but I got my Sundance catalog and started getting excited about movies - I know… crazy! - and decided business can wait for Monday.

First I broke out the movies I am intensely interested in seeing. I came up with 33 titles. So I'll start with the Top Ten (in alphabetical order):

The Aura (World Drama Comp) - The return of Fabian Bielinsky, the Argentine who brought us Nine Queens, which many of us followed from festival to festival a few years back. He's playing more heist games and he's brought back the remarkable Ricardo Darin.

Destricted (Midnight) - I'm a little scared of this one… but I am more anxious to see if there is at least one or two great segments in the sextuple filmmaker group film with pervy entries from Gasper Noe, Matthew Barney, Larry Clark, Marco Brambilla, Sam Taylor-Wood and Marina Abramovic. There is also the real chance that this could be a disappointment like Eros… but these guys are much further over the deep end.

A Lion In The House (Doc Comp) - What is life like for a child with cancer and their family. This doc from Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert take a look at the lives of five such kids. I'm sure it will be heartbreaking. But I can only imagine what they go through… and that is the glory of exploring by documentary, no?

A Little Trip To Heaven (Premieres) - The Sea's Baltasar Kormakur is working in English and is likely to hit a homerun or to strike out. I am hoping for the former. Forrest Whittaker is the claims investigator who is in Minnesota and has an Irish brogue. (Scared yet?) But it doesn't sound like another Coen Bros ripoff. I'll take my chances and hope for glory.

The Night Listener (Premieres) - Patrick Stettner pulled of one of those great Sundance surprises with The Business of Strangers, a film where the two female leads pulled off hauntingly good performances. (The guy and the stressful circumstance was almost an excuse, an engine for that relationship.) Now he has Robin Williams and Toni Collette, a Maupin novel to adapt from, and a dark palette to work with.

The Science of Sleep (Premieres) - How can you not get excited about the new Michel Gondry? Who the hell knows if it will even make sense? (He wrote this one.) But even if it is a complete mind fuck, it's got to be a wild 105 minute ride.

Stephanie Daley (Drama Comp) - I love watching Tilda Swinton work and this drama about a young woman accused of killing her child (Swinton is the therapist) has the set up for a great performance. I am also a little unsure of the material. It is too easy to go too far and to become laughable with this high-strung a story. But I have faith.

Thin (Doc Comp) - People have become a little too glib about eating disorders. But what is the experience like when you spend time with young women who are in the throes of trying to recover? Do they really want to change? Are they really in control of themselves?

Who Needs Sleep (Spectrum) - Haskell Wexler has something to say and damned if I'm not going to be there to listen. The oddball premise, about sleep deprivation in the film biz, will hopefully be a diving board into a deeper pool. But I doubt I'll be demanding my 72 minutes back.

The World According to Sesame Street (Doc Comp) - Everybody loves Sesame Street… but what would Sesame Street look like in Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa? As controlled as the Children's Television Workshop is, I'm not sure how tough the film will be on the process. But just getting an idea of how producers in each of these countries see their commitment to children should be fascinating.

THE OTHER 23 (in alphabetical order):

5 Days (World Doc Comp) - Evacuating the Gaza Strip was a remarkable, pain-staking, heart-rending event. Yoav Shamir was there to try and capture what happened. The chance to see the situation in that depth is very compelling.

All Aboard: Rosie's Family Cruise (Spectrum) - It kind of stinks of being a promotional piece for Rosie, but I will give it a chance, praying that it is more than that.

American Hardcore (Midnight) - The start of the American punk movement.

An Unreasonable Man (Doc Comp) - Will this be 2006's equivalent of Fog of War? Ralph Nader is the subject. It's not clear if it will be warts and all or a love letter. (My guess is the latter.) But being a few years too young to understand his book on lemon cars when it was first published, I am ready to catch up on the details of his life of passion.

Battle In Heaven (Spectrum) - I'm willing to go wherever I have to go to see where Carlos Reygadas is going with his young career.

Cargo (Premieres) - A doc maker turns to drama and gets Peter Mullan to play. Crazy men on a boat trip. Either it will hurt in 10 minutes or be a great surprise.

Factotum (Spectrum) - A Bukowski-based film is either going to be a strong hit or a strong miss.

Friends With Money (Opening Night) - Nicole Holofcener is back and she is bringing three of the screen's most watchable actresses with her: Catherine Keener, Joan Cusack and Frances McDormand. I don't really need to know any more than that and really, I don't want to know any more than that. I trust the muscle and I prefer the ride fresh.

The Giant Buddhas (World Doc Comp) - Loved Christian Frei's War Photographer and I hope that the Giant Buddahs destroyed by the Taliban by decree in Afghanistan will be 76% as compelling.

The Hawk Is Dying (Drama Comp) - I was not a Trans fan (Julian Goldberger's first film), but he's got Giamatti and Michelle Williams, so I'll go for this ride.

The House of Sand (World Drama Comp) - Many have loved this Brazilian film and it's my first chance to check it out.

Kinky Boots (Opening Night) - The joy of watching Chiwetel Elijofor is enough to get me to show up… even if the film is opening in Salt Lake City. It's a commercial release in Europe and already has a US release date, but I'm hopeful.

