Gary Dretzka
Leonard Klady
Emanuel Levy
David Poland
Doug Pratt
Ray Pride

JANUARY 31, 2005

I can't seem to stay all the way through Sundance anymore. I tried this year, but personal business took me away for the last three days, in which I had hoped to catch up with some more of the titles I had missed but wanted to see.

Fortunately for me, neither of the big prize winners, Forty Shades of Blue or Why We Fight was among the critical misses. The former I saw. The latter I have little interest in seeing and even less after it won the award.

Allow me to explain my reaction to Why We Fight by apologizing. I might be 100% wrong about the film. Eugene Jarecki's The Trial of Henry Kissinger was not a polemic to match so many of the political documentaries of last year. So maybe I should give this film a break. After all, the Sundance awards have become, for all intents and purposes, the awards for the films that the juries like the most but need help commercially. There were more than a half dozen choices that would have seemed more obvious in the doc competition, but they had a lot of buzz already. And perhaps the jury support of the film was not for having what currently feels like anti-Bush politics.

He truth is, I am curious to see the film. And I am fearful of being turned off. That's what I really mean.

As for Forty Shades of Blue, I admired Rip Torn's performance in the film. I was fine with the ragtag, but show-offy, style of filmmaking from director Ira Sachs. I was turned off by what seemed to me like obvious turns in the story signaled with indie's version of storyline klieg lights. And mostly, I was completely pushed away by the performance by Dina Korzun, who is the central character in the film, but offers only the kind of on-screen spark that comes from festival audiences that are willing to do all the work themselves.

Once again, the defining characteristic of our award winner is that it had little chance of getting a significant pick-up without the boost. I would have expected a nod for The Squid & The Whale, but it seems that Noah Baumbach's latest opus has fans and a likely theatrical deal to come. Brick also stank of a Sundance Award, but it too got a lot of very enthusiastic attention during the festival. Junebug, too!

There were plenty of people more enthusiastic about Forty Shades of Blue than I. But every conversation about it smelled of a Sundance Excuse.

Anyway… I am forcing myself, in the name of hacks everywhere, to make a Sundance 2005 Top Ten list. All in all I saw 40 of this year's Sundance films. But before we get to those, let's get to these:

FILMS I DIDN'T SEE AND WAS DISAPPOINTED TO MISS

The Aristocrats - Word was that the repetitive nature of the doc was not great, but I am still quite interested and have the niggling feeling that the repetition might be a stroke of insight that I would really appreciate.

The Ballad of Jack & Rose - Word is that Rebecca Miller's film is arty-farty to the max, but I have faith.

Brick - Truly great word of mouth on this high school film noir.

Dear Wendy - Vinterberg. Von Trier. How could I not be interested, even if the hum was virtually non-existent.

Hard Candy - Hyper-unreal sounds-like-it-started-as-a-play sexual cat-n-mouse film really irritated some. But any film that inspires a passionate response is worth checking out for me.

Kung Fu Hustle - More fun with Chow. Will see it soon enough.

The Liberace of Baghdad - I was really looking forward to this doc, but just couldn't get there. Hopefully they'll send a screener soon.

Lila Says - Samuel Goldwyn already has domestic distribution on this World Competition entry. Word I heard before the fest was strong. I'm looking forward to seeing it in Bermuda this March.

Matando Cabos - This was, actually, the first buzz film of the festival. I was asked/told about this Spanish-language, hard-edged Midnight movie entry no less than a half-dozen times during the first days of the festival.

Me, You & Everyone We Know - A one-woman show that smelled of festival self-indulgence, but seemed to pleasantly surprise almost everyone who saw it.

Nine Lives - This one sounds a lot like Rodrigo Garcia's last estrogen-laden Sundance/Showtime movie that I didn't much care for. But I am interested in any film that brings together this strong a cast of actors.

Police Beat - Sounds like it could be a charmer or an irritant… an African immigrant cop on a bicycle in Seattle. But if it's any good, it's probably very good.

Pretty Persuasion - This sounded like a foul-minded mess. But I always like watching Jimmy Woods chew scenery and it sounds like the kind of film that might tickle the perverse side of my funny bone.

Shakespeare Behind Bars - I only heard good things about this film and we got it into the rental house twice during the festival… and just never got to it. I will admit that it first reminded me of the late 70s films on the same subject. But I am told that it was more than that and wish I had gotten the chance to be sure.

The Squid & The Whale - Every bone in my body screams to me that I will hate this film… HATE! But who knows? Some people who I respect really liked this film, so I am willing to give it a shot. But I am afraid… very afraid.

Strangers With Candy - I love the show. I suspect that the film is an extended episode. The fact that Comedy Central parent Viacom didn't scoop this up makes me all the more sure of it. But I wanna see it!

Trudell - I saw about 30 minutes of the documentary on the legendary Native American activist/musician. It was good, but I was not immersed… and it feels like you really need to be immersed in this film to get where you need to go. That is rare, so all the more compelling.

Wall - This doc about the Israeli-built wall on the perhaps-border of Israel and Palestine is a discussion worth more than 95 minutes.

