Sunday at Sundance was a gorgeous day in Park City. The sun was out and other than the walk home around midnight, it wasn’t too cold. I also saw a few more movies to recommend.
First up, I saw The Music Never Stopped. This was a nice little film and J.K. Simmons did a great job. Simmons plays the father of a 40-something amnesiac, played by Lou Taylor Pucci. The son’s memory loss is restored for brief moments of time by listening to the music he loved in his late teens and early twenties. I connected to this film because of my love of music, and thought the father’s desire to connect with his son made for an excellent story.
Next up I saw Higher Ground. It’s part of my job to evaluate films based on the intended audience, and I am not the intended audience for this movie. Vera Farmiga does an excellent job both and acting and directing, and many people will enjoy her struggle with faith and doubt.
The most interesting event of the evening was not Kevin Smith’s Red State, but the protest staged in front of the Eccles Theatre, where Mr. Smith protested the protest with his own brand of colorful signs and held an auction after the movie instead of the normal Q&A. Smith purchased his own film after blasting the traditional Hollywood model, and vows to release Red State himself. The film was a nice change of pace from his usual style, and I’m sure tens of people will enjoy the movie if it makes it to their city.
I ended the evening with Cedar Rapids, another fine comedy that’s already been picked up by Fox Searchlight. Ed Helms from The Hangover and The Office does an excellent job here as the last-minute fill-in at an insurance convention in the major metropolis of Cedar Rapids. John C. Riley is hilarious. In one hotel room and boxer shorts scene he shows he’s extremely comfortable with himself. This one opens very soon and I recommend it for all it’s slightly offbeat charm.
Two days left, and I’m still waiting for a surprise.
