Sundance Day Eight: Weekend Buzz

Cute stars Patrick Flueger and Chris Lowell are goofin' at the Airborne Lounge at the Sundance Film Fest. Sweet! They're starring in the fest-screened film "You Are Here."

I’m gonna wrap up the week of Sundance reports with a round-up of film-fest fodder. Jump in and hang on!

Buzzworthy Flicks

Here are some of the films I’ve heard buzzed about on the bus, at parties, at screenings, and among friends who’ve also been Sundancing all week.

Crazy Love is a documentary by gay filmmaker—and publicist (that’s his day job)—Dan Klores and actor/director Fisher Stevens, about a two pathologically linked New Yorkers, Burt and Linda, who maintain an insane relationship that neither friends, family, prision or tabloid headlines can undermine, spanning from the 1950s to nearly the present-day. “The film is legendary” one gushing colleague told me.

Ryan Reynolds gets snuggly with his hilarious costar of "The Nines," Melissa McCarthy.

The Nines keeps getting mentions. It’s a film made up of three vignettes, each starring Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy and Hope Davis. In the second story, Reynolds plays a gay TV-magnate, and he’s got a steamy shower scene that has had Sundance audiences gasping. One friend of mine called it “one of the top five films I’ve ever seen;” others have described as something of a muddle. Either way, queer director John August has made an impression.

Might there be a sequel about thongs called "Floss"? Right, the director of "Teeth," Mitchell Lichtenstein.

Teeth, another film by a gay director (this time, by actor-turned-filmmaker Mitchell Lichtenstein), has moviegoers and press types aflutter, too. It’s sort of a horror film/dark comedy about a woman who discovers she has teeth. Down there. Which becomes something of a curse, and a weapon. Jess Weixler stars as the toothsome lead... And you’re very likely to see this in an arthouse near you soon. Chomp!

Toothsome Jess Weixler is getting raves for her breakout role.

Speaking of tricky subject matter, another film, Robinson Devor’s Zoo, maybe win the crown of most uneasy topic of the festival. It’s a documentary about men who like horses. A lot. In that way. IndieWire’s Anthony Kaufman says Zoo “is probably the most beautiful film playing at the festival...”and describes it as a film “about men communing with nature.” Whoa, horsey!

Scenes from the film "Zoo," which gives new meaning to the term "horseplay."

And I still haven’t heard much about Life Support, the film which was chosen as the Closing Night Gala movie, which stars Queen Latifah as a drug addict turned AIDS activist. It’s already slated to air later this year on HBO, but here are a couple of bloggy online reviews already.

Queen Latifah turns in some powerful screen time in "Life Support."


That said, here’s another round-up of pics from life at the film fest. Sundance winds down this weekend, with it’s award-winning films getting announced tomorrow. The winners are usually surprises (last year, nobody expected the gay-themed Quinceanera to sweep both the Audience and Sundance Jury Awards last year), so more on that on Monday!

Out director Gregg Araki ("Mysterious Skin") hit Sundance with his pot-brownie munchin' film, "Smiley Face."

Whoa. Gwyneth Paltrow is giving us a look that's icy even for frosty Park City. She hit town for her brother Jake's film (which she's also in), "The Good Night."

The three principle stars of the steamy bayou-drama "Blake Snake Moan": Justin Timberlake, Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci. Gossip has also said that JT's been hanging in Park City so he can spend some quality time with his new friend, Jessica Biel. But who can say for sure, eh?

The three main women behind the cool romantic flick, "Broken English": stars Parker Posey and Drea de Matteo, flanking director Zoe Cassavetes.

Finally, I'm not sure if actor Nicholas Gonzalez is starring in a film at Sundance, but he was nice enough to stop in and get his photo taken while in Park City. No complaints about that at all...

Comments

[sebastian]

has anyone seen justin's new flick? i wonder if he's any good of an actor. any thoughts?