Late Breaking News

Thank you Ellen and the other crossword pro for your comments on our blog. I was just reading yours and was so thrilled and delighted to learn that Wordplay has been picked up by IFC Films. That is terrific news and so well deserved because this film needs to be seen by everyone who enjoys crossword puzzles. I can't wait to see it again myself!

Tuesday Wrap up - and the best photo ever!

Despite our late night Monday, A and I are up at the crack of dawn to make it to a 9am film. We have to make room for travel time, breakfast, and bundling up (all which take a while) so we are up and out of bed before 7. With much difficulty.

We are meeting Ann Ross at the film this morning. She's not only Donna's sister but now a pal of mine too. We were in Italy together last summer and shared a villa. I am mad at myself for forgetting to get a shot of me and Anne in Park City, so here's one of us taken in Florence last June.

Ann is here with her husband Jere who works for Netflix. Every year they have a big offsite in Park City during the festival. So Anne comes along and gets to see movies.

We start with LITTLE RED FLOWERS, a beautiful Chinese film starring about 50 five-year-olds in a boarding kindergarden. The director said of the 15 films he's made, working with so many little kids was the hardest thing he's ever had to do. I loved the film but Alyssia and Ann weren't as crazy about it. It's based on the first third of a very popular Chinese novel. When a child does something good, he or she is rewarded with a little red flower. The story follows one little boy who is quite a handful and doesn't earn any flowers - he's having too much fun breaking all the rules. I think the film is supposed to be representative of Chinese grown ups.

Our next film is called THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SESAME STREET, a fascinating documentary about how Sesame Street is expanding to other countries - and how a kids' TV show is actually a forum for global social change. The film follows producers in Bangladesh, Kosovo, and South Africa and shows what they have to go through to create local programming in these countries. Produced by Jeff Sk0ll, a founder of eBay, he created Participant Productions as way to channel some of his wealth to make socially relevant films. The company is barely 2 years old and they are responsible for MURDERBALL and GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK. I'd say the guy's on another winning streak. (We heard an article on the radio driving to the airport today saying this year's festival is very political in terms of the documentaries selected).

Exhausted after our kids themed morning, we sneak back to our hotel for a nap. Then it's on to the Sundance Channel party, compliments of Alyssia's cousin Rob (their EVP and CFO). It's the first time she's had to catch up with him, so I decide to wander the party myself in search of celebrities. In past years we've seen Peter Fonda, Zach Braff, and other notables. But I am not prepared for who I see as I embark on my walkabout.

As I turn into the main part of the restaurant from the front area, I see some cameras and a big video camera. As I stand on my tiptoes to see who's getting all the attention, I am quite surprised to see Robert Redford not 4 feet away from me.

We always hear he keeps a very low profile during the festival. We did catch a glimpse of him at the press conference last Thursday, but I was shocked to see him right in front of me at the party. Turns out he stopped by because it's the 10th anniversary of the Sudance Channel so this party merited his attendance.

After recovering from seeing "Bob", I have no further need to see any other celebrities, figuring it can't get much bigger than that, so I return to Alyssia and Robbie and enjoy a few cocktails.

Our final screening of the festival is called CARGO. A sort of thriller, it's about a young German guy in Africa who loses his passport and stows away on a ship to return home to Europe. Unfortunately he picked the wrong ship as he soon discovers that other stowaways and many of the crew turn up dead. I will say no more now, in hopes that it gets picked up and released and you see it.


Closing down the week was a lovely dinner with an old, old friend and former boss of mine at Atari. Recently reconnected, I was delighted to learn she lives in Park City in the winters. She just returned from Israel yesterday, yet Linda found the time and energy to make a delicious and elegant dinner. We had a blast catching up on the last 10 years.

All in all another great Sundance experience!

Monday Report - with photos!

If Sunday was our serious documentary day, Monday was our music and art day. I already mentioned LEONARD COHEN, I'M YOUR MAN, a lovely doc about one of our most beloved poets that we saw Monday morning.

We then moved on to the noon world premier of SHERRYBABY starring Maggie Gyllenhall. Despite the depressing premise (ex-drug addict just let out of prison struggling to regain custody of her daughter) it was brilliantly acted and hopeful at the end.

