It was a total fiasco getting to Park City, UT from San Diego today. After proudly booking a flight yesterday and then switching to get the earlier flight that I wanted, I thought everything was great. I was even on time to pick up my friend Amy.
Well, we got to the airport and checked in and when it was time to board, found out our flight was delayed. Within an hour, the flight was cancelled. In fact, all Southwest flights were cancelled at that moment. Then, an hour later, just as we were ready to fork out some cash to Delta, our flight was going to board.
3 hours and 2 Bloody Mary's in, we were ready to go.
Then upon approaching Las Vegas to connect to SLC, we were told we had to circle Vegas but not land. Round and round we went until we spun off to Reno for a refuel. Recall the statement above about the Delta flight? It was a direct flight but I digress.
Reno added an hour to the trip by the time we got fuel and de-iced. It was a bumpy flight back to Vegas with the highlight being plane-shaped graham crackers that were also known as lunch.
So, that Delta flight...we would have been in Salt Lake City instead of Reno...next time, I think I'll just pay the difference. One of those things we couldn't have known before!
Back in Vegas we got a 5 minute reprieve from the seats that had held us close for
4 hours.
Finally, around 8pm, we were in our hotel in Park City. It took 13 hours from the time we arrived at SAN to the time we arrived at our hotel.
Opening Night Party didn't happen. We had the chance to get tickets but it we also didn't feel to well.
I did meet a film critic for US Weekly in the lobby which was awesome. I would love to write and get paid for it. I would love to be an expert on film and to have a job that required it.
Tomorrow, it's on! Movies, movies, movies. We have tickets and we're ready to go.
The Dance is starting...
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sundance Twenty-Ten
I am going to the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. By the grace of some wonderful people, I am going to a place I have dreamed of and am going to see wonderful films and be a part of one of the greatest film festivals in the world.
I am going with a great friend and ready for adventure!
The feeling I have right now is comparable to some of the greatest moments of my life.
So far today:
Flight delayed
Flight cancelled
Flight taking off in 20 minutes!
I am in great hope that I'll make it to Salt Lake City and then Park City asap.
Join me on twitter "rabiahc" as I tweet and here as I blog about my experience.
My first challenge, once I'm there, is getting into the Opening Night Party. I have one ticket and two in my group. It's going to happen.
Tomorrow, the films begin!
Life is beautiful. This is a reminder.
I am going with a great friend and ready for adventure!
The feeling I have right now is comparable to some of the greatest moments of my life.
So far today:
Flight delayed
Flight cancelled
Flight taking off in 20 minutes!
I am in great hope that I'll make it to Salt Lake City and then Park City asap.
Join me on twitter "rabiahc" as I tweet and here as I blog about my experience.
My first challenge, once I'm there, is getting into the Opening Night Party. I have one ticket and two in my group. It's going to happen.
Tomorrow, the films begin!
Life is beautiful. This is a reminder.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
A Serious(ly) Man
I love the Coen Brothers. Joel and Ethan Coen rank among my Top 10, maybe even Top 3 filmmakers/screenwriters. "A Serious Man" was not my favorite movie. After seeing 5 films in one week, I can honestly put this one at the bottom of the 5. If I go back a few weeks or fast-forward a few weeks, it will most likely not be saved from last place unless I take my nephew to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel".
I thought that there were funny parts to this film that looks at the struggle of physics professor Larry Gopnik as his life hits a chaotic wall. His wife is leaving him, his pot-smoking son is becoming a bar mitzvah and his daughter is constantly trying to wash her hair while saving money for a nose job. Richard Kind plays his uncle, who has a cist that he is constantly draining and provides some entertainment. To add to it, a student is trying to extort Gopnik and his neighbors are distracting him.
There were some funny moments and some pretty dramatic moments but in all, I didn't love this film. I wouldn't even recommend it to anyone. It isn't the worst thing I've ever seen but I just didn't get it. I wonder if maybe I don't understand enough about Judaism to really see why it is special or if it just wasn't my cup of tea.
The son and Sy Ableman (the wife's new man) were my favorite characters and did inevitably make me laugh every time they were on screen.
Probably 2/3 into the film, Gopnik seeks the counsel of a few rabbis, one of which was played by Simon Helberg (Walowitz on The Big Bang Theory) and that was a great surprise! I think this happened too late in the film and should have come sooner. He is trying to become a serious man and doesn't think he can do it on his own.
Michael Stuhlbarg did a great job of making Gopnik a character a viewer could only sympathize with and deserves kudos for his acting abilities.
Overall, I give this one a sideways thumb and still can't wait to see what the Coen's have on tap next. If I want to laugh and see a dark comedy, I'll find my Fargo DVD and leave A Serious Man on the shelf.
As I conclude this review, I feel like I really am missing something and am trying to decide if having an awful day before seeing the film led to my lack of patience with it. Maybe you'll really like it. I did laugh and did cringe and that is usually enough but I think I just wanted more. Bummer.
