Sundance Film Festival 2012: part 2 of 2

While I do believe part 1 of this crazy adventure we call Sundance will be a hard act to follow, the images taking up space on my camera beg to differ.  We left off with shenanigans galore, and carry that theme right to the boarding gate at SLC airport. 

We slept in our our third full day (what a treat after late nights and early wake ups the days before to get to the theater), and we had absolutely nothing on the agenda (and by 'we' I mean Amanda and me, as the other two decided to get their ski on, and what a day of perfection on the slopes they picked, as snow fell heavy the night before.  I tore my ACL skiing last year, and am still not allowed to ski, so Amanda decided to spend the day with me...more out of fear of missing a celebrity than anything else, it is safe to assume!) We got our sleep deprived bodies to Main Street by about 10:00am and were excited to see some big names and faces, straight away. 

I know, I know...I said "BIG NAMES'...but let's be real,

who doesn't love them some Ice-T?  sure the list is wildly

long of people  who do not care one bit, but I felt I should for

sure snap a picture,  just in case someone reading this is a maj fan?

(ps. pretty sure he would have kicked my ass if I didn't)

Frank Langella, in town to promote

Robot & Frank, which went on

to win an award at the festival

The X Games loving fool in me loves Sal Masekela

(you might also remember him for the E! channel's

flop-of-a-show Daily 10, but I digress) 

I like to call this series, 'Kirsten Dunst kind of blows'

She couldn't be bothered to stop for a photo (well girl, here's to

 hoping you look like a crapsicle in loads of photos out there!)

Thankfully I was working my paparazzi magic, snapping

loads of pics as she walked out

Let's be real, I could only hate on her for a minute .

She was totally adorbs looking, and happens to be in

one of the greatest movies EVER...Drop Dead Gorgeous

(and she is a dead ringer for one of my besties...Stacey Quinn Gohl)

Liv Tyler in town to promote Robot & Frank

Stop it, could she be any cuter?  I covet her entire look.

Yes, James Mardsen, again.  He was also in town to promote Robot & Frank,

but I include the picture on the right so we can all feel good about ourselves

knowing this cutie even sports a dubsy chin from time to time in pics.  Just sayin!

Allison Janney, in town to promote Liberal Arts,

which we had the pleasure of seeing the following day.

Jon Heder and the writer and director of For Ellen.

Katie Aselton & Lake Bell in town to promote Black Rock. 

This film was not up our alley for seeing, but I do love

 me some Lake Bell. She wrote and directed one of the funniest

short  films we were lucky enough to see at Sundance 2011.

Kate Bosworth, also in town to promote

Black Rock. She has acne. Doesn't that make

you feel better about yourself,  in this moment? 

Nia Vardalos in town to promote

 For a Good Time, Call

Elizabeth Olsen in town to 

promote Liberal Arts and Red Lights 

Senior photo...I feel straight JC Penneys photo

studio including this pic, but like I said before,

I heart me some Dan in Real Life,

 and Britt Robertson is totally adorbs!

Jason Ritter.  I love me some Parenthood,

so was excited to spot him on Main Street

Oh Lil Jon...always at Sundance.

Oakley sponsors him, so he just gets to run 

around town with a snowboard under his arm.

  He really is a little guy.

Ariel Winter of Modern Family in

town to promote a film that looks

absolutely horrible! 

William H. Macy is presh, band-aid and all.

The Minnesotan in me fell in love with him in

high school, when Fargo hit theaters

Kevin Pearce at the Bing Bar talking about his miraculous recovery from a traumatic

 brain injury he suffered during a snowboarding accident (incidentally, his accident happened

on the same half pipe at Park City Mountain Resort where skiier Sarah Burke suffered injuries

that ended her life a few weeks ago).  His accident and recovery struck a bit too close to home

 for me, so I didn't watch the entire interview, but he is so very inspirational!

Kate Bosworth IS JUST LIKE US!  After she ate a

sandwich (ugh, she tore off the crust) she checked

her teeth and face in the mirror.  JUST LIKE US, people!!

(I for sure should work undercover for US Weekly)

After a ridiculous day of of celeb spottings on Main Street, and dinner at our favorite thai restaurant in town (our hubbies do meet up with us for dinner, so that is probably a good sign that we aren't totally out of control...right?), we woke early the next morning to get to the theater for back-to-back films (thankfully at the same theater).  Even with tickets, you get in line to get into the theater.  Depending on the film, the line forms early!  We got there a bit earlier than needed because we wanted to get seats front and center because Mary Beth's favzy actress, Allison Janney was in the first film we were seeing, Liberal Arts.  Our hope was that she could snap a cheesy BFF pic with Allison at the end of the screening and director/actors Q&A.

I could have a maj moment over Josh Radnor...he is so dang cute and talented.

