My clear favorite was Spike Jonze's film I'm Here. It was a brilliant, emotionally poignant story of a world inhabited by human beings and robots. The story revolves around the relationship between a male robot immersed in a humdrum existence and a female robot who introduces him to a more spontaneous and creative life. It was absolutely amazing that the filmmakers were able to capture such intense emotion through the eyes and interactions of creatures that basically looked like phone booths.
Kristine here: Honestly, I liked them all. But Logorama rose to the top for me. It broke through the other three with a bang--visually and aurally. It's basically a 15 min. animation where the world is made of logos, including the people. In fact, I've read they represented anywhere from 2,500-3,000 logos in the short (according to a Google study, the same number of logos we're exposed to each day). The look of the film is stunning. They combined very clean, simple lines and solid, bold colors with an animation style that gave the 2-D logos a very 3-D feel.
And then there's the story line, which read like a parody of any blockbuster action flick (think "Die Hard" or "Lethal Weapon" on steroids), with no shortage of sex, profanity and violence. Actually, the press write-up says it best:
"Logorama is...rife with car chases, natural disasters, and hostage-taking, but created entirely out of real world logotypes and brand characters. In it, you'll see the Michelin Man, the Haribo kid, Bob's Big Boy, Mr. Pringle and Ronald McDonald, but in some very unfamiliar roles playing the classic movie archetypes of good guys, bad guys and foils.”
And then there's the story line, which read like a parody of any blockbuster action flick (think "Die Hard" or "Lethal Weapon" on steroids), with no shortage of sex, profanity and violence. Actually, the press write-up says it best:
"Logorama is...rife with car chases, natural disasters, and hostage-taking, but created entirely out of real world logotypes and brand characters. In it, you'll see the Michelin Man, the Haribo kid, Bob's Big Boy, Mr. Pringle and Ronald McDonald, but in some very unfamiliar roles playing the classic movie archetypes of good guys, bad guys and foils.”What I found interesting was how some logos/brands were used literally (e.g., Hotwheels was actually a car) and some completely out of context (e.g., the MGM lion was just another animal in the zoo and not related to the film industry). Also, Kathy and I were both curious to know how the film-makers could've possibly gotten permission from the various corporate brands to use and manipulate the 3,000 trademarked logos. Hmmmm...maybe they didn't. (Unfortunately neither the producers nor directors attended the screening, otherwise we would've asked.)
And then, of course, there's the question of a bigger commentary the movie is likely trying to make-- about how brands have completely saturated our daily lives, or, perhaps, how Hollywood, specifically, has become a slave to the brand master.
Even if you don't get a bigger message out of the movie, it's worth at least one (or several viewings) simply for the entertainment value--and to see how many brands you can actually identify.
Kathy again: Rory Kennedy's film was a documentary about the so-called "fence to nowhere" the U.S. has built on the Mexico/Arizona border. The film illustrated the literal and figurative holes in our border with Mexico. Rory Kennedy was present at the screening and participated in the Q&A afterwards. She looks just like her dad, Bobby Kennedy. While she was speaking, it was hard not to think about all the tragedy she has experienced as a Kennedy. In addition to all the obvious losses, it was her wedding that JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy were headed to when their plane crashed. Such a sad history, but she seems like a resilient person. It is impressive that she has continued to make challenging documentaries that shed light on important social issues.
Seeds of the Fall was a sweet and quirky Scandinavian film about an older couple whose house is shaken off of its foundation when an ice cream truck crashes into it. In the aftermath of the crash, they meet their mysterious neighbors and end up getting a new lease on life.
After the Shorts Program, we headed down to the Egyptian Theater on Main Street to see the film All That I Love. The Egyptian is the quintessential Sundance venue: small, historic, and lots of character. As an added bonus, Cafe Bustelo had a stand set up inside the Egyptian where they were giving out free toboggan hats, espresso, and cafe con leche. All That I Love is a Polish film about teenagers living in Poland and coming of age in the early eighties. The main protagonist forms a punk band and falls in love in the midst of the political revolution taking place in the country. His father is a Communist general, and he falls in love with the daughter of a Socialist. His band, All That I Love, play songs that are critical of the status quo. The cinematography was stunning, with muted tones that suggested the dreariness of the times and damp, chilly weather of Poland. At the Q&A after the screening, the director said the film was basically autobiographical and that he drew directly from his memory of those times in his country. He said that fortunately, Poland is a much better country today and the dreams of the revolution have mostly been realized. The lead actors were all present for the Q&A. Kristine said the lead actor reminded her of a young Leonardo DiCaprio. They all seemed very excited to be at Sundance.
After the film, we headed over to one of our favorite Park City restaurants, The Eating Establishment, for an early lunch--and to fuel up for the the Joan Jett & the Heartbreakers show that night.
More about the Joan Jett show to come in a separate post. In the interim, here's a video extra.
VIDEO EXTRA:
Here's a bit of video Kathy captured of Paris Hilton and her BF at Harry O's during the Nas show. You'll see Paris in between the Cuervo signs towards the left of the screen during the first :20. Her head is above the crowd. (NOTE: Shots of the Harry O's go-go dancers during the last part of the video are bonus--no charge).
More about the Joan Jett show to come in a separate post. In the interim, here's a video extra.
VIDEO EXTRA:
Here's a bit of video Kathy captured of Paris Hilton and her BF at Harry O's during the Nas show. You'll see Paris in between the Cuervo signs towards the left of the screen during the first :20. Her head is above the crowd. (NOTE: Shots of the Harry O's go-go dancers during the last part of the video are bonus--no charge).
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