Sundance 2012 – Day 8

As I continue to get caught up on my Sundance Blogs, here is Day 8! I wanted to make sure I made it to a screening of the film ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’ Dir: Colin Trevorrow. I’d been hearing a lot about it and wanted to make the screening. Well, low and behold I got up later than expected and by the time I got to the Eccles Theatre, there were NO more Volunteer tickets and the wait list had already been cut off. I was a highly attended screening, and it was the THIRD screening at that. So the Buzz was out and it looked like I was just SOL. Well, right as I was about to give up, a man just offered up one ticket! YAY! I was in! Now the film is about a reporter and two interns looking into a classified ad for someone seeking at partner to time travel with them. I’ll leave the rest of the details out; you really need to see this film. It’s fun, humorous and has a great twist at the end. Mark Duplass of the Filmmaking Duo has a great performance as the man seeking a time travel partner. This one was fun and obviously well written, as it did win the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.

Also, screening with ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’ was the short film ‘Bear’ Dir: Nash Edgarton. It’s about a man with great intentions of a Birthday surprise for his girlfriend and how those plans can go horribly wrong. Truly a dark comedy with laughs at tragic moments, but amazingly well done. It was a great companion to ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’.

Next, I raced over to the Prospector Square Theatre for Shorts Program 3. The program contained 6 very different short films. Here is the list: (Now, I’m going to give the descriptions directly from the Sundance Website)

‘Dol (First Birthday)’ Dir: Andrew Ahn - A gay Korean American man yearns for a family life that is just out of reach.

‘The Fort’ Dir: Andrew Renzi - On a rainy day, a young boy builds a fort in the woods when a man appears and offers to help.

‘Frozen Stories’ Dir: Grzegorz Jaroszuk - The two worst employees of the supermarket are ordered to find a goal for their lives.

‘L Train’ Dir: Anna Musso - Sunny is a self-regarding teenager fighting her way through an inner-city blizzard—again. Suddenly, she encounters someone who forces her to consider an altruistic, though perhaps absurd, action.

‘Rolling on the Floor Laughing’ Dir: Russell Harbaugh - Two grown brothers return home for their widowed mother's birthday, only to find themselves competing with a strange man for her affection.

‘Surveillant’ Dir: Yan Giroux - It's another quiet summer day in Park Dufresne. The neighborhood youth loiter until a new park monitor appears for his first day of work. Two universes clash, and a territorial struggle begins.

Now, of all three Shorts Programs I screened this year, this one appealed the least. I hate saying that, as so many wonderful films screen at Sundance, but these just didn’t get me as motivated as the other two shorts programs did. I guess these shorts seemed a lot more traditional, more film school feel; I’m really not totally sure what it was. They still were Sundance worthy, so I give them mad props!

From there, I was originally heading back to my condo to get some writing done and change for my shift. I ended up waiting at the transit center for a connecting bus, when I ran into a friend who said “Hey, I’m going to see ‘I’m Not a Hipster’ right now, you should come!” And low and behold, something just said “GO!” So, I went. Now, ‘I’m Not a Hipster’ Dir/Scr: Destin Daniel Cretton was in the NEXT Category. It was about a struggling singer/songwriter dealing with his sisters coming to town with their dad to pay their last respects to their Mother, and spread her ashes other the ocean. The story looks at the struggles of both family and the indie music scene. It also has an amazing soundtrack of original songs. It’s gritty, raw and very real. I could see so many elements of myself or friends in the characters and easily believed the story. SO WELL DONE. I highly recommend this film. I’d buy a copy to keep in my collection, as well as the soundtrack… And that’s saying something.

So, Three Screening all back to back, raced home, quick change and off to my shift. Our two screening tonight are at 9:00 PM ‘The Pact’ Dir: Nicholas McCarthy. We showed this earlier at midnight. And at Midnight tonight we have ‘Grabbers’ Dir: Jon Wright.

Now, I didn’t watch ‘The Pact’ the first time we screened it because it is a horror film and a little much for my taste. But last time I didn’t comment about the short film that preceded the feature. The Short Film is ‘Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise’ Dir: Kelly Sears. It’s a short made up of yearbook photos moving across school building photos and images and gets darker and more gruesome with both music and bloody imagery. Interesting, but just not my cup of tea.

Now, the Midnight Film tonight, ‘Grabbers’, is a monster comedy about aliens attacking Erin Island, a small fishing village off Ireland’s coast. The reluctant authorities realize there is only one way to not have their lives sucked out by the monster… Get VERY DRUNK! I thought it was very cute and funny. In the same vein of ‘Shaun of the Dead’ or ‘Hot Fuzz’, this Irish Monster comedy keeps the drinks and laughs coming, even as the monster tries harder and harder to kill everyone. If you want a monster movie with a few laughs, I highly recommend this one!

OK… There is Thursday (Day 8)! I’m working to get each and every day of Sundance 2012 caught up on. I know I can do it.