girl meets hollywood: Sundance Day 2

Sundance Day 2

1-22-2014

Like most people, I don't sleep well unless I'm in my bed. I don't know if it was the altitude or what but I slept like a rock. I did, however, wake up coooold. I check the weather and low and behold:

Not being from colder climates I'm surprised at how well prepared I was for this trip. I bought a pair of snow boots and brought a pea coat. Those plus a couple of tights and a good scarf, I was golden!

First things first, watch a freaking movie! And with the film student pass we walk right into John Slattery's Gods Pocket. (John plays Roger Sterling in Mad Men). Gods Pocket stars Phillip Seymore Hoffman and Christina Hendricks, naturally.

God's Pocket

"In the gritty, blue-collar neighborhood of God's Pocket, Mickey Scarpato's crazy stepson, Leon, is killed in a construction “accident,” and Mickey quickly tries to bury the bad news with the body. But when a local columnist comes sniffing around for the truth, things go from bad to worse. Mickey finds himself stuck in a life-and-death struggle compounded by a body he can't bury, a wife he can't please, and a debt he can't pay.
Acclaimed actor John Slattery makes an impressive jump behind the camera with an assured directorial debut that shows he has a razor-sharp eye for conveying the absurdity, cruelty, desperation, and tragic optimism of the people he portrays. Like life, his scenes seamlessly fuse humor and heartbreak, but it’s Slattery’s wit and confident style that make the portrait so authentic. Featuring a top-shelf cast and impeccable cinematography, God’s Pocket oozes with talent and marks the emergence of an inspired directorial presence."

While I'm a big fan of both Phillip Seymor Hoffman and Christina Hendricks I feel like she may have been miscast. Mother to a 20something year old she seems more like a step mother who loves her shit head son like a biological son. She never seems to be in love with her husband. Once the journalist comes along, he's immediately in love with Christina and she sleeps with him, again, no chemistry. There didn't seem to be any closure on Lucy after he killed the boy. That was one of the most exciting and unexpected moments of the film. There was a blend of comedy and drama and it's hard to distinguish the tone of the film

Time for free "schwag" on Main Street! Sundance Channel has great things to do and see, I made this flip book while I enjoyed a complimentary latte.

They also had a "make your own Sundance Channel tote" station. (I made 3.)
Down the road at the Chase Sapphire building there was a small Sundance exhibit that had props and costumes from films such as Super Trooper, Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine. The day we went in they were offering a photo shoot where you could dress up as Little Miss Sunshine. How could I refuse?

Then off to the Marriott Sundance headquarters for the film student workshop where I bump into John Cooper (Director of Sundance) & Brandon Sparks (fellow intern at Cannes).

John Cooper, Director of Sundance Film Festival

Waiting for Happy Christmas a 2nd time at Eccles Theatre I didn't make it (AGAIN), but fortunately when I met John earlier, he offered to help me get in if I couldn't make the wait list! So guess what!? I called him and he sent his assistant out to grab me. I was so grateful and with the rush did not have a chance to properly thank him. THANK YOU, JOHN & YOUR WONDERFUL ASSISTANT!

Happy Christmas

"It’s almost Christmas, and Jenny just broke up with her boyfriend. Without a real plan, she moves into her brother, Jeff, and sister-in-law, Kelly’s, spacious bachelor-pad basement in Chicago. As she reconnects with old friends and attempts to put her life back together, she continues to self-sabotage by repeatedly getting drunk and high. Kelly becomes fed up with Jenny’s immature behavior but soon realizes that she, too, feels stuck. As Christmas draws near, Jenny and Kelly realize that they can offer each other the solace and support they’ve both been craving.
Director Joe Swanberg returns to Sundance Film Festival (his film Uncle Kent played at the 2011 Festival) with his signature voyeuristic approach to filmmaking, offering a refreshing and candid look at complicated family interactions. His wonderfully imperfect characters pull each other out of their respective ruts and bring a strikingly human element to a story we all know well. The female characters in this film form a tight bond—a drunken sisterhood of sorts—enabling them to discover their true potential."

I was most excited to see Anna Kendrick and Lena Dunham. Anna Kendrick did a great job at playing a jaded 20 something, too many times they are portrayed as smarter than usual put into extreme circumstances while being very witty. I get it, normal people aren't fun to watch in a movie. But Anna played a very normal girl coping with a breakup. Lena had a minute part but really provided some quirky humor to tense scenes. It was a pleasure to Melanie L (after working with her on Goodbye To All That.) Sweet and realistic she is coping with missing her life after having a baby. Something I'm always relived to hear women admit.

I rush over to the ASCAP Music Cafe to see KT Tunstall perform. It was totally worth the rush and I made it just in time to see her. She was incredible! I grabbed a couple of videos here and there on my phone.

Afterwards I headed over to the HP lounge where I caught a great band, Berel Alexander. They gave copies of their album out, "All Over It."

And saw one of the best DJs I've ever heard. The music ranged from funk to pop and everyone danced. Every song he played had the corresponding music video on a big screen that transitioned to the next so smoothly. This was a nice pit stop until the concert at the Sundance House.

Next door at the Sundance House was the BMI SnowBall with celebrated singer/songwriters. There were appetizers and free drinks and awesome music!