Sundance Recap 2010

Growing up in Utah, and loving movies as much as I do, you'd think that I would've broken my Sundance virginity long before 2010, but it wasn't meant to be. However, I finally popped my film festival cherry this year (four times over). With that, here's my Sundance 2010 recap.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil may be 2010's Zombieland: a rare horror comedy that's actually funny. As with most good comedies, the plot is simple and the laughs are organic. Two hillbillies, Tucker & Dale (Alan Tudyk, Tyler Labine), are mistaken as psychotic serial killers by a group of college kids on a weekend camping trip. Queue hilarity. The script is perfection for this type of comedy, but Tudyk and Labine really sell it. Their chemistry is palatable, and there's no doubt that these bumbling idiots were meant for each other. They're so good that one can only hope this successful pairing translates into a Tucker & Dale franchise. Grade: B+

Freedom Riders: Freedom Riders is the real story of America's true heroes who stood up and fought for the change they believed in. The documentary sheds new light on the courageous young men and women who rode buses across the southern United States and defied bigotry and the government to stand up against racial segregation. Unlike many documentaries, Freedom Riders shuns the use of a narrator, to the film's benefit, and lets the remarkable story sell itself. The documentary also disregards the legends of both John F. Kennedy Jr. and Martin Luther King Jr., and portrays them not as larger-than-life heroes, but as regular leaders thrust into the middle of a crisis. Freedom Riders is a film that every American should see, if only to remind us of our embarrassing past, and to ensure that history never repeats itself. Grade: A

The Kids Are All Right: The Kids Are All Right, written and directed by Lisa Chodlenko, couldn't come at a more perfect time. In 2010, when gay marriage is still one of the country's most hotly-debated topics, The Kids Are All Right proves that whether gay or straight, commitment and love trump a government's definition of family. Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) have been together for 18 years and have two children (Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson) from the same sperm donor. Their marriage has the same quirks as any other, but gets complicated when the kids seek out and bond with their biological father (Mark Ruffalo). Chodlenko's script is accessible and laugh-out-loud funny, and her direction is spot-on. The film is a crowd-pleaser. However, it's the two leading ladies that steal the show. The pairing is nothing short of sensational. Bening is irresistibly likable and Moore has never been more relatable. It's far too early for this kind of talk, but one of these women could (and should) finally walk away with her first Oscar statuette come 2011. The Kids Are All Right, is more than alright, it's relevant, heartfelt, witty, and fantastic. Grade: A

Splice: I wouldn't be surprised if Splice was the worst film to come from Sundance 2010. With names like Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, and Guillermo Del Toro, attached Splice should have been one of the Festival's biggest successes. However, the film does about everything wrong. The plot of this "horror" flick about a newly formed "alien" species is predictable and you can see the "twists" coming from a mile away. The acting is juvenile -- Polley, who brilliantly wrote and directed 2007's Away From Her, should consider staying behind the camera. Splice is so awful that this review doesn't warrant any more discussion, and I'll leave it at that. Grade: D

"Long Shot"

Back to celebrity worship in this week's quote of the week. I'm not entirely convinced that Sandra Bullock gave the best performance of the year, or even of her career (that was her fiery performance in Crash), but think I may root for her to win the Oscar this March. She gave a great speech when she won her Golden Globe for The Blind Side this past Sunday. I adored her shout out to her husband:

"There's no surprise that my work got better when I met you, because I never knew what it felt like for someone to have my back."

Video embedded below:

A Striking Man

George Falconer is devastated. He's a 52-year-old, closeted, gay, English professor in 1962 mourning the loss of his partner of 16 years. A Single Man follows George (Colin Firth) on a day in which he is determined to change is pain-stricken life. On this day, George teaches students at his L.A. school about invisible minorities, mentors an attractive younger student (Nicholas Hoult), and meets up with his boozy best friend, Charly (Julianne Moore).

A Single Man is the most visually enthralling film of the year, and given the subject matter, it should be one of the most gut-wrenching. However, the beautiful imagery evokes an emotional detachment that works in the film's favor. During the course of the day, George is an auxiliary character in his life, going through the motions as a mere witness. With director Tom Ford's (the fashion designer's first foray into film-making) unique vision, A Single Man is a similar viewing experience. The audience is more a witness, rather than a participant, in the tragedy and triumph of George's life. That distinct separation makes the film, especially the ending, much more thought-provoking and satisfying.

