One Person's Journey to Sundance Film Festival

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

Our recent escape from day-to-day winter blues took us to an event I have always wanted to attend, the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, or “Sundance 11” as the regulars referred to it.  It was a fascinating conglomeration of films, food, people and outdoor adventure.  We will definitely return, and I highly recommend it to videophiles and skiers alike.  Following you will find reviews of some of the many great films at Sundance.  If you have comments, drop me a line, we'd love to hear all points of view.

OPENING DAY... 

Anticipation was high the first day.  The streets of Park City teemed with Sundance banners flapping in the brisk wind, people on cell phones wearing Ugg boots, film crews and production companies setting up, water bottles and Brita water stations all over the place, and various street performers.  (The water bottles were a nice touch, and I understand were instituted by the Festival at Mr. Redford's request to help reduce plastic bottle waste.)

The crowd cheered as Sundance patriarch Robert Redford took the stage the first evening to open the premiere of Sing Your Song.  Redford spoke about how the Sundance Film Festival and the movie are on parallel paths, trying to make the world a better place and draw attention to those in need.  Sing Your Song was an absolutely beautiful film with a very smooth pace and unbelievable footage of Belafonte’s rise to stardom in television and movies, his meetings with MLK and Nelson Mandela, and his work on Aid to Africa, all laying out Belafonte’s journey as a showman and an activist.  But what really struck me is Harry’s amazing eloquence, his ability, both in the film and after at the Q&A, to give the most heartfelt impromptu speeches, ones that make you want to drop everything and join him in his crusades to fix all that is wrong in this world.  Director Susanne Rostock and Producer Michael Cohl got the tone just right.  

Belafonte has been at the forefront of a plethora of social justice issues, working in the civil rights movement, working to end famine in Africa by mobilizing celebrities for “We are the World,” and most recently, working to solve the puzzle of youth in prison.  Sing Your Song documents his work, and it was a treat to see it at Sundance with so many other movie enthusiasts.   The only thing that could have made the movie better, I believe, was if we had gotten to see more of the inner workings of how Belafonte achieved such success for social justice. 

During her Sundance Director's talk on the Sundance app, the film's Director, Susanne Rostock said that Harry did the movie to call attention to all the social justice work that still needs to be done.  It would have been powerful ending if the film included a specific call-to-action, or if Harry had spoken during the Q&A about how viewers could get involved.  (As an actress in the Sing Your Song said, “Give us an assignment!”)

After the film, 1300 people sat on the edge of their seats as Harry took the stage for Q&A with an introduction by John Cooper, Director of Sundance Film Festival.  Although the majority of the Q&A was held hostage by some rambling young man with a camcorder, it was quite apparent that the whole audience hung on Mr. Belafonte's every word.  Whatever the film’s intentions, Harry Belafonte’s journey is inspirational. 

Sing Your Song, presented at Sundance, 1/20/11, Documentary

Directed by Susanne Rostock

Produced by Michael Cohl, Gina Belafonte, and others

Columbus Film Guild Welcomes the Best Movie Compilation of 2010

The Columbus Film Guild nails the latest in film again!

Thanks to Juan for telling us about "Filmography 2010."  A perfect compilation of movies from 2010, it's a g-whiz production, and it's a gas!  And you don't need all year to watch this 6 minute YouTube video featuring clips from 270 movies, giving you many of the best and most memorable scenes.  A great game around our house is trying to name either the film or actor before it changes to the next one.   The music and films flow beautifully.  A very professional job.  And I hear g-whiz is actually a lone woman from Canada.  This video could truly be used at the Oscars. And now I spend time trying to figure out what films of 2010 she did not include that I wished she had.   We at the Columbus Film Guild hope to see more from g-whiz productions.

Due Date

Director: Todd Phillips
Writers:
 Alan R. Cohen
 Todd Phillips
 Alan Freedland
 Adam Sztykiel

© 2010 Warner Bros Ent. All Rights Reserved.

Due Date provides some laugh out loud fun. Zach Galifianakis steals the show, and the Film Guild discussed whether Robert Downey Jr. was held down by his part or just didn't bring his all to this role. Most agreed the opening scene where Robert Downey Jr. recounts his dream is not funny, and really not that engaging. But he had some great lines delivered with real style (think Arie Gold of Entourage), especially when insulting Zach's character, Ethan Tremblay. There were some comparisons to older movies by the group (the film critics named "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"), but Due Date did bring a lot of new material such as plot point about Zach's father's ashes which Zach lovingly carries around in a coffee can. In the end, some of us felt the humor was uneven, from repulsive, to slapstick to cerebral.

To see the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231583/

Shutter Island, a study in old thrillers

Scary...not really. Plot twists...a big one. Great performances...all around including a very brief but excellent performance by Patricia Clarkson. References to past movies...like watching a "Where's Waldo" book.

The Columbus Film Guild attended the most recent Scorsese flick, "Shutter Island." Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, the movie gave us much to talk about. Paying homage to so many past thriller classics like "King Kong" and "Vertigo," we spent an hour discussing all the references ... I even rented "I Walked with a Zombie" to see what Anthony Lane/The New Yorker and John Anderson/WSJ were referencing when they said the film was similar to this old thriller from the 40's. And much to Shannon Duffy's, Laura Rees's and my delight, the film was not dreadfully scary, because even though they set us up for huge scares (see the trailer), there was never any payoff. A poor effort by the marketing team when trailers do not align well with their movie, but those of us that want to sleep through the night still appreciated this big shortcoming over what was advertised. SPOILER ALERT: Columbus Film Guild Member Paul Hill enjoyed seeing it a second time to note all the places where we were tipped off about Teddy Daniels' sanity. I never saw the ending coming, but about half the Guild did. As to the film's length, almost all the Columbus Film Guild members said it was far too long. The two members of the Columbus Film Guild with children, (I'm not sure whether this was coincidence or not), really hated the great detail of the children at the lake. I personally felt like it could have been a little less graphic and not affected the film at all. Shutter Island was the most confounding Scorsese film yet, and still has me thinking about it.

