Every January in the coldest of winter, thousands flock to
the cold Mountain streets of Utah to sit in libraries, high school auditoriums
and theaters. Among the thousands are the newest crop of emerging filmmakers
that are living their dream and hoping to be the next Tarantino or Aronofsky,
two directors who premiered their first feature in Park City.
This was my 3rd year traveling to the Sundance
Film Festival. What the festival has evolved to mean to me is much more than an
opportunity to stargaze and binge on next year’s possible indie breakouts; it
is a time of inspiration and self-evaluation.
Sundance is the farthest thing from Hollywood. The egos are
few and far between. Sundance is meant to be is a platform, a chance for people
to catapult into the spotlight and into superstardom. But unlike the
“celebrities” of Honey Boo-Boo or Kardashian fame, these are actors, actresses
and filmmakers who have yet to be discovered and for this week have their one
shot, their chance for the Weinsteins, the Fox Searchlights and the masses to
see what they can bring.
This hope and excitement is contagious. It floats through
shuttles driving around town, it’s present in every single screening and it
carries you through the streets. It takes a hold of you and you begin to feel
inspired and ask yourself, why not me? There is no place like Park City and no
better time than the Sundance Film Festival. Any film lover, artist, or dreamer
should experience it at some point in their life.
This year I was fortunate enough to see 16 films during my 5
days in Park City. Below you can see the list of everything I have seen by visiting the festival page if you care to read more.
The greatest part of seeing films in Park City is the lack
of any reference to what you are seeing. Audiences and critics have never seen
these films so you have no clue if you are seeing a future Oscar contender or
the next Norbit. The lack of a trailer means you are hinging your choices on
what to see based on two sentence descriptions. So most choices are a roll of
the dice, trusting your urges and hoping you walked into the right theater.
Then the lights go out, the movie begins and when it ends, it’s now time to talk
to the other people in the audience to see if their opinions matched yours.
Alright, enough of talking about how great Sundance was.
Here are my top 5 films of Sundance*
Honorable Mention-
The Way, Way Back & Hell Baby
These are two completely different movies. One is the product of an Academy Award winning writing team and the other is the product of two men who brought us Reno 911.
The Way, Way Back & Hell Baby
These are two completely different movies. One is the product of an Academy Award winning writing team and the other is the product of two men who brought us Reno 911.
The Way, Way Back
is one of the many films at Sundance, which focuses on a child overcoming the
effects of divorce. The writing team behind The
Descendents make their directorial debut with this coming of age film about
a 14 year old kid who breaks out of his shell by working at a water park over
the summer. Sam Rockwell owns this film and raises the question why he isn’t a
bigger star. After being acquired for $10 million by Fox Searchlight, you will
be seeing this movie in theaters soon.
Hell Baby was
exactly what I needed, when I needed it. It is in no means a good film. But,
boy is it a good time! Hell Baby will
be on par with Grandma’s Boy, Dude
Where’s My Car? or any other thoughtless film you can think of, that
college kids put on to enjoy over beer and other activities. The stupid, corny
jokes require absolutely no brain power to enjoy. I laughed harder in this
movie than anything I saw at Sundance, and it was really nice to turn my brain
off for 90 minutes. I could see this film getting a wide release, thanks to its
comedic star power, but a long theatrical run I highly doubt. However I do see
it having a prolonged life on college campuses and drug dealer’s shelves for
years to come.
#5- Sound City
#5- Sound City
Dave Grohl’s passion project about the famed California
music studio really struck a note with me. This fantastic documentary
chronicles the history of the Sound City studio where bands such as Fleetwood
Mac, Tom Petty, Nirvana and others recorded some of the greatest albums in
music history.
Grohl felt the urge to tell this studio’s story and what
results is a beautiful narrative and also a few surprise cameos and music
performances. Any lover of music will appreciate this film. And anyone can
watch it now as it is available on demand.