He wrote, directed and starred in the film, Liberal Arts, which was so very fantastic! 

A perfectly gooey, lovely and impossible love story.  Sigh. 

 John Magaro (actor in the film) and Josh Radnor

Oh, remember that BFF shot we were planning on with Mary Beth and Allison Janney? Would you believe the only cast members to show up for the screening were the two dudes above!  OMG-athon, we felt so cheated!  I  must say in my 6 years of festival film seeing, I have never been to a screening where the cast didn't show.  C'est la vie, we got a snack and got in line for the next film we were seeing. 

Speaking of the next film, we went into it quite blindly!  We saw that two of our favorite actors were in it and excitedly purchased the tickets for the world premiere screening.  The film was called The Surrogate (update: the name of the movie must have confused the heck out of many...the film is now titled, The Sessions) so duh, we all thought it was going to be about a surrogate pregnancy.  Duh, right?  Well...not so much.  Have you ever in your life heard of SEX SURROGACY?  Me neither!  Let me just be honest in saying that for the first 20 minutes of the film, I tried my hardest to figure out how a pregnancy was going to come into play...which of course it never did.  I always read film synopses for all the films I hope to see, but for some reason I didn't read this one. 

Okay, this was my little 'camera over the shoulder shot',

so I wouldn't look super obnoxious, but could show that

the cast sits in the audience to watch the film.  In this case,

William H. Macy was in the theater to watch his film, The Surrogate.

The blond women in the left foreground turned out to

be the women characterized by Helen Hunt in the film.

The screenplay of The Surrogate was brilliantly adapted by Ben Lewin from an article written by author and poet,  Mark O'Brien (who was beautifully portrayed by, John Hawkes in the film) who was stricken with polio at a young age and spent his time in an Iron Lung (full body respirator that encapsulated his body and kept him alive), other than the few hours a day he was able to lie on a gurney and be wheeled around town by one of his attendants (with a portable respirator on hand).  The article was about sexuality and the disabled, and during O'Brien's research he learned of sexual surrogacy and explored the idea of losing his virginity in his late 30s (which also involved loads Catholic guilt...so there were many interactions with the church priest, portrayed by William H. Macy)...he ends up working with a surrogate, who in the film is characterized by Helen Hunt.   I am horrible about giving away too much about films, so I will just say that this is one of the greatest films I have ever had the pleasure of viewing.  I cried like a baby, and stood in ovation with the audience not once, but twice!  I have never been part of a standing ovation where the clapping did not quiet for several minutes.  It was a beautiful film, that won two awards at the film festival (audience voted Best Dramatic Film and a special jury award for Best Dramatic Acting).  I still get goosebumps when I think of the energy in the theater, and am excited as I feel certain it will do big things come awards season! 

Ben Lewin, who wrote and directed The Surrogate.

John Hawkes (remember this name, come award season...mark my word),

William H. Macy and Helen Hunt

John Hawkes, William H. Macy and Helen Hunt

and after an intense morning and afternoon we were off to Main Street to sneak into a couple more parties!!!  We are totally naughty by nature when left to our own devices!  We had to make a pitstop by the Sorel party, as they gave us some amazing discounts last year on boots and for sure wanted that hook up again.  But...the party moved to a more secure location (no, we take no blame...haaa) and we walked in the front door, behind a group of guys who we assumed were working the party, as they all had on brand new boots.  So, before we got busted, we requested our discounts and got the heck out of dodge!  We are nuts, I can acknowledge that when I am removed from the excitement! 

Ummm, if this photo doesn't show how sleep deprived we are,

 I don't know what would.  This is the little cutie, Nolan Gould,

from Modern Family.  I asked him if he is as sweet as his character,

and he said, 'if you think I am, then yes'...presh. 

Our final stop of the night and trip was the Universal Studios party.  We heard about it from an NYU student, and being the "NYU alumni" that we are, we got in no problem.  WE ARE SO BAD!  It was a fun end the an amazing trip.  A trip filled with crazy antics and many, many laughs! 

This kid, Zach Heckdorf, was up my alley. 

Super folksy and doing Dr. Dre covers. 

But, like I said, the craziness followed us to the boarding gate where we overheard the biggest creepster of a paparazzo talking about how much money he made off the sales of a video he took of Tracey Morgan...Creep McCreeperson had exactly 2 teeth.  So, if he brought in the bucks he said he did, Godspeed and buy a set of teeth. 

Sundance Film Festival 2012: part 1 of 2

Oh wow, this year at the Sundance Film Festival was Cuh-razy!  Was it the films we saw, the parties we snuck into...or were we just crazy?  Probably a decent combo of all three.  This was for sure the greatest festival I have attended! 

