Airplane Bloggin’: Far From Home Edition

On the flight back to NYC from Salt Lake City, after a week in Park City for Sundance, Slamdance, Snow and Sex. We’re only gonna be discussing the first two, because I didn’t go skiing and I don’t kiss and tell (not without compensation at least). Hopefully film related matters can keep you entertained for the next few minutes.

All in all, I spent eight days in Park City, though not quite as close to the primary “Festivities” as I thought I would be. Had a really nice condo near Kimball Junction, which normally isn’t more than a ten minute taxi ride to Main Street, home base for both Sun and her wicked brother, Slam. But on days where the industry is departing for the airport, like Monday after opening weekend, you can’t get a cab. Like you call up, and they say, ninety minutes. Or they don’t answer. They just don’t answer. And you’re sitting there, on the other end of the phone, like “Hello?” And the phone rings and rings and rings. And then you try again. Nothing….Hello? What the Fu**!(*&$Y#$(

Anyway, you get the idea. I didn’t actually even make it into the Main Street area on Monday until the evening when the taxi parade had died down a bit.

But this blog isn’t about traffic patterns. It isn’t about logistics. This particular entry is about the movies and biz of Sun and Slam. So lets get to it, shall we.

The week kicked off with the realization that at Sun, tickets are a scarce and well-guarded commodity. Even tickets to movies where you’ve raised a sizeable portion of the equity of the movie. So on Friday nite, when the Ten premiered, I went to the party (also that nite to the Snow Angels party), but actually didn’t go to the movie. I was with a friend V, and the chance of getting two tickets to the movie was absolutely zero. So instead, I settled for Tuesday screening tickets, and headed back to the condo a bit on the early side.

Tickets across the board at Sun were tough, but it’s just a learning process. And in the gaps, I was getting great tickets for Slam, because of the production deal Angel Baby has with them now. I am a sponsor. Free coat. Free hat. T-shirt. And all the redbull you can drink (not just for sponsors).

The great people at Slam (John, Peter, Sarah, and Kate) wanted me to see every movie, it seemed, so I got to go to anything I wanted, even things that were sold out. They put aside tickets for me for screenings I hadn’t even asked about in case I wanted to see them. And I saw a bunch of great stuff up at the Treasure Mountain Inn, where Slam takes place, including the audience award winner, Murder Party, a hilarious send-up of Williamsburg hipsters killing as performance art, Cold Prey, a taut slasher flick from Norway with great acting and direction, and the Jury Prize winning Tijuana Makes Me Happy, with a half-narrative half-doco style feature that was definitely unique and interesting. In addition, both Murder and Tijuana had NY filmmakers. Go team.

Down the hill, at Sun, the ticket pickings were scarcer, and I thought based on what I was hearing and seeing, less consistent. Aside from the Ten, which I found to be hilarious in parts (so did Variety) and overall very amusing (and which Ain’t It Cool News described as the best movie at Sun, 9.5/10), I saw Houndog (not my favorite, despite the presence of Grumpy fave, David Morse), and very over-hyped because of the Dakota rape thing. Also saw Low and Behold, which was exec. produced by former Film Sales Co. exec Jared Moshe (now at Sidetrack), and is, perhaps, the best true independent movie I have seen in years. Aside: What I mean by true independent movie is a movie with no stars, no names. Just compelling storytellings, spot-on acting, and great comic moments mixed in with the tragedy. Its represented by William Morris Indy, so I hope it sees the light of theatrical day. Y’all should make a point of seeing it. Miss it, and you’ll be missing out.

Other than that, I saw a few shorts programs, including Slamdance Winner Cow Thief (a definite PictureStart Film Festival invitee), took some meetings, hung with the City Lights boys, the Dough Boys guys, and David T. a bit, met Adrian Grenier, whose excellent short, Across the Hall was in the last Picturestart, and generally chilled (especially when the temperature dropped below 0F). Thank god for long johns.

The parties were fun, and I ran into a bunch of people I expected to and a number more that I didn’t expect to. The Ten had two parties, a private, exclusive one where Harvey made the rounds, and a bigger one that saw near-riots outside when people couldn’t get into the Premiere lounge. Thankfully I was already inside, escorted by Exec. Producer Jack Fisher. We actually left that party early, to go see Cold Prey up at Slamdance, a decision well worth having been made.

Besides, Jessica Alba wasn’t there.

(Though I met actor/producer Paul Rudd, who told me he plays cards with Hot Baby star Brian Vincent every Tuesday, and the very gracious Ken Marino (writer and co-star of The Ten), who I ran into a number of times with Director David Wain, who I’d already met at the National Board of Review Gala a few weeks before). Winona was there, but I didn’t have an opportunity to say hello.

We also hit the Snow Angels party with David T. from Crossroads. Also at the Premiere lounge, different nite, a key sighting was Dustin Diamond (Kate Beckinsale wasn’t in the house, and I didn’t see Grumpster favorite Tom Noonan). Kept trying to get V. to take a pic with Screech, but she declined. I guess she didn’t want to end up on his next internet video.

Dough Boys, the Louis Lombardi directed movie, which was co-produced by Peter Orphanos (who developed the My Brother website, mybrotherthemovie.com), had a party as well, at Celsius. (Louis, best known for 24 and for being the FBI agent that flipped Big Pussy on the Sopranos, was very friendly and gracious all week. We went to dinner a few times, including at terrific and expensive steak house Prime, where Michael Apted and Antonio Banderas were dining at the same time) And NY Film Commission had a party up in the hills, but we were so wiped out the night of that party, we never made it there.

Of course, an absolute highlight of the week was meeting Nathan and Bobby, the young authors of the Slamdance Horror Screenplay competition, with their script Slaughter (FYI- not a romantic comedy). From the UK Midlands, these guys (one of whom works in a video store, just like Quentin Tarantino did), flew to Salt Lake on a day’s notice when they found out they won the Horror Competition. One of them (Nathan I think) had never been on a plane before the trip to LA from Heathrow. How amazing is that. And they are bright-eyed and ready to go, do a little script polishing and get on set. I think we really hit the jackpot with these guys winning the Contest. Not only did they write a great script, but as people, they are just a pleasure to be around and are themselves a great story to boot. Having Nathan and Bobby on is gonna make this experience even better. And it was already gonna be great. Cheri W. from Maverick and I got on stage to announce the winners at the Slamdance Awards Ceremony and give them the award, which they accepted with terrific grace and class. Little do they know that members of the Slamdance staff pee on the Sparky trophies before they are handed out.

Seriously. Wash your hands. It’s a Slamdance tradition, but its kinda gross.

Anyhoo, now I am back on the plane to NYC. Pretty good flight, except that they are showing the movie I paid to see on the way out here, Invincible.

That’s OK. I had a great week.

Talk to y’all soon.

Grumpster.