#4- S-V/H/S
#4- S-V/H/S
The sequel to last year’s Sundance premiere V/H/S, S-V/H/S, vastly improves on everything good about the first one.
This horror anthology which chronicles unfortunate souls being killed through
first person video accounts, which for some reason are all then transferred to
V/H/S tapes in 2013… Hmm… But don’t get stuck on that detail.
I was one of the few people I know who enjoyed V/H/S. The clever concept and
entertainment of two of the short films was enough for me to get over the lack
of through-line and ridiculousness of the other parts. But, S-V/H/S, is a drastic improvement on the
first. All 4 of the shorts provide scares, creativity and entertainment. The
third chapter is from the mind of the director of 2012’s The Raid: Redemption, and his 20-minute segment may be the most
fascinating short film I have ever seen. I am sure this film will be playing
art houses soon. If you appreciate a good horror film, see this, the 3rd
chapter of this film is worth the price of admission.
#3- In a World…
Lake Bell, wrote and stars in this film about the world of
voice-over actors. This clever, funny, and cute movie has a hilarious script
brought to life by a truly great comedic cast. Bell, Demetri Martin, Nick
Offerman, Ken Marino and more all provide laugh after laugh, but what makes
this movie rise above the crop is the amount of heart it has. This film has yet
to pick up a distributor but I am sure it will and should be on Netflix or on
demand some day soon.
#2- The Spectacular
Now
This film is an all-star Sundance collaboration. The
director of last year’s award winner Smashed
teamed up with the writing team of 500
Days of Summer to create what I believe is one of the most gripping coming
of age stories I have ever seen. Project
X’s Miles Teller and The Descendents’
Shailene Woodley both provide my two favorite performances of the festival.
Teller plays the popular, good looking senior guy who masks his fears of the
future by making jokes and sneaking shots from his flask. Teller spends most of
the movie trying to avoid making any decision that will affect his future until
he meets Woodley, a sweet, innocent, vulnerable girl. What follows is the
self-destruction of one character and their weight bringing everyone else down
with them.
This film stuck with me long after I left the theater. The
performances and script make this film truly touching and a movie I can’t wait
to see again. I can see this movie coming out in theaters in the Fall. Don’t
miss it.
#1- Toy’s House
My favorite thing about going into some Sundance movies is
the fact that you have no idea what you are seeing. For this film, I was swayed
to see it solely by the fact it starred Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally. I
read those names and didn’t read anything else about the plot or anything. Then
the very opening scene grabbed a hold of the audience with amazing visuals and
sound, and it never let me go.
Toy’s House deals
with its central characters, a group of high school freshman, and their desire
to get out of their small town and away from their even smaller minded parents.
This desire pushes them to build their own house in the middle of the woods and
survive on their own.
This film, mirrors the childhood innocence it captures, it’s
a feel good film filled with adventure, comedy and fun, but it ‘s also a
reflection on growing older and the importance of friendships and family. I got
lost in this film and I absolutely loved every minute of it. In the three years
I have been going to the Sundance Film Festival, this is my favorite film I
have seen there. I hope this film gets the release it deserves, if it does,
please see it.
Full List of
Movies Seen
Breath In
Toy’s House
The Spectacular Now
Which Way to the Front Line
Sound City
Blackfish
Upstream Color
Shorts Program #3
S-VHS
A.C.O.D
Prince Avalanche
Don Jon’s Addiction
Hell Baby
In a World…
The East
The Way. Way Back
Toy’s House
The Spectacular Now
Which Way to the Front Line
Sound City
Blackfish
Upstream Color
Shorts Program #3
S-VHS
A.C.O.D
Prince Avalanche
Don Jon’s Addiction
Hell Baby
In a World…
The East
The Way. Way Back
*Unfortunately there were some critically praised films I
did not see that may be widely talked about soon. Some of these (Fruitvale,
Before Midnight, Stoker, After Tiller and more)