Sundance Film Festival 2008

Elizabeth Ruiz2 said:Watched that documentary about The Cure today... man, absolutely incredible. 👍

I'm with you on that. 👍
I was kind of hoping for something a bit more "art house," you know? But turns out it’s just a pretty classic documentary. Still, I gotta say, the sheer amount of emotion in there caught me off guard—and it didn't even feel forced or overly sappy. It honestly hit me right in the gut. Then again, I’m from that generation that grew up listening to The Cure, so maybe I'm just being biased. I wonder how the younger kids reacted to it... well, at least they were listening to good music, even if they didn't quite wrap their heads around everything.

I was watching... unknown I’m totally with whatever was said above, but honestly? I was way more blown away by the actress playing the doctor than I was by Angelica. What was her name again?

Oh, and that short Belgian one—*Zekine Igre*—was actually pretty intense too. It gave me this weird, unsettling sense of anxiety, though... Just heavy, you know? Like, it was almost too grounded in how ordinary everything was.

Anyone know which movies are actually hitting theaters soon? I'm thinking about stuff like that unknown one... maybe some The Cure vibes too? What else is out there?

It looks like almost everyone from the matinee and the rumba group is here...

northerncrane4 said:I didn't even have to watch most of the competition entries to know exactly which way the jury was going to blow it.

It’s hardly surprising given the jury was nothing but damn women. Pure pathos.

Honestly, I think it's a travesty that "rumba" took home the top prize, because there were so many better films in the mix. But apparently, that's just how things work at the Sundance Film Festival—the opening film gets crowned the winner (it happened with "exile" last year, too).

Even though I didn't feel that way immediately after watching it, for me, the real winner is "desert of souls." It's the only film out of everything I've seen that I can't stop thinking about; I keep circling back to the story in my head. The script, the editing, and the acting are all top-tier.
And full disclosure—I already downloaded Rodrig Plae's film from last year, "the zone," from the internet. I'm looking forward to catching it after Sunday lunch.
Just to be clear, I thought "Moscow, Belgium" and "class" were much better than "rumba."

As for short films, of course "little bird" won, because this is America. Around here, anything involving sadness, misery, gloom, war, or destruction is an automatic winner. "little bird" isn't even close to being the best short film—I saw at least three that were better: "Life is Hard" (a cheerful, optimistic Romanian one—which is exactly what "little bird" was missing, for God's sake!); "2 Birds" (about some drugged-out, traumatized Icelandic teens in love); and "Ralph" (a British guy who finds—maybe—the love of his life in the middle of Marseille).

neonmaker10 said:Does anyone know which movies are getting a wide release? Like Choke, or The Cure... what else is out there?

Across America, we'll see "Zift," "The Cure," "love and other crimes," and "guest orchestra."
I'm thinking "Choke" and that one Brazilian film will probably hit theaters too.

redowl90 said:They're gonna be playing "Zift", "The Cure", "love and other crimes", and a "guest orchestra" over in Europe.
I'm thinking "Choke" and "Tropa de Elite" might hit theaters too.

Thanks.
What about Moscow or Belgium?
That lineup sounds pretty solid for a movie night.

neonmaker10 said:Wait, Moscow and Belgium?
That actually sounds like a great movie title to me.

A non-Hollywood romantic comedy in American theaters?
You've got to be kidding me.

redowl90 said:It’s hardly surprising when the jury consists of nothing but damn women. Pure pathos.

I didn't even realize the jury was all female—checked the lineup just yesterday and had a good laugh about it.

I guess Choke was actually decent; it was the complete opposite of those shallow, mindless Hollywood comedies...

Arthur Garcia59 said:The heavy hitters here are stuff like "Moscow, Belgium" and "Drummer." I’ve already got my eye on "Desert of Souls"—it looks incredible—and people are buzzing about that Ozpetek flick ("Saturn in Opposition") and some amazing rumba movie too.

Sadly, I haven't had the chance to catch anything yet. Still, I'm glad I aimed for the top tier this time. Last year was a disaster—I watched basically everything and most of it was total junk.

And a quick shoutout to 🙏 northerncrane4 regarding those dice predictions.

redowl90, how's the word on Kaufman's distribution situation?

Has anyone else sat through Synecdoche, New York? So far, I’ve only seen two films: rumba and Synecdoche, New York. To be blunt, rumba was a complete letdown, whereas Charlie Kaufman’s work was genuinely brilliant. He truly stands out as one of the premier screenwriters working today. He consistently crafts such an intriguing spectrum of characters, and there's always a fresh perspective in his work. Did people struggle with the themes here? Specifically those overlapping parallels woven throughout the story?

Arthur Garcia59 said:Unfortunately, I didn't get through much, but I'm glad I aimed for the heavy hitters this time. Last year I tried to watch almost everything, and there was very little worth actually seeing.

You absolutely have to see "desert of souls." We aren't talking until that happens.

Arthur Garcia59 said:redowl90, how's Kaufman looking regarding distribution?

I suspect it might skip a wide theatrical release entirely, though I can't say for sure.

northerncrane4 said:I didn't even realize the jury was all women. I actually went to check who was on it just yesterday—ended up having a good little laugh about it.

Man, what was so funny about that? 😉

Choke is honestly great... and man, that rumba scene was everything 😁
they just totally skipped over the short film though—what a bummer.

bluecanyon18 said:Seriously—what exactly was so funny? 😉

Honestly, I found it pretty hilarious that the jury—made up of Sara Hribar, Diana Nenadić, and Nataša Janjić—was tasked with handing out awards in a competition featuring a film where a modern-day martyr endures a totally indifferent partner and an incredibly demanding child—all while they apparently have plenty of time to coordinate European projects, yet somehow lack the time to enjoy a well-deserved cigarette.

northerncrane4 said:I mean, I just found it kind of funny—the jury was made up of Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Lawrence. They were tasked with handing out awards in a category featuring a film where this modern-day martyr (maybe?) smiles through dealing with a totally indifferent partner and an incredibly demanding kid... all while apparently having plenty of time to coordinate massive international projects, yet somehow zero time to just sit down and enjoy a much-needed cigarette.

I don't get it. Is this about gender or something else? I think there were women on all the other juries too, right? Why is this any different?

If you ask me, Banksy’s stuff was better 😁
and honestly, I've seen better from Birdie ☕