Sundance Film Festival 2008

I've been hunting for a thread about this specific event, but I can't seem to find one, even though I feel like I’ve scrolled past it somewhere here... If a discussion already exists, mods, please feel free to move this post to the right place.

Anyway, I wanted to ask something—it seems like every year there's a standout film that basically defines the festival. For instance, two years ago it was Borrati, and last year it was Control, so I was wondering what you guys would recommend for the upcoming edition?

Thanks in advance.

So, check this out: Choke

It's a cinematic take on that Chuck Palahniuk novel
Directed by Clark Gregg
Starring Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, B. W. Henke... and hey, the crew actually snagged a Best Ensemble award at Sundance 2008.

The screening is happening on 10/24—catch it at 2 PM over at the SC theater, or if you're more of a night owl, there's another showing at 9:30 PM at the Europa cinema.

feralwalker said:I’ve been hunting for a thread about this specific event, but I can’t find anything. I feel like I saw it somewhere on here before... If it already exists, mods, please feel free to move this post to the right topic.

Anyway, here’s what I wanted to ask—every year there’s this one movie that basically defines the festival. Like, two years ago it was Borrati, last year it was Control, so I figured I’d ask you guys: what should we be looking out for at the upcoming edition?

Thanks in advance.

Neither "Borrati" nor "Control"—and definitely not "Choke," which neonmaker10 mentioned—are really the movies that put this festival on the map.
All those titles were part of the "matinee" program. That just means they were already bought up and were essentially just a sneak peek before hitting regular theaters. Honestly, they're the least stressful parts of the lineup.
Same goes for "Elite squad," so don't get ahead of yourself.

If you want to talk about what truly defines this festival, it could easily be Kaufman if he doesn't hit the mainstream theaters. It would be like that situation with Dukic at MFF, where everyone was talking about how "Kamikaze Pizzeria" was coming to theaters, so people actually skipped it thinking they'd see it later, only for it to win some big award and bypass theaters and DVD entirely. If something like that happens with Kaufman and he's only shown at ZFF, that's probably how the festival will be remembered.

What do we recommend? Well, it might be worth giving "Wave" a shot, and for pure entertainment, maybe "129,90." Also, check out the whole "My First Movie" and "Film@Cro" programs. I bet there will be a few solid gems in the indie categories too. As for the main stuff, "Moscow, Belgium" and "Drummer" look pretty good. Personally, I think "Desert of Souls" looks amazing, and people are saying great things about Ozpetek ("Saturn in Opposition") and "Rumba."

Seems like a solid lineup.

ps if "The Trial" is playing at the 35th, just go see that and you're set.😁

Arthur Garcia59 said:Look, if "The Process" is playing at 35mm, honestly, just go see that and call it a day. 😁

Bad news. Just heard that nothing from "Film@Cro" or "My First Movie" is actually running on film. It’s all just DVDs, except for Ustinov's "Falcon," which is being projected from a beta tape.
Such an incredible lineup, wasted on such crappy media.

Whatever. We'll just catch Piero at Tuškanac and Leigh over at Cinestar. 😉

Look, everything you mentioned probably holds water, but you can't really ignore the fact that Borrati and Control were by far the biggest hits...

feralwalker said:Fair enough, those points probably hold water, but you can't ignore the fact that Borrati and Control were by far the biggest hits...

I actually think "I'm Not There" pulled in much bigger numbers than Control last year.

Rumba - Before I sat down to watch this, a friend who caught the opening yesterday lowered my expectations. In a weird way, that actually made the experience better than if I’d gone in without hearing anything first.
The two leads are pretty likable, though the director occasionally pushes the physical comedy a bit too far into "over the top" territory, which makes some bits miss the mark. That said, the first act works brilliantly without any dialogue at all. Once the plot kicks in, things stay fairly solid until about 20 minutes before the end, where you can feel the momentum start to dip. The constant static shots don't really help matters either. Still, the movie is only 75 minutes long, so it was well worth the time.

I also have to give a 👍 for that scene with the dancing shadows.

