Screengrab editor emeritus Bilge Ebiri reports from the frontlines of Park City.

Is it just me, or am I sensing more of a sense of burnout from the other journos here at Sundance than in previous years? It seems as if every other discussion I have with another writer centers on the impossibility of filing or posting timely copy and still managing to see films. People are harried, bleary-eyed, sweaty, and just plain exhausted. This has always been part of the Sundance experience, but it seems to have reached epidemic proportions this year. Why was this not that big a problem in the past? Maybe because the immediacy of the news cycle has become a bit more immediate over the past couple of years. Between Twittering, blogging, and reviewing, is there any time left to just watch something? It's also a fact that some writers who in the past simply covered Sundance for post-festival print packages are now required to blog about it for their outlets on a regular basis. I've always come here as a blogger, so this hasn't been much of an adjustment for me.

There is one thing everyone seems to agree on, though, and it is that wireless service is ridiculously spotty this year. (Jeff Wells has already had a borderline nervous breakdown over crap wi-fi experiences.) Even the Marriott Hotel, where the Festival Headquarters is located, seems to be experiencing slow speeds. (My hotel room’s connection doesn’t work at all, which totally fucking sucks.)

My way of keeping things manageable has been to try and stay mostly in the Fest HQ-Press Screening venues. This keeps me away from Main Street much of the time, which means that I don't necessarily get as much of the "color" of Sundance as maybe I should. (If you want to spot celebrities and get a sense of the crowds, Main St. is the place to be.) But I get to see the movies, which is fine by me.