The first night we (Amanda, Jen, Mary Beth and I) met a guy who had one extra ticket for the festival opening night party.  We decided that one ticket meant all four of us girls would go (my husband and Amanda's husband, who traveled with us, wanted nothing to do with our shenanigans and slept up as the only thing they had on their agenda was getting in as much skiing as possible!).  So, we arrive at the venue of the opening night party and realize that security is pretty tight (had we met our match???).  We brainstormed in the adjoining bar and decided that Amanda and Mary Beth would go and ask a few random questions, giving me enough time to quickly write out names on the guest list.  How brillz are we???  We laughed so very hard, and thought it was a done deal...we were getting in! 

Well, we thought too soon, as I for sure wrote our names on THE WRONG GUEST LIST!  Welp...on to plan B.  We sent Jen in with the guy that had the extra ticket, while the three of us got to thinking of how on earth we were going to pull off the sneak in.  Like I said, security was tight.  I am talking get through the check in, receive an armband, then pass additional people of importance that were probably jonesing for a reason to have us escorted off the premises.  We were pretty discouraged, and about to walk back to the bar (we figured we would give Jen a solid hour to enjoy herself at the party, since she was in!) when something came over me and I walked with great importance past the check in and security and up the flight of stairs to the party (certain that someone was going to grab me by the faux fur hood and throw my ass in a snowbank)!  Holy Toledo...I was in!  Jen and I were laughing so hard, as this felt like a prank certain to rival any we pulled off in our teenage years.  We were still laughing when my phone rang and the other two did the exact same thing and were currently darting it up the stairs!  Like I said, we knew that one extra ticket meant all four of us would attend the party!!!

We danced late into the night.  We had a blast as the DJ pumped out some of our favorite tunes.  I pause and wonder what that dance floor would have looked like if the four of us weren't ripping it up?  We finally decided to walk back to our condo when we remembered we had to be up bright and early  the next morning for a film premiere.  Boy oh boy...did we make memories that night!  The balls to the walls mentality we called on that night definitely didn't waiver the entire trip, just keep reading!

The next morning we headed to the theater to see Wish You Were Here.  This Australian film was directed and co-written by Kieran Darcy-Smith (he wrote the film with his wife, Felicity Price, who also starred in the film).  The plot of the film is about two sisters and their partners (new boyfriend for one and husband for the other) carefree journey to Cambodia, but only three of the four return home to Australia.  The crazy cinematography brilliantly played out the classic themes of love, deception and corruption, leaving me to wonder who of the three who returned to Australia knows more than they are saying about what really happened in Cambodia.  It was a thriller in every sense of the word (I may or may not have grabbed the stranger sitting next to me at one point in the movie).  The cast was Australian, but the acting in this films leads me to hope and think we will be seeing much more of them! 

The pinnacle of screenings at Sundance is the Q&A

with the director & the cast of the film.

The producers and cast (the producers are flanking the cast). 

 I think Joel Edgerton is going to blow up. 

He was incredible in this film and when we saw him

 about town he was definitely one of the 'it' guys of the festival. 

It is such fun to see a film, and then see the director

and the cast around town. 

If you have a quick second, here is the film trailer.  So good, I already await its release so I can see it again!!

The heaviness of the morning film didn't stop us from getting our pseudo-paparazzi on...so, off to the streets of Park City we went, in search of who knows who...but we were sure to find them!  The four of us split up into 2s for a bit and at this point I befriended a security guard at the Bing Bar (who came in handy on other days too) who let Amanda and I in through the side door to go watch the Jason Mraz concert.  Sadly, we took a wrong turn and gunned it up a flight of stairs and ended up backstage.  Can you say, AWKWARD!  We were so confused and attempted to get back into the building but ended up exactly where we started...on the street talking to the security guard (who certainly thought we were idiots for missing the mark on where he told us to enter)...haaaaa!  Discouraged we were not, and off we went to find some celebs! 

Blythe Danner

I am probably 1 of 7 people in

Park City who even have a cluezy

who Cisco Adler is...yet, he seems

to be there every year!

Rashida Jones, in town to promote Celeste and Jesse Forever,

which she co-wrote and stars in.

Ari Graynor: Celeste and Jesse Forever

Andy Samberg: Celeste and Jesse Forever

Emma Roberts: Celeste and Jesse Forever

Laura Prepon, from That 70s Show...she doesn't

appear to age like a fine wine, if you catch my drift.

Duncan & Jonnie from The Buried Life

James Mardsen, in town to promote The Bachelorette 

(movie, not shitty spin-off television show...who am I

kidding, I totally watch that show!)

'Backstreets back alright!'...opps, I stand corrected, Nick Lachey was

not a Backstreet Boy...who knew? 

La Bamba!

