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Show -w^ DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Wednesday, February 1, 2006 Wrap-up i i i n 1111 "SubjectWwo" "The Darwin Awards" Directed and written by PhilifiChidel Directed and written by Finn Taylor Starring: Christian Oliver, De&n StapleStarring: Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, ton, Courtney Mace and Jurgeii Hones. ?n Wilmer Valderrama, David Arquette, Lukas 93 minutes Haas, Chris Penn and Tim Blake Nelson Zero out offour stars lA Rated R/93 minutes m One-and-a-half out of four stars At their very best, thefilm*;at Sflndance dare us to look at the world from 41 wholly original perspective. ^ Presupposing that writer/director Finn Taylor had any idea what to do with this We laugh out loud, we cry into our material, "The Darwin Awards" could have scarves, and we think to ourselves;, "Yes, been a good movie. Instead, Taylor thinks this filmmaker has shed a light orftks silly the subject matter will sell itself, without humans and found something worth makbenefit of a story—and I won't even start on ing a movie about." "* all the plot holes. And then there's "Subject Two." Its The first question everybody asks, of presence at Sundance should be &?en as course, is how do you even turn the "Darwin hope to beginning filmmakers—he^, if irAwards" Web site into a movie? Well, the anredeemable crap like this can makerit into film festivals, then their films have alpretty swer is to use a flimsy plot about a former Ir> police profiler, Michael Burrows (Joseph good shot at making it in, too. Fiennes), who now works with an insur"Subject Two"-is sort of a mociernance investigator (Winona Ryder) studying day retelling of the Frankenstein Story. "Darwin Award"-esque deaths—i.e., people Christian Oliver plays a cocky, ethics-bewho accidentally kill themselves in the most damned medical student who braved' the ridiculously stupid ways. The idea is that, cold (and his intense migraines) to join a once they prove the causes of death, they hermitic doctor (Dean Stapleton) hi|h in will save the insurance company millions. the snow-peaked Rocky Mountains; ^Together, they stroke each other's God comMichael is one of the film's many one-diplexes by engaging in dopey philosophical mensional caricatures—the cliched, toodiscussions that should enter a marathon careful, refuses-to-take-risks, anal, overprofor all the points they run around. tective coward who, of course, in the end, will face and overcome his fears. The whole movie is like a snowmobile spinning its treads in the snow. "The Darwin Awards" is billed as a dark comedy, but it isn't particularly dark, nor is Scene after scene, it goes nowhere, statit very funny. The scenes of fantastical, uning and restating its points over and over intentional death are meant to get the big and over again. laughs but are more likely to inspire blank Sundance movies like "Eve and the Fire stares—especially if you've already heard Horse" and "The Science of Sleep" celthe urban legends. ebrate creativity and life. "Subject Two" is a shell, drained of imagination and wit. When the film hits theaters, no doubt the When we have to watch not one, but two marketing campaign will describe it in such scenes in which frantic men wrestle over terms as "zany" and "madcap" and "funa firearm in the snow, we know the movie filled romp," but that's hardly an accurate is in deep, deep trouble. ' I description of this mishandled and miscalculated mess. Try "vapid," "stupid" and "just . •;.•'• / -A.A. plain boring." -C.B. : i D •• ••• All reviews by Aaron Allen and Chris Bellamy DOCUMENTARY Grand Jury Prize "God Grew Tired of Us" DRAMATIC Jsfci World Cinema Jury Prize ; Grand Jury Prize !\?Quinceanera" i World Gnema Jury Prize-, |4l3Tzametr >*&£ *•,•'£*•/~ Audience Award .:* "God Grew Tired of uVi Audience Award1 "Quinceanera" World Gnema Audience A«rd "DeNADIE" World Cinema Audience Award 'r "No. 2" Directing Award' .^ -::iij&¥Jfc*ffi% "Iraq In Fragments 'Jamw tdngl^y Directing Award ^ ^ 0 ^ 4 *A Guide to Recognizing Your'Saints" DitoMontiel Excellence in Cinematography Award "Iraq in Fragments," James Longley Documentary Film Editing Award "Iraq In Fragments," Billy McMillin, Fiona Otway and Jarffes Longley A ^ ' ^ ' H / J V I . V>;"' Excellence in Gnematography Award ^ & "Right At Your Door," Tom R i c h m o n d * ^ ! 91 Waldo Salt Screenwritlng Award "Stephanie Daley^Hilary Brougher Special Jury Prize - Documentary "American Blackout" Ian Anaba; "TV Junkie/Mlchajel Cain and Matt Radecki. , « Special Jury Prize - fcst Ensemble Performance "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" Special Jury Prize^Jndependent Vision I n Between Days" Special Jury Prize^/oricf Gnema . "Eve and the Fire Horse" If you love the sight of someone's imagination literally spilling onto the screen, do yourself an immense favor and buy Michel Gondry's music video collection on the "Director's Series" DVD label His best works (including Daft Punk's "Around the World" and T h e White Stripes' "Fell in Love With a Girl") reflect the volcanic playfulness of a child's wildest dreams made reality. Gondry's last foray into motion picture filmmaking was "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," one of my favorite films of 2004. He worked with a script by Charlie Kaufman, one of the few screenwriters who can marry a high-concept idea (erasing memories, hitching a ride in John Malkovich's head) with tight storytelling. "The Science of Sleep" is Gondry's latest film, and this tune he's working without a net—in other worcis, Kaufman did not write it. Gondry himself penned this story about Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal in a comedic tour-de-force), a whimsical young inventor whose dreams invade his reality and chase away the girl he loves in the apartment across the hah1 (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Undoubtedly, Gondry sees a lot of himself in Stephane. Both m e n are boyish inventors who would feel at home in Pee-Wee's playhouse. •As the movie unfolds and Stephane's dreams become