Best movies from Sundance?

Ugh, I’m so bummed I didn't make it up there. I was really hoping to catch Wim Wenders' "The Land of Plenty" tonight... has anyone actually seen it yet? Is it any good?
I'd also love to hear what you guys think about the rest of the lineup👍

www.motovunfilmfestival.com

I was up there last night
but honestly, even if I had gone, I wouldn't have seen a thing, let alone heard anything over the noise.
The place was absolutely packed—just hordes of people everywhere. It’s totally disorganized, and they have the nerve to charge admission prices like $8.25 (as if we were sitting in premium recliner seats at an AMC, rather than on some hard plastic chairs that kill your back). Plus, they're getting backed by the government, Visa, and Stella Artois!
It’s just plain shameless, really.

I just wanted to drop in and share a few quick impressions. Overall, the quality felt a bit lower compared to the last two years, though there were definitely some standout gems. It feels like our festival director is on a mission to leave us all feeling a little depressed by the end of it.

day and night certainly deserved their accolades; I’m actually torn between that and tarnation when it comes to my personal favorites. my summer of love was quite beautiful.

la batalla en el cielo left me feeling pretty disoriented—I think those late-night screenings are starting to take a toll on me :wine:. Still, whatever my scattered focus managed to catch and retain makes me want to go back and watch it again with much more intention.

frozen land has an incredibly powerful middle section, but it loses its footing during the opening and the closing. In my opinion, there was enough material there to have carved out two or three truly great films.

That French one, lijepa kao slika, has completely slipped my mind. I honestly can't wrap my head around why everyone kept labeling it a comedy.

strings is visually stunning and captured beautifully, but the writer really ought to be held accountable for that script.

antares seemed to be aiming for the vibe of hundstage, but it didn't quite hit the mark.

my half-brother frankenstein was good.

4 absolutely floored me last night. The first third is pure genius, but then things start getting weird in a way my exhausted brain just couldn't process. I’d love to give it another shot when I'm rested and sober.

carmen is... well, it's an opera. I suspect how you perceive this film depends entirely on your ability to follow operatic plots. Personally, I couldn't quite get there, and it probably helps to be familiar with the source material beforehand. It isn't bad per se, but for me, it felt as distant as watching the original stage production.

The piece by that duo from New York is bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. I genuinely don't understand what the rest of the audience saw in it that was good. Honestly, that single shot of the twisted insect from the short film before it had more substance than this entire hour of mindless filler.

The short koreografija na moru is easily the best thing I've seen from an American filmmaker in quite a while. However, the director gave us a bit too much of a preview of what we were waiting for with >, so... 😁

And that award-winning student film was also a very charming piece 🙂

darwin's nightmare is definitely worth your time; they leaned a little too hard into theatricality at times, but it's a powerful documentary.

guy x is a mess. It's a mix of military absurdity, surrealism, conspiracy theories, and bits of everything else. It's a shame, because it could have been great. The screenwriter should at least lose a few fingers.

7.35 de la mañana is excellent. For anyone with a grasp of Spanish, you should definitely check out the nine-minute sci-fi trilogy, codigo 7, by the same creator. Nacho is killing it. It's not Vidal, it's Vigalondo.

I think that covers everything I watched. 🤔

Nicholas King62 said:strings looks and sounds absolutely stunning... but the writer? They seriously need to rethink that script.

I actually saw it differently. Like, maybe the script was intentionally predictable and cliché just to distract you from how thin the plot really was...

Nicholas King62 said:darwin's nightmare is definitely worth a watch. It gets a little over-the-top and dramatic at times, but it's a solid documentary.

Personally, I found it incredibly boring. 😢

Strings felt a little too saccharine for my taste. Sure, it’s predictable, but it plays out like a fairy tale. It’s not like I was sitting there expecting some deep, complex plot or intricate character arcs. Still, if it hits theaters, it’s worth a look.

Almost Brothers was also quite striking. It's yet another gritty look at the darker underbelly of Brazilian society. If you found City of God compelling, this one should be on your radar.