What Is It? - How nuts is Crispin Glover? I would like to see for myself.

Wolf Creek - Miramax bought this violent Aussie horror/thriller and it sounds like its worth a watch.

FILMS I DIDN'T SEE
AND REALLY COULD CARE NOT LESS ABOUT

The Chumscrubber - No one said anything nice about this one going in… or coming out. With this much talent involved, this much silence is scary.

Dirty Love - Jenny McCarthy in a film written by the former Playmate and directed by her husband. The photo in the Sundance catalog has Mrs. Asher's nose pressed up against the outside of a window of a subway car. Hee-larious!

Ellie Parker - This film in dramatic competition smelled of trouble from its description to the lack of buyer's interest. And nothing that happened at the fest dissuaded me from feeling it was a fair beat.

Game Six - Great talent… seems like a subject that is just too late to draw interest. I really like Michael Keaton and Michael Hoffman, but it sounded like a "Why is this here?" from the start.

The Jacket - I'll see it as it gets released in a week or two. No biggie. Mixed word of mouth. The kind of film that is at Sundance only for publicity value.

Loggerheads - Buzz was more than muted.

Loverboy - The Woodsman got everyone excited in that Sundance way… this one did not.

Reefer Madness - I wouldn't bother to go see the live show… don't need to see the movie either.

SOMEWHERE IN THE ETHER

Ballet Russes - I saw part of this documentary on this traveling ballet of the people, and was quite pleased by the access the filmmakers had to the quickly aging performers who made up this troupe. Seems like they got there just in time. I look forward to seeing the rest, expecting a film in the vein of Amargosa or Broadway: The Golden Years.

The Garden - This doc on Madison Square Garden from the legendary Frederick Wiseman was pulled from the festival at the very last minute - after the print was screened for the festival volunteers - under threat from the folks at MSG. Some people do it differently and others as well, but nobody does it better than Wiseman and I am sure it would have been 3 hours and 16 minutes well spent.

Rize - I didn't see this feature length doc from David LaChappelle… nor did I witness Mr. La Chappelle's arrest on the streets of Park City for disorderly conduct. But I did see the 20 minute short, entitled Krumped, that was the foundation for the feature… and I adored it. So unless the extended length would be a problem, I'm pretty sure that I would quite enjoy Rize.

23 FILMS THAT WERE GOOD, BUT NOT THAT GOOD

212 - Anthony Ng's romantic comedy set amongst a triptych of New Yorkers was fine… but so very Sundance to me. I look forward to his growth and his next effort.

Cronicas - A lot of people loved Sebastian Cordero's moralistic thriller about bad people and the media that can turn bad on a dime. I liked pieces of it, but just never got all the way on the bandwagon.

The Dying Gaul - I really, really liked the performances here. I think it may be Peter Sarsgaard's most accomplished work, in no small part because he allows the audience into his emotional state more than in the past. But is it a great movie? No. That said, one of the twists in the film that seemed to anger or distract many viewers was just fine with me. I may like this film better some day.

The Education of Shelby Knox - A really nice doc on a really interesting subject that just never accelerated into "special."

The Fall of Fujimori - The story of Peru's most controversial president ever is fascinating for its story. But the execution comes up short as too many hard questions are left unanswered.

The Forest For The Trees - This entry in the World Competition has some nice performances, but in the end adds to almost nothing. One lonely woman flails about with a bad haircut and relentless self-deception… zzzzzzzzzz…

Frozen Angels - Another solid piece of documentation… and no real thrills.

I Am Cuba, The Siberian Mammoth - I love I Am Cuba, but this return to the scene of the production to see how it came together and how it has affected people never reaches the power of the original… so one walks away just wanting to see the original again.

Layer Cake - A good movie from Guy Ritchie's former producer, now a director we can expect to see a lot of. It is like any Ritchie gangster effort… but with 75% less showing off. And that's a good thing.

The Matador - A good movie and a very good character study with Pierce Brosnan as the aging killer and Greg Kinnear - unusually effective - as the loser who knew too much. The film has a lot of nice touches and Brosnan is exceptional. But in the end, writer/director Richard Shepard is trying to hard to be like other directors and doesn't ascend.

Mysterious Skin - The best Gregg Araki movie ever… but that could be damning with faint praise. A gifted sexual stylist, Araki actually has a significant story here for the first time. It still doesn't quite whiz by your ear. But it does make it over the net and into the field of play.

Reel Paradise - This doc about John Pierson and his family is a glorious good time. But I have a feeling that a significant part of that is my personal interest. Still, if you love movies and you love the real parents of the indie movement, well worth checking out.

Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story - Sold as the story of a top boxer who turned out to be gay, this is an interesting doc about a boxer who is haunted by killing someone in the ring who taunted him by accusing him of being gay in an era where that was a serious accusation. It's an interesting story, but by the end I was very disappointed that the filmmaker never really engaged the elephant in the room.

Rock School - The real-life foundation for Richard Linklater's School of Rock, it is essentially the reality pointed to in the final credits of the hit comedy. Forget the uptight boarding school and the lax mode of handling the kids, Rock School is for the cool and the passionate.

