what i like about you - The Screengrab

Let’s Not Forget Slamdance: Five to Watch

With all my hub-bubbing about Sundance this week, I somehow completely forgot about the existence of Slamdance. This is particularly shameful on my part, since it was Slamdance (along with SXSW) that deigned to screen What I Like About You, my sole produced screenwriting credit to date. True, I may have wanted to forget that particular screening, which took place in a stuffy, uncomfortable room ill-suited to facilitating the gales of hearty laughter the film so richly deserved. (That’s my theory anyway, and I’m sticking to it). But that’s neither here nor there. I’m not sure Slamdance still has the alterna-buzz it once did, but clearly it’s still going strong – and while it’s much harder to predict what might be worth seeing with so much unknown talent involved, why should that stop me? So here we go with five movies to check out in a stuffy little room in the Treasure Mountain Inn:

The Screengrab Holiday Special: Movies We're Thankful For (Part Two)

SCOTT VON DOVIAK IS THANKFUL FOR:

JAWS (1975)

It's the summer of 1975 and I have successfully completed the second grade. I am living on a Navy base in Puerto Rico, and I've got the run of the place: swimming pool, ball field, bowling alley, snack bar all within easy biking distance…and of course, the movie theater. We're a few months behind the states, which means every time a kid comes back from a week's vacation stateside, I hear about it all over again: Jaws. By summer's end, I have entire scenes memorized and I haven't even seen the damn thing yet. Every week I check the base newsletter (El Tiburon – meaning, of course, "the shark," and did I mention that our little league team was also called the Sharks?) for the upcoming movie listings. Finally it appears on the schedule. When the big night arrives, I pedal to the theater, ditch my bike and get in line. While trying to catch my breath, I overhear bits of conversation. They're not talking about sharks – they're talking about pinball wizards and deaf, dumb and blind kids. I get to the ticket window. "Sorry, there was a misprint. The movie tonight is Tommy." I pedal home in tears. I rage to my parents about the unfairness of it all. My dad gets on the horn and raises a stink. Apparently he's not the only one. The next night, I finally get my shark movie. I close my eyes when the head pops out from under the boat – I knew it was coming – but other than that, I'm good. I've seen it a few times since then.