Sundance Film Festival, May 18-24, New York City

Brenda Lee50 said:Are the movies being poorly received? Polimac wrote in Večernjak that they are festival must-sees: Weekend, Theorem, Early Work, WR Mystery of the Organism, and a few others I can't quite recall.

Since when does Polimac write for Večernjak?
Drop the link.

It’s true, I actually spotted him at the screening of "Theorem" today.

Look, there aren't even that many options, unless you count the big "hits" like Bertolucci and Pasolini piling up, but man, things got pretty heated during the panel today.

I wouldn't be fair if I didn't give a shout-out to the organizers. Huge congrats on what's been a (so far) really well-run festival. The tracks were excellent, the program booklet was solid, and the crew is young, energetic, and doing a great job with an amazing lineup.
The only thing? They should have shelled out more cash for the translators. Instead, they gave the job to some beginners who clearly have zero connection to cinema, so the translations were honestly laughably bad in places.

As for the movies I've seen, they all get high marks from me—except for the documentary "Stockholm 75." It’s interesting in terms of plot and cultural context, but cinematically? It's pretty mediocre compared to the giants sitting next to it. It's just your typical TV documentary that Dželo would undoubtedly pick.

I don't have the link. I was just skimming through some rag over coffee on Saturday, and I ended up leaving the paper behind at the cafe. He wrote an entire thread about the festival.

Arthur Garcia59 said:there aren't actually that many—aside from the occasional "heavy hitter" like Bernardo Bertolucci or Pier Paolo Pasolini—so they tend to pile up, but things got pretty heated at the panel today.

I noticed that too.

Yesterday was absolutely packed at Theorem, though some people ended up giving up halfway through (the film was running a full 50 minutes late 😠), so it felt a bit easier to breathe after that. 🙂

Amanda Patel said:I noticed that too.

Yesterday was an absolute nightmare crowd at Theorem, but some people actually gave up halfway through (the film was running a full 50 minutes 😠 late), so things finally started to breathe a little. 🙂

I didn't catch the ones who bailed because of the delay since I was already inside the theater, but I definitely saw plenty of people walking out during the screening itself.
Honestly, if there wasn't a screening happening, at least 10 people wouldn't have walked out—unless you count the first day of "The Naked," where there were only about 20 people total. I just don't get these intense types who show up and then bail; it's like they didn't even bother checking what was playing.

So far, most people are flocking to the Bernardo Bertolucci film—man, the theater was packed, way beyond what anyone expected.

To save my sanity, I’m skipping "Lead Time" and "Mystery of the Organism," even though I really wanted to see them on the big screen.
My head is starting to throb, so I better call it a night. Tomorrow is going to be a massive day.

Arthur Garcia59 said:... but I noticed quite a few people gave up halfway through the screening. Honestly, I don't think there was ever a screening where at least 10 people didn't walk out... so I just don't get those intense types who show up only to leave immediately because they didn't bother to check what was actually playing?

That’s exactly what I’ve never understood. I guess people just want to be seen, to be able to say "I was there," or something... and then they suffer for it. 🙂

Tonight is "Mystery," me happy. 🙂 I haven't seen it yet.

Megan Rodriguez44 said:Watching "Mystery" tonight—feeling pretty happy about it. 🙂 Haven't seen it yet.

...honestly, I'm sitting here wondering if staying home to catch the LP finals instead of watching "Mystery" was actually a huge mistake.😳

edit: actually, it wasn't a mistake—the game is incredible. 😍
...but tomorrow, we’re diving into Slavoj Žižek.👋 😍

Amanda Lopez50 said:...I'm honestly sitting here thinking that staying home to catch the LP finale instead of seeing Mystery was definitely the wrong call.😳

Maybe you should have thought about that before you made the choice.🙄

Amanda Lopez50 said:...I was just sitting here thinking that staying home to catch the LP finale instead of seeing Mystery might have been a mistake...😳

edit: actually, it wasn't a mistake—the game is absolutely beautiful😍
...but tomorrow, we're heading toward Slavoj Žižek👋 😍

I was thinking the exact opposite. 😁 I honestly figured catching a replay of the game would be way easier than hunting down a Makavejev film online somewhere...

Today is all about Slavoj Žižek and John Carpenter. 🙂

Megan Rodriguez44 said:Watching "Mystery" tonight, feeling pretty happy about it..

Not for very long, though. Once you actually sit through it... ☕

Megan Rodriguez44 said:...rather than trying to tackle Makavejev online.

It’s not even about trying to track down Makavejev. I mean, come on—the Criterion Collection released him, so finding his stuff is actually pretty easy compared to other directors. The real issue here isn't availability; it's that we're dealing with Makavejev on a massive scale.
It’s honestly such a shame that most people still don't get it.
It’s not just about Makavejev—it’s about movies in general.

Megan Rodriguez44 said:Today we’ve got Slavoj Žižek and John Carpenter on the menu. 🙂

It's the exact same thing.
Slavoj Žižek said a couple of things about John Carpenter, and honestly, the movie they're showing is absolutely killer. $9.75 Just hit the stands.

Arthur Garcia59 said:It’s not even about trying to track down a Makavejev film, because with the Criterion Collection release out there, they're actually pretty easy to get hold of compared to other stuff... It’s more about the fact that we're talking about Makavejev on a massive scale...

That might be more for you advanced folks. For those of us coming in later, it was just interesting to actually watch a film we’d only ever read about... to finally form our own opinion...

Arthur Garcia59 said:Slavoj Žižek had a few things to say about John Carpenter, and honestly, the film they’re screening is just... $9.75 Just hit the stands...

