Well, it's January . . . like it or not. And that means 1994 is here, our New Year's resolutions are being broken, snow is on the mountaintops, inversions are threatening the Salt Lake Valley and the Sundance Film Festival is on the horizon.
So, guess which of these phenomena we will be discussing today?That's right. Forget all that boring stuff and gear yourself up for a trip to Park City toward the end of the month, when movies, seminars, parties and skiing are top priorities - and not necessarily in that order.
Again this year, the Sundance festival will kick off in Salt Lake City at the Cineplex Odeon Crossroads Plaza Cinemas. The world premiere of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" will be the opening-night event, a film directed by Mike Newell, who made a big splash with "Enchanted April" last year, and who also gave us the 1993 Sundance opening night premiere, "Into the West."
"Four Weddings and a Funeral," which stars Hugh Grant ("Maurice," "Impromptu") and Andie MacDowell ("Groundhog Day," "The Object of Beauty"), is a stylish social satire about an English womanizer who is enchanted by an American woman he meets at a wedding. He is unable to commit to her, however, and they part amicably, then don't meet again until another wedding. Newell and MacDowell are expected to be in attendance for the premiere.
On Friday, the festival moves up to Park City for its 10-day run, with other premieres, the independent competition films - documentary and dramatic - and sidebars featuring special screenings, Chinese cinema, European pictures, the annual Latin American section, midnight movies and a bevy of shorts, both in collections and preceding some features. There will also be tributes to director Arthur Penn ("The Miracle Worker," "Bonnie and Clyde," "Little Big Man") and actress Gena Rowlands ("A Woman Under the Influence," "Gloria," "Another Woman").
In all, there are more than 90 feature films, along with more than 70 shorts, as well as seminars, discussions and other events. (And a number of films will also be shown at the Tower Theater in Salt Lake City, 876 E. 900 South, and at the Sundance Screening Room, at the Sundance Ski Resort in Provo Canyon.)
That may seem a bit overwhelming - something akin to walking into a video store and looking at the rows of movies when you have nothing in particular in mind. But you can easily narrow the festival goings-on to a workable load by browsing through a Film Guide, available at several places around town, most prominently at the Tower Theater; the Crossroads Plaza, 50 S. Main; ec-lec-tic, 466 E. South Temple; and Highbrow Books, 861 E. 900 South (behind Brackman Brothers Bagels).
Once you have your guide, mark those movies or events that most interest you. Then, purchase your tickets early.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, Jan. 8, at three Salt Lake locations - the Crossroads Plaza, ec-lec-tic and Highbrow Books, and will also be available in Park City at Images of Nature Gallery, 556 Main, and the festival's Main Box Office in Z Place, 427 Main; and at the Sundance Ski Resort in the General Store. Or, if you don't mind paying an extra 5 percent handling fee, you can order them by phone (322-1700) with Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
It's a bit too early to predict highlights, and few celebrities have been confirmed at this point. But thumbing through the Film Guide did bring a few things to my attention.
For example, the return of those who have been here before:
- The Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, are offering the world premiere of their latest film, "The Hudsucker Proxy," on Thursday, Jan. 27. This is a notable event since the brothers won the Grand Prize at the 1985 Sundance festival with their first film, "Blood Simple." In between these two pictures, the Coens have given us "Raising Arizona," "Miller's Crossing" and "Barton Fink." Needless to say, it is anticipated that "Hudsucker" will likely be an equally offbeat delight.
- "Hudsucker" stars Tim Robbins ("The Player," "Bob Roberts"), who has attended Sundance festivals in the past, most notably in support of the independent comedy "Tapeheads," in which he co-starred with John Cusack. (Now the question is, will "Hudsucker" co-star Paul Newman, who is, of course, a famous friend of Robert Redford, show up to help the Coens introduce the picture?)
- The aforementioned John Cusack has been something of a festival regular in years past. In addition to "Tapeheads," Cusack starred in "The Grifters," a premiere film at the 1991 festival. This year he has a role in the dramatic competition film "Floundering," though he has attended some years without a working reason.
- Wynona Ryder, who stars in "Reality Bites," has festival ties that go back seven years. Ryder was here in 1987 for "Square Dance," the opening night premiere that year; in 1989 for the premiere of "Heathers" and again in 1991 for the premiere film "Night on Earth." In a way, we've watched Ryder grow up at the Sundance Film Festival. She was 15 when she came to Park City for "Square Dance."
- Eric Stoltz, who has been at the festival for the past two years with competition films - "The Waterdance" in 1992 and "Bodies, Rest & Motion" last year - is back with two pictures: "Naked in New York," a premiere film, and "Killing Zoe," a special screening.
- Also returning are actor Edward James Olmos and director Robert M. Young, for the premiere film "Roosters." Olmos starred in Young's film "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez," which was a dramatic competition film at the festival back in 1983. And last year, Young was a co-winner for the documentary "Children of Fate."
There are a surprising number of short films scheduled during the festival that have been directed by popular actors:
- "Last Supper," directed by Daryl Hannah ("Grumpy Old Men," "Splash"), is described in the Film Guide as "what every young girl should know about how to get rid of your co-dependent mother's abusive boyfriend," and is scheduled to precede the documentary competition film "Martha & Ethel."
- "Smoking," by former Utahn Matthew Modine ("Short Cuts," "Full Metal Jacket"), "a hilariously deadpan diary of all the little things that make up the big thing," will precede the dramatic competition film "Floundering."
- "Partners," by Peter Weller ("RoboCop," "Naked Lunch"), "a madcap romp (that) sends up a high-profile law firm," is part of "Shorts Program III."
- "The Silent Alarm," by Rob Morrow (TV's "Northern Exposure," Robert Redford's upcoming "Quiz Show"), "a haunting vision of grown-ups from a child's point of view (with) almost no dialogue," is part of "Shorts Program III."
- "Straight to One," directed by Ethan Hawke ("Dead Poets Society," "White Fang"), "a candid and insightful piece which explores with humor and pathos the fears of a young honeymoon couple," is part of the "Shorts Program II."
And one P.S. here. As if directing a short film weren't enough, Hawke also makes acting appearances in two other festival movies, the competition film "Floundering" and the premiere film with Wynona Ryder, "Reality Bites."
- QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Robert Redford, speaking of the need for local audiences at the Sundance Film Festival during his annual press conference last year:
"There's a sense of community that you get by involving the audience. It helps create that. But (the festival) is specifically for the (independent) filmmakers."