DAY ONE

My 8th year in a row at Sundance got started a bit late -- I missed the first 4 days. But I'm going to make the most of my 6 days here. I got lucky this time in the online ticket lottery with 10 movies I'm especially interested in (I rank all ?150 movies the best I can after reading their Sundance-inflated description, often neglecting the films I think are most certain to show up in theaters back in L.A.). And I don't hesitate to participate in the waitlist lines for 2-3 hours, although they've maintained last year's welcome innovation of giving the waitlist numbers out two hours before the screening so you can go relax somewhere for awhile before returning for another half hour of waiting to see if there's room. (Yesterday, I got a nap in! The new Temple Theater, a synagogue in real life, is right across the dangerous, dark, icey highway from the Catholic rectory where I stay.)

Bob, the pastor, is his usual hospitable self. There's another filmmaking priest staying here (Willie Raymond from Family Theater Productions), as well as two of his co-workers. Last night, they went to the 11:30 p.m. showing of Lourdes, the film that's on the top of my list (which, however, still isn't high enough to try to stay awake for a middle-of-the night screening). Lourdes -- if I can believe the Sundance description -- is somewhere "between religious satire and redemption story."

Another "religious" film I'm especially interested in (and I have a ticket!), is 12th and Delaware, about an abortion clinic and pro-life center on opposite sides of the street. The Sundance description makes it sound even-handed, but in an L.A. Times interview, the directors are unabashedly appalled by how the pro-life counselors manipulate the clients. Should be enlightening -- I hope so.

Okay, but what did I actually see yesterday? First, a hilarious comedy about four terrorists called FOUR LIONS. They are jihadists (three Pakistani Brits and one Anglo), but they don't seem especially religious. And I was on the edge of my seat wondering if violence was really going to happen. If it does, can it still be funny? If it doesn't, will it ridiculously make light of the problem? Also unnerving are the scenes of the less buffoonish leader with his adoring boy and charming, liberated wife, who is blithely supportive of his suicide mission.

I'm glad the waitlist volunteer wasn't successful in talking me out of seeing DADDY LONGLEGS, which really wasn't far up on my list to begin with. From yet another pair of brothers (I recently saw the Dardenne brothers' last film Lorna's Silence, as well as Daybreakers and Book of Eli, by a couple other pairs of brothers), this movie's bumbling father was a simultaneously sympathetic and maddening character. This divorced father tries so hard to make the most of his limited time with his two young boys but unintentionally puts them in danger. The father is brilliantly, so convincingly played by Ronald Bronstein, a nonactor who made the film Frownland, a dark comedy so downbeat I just couldn't finish it. I don't know if I can say I enjoyed Daddy Longlegs, but it really got under my skin. Now that I think about it, one of the brothers introduced the movie by saying he hopes we "have a reaction." Oh, and the movie is semi-autobiographical. What was their father's reaction? He was pleased. And their mother somehow felt vindicated at the same time. Daddy Longlegs is also part of a new Sundance project that tours eight films and (simultaneously?) offers them video-on-demand.

I also went to a panel discussion of filmmakers creating LIVE EVENTS for their films. I thought it was going to be all filmmakers who are simply distributing their traditional, feature-length films by going on the road with them, making their screenings into events in some way and having extended Q&A sessions. But most of the panelists are actually performance artists of one kind or another. I don't see myself going that direction, but I am drawn to the idea of touring with my films. The director of For the Bible Tells Me So, a film about Christian parents finding out their son or daughter is gay, has personally screened his film at 80 colleges. And it's been shown at 5,000 churches! It turns out that if your film is a big hit at a church convention or college conference of some sort, word gets out.

DAY 2

I saw one of the "Midnight" movies at noon and enjoyed it quite a lot. SPLICE is about a couple who's experiment with DNA goes awry. Lots of great twists and reversals. The clunky dialogue was a bit distracting, especially before the fun (and sometimes ?intentionally funny) craziness kicked in. A couple reversals were just too abrupt to be plausible, which keeps this morally probing horror flick from greatness.

