Day Six: What's the Buzz? The Good, the Bad, the Indifferent (rumor)

We’re in Day Six of Sundance, and people have seen enough films now that we’re starting to hear a fair amount of buzz, good and bad, around this year’s fest. I have to say that so far, this has been a really good fest, film-wise. I’ve only seen one film that I was lukewarm on,…

OnePiece: filmmakers make the best evangelists for film (content)

Sometimes it’s difficult to describe the diverse kinds of energy and enthusiasm in Park City, particularly among filmmakers and programmers. Here’s a quick example: filmmaker and self-distributor Todd Sklar (Box Elder) describes another filmmaker’s work with a certain relish to Cinevegas shorts programmer Todd Luoto while he’s taking on 1am nourishment in the lobby of…

OnePiece: "Martin Eisenstadt" advises on Main Street in Park City (content)

“Martin Eisenstadt” was an “advisor” to the “McCain Campaign” and belongs to “The Harding Institute”. If you don’t know the story, here is the New York Times’ explanation of how Slamdance founder Dan Mirvish co-created this hoax with Eitan Gorlin. (“Eisenstadt”‘s scoop that Sarah Palin thought Africa was a country was picked up by MSNBC,…

Morning At Sundance

You could hear the screams of pleasure echo, quite literally, through the hills of Park City this morning. Do artists – people who love, create, and truly support artistic aspiration – understand the fight of the heart as well as any? Perhaps. Do they feel more deeply… more on their sleeves? Perhaps. Today, we are…

DP/30 @ Sundance – James Toback, director of Tyson

DP/30 @ Sundance – Ashton Kutcher, Spread (content)

The video interview after the jump…

Spongebob Squarepants' 10th Anniversary At Sundance (content)

Fox Searchlight Knows From Adam, Nabs Worldwide Rights To Sundance Romance

By Gregg Goldstein Fox Searchlight has swept up worldwide rights to Adam, writer/director Max Mayer‘s tale of a man with Asperger’s Syndrome (Hugh Dancy) who falls for his Manhattan neighbor (Rose Byrne). While the US Dramatic Competition title didn’t grab the attention or enthusiasm of many at its 12:15p Monday screening, Searchlight saw an opportunity,…

Sundance Preview Day Six: Inauguration Day! Plus The Winning Season and Peter & Vandy (views)

Inauguration Day! When’s the last time we had an inauguration during the fest that people actually care about? Along with most everyone else here in Park City, I’ll be taking a break from all things Sundance for a few hours this morning to attend an Inauguration party (pity the poor films slotted to screen against…

Humpday Over Sundance Sales Hump with Low-to-Mid Six-Figure Magnolia Deal (news)

By Gregg Goldstein Humpday has finally gotten over the Sundance hump. In the answer to the parlor game of a slow initial sales weekend, Magnolia Pictures nabbed worldwide rights to Lynn Shelton’s surprise hit comedy in a low-to-mid six-figure deal. It’s all the more notable because the film has no name talent attached, save ‘mumblecore’…

Fur(y) (content)

Getting Around Sundance (content)

Short Take: An Education (views)

An Education, Lone Scherfig’s much-anticipated film about Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a British schoolgirl in the 1960s who gets swept off her feet by an older man (Peter Saarsgard) is beautifully directed, smart and engaging — and one of the best films at Sundance thus far.

Sundance Sales Chart Day Five

by Gregg Goldstein Film Section Sales Co Odds Pros Cons First Screening Today’s Top Five An Education World DrComp CAA 3:1 ’60s coming-of-age romance from scribe Nick Hornby with Sarsgaard, Molina, Thompson and a breakout Mulligan; ecstatic response prompted several bids Sunday night, but no deal yet. Pedigree, but no bankable stars makes it a…

DP/30 – Humpday (content)

Alycia Delmore, Joshua Leonard, Mark Duplass, and writer/director/co-star Lynn Shelton discuss their Sundance film, Humpday.

Short Take – I Love You Phillip Morris (views)

There’s nothing that can prepare you for I Love You Phillip Morris, a con-man, gay-romantic, prison-escape, sex-farce comedy-drama (based on an unbelievable true crime story… or was it?) which defies any expectations you bring to it. First-time writer/directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are trying for something much more than the bitter satire of their…

Short take: Cold Souls (views)

Eccentric without ever becoming unduly whimsical, Sophie Barthes’ surrealism-lite Cold Souls (which she co-film-bys with cinematographer-partner-soul mate Andrij Parekh) pirouettes near Charlie Kaufman’s dance floor. Paul Giamatti plays blocked actor Paul Giamatti, who’s having agonies over his role in a production of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” much to the chagrin of his fellow actors, director Michael…

World's Greatest Dad

This is a short take on a short take that somehow got lost in electronica. World’s Greatest Dad is perverse Capra. A Heathers/Meet John Doe combo platter by a much better director in his second shot.

IFC Partners with SXSW in New Initiative (news)

This morning IFC Films announced a new partnership with the South by Southwest Film Festival in which five IFC films will simultaneously screen at the fest and be released nationwide on the IFC Festival Direct on-demand platform. Director Joe Swanberg‘s newest film Alexander the Last will be the first of the five films testing the…

OnePiece: talking future now with Richard Shepard, Sam Green and Joel Heller

Three more under-60-second answers to the question, what about filmmaking’s future can be optimistic about today? Richard Shepard (Matador, The Hunting Party) directed the fine short bio-doc on the great, late actor John Cazale, I Knew It Was You. We talked at the Sunday afternoon International Documentary Association event up in the hills. Below the…