I missed Slavoj Žižek because I was stuck at a capitalist Cinestar watching some modern horror flick. I actually went to see the John Carpenter film just because the company was great, and honestly, I still hadn't caught it even though it hits newsstands everywhere every third Tuesday... But I ended up walking out about a third of the way through. The anti-subversive vibe from the person sitting next to me was physically and mentally draining, so we decided to head out for some salty snacks and beer instead...

Megan Rodriguez44 said:I totally missed the Slavoj Žižek talk because I was stuck in a capitalist Cinestar watching some modern horror flick. I actually went to see John Carpenter just because the company was great, plus I still hadn't caught this specific movie even though it’s being sold at every newsstand and corner shop every other Tuesday. Honestly, I bailed about a third of the way through because the anti-subversive vibe from the guy sitting next to me was physically and mentally draining. We decided to grab some salty snacks and beer instead.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Cinestar.

anti-subversive😁

I’m not sure if anyone else caught this deeply uncomfortable detail that casts a shadow over the entire festival: the appearance of a figure named Karl-Heinz Dellwo, a former member of the terrorist organization RAF, which speaks volumes for those paying attention.

It's baffling how the organizers could overlook such an oversight, but in a city where the Crisis Management Committee is headed by a terrorism apologist like Pavle Kalinić, I suppose nothing is truly impossible.

Bradley Ramos2 said:I'm not sure if anyone else has picked up on this incredibly awkward detail that casts a shadow over the entire festival: the fact that someone like Karl-Heinz Dellwo—a former member of the terrorist organization RAF—is actually appearing here. Honestly, that speaks volumes.

I honestly can't wrap my head around how the organizers managed to overlook such a glaring oversight. But then again, in a city where the Crisis Management Committee is chaired by a total terrorist apologist like Pavle Kalinić, I suppose absolutely nothing is impossible.

Why call it an oversight? Even if the content itself was incredibly weak, I’d argue his presence was vital to cultivating that provocative atmosphere they were clearly trying to weave into the ironic branding of the "Sundance Film Festival."

On the other hand, I found myself genuinely impressed by Neil Leach. He actually managed to outshine Slavoj Žižek with just a handful of words, which he offered up quite bashfully between pauses. Of course, he only truly outdid him for those in the audience who actually understood the context of what was being discussed.

Bradley Ramos2 said:I don't know if anyone else caught this incredibly awkward detail that casts a massive shadow over the whole festival: they're hosting a guy named Karl-Heinz Dellwo, a former member of the RAF terrorist group. Honestly, that says everything you need to know.

I honestly have no clue how the organizers could have missed such a massive oversight. But hey, in a city where the Crisis Management Committee is chaired by a total terrorism apologist like Pavle Kalinić, I guess absolutely nothing is impossible.

So, would you actually want to see Peres at the Sundance Film Festival?
Man, honestly? It would’ve been way better if they just brought out an actual, active RAF member—provided they promised not to blow anything up, obviously.

Richard Howard2 said:On the other hand, Neil Leach totally blew me away. He managed to outdo Slavoj Žižek with just a few shy little remarks dropped between pauses. Of course, he only outdid him if you actually knew what was being discussed.

Neil Leach was decent enough, but he just couldn't top Slavoj Žižek. Honestly, even Žižek isn't saying much of anything smart these days.
But hey, he was actually pretty good at yesterday's lecture.
The main thing is that everyone just laughs at him, no matter what he actually does. Even when there isn't a single funny bone in his body. But hey, that’s how it goes. He’s got the beard, he’s a bit heavier, he’s clumsy, he’s got those nervous tics—so everyone cracks up because apparently, that’s just how things are supposed to be.

I actually enjoyed it when he didn't even bring up the movie during the lecture. Most of the crowd showed up thinking he was going to illustrate every single point with film examples, you know? Not quite what happened.

Bradley Ramos2 said:basically just a cheap imitation posing as Karl-Heinz Dellwo

I’m with you—it’s definitely an imitation. Honestly, if he hadn't insulted the guy, he probably would've ended up just like his buddies Andreas and Ulrike instead of wandering around these brain-dead, retarded festivals in random banana republics acting like some kind of martyr...🙄>

There is only one Karl-Heinz...
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge!

Arthur Garcia59 said:I honestly don't think there was any guarantee that at least ten people would actually show up for the screening, so I really don't get the intense energy from the people who head over there only to walk right back out. It’s like, do they not bother to check what's actually being shown before they make the trip?

Megan Rodriguez44 said:And that’s exactly what I’ve never been able to wrap my head around. It’s like there’s this deep-seated need to be witnessed, to be able to stand up and say, "Yeah, I was actually there." They feel they have to be seen to exist, and then they go through all that agonizing struggle just to prove it. 🙂

...

Megan Rodriguez44 said:I went to see the new Carpenter flick... honestly, I couldn't even make it through the first third. I had to walk out.

😬

Sorii Sendi... I just had to. 😁 🙂

Some people just don't bother to do their homework, while others go through the whole process only to realize they were fed total garbage. Then there are those for whom a movie simply doesn't click—maybe it’s just bad timing, or maybe it’s something else entirely. Honestly, I don't get why people can't just stand up and walk out when a film isn't working for them. If I had possessed even an ounce of that backbone during Stone's "Aleksandar," I'd probably be a much more well-adjusted human being today. 😬

ruggedjackal46 said:If I had just stood up while watching Stone's "Alexander"... I'd probably be a much more well-adjusted person today. 😬

🤣🤣🤣