Join us for the next Columbus Film Guild movie viewing, March 28th. Film and time TBD.

Zombieland!

The Columbus Film Guild viewed "Zombieland," the new movie written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Both these writers have a lot of TV credits behind them, and it showed in "Zombieland," for good and bad. The pacing was a bit off for a feature film, and I sure knew when I was supposed to laugh. But it was still a great zombie movie, following many of the monster movie conventions and introducing a few new ones. It was very much along the lines of "Shaun of the Dead" (2004). I loved the list of ways to not be zombie-food, which added cohesiveness to the plot. And these rules unfolded much like the sound effects in the TV Batman series, demonstrating a good "BAM!" when disaster was about to strike. For a monster movie, "Zombieland" had a very strong plot, albeit one that revolved around a quest for twinkies. As in all good monster movies, I felt the need to shout "don't go in there," more than once, but especially when the female leads jump on a ride that was sure to get them eaten once the power was cut. Woody Harrelson was a natural as Tallahassee, but with a jolting character twist at the end of the movie. (I liken it to Alan Alda in the final episode M*A*S*H.) Jesse Eisenberg played a character much like the Columbus Film Guild saw Michael Cera play in "Year One" this summer.

Chris Bournea brought up the point that the movie was more an action comedy with a few zombies thrown in, rather than a typical zombie movie.

Overall, I'd recommend it during this monster movie viewing season. If you see it for no other reason to than to see Bill Murray, it's definitely worth the full price of admission.

Public Enemies vs. Funny People

A quick review of recent movies...the Columbus Film Guild attended "Public Enemies" last week. Good flick. A bit long, loved Johnny Depp, but really felt like this was just one more romanced gangster-story movie. And why did the film not include actual newsreel footage or police photographs? How much of the movie is factual? I guess I'll never know, but there is a John Dillinger museum in Hammond, Indiana. Road trip anyone?

But if I may, I'd like to mention Judd Apatow's "Funny People." Terrific and fresh. I saw a couple of reviews before seeing it, and really expected the movie to be a series of loosely connected comedy skits. Quite the opposite. "Funny People" was an interesting, funny, sad and thoughtful look at celebrity life, and the life of a comedian. And the comedy was hysterical, penis jokes and all.

Year One

Director: Harold Ramis
Writers:
Harold Ramis
Gene Stupnitsky

Viewed by Columbus Film Guild June 2009

It’s hard not to like movies written by Harold Ramis. Loved, still love, Ghostbusters. Classic. And Groundhog Day and Analyze This are still up there as favorites. But the entire first act of Year One makes me question my loyalty. What happened? The rest of the movie reads like a classic, with more than a hint of Mel Brooks’ comedy. But Act I, no way. Dull lines and a predictable plot with so-so jokes make up the caveman universe. Maybe Harold didn’t have much to do with the writing on this act. The way writers come and go on feature films, and the writing credits only list the primaries (or last ones remaining standing), it’s hard to tell who wrote the really painful-to-watch beginning (think Captain Ron) and who gets kudos for the rest.

But finally, when Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) set out to impress everyone in their caveman village by exploring the far reaches of their world, the movie starts to pick up. Cane and Abel were hysterical (think Monty Python). And only in movies with great comedic writing would numerous circumcision jokes make everyone fall on the floor laughing. It was tremendously funny to see Zed and Oh experience motion sickness and throw their hands in the air roller coaster-style while in a cart pulled slowly by a mule.

Steven and I felt like Oliver Platt as the High Priest stole the show. I mean really, that had to be improv when he was foretelling the future by examining fresh animal entrails. And I loved the frankness and dry delivery of the medicine man. Hank Azaria was great as Abraham, much better than Kahmunrah in Night at the Museum/Smithsonian. The conflicting timelines and eras (Cavemen and biblical figures intertwined with Romans and Greeks) were, as Erin pointed out, confusing. But it also gave the writers a chance to make jokes about multiple historic figures all the while adding some contemporary quips …”Thursday is the new Friday!”…and Michael Cera’s barely audible, “Yes we can!”

The Film Guild saw many cameos… Someone in the group (forgive my poor memory) said Year One was like the old Bob Hope/Bing Crosby Road-To movies, but it should be renamed Road to Sodom. Did you catch that the actor from “Best Week Ever” as the enthusiastic volunteer amidst the slaves, or Paul Rudd as Abel (not credited)? And could Steven be right, that Oh’s wig during the final scenes was a leftover from Wayne’s World?

Too many site gags, poop jokes and idiotic revelations? Year One is a Jack Black movie, after all. And with a tagline of “Meet your ancestors, “ we knew what we were in for. And it didn’t fail to deliver on this count. But Sodom seemed a bit tame, and Chris suggested that perhaps the PG-13 rating or a length issue caused raunchier jokes to remain on the cutting room floor.

Year One garnered a C+ or B- from the Columbus Film Guild, but would be good as a rental over a couple of cocktails.

There was a great discussion of the movie afterwards, especially given the major rainstorm and overall gloom that the MJ and Farrah deaths brought earlier that day.

- Mary Lyski

July Movie: TBD (Juan Torres)