My Summer of Love was really good. It’s essentially a clash of two worlds on two different levels: the upper class versus the lower class, and raw reality versus pure fantasy. The actresses were fantastic, and even the "crazy brother" subplot held its own.
PS It was actually voted the audience favorite at the Motovun Film Festival.

Darwin's Nightmare — incredibly powerful. It follows that "socially conscious documentary" vein seen in the works of Moore or Spurlock, but this time focusing on ecological disaster and how the West interacts with developing nations.
Definitely check it out, especially if you're into this kind of documentary or if the themes it raises resonate with you.

U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha — I mainly went to see this for the music since I have such a soft spot for Carmen. While the soundtrack didn't disappoint, the movie itself just didn't grab me.

4. Honestly, I’m struggling to find the right words for this one. At times, it was hilariously grotesque, but overall, it just felt exhausting. Between the late screening and being hungry, thirsty, and needing a bathroom break, the whole thing felt endless. Maybe I need to give it a second chance later, but who knows?

Anyway, that’s my quick and dirty rundown...

Arthur Barnes said:My take is that the script was intentionally crafted to be predictable, stereotypical, and fairy-tale-like just to shift the audience's focus away from the actual plot and toward other elements.

Ha, maybe. If that’s the case, then everyone involved in making the film should probably be held accountable for that choice.😁

To me, it doesn't quite make sense for someone to pour this much effort into a plot that is intentionally banal. Isn't a film supposed to be a balance between its story and its visual language? If they can't find that equilibrium, then as far as I'm concerned, it fails.

If their goal was really to divert attention toward other things, they could have just made a silent film with no plot at all. Personally, I would have preferred 😁

And honestly, calling this a fairy tale feels wrong; it's more like bad fantasy. There's a massive difference between the two. A truly good fairy tale would have actually satisfied me. But hey, to each their own.

That said, it really is worth seeing—provided you emphasize the "seeing" part.

Look, look—someone actually watches a movie and looks up! 😲

The movie is an absolute train wreck—and a particularly brutal one at that—though honestly, it’s nothing we haven't seen a hundred times before.🙂

I have to wonder—do religious fanatics always wear the exact same shirt? (Seriously, this guy is dressed identically in every single scene throughout the entire summer.)

luna_lunatik said:They’re charging an outrageous amount for a ticket at $8.25 (as if we were sitting in the premium recliner seats at AMC Theatres rather than on some cheap plastic chairs that make your backside ache)

You always have the option of trying to catch the same movies over at AMC Theatres instead. 🙄

Since I was working the Sundance Film Festival, I didn't exactly have much time to catch movies. By the end, I’d managed to squeeze in three feature films, about five shorts, the award-winning student film "at that moment...", the opening of "Strings", and the first twenty minutes of "My Summer of Love (Pawel Pawlikowski)". I liked Pawlikowski. Not necessarily the film—I don't have enough information for that yet—but Pawlikowski himself is a fascinating guy (I caught his lecture at the Motovun film school).

From what I saw, "Darwin's Nightmare" was deeply moving and quite harrowing. The most surreal moment, however, was when some guy in the "Bauer" theater actually yelled out while scenes of an entire continent dying played on screen: "Turn on the AC, we're suffocating in here!" Honestly, it felt like he was adding a stage direction to the whole experience.

North Mexico's "illusion" might not have been so bad if it wasn't so bloated with clichés and hard to believe, but yes, it is absolutely full of clichés and unbelievable, so it just isn't a very good film.

That’s why "Bal-can-can", another North Mexican film, was such a blast. I was genuinely charmed by how much the director clearly adores 😁 Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah, and even the little jabs at Kusturica were pretty funny.

I couldn't follow "4" by Ilija Hržanovski. I'll attribute that to the fact that I had knocked back three shots with my ex-girlfriend before the screening 😁, and also because the projection started at midnight on the final day of the festival. At that point, I wouldn't have been able to track the subversive activities of state enemies 😁 (which is usually my hobby), let alone a film containing more than one intellectual element 😁.

