Sundance Film Festival has arrived and I'm as excited as ever. It's quite cool to be able to see these movies, some of which were completed mere days before their premieres. It's just really nice to discover a little gem before the hype machine gets a hold of it. And while I did see one stinker thus far, I'm happy to report that the good stuff has more than outweighed the bad.

This year is particularly special as most of the films being screened were made by first time film makers. There were far more lower profile films than in years past, and it's always exciting to experience a new talent. Anyway, on with the coverage.

SUPER SIZE ME
Starring Morgan Spurlock

This is clearly one of the most talked about films at the festival. To give a little insight into the hell I went through to get tickets, browse down to the bottom of this report.* So without further adieu, let's talk about Super Size Me.

Do you remember a time when it was customary to eat meals at home as a family? Those days are long gone as we now live in world populated by a plethora of fast food joints lead by the chain of all chains McDonalds

Fascinated by a court case in which two young woman sued the McDonalds corporation for serving less than healthy food, energetic film maker Morgan Spurlock decided to delve into this crazed, fast-food phenomenon by doing the unthinkable; he put himself on a strict McDonalds diet. Yes, for an entire month, Spurlock vowed to only eat McDonalds food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So what kind of effect would this experiment have on a healthy, 185 pound, 6 foot 2 man with virtually no medical problems and a vegan girlfriend? I'm not going to reveal the answer in this review as you need to see this picture for yourself. I will say that Mr. Spurlock is not only funny and charismatic, but he also has balls the size of church bells. What he subjects himself to in the name of education is beyond description. He is fearless in his approach but never surrenders his endearing sense of humor.

Like Michael Moore (clearly an inspiration), Spurlock takes a satirical, provocative look at his topic but Super Size Me isn't so much a stab at McDonald's as it is an eye opening experience to Americans. At the same time, the movie is extremely well rounded in it's look at obesity in this country as well as examining the profound effect that fast food culture has had upon our youth. And the stats and tidbits on display here are quite staggering. To give an example, Manhattan Island is approximately 13 miles long by 2 miles wide. Guess how many McDonalds are on Manhattan Island. Would you believe 89? That's just insane. Breaking it down, that's one McDonalds every four blocks. Super Size Me is full of information like this. But the most effective moments in the movie revolve around Spurlock's little endurance test. Though clearly taking his cause to the extreme, it is obvious that he proves his point with flying colors.

Why is fast food so important in today's world? There are a number of reasons, but the convenience factor is way up there. In today's "always on the move" society, McDonalds and other such fast food chains capitalize on our all too busy nature. I have two kids, and occasionally, my wife and I will just run through the drive through because it saves time and is much easier when we're on the go.

Super Size Me is, all at once, funny, educational, and quite scary. Morgan Spurlock has fashioned an outstanding documentary that is informative and hilarious in it's depiction of fast food culture and I hope he and his film get a super sized deal at Sundance. This is an enormously important movie that needs and deserves to be seen.

If I told you that I'll never eat fast food again after watching Super Size Me, I'd be lying. I will say that I'm going to try and cut back in a big way. After you see this outstanding film, you will too.

Grade: A-

OVERNIGHT
Starring Troy Duffy

A few years back, up-and-coming film maker Troy Duffy caused quite the stir when his screenplay Boondock Saints caused bidding wars among various movie studios. The project was originally secured by Miramax Pictures, but before long, the film was mired in turnaround.

Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana first got involved with Troy Duffy through a rock group that Duffy and his brother put together called The Boondock Saints. Soon, they became the group's management team. While performing all managerial duties, Smith and Montana decided they would document Duffy's quick rise to fame in film and music, through interviews and daily video footage. Little did they know, they would capture the rise and fall of a truly charismatic, but egomaniacal individual, who seemed hell bent on alienating everyone around him in the name of self-aggrandizement. After several years in the making, this footage has been edited together in the form of Overnight, a fascinating look into the world of egomania and the power of celebrity.

Duffy is the perfect subject for a documentary and when you see this movie, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. We never really get a sense of who this man was before Miramax chairman Harvey Weinstein struck up a deal with him, but we certainly know who he is by the end.

Overnight is a brutal, no holds barred look at how blinded a man can become by his own self-importance, but it's also wickedly funny. I loved the balance in this picture. During moments of this movie, I actually applauded Duffy's shrewd business sensibility, but then in most he came across as a selfish, egocentric prick.