Neil Young: Heart of Gold (Premieres) - There is no one more worthy of a trip down musical lane than Young and no one better to take us there than Jon Demme.

One Last Dance (World Drama Comp) - A Singapore made movie by Max Makowski about gangsters. Sure, I'll bite.

Open Window (Spectrum) - I'm interested in where Robin Tunney is going as an actress, so I am interested to see how she does in the lead of this film about a happy couple faced with a random act of violence.

Our Second Date (Frontiers) - An installation/film about dating… sounds really cool.

The Proposition (Spectrum) - A down under western with Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone. I'm there.

Small Town Gay Bar (Doc Comp) - What's it like to be gay in a small, homophobic town without a fellow cowboy to bait your rod? This doc should tell.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (Premieres) - Kirby Dick takes on the MPAA ratings system and trouble with the NC-17… one of my personal causes. Hopefully, it will find something more than complaining filmmakers.

Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst (World Doc Comp) - I have never heard of this woman, but with Gillian Armstrong telling the story and a life of remarkable experiences, it should be terrific.

What Remains (Spectrum) - A look at one of our great photographers, Sally Mann.

Who Killed The Electric Car (Spectrum) - I'm fearful of a polemic, but the death of the EV-1 is an interesting and important piece of recent ecological history.

Writing With Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner (Spectrum) - Great play, great movie… finding out more drives my interest.

ALSO - I have 22 titles that have my interest, but about which I have some reservations.

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints (Drama Comp) - The title alone gives me the creeps.

Adam's Apples (Spectrum) - Saw it in Toronto. A good movie, but not nearly as good as The Green Butchers.

Allegro (World Drama Comp) - I liked Christoffer Boe's first film, Reconstruction. But the film guide suggests he is going further into CleverVille. Not necessarily a good thing.

Angry Monk - Reflections on Tibet (World Doc Comp) - Hard to tell if there will be much there. A challenging premise… and no caps in the title.

Art School Confidential (Premieres) - Saw it here. A good film. Wished it was a great film.

The Darwin Awards (Premieres) - Finn Taylor makes me itchy. The subject is about people who kill themselves in stupid ways. HA! Could be brilliant. Could be masturbatory. We'll see.

Dreamland (Spectrum) - Is it the next Gas Food Lodging or Blue Car or plodding crap?

Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out (Spectrum)

I for India (World Doc Comp) - Another found footage doc about a family. In this case, there is the insight into "exotic" India.

The Illusionist (Premieres) - "At its heart, Neil Burger's film is about social position and the will to challenge it." Wake me up when it's over. But it's Ed Norton and Giamatti, so you gotta take a look.

Jewboy (Spectrum) - It sounds like a first-film jerkoff rage fest. Lonely despondent Jew who can't deal with father's death seeks Sundance critic to suck up. I mean, geez, the guy actually made a 52 minute film… on purpose! On the other hand, maybe it will be a masterwork. It's the ones that have to be bad that are often the best.

Little Miss Sunshine (Premieres) - It's a wacky farce! And either that works or dies. Only two options. Keep the fingers crossed.

Man Push Cart (Spectrum) - It seems so impossible a Sundance subject that there has to be something there.

Puccini For Beginners (Drama Comp) - One of the buzz comments of the festival will be, "Did you see how thin and blonde Elizabeth Reaser is?" (Right now, Reaser is best know for her brunette, pregnant turn in The Family Stone.) Hopefully won't be too cute to cut it.

Salvage (Midnight) - A 90 minute HD slasher film that will either be more bad Horror Porn or a creep fest with something underneath it all.

Special (Spectrum) - Michael Rappaport becomes a superhero. How can anyone miss it?

Thank You For Smoking (Premieres) - Saw it at Toronto. A lot of smart fun.

'Tis Autumn - The Search for Jackie Paris (Doc Comp) - Sounds like Broadway Danny Rose live… I hope.

Right At Your Door (Drama Comp) - Happy to see L.A. attacked. Not sure it will make a good movie.

The Secret Life of Words (Premieres) - Coixet's My Life Without Me was quite beautiful. But I fear that she will go over the edge with descriptions like "mysterious, introverted young nurse" and "perceptive, ironic Josef."

Sherrybaby (Drama Comp) - The film that could reaffirm Maggie Gyllenhaal as a great or kill expectations off.

Stay (Drama Comp) - Bob Goldthwaite sex comedy. Uh huh.

Wristcutters: A Love Story (Drama Comp) - A film about suicidal people… could be dead cloying.

THERE ARE a bunch of titles that seem too familiar for me. There are a trip of Iraq films:

The Ground Truth: after The Killing Ends (Doc Comp)
Iraq In Fragments (Doc Comp)
The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez (World Doc Comp)

And there is a "fresh" Holocaust film (KZ), another found footage doc (TV Junkie), a look at the same subject of last year's winner, After Innocence (The Trials of Darryl Hunt) and an environmental doc that sounds like a kick-off for a Gore in 2008 campaign (An Inconvenient Truth).

And there you are.

Of course, much of this will change as more information, more opinions, and more screenings take place. Sundance comes but once a year. I'm already tired.

EMe.

December 28, 2004 - Movies You Should Have Seen, But Didn't
December 29, 2004 - The Ten Worst
December 30, 2004 - The Ten Best
January 3, 2006 - Reflections On A New Year