Has it been 15 years already? My how time flies when you're having fun. Despite what you might have heard about The Sundance Film Festival, attendance is not down. It's bigger than ever as is evident by the traffic and astronomically long wait list lines. Not that I mind all that much. It's totally worth it, particularly when you get to see a great film in the process.

This year, I traveled up with colleague Chuck Matsler. He was good enough to take photos for me. Later on in the week we'll be joined by fellpw Zboneman.com contributors John Pugh, Tyler Sanders, and Jeffrey Sanders.

At the moment, I'm working on very little sleep. I've bumped into a wide range of folks including writers for Collider.com, firstshowing.net, and chud.com. Once again, props to all these guys for there ability to find time to write. It's taken me three days just to post three film reviews. I have no excuse.

Anyway, it's been a great time and while I have yet to see that truly groundbreaking film, the movies I have seen have been solid. Here's my first report;

THE KILLING ROOM

The Killing Room is sort of the thinking person's Saw. No, this isn't another entry in the increasingly tired torture porn genre, but it does feature a group of strangers locked in a room. Strangers who are ultimately forced to make tough choices. While blood does make an appearance in the picture, The Killing Room opts to deliver it's message through intriguing ideas rather than gore.

I'll tread lightly because I don't want to give too much away. What I can reveal is that The Killing Room features Timothy Hutton, Clea DuVall, Nick Cannon, and Shea Whigham as four diverse individuals who, in a bid to earn a little extra cash, willingly offer themselves up as guinea pigs in a social experiment. What this experiment entails is best left unsaid.

Director Jonathan Liebesman doesn't exactly have a pristine track record. He directed the abysmal Darkness Falls and that silly Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel. Here however, he proves to be quite adept behind the camera. Not only does he have the ability to set up an extremely tense first act, but he manages to do so in a small, contained setting.

The Killing Room isn't quite able to sustain the opening's undeniable tension for it's entire running time, but it's still a film worth seeking out. If not for the pressure cooker of a first act, then for it's unexpected chiller of an ending. Seriously! The Killing Room offers up one of those monumental final moments. A moment that caused nearly everyone in the screening room to gasp.

The Killing Room was clearly made on the cheap but Liebesman gets a lot of mileage out of a really good cast (including a creepy Peter Stormare and a classy Chloe Sevigny) and a clever set up. True, it's all a bit gimmicky, but who cares. It works because The Killing Room is surprisingly rich with provocative ideas and is particularly timely given the world we're currently living in. This is certainly one of those pictures that raises more questions than it's willing to answer, but that's what makes it more challenging than your average thriller. And again, props to Liebesman and screenwriters Gus Krieger and Ann Peacock for unloading an unexpected but completely fitting sucker-punch-to-the-face ending. An ending I was thinking about long after I left the theater.

Let's hope whoever winds up distributing The Killing Room doesn't taint its overall effectiveness by turning it into a franchise. Leave this one alone. This thrilling flick ends on a perfectly ambiguous note.

MOON

After watching Moon I wasn't entirely sure how I really felt about it. It certainly has an interesting theme at it's center. A theme that I can't really go into or I'd be spoiling what the film is actually about. I think what I had a problem with was the methodical pacing. Generally, I'm not bothered by a deliberately slow pace. I'm a big fan of the similarly paced Solaris. Strangely though, my issue with Moon's pacing has subsided since having had time to reflect on it, and I think that's a true testament to Sam Rockwell's memorable work in the movie.

This effectively shot sci fi piece features an outstanding performance by Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell, a miner whose been stationed on the moon for three long years. He is completely isolated and only has the lunar base computer (voiced by a fitting Kevin Spacey) to keep him company. With only a few weeks left on his long and lonely shift, a strange encounter has Bell questioning his own sanity.

Rockwell gives a wonderfully textured, multi-layered performance, and it reminded me a bit of Tom Hanks in Cast Away in that he doesn't really have anyone to bounce of here. This is essentially a one man show. Rockwell perfectly conveys a loneliness and vulnerability that, at times, is quite heartbreaking. Through the ingenuity of Duncan Jones' creative direction and writing, Rockwell is also able to showcase many different facets of his personality. There's a stoic side, an eccentric side, and, of course, a manic side. They're all on display and in top form.

The plot of Moon really takes shape in the second half when a most interesting element is introduced to this tale of a lonely man looking forward to returning home to his family. Again, I'm not going to reveal this particular plot point. It isn't so much a twist as it is an intriguing plot element that drives this character driven piece in a most interesting direction. Its also a plot point that will explain many of the strange questions you might be asking yourself as the movie makes it's way to the midway mark.

Moon is both haunting and poetic and while the speed at which the story unfolds may be maddening for some folks, there's so much here worth recommending including stunning art direction and a picture perfect score by Clint Mansell. While Moon does touch on themes explored in 2001 and Silent Running, it doesn't really feel like either of those movies. It exists in a world all it's own. This isn't exactly a film for the masses, but it does raise some interesting questions about humanity, and it presents these questions in a unique, engaging way. If you have the patience to stick with Moon, it's quite a rewarding experience.

HUMPDAY

Humpday is a winning comedy that will probably draw comparisons to Kevin Smith's recent Zack and Miri Make a Porno. While the films do have a lot in common, Humpday emerges as the stronger picture because it strikes up a better balance of raunch and charm.

In Humpday, the likable Mark Duplass plays Ben, a happily married thirty something whose white picket fence life is disrupted when life long friend Andrew, whom he hasn't seen in quite sometime, drops by unannounced. Actually, Ben isn't at all surprised by Andrew's spontaneous appearance as it's the sort of thing he comes to expect from his carefree buddy. In fact, even Ben's understanding wife Anna seems unfazed by Andrew's unannounced visit despite the fact that he shows up at three o' clock in the morning.

As the film progresses, Humpday gives new meaning to the term "bromance" as Ben and Andrew, in a drunk stooper, decide that they're going to have sex with each other on camera and submit the so-called art piece to an amateur porn competition called Humpfest. Will these two heterosexuals go through with their seemingly incomprehensible plan? I'm certainly not going to reveal the answer to that question here, but I will say that once you get past the initial shock of Ben and Andrew's goal, Humpday emerges as a surprisingly charming and insightful take on love, sex, and relationships.

Humpday falls into the mumble-core genre. The directing style and dialogue flow has a Puffy Chair/Baghead ring to it. There's an improvised but natural flow to the way these characters talk, and while some scenes go on a little too long, these engaging actors bring sincerity to the proceedings. There are certainly uncomfortable moments to be found in Humpday, but such moments are derived from real situations. Nothing feels labored. Zack and Miri by comparison, is more interested in a broad comical approach which is fine, but in that film, the sweet center is buried beneath the dirty jokes. Humpday manages to strike a stronger balance because, for the most part, it's firmly grounded in reality.

A light on his feet Mark Duplass and a hilarious Joshua Leonard hit all the right notes as Ben and Andrew. I don't know what kind of chemistry these individuals have in the real world, but on screen they come across as life long friends. Alycia Delmore also brings sweetness and understanding to the table as Anna.

What I really liked about Humpday is that it features characters who stay true to who they are. The ending of this film in particular really works and I like where this bromance ends up.

END OF REPORT #1
That's it for now but there's plenty more to come. Watch for reviews of I Knew It Was You, Lulu and Jimi, It Might Get Loud, Why We Laugh, and one of the most anticipated films of the festival, the Norwegian zombie film Dead Snow.