ME TOO comes much closer to greatness. It's about a Down's Syndrome university grad who falls for his co-worker, played by the glowing Lola Dueñas. This Spanish film has a touch that reminded me of Almodovar's Talk To Her, one of my all-time favorites: both films incorporate dancing performances beautifully. Me Too uses performances from a real live company that includes dancers with Down's Syndrome. I didn't get to sit with my dear acting and directing teacher Deborah Lemen because her combo bus and running trek got her to the theater a little late, but she loved the film as well. She told me about an 8-year-old student of hers who never speaks publicly was able to get up and perform a scene in class the other day.

I was going to wait for the 8:30 p.m. movie in the same theater, but was able to get in the next (5:30) show instead. Wrong choice. OBSELIDIA is a talky, preachy film with self-congratulatory cleverness. It wasn't an unpleasant experience: a fairly charming couple in beautiful Death Valley. But I was bored with its need to convince me that we need to save the planet, that we also need to live each moment fully in case we don't save the planet, and that when something is loved it doesn't go obsolete. Great ideas. Not much of a movie.

After that preachy film, I waited for the 8:30 film, the much lauded Winter's Bone, about a teenager in the Ozark's quest to save her family. The couple with waitlist numbers 77&78 were really upset they lost their place in line because they didn't return a half hour before the film started, but they were finally able to walk away peacefully when they realized their numbers weren't good enough anyway. I hope I didn't get your hopes up, but I didn't even have a number, so I also didn't get in. But in line I enjoyed chatting up an Irish couple. His brother is the producer of His & Hers, a series of interviews with 70 females of all ages from the Irish Midlands about their relationships with males. Sounds delightful.

DAY 3

In FIX ME, Palestinian documentarian Raed Andoni follows his philosophical quest to free himself of his "tension headache" through art therapy and conversations with family, friends, and fellow political prisoners from his youth. The moments of offbeat humor (especially from his mother) bring great insight but came too infrequently to keep me awake during this fascinating, meditative piece. A great look at a Palestinian's attempts at defining himself beyond the war with Israel.

LOVERS OF HATE has fun moments, especially when the lead character sneaks around the house where his estranged wife is having a dalliance with his brother. But I didn't like any of the characters, who were all so self-interested.

3 BACKYARDS is Eric Mendelsohn's pretty successful experiment in using atmosphere and mood to get inside the experience of one day in the lives of a little girl, an estranged husband, and a bored woman. Edie Falco is terrific in her highly awkward scenes with her town's visiting movie star. Mendelsohn said in his highly articulate Q&A that he was trying to do a kind of nature documentary about people (it's not a documentary). But the filmmaker's hand was a bit heavy with a couple too many nature montages with the otherwise satisfyingly assertive and evocative score.

BLUE VALENTINE rides on the gut-wrenching performances of two of my favorites, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. (I believe I wrote in my Sundance journal a couple years ago, after seeing Half Nelson, that Ryan Gosling is a god.) The film takes us through a couple days in the life of a struggling couple. Filmmaker Derek Cianfrance uses an old device (which I don't want to give away) in an extensive way to deepen our understanding and experience of these people. It was during Sundance last year that Heath Ledger died. I'm assuming this film was shot before that, because I can't imagine Michelle Williams being able to immerse herself in this role right after the father of her child died so suddenly and tragically.

FAVORITES SO FAR

Me Too
Four Lions
Blue Valentine
3 Backyards
Splice

The Light Art

If with Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and the Winter Solstice, this is a season of light, movies are the art form of light. We filmmakers use light and shadow to focus our attention and to evoke feeling. We use the visible spectrum of light -- color -- to create meaning and emotion. Movie lovers like nothing better than to sit in a darkened theater in front of a screen that is brought to life by the projection of light. These are the stained glass windows of our times.

Holiday Movies

What movie are you planning on watching during the holidays? In addition to It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street, there's the more recent Home Alone and A Christmas Story ("Oh my god, I shot my eye out!"). And the even more recent Love Actually. Die-hard fans of Die Hard even count Bruce Willis' suspenseful holiday trip to visit his family as a Christmas movie. (Or is it more a warning against Christmas office parties?)


A New Classic?

I haven't seen 2005's Joyeux Noel yet, but it comes highly recommended. It's based on the true story of World War I enemies calling a Christmas truce to sing, eat, and play soccer together. Sounds like this movie is a great prayer for our times. (Watch the trailer.)

Post your favorite holiday movie as a comment.

from Mud Puddle Films' Thanksgiving film The Sisters O'Malley

Share your favorite Thanksgiving or food films by making a comment below.