Firth's performance is one for the ages. Regularly type-cast as a nice guy in films like Love, Actually, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Mamma Mia!, he brings incredible depth to A Single Man. His every movement is a remarkable expression of George's all-consuming grief. Moore is equally superb. In only ten minutes on screen, she's altogether hilarious and heartbreaking. Had Mo'Nique not given such a tour-de-force performance in Precious, Moore would be receiving her first, and much-deserved, Oscar this February.

Between the stellar performances, the impeccable visuals, and the haunting score, A Single Man is one of the best films to come from 2009, and one that should never be invisible.

Grade: A

"No One Else"

"You know me so well / You can't even tell / That you're like no one else, that you're like no one else"

Not much of a quote this week, but in celebration of American Idol's new season launching this Tuesday, I thought I'd post a song from my favorite season eight contestant's, Allison Iraheta's, new (and unknown) album.

"No One Else:"

"You Found Me"

I forgot just how much I loved Juno, until I re-watched it again this weekend. I love everything about it. One of my favorite scenes comes near the end of the film when Juno tells her dad that she's doubting love. His response, while simple, is the perfect definition of what we're all looking for.

Juno: "I just need to know that it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever. "

Mac: "Well, it's not easy, that's for sure. Now, I may not have the best track record in the world, but I have been with your stepmother for 10 years now and I'm proud to say that we're very happy. Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with."

Quick and Dirty

Three more movies this week, and three more not-quite-detailed-enough reviews.

The Road: Desolation is the name of the game in the film adaptation of Cormac MaCarthy's The Road. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-Mcphee as a father and son trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, The Road thrives on hopelessness, but doesn't quite succeed. It's never established what brought devastation to the planet, but that doesn't matter. The world is a place of filth and destruction, and the scenery serves as a major character. The backdrops are breathtaking and callous, providing an overwhelming sense of isolation. However, that's The Road's greatest asset. There isn't much of a plot in the film, it's plainly a story of a father and son attempting to make it through the day. In order for a story so simple to work, the film needs to grab audience with gut-wrenching emotion, and that's where The Road misses the mark. The Road has all the ingredients to be a unique and moving experience, but it's merely a disturbing movie without any heart. Grade: B

Up in the Air: There hasn't a been a film more timely this year than Jason Reitman's (director of Thank You for Smoking and Juno) latest, Up in the Air. George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a middle-aged man devoted to his job as a "corporate grim reaper." He flies across the country firing people whose bosses are too chicken to do the dirty work. It's on his cross-country travels that Ryan meets his equal, Alex (Vera Farmiga). When she describes herself to Ryan she says, "think of me as yourself, only with a vagina." However, the pair's love affair is thrown into limbo when a recent college graduate (Anna Kendrick) proposes that Ryan's company round up the traveling "firing squad" and conduct all firings via the Internet. The events (and surprises) that follow are storytelling at its best. Clooney was made for this role, and Farmiga is superb as his sparring partner. It's the role of her career, and the chemistry between she and Clooney is reminiscent of other great Hollywood pairings. Kendrick too is a standout, she sheds any memory of appearing in the Twilight films, and creates a character that is both high-strung and emotionally transparent. Above all, it's Up in the Air's timeliness that determines its success. As thousands of Americans continue to lose their jobs, Up in the Air shows us that it's not our careers that define us, rather that we are defined by those we love -- and they're the reason we wake up every morning. Grade: A

The Young Victoria: God Save Emily Blunt. In The Young Victoria, an overly-romanticized tale of the life and times of England's Queen Victoria, Blunt transcends an unfocused script and mediocre direction to do the improbable -- she makes The Young Victoria watchable. The film begins with Victoria as a teenager destined for the throne, and follows her through her initial years as ruler. The script jumps between the political and the romantic, dabbling in the story of Victoria's scheming family while touching on her desire to find a loving and equal partner. The film doesn't go far enough with either subject, merely skimming the drama, and as a result The Young Victoria is a bore. Blunt, however, saves the day. Her Victoria is unabashed and layered, and had the film been better, the Oscar buzz surrounding this must-see performance would be deafening. Grade: B-