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Thread: Sundance 2021

  1. #1
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    Sundance 2021

    Anyone else get a pass or tickets? I know Zac Efron did.

    I have two day passes for this weekend. Looking forward to it.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


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  2. #2
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    how much are they?
    Twitch / Youtube / Film Diary

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    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
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  3. #3
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    how much are they?
    Single tickets are $15.
    Day and event passes are sold out now.
    Explorer passes which include shorts and some other stuff are $25.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


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  4. #4
    Cinematographer Mal's Avatar
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    1. Flee - 8/10 - fantastic animation blending current documentary moments with memories of the subject- their experiences of during wartime Afghanistan and reuniting with family as a refugee are powerful, memorable. I definitely recommend it.

    2. Censor - 3/10 - Weak. A good idea regarding ratings censors and gore contents' impact on the individual, but the entire film feels like a first draft and has no significant conclusions on either the main character nor the subject matter. Not even very grotesque! I would rather watch Pieces again than this again. In Fabric did this kind of nostalgia bizarro brit content so much better.
    Last edited by Mal; 01-29-2021 at 04:50 PM.

  5. #5
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    Getting my snacks and drinks tonight for an all-weekend affair with my couch.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


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  6. #6
    Cinematographer Mal's Avatar
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    3. Mother Schmuckers - 3/10 - I liked the energetic shooting style, but the overlong story and its shock elements sucked. Unfunny, so so glad I didn't see this in a theater. If you dig Adult Swim, you'll probably like it.

    4. Prime Time - 5/10 - Very well made, good acting. Tensions rise well enough. But there's not a lot to chew on here regarding the scripting. A disappointment.

    5. Cusp - 8/10 - Slice of life documentary about a group of teenage girls one hot Texas summer. Real shit- I related to a lot of their experiences. There are a number of frank discussions about sexual abuse and rape that hammer home how these young women are aware of how the world is against them. Almost cried a few times.

  7. #7
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    Watched movies all day long with lots of Mingo walks in between.

    Sundance has by far done the best job of having a true digital film "festival." The use of the "Frontier Chatroom", the Waiting Rooms with chat, live q&as with audience potential... It's been awesome. I've been changing my schedules up all week long.

    Of course, it won't match the real thing. Getting to meet people with the same love of film and just talking it out, hearing others talk about movies, and doing it a few days in a row is just something I'm missing right now. But I'll take what I can get.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


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  8. #8
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    With that in mind:

    Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street - charming documentary about the beginning of Sesame Street and how it paved way for success. It's inevitably got Won't You Be My Neighbor vibes which isn't a bad thing. Works at its best when showing just how emotional those damn muppets can be, including a moment where the team decides it's going to teach children about coping with death.
    ***

    Summer of Soul (...Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) - A concert film first and foremost, something that I can't really get into unless I'm purely in the mood for it. I certainly dug the music, and brought me awareness to this fest that I never knew existed, which was Questlove's point. Would love to hear the whole concert.
    N/A

    Passing - This will be hard to beat. A reunion of two mixed-race friends leads to an increased fascination in each other's lives. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga give strong three-dimensional performances here, where there's words that don't quite fit with their actions, and whole different feelings underneath in a 1920s Harlem setting. I can't believe this is a film debut, because there's a lot of patience in Hall taking time with letting the actors do the work, but also having moments of great B&W photography, and moments of unclarity of what happened. There's a lot to unpack on this one.
    ****

    Eight for Silver - I like the idea of a werewolf. I just feel like it has NEVER been done right on film. Something about the look has just never gone right, and the familiar themes are also rehashed so often. It's no different here, but I really dug the "spooky" cinematography in the old English setting. There's an autopsy scene though that really hits in a John Carpenter-Thing type of way, which, for horror fans, may be reason enough to watch it. Just beware of some ridiculous character choices that simply don't make sense.
    **


    Coming Home in the Dark - a family abduction movie that sort of has a twist? I still think it's forced in its violence and character decisions. I simply couldn't get into this story for that reason alone.
    *

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


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  9. #9
    Cinematographer Mal's Avatar
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    The Pink Cloud - 8/10 - A relationship drama in quarantine. It leaves some questions unanswered and certainly may have played differently pre-covid- regardless, this is grounded and mildly compelling, even refreshing in its perspective. Some of the thoughts I'd have about risks in this and similar quarantine scenarios are even addressed. Very solid debut!

  10. #10
    Cinematographer Mal's Avatar
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    Pleasure - 4/10 - Sofia Kappel is pretty good. Unfortunately the filmmaker being being unfamiliar with the American porn industry
    (via Q&A) really showed in the scripting, making it all fairly predictable. Other films and documentaries have tackled this subject with more significant results.

  11. #11
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    Day 2 --- Not as good for me...

    On the Count of Three - wants to be a Safdie movie, but doesn't have the central cast or a consistent tone to make it work the whole way. It'll be loved by some, and way too many people have fondness of Papa Roach.

    Knocking - Short film that seems extended to a long feature movie. Utilizes a mental health aspect to make an unreliable narrator is so boring these days. Ugh.

    Mayday - Indie Sucker Punch. But the budget is so low to me that the actresses looked out of place, and the set was too obvious to take seriously. This movie definitely got its lovers though.

    Jockey - Take the book of Indie Film Quirks, and make the occupation a Jockey. Luckily Clifton Collins gets a lead role, something he more than deserves. Love Molly Parker too. They both do well.

    First Date - enjoyed this. Love the "Wild and Crazy Night" type of movies. Feels like we haven't had one of those in quite a while.

    Pleasure - the type of movie that makes you feel dirty afterwards for watching. As Zac said earlier, you can kind of predict what the story beats are if you knew the premise. However, I think Ninja directs it in a way where you'll at least empathize more with the talent in these movies, and I think she mentions it in her letterboxd, but something you could show to someone younger and unaware of what that world is like and what could be happening in reality. Kudos to Sofia Kappel for her first ever performance.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


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  12. #12
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    But yeah, loved the fest overall in its approach. I hope other fests try to copy this approach to get more interaction with people and truly create a "festival" atmosphere, rather than simply streaming movies for a week.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


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