In the early goings on, Overnight seemed liked the ultimate revenge project - a way for Smith and Montana to get back at Duffy for shitting on them. But as the film progressed, it became something much deeper, and upon speaking to the film-makers after the film, it was completely clear that these guys did have admiration for Duffy in the beginning. They recognized that this guy had talent. Unfortunately, power and money can take a strong hold on certain people, and Duffy is one of those people. Halfway through the film making process, Duffy even has the nerve to try and bite the hand that feeds him, and if you have any knowledge of the Weinsteins, you know that that's a big no-no.

Some might argue that Duffy's behavior and unwillingness to compromise is no different than some the actions taken by Weinstein in his own career. Of course the big difference is that Weinstein has paid his dues. He's been around the block a few times. Duffy, while extremely talented, was new to the game and because he thought he was hot shit, he got burned.

And while I never really got the sense that this guy actually has a love for film, he is certainly a highly energetic individual, and extremely driven to boot. While his Boondock Saints was released, it tanked and many attribute that to Duffy's obnoxious people skills as well as Harvey Weinstein's pull in the industry. It should also be noted that the film did do very well on video and DVD.

It was recently reported that Duffy wrote a sequel to Boondock Saints, and is currently trying to get the project off the ground. It's safe to say that Miramax won't be green-lighting it.

Like Chris Smith's American Movie, Overnight features an individual who will do just about anything to get his movie made, only here, the director pisses off all the ones he loves in the process.

Smith and Montana have painted an intimate portrait that is actually far more compelling than Boondock Saints itself. I really hope they get a distribution deal. This was one of the most riveting movies I saw at the festival.

Grade: A

OPEN WATER
Starring Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis

The new thriller Open Water might be best described as Blair Witch Project meets Jaws, only instead of our central characters being lost in the woods, they're alone in the ocean and instead of the central terrorizing force being a supernatural prescence, it's a school of hungry sharks.

Based on a true story, the premise of Open Water is quite simplistic. A married couple set off on a Scuba Diving trip with nine other couples. Once at the diving spot, our adventurous leads (beautifully played by Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) are having the time of their lives as they discover breathtaking underwater vistas. Overwhelmed by all there is to see, they lose track of time and are slightly late getting back to the rendevous point. As they swim to the surface, they are horrified to discover that the boat is gone. Open Water spends most of it's running time depicting a terrifying twenty-four hour period of self preservation under the most intense circumstances.

I will admit, that I found myself asking certain questions during this film. I had a hard time buying that the boat crew could be so careless and unprofessional in their miscount, and I also couldn't believe that none of the other couples noticed that Ryan and Travis were missing as the boat departed. But this is based on a true story and I suppose stranger things have happened. Besides, once the tale of survival is set into motion, the movie becomes so eerie and suspenceful, that I just sort of forgot about the stuff that initially bothered me.

This striking film from director Chris Kentis was shot on a low budget, but it's a great example of how the power of suggestion can be much more effective than the greatest of special effects. This isn't to say that Open Water doesn't deliver the goods in front of our eyes. There is some startling imagery on display here, but much of the picture is psychological. While there are plenty of sequences featuring sharks, jelly fish and other such dangerous sea creatures, it is the quieter moments in which our central characters are watching their backs and predicting their own fates that make the movie so terrifying.

Most importantly, I really had no idea where this movie was headed. And when we arrive at the end of the journey, I was quite shocked by the direction this film takes. In fact, it rasied more questions than it answered, but that was one of the things I really loved about it.

Since I attended a press screening of this film, there were no film makers on hand to discuss it afterwards which was disappointing because I had questions. Happily, my friend Bruce Bennet, his wife Ellen, and our friends Tyson and Brooke bumped into actor Daniel Travis, while eating lunch in Park City. Bruce and I had similar thoughts by the end of the picture, and he had the opportunity to ask Travis about certain events in Open Water. If it appears I'm being vague on plot details, that's because I am. I don't want to ruin this experience for anyone.

I expected Open Water to be a typical story of survival that one might see on one of those "When Animals Attack" programs, but what I got was something much different. Something much darker and something surprisingly realistic. In a sense, this is a work of pure horror, but it's also an achingly intense human drama.

I'm happy to report that Lions Gate Films picked this movie up, so it will see the light of day. I'm hoping Lions Gate markets the film properly. If so, the sky's the limit. Even though this is a low-budget indie, it's an effective one, and I think it could strike a cord. When Jaws opened in the 70's, beach attendence dropped. Open Water could certainly have the same effect on scuba diving. It's that scary. I can't wait to see it again.

Grade: B+

GARDEN STATE
Starring Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and Ian Holm

Many of you may be familiar with Zach Braff from the television show Scrubs. He now enters the feature film arena with Garden State, a movie in which he wrote, directed and stars.