The short film: Guard Dog was great—that little guy who sees a threat to his master in absolutely everything. Similarly, the short film: farewell letter was almost perfect, though it would have been better if it had ended just thirty seconds sooner. BTW, does anyone know where the screenwriter for that one lifted the idea from—the guy who makes a living writing farewell letters for suicides? That premise feels incredibly familiar to me, but I can't place it.

What I saw of "Strings" tells me the film is visually phenomenal, attempting a sort of Shakespearean narrative. I believe the former succeeded right to the end, but as for the story, I can't say because I didn't finish it.

I was told that "Manderlay (Lars von Trier)" was good, and I know the theater near the square was packed during its run; I actually tried to push my way through the crowd while running errands (to borrow from the "Vienna School" philosophy 😁), and it's a good thing they didn't tackle me for the attempt. I eventually just gave up and went through the Bamboo.

Some prominent critics also mentioned that the Finnish "frozen land" and the Mexican "battle in the sky" are excellent—has anyone on the forums seen them?

So, that's it. I truly hope that next year I won't be so buried in work (or nursing a hangover on the last day 😁) that I'm unable to see more films. Now that I think about how hard I've been grinding over the past week, it's actually surprising I managed to see this many.

Nicole Vaughn said:From what I saw—Darwin's Nightmare was honestly pretty heavy and gut-wrenching. The wildest part was when this guy in the AMC Theatres just yelled out, "Turn on the AC, we're suffocating in here!" while the screen was showing an entire continent dying... Talk about adding a little extra commentary to the experience.

🤣 🤣 🤣

I know that guy 😢

But seriously, it felt stifling in there, especially for those of us standing instead of sitting.

I sat right under the AC unit and now my back is killing me.😠 😠

All in all, Darwin's Nightmare is heavy, but it could have hit harder. Mandarlay was decent, just felt a bit too long—it starts to lose its edge toward the end. Death of Mr. Lazarescu was excellent, though. I also checked out another side of Orson Welles... nothing to write home about.

Yaaay! 👍

For everyone who couldn't make it out to Motovun—don't worry, we've got you covered from now through
Motovun in Washington, D.C.! 😁

Thursday, 8/4

7:00 PM
short film: BERT PRENTICE C.E.O. (Kevin Nibley, USA, 2005.)
feature film: Yes Man (Chris Smith, Dan Ollman, Sarah Price, USA, 2003.)
9:00 PM
short film: Guard Dog (Bill Plympton, USA, 2005.)
feature film: Manderlay (Lars von Trier, Denmark, 2005.)

Friday, 8/5

7:00 PM
short film: Quixote in Jerusalem (Dan Rosenberg, Israel, 2004.)
feature film: Darwin's Nightmare (Hubert Sauper, Austria, France, Belgium, 2004.)
9:00 PM
short film: Place in the Sun (Rachid Boutounes, Morocco, France, 2004.)
feature film: My Summer of Love (Pawel Pawlikowski, United Kingdom, 2004.)

Saturday, 8/6

7:00 PM
short film: My Parents (Neele Leana Vollmar, Germany, 2003.)
feature film: Bal-Can-Can (Darko Mitrevski, North Mexico, Italy, 2005.)
9:00 PM
short film: 7:35 in the Morning (Nacho Vigalondo, Spain, 2003.)
feature film: Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Pulu, Romania, 2005.)

Nicole Vaughn said:From what I gathered, Darwin's Nightmare was actually pretty heavy and gut-wrenching. The most surreal part, though, was when some guy in the theater—during one of those scenes showing an entire continent dying on screen—just yelled out, "Turn on the AC, we're suffocating in here!" Honestly, it felt like he was providing his own commentary for the whole experience.

