The cream may rise
to the top in most cases, but it was sour milk on the screens at Sundance this
morning. With but one or two exceptions, the day's early screenings were loudly
and roundly bemoaned as the worst of the fest starting with The Sleepy Time
Gal and quickly moving to Caveman's Valentine, Some Body,
Margarita Happy Hour and a split decision on Business of Strangers
which had some walk out among the crowd.



The stand-outs were stellar, included Henry Beans' feature directorial debut,
The Believer and The Doe Boy out of the American Spectrum section.
The Believer, which is in Dramatic Competition, is an early odds-on favorite
for its lead performance by Ryan Gosling to be an award winner. The Doe Boy,
from Writer/Director Randy Redroad and Producer Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals)
was a surprise for most the audience who were taken by its beauty and storytelling.




The crowd stayed after the screening of The Sleepy Time Gal to ask Writer/Director
Chris Munch (Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day) and actors Jacqueline
Bisset and Nick Stahl a few odd questions, but it was Bisset's rambling response
to a query about how she liked the experience that truly summed up this poorly
executed cinematic mess. Trying to respond with some kind of affirmation, Bisset
spent ten minutes declaring she never understood the script; had control issues
with Munch (although she found him 'brilliant'), and wasn't quite sure why she
ever said yes.



Wondering how these films ever made it into a festival of this level prestige
is useless, however, as it is becoming more and more clear that as a mentoring
institution and factory outlet for trained filmmakers Sundance stands above
the pack as it breeds its own freshman class each year. Using their year-round
programming and workshops (particularly the Screenwriters Lab and Filmmakers
Lab), Sundance continues to empower American filmmakers towards steady work
and gainful relationships...not a bad situation for struggling filmmakers, but
a bit tough on the emerging few who haven't yet been invited to join the club.




The party scene has skidded into high gear as well, as the cold dry wind pushes
everyone inside. Of the afternoon receptions, none were more fun than The
Believer party at Lakota as all the cast mingled with a bar packed with
industry. Billy Zane, Theresa Russell, Producer Peter Hoffman, lead actor Ryan
Gosling and Writer/Director Henry Bean chatted up the FilmFestivals.com camera
team as they alternately held court with their admiring fans.



NYU Tisch School of the Arts also held an afternoon reception, this time across
the street at Robert Reford's Zoom, but it was the ever-stellar Slamdance Opening
Night party in their new location at Silver Mine that shook everyone up with
drinking, carousing and some minimalist dancing.



Tomorrow's anticipated highlights include the new Tom DiCillo (Living in
Oblivion, The Real Blond, Johnny Suede) film, Double Whammy
as well as Happy Campers and Deep End. Also on the party line
are the Killer Films Party (Series 7: The Contender) and the ReelPlay.com
party. Still employing a quieter profile this year than last, only a handful
of dot.coms are in sight, and among those ReelPlay.com is one of the few to
keep a strong foothold here.



For those keeping track, it's an animal a day as wildlife experts today displayed
a huge golden owl for the benefit of line waiters. And the poster war is well
in hand with four layers, a dozen undercover poster cops, and about 100 desperate
filmmakers anxious to get their word out on the streets of Park City.

Kathleen
McInnis

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Sundance site