Sundance: The Final Roundup

Scott Von Doviak — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:51:00 GMT

It’s all over except for the long lines at security in the Salt Lake City airport. The awards were handed out last night by a jury featuring Quentin Tarantino and Marcia Gay Harden, and the top honors went to a couple of politically-charged pictures that flew under the radar for most of the festival. The grand jury prize for drama went to Frozen River, writer-director Courtney Hunt’s film about two women smuggling immigrants across the Canadian border. The top prize for documentaries went to Trouble the Water, about New Orleans families struggling in the aftermath of Katrina.

But that’s not all. As Kenneth Turan notes, awards were handed out like Halloween candy this year, with top audience prizes going to The Wackness and Fields of Fuel. Other notable recipients include American Teen (for dramatic directing), Man on Wire (for world documentary) and Choke (special jury prize for ensemble cast). Over at Slamdance, a documentary about a Neil Diamond cover band (Song Sung Blue) was the big winner.

In addition to its award, The Wackness picked up a distributor. Per the Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Classics will ensure that you get the opportunity to watch Ben Kingsley and Mary-Kate Olsen swapping spit.

And on that note, that’s a wrap for this year. Let’s hit the slopes!

Sundance Roundup: Day 8

Scott Von Doviak — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:31:00 GMT

This thing has been going on for a week now and people are ready to get the hell out of Park City. As Aaron Barnhart writes, “tempers are wearing thin. People are getting tired of waiting out in the cold. Volunteers have had it with annoying moviegoers.” So let’s say you’re some hot shot celebrity or big time acquisitions executive on the scene at Sundance. You’ve already filled two suitcases full of swag, and you can’t bring yourself to sit through one more movie today, so now what?

How about taking a ride in an algae-powered Mercedes? As a tie-in to the Sundance documentary Fields of Fuel, biotech firm Solazyme is introducing their product by “tooling around Park City, Utah in a Mercedes Benz C320 diesel,” according to Wired.

Driving around thinking about algae is sure to make you hungry, and that’s where the celebrity chefs of the Food Network come in. We’re not sure if algae is on the menu, but the Salt Lake Tribune can fill you in on all the big names who’ve been feasting on Giada De Laurentiis' “classic Italian comfort food, including tagliatelle pasta with short-rib ragu and a mocha semifreddo ice-cream dessert.”

And yes, there are still movies being shown. Causing one of the biggest commotions is Downloading Nancy, starring Maria Bello as a married woman who meets another man (Jason Patric) on the Internet. That’s about the most innocuous description possible, judging from the first round of reviews. Here are some pull-quotes to whet your appetite:

“An excruciating experience.” – Film Threat

“A film that's beyond difficult to watch.” - Filter

“A low-grade snuff film. It was like the film was raping my face.” – Cinema Blend

On second thought, maybe it’s time for another ride in that algae car.

The Screengrab : fields of fuel

Sundance: The Final Roundup

Sundance Roundup: Day 8