The Slender Reed's Sundance Review 2007
I figured that since I was lacking blogging material, I should take advantage of my unique geographical situation and post about the Sundance Film Festival. Since tickets to all the big movies were sold out (even though I paid $5 for "early" online ticket buying) we only got to see a Shorts program and a movie called The Nines. But here's my take on the slice of Sundance I was able to see.
Shorts - There were 6 short films in this program: Sophie, Pop Foul, Windowbreaker, The Dawn Chorus, William, and Hard to Swallow. They were all interesting. Sophie and William especially were head scratchers. The Dawn Chorus had a really unique premise, was funny and a little sad, but Hard to Swallow was the run-away winner of this group. Hilariously funny and raunchy. If you get a chance to see it, do.
The Nines - This is a very interesting film in it's structure and story development. As you can see from the review at the bottom of the IMDB page linked above, it's kind of a head-turner. John August, the writer-director, has an eclectic writing pedigree. He's written for Tim Burton, a cartoon feature, the Charlie's Angels movies, and Go (a Doug Liman film I loved). The movie stars Ryan Reynolds, of "Two Guys and Girl" and "Van Wilder" fame. He's known as a comic actor, and he's very funny, but hopefully he'll totally sell Hollywood on his dramatic chops in this film. (I don't think The Amityville Horror and Blade: Trinity are going to cut it in that regard.) He's awesome in the movie, showing great range in the space of one movie. Hope Davis, one of those "I've seen her in a bunch of stuff but never really noticed her" is equally great. I've liked her in several movies over the years (still haven't seen American Splendor, though) and was glad to see her showcased in this film. Melissa McCarthy, the spunky Gilmore Girls regular, is likeable but didn't impress me much.
Now for the plot. The film jumps in the middle of events and you don't know what's really going on, or where things are leading, until the end. The story and structure do a great job of entertaining and intriguing you until you are very anxious to know what the ultimate explanation is going to be. There are a few "what the ?" moments that don't really add to the mystery that are a bit of a distraction. When the movie finally comes to the climax, though, the "reveal" is very unsatisfying, in my opinion. I found myself picking apart all that had come before for inconsistencies the way everyone tried to pick apart The Sixth Sense after the big twist. Don't worry, there are no ghosts. But I felt the premise and plot were driving toward something more surprising, interesting, and original. It's one slip by the filmmaker, but it's a pretty damn big one. Still, I recommend seeing it if it makes it to wide release. It's a very well shot and acted film, and certainly pulls you in. And BTW, if my body looks like Ryan Reynolds' in a year or two, then all the money we spent on the gym membership will be totally worth it.
There were like 10 other films we wanted to see over The Nines (not the Dakota Fanning rape one) but were sold out. I'll be curious to see if those get picked up and released nationwide. Still, I was glad to have seen The Nines. Even though tickets were $15 each.
Shorts - There were 6 short films in this program: Sophie, Pop Foul, Windowbreaker, The Dawn Chorus, William, and Hard to Swallow. They were all interesting. Sophie and William especially were head scratchers. The Dawn Chorus had a really unique premise, was funny and a little sad, but Hard to Swallow was the run-away winner of this group. Hilariously funny and raunchy. If you get a chance to see it, do.
The Nines - This is a very interesting film in it's structure and story development. As you can see from the review at the bottom of the IMDB page linked above, it's kind of a head-turner. John August, the writer-director, has an eclectic writing pedigree. He's written for Tim Burton, a cartoon feature, the Charlie's Angels movies, and Go (a Doug Liman film I loved). The movie stars Ryan Reynolds, of "Two Guys and Girl" and "Van Wilder" fame. He's known as a comic actor, and he's very funny, but hopefully he'll totally sell Hollywood on his dramatic chops in this film. (I don't think The Amityville Horror and Blade: Trinity are going to cut it in that regard.) He's awesome in the movie, showing great range in the space of one movie. Hope Davis, one of those "I've seen her in a bunch of stuff but never really noticed her" is equally great. I've liked her in several movies over the years (still haven't seen American Splendor, though) and was glad to see her showcased in this film. Melissa McCarthy, the spunky Gilmore Girls regular, is likeable but didn't impress me much.
Now for the plot. The film jumps in the middle of events and you don't know what's really going on, or where things are leading, until the end. The story and structure do a great job of entertaining and intriguing you until you are very anxious to know what the ultimate explanation is going to be. There are a few "what the ?" moments that don't really add to the mystery that are a bit of a distraction. When the movie finally comes to the climax, though, the "reveal" is very unsatisfying, in my opinion. I found myself picking apart all that had come before for inconsistencies the way everyone tried to pick apart The Sixth Sense after the big twist. Don't worry, there are no ghosts. But I felt the premise and plot were driving toward something more surprising, interesting, and original. It's one slip by the filmmaker, but it's a pretty damn big one. Still, I recommend seeing it if it makes it to wide release. It's a very well shot and acted film, and certainly pulls you in. And BTW, if my body looks like Ryan Reynolds' in a year or two, then all the money we spent on the gym membership will be totally worth it.
There were like 10 other films we wanted to see over The Nines (not the Dakota Fanning rape one) but were sold out. I'll be curious to see if those get picked up and released nationwide. Still, I was glad to have seen The Nines. Even though tickets were $15 each.
posted by at 11:28 AM
<< Home