MCN: Sundance Film Festival 2008

..,.Gary Dretzka
..,.Leonard Klady
...David Poland
...Doug Pratt
...Ray Pride

Having Words With
Howard A. Rodman
by Ray Pride

Howard A. Rodman passes for the "it" scribe of Sundance's opening days, as writer and co-producer on two debuts at Sundance, August, directed by Austin Chick (XX/XY, Sundance 2002), and Savage Grace, the welcome return of Tom Kalin to feature-making. Rodman is a screenwriter, Writers Guild activist, USC screenwriting teacher, and an artistic director of the Sundance Institute Screenwriting Labs, among other pursuits. His name has surfaced as the nom de brute of bad guys in Steven Soderbergh pictures, such as a lawyer in Traffic. When Rodman's double-dip was announced, I dropped a line, teasing, "Type, type, Eh Mr. Kerouac," to which he replied with an observation from Marx's manuscripts, "At a certain point, changes in quantity become changes in quality."

_________________________

Sundance Review
Sugar
by David Poland

It is, simply, the best sports movie made since Field of Dreams. Better, it is truly engorged with the indie spirit, the tale of a young Dominican, pursued and massaged by the system, dropped into the foreign land of Iowa to play minor league ball, full of dreams and hopes and arrogance. This young man is living the best and the worst of the American dream, overstuffed and overly vulnerable, the film bristles with the kind of energy you rarely experience in a movie theater.

And then ... it kicks you in the balls and turns into a completely different movie for no apparent reason.
___________________________


Sundance Edition Michel Gondry/Jack Black: Be Kind Rewind A variety of topics are discussed ranging from acting techniques and cheeseburgers to film critics and french accents. Stick around to the end for a surprise visit from one of the MOS talented actors from Be Kind Rewind.
George Romero: Diary of the Dead George discusses the premiere of his latest film "Day of the Dead" as well as his thoughts on his "icon" status in the horror genre. Stacy Peralta - Made In America Touring Fest HQ Touring Main Street More Fest Coverage

__________________________

Sundance On Ice
by Ray Pride

Too many photographs taken at film festivals look the same: a thousand-yard stare straight into the eyes. "Sundance on Ice" tries to keep to the peripheral, to find light in the corners, to look from screen to street to sky, sleepwalking with eyes on the road up ahead.

Day Zero. Password: Wasatch.
Day One. Praying for film.
Day 2.5. Roman follies.
Day 2.75. Weather buffet.
Blackout on Main Street.
Day 3. Fill in the grids.
Day 3.5 . George Romero in the house.
Day 4. Hello to the Slackavetes kids.
Day 5. Clustering.