SUNDANCE 2010

I had the pleasure of attending the Sundance film festival for the second time this year and saw some amazing pictures over the short vacation. Here's what I thought of them...



1. Animal Kingdom
- This was the first film I managed to see at Sundance and boy, was it a great start. David Michod wrote and directed this Australian crime film with Joel Edgerton and Jacki Weaver. It revolves around an 17-year-old emotionless kid named Josh (played superbly by James Frecheville) who loses his neglectful mother to a drug overdose and is taken in by his overly loving grandmother (Aussie genius, Jacki Weaver) and his three much older criminal uncles (Joel Edgerton, Luke Ford, and Sullivan Stapleton). Josh eventually finds himself exploring the troubles of this explosive criminal family, who are extremely hated by the police, and once he finds himself caught right in the middle of a serious investigation, Detective Leckie (Guy Pearce) steps in to try to save him from the criminal dysfunction that now is his life. I have been a huge fan of Australian cinema ever since I saw Jon Hewitt's Acolytes at the Toronto Film Festival in 2008. The performances are flawless and the story is fascinating. Apparently it's based on the true corrupt police force as well as the high murder rate in Melbourne in the late 1980's. It may seem fuzzy at some points towards the end, but it makes up for it in the climax. Ben Mendelsohn gives a chilling performance as Pope, the oldest son/uncle, and the most deranged and unstable of the pack. New comer James Frecheville is absolutely fantastic as his vulnerable role of Josh. And Jacki Weaver is so terrifying and frightening that you absolutely love her at the end. This film was a great kick off to my line of films at Sundance.

2. The Killer Inside Me
- Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, A Mighty Heart) directed this remake of Burt Kennedy's 1976 film of the same name, as well as an adaptation of Jim Thompson's 1952 novel. An odd collection of actors fill in the ensemble for this interesting noir thriller consisting of Casey Affleck, Tom Bower, Elias Koteas, Liam Aiken, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson--WAIT, WHAT?! I know! And can you believe Winterbottom actually asked them specifically to play their roles? Alba plays a pain loving prostitute that Affleck is constantly beating and sleeping with, and Hudson plays his wife. Hudson is definitely the worst in this film. And not only is she terrible in it, her character is ridiculous. There is no point to it. It seems like she was just thrown in there. No development. No nothing. Simply furniture. And Hudson absolutely did nothing to improve her character. This film got off to an interesting start (with a very cool Tarantino-style opening credit sequence), but myself and many others in the audience got very turned off by a much too long absolutely BRUTAL scene between Affleck and Alba, where Casey Affleck beats her to a bloody pulp. And I mean BEATS HER! To the point where her face looks like a deranged mask you find in a Halloween store. And then much later on, Hudson gets her turn (not as graphic though, I assure you). Now I understand Winterbottom was trying to be faithful to Thompson's novel, but come on. He could of easily just had one punch shown and then from there on, nothing but sound effects. It would have been way more effective, believe me. But it truly seems that films seem to get more and more graphic each year. If we keep on seeing this extreme violence on screen (particularly against women, which is much overused), then, I'm not saying someone will go out and beat another to death, but it does seem more... acceptable, I guess is the word. Would you agree? However, the film still didn't lose my entire attention after the horrific beating of Jessica Alba, cause the other performances and the whole crazy story was very engaging. Casey Affleck is perfectly cast as this perfect looking "boy next door" deputy Sheriff in this small Texas town who is slowly unmasked as a psychotic serial killer, but it goes much deeper than that. This film definitely had sheds of Coen Brothers noir in it. Think No Country for Old Men meets The Man Who Wasn't There. I was very half and half on this one, however. I didn't love it nor did I hate it. I thought it could have been a hell of a lot better, and at times, seemed very unfocused. I really pray that Winterbottom trims down the beating scene with Alba, because frankly, right now, I think it's up there with the infamous rape scene in Gasper Noe's Irreversible.