Rory O'Shea Was Here - This well-intentioned dramedy about two handicapped men fighting to be "just" men is everything you would expect. And that's too bad. Sometimes, when you're offering drama that is meant to go against the grain, it is almost impossible to do it without getting right in the groove.

Saving Face - This Sony Classics release is an amusing lesbian romp in Chin-glish. The women are beautiful and very likeable. In support, Joan Chen gives her least self-aware performance in years. Enjoyable.

Shake Hands With The Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dellaire - I really wanted to - and really expected to - like this film a lot more. The story is compelling… very compelling. But I found the movie very, very dry.

Steal Me - Melissa Painter is working in David Gordon Green territory here, but there is nothing terribly outstanding about this film. It reminded me a bit of the infinitely superior Slamdance entry of a few years ago, Falling Like This.

The Talent Given Us - Andrew Wagner does an excellent job making his real family into a traveling acting troupe for this film. The truth of these performances makes the characters more compelling than in most "Sundance films." But the films tends to drag along at times and never really gets to or above the speed limit.

A Thousand Roads - Chris Eyre's 40 minute short, headed for The National Museum of The American Indian, is completely pleasant, engaging and interesting. It's also a great visual treat.

Thumbsucker - There are big fans of this all-too-Sundance comedic drama. Not me. I didn't despise it. I am completely willing to believe that young Lou Pucci will find stardom in his near future. But mostly, I was bored by what felt to me like Garden State Light. Of course, Garden State Light could, given that I am not a big fan of Garden State, could be a good thing. ("Less clever… more thoughtful!") But here was a little less clever and not much more thoughtful. As far as I'm concerned, a big pile of Sowhat and the Sundance Sucker Film of 2005.

Unknown White Male - A really fascinating idea for a doc… a man who has, in his 30s, lost all of his memory, able only to remember things since the mysterious moment of his loss. But not only does the filmmaker tease us with an unfulfilled 95% chance of a recovered memory, but he never asks the really hard question. It's amusing when his new girlfriend admits, giggling, that she was the first to reintroduce him to marijuana. But what is sex like with a guy who suddenly has the mind of a virgin… or does he?... or doesn't he? Any idiot can get high. (And by the way, that giggling admission is the end of the exploration of that experience too.) But what happens when a man is put to more strenuous emotional tests? The drama made because of this doc - and expect it to be in competition, unaffiliated with this film, by next January - may well explore what this film fails to.

The Upside of Anger - This film is a big step forward for writer/director/co-star Mike Binder and a strong platform for performances by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner. But the strong performances by the four supporting actresses (as Ms. Allen's daughters) get lost in the shuffle and the film never quite finds its magical balance. But I'm looking forward to Mr. Binder's next films.

SIX I DID NOT LIKE

The fact that I only feel like relieving myself on six films tells you that it was a very good year at Sundance. There was not a lot of greatness, but there was a lot of good and not a lot that hurt to watch.

Happy Endings - Don Roos is a very, very clever man. He's a funny man. He gets very good performances out of his actors. But this mish-mosh of oh-so-clever coincidence and wit just doesn't cut it. I really did like some of the performances, but so what? A TV sitcom about nothing is one thing, but a 107 minute movie about nothing is just a waste of my time.

Nine Songs - Half ass porn and lame concert music videos. Yoikes.

Duane Hopwood - A friend insisted that I see this thing. I will forgive, but not forget. David Schwimmer is a skilled TV actor. But he just doesn't have the extra ingredient that makes him a compelling filmic figure. Let's not even start to discuss the feel-good comedy about the alcoholic who doesn't care about recovery. (Someone claimed that there was a visual note indicating that he was going to fix his problems in the last scene… didn't see it… and too little, too late for me anyway.) I liked Janeane Garofalo and Judah Friedlander (when he wasn't trying to be funny) and a Dick Cavett cameo that doesn't make one queasy is an achievement. So I kept waiting for there to be a redeeming feature to this feature. Never found it. The bicycle-riding turkey was, clearly, the mascot of this film.

The Girl From Monday - Hal Harley, I hear, will soon return to filmmaking. As far as this "movie," the words escape me. Easily the worst film at the festival, including the film on my teeth on morning after a very, very late party.

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2 ½ - Pretentious, Take 2… wait… not pretentious enough… Take 2 ½. As in the old ads for "Smuckers," with a name like that it better be good. Nope. I'm not going to write any more… I just need to quote Shari Frilot's program comment: "Greaves had created a tightly structured cinematic fractal as the gaze of Take 2 ½ penetrates even its own presentation, including a Q&A session where he is put on the spot after the presentation of Take 1." If that sentence doesn't make you want to put a knife in your own cinematic fractal, you might like this movie.

Who Killed Cock Robin - I just couldn't go there. Touted as this year's Tarnation, I watched and watched and watched and never saw. Sorry.

And Now, The Top Ten Are ...

Day Eight | Day Seven | Day Six | Day Five | Day Four
Day Three | Day Two | Day One | Preview: The Hot Button