"my head is starting to get fuzzy"

Name that movie.

My dear brother gave me a wonderful send off gift. A cold, complete with runny nose and stuffy head. Thanks for sharing, little brother. At least it didn't start until the day I flew home.

So with a fuzzy, cold-induced head, I'm going to tell you about the movies I saw while at Sundance. There's so much to say about each one, so I'll keep try to keep it short and just hope they all get picked up by a studio that will release it so every one else in the world can enjoy them....

Bhutto

We (my roommate and I) wait-listed this one. Wait-listing basically means that you show up 2 hours before the movie starts, get a voucher with a number on it, leave for a while and come back 30 minutes before the movie starts to stand in line and hope that there are enough empty seats in the theater for you to get in. We did, and I'm so glad!

I'll be honest. I don't know a great deal about world events. This one was completely unknown to me. It's like a story in a movie. Beautiful, smart woman, who is the daughter of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, becomes Prime Minister herself. I'm telling you, this is a great one. Tragically sad and SO, so well done.

A Small Act

This was the first movie we saw, and it was emotional. It's about a man who was sponsored as a little boy by a woman in Sweden. Kinda like Compassion, but not a Christian organization. The little boy grows up to work for the United Nations in human rights. He decides to start an organization that helps the kids in the village where he grew up. He wanted to help others like he was. He meets the woman who sponsored him years later and finds out that she was a Holocaust suvivor.
It was a beautiful story of hope. The director, the sponsored "boy," the lady who sponsored him and several other people in the documentary were there. Wow. You need to see this one if you have ever sponsored a child. I think it helps you realize what type of impact you can make on their lives.
This film was backed by HBO documentaries and will be shown this summer. It's definitely worth a watch!

Waiting for Superman

An amazing documentary (we love us some documentaries!) on the public school system in America. This one was so well done. So thought provoking. Incredible.

We were lucky enough to have tickets for the premiere, so we got to see the director, Geoffrey Canada and Bill Gates. It was really neat to hear them talk about the film and answer questions that people in the audience had. I'm in awe of Bill Gates. The man is just super smart.
ps: if you listen to This American Life, you would remember Geoffrey Canada from the episode about The Baby College. And the program they did about the Rubber Room. Horrifying.

This was the first movie picked up at Sundance (by Paramount). It should get released across the nation, so be on the lookout for it.

The Runaways

I think anyone who has seen Kristen Stewart's haircut in the last few months has heard about this one. It's the story of the band The Runaways, Joan Jett's first band. We just happened to get tickets for the premiere, which meant it was a crazy madhouse. Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Joan Jett and Cherrie Currie were all there along with the director.

I'm gonna say this....I think Michael Shannon will get another Oscar nomination for this role. The 70's clothes and style will make a comeback. Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning will be "it" again. These are my predictions. Of course, it's also possible that people will just hate it, but those are my opinions.

I'll also give this disclaimer, the movie will be rated a very strong "R" unless they delete a bunch of scenes. (Sundance movies aren't rated) It is definitely a sex, drugs and rock-n-roll movie. That being said, I liked it. It's kinda weird and trippy and a little choppy in the story telling, but the performances are fantastic. The cinematography is great. You can see the trailer here.

It was really cool to see the actors. They all answered questions after the movie. I think Kristen Stewart was adorable. I've never been a huge fan of hers, but in interviews that I read of her, she seemed so normal and down to earth. She was so nervous at the premiere that it made her endearing. I also really liked her style. I think she was one of the people I was most surprised over after seeing them in real life.
Dakota was very poised and well spoken. She seemed to take on the "older" sister role between her and Kristen.
Joan Jett and Cherie....can you imagine watching a movie about yourself with other people playing you? Weird, right?! They both loved, loved the movie and had nothing but amazing things to say about the actors who portrayed them and the film itself.


We saw one other movie, but it wasn't that great. On the whole, I have to say, that seeing movies at Sundance is much more of an all-around "movie experience." There are so many documentaries too, which I love and rarely ever get to see in the theater (hear that Hollywood?!). Seeing a premiere is one of the coolest things ever. I love the question and answer sessions. I love that people are there because they love film; they love a good story. It was amazing. Sundance was fantastic.


And no, I wasn't ready to come home. I definitely would have stayed longer, if work and $$ would allow. And yes, I would definitely 100% do it again!