Before the screening, Braff introduced the film and I was immediately struck by his genuine sincerity. He was incredibly gracious, and it was very clear that he was overwhelmed by the Sundance reception.

In the dramedy, Braff plays Andrew Largeman, a depressed man who has returned to his hometown to attend a funeral. He hasn't been to his old stomping ground in quite sometime, but finds that not much has changed. Sure, one of his old buddies has become a millionaire thanks to a clever invention, but this hasn't changed who he is in the slightest. Yes, everything is all too familiar, including unresolved tension between he and his father (played by Ian Holm). Upon reconnecting with his old friends, Largeman makes a new one in the form of a young, tale telling woman (played by Natalie Portman). Slowly, the two begin to fall for each other.

Braff (who bares a resemblance to Ray Romano of Everybody Loves Raymond fame) is very retrained, and his dry sense of humor is welcome. Dramatically, however, he isn't always quite up to the challenge. The big moments between he and Ian Holm aren't quite as dramatic as they aspire to be. Still, Braff does have a natural screen presence and this is a side of him we haven't seen on Scrubs. Natalie Portman is absolutely radiant as the young woman of Largeman's affection. She positively glows here in a turn that is energetic and sincere. While her persona in the early goings on of the film seemed like a bit much, I completely warmed up to this role, and by the end of the picture, it was clear that Portman had fashioned a totally unique character.

Braff's screenplay is observant (Braff himself, stated that many of the things we see in this picture, are things he experienced in his own life), and while it has a lot of humor, there is much pathos to be found here as well. And there lies the problem. The balance in Garden State feels off. The funny stuff is very funny, but it doesn't mesh well with the dramatic moments. Mixing drama and comedy is no easy task. Some films are able to pull it off (such as Sundance 2003 fave Pieces of April) , but Garden State doesn't quite get there. And this picture tends to meander as well. There is a far-too-lengthy sequence in which Braff, Portman and Peter Sarsgaard set off on a little journey that would have been far more satisfactory if it had been edited down to five minutes.

As it stands, Garden State has some terrific moments, and any movie that can make a climactic "rendeveous at the airport" scene (something that's been done in countless movies) work, can't be all that bad.

With fine acting and writing, Zach Braff has fashioned a competent first effort that, while not perfect, shows true potential for the Scrubs co-star. Garden State could have been tightened but it had enough bright spots for a reccomendation.

Grade: B-

CSA: CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA

Have you ever watched those interesting and informative documentaries on the History Channel? CSA is one of those. The catch here is that The Confederate States of America is an audacious mockumentary that shows what could have been had the South won the Civil War.

Firstly, I must admit that I'm not much of a history buff. I find it interesting and know a fair share but it's not something I've studied religiously.

CSA is crammed with so much information that many might find it a daunting film experience. And it's safe to say that if you don't have at least a basic knowledge of the Civil War, you will be lost.

Screenwriter/director Kevin Willmott (a historian himself) has fashioned a truly creative piece of art that will surely offend some people, but for those of you who enjoy satire and welcome the provocative, CSA will be right up your alley.

CSA is brilliant on so many levels. It unfolds as a History channel documentary complete with commercials (edgy, satirical fare that brought to mind the ads in Paul Verhoeven's Robocop). The CSA documentary itself plays as if the South did win the Civil War, and presents mock historians and altered glimpses into a past that could have been. It suggests that Abraham Lincoln joined the Underground Railroad, and has the nerve to imply that we had an alliance with Adolph Hitler. CSA also presents a world in which slave owning is a common thing, going so far as to reveal that slaves can be purchased on the home shopping network.

No doubt, a lot of people won't find this sort of thing funny. In fact, there were people who reportedly walked out of screenings of CSA at Sundance citing reverse racism and other such nonsense. I found the film incredibly compelling, and never took it too seriously.

CSA isn't always effective. Some of the commercials are very funny while others fall flat. The recreations of past information (including mock film clips) are sporadically entertaining, but stylistically, some left a bit to be desired.

I also found myself questioning certain aspects of the film. If CSA is depicting a country in which African Americans don't have rights, I was a bit confused as to why one of the central historians narrating the documentary was African American herself.

These are minor quibbles, however, pointed towards an otherwise thought provoking, ambitious experiment of a movie that pushes the medium in a new direction. Kevin Willmott takes a lot of chances here, and as a whole, this mockumentary is more than effective. Satire can be tough and CSA: Confederate States of America works more often than not. This is a funny, bold movie.

Grade: B+

DEADLINE

For those of you who love to debate the pros and cons of Capital Punishment, Deadline is a picture that you might want to see.

