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Sundance
2001: Day 7
By Paul Fischer in Park City, Utah
Special to iofilm
26/01/2001
Last few
days of Sundance and exhaustion setting in...
But that doesn't
deter me to head up to the top of Main Street amidst falling snow
to check out Allison Anders' latest flick, Things Behind the
Sun.
This is the
story of Owen Richardson, (Gabriel Mann) a hip music journalist,
who is dispatched to write a piece on young rock musician Sherry
(Kim Dickens).
With her fame
on the rise and a hard-living Janis Joplin-like reputation, Sherry
is no easy assignment for the young reporter. Immediately, one
senses something looms beneath the surface of this meeting, and
indeed it does. It seems fate has brought the two together to
confront troubling secrets from their past.
Not entirely
original (see Almost
Famous), nor one of Anders' best, this nevertheless boasts
a striking performance by Dickens as the rocker with the troubled
past, and solid work by Don Cheadle as her supportive manager
and Eric Stoltz, in a small, but effective turn as Owen's imprisoned
brother. Only Mann seems a little unsure of himself and his performance
is erratic. Beautifully shot, the film is clichéd at times, but
it is still an involving, meaty drama, with effective music and
sterling performances.
Off to my
favourite place on Main St for interviews. The place to hang out
was the Interactive Lounge, normally Harry O's a great bar, transformed
by Showbizdata.com (a handy online resource for film pros, by
the way) into this great place to check out new technologies,
peruse email via a bank of laptops, and meet stars for interviews.
Chit
chat
It was here
I first chatted with Aussie director Michael Rymer about Perfume.
He laughed when I suggested that improvised films was a great
way for filmmakers to avoid writers. He also had much to say about
his next film, Queen of the Damned, to be released in the
US later this year.
One of his
stars of the film was also there, the stunning Mariel Hemingway,
grand-daughter of the famous American author Ernest Hemingway.
There's no way she looks near 40. Bright, beautiful and eloquent,
she talked about her famous legacy, and revealed that she will,
in fact, be directing an adaptation of one of her grandfather's
books next. Should be exciting.
Mr and
Mrs Brown
Back to the
Yarrow Hotel and coffee with the luminous Rachel Ward, whose short
film, The Big House, remains a Festival favourite of mine.
Ward, born in the UK but living with Aussie husband Bryan Brown
in Australia, talked candidly about her Hollywood experiences,
establishing herself in Australia and her career as a filmmaker.
Asked if she would ever direct her husband, she laughingly exclaims:
"Not in a million years". And Bryan, who joined us briefly,
was happy to concur. But what a great couple this is!
Thirtysomethings
And on to
another screening: Thirty Years to Life, which is entered
into the dramatic competition. This is an often amusing, talkie
comedy about a group of disparate friends all about to turn thirty,
and coping with life, love and career. Again, it's been done before,
but largely unknown cast of African-Americans gives appealing
performances, in an otherwise routine ensemble film.
Too
much schmaltz
Far more accessible
is actress Christine Lahti's feature directorial debut, My
First Mister. In an astonishing performance, Leelee Sobieski
plays a seventeen-year-old girl that has a troubled relationship
with a dying 49-year-old man, sublimely played by Albert Brooks.
By no means flawless, the film is confidently directed by Lahti,
who has elicited some great performances from her cast.
The film's
main problem is that it remains excessively schmaltzy. The ending,
which is particularly simplistic, needs some heavy cutting prior
to US release due around August. It's commercial, entertaining
and has some wonderful moments, but it's a film that tries far
too hard to play with the audience's emotions.
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