After the film we headed to the Music Cafe on Main Street, something we'd never done before. We had specifically carved out time to check out performances by Bruce Hornsby and Judy Collins. They were the only names I recognized, and definitely artists I would love to see in a small intimate setting. It was such a thrill to hear Judy sing, her voice has not changed one iota.


The crowd went wild when she came on stage. It was comforting to be among people who also enjoyed her music at the time it was originally published. Unfortunately we had to leave before it was over to get back to Eccles for the premier of ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL, a hilarious look at the pretentiousness of art via a story about a college kid (Max Minghella) studying drawing.
I'll send a separate email with a link to the video and audio I recorded of her singing. Even from my crappy little camera she sounds incredible.


Plotting out which bus would get us back to Eccles faster during rush hour, we were debating 2 possible routes when Alyssia spotted Bruce Hornsby getting on the Theater Loop bus - we both looked at each other and said at the same time, "That's the bus!". We never figured out if it was faster - but who cares??? - taking a bus with Bruce Hornsby was certainly more fun. He was really friendly and goofy (see above) and Alyssia had quite a long conversation with him on the ride. We contemplated asking him to sit with us for the film, but didn't.


The movie was fun and funny, a perfect festival film to share with like-minded film nuts. John Malkovich plays the professor who predictably has never made it in the art world and Jim Broadbent is is alcoholic artist who went over the edge years ago (he was terrific). It was great to see it with a crowd jazzed to laugh at Terry Zwigoff's new work. (GHOSTWORLD, CRUMB).

Sorry the lighting is so awful in the theaters - not condusive to taking decent shots. Max Minghella is in the white t-shirt and Terry Zwigoff is the short, funny-looking guy at the podium. Given his bizarre sensibilities in film, I'm not surprised at how he looks.


Definitely the treat of the evening was listening to Mr. Malkovich answer questions. He was also a producer on the film - came across quite humbly. Stayed in the back during the Q&A and out of the feeble light - you can't even see him in the picture above, but he's standing far right. He's as smart and sharp and cool as many of his characters. The film already has a release date so you'll be able to see it at the end of April. (when planning our films we typically stayed away from movies with distributors but there were a few too tempting to pass up now).


Because of a rumor of Sting showing up at the Police documentary called EVERYONE STARES: THE POLICE INSIDE OUT, we sold our evening tickets to a Japanese film and instead went out for dinner and then to the 11:30pm screening. This was new ground for Alyssia and me - we'd never done any of the late night films before (there's a whole midnight series too). Well, Sting was a no-show but Stewart Copeland was there as the film was all his home movies from their tour years. While quite amusing, it wasn't worth staying up so late.

Photos, at last!

Anne Heche wandering on Main St. She looks a little lost to me.








Alyssia and Andy Speltzer (a Seattle journalist) are dueling blogs in the Filmmaker's Lounge. We found every spot in Park City with a computer to use. A made me promise to bring my own next year for the photos.







Partying with some staff and volunteers at a ski house. Check out the antler chandelier.




Alice Braga, Diego Luna, and director Carlos Bolado of SOLO DIOS SABE.












Gael Garcia Bernal and me at the Egyptian Theater before a screening on Friday

What a Couple of Days

Way too busy to write of all our adventures this past 24 hours. Promise full update tomorrow.

In haste, we just came from the Sundance Channel party. I just have one word to describe it: Redford!

At the Movies with us today

Maggie Gyllenhall
Dennis Hopper
Peter Sarsgaard
Mona Locke (Gary's wife)

It's COLD on Monday

It's a crisp 9 degrees today. One can certainly feel the chill on exposed body parts, of which we ensure there are few. Bundled up like the Michelin man, only my nose and cheeks feel the cold. Thankfully we planned well and minimize outside time between theaters and activities.

Finished up our "serious" day of films last night with another documentary, this one called THIN. It followed 4 women in a treatment center for eating disorders, showing us their struggle.

Today we move on to more lighthearted and fun fare. Just saw a terrific film about Leonard Cohen called LEONARD COHEN I'M YOUR MAN. Included many fabulous contemporary singers performing his works, it was a tribute to a great poet and songwriter.