To stop keeping you guys in suspense: yeah, it was me. 😢

About halfway through the movie, it got so hot I completely lost my focus. I just had to sit down.
After about ten or fifteen minutes, I stood up and everything just started spinning. I nearly passed out—honestly, there was so little oxygen in the room I thought I was going under. I actually had to yell just to catch my breath.

They actually listened to me. 🙂

Later on, after I complained about them cutting the AC right before the movie and leaving it off for the rest of the show—something they actually did to Bauer a few times—they just brushed me off. Their excuse? Apparently, people were complaining that they were too cold. Typical.

Whatever.

Harold King54 said:Since I shouldn't keep you all in suspense any longer, I suppose it was me. 😢

Halfway through the film, the heat became so overwhelming that I found it impossible to maintain any semblance of concentration. I simply had to sit down.
When I stood up after about ten or fifteen minutes, my head began to spin so violently that I nearly collapsed; was there simply not enough oxygen left in the room? It reached such a point that I found myself forced to shout just to recover.

They actually listened to me. 🙂

Later on, when I voiced my frustration about the air conditioning being cranked up right before the movie starts and then left blasting until the credits roll—an issue they actually brought up to Bauer several times—they simply brushed me off by claiming people were complaining about being too cold.

Whatever.

And I witnessed your performance as well.
Is it not true that the climate control in this building can be absolutely lethal? Last year, they refused to turn the air conditioning off even once, and every single time I stepped out, I felt like I had been left out in a frozen land.

For me, My Summer of Love (Pawel Pawlikowski) remains the absolute pinnacle. 😍 It is truly excellent. The two leads are superb, the cinematography is masterful... and the score? It’s just wonderful. It manages to be such a sweet film, yet remains profoundly serious—which, quite frankly, is a refreshing change of pace.
I find myself hoping that next year’s lineup might offer a reprieve from such an unrelenting succession of bleak and somber cinema. 😢

Harold King54 said:I’m hoping next year brings a few less depressing movies. 😢

I skipped My Summer of Love.
Instead, I spent that time watching Ruins, and honestly, it was worth it.

The truth is, there were way too many heavy, dark films lately. Good ones, sure, but just heavy.
We definitely needed more comedies.

I’ve sat through 14 feature films so far.
I'll get around to the full review once I've had a chance to decompress... 😢

Natch said:I'm actually pretty bummed I couldn't make it up there. I was really hoping to catch Wim Wenders' "Land of Opportunity" tonight... has anyone seen it? What's the verdict?

Honestly, Land of Opportunity is a total disaster. It’s just a bad movie. I couldn't quite wrap my head around what Wenders was trying to pull off... it's just packed with the most tired stereotypes imaginable. For instance, there's this former Vietnam veteran who suddenly feels this intense patriotic urge to defend his home against an Arab guy just collecting boxes that might hold bomb components... My favorite part had to be when he says, "That laughter sounded Arabic to me. Definitely." Just awful. Maybe Wenders was trying to poke fun at Americans, but for me, it was just unbearable to watch.

ruggedmarlin15

I caught a performance by The Yes Men here in New York City recently, and 👍 honestly, they're something else.
I also sat through Lazarescu—though I’d probably only recommend that one to people looking to spiral into a deep, existential funk. :depra:

ruggedmarlin15 said:Land of Opportunity is absolute garbage—truly a terrible film. I honestly can't wrap my head around what Wenders was even aiming for... It’s just packed with the most mindless stereotypes (for instance, there's this old Vietnam veteran who feels the call of duty and heads off to defend his home against some Arab guy collecting boxes that might contain bomb components... The "highlight" for me? When he says, "That laughter sounded Arabic to me. Definitely." Give me a break.). Maybe Wenders was trying to poke fun at Americans, but the whole thing was unbearable.

Exactly—and the icing on the cake was that I managed to snag the best seat in the house to watch it, where you could see everything perfectly, including the subtitles, even if the audio was a bit muffled: a trash can.

Looks like the movie lineup tanked, the concert schedule was weak, and the turnout was pretty pathetic... why?
Did the organizers just stop giving a damn?