My lack of pop culture (mainly sports) knowledge strikes again. I saw More Than a Game, a doc where filmmaker Kristopher Belman followed a high school basketball team in his hometown that happened to have a young, up-and-coming player named LeBron James, enabling him to document LeBron’s rise to stardom.
My first thought: “LeBron James, sounds kind of familiar. I guess he’s important.” This was supported when the entire audience went crazy when LeBron joined Kris on stage to open the film.
As for the doc, it was well made and used great techniques to make still photos interesting. It had a great rhythm to keep technical things, like elimination boards, interesting.
It was a little hard to follow at times, but I’m sure I’m in the minority from my lack of basketball knowledge. But with that said, I still think you’d need a little background on the subject to fully appreciate it, which I couldn’t.Â
I did learn something, which is part of my draw towards docs. Mainly I learned who the hell LeBron James is.
Despite having my name called over the speakers on the airplane before take off and my passport taken by security, we managed to make it to Toronto (the passport was returned and I never found out what that was about). We even made it in time to pick up our industry credentials.
Of course with a festival this large everything is sponsored, such as the Cadillac Audience Award, but you gotta dig the Starbucks neckbands. I just wish someone would figure out how to make a neckband so the ID doesn’t always land facing the wrong way.
After a delicious Indian dinner at The Host, and meeting some execs from HBO and Showtime (who were eating together, which just seemed funny to me because I always imagine them as fierce competitors), we went over to catch the Midnight Madness screening of JCVD, a film about Jean-Claude Van Damme starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.
I’m sure I’ll get some eye rolling here, or “how are you a film student?” but whoever I thought Jean-Claude was, this was not him. I think my image was some sort of French version of Luke Perry. No idea why, and I was definitely wrong.
So suffice it to say I am not at all familiar with JCVD. I should also preface this with the fact that it was midnight, we had been traveling all day, and I’m a morning person, so my thoughts will be brief.
The opening shot was stunning - a one take, over the top action sequence. The film itself was very stylized and beautiful.
I wasn’t able to get a ticket for Unwanted Witness the first time around, so I’m going to try again when tickets reopen at 7, though it’s almost 4 now so we’ll see how that goes. The rest of the day is filled with meetings, networking, and being Hollywood.
This is part four of a five part adventure that involves driving Geoffrey Gilmore (the Director of the Sundance Film Festival) around Tallahassee, Diet Cokes, private jets, The Visitor, tea, a 4 am flight, and of course, coffee. Part one and Part two, and Part three.
Friday felt a lot like Thursday. Geoffrey was going to screen the mystery film again, but this time for all the film students.
The original financiers were going to fund the film as long as the lead was someone more famous than Jenkins. McCarthy was adamant that it had to be him, and he lost the investors. Eventually it was funded by one of the founders of eBay.
Like the casting in The Station Agent, Jenkins was great and perfect for the roll, and it touched on a lot of good issues (immigration, cultures, mid-life change). Afterward, questions were brought up about how to market this film. From the issues I mentioned, it covers a lot of topics and isn’t a straight ‘life changing story’ or ‘love story’ or ‘culture clash story.’
I feel like the trailer does a pretty good job of summing the film up, incorporating all the topics instead of just covering one and marketing it to different groups.
Later that night, I drove Geoffrey and his entourage to the University President’s House for dinner. I went and got a Joey Bag of Donuts at Moe’s (I think I got the better deal, because the following day the Dean was sick with food poisoning).
It would have been neat to go inside the house, but apparently I didn’t miss much after it was noted that the interior design was kind of lacking1.
This night there was no after party, and I was successfully able to drop Geoffrey off at his hotel for the evening.
I didn’t think much about wanting to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but I keep seeing signs that maybe I should. Such as a 5-star review on the radio when I turn on the car, or Roeper’s undying love for this movie plastered in a full page New York Times ad.
So now I want to see it. Tonight. Here’s the thing, a bunch of people want to see it tomorrow morning, because it’s $8 tonight and $4 tomorrow before noon.
I’m all for matinées. I accumulated my 1300 Regal Crown Club points mostly from matinées, and I’d be fine seeing it tomorrow morning if one thing were different.
If Forgetting Sarah Marshall wasn’t a comedy.
I strongly believe watching a comedy with a crowd makes the movie infinitely funnier. Wedding Crashers will never be as funny as the first time I watched it in a packed theater, with the big, loud guy in the front row with a huge five-second delayed laugh after every punch line.
Drama, thriller, action - yeah, that’s fine anytime, with anyone. But comedies need an audience.
Update: Justin agreed with my thoughts, and we went to see it. It was everything I hoped it would be, and more. And my crush on Mila Kunis has grown.
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