– One Hour Photo (starring Robin Williams). It’s a creepy suspense thriller. I loved it. Totally bought him in the role. Most criticism of this non-violent (but potentially very violent) psycho story was that viewers couldn’t get past Robin Williams being anything other than Robin Williams. Well, I went on the journey. Except for some third-act exposition I could’ve lived without, this was a good film, for sure.
– Human Nature (starring Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans). Fun, campy, low-brow sex farce with singing and a French research assistant. This one will hit wide release, I’m sure, so go if you like well-written (but below-the-belt) humor.
– The Kid Stays in the Picture (documentary; Bob Evans’ life story, from the novel). I like Hollywood history, so for me, this was a really good movie. Also, some of the artistic technique (turning still photos into moving pictures by freezing certain elements and moving others) was really nice. Cool old school studio stuff. I liked it.
– The Jimmy Show (starring and directed by Frank Whaley). This was hard to watch. Human drama, the sad stuff that goes on in a life that’s going nowhere. Great performances, especially by Ethan Hawke, but such a hard-luck story, I had a hard time enjoying myself in the journey. Whaley plays an everyman with a hard life who goes to Open Mic Night everywhere in town, trying to get through his issues by making them jokes. He is an awful stand-up, which just makes his sadness more… sad.
– I Lost 20lbs. in Two Months (Ask Me How). Wow! This was, by far, my favorite Sundance film, and it was a seven minute short. Brilliant. It’s one long sentence from a guy who is obsessed with his former girlfriend. One of the pounds he lost was from cutting off all of his facial hair and mailing it to the ex with a letter reminding her how she once said she loved every hair on his head. Another pound was lost running from the dogs her mom set loose on him after he stood in her lawn with a boom box oveer his head, poised to play “In Your Eyes” (but the tape was cued up to “Shock the Monkey”). With a great bass-beat soundtrack and sense of humor that doesn’t quit, this is a film that I’m recommending to everyone I know. Of course, there’s no info on future screenings available at the film’s website. For what it’s worth.