3. Jack Goes Boating
- Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his directing debut with Jack Goes Boating. The film's star Hoffman, himself, and co-stars John Ortiz, and Daphne Rubin-Vega reprise their roles, having worked together in the stage production of the same name. This is a lovely hopeful story of Jack (Hoffman), a lonely, depressed limo driver in New York City, who after being set up on a blind date, Connie (Amy Ryan), by his best friend, fellow limo driver, Clyde (John Ortiz), begins to see life in a whole new light and begin to sculpt himself thoroughly. In the midst of all this, Clyde and his wife, Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega) start to crumble, as Jack and Connie start to flourish. Hoffman plays a daring first effort on this film, and I was very impressed. It's a bit rough around the edges, being that it's a first time for him, but that's not enough from keeping you from enjoying it. It's a beautiful story of different relationships in the backdrop of winter in New York and was told very authentically and gracefully by Mr. Hoffman. You have a whole new love for New York after you see this film, much like what Woody Allen did with 1979's Manhattan.

4. The Extra Man
- Sherri Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini return to Sundance this year after 2003 with their cult indy hit, American Splendor, with this absolutely hysterical and very enlightening film of Louis Ives (played by Paul Dano) who is obsessed with F. Scott Fitzgerald and cross dressing. Interesting combo, huh? Louis makes the plunge and moves to Manhattan to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a writer, but ends up working as a sales caller for an environmental magazine, when he's anything but green. He is, however, very distracted by his beautiful co-worker Mary (played suprisingly well by Katie Holmes). Louis eventually moves into his apartment and that's when he meets Henry Harrison (the amazing Kevin Kline) his roommate. Henry is anything but normal. He is an eccentric washed up old fashioned playwright who seems like he's stuck in the 1920's. Henry is also a social escort for much older wealthy women. Which is where the phrase, "Extra Man" comes from. The two form an unexpected bond as the film progresses. I have never laughed out loud this hard in quite a long time. Kline and Dano have this hilarious chemistry, and the jokes seriously come at you like a bullet. And John C. Reilly makes a brilliant co-star in this piece, as Gershon, the mysterious grizzly bearded car mechanic who lives downstairs in their apartment building. He is quiet for half the film, and I will not give away anything of when he finally speaks... This film is a delight and is out there to please anyone. The humor is cerebral and perfect, the cast is excellent, and the story is original. What more could you want in a film? If you like the HBO show, Bored to Death, then you'll love this film, cause Jonathan Ames (creator of Death), co-wrote it with the directors. This is by far the best film I saw at Sundance this year, and to think, I originally wasn't even planning on seeing this!

5. Frozen
- Cult horror filmmaker Adam Green (Hatchet, Spiral) wrote and directed this edge of your seat non stop brutal nail biter. It centers on three college students (Kevin Zegers, Shawn Ashmore, and newcomer, Emma Bell) who get stuck on a chair lift over 50 feet above ground at a crappy ski resort that's only open friday-sunday (this specific night... being sunday). They are then forced to make some risky decisions in order to survive. Unfortunately this film only severely picks up once they start panicking on the chair lift (about 30 minutes in), but everything leading up to that point is incredibly dull. The acting and writing is half assed until that specific point. But really, all there doing is screaming for their lives and the occasional mental breakdown here and there. I have to say, this film is by no means far fetched though, which is a major plus to scare audiences, especially if you love to snowboard like I do. I happened to catch the Q&A with the director and cinematographer and they discussed all the research in detail of what you can survive from and what you can't. That's the major part of this film that freaks you out. I rank it up there with Open Water. I had gone to see my father, who was skiing at a nearby resort while I went to see this film, and just walking onto the snow gave me chills after seeing this. It's like walking into Times Square after watching Cloverfield. The acting gets much more solid once they start fighting for their lives, but unfortunately there is quite a bit of dead weight while they are sitting on the chair lift, mainly during the daytime, talking about childhood stories and nonsense. Mainly just trying to kill time until they have to face another brutal evening of terror. This film did put me on the edge of my seat and did make me cringe quite a bit, but I will not give anything away. I'm just going to say that the three kids and the chairlift are not the only colorful characters in this delightful nightmare. There are bits of cheesy dialogue and monologues and times when your saying to yourself, "Oh come on, man. I can't believe you just said that! That's so fucken lame!" But hey, the film disturbs you enough to make up for it. I have to give props to Mr. Adam Green, considering he wrote and directed the over the top gorefest, Hatchet, which is an ultimate favorite among die hard horror fans. However, he seemed to have approached this film completely different with a whole other outlook on REAL horror. I wouldn't even consider this film a horror film. More like a thriller genre with some heavy drama, but nothing compared to Hatchet's graphic nature. I actually preferred this film way over Hatchet, even though they are both very different types of films. I do recommend this film, but expect that it is what it is and is not out there out to stand the test of time. It's mainly out there to run chills down your spine and make you think twice about heading out to the slopes this winter. In that case, I say it did it's job.