Alyssia chatted up the guy sitting next to her this morning. Turns out he's the owner of the Camera Cinemas in San Jose - and he's been coming to Sundance for 20 years!! He told us a fantastic story when sex, lies, and videotapes had it's very first screening at the Egyptian Theater. When Stephen Soderbergh, then a shy, young filmmaker, got up for the Q&A, he asked the audience a question (usually it's the other way around). He wanted to know if he should change the name of the film. Sheila Benson (former LA Times film critic and now a freelance critic from Seattle) apparently jumped up and told Stephen, "Don't you dare change that title." The rest is history, as they say.



More later, as we got to get going to Eccles (the big theater where all the premiers are) for our next flick!

Serious fun

Last night (Saturday) we went with some friends to see the premier of THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, a hilarious and sharp film by Jason Reitman (Ivan's son). A big night for stars - we saw Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, and Aaron Eckhart. Tickets have become so difficult to come by that people are now scalping them; others roam around the venues with signs and whispers for tickets. This is not something we've seen at Sundance before and seems vaguely out of character.

Our first film this am was called 5 DAYS. It's about the Gaza pullout last summer. The filmmaker took 8 camera crews and followed the Israeli general in charge, a radical settler, a political activist, and several other key personalities. Despite the fact that I followed this news story closely in both print and TV, what we saw today was eye opening and gut wrenching - and totally different from any news coverage. I can't describe how affected I was to see Jews having to expel Jews from their homes. I can't get the images out of mind all day, and it reinforces for me how powerful a medium film is, and how important it is for conveying some messages. I hope it gets distribution so more people can see it.

In keeping with tough themes for today, our second film was called KZ, about Mauthausen concentration camp. Completely different from any other Holocaust film, this one explored what it's like for the people who live in the town today, juxaposed with interviews of the staff and visitors to the camp.

On a lighter note, we have seen 10 films so far and are on track for a total of 19. We had some time to cruise Main St today but didn't see anyone famous just wandering around. Popped into the T-Mobile lounge for a mimosa and snacks; and also visited the Maui Film Festival locale for delicious macademia nut biscotti.

We bumped into Ellen Ripstein today, one of the "stars" of WORDPLAY and a former national crossword champ. Found out she was an actuary for 17 years at Equitable (Deb, did you know her?) and she then had enough of numbers and started working as a crossword editor and then worked for 5 years on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". This is the best part of Sundance - being able to have these interactions with those involved with the films. The dirty little secret she shared with us is that they're all sharing a condo and Will Shortz is sleeping on a top bunk bed, in a condo with all the crossword puzzle nuts.

Sorry, no photos today

It's hard to believe that will all the technology we are surrounded with here there's no way to upload a few celebrity photos to a blog. We went to the local TV station this morning which is where the Sundance Channel blog guys are working, in hoping of using their system to get my photos online. No luck. They don't have an SD card reader. Now that I think of it I should have brought my USB connector. Oh well. I promise lots of photos on Wednesday. Donna, be patient

High Drama on Saturday

It's been quite a full Saturday so far. Got up early for an 8:30am screening. The filmmaker appeared stunned that people actually got up early on a weekend to see his film.

The one film I really wanted to see but we couldn't get tix to was WORDPLAY, a doc about Will Shortz and the crossword puzzle tournament. Thanks to some last minute begging and scrambling we were able to use 2 of the 5 seats always reserved for "Redford". Apparently 5 seats are always held back and thankfully he didn't show so we got in at the last minute. If I had been able to find an upload station (so far no luck) I could show you what the mob scene was like there this morning. The only other time I remember it this nuts was when Mick Jagger presented ENIGMA. Anyway, the film was terrific, we met not only Will Shortz but Merl Regle too! And the 20 year old who won last year, the youngest person ever.

Part of the fun of the film was interviews with some famous people who are crossword puzzle fanatics - Jon Stewart (I love him even more for that!), Bill Clinton, the Indigo Girls (???). The people who are best at crosswords are musicians and actuaries (go Debbie!).

We visited the T-Mobile Loft this afternoon, a private lounge where we're demo'ing our new smartphone. It was nice to have a place to go for a free cocktail and snack in the middle of the afternoon. Paul Giamatti had stopped by before we got there.

