snowy days and mondays

9:34 a.m.  looking at my burger king croissanwich, it's smaller than i'd like, and i wonder how much the sausage, egg, cheese, and croissant actually cost.  not all of the remainder is profit.  that money also goes to printing the paper wrapper, making the blue plastic serving tray, paying the employees' wage, and the clever pr campaign that bk has recently developed-- i love reading the odd little comments on the tray paper and fry package [labeled 'frypod'].  say my croissanwich costs the king 40 cents.  that leaves them $2.10 to use for everything, including advertising.  i'm paying them to lure me back.

i arrived at the ticket office at 6:20 and had a better spot in line than i ever have before, yet this is the first time the ticket has sold out right as i got to the counter [twice i've been told i got the very last ticket, so i guess it's my turn].

it's snowing pretty well outside-- i've had to brush my car off twice this morning.

it's looking like i have three movies to see today, the last being 'be kind, rewind,' which i heard in line this morning isn't that good.

1:15 p.m.  generally enjoyed 'anvil! the story of anvil', loved the ending.  a doc of a real-life 'spinal tap'-- kind of.  you can't help but admire their optimism.

just read last week's 'entertainment weekly.'  i'm surprised how fast i can read an entire issue; there's really not a lot in them.  i've got a slamdance movie at 3:30.  it feels like i've been here for a month without a single night of good sleep.  i'm not as cheerful and personable as i like to be.

next week i'm going to watch 'fanny and alexander', one episode per night.

6:36 p.m.  i've got a good seat to see 'be kind, rewind.'  : )

i went in to see 'phoebe in wonderland' at 2:00, planning to leave early to get up to slamdance to see 'fix' at 3:30, but ended up staying for the whole thing.  a refreshing pg-13, it's an uplifting story lead by a 10-year old girl who gives a fantastic performance [elle fanning, dakota's little sister].  there are heavy themes and some dark moments, but it is ultimately about theatre, youth, family, and imagination.  with the exception of the one-dimension emotionless principal, who could have been lifted from the school staff in 'dead poet's society', the story's supporting adults are well-developed.  bill pullman and patricia clarkson create people we like but who are not without their faults, and felicity huffman has the film's best monologue, about the pressures and questions of being a mother and an adult.

i'm curious what others thought of the movie, as it's more reaffirming than what's usually here.

i raced out and caught a bus up to slamdance.  running up the street i saw some good friends who have a short film at sundance.  i'm starting to talk like an industry person, all rushed and generalized [i.e. 'you're all great and awesome'].  i hope it doesn't last.

i think writing is just cool, especially the way it looks on a notepad.

'fix' was standing room only, but was the best thing i've seen anywhere in park city.  a guy and his girlfriend bail his eccentric brother out of jail and need to raise money for rehab, where he needs to be by the end of the day.  the guy is a doc filmmaker, so the show's 'gimmick' is that it plays entirely as a doc through his camera.  but it works too well to even be called a gimmick-- it's a style and it's great.  characters continually acknowledge the camera, it's expertly edited [which could have easily broken the movie] and given just enough inserts and narrative style to assure us that everything was thoroughly planned out.  the story held our attention the whole way through, even though i had to stand the full 90 minutes.

the movie ended with cheers and applause, and afterward i met the female lead [and director's wife]; she was in 'the black donnellys' a short-lived show that mark and i really liked.  and i talked with the director, telling him that we'd like to talk with him and exchanged information.

8:47 p.m.  'be kind, rewind' was mediocre, sadly.  the homemade videos were top-notch gondry, fun and clever, but the rest of the story was little more than a device to show the hilarious poor-man versions of 'ghostbusters', 'robocop', 'the lion', and such.  i read about how it's a commentary on today's ability for anyone and everyone to be involved in the movie-making and distributing process, thanks to inexpensive mini-dv cameras, home editing systems, and outlets such as youtube.

and that's true, but it was still a dull movie.  stick with 'eternal sunshine of the spotless mind' and the music video collection.