sundance film festival
Will SAG Crisis Kill The Market At Sundance?
5:00AM STV | Granted, it’s a worst-case scenario on the fringe of the endless labour imbroglio, but we love a good disaster plot: Could all those outstanding SAG waivers burn movies with studio interest at Sundance? More »
Today in Sundance Hell: Oddsmaking, Empty Seats, and Brett Ratner Speaks!
3:10AM STV | Your daily fest-news buffet continues with a saint-making Brett Ratner and a worrisome slowdown at the Sundance ticket booth.
The 5 Films Likeliest To Cause A Sundance ‘09 Bidding War
1:54AM STV | Those tall, icy piles of matter smothering Park City every January aren’t always snow — they could just as easily be discarded Sundance dreams. But as usual, a few lucky ones will avoid the freeze. More »
Today in Sundance Hell: Shrinkage, ‘Hoo-Ha’ and Earth-Shattering Phone Calls
5:25AM STV | With a little more than 48 hours before our frostbitten arrival on the scene, we think it bears noting: Defamer is going to the Sundance Film Festival! Sadly, some news isn’t waiting for us: More »
7:20AM STV | Mountain Men: The Sundance Film Festival broke out its non-competition selections for 2009 this morning, a starrier, funkier twist on yesterday’s slate of barbershop docs and Pierce Brosnan weepies. At the top is Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor’s gay prison romance I Love You Philip Morris, which we’ve been anticipating since first spying Carrey’s frolicsome South Beach sojourn. Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke and Don Cheadle will be around for the cop drama Brooklyn’s Finest, while Billy Bob Thornton is bringing two films — the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation The Informers (also with Winona Ryder and Mickey Rourke — stay off the slopes, guys!) and the crap-salesman comedy Manure. Robin Williams, Uma Thurman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Spacey, Zooey Deschanel and Kristen Stewart bring up the rear; here’s hoping Winona leaves them their.gift bags. [SFF] More »
Paul Giamatti’s Soul, Chris Rock’s Barber Among Subjects in Sundance ‘09 Spotlight
7:46AM STV | The Sundance Film Festival this morning unveiled the competition lineup for its 2009 incarnation (a/k/a the One You’re Boycotting), and it’s a sharp crop of international cinema that will no doubt be met with accolades and not just a few bounced checks from cash-strapped indie distributors. Follow the jump for our quick, dirty, reductive and completely arbitrary survey of the fest’s hottest titles and trends. More »
4:56AM Kyle Buchanan | Whoa: The opening night film at the Sundance Film Festival is typically regarded as pedestrian fare, so we had little hope for this year’s selection. Then, this morning, programmers announced the 2009 pick: Mary and Max, a claymation movie starring Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman, narrated by Dame Edna. We could only be more excited if Hoffman’s wrinkly avatar somehow resembles Omar from The Wire. [Sundance] More »
Cinemark CEO’s ‘Yes on 8′ Contribution Adds Heat to Sundance Protest
2:48AM Kyle Buchanan | Though many “No on 8″ protesters have been talking about a Utah-penalising boycott of the Sundance Film Festival, we initially wrote the idea off as unrealistic (though it provides a great face-saving manoeuvre for rejected indie filmmakers!). Now, though, David Poland has brought to light a direct impact that one “Yes on Prop 8″ donor — the CEO of the Cinemark theatre chain — could potentially have on the festival: More »
Will Hollywood’s Gay Mafia Take Its Prop. 8 Anger Out on Sundance?
7:13AM Kyle Buchanan | After a week of attention-getting protests against Proposition 8, gay activists and allies are ready for their next big target — and some, like blogger John Aravosis, are suggesting a boycott of the Sundance Film Festival. Sure, the Prop, 8-pushing Mormon Church has no direct ties to Sundance, but the Park City fest could be affected by a growing movement to boycott not just Mormon-owned enterprises but the entire, caffeine-fearing state of Utah in general. So, should Robert Redford be shaking in his stylish snow boots? We think not, for these reasons: More »