It's been snowing today but doesn't appear to be sticking. Very cold, so glad I have my new boots.

This afternoon we saw a great Argentinean thriller by the same guy who did NINE QUEENS. Staring Ricardo Darin, a fantastic actor (Marilyn - remember him from Avellaneda's Moon?).

Right now we're at the HP Pavillion but the laptops with SD card readers are locked down - I can only use the Internet, not the rest of the system. But Alyssia's cousin just told us we can go to the Sundance IT office at the local Park City TV station where we can definitely upload photos. The only caveat is that we have to post some of our photos to the Sundance Channel blog which is getting 8000 posts an hour or something equally ridiculous. I hope to have some images for you tomorrow.

One topic I've been meaning to mention is the delicate balance that everyone seeks here regarding hydration and elimination. We are at altitude so it's very important to drink a LOT of water. However, one does not want a full bladder in the middle of a movie necessitating a trip to the bathroom at a crucial moment. So far I've failed miserably and haven't seen one film all the way through. Is this too much information sharing?

Well, it's time for dinner, the first proper meal in 2 days if you call a take out burrito a proper meal. We are meeting Nancy when she finishes her work shift and she's getting us in to one of the premiers tonight.

More later.........

Friday afternoon

Trivia: 4300 shorts were submitted this year. 78 were selected to screen at the festival. Some odds, eh?

You can watch the Barbie doll film I mentioned earlier, called THE TRIBE, and other Sundance shorts, at www.sundance.org .

First celebrity sightings at the Egyptian theater on Main St. Went to buy a sandwich before the film, and Gael Garcia Bernal was standing 1 person over from me. No one had noticed him and I caught his eye. Siddled right over to him and told him I just saw BAD EDUCATION the other night and how awesome it was. Then asked if I could take his photo. He said yes, if I was in it too. Tomorrow we'll go to the HP Photo Pavillion and I will upload it for your viewing pleasure.

Also saw Diego Luna who was the star of our afternoon film. Gael and Diego were the 2 stars of Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN if you don't recognize their names.

Today's other films included a fabulous documentary about Tony Kutchner (who wrote ANGELS IN AMERICA), a Mexican film (with Sonja Braga's magnificent niece) and an Australian film called JEWBOY about a rabbi's son who loses his faith when his dad dies.

Right now I'm writing from a house where my friend Nancy is staying for the festival. She's the manager of one of the theaters and she's hosting a little party. Alyssia and I are hanging with some staff and volunteers.

The outside temperature was 14 when we got into the car. But it was sunny all day.

Goodnight from Park City.

Friday Morning at the Festival

It's SUNNY here today!!!!! First time I've seen sun since mid-December. What a treat. And what an irony to leave it and sit in a dark theater at 8:30 am.

Our first screening was a series of shorts, most of them good, all seemingly shot on digital video. Personal fav was the one about the history of the Barbie doll and Jewish identity in America. Very funny, and somehow both themes fit together in a bizarre way. Also saw one about Batman and Robin trying to pick up a girl at a cafe.

Last night in our wanderings we met 26 Stanford University students here to enjoy films. They didn't get advance tickets so they take shifts in front of the main box office all night long to be first in line when it opens at 8am. Must be nice to be young. Alyssia said their parents think they're in classes.

First Night on Main Street

I can't stop blogging tonight! We're in the midst of an after dinner stroll on Main St, which is where a lot of the action takes place during the week. Many of the TV reporters conduct live interviews here, so it's a choice location for star sightings.

Many of the sponsors have taken over storefronts and buildings for the festival. Right now we're in the Intel pavillion. It's 2 floors of wowie zowie demos - extreme gaming, TIVO, all the sexy stuff.

Just wandered by Harry O's and there's already a big crowd gathered in front. Lots of photographers. No one seems to know why everyone is waiting, someone speculated Jennifer Aniston is inside. We kept walking.

More later!

We're Heeeeere!

Arrived Park City midday. At the last moment we rented a car when we realized its cheaper than 4 shuttle rides. Light flurries as we drove up the mountain. first stop festival HQ to pick up our tix and check out the t-shirts and merchandise. went in search of the computers to make a blog entry and ended up in a press conference room where Redford was answering questions. oops. he says hi!