Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Sundancing Everywhere
It's remarkable the number of films we saw at Sundance this year that have found release in what seems like record time including Murderball, Ring of Fire, Grizzly Man, and The Aristocrats.
I was particularly shocked at how fast the docs got purchased and by whom. Ring of Fire went to USA Network and I read that Unknown White Male was bought by Court TV!
Recently, we went to see Junebug for a second time with Kecia when she was in town from Amsterdam. (We actually met Kecia on the plane coming back from Sundance in 2004 and adopted her pretty much on the spot. Since then, we've been to see her and Koert in The Netherlands and now they've paid a return visit to us here in NYC.) K. and I both loved Junebug at Sundance and were more than happy to see it again since one of Kecia's friends was involved with it and it's not so likely to be playing in Amsterdam anytime soon.
A second viewing of Junebug confirmed its virtues: it's focus, it's subtlety and the brilliant performances from Amy Adams and the rest of the cast, including my beloved Embeth Davidtz. It's a film that I could keep watching because I caught lots of details the second time that I missed the first time. The script is a LOT tighter than it appears to be on first viewing. Most everything really is explained.
One of the things that's nice about the speed with which these films are getting released is that there were some that we couldn't get into at Sundance, e.g., The Aristocrats. The press this film is getting is remarkable given what a small audience it's targeted at. (If you haven't caught any of the press, you really must be living in a cave.) Anyway, K. and I caught it a couple of weeks ago and it's an interesting examination of what it means to be a comedian. Seeing 100 people tell the same joke becomes like jazz, which was Gillette and Provenza's point. And it works. Really m0t%erf*C)!! well. (If you know what the movie is about...that's a bit of a joke on my part.)
In any case, if any of the above mentioned films are playing in your area, I suggest you get out to see them.
2 comments
I was particularly shocked at how fast the docs got purchased and by whom. Ring of Fire went to USA Network and I read that Unknown White Male was bought by Court TV!
Recently, we went to see Junebug for a second time with Kecia when she was in town from Amsterdam. (We actually met Kecia on the plane coming back from Sundance in 2004 and adopted her pretty much on the spot. Since then, we've been to see her and Koert in The Netherlands and now they've paid a return visit to us here in NYC.) K. and I both loved Junebug at Sundance and were more than happy to see it again since one of Kecia's friends was involved with it and it's not so likely to be playing in Amsterdam anytime soon.
A second viewing of Junebug confirmed its virtues: it's focus, it's subtlety and the brilliant performances from Amy Adams and the rest of the cast, including my beloved Embeth Davidtz. It's a film that I could keep watching because I caught lots of details the second time that I missed the first time. The script is a LOT tighter than it appears to be on first viewing. Most everything really is explained.
One of the things that's nice about the speed with which these films are getting released is that there were some that we couldn't get into at Sundance, e.g., The Aristocrats. The press this film is getting is remarkable given what a small audience it's targeted at. (If you haven't caught any of the press, you really must be living in a cave.) Anyway, K. and I caught it a couple of weeks ago and it's an interesting examination of what it means to be a comedian. Seeing 100 people tell the same joke becomes like jazz, which was Gillette and Provenza's point. And it works. Really m0t%erf*C)!! well. (If you know what the movie is about...that's a bit of a joke on my part.)
In any case, if any of the above mentioned films are playing in your area, I suggest you get out to see them.
Comments:
I’m guessing you saw Unknown White Male?
What did you think? Did you think it was real?
One of my favorite films this year at Sundance…
What did you think? Did you think it was real?
One of my favorite films this year at Sundance…
Not only did I see UWM, it may have been my favorite Sundance film. If you click on the "docs" link in the post above you'll see my review. And yes, I buy his story.
Post a Comment
