Sundance

So Ken and I scored tickets for three movies, including one tonight--SON OF NO ONE--that was hailed by one trade magazine as this season's first bomb at Sundance. Yes! I love it when Ken and I score tickets to bombs! It reminds me of the time we were in London and we saw a production of MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM that opened to the worst reviews in the history of British theater. (Memo to Directors: turning "fairies" into "flies" and "forests" into "dung heaps" is not likely to endear you to audience members who have spent a buttload of jack to see that particular play because of its light heart.) (But whatever.) (I'm guessing fancy pants directors aren't reading this blog.)

Anyhoodle. Earlier this week we saw TERRI, which struck me as an attempt to do Napoleon Dynamite in a darker hue, in a minor key. I really wanted to like it. And I did like John C. Reilly's performance. But beyond that I . . . just didn't buy it. (Further Memo to Directors: loose ends do not necessarily = artistic ambiguity. Sometimes loose ends just = loose ends. And they're distracting.)

This afternoon we saw SALVATION BOULEVARD, which I'm guessing will go into some kind of general release. Lots of A-listers in that movie, including two guys I love--Greg Kinnear and Pierce Brosnan. I've said this before, but the reason I love Brosnan is that he's a handsome guy who isn't afraid to be a NUTJOB. George Clooney is a little that way, too, only Clooney always manages to hang onto to a piece of cool, no matter how silly he behaves. Brosnan, on the other hand, has no pride. None whatsoever. And I admire that immensely.

SALVATION was funny, although predictably all the religious people in the movie are idiots. (Further Further Memo to Directors: P. J. O'Rourke was right when he said going after evangelicals is like shooting fish in a barrel. So come on. Surprise us for a change.) I don't know that I'd recommend the movie, but it did make me laugh.

Okay. That's it. And btw we're not going tonight. So if you want tickets to Sundance's first official bomb, give me a call.

Does this count as writing?

So Ken and I went to a Sundance film called BIG FAN about a 35 year-old parking lot atendant who lives for the moment when the d.j. at his favorite sportsalk radio station takes his call. It was an interesting movie in a lot ways--funny at times but ultimately pretty depressing because come on. The guy spends ALL his time thinking of snappy responses to people who diss his team.

Well. I had my Big Fan moment and it wasn't pretty. After the rush of Tuesday (watching the inauguration , etc.) I spent all of Wednesday reading blogs and getting into cyber-snits with people who called themselves stuff like NO-BAMA and WE'LL MISS HIM and EH? and (of course) ANONYMOUS. I posted snarky comments like crazy and by the end of the day I kind of felt like . . . a loser.

Does all that posting count as writing?

Um. I don't think so.