This documentary revolves around Illinois Governor George Ryan and a tough decision he had to make on the eve of his departure from office. It should be noted that Ryan was a Republican and a long time supporter of the death penalty. He was left with the unthinkable task of deciding whether or not to grant clemency to several death row inmates.

Through interviews with death row inmates and family members of lives lost, Deadline paints an intimate portrait of the Capital Punishment issue.

Directors Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson are very straight forward in their approach. Unlike some of the more noteworthy documentaries at this year's festival, Deadline has no irreverence factor. This movie simply presents facts from every angle.

While I found many moments in Deadline to be intense and powerful (none more so than a sequence in which a mother pleads for the life of her son while sitting in the presence of the family of the girl of who's life he took), I wasn't completely overwhelmed or profoundly moved by the picture. Perhaps that's because I didn't feel as if I was learning something I didn't already know.

The topic of Capital Punishment is not easy subject matter and certainly, Deadline makes it's points much more clearly and far more effectively than some of the fictional films we've seen as of late (did you see that awful mess that was The Life of David Gale?). And while this documentary does seem to take a stance on the issue (I don't want to reveal Ryan's decision for those of you who are not familiar with the case), I applaud the fact that the movie is well rounded in it's presentation of facts, interviews and opinions.

Deadline wasn't my favorite documentary at the festival but it certainly boasts some of the most important subject matter. And it does come across as a fair and accurate portrayal of a tough issue.

Grade: B

DIG
Starring Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols

I'm a huge fan of rock band The Dandy Warhols, so I figured the new documentary Dig would be of particular interest to me. Little did I know, this film would be much more compelling than I ever could have imagined.

Dig documents the rise of alternative rockers The Dandy Warhols, while simultaneously following the destructive path of fellow rockers The Brian Jonestown massacre. While neither band is necessarily a household name, The Dandy Warhols have developed a decent following while Brian Jonestown Massacre are more of an underground phenomenon.

I've listened to some of Brian Jonestown Massacre's stuff, but I wouldn't call myself an avid fan. Our fearless music reviewer Kyle England is a huge fan but even he was blown away by some of the stuff on display in Dig.

In all actuality, Dig is more interested in showcasing Brian Jonestown Massacre's dysfunctional path rather than delving into the more successful lives of The Dandy Warhols crew. Which suited me just fine, because as much as I love the Dandies, the boys of the Brian Jonestown Massacre make for an incredibly intense documentary focal point.

This insightful film was compiled from seven years of footage. The link between the two bands is a powerful friendship that began in the early stages of The Dandy Warhols' career. Dandy lead singer Courtney Taylor has never hid the fact that he absolutely loves The Brian Jonestown Massacre. They were a huge driving force in his wanting to form a band. In fact, back in the day, the two bands often toured together.

Through two separate, often turbulent, careers, both bands would go in vastly different directions. The Dandy Warhols went on to be signed by Capitol Records. And while their career could hardly be summed up as extraordinary, they have become a recognizable band, and particularly popular overseas. They've also matured as musicians through the years. The Brian Jonestown Massacre by comparison have taken a much rougher road. Headed by the charismatic but all too volatile Anton Newcombe, Jonestown Massacre built a reputation of being unpredictable rather than capitalizing on their outstanding musical skills.

Dig started off as a terrific collection of live performances but then became something much more powerful and intriguing. Through the picture, we see everything from tension between bandmates, to bitter rivalries, to violent antics during live shows to nasty drug habits. This is an intimate document of these bands - warts and all.

At it's heart, Dig is telling two stories; One is a tale of a powerful love/hate relationship. It's clear that Courtney Taylor and Anton Newcombe have great love and respect for one another, but because of jealously and success, they aren't always able to convey their true feelings.

The other story is a psychological profile on Newcombe himself. This is a genius who thrives on conflict. He needs it to create. Had he achieved the same sort of success obtained by Courtney Taylor or say Kurt Cobain, there's no guaranteeing this guy would even still be alive. As I watched this movie, it was perfectly clear to me that this is no act. This is who this man is. At one moment he can be the nicest guy in the world and at another, he can be a complete monster, but not once did I hate him. He was always sympathetic.

Dandy Warhols just released their fourth album Welcome to the Monkeyhouse on Capitol Records. Meanwhile, Brian Jonestown Massacre (which has undergone numerous line-up changes) continues to do things Newcombe's way. They've released three times as many albums as the Dandy Warhols, and while this doesn't necessarily make them a better band (that's simply a matter of opinion), it more than suggests that Newcombe needs to create music to survive. It's all he has to live for.