Man, I remember being there just a few years back when those Belgians scooped up the big prize with their debut?! This rumba is basically just shaky camera work and frantic editing compared to that first one. Total bottom of the barrel. I mean, I was actually prepared this time—so it didn't catch me off guard or anything—but honestly, it was even somewhat tolerable 😳
shadows dancing 🤮

Wave is just some pretentious nonsense 🤮

Arthur Garcia59 said:everyone was talking about how "Kamikaze Pizzeria" would hit theaters, so people ended up skipping it by the masses, only for it to snag some award and bypass both the big screen and DVD (as far as I know) in a huge way.

that movie really should have stayed away from the projector lights 🙏

Arthur Garcia59 said:I assume there could be some solid entries at Sundance this year, too.

That’s exactly what I assumed last year—only to end up depressed because the Sundance lineup was absolute garbage.

IT’S TOUGH BEING UNBIASED — I’ll be the first to admit I lose all objectivity when it comes to American films, so I’m probably going to call this one a masterpiece just out of pure affection. Honestly, none of the American films I’ve seen lately can touch this in terms of humor or acting. Emir is brilliant as always, and Daria Lorenc did an incredible job. You could nitpick certain parts (like that overly dramatic scene near the end where the protagonist tosses a toddler into the air under a full moon), but the highs definitely outweigh the lows.

Definitely worth a watch.

EXCURSION — A short live-action piece before the main feature. Not bad at all.

Michael Newman50 said:shadows dance 🤮

Come on now... It really wasn't all that bad.

northerncrane4 said:That’s exactly what I thought last year, and man, it left me feeling totally depressed because those little indie flicks were just so weak.

Yeah, I get it😁. I still remember how annoyed and bummed out you were by them, so I take your word for it even though I haven't watched anything yet. Still, it feels weird that Devic's movie turned out to be a dud too, right?

Anyway, this is a tiny bit off-topic, but did you catch "Lunch" by Husmanica? To me, it felt super fresh and really solid, so I'm curious if that one let you down as well?

About this year's indie lineup—just a quick thought—"Reciklus" is getting praised on basically every major stage, while some other directors... well, you know. Even if most of this hype is just subjective stuff from people who think they know best, maybe I'll actually go see how they hold up in practice, since they certainly talk a big game.

redowl90 said:...and Daria Lorenc did an amazing job, too.

Personally, I think she’s absolutely terrible.

Arthur Garcia59 said:"Reciklus" has been getting praise on almost a global scale—and while some of those endorsements from other directors might just be subjective or based on social circles, I might actually go see if they hold up in practice, since their theory is sound enough.

"Reciklus" is, frankly, decent for a student film. Nothing more.

Someone posted a link here once for "Where the Penguin Flies"—pathetic.

The Golden Globes will likely hand one to "Bad Day for Captain Hook," though—to be honest—we’re really looking at some poorly disguised misandry. The author is entitled to her views, of course, but I doubt it would be received nearly as warmly if the genders were swapped.

I’m just endlessly disappointed that there wasn't room for that brilliant seven-minute short, "Who Lives with Yellow-beak?" by Kristina Kumric and Davor Kanjir. 😢😢😢

northerncrane4 said:Honestly, I’m just gutted they didn't make room for that brilliant seven-minute gem, "Where the Penguin Flies" by Kristina Kumric and Davor Kanjir. 😢😢😢

Got a link or something?

What about "Lunch"?

Arthur Garcia59 said:Do you have a link or something similar?

And "Lunch"?

I don't.
I wouldn't know.

northerncrane4 said:I honestly just feel terrible that there wasn't enough room for that brilliant seven-minute short, "Where the Yellow-beak Lives," by Kristina Kumric and Davor Kanjir. 😢😢😢

I really hope this is some kind of joke.

northerncrane4 said:No clue.

Do you mean "I don't know" because you haven't seen it, or "I don't know" as your take on what you actually watched?

redowl90 said:I can only hope this is some kind of joke.

Either you have something concrete to say—in which case, go ahead—or you can just stay out of my way.

Arthur Garcia59 said:Does "I don't know" mean "I haven't seen it," or is it just a commentary on what they actually watched?

If I had actually watched it, I’d have something resembling a meaningful comment—unlike redowl90.

I’m planning on sitting down to watch 129.99 tonight, mostly because I just have such a soft spot for anything on Facebook... 😍

For anyone out there who feels they have nerves of steel, I highly recommend checking out Funny Games—it’s honestly a must-watch, if you can handle how morbidly entertaining it is... 👍