I thought that there were funny parts to this film that looks at the struggle of physics professor Larry Gopnik as his life hits a chaotic wall. His wife is leaving him, his pot-smoking son is becoming a bar mitzvah and his daughter is constantly trying to wash her hair while saving money for a nose job. Richard Kind plays his uncle, who has a cist that he is constantly draining and provides some entertainment. To add to it, a student is trying to extort Gopnik and his neighbors are distracting him.
There were some funny moments and some pretty dramatic moments but in all, I didn't love this film. I wouldn't even recommend it to anyone. It isn't the worst thing I've ever seen but I just didn't get it. I wonder if maybe I don't understand enough about Judaism to really see why it is special or if it just wasn't my cup of tea.
The son and Sy Ableman (the wife's new man) were my favorite characters and did inevitably make me laugh every time they were on screen.
Probably 2/3 into the film, Gopnik seeks the counsel of a few rabbis, one of which was played by Simon Helberg (Walowitz on The Big Bang Theory) and that was a great surprise! I think this happened too late in the film and should have come sooner. He is trying to become a serious man and doesn't think he can do it on his own.
Michael Stuhlbarg did a great job of making Gopnik a character a viewer could only sympathize with and deserves kudos for his acting abilities.
Overall, I give this one a sideways thumb and still can't wait to see what the Coen's have on tap next. If I want to laugh and see a dark comedy, I'll find my Fargo DVD and leave A Serious Man on the shelf.
As I conclude this review, I feel like I really am missing something and am trying to decide if having an awful day before seeing the film led to my lack of patience with it. Maybe you'll really like it. I did laugh and did cringe and that is usually enough but I think I just wanted more. Bummer.
Heavy Films, Heavy Heart
With awards season on the horizon, I have become somewhat obsessed with catching up and keeping up with the films that are available for viewing and in only one case have I been at all disappointed at the theater. I'll review that film later! One night last week, I caught a custom double-feature at the Hillcrest Landmark Theatre and was impressed and crushed twice. "A Single Man" and then "Precious" did me in and I wouldn't change that evening for the world.
"A Single Man" stars a personal favorite, Colin Firth, in a role that displays and challenges his abilities as an actor and he wins. As George Falconer, a homosexual professor who suddenly loses his partner and finds no will to live, Firth portrays sadness beautifully and convincingly. In order to give nothing away, I am being careful here but I held my breath several times and eventually became choked up during the glimpse at one day in the man's life. Julianne Moore's small role was entertaining and impacting and along with some flashback scenes offered a glimpse into Firth's character before the death of his partner. Nicholas Hoult, who you probably remember last from "About a Boy" is grown up and gorgeous as a student who plays a big part in Falconer's last day. The fashion, the actors, the cinematography and the script make A Single Man a unique, quiet and impacting film. The use of color was incredible as well.
"Precious" was difficult because of the subject matter alone. Precious is played by a first-time actress who effectively broke my heart from the start in a painfully authentic and unexaggerated performance as a teenage girl who is pregnant by her father for the 2nd time and still finds the will to try to improve her life. She lives with her terribly abusive mother and is still in Junior High. Things begin to change when she is placed in an alternative school and begins to learn about love. This isn't a typical after-school special or Lifetime-esque movie. This is a gritty and painful story and is very hard to watch but it is worth the time. There is some relief in Precious' daydreams of becoming someone else but otherwise, it is rough. Lee Daniels did an incredible job of telling the story of Precious and made the exact right casting decisions for the title-role. It is said that he initially looked for girls who were just like Precious--living in the projects, uneducated, etc. but then he went with someone who didn't come from that background and that was the best move.
"A Single Man" stars a personal favorite, Colin Firth, in a role that displays and challenges his abilities as an actor and he wins. As George Falconer, a homosexual professor who suddenly loses his partner and finds no will to live, Firth portrays sadness beautifully and convincingly. In order to give nothing away, I am being careful here but I held my breath several times and eventually became choked up during the glimpse at one day in the man's life. Julianne Moore's small role was entertaining and impacting and along with some flashback scenes offered a glimpse into Firth's character before the death of his partner. Nicholas Hoult, who you probably remember last from "About a Boy" is grown up and gorgeous as a student who plays a big part in Falconer's last day. The fashion, the actors, the cinematography and the script make A Single Man a unique, quiet and impacting film. The use of color was incredible as well.
"Precious" was difficult because of the subject matter alone. Precious is played by a first-time actress who effectively broke my heart from the start in a painfully authentic and unexaggerated performance as a teenage girl who is pregnant by her father for the 2nd time and still finds the will to try to improve her life. She lives with her terribly abusive mother and is still in Junior High. Things begin to change when she is placed in an alternative school and begins to learn about love. This isn't a typical after-school special or Lifetime-esque movie. This is a gritty and painful story and is very hard to watch but it is worth the time. There is some relief in Precious' daydreams of becoming someone else but otherwise, it is rough. Lee Daniels did an incredible job of telling the story of Precious and made the exact right casting decisions for the title-role. It is said that he initially looked for girls who were just like Precious--living in the projects, uneducated, etc. but then he went with someone who didn't come from that background and that was the best move.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)