Film Maker Ondi Timoner has fearlessly documented the lives of these bands refusing to compromise and allowing them to speak for themselves. As insightful as the entire movie is, the real focal point is Anton Newcombe. A well respected musician who continues to fight the good fight in the name of art. I, for one, am going to run out and buy all the Brian Jonestown Massacre records.

Like it's subjects, Dig is compelling stuff.

Grade: A

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Starring Matt Dillon, Christina Applegate, and Steve Zahn

My friends Jeff and Megan Dresback were quite excited to see this movie because it was written and directed by Mitch Rouse who used to write for the TV show Strangers With Candy. We decided to check the picture out. At the very least, we figured it had to be good for a laugh. Boy were we wrong.

In the supposed comedy, Matt Dillon plays a man whose life is looking good. He's due for a promotion at the bank he works for and he's engaged to a beautiful, loving woman (played by Christina Applegate). With things going so well, it seems only obvious that things will soon fall apart. And that they do. The downward spiral begins when Dillon's slacker buddy (played by a hyper Steve Zahn) shows up for a visit. Soon after, Dillon's happy little life begins to slip away.

Now my friend Jeff is a writer and he loves humor. And anyone who loves comedy knows that the first rule of the comedy is that it needs to be FUNNY!!!!! Employee of the Month is not funny. It's not even darkly funny. It's just stupid and boring.

Matt Dillon is a major talent. Unfortunately, he does nothing to elevate this awful material. The minute Zahn pops up on screen, it's clear that he will be the obligatory comic tour de force, but he unfortunately wears out his welcome really quick. It's not his fault, mind you. He is lively, but the writing is so shallow and ugly, that he is rarely given a chance to shine. The only performance that is halfway decent is Applegate who actually plays the role straight (sort of). Her dramatic moments are surprisingly strong.

Employee of the Month tries to be edgy and biting but fails miserably on both levels. In fact, the movie is so unfocused and so dull, it resorts to a bunch of stupid gimmicks in it's final act, in an attempt to wake the audience up.

If I gave a rat's ass about any of the characters in this picture, the gimmicks might not have bothered me. If the movie had been remotely funny the gimmicks might not have bothered me. But since I was never really along for the ride, I truly felt offended by nearly everything in Employee of the Month.

And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Rouse throws in an ending that instantly brought to mind the Wachowski Brothers' infinitely more entertaining Bound. Perhaps if Employee of the Month would have been entertaining, I wouldn't have cared.

This movie was a waste of awesome talent, and more importantly, it was a waste of time.

Grade: D

Look for plenty more in the days to come.

*Cold Ticket Mountain: Check this out. I unfortunately missed the press screening, so I attempted to take a chance in the wait list line along with my good friends Bruce and Ellen Bennett (hi guys). Now for those of you who know all about the Sundance experience, you're well aware that it's no easy task to get tickets on the day of the show. It requires waiting a long time in line (in this case, nearly four hours) in the freezing cold. And let me tell you-this was by far the coldest year I've ever attended. To give you a little taste of just how cold it was, I'll fill you in. We went across the street to grab a pizza. By the time we walked back to the line, the pizza was virtually frozen. CRAZY, INSANE COLD!!!! So anyway, it turns out that the guy in the front of the wait list line had been there for a whopping six hours. People really wanted to see this movie. Sadly, this part of the story does not have a happy ending. No one in the wait list line got into the screening. There were just too many people. Even film makers were giving up their seats to attendees who had hard tickets. What a bummer. At the very least, we were given these cute little happy meals as a consolation. They were filled with little promotional toys and such, as well as a Super Size Me beanie which came in more than handy.

The next evening, I ventured into downtown Salt Lake City. They happened to be screening Super Size Me there, and usually, it's easier to get tickets to Salt Lake City screenings. That wasn't the case this time. By the time I got over there (nearly two hours before show time) there were probably over 150 people in line. Desperate to get in, I hung around hoping that maybe someone would be trying to unload extra tickets. That desperation paid off in a most unexpected way. While I'm hanging out, I strike up a conversation with this pleasant woman outside the Broadway Center. As fate would have it, she's related to the director of Super Size Me. Not only was I able to get in, but I was personally given a ticket by director Morgan Spurlock and his publicist Steven Wallace (God bless you both). At this point my primary concern was that I was not going to like the movie, and it certainly would have been a belly-drop to have to report as much. But I had a "gut" feeling it was not going to disappoint and my instincts proved correct.

Sorry I'm rambling, but I assure you, there shouldn't be anymore such long-winded tales in this report. The rest of the pictures were much easier to get into because I had hard tickets or press screenings. And be sure to click back on movies and look for Sundance 2004 report number two - hey I'm just gettin' stared.