Whipped, Beaten
I posted nearly 50 times during my eight-day Sundance stay — riffs, photos, reviews, video clips, complaints, praisings, interviews — and saw about 22 films, give or take. I was up at 6:30 or 7 am every day and usually quit around 1 am, and despite this I couldn’t cover what I wanted to cover and deliver decent HE material.
No one-man-band can beat that festival. You can only go there, work your fingers to the bone, do your best and not nail it. Every year my Sundance experience is about a win-lose ratio of 40-60, if that. You’re always missing two or three or four things in order to do one thing, and then the next day you’re seeing stuff that you missed a day or two earlier, but that means missing more new stuff. You tell yourself that you’re going to work harder than ever before, and it doesn’t effing matter.
It didn’t help that I was given a schlub-level press pass, despite pleas to the press office to please grant me the same kind of first-class, easy-access pass that i’ve been given for the last three years in Cannes. I got into several public screenings by the good graces of several publicist pals (thanks, guys!), but the schlub pass meant I had to spend at least two hours each day inside the Holiday Village press & industry cattle tent. Add that to the usual bus-and-taxi transportation time and that’s a big portion of the daily schedule.
Boo-hoo and poor me, right? I realize, of course, that several other press and industry persons were dealing with similar if not heavier pressures than mine, and that I’m nothing special. But you can’t cover what you need to cover at Sundance and write five or six stories per day — I know that. It’s just not possible.
For the last three years my pink-with-a-yellow-pastille pass at Cannes has allowed me to see most of the films at that festival and bang out fast-crack appraisals of most of them plus photos and whatnot, and I can’t really do that at Sundance. I can maybe see and attend and write about half of what’s doing, if that. I realize that Sundance lost the use of the Racquet Club this year, and that this has led to too many movies showing at too few venues.
Sundancing has always been like this. I’m glad I went. I got a lot done, saw a lot, moved around and dug in here and there. I love the beautiful snowfalls and speed-walking down Kearns Blvd. and the chit-chats on the free Park City bus service, and I felt gratified that I stuck to my decision to cut back on the parties. I basically avoided talking to pretty ladies because that only leads to pointless distraction and downtime. I’m not saying it was an unhappy or terrible experience, but it’s grueling as hell — brutal — and I’m just glad it’s over.
Thanks very much to the Sundance press office for their tireless efforts (I can only imagine what they have to deal with), but please guys….please consider giving me a slicker Anthony Breznican-level press pass next time. Thank you.
Thnks for the Sundance coverage. HE rocks!
As always, we appreciate the effort. But weren’t a significant number of those posts devoted to The Social Network’s Oscar campaign? For some reason, I noticed much smaller ratio of Sundance posts to normal posts this year.
you do almost need an evil twin brother to cover the festival.
at least you uncovered the lost Olsen sister
As always, Jeff, your efforts are much appreciated. You bust your ass to keep us all entertained throughout the day. I’m generally in awe of how consistently you post – I can’t imagine never taking a day off or taking a vacation. I hope you’re making some decent coin of this site, I almost feel guilty that we get so much great content and pay nothing.
Two of my least favorite subjects on movie blogs – this or any other – is Oscar coverage and film festival coverage. I love the Oscars, but there’s obviously 100 times as much talk as there needs to be. It gets old after a while. And frankly, I’d rather focus more on what’s being released nationwide than the endless talk about all these obscure indy films made by and starring people no one has ever heard of. If they’re good enough, I figure the cream rises to the top and I’ll hear about them and see them down the road. A new horror movie starring Anthony Hopkins is 100 times more interesting to me than an interview with Morgan Spurlock or Juno Temple or Joe Swanberg or some new doc about vegetables or whatever. Movie blogs tend to suck in January, between Oscar burnout and all the boooooring Sundance coverage.
Let me add my kudos along with the rest. I have followed you for years and stop by at least once a day and I really appreciate your effort.
We don’t always agree, but I respect your insights.
You’ve turned me on to many things which I may have missed which makes me look better in front of my girlfriend. Thanks.
“I’m generally in awe of how consistently you post – I can’t imagine never taking a day off or taking a vacation.”
Uhhh…he travels around the world watching movies, dude. Some of us have to use our vacation hours (and hard-earned $) to do this. Just sayin’.
“If they’re good enough, I figure the cream rises to the top and I’ll hear about them and see them down the road. A new horror movie starring Anthony Hopkins is 100 times more interesting…”
Um…LoL
I’ll “+1″ what ketut said above. Keep bringing the opinions and info Jeff. Even when I don’t agree the discourse here is generally thought provoking. You and your commenters make HE a great and unique web stop for sure. Your work is appreciated.
I have to agree with JLC. Despite your large number of posts, it sure didn’t seem like you gave many opinions on the movies you saw at Sundance. Were they all duds or not worth commenting on?
Thanks Jeff -
and also for the local color/pix etc. On The Road in Sundance.
Don’t know if you’ll be up for this challenge: It’s a year later and what do you now think of -
Blue Valentine, Frozen, Kids Are All Right, Killer Inside Me, Winter’s Bone, Catfish, Lovers of Hate, Buried, Runaways, Freebie, Cyrus, Howl, Animal Kingdom, Boy, Welcome to the Rileys, Jack Goes Boating, Company Men.
This was Sundance 2010 narrative feature lineup you wrote about a year ago and it would be fascinating to hear YOUR thoughts on what that group has proven to be culturally over the past year.
We know now what it has proven to be in the marketplace, ie about $50 million total in terms of boxoffice impact, but what about cultural impact?
Any revisions to your views posted last year, up or down?
Filmmakers who’ve made the Jeff can’t miss their next pic list?
Just curious.
(We know you’re on the waiting list for the BluRay director’s cut of “Jack Goes Boating,” but besides that…)
Umm….uhhh…fuck off, Citizen Douche. His job is much more difficult than you give him credit for. And typing ‘LoL’ is so lazy and childish. Try writing a coherent response like an adult if you don’t agree. Yes, I think talking about Tony Hopkins, his career, his new film etc. is more interesting than talking about 90 % of these shitty indy films. Sue me.
And “Citizen Douche” isn’t “lazy and childish?” “LMAO” to that, bro.
Everyone’s job is probably more difficult than people give it credit for. Man up.
As for being more interested in The Rite than “these obscure indy (sic) films,” I think that says more about you than the quality of films that play at these Festivals. Take another look at Gaydos’ list from last year. Are those films that you really have no real vested interest in watching, a year later? If so, your taste probably sucks (which we probably already knew from your comment about The Rite, anyway).
But since you’re so interested in Hopkins, here’s a link you’ll probably enjoy:
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11436#
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