Sundance Film Festival 2008: DAY ONE

In Park City, Utah, the infamous Robert Redford darling Sundance Film Festival, has been underway for a few days. The theme this year is: "Film Takes Place." An interesting one packed with films from all over the world, competing and premiering and hopefully, finding an audience. After an almost 20 hour first day, here are the films I got to see today.

9:15 - "The Last Word" (Starring: Winona Ryder, Wes Bentley, & Ray Romano)

A man makes a living writing other people's suicide notes. This is the premise of this dark, but sharply observed comedy that hits as many good notes as it misses. Some scenes in "The Last Word" explode and creatively showcase a kind of energy rarely found in a black comedy. However, for me, there was a lot that just didn't work...mostly...this had to do with the screenplay. Gimmicky is what it ended up being, with little substance really left over in the end. Maybe it was because I felt like I didn't get to know the lead character, that I knew more about the supporting ones and they seemed far more interesting. I'm not sure. Whatever the case, it was a pretty good film that was creative in its subject matter but in the end, not a very memorable last word. Ray Ramona is wonderful though, and his scenes are where all of the film's best laughs are. Neville's Grade: C+


3:15 - "Henry Poole Is Here" (Starring: Luke Wilson)

REVIEW TO COME

11:30 - "Phoebe In Wonderland" (Starring: Elle Fanning, Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Pullman, & Campbell Scott)

REVIEW TO COME