more and more intrusive, he becomes an insufferable annoyance to his crush and to us. That's not so much a knock at the movie as it is an observance of Stephane. He's definitely one of the more challenging characters to appear in a movie for some time. Without the Kaufman touch, "The Science of Sleep" is light on narrative structure and heavy on whimsy and visual bric-a-brac. T h e overwhelming artistry can be as abrasive as Step h a n c . a n d as delightful as Stephane. It's a bundle of contradictions that begs for more than one viewing. • • . • • • • . • SUNDANCE AWARD WINNERS 2006 Jury Prize In Short Filmmaking (tie): "Bugcrush," Carter Smith; "The Wraith of Cobble Hill; Adam Parrish King Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking "The Natural Route," Alex Pastor Shorts Jury- Honorable Mention "Before Dawn/ Balint Kenyeres, "Preacher With an Unknown God," Rob VanAlkemade;,"Undressing My Mother," Ken Wardrop "The Illusionist" "The Science of Sleep" Directed and written by Michel Gondry Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat, Miou Miou, Aurelia Petit and Sacha Bonrdo 105 minutes ••; .: Three out of four stars • ; : >: -!-.'.."' - ;'• - A . A . Directed by Neil Burger Screenplay by Neil Burger, based on the short story, "Eisenhehn the Illusionist," by Steven MUlhauser Starring: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell, Jessica Biei and Brian Caspe 110 minutes Three out offour stars ••• At long last, Edward Norton is back! His 'first lead role since 2002's "25th Hour" is a spellbinding, if flawed, period mystery from young writer/director Neil Burger ("Interview With the Assassin"). Norton plays Eisenheim, a virtuoso illusionist working in Vienna in the early 1900s, who gets himself in a spot of trouble with the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). Eisenheim's childhood love, Princess Sophie (Jessica Biel), is Leopold's bride-tobe. You can see how that might get one into trouble. Paul Giamatti, in a very againsttype role as the film's "heavy," is Leopold's chief inspector and right-hand man, who serves as a liaison between the two men and eventually arrests Eisenheim for fraud after he begins conjuring spirits from the dead. The film's atmosphere and rich period detail, along with excellent performances from the primary leads, make "The Illusionist" intriguing from the very start. However, for a film that is naturally reliant on misdirection and surprise, Burger falters a bit. The details I'll leave out for now. At his best, M. Night Shyamalan could have pieced together this story brilliantly, or someone else with a keen flair for the dramatic. Burger does a nice job overall, but the film's payoffs would have worked better had he constructed the story a little better and more deceptively. Still, this is a worthwhile period piece—suspenseful and magical at times, and, if nothing else, it's worth seeing because Norton is finally back. -CB. What a long, strange trip it's been Aaron Allen Chronicle Writer Chris Bellamy Chronicle Writer The sun has set on Sundance 2006, and the population of Park City has suddenly shrunk from one billion journalists, filmmakers, freeloaders and cineastes to a ski bum named Rob and that one Ukrainian film critic who mistranslated his info and thought the festival started today ("Drat! No moofink peek-chures for Goolav!"). No more cramming into makeshift theaters in the Park. City Library, heads tingling with anticipation and melting snowflakes. No more sitting elbow-to-elbow with film lovers from across the globe. No more hoping that whatever we're about to see will help us forget about how very cramped and stuffy and wet we feel. That's what Sundance is all about: Losing yourself in the story being told on screen. This year was especially good—not just artistically ("The Science of Sleep," "Eve and the Fire Horse") but financially as well ("Little Miss Sunshine" sold for a record $10 million). The movies weren't the only unforgettable things: I won*t forget the Lithuanian journalist who shared her chocolate truffles with me, or the goofy editors from RottenTomatoes. com or Roger Ebert, who saw me gazing into my laptop and said, "The glow from your monitor makes you look so otherworldly." Next year can't come soon enough. a.allen@ chronicle.utah.edu The 2006 Sundance Film Festival followed the same formula that has become its trademark for years. There were a handful of films that everyone was talking about two weeks ago, but when all was said and done, they were mostly forgotten, while more obscure films stole all the thunder—and the festival hardware. Indie favorites Terry Zwigoff and Michel Gondry brought efforts many considered disappointing, and the respective films starring such A-listers as Jennifer Aniston, Justin Timberlake and Edward Norton, among others, have garnered moderate notoriety at best, though both will likely get wide releases based on star power alone. -And so, the lesson we learn every year and proceed to forget by this time next January rings true again: Don't believe the hype. Just because a big star is involved, or a talented filmmaker is behind the camera, it doesn't really mean anything. You can't argue with history. You know what the super-hyped, "can't miss" Sundance film was three years ago? I'll give you a hint. It had a star-studded cast that included Morgan Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Holly Hunter and Kirsten Dunst. It was written and directed by the man behind "Men In Black;" it was photographed by the visual genius who shot most of the Coen Brothers' films. Have you figured it out yet? It was the Opening Night film, and it was called "Levity." Did you ever see it? Exactly. And the reason was that it was flat-out terrible, star power notwithstanding. This year, movies that no one was talking about— like the Al Gore/global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," the humanistic crime drama "The Aura" and the thrice-victorious documentary "Iraq in Fragments"—are now the ones most likely to be remembered beyond next week. c.bellamy@ chronicle.utah.edu .sZ^-\ |
