How diminished is the Sundance Film Festival now? John Wildman’s Wild Thoughts on Film #3

How diminished in the Sundance Film Festival now? John Wildman’s Wild Thoughts on Film #3

RETURN OF WILD THOUGHTS ON FILM

I just got back from an extended trip to New York for the Festival of Cinema NYC in Queens/Forest Hills and the Greenpoint Film Festival in Brooklyn.

It was one of those trips where, if I wasn’t at one of the fests running a red carpet or on hand to deal with a potential crisis, then I was back at the place I was staying it (likely watching the Olympics, frankly, in between writing, and sending out press releases and media alerts).

In fact, the only time I even went out to dinner was due to an incredibly unexpected moment where I ran into an ex-girlfriend, I had not seen in 20 years (no exaggeration). I mean, this was someone who completely broke my heart at the time. In a major, major way.

Anyway, an actor who has really established herself as quite the go-to character actors in some great indie films and cool TV series, she was there to work on a new Netflix series and both of us happened to have gotten ourselves temporary memberships at a gym in Brooklyn. It was a freakish coincidence that led to a really nice “catch-up” dinner.

I never would have thought to seek her out, and then this all turned out to, seriously, be a wonderfully cool experience.

Now let’s talk about the films I’ve seen recently…

John Wildman’s Wild Thoughts on Film…

MOVIES I’VE SEEN RECENTLY

THE LANDLORD

Pulled this Blu Ray out of the library. I am a HUGE Hal Ashby fan.

And this was his directorial debut. Several years ago, I moderated a Q&A at Lincoln Center with Norman Jewison (who produced it), Lee Grant (one of the stars), and casting legend Lynn Stallmaster. Made in 1970, it stars Beau Bridges as the poster child for trust fund babies who buys a building in a black Brooklyn ghetto with a plan to kick everyone out and make it “fancy”.

And of course, he ends up befriending the tenants and falling in love with one of them and growing up pretty damn fast. I watched it this time focusing on the editing, because Ashby was an editor for Jewison before he became such a phenomenal director.

For me, it made (as it always does when I have that kind of focus watching a classic film like this) for a really fun viewing – especially knowing that this was old school editing on a movieola.

BAD PRESS

Bart Weiss and Justina Walford and I will be doing a Fog of Truth podcast on this one, as it will be headed to the Criterion Channel soon, so I watched this one on a screening link.

Directed by Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler, the film follows a reporter fighting to expose corruption with the local government and Tribal leaders in the Muscogee Nation as they pass laws to censor the press in order to hide their illegal/dubious/embarrassing activities.

It’s a solid “A leads to B and will that cause C?” type of documentary. Interestingly, other than the journalist, there isn’t really anyone to get behind in the heads of the Tribal government or aspiring candidates. So much for hope there, HAHA.

BAD FAITH

My housemate wanted to watch a horror film, so on Amazon (for only a $.99 rental fee!) we caught this documentary on the rise of Christian Nationalism in our country and its ongoing pervasive threat to any of us not wanting to do a real-life Handmaid’s Tale gig or even cosplay that shit.

Stephen Ujlaki and Christopher Jacob Jones’ film gives a detailed “from the ground up” look at how the American Taliban was built, the architects behind it, and the very real threat poised as I type this to send us back to a time that was super awesome for white Christian Conservative zealots and sucked for everyone else. Scary, but a must watch.

THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE  

Chose Guy Ritchie’s WWII violent romp for a “fun watch” on Amazon.

This one is about as dialed-in to deliver EXACTLY what you would go in expecting. In this case, a Guy Ritchie film about good guys who don’t play by the rules and are more than happy to bust heads and even kill to…in this case…beat the Nazis.

Henry Cavill having fun chewing scenery, Alan Ritchson muscling in some laughs with the action, and Alex Pettyfer, more or less acting as the straight man in the rogue group. And there are others too – all on a mission that’s “off the books”.

It’s fun.

Forgettable the second the credits begin to roll, but what do you care?

You had your popcorn and saw some bad ass Brits and others take it to the Nazis, right?

PAST LIVES

Also caught Celine Song’s unrequited romance drama on Amazon. Boy and girl friends and budding boyfriend/girlfriend in Korea separate when the parents of one take her to the States with them.

Twenty years later they reunite and some dormant and buried feelings are revealed and their mutual realities are faced. What could’ve been, what would’ve been, what’s it all mean, Alfie? It’s thoughtful and touching and a pleasant, leisurely watch from your sofa, I thought.

THE DIMINISHMENT OF THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

So, there has been A LOT of speculation as to what the hell Sundance is going to do. Are they moving to another city?

Atlanta? Boulder, Colorado? Cincinnati? Louisville? Santa Fe?

