Sundance 2012 film reviews! [UPDATED with Awards]

Highly recommended films, that all should watch:

Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry
Awarded "Documentary Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Defiance"

Eye opening story about how a now famous artist in China is struggling to improve his country from the inside, sometimes fighting the strong-arm government.  Timely backstory, as just before filming was done, Ai was kidnapped by the government and held for 81 days; this time and his release are covered in the film.

9/10 from Holden

[Image from bigfenomeno.com]

Link goes to TRAILER here

The Other Dream Team

A really well done independent film that chronicles the Lithuanian basketball team members that begrudgingly played for the USSR behind the curtain, and were pivotal in the political struggle for freedom which caused ripples throughout the world.  Culturally important, and fun.  Excellent film even if you're not a sports fan.

8/10 from Holden

1/2 Revolution

A film shot in the streets of Cairo during the first 11 days of the revolution, with very little editing.  Rather than telling the entire story of the revolution as a history book would, this fast paced movie takes the viewer through the highs and lows of excitement, fear, and hope that accompany the people's struggle for freedom from a dictatorship.

8/10 from Holden

Still very good films that you should watch if they sound interesting:

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Awards:
Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic

Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic

Called the "toast of Sundance," this is an engrossing story about an eclectic group of folks living on an island outside the levee near New Orleans, Louisiana.  With hints of voodoo, an active child's imagination, and traces of post-Katrina plight, this movie was visually pleasing, had emotional highs and lows, though was also hard to watch at times.

7/10 from Holden

(NO trailer anywhere online!?  Really!?)

Filly Brown

The story of an aspiring female hip hop singer working and making tough decisions about how to pay bills while trying to make it in the Industry.  Very well done, and definitely enjoyable if you're into the culture/music.  Shot throughout Los Angeles, this movie was really fun to watch for those familiar with the territory.

7/10 from Holden

Other films:

About the Pink Sky

Japanese film in black & white about some high schoolers that write a

local newspaper containing only good news.  Well done, and worth

seeing, but against our other films, this one did not stand out.

5/10 from Holden

Wrong

Super artistic film by Quentin Dupieux, a French director who is extremely

quirky and who offered the enthralled audience very little content in the

Q&A afterwards (not sure why he even came to the premier).  Also

reeked of some of the themes in the unrelated, 90s bestselling book

"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle."

6/10 from Holden

Sundance 2011 film reviews

First of all, the most important thing was that I loved being able to stay seated after the film and hear Q&A sessions with many of the actors, directors, producers, etc. Really made the films more human.

Second of all, the films were astonishing compared with everyday blockbuster films because the themes weren't readily apparent, or easily digested. Many times during and after the film, we'd discuss who was really the 'good guy' or 'bad guy' -- a theme you can easily find in most 'normal' films simply by the color of clothes the actors wear. It was refreshing to be so engaged.

Here are a few quick reviews and scores of movies that I saw with Meagan in Park City!

Position Among the Stars

Incredible shots and camera work of Jakarta slums. In the style of cinéma vérité (cross between documentary (sans commentary) and reality TV (without the dictated drama and lines)). Shows off modernization issues within a three generation family, and then the idea of concentrating your daily efforts on "stuff" vs "people". Also touches on religion in the country with the largest Islamic population in the world. The director and cinematographer Leonard Retel Helmrich was incredible. We loved it. Hoping it gets bought!

Score: 8.5/10 Click here for Trailer.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Made by Morgan Spurlock (the guy from "SuperSize Me"), this is a very positive film about the state of product placement and advertising in films. Documentary. Hugely hilarious portions, thought provoking portions, generally enjoyable. Sold to Sony Pictures Classics 2 days before we saw it, so you'll have an opportunity to see it.

Score: 6.5/10

Circumstance

Very strong film about living in Tehran, Iran, and how families, and specifically women face challenges with corruption, sexuality, and culture. Featuring a couple of beautiful and talented girls and an amazing actor (the "brother"), good soundtrack, political relevance, and the struggle between freedom of choice and traditional, cultural "good". Betting it'll get bought!  (intense themes, probably rated R or more)

Score: 8.5/10

Submarine
A hilariously, awesomely, awkwardly British film about a boy growing up in Wales, struggling with adolescence. Really enjoyed the director's (Richard Ayoade) humor before and after the show during the Q&A.

Score: 7/10

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

A gripping mystery documentary about a two decade old unsolved phenomenon in the US and South America, about tiles laid in the cement on the streets, a conspiracy, and the future of humanity. AMAZING soundtrack, done by the director (self-taught, for this movie). (Not actually about dead people).

Score: 7.5/10

Connected
Didn't care for this one too much. Idea was great, after 4 years of work that they spent on it, I thought content was sparse. Lots of conjecture in scientific realm (regarding honey bees, health effects of cell phones, and healing via miracles vs. medicine), coming from an artistic-type.

Score: 4/10

The Bengali Detective

Another cinéma vérité film showcasing the thriving profession of private detective in India. Real cases are investigated, as are the main character's dance aspirations as he tries out for a televised national talent show! Very realistic and fun!

Score: 8/10

Notable movies that others saw, in approximate order of "you really should see this movie":

My Idiot Brother

Happy Happy

The Future

The Kids Are Alright

The Ledge

Higher Ground

The Flaw

(All images are copyright of their respective film makers and whatnot, and I'm just hoping to help their viewership by providing reviews!)

Sundance film reviews!

I know that I'm a bit late with this one, but I figured, as they say, "better late than never!"

Here are some quick reviews, written a few months after I saw the films at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah back in January.

First of all, the most important thing was that I loved being able to stay seated after the film and hear Q&A sessions with many of the actors, directors, producers, etc. Really made the films more human.

Second of all, the films were astonishing compared with everyday blockbuster films because the themes weren't readily apparent, or easily digested. Many times during and after the film, we'd discuss who was really the 'good guy' or 'bad guy' -- a theme you can easily find in most 'normal' films simply by the color of clothes the actors wear. It was refreshing to be so engaged.

In the order I enjoyed them, and check the ratings before showing your family:

Get Low: Loved this one -- not the Lil' Jon song, but rather a film with Bill Murray and Robert Duvall. Based in truth, about a 40 year hermit from the south (Georgia, I think?), who threw his own funeral, pre-death, and thousands of people showed up. Great story, great acting.
Score: 8/10.

Click here to open trailer in new window, (opens in LA & NY theaters July 30).



Hesher: Awesome film about who is really good and who is really evil -- it's not always easy to see. Fun, as well. Pretty irreverent, as it has to do with anarchy, etc. Cast was really fun to watch -- breaking their typical roles: Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rainn Wilson.
Score: 8/10.

Closest thing I could find to a trailer.


Winters Bone: Intense movie about living in backwoods Missouri, and a family's struggles with nasty neighbors and drug addictions. Love that it was a real 'film', and had quiet spots without dialogue or music, etc.
Score: 7/10.


Cyrus: didn't care for it too much, though it was fun to see the locations, shot in LA. Kinda quirky, didn't know where it was going at many points. Fun enough to rent.
Score: 5/10.

Climate Refugees: Didn't care for it too much, though lots of good input from Lester Brown, author of Plan B. It focused on examples of what climate change was already doing, and tried to extrapolate to a doomsday scenario. I prefer looking at trends, rather than single data points, which could be attributed to a simple bad year, etc. I did like their randomly generated numbers of how many people will be coming to America in the next 40 years (I think it was 100 million).
Score: 4/10 (Don't bother unless you're really interested)