Sundance 2008

It's very cold. You've booked a place to stay, right? The shuttle bus is pretty effective.

P.s. I don't really know all this, but last year I had to book it all for my boss. Make sure you build some skiing time into your trip, even if you've never skiied before.

We have a condo, yes. Good news about the bus, didn't really feel like driving.

I skiied for about ten minutes on the dry ski slope in Sheffield in about 1994. Should be interesting.

Dude, skiing is the raddest thing. Try and get a few sessions in - even if your hope,less the first time, but the third you should be able to get down a slop and after that it's the best thing ever.

Thanks for the tips!

I didn't much care for Palahniuk's Choke novel, but Sam Rockwell-Anjelica Huston as son-mother? Oboy.

The screenplay was, unsurprisingly, terrible.

FUCKING A. BAA 48 hour strike commencing on the day of my outbound flight from London got cancelled, so I'll be there from the start.

I'm freezing cold today in Oxford and it's 1 C. I am going to be so cold in Park City, aren't I? How do I pack for a week in Park City, a week in LA and a week in NYC in January?

shorts and thermals.

i was gonna go but it didnt work out.

http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,2235919,00.html

good times!

Wow, mentioned in an article in today's NY Times:
Last year the priciest acquisition was “Grace Is Gone,” which went to Weinstein for $4 million; the movie has made less than $50,000 at the box office

i would ask for my $9 back

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2180/2142986374_53184c5aaa.jpg

sign on the fucking money

there are a lot of places in the world i'm glad i'm not in, but park city has to be pretty high up there every january. i've seen some ok movies there but so much SHIT it's unbelievable. the sub-zero weather freezes your ass and the hollywood quotient freezes your soul. most of the screenings are in press-quality hovels. and the lines make it so you can't get in to any of them. fuck sundance, fuck sundance a-holes, fuck people who live in park city year-round and write up lame signs for their driveways, fuck people who own condos in park city, fuck people who ski/ride in park city. the only time park city should not be fucked is in the summer/fall, when no one's there, when everyone is drinking beer on their porch, looking up at the stars, and driving down to salt lake city to be with other boring fratty friendly chill people.

i'm jealous too.

have you been?

last year.

shuttle bus + funny celebrity encounter + skiing + hilarious stoner comedy = classic.
bitter cold + hollywood suck-off + ticket shenanigans + bush league immigrant drama = dud.

> and the hollywood quotient freezes your soul.

(some of these people doing anything to party there or buy condos there etc. may not care about this highly)

haa yeah in all honesty, my drunk diatribe was defensive and a little jealous, mainly out of nostalgia. i've had some good times there w/ friends. the last year i went i went alone = bad move.

so i just typed out this stupid resort review that no one asked for, maybe someone will find it useful:

if you're skiing or snowboarding, do yourself and god a big favor by driving your rental car and your peeps around the mountain to one of the cottonwood canyons. because you know you can skip out on a day of shitty, overhyped screenings. snowbird is a little uh ruff compared to park city. if you go and the weather's ok, take the tram up and ski the backside all day, something for everyone if they've skied before. also the cement lodges there are cool--persian rugs, 11-story ceilings, rooftop spa + marginally cheaper than deer valley. great place to chill and drink.

then there's ALTA. if you're psyched about this place, you've probably heard of hiking. still so much fun if you haven't. and it's on the cheaper end of things!

solitude in big cottonwood = great value for your money. fast lifts, great snow, snowboarders allowed, no crowds, probably the best vertical vs. lift time ratio in utah.

brighton is fun. lots of snow. lots of lame boarders. too much walking if you're not careful. parks!

(some of these people doing anything to party there or buy condos there etc. may not care about this highly)

yeah vic, that's colored by past experience and unfair from my pov now. this whole thread's been a flashback for me.

I think it's entirely different experience if your film is actually IN the damn thing, or if you're in one of the writers' labs, or whatever. Hearing from people like that, it's always the "best week ever" of their lives of course...but if you're just a regular spectator than waiting in lines, dealing with celeb-groupies/riff-raff, disappointing overhyped movies and angry locals will undoubtedly sour anyone's mood

It was totally full of assholes but I found them pretty easy to avoid. It was just a week-long party for us. I think it probably helps if you're not from around these parts -- and definitely way more fun if you have a film showing, which we did. We got into the parties we wanted to without any trouble, and me lots of other fun people. Slamdance seems like a much more relaxed affair.

http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=7357

Hey, if you guys go to Sundance for docs, you should just skip it and go to True/False.

(yes, i work for said festival but for free and at my own will)

xp, I did not see him in town, but he was there all week. I was at a party celebrating Kirsten Dunst's directorial debut (a short starring Winona Ryder) and did not see her either. I think these people move in different cirlces, even in Utah, and if you want to get into those circles and have to ask then you're bound to have a shitty time.

you should get this doc at your festival: http://www.seethrough-films.com/mmg/ easily the best thing I saw all week

SHAZAM!!!! My classmate just won the Audience Award for World Cinema - and it's his first feature!! Go him!!! I haven't seen the film yet, I don't know if I'd even care for it since it doesn't sound like my thing but really: I'm super proud...(particularly as he's actually a *humble* guy who totally deserves all his success, as opposed to one of these young monster. Long future ahead for him)

I'm heading to the Santa Barbara fest w/ my own piece-o-celluloid tomorrow, which will also be featuring Sundance debuts like "In Bruges," et al. Finally have one of those "all around," passes that I can get into all the movies / parties with for free (more to drink than to network, i swear). We're also subject to an audience vote for best short...so wish me luck (ca$h-m0n3y at stake) @@@

monsterS

Slamdance is more relaxed but it's been getting pretty hyped past few years; it still has that air of "the cooler/less pretentious" fest though as it was started and still is run by a guy who never got into Sundance. Another classmate/friend had his film show there last year, and not only did he a win an agent out of it, but he served on the jury for it this year. Says they're extremely nice guys..

xpost, i'm guessing that MMG will play here. Did you catch any other documentary films? Was your film a doc?

congrats to your classmate, xxpost! We won the special jury prize at Slamdance, which is serious good news.

Holy shit, Song Sung Blue? Or fiction?

http://www.howtobemovie.com/

And congrats, obv!

Also, before I get carried away, "special jury prize" = second place

That's still huge!

Oh snap: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117936061.html?categoryid=31&cs=1

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