Are they staying put in Park City? I just don’t care. Because I’m more focused on how many films will they screen that aren’t already stamped with a Netflix or Amazon label, set to be released the following few weeks? And what will the experience going to the fest be like without Slamdance being there as well to remind you of what “indie” is more or less like (in direct comparison)? Is it possible for the Duplass brothers to make a film and it NOT screening at Sundance? So many questions.

Here is a key thought that I haven’t seen anyone writing about in a prominent publication: The Sundance Film Festival has arguably become diminished the past few years. Fewer movies programmed this year should have given an opportunity to focus on and platform new filmmakers and fresh talent.

But who came out of it?

Was there a Brit Marling?

Was there a Jane Schoenbrun?

Ironically, her sophomore effort, I SAW THE TV GLOW was the only film I really heard any excitement around. I mean, the Sundance Film Festival hasn’t been hyper-focused on discovery for years. For Years. And now they’ve got a guy in charge who has always been all about celebrity, not about indie film.

Admittedly, this is my opinion, coming from someone who has only missed going to two Sundance fests in the past 25 years. Seriously. When I covered the fest for other sites, I would dutifully toss in a couple movie star movies to balance out all the NEXT titles (They had to create a special category to force themselves to actually program films by unknowns.) and Midnight at Park City (which used to be a highlight debuting audacious horror, thrillers, and way off the beaten path films).

This is nothing new for anyone who has ever talked to me in the last decade about Sundance. I have long bemoaned the lack of “discovery” there, one time debating with Anne Thompson during a roundtable interview with a handful of journalists when she threw out THE BIG SICK as a discovery film. Because that film totally introduced us to Judd Apatow and Michael Showalter and Kumail Nanjani. Hilarious.

Year after year, I would get revved up to catch 40 films or so, eager to find new men and women I’d champion and then would be paying attention to going forward.

Now…not so much.

Netflix and Amazon, Netflix and Amazon, and A24 and Neon, and then more Netflix and Amazon.

And here is another kicker from the Ghost Town that Park City was this past January: when Audi and IMDB and ASCAP all join forces for one promo house instead of each having their own AND they tear it all down and bug out after the first Monday…? That tells me – and BB King – that the thrill is gone. I don’t think it ultimately will matter which city Sundance winds up at, as I believe it will still just be going through the motions, trotting out the same old same old and serving as a Comic Con for…wait for it…Netflix and Amazon.

WHAT ELSE?

I’ll wrap this outing up on a couple funny (I think) stories/situations from the New York City fests (Festival of Cinema NYC in Queens/Forest Hills and the Greenpoint Film Festival in Brooklyn) that just wrapped.

Ridiculous filmmaker drama during FOC NYC

So…I’m in Brooklyn working on stuff when I get a text, immediately followed by a call from Jayson Simba, the Founder and Director of FOC NYC.

Apparently, the director from one of the films was upset because he hadn’t been besieged by press for his big debut. Now, he had one kinda…name star who was not attending and the film wasn’t an instant attention grabber (let’s call it a…period drama). AND he also had not responded to any of the PR outreach I do to every filmmaker at my film festivals.

So, seriously, dude. Really?

But it gets better, because the guy reached out to the theater’s corporate office and then they tell us we can’t screen the film because of, uhm…issues.

Now, Jayson wants to cut the film and maybe even cut the filmmaker, HAHA, since this is the kind of thing that inspires a theater to not have your festival back the next year. Emails back and forth and back and forth again, I head to the theater to manage whatever might come up if the filmmaker shows with his entourage (as we were led to believe was going to happen), more emails with the drama removed, the theater decides it’s all good in the hood now, and the screening happens with no fanfare because neither the filmmaker, nor the entourage shows up. Exhausting.   

Challenging Green Carpets at the Greenpoint Film Festival

My trip to NYC was rain, rain, rain, bookended by super, super hot. So, I show up for the first Green Carpet at the Greenpoint Film Festival and find that they’ve decided to stage it outside the studio spaces where they present the film fest’s screenings. They do a cool thing where their step and repeat is made of wood (the fest has an environmental focus) with logos carved into it, etc. But outside means nature and in this case meant possible rain.

I literally had extension cords for my lights running through puddles of water and sort of held my breath hoping the clouds wouldn’t open up in the middle of the photos and interviews.

Spoiler: They didn’t. No rain, just big fearsome clouds.

Green Carpet #2 was the polar opposite. Major heat and devastating sun that “blacked out” my cell phone so I was taking pictures of the filmmakers (which I do as a backup for the photo galleries) blind. Seriously. I was pointing the camera and taking pictures hoping that the filmmakers were actually in frame and looked good. (I’ve seen some of them and the results are…mixed, HAHA. Fortunately, I have the House Photographer’s shots and they look good. Whew.)

So…that’s our third sequel to the what’s in John’s head-o-rama. Let’s see what I come up with next time…

How diminished is the Sundance Film Festival now? John Wildman’s Wild Thoughts on Film