Anne Heche in town to promote That's What She Said 

A day full of good film watching and celeb stalking, we were off to bed as early as could be Friday night, as we planned to get in the wait list line for tickets Celeste and Jesse Forever which was at the top of our list of films we hoped to catch during the festival.  Would you believe we got to the theater and in line at 5:10am?  Believe it as truth!  The reason we were gung-ho on getting there so early (the movie showed at 9:00am) is because we got hosed in the wait list line last year (after waiting several hours)...so we decided to leave nothing to chance and planned on being #1-4 in line.  Yay, we were!!!  By 6:00am the line was getting long and by the time we were escorted into the theater, the only thing we knew was that wait list #s 1-20 had seats.  Yay us! 

What to say about this film...the cast was spot on (who doesn't heart them some Andy Samberg?) and the push and pull between the lead characters of this romantic comedy was very reminiscent of one of my favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally.  Enough said! 

Director Lee Toland Krieger introducing the film,

Celeste and Jesse Forever.

Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack

Elijah Wood, Andy Samberg & Rashida Jones



Elijah Wood

Andy Samberg greeting the audience after the show

When we left the theater it was snowing so hard!  We were so excited for the guys out skiing, but decided we had to try to find something to do inside.  Mary Beth headed to the condo for a little snooze and the rest of us decided to walk Main Street a bit...but dang that snow was blowing every which direction!!!

Can you see that snow blowing?  Brrrrrrr. 

 I spied Eric Christian Olsen on Main Street.

After braving the blowing snow we headed to the Bing Bar and were excited that Aziz Ansari was doing an interview.  He is ridiculously funny! 

Maria Menounos interviewing Aziz Ansari

We watched him do his thing for awhile then thought, 'when in Rome...' let's go get lunch (upstairs...where the press is eating...haaaa).  Don't mind if we do...free lunch in hand, we cozied up on couches and made ourselves at home (I mean, look the part...who's gonna dare ask!).  We listened to some live music, watched Ross Mathews interview some people and went to the bar and grabbed some free drinks (again, when in Rome...). 

Ross Mathews interviewing Aziz Ansari

About this time Mary Beth called to see what we were up to.  We didn't know how to sneak her in, but once again, we had a plan...she would sneak in the same way the security guard had directed Amanda and I in when we accidentally went backstage.  I headed downstairs to go stand at the side entrance, and was excited to see that the security guard was the same one who kindly let Amanda and I sneak by the day before.  We were in!  All four of us were once again in!  You can't make this stuff up...we are just that sneaky!!!  We headed upstairs to the press floor and watched E! news do some interviews...so crazy (yes, we are!) and fun! 

Britt Robertson (who I loved in Dan in Real Life) and

Victoria Justice (from some show I am sure my nieces watch?)

E! News correspondent David Burtka

Amanda and I with David Burtka of E! News

 (many thanks to Amanda for letting me use her scarf to

cover up my crazy snow/hat hair) Could David be any cuter? 

I think not!  Neil Patrick Harris is one lucky dude!

Rumors started to float around the Bing Bar that The Roots would be playing that night.  We were excited, and certain we had to see the show.  We decided to find a place to hide in the building, and just wait it out.  The best idea we came up with was the ladies bathroom.  Too bad the cleaning staff of this establishment was crazy about cleaning, as they popped into the bathroom no less than 25 times while we were trying to decide if we could all fit under the bar length sink (curtain front sink, people...I still think we could have made it work!).  During this time, Jen crawled under the toilet stall that was out of order, and the door was locked.  That was going to be her hiding spot for the next (oh...how many hours did we plan on hiding out in the bathroom???  Definitely didn't think this one through) hour.  With Jen tucked away, I was on the floor making my way under the sink when a member of the cleaning staff walked in to refresh the paper towels for the 13th time.  How awkward.  Me, on the floor attempting to slide under the sink.  I had to think quickly, and the only thing I came up with was a bout of the altitude sickies had brought me to the floor!  Worked like a charm.  Mary Beth instantly knelt down to make sure I was okay. So, we had our story, but realized how old it was getting after probably the 15th person walked in and said they had experienced the same and encouraged me to eat an orange, drink more water, drink coconut water (ummm, have you tried that stuff?  Do not recommend!) or lie down.  We decided we need to get the heck out of there, and probably picked a great time to vacate, as Microsoft was hosting a private dinner.  But, where were The Roots playing?  We searched town.  Talked to loads of people in search of this elusive band.  Still, I liken our search to the episode of the original Beverly Hills, 90210 where they exchange an egg at the convenient store for a map that will lead them to a rave.  We had the 'egg' in hand...just never found the convenient store, if you will.  Major bummer, but we did find Dr. Dre playing in a venue, so that definitely wasn't too shabby!

Signing off for now, before I get a bad case of the writer's block and am forced to drink coconut water (that crap cures all, so they say!)...but will report back with part 2 of our adventures, so be on the look out!