6. Blue Valentine
- Newcomer Derek Cianfrance directed and co-wrote this uniquely told gripping raw tale of a troubled married couple (Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams) who shack up in a crumby theme motel and attempt to fall back in love. While this is occurring, we are shifting back and forth between the past and the present. When they met and fell heads over heels for each other and when they crumbled. I have to say, I have been admiring Gosling and Williams for quite sometime now and it was just a matter of time until they both acting directly opposite each other. However, they did both act in 2003's The United States of Leland but not together. This film is dark. It is rough. It is real. Cianfrance takes a simple story of a failing marriage and makes it his own. He had been writing this film since 1998 when he first arrived in Sundance with his student film, Brother Tied. Another major stand out is the little girl who plays their daughter. Miss Faith Wladyka. A superb cast all around. Everyone is cast perfectly. I recommend this film and consider it one of the top films I saw at Sundance.

7. Buried
- This was the final film I had the pleasure of seeing at Sundance this year and boy, I sure went out with a bang. Young Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Cortes (director of Dirt Devil and Concurstante) directed this incredibly difficult story to pull off. Practically the entire crew on this production were Spanish with the exception of American screenwiter Chris Sparling (who has written a fantastic script I might add) and American leading man, Ryan Reynolds. WHAT?! RYAN REYNOLDS?! Well, that was exactly my reaction when I first read about this film a couple days before I saw it at the Prospector Square Theatre in Park City. I have seen most of Reynolds' stuff, including last years Sundance sensation, Adventureland, but never really thought he was all that great. He just didn't do it for me. Now this film, Buried, is something that really tests an actor's performance. It is a one man cast revolving around a U.S. contractor named Paul Conroy (played by Reynolds of course) working in Iraq, who, after an attack by the Iraqis, he wakes up to find himself buried in a coffin. All he is equipped with is a lighter and a cell phone (with 3 out of 5 bars) and begins a race against time to escape. Yes, there are multiple actors who provide their voices, when Paul calls them for help (including the lovable voice of character actor Mr. Stephen Tobolowsky!). I really had doubts about this story and couldn't believe that it was only going to be taking place in one small coffin for 90 minutes! Now I have seen other films with similar 'one location' scenarios including, Open Water and Frozen, but this film has one actor only and never, I repeat, NEVER leaves the coffin! You are with him from the moment the opening credits end to the moment the closing credits begin. You are literally with him in the coffin. Now I am pretty claustrophobic, so this film terrified the hell out of me. I mean, is there anything worse than being buried alive inside a coffin? You might think of a million other awful scenarios, but this is by far, in the top five for me. Ryan Reynolds give the perfect amount of sarcasm and shear panic to the role of Paul Conroy which he usually is pretty good at balancing, since his film credits keep bouncing back and forth between comedy and drama like Anne Heche with her sexuality. It was just a matter of time until they combined them and crammed into one meaty role such as this one. It worked sensationally. I have to say, I saw some pretty disturbing films at Sundance this year, but this one is definitely the most disturbing. Because your right there with him. Your sweating with him. Your panicking with him. Your in it... with him. I take my hats off to all who made this film happen and knows what it truly means to terrify someone mentally. If Hitchcock was alive today I think he would be very proud of Buried. Well done.




Well, that's my full review on the seven fascinating films I saw at Sundance 2010. As usual, Sundance continues to present films that rewrite the rules of filmmaking and show people what telling a story is truly about. Please feel free to comment and look for more entries. Thank you for reading and hope you continue.



Sincerely,
FILMBOY - Chris von Hoffmann




ENTRY QUOTE:

"My definition of success is control." - Kenneth Brannagh