I started the day with a naked, drugged up Shia LaBeouf – a concept that would have thrilled me five years ago, but did not quite do it for me this morning. No – I did not wake up after a crazy night down on Main Street, but I did wake up to head down to Eccels (a venue I quite dig) for The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, featuring Mr. LaBeouf, some nudity, and drug use. Review to come, but I was sadly disappointed with Charlie Countryman as it tried to pack a few too many concepts into a single film.
My next film was Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut, Don Jon’s Addiction. Sometimes when you are in the middle of a festival, a film that happens to simply entertain you is a welcome respite, and I found Don Jon’s Addiction to be quite entertaining. Gordon-Levitt, who plays a Mike “The Situation” archtype, actually worked really well, delivering the laughs thanks to the film’s sharp cuts and a dynamic relationship with Scarlett Johansson’s Barbara Sugarman.
Before heading out to my final film of the day, I met up with White Bear PR’s Chandler Poling to check out the ASCAP Music Cafe’s cocktail party. Having never made it over to the Cafe (a crime considering it’s across the street from my condo) it was a welcome break and a good time meeting composers and fellow music writers. Plus – you know – free booze.
For my final film of the day I headed back up Main Street to the shuttle to see Ass Backwards. Main Street at night is a strange thing, it is so peaceful and quaint during the day, but then it turns into a faux Hollywood Boulevard at night. I get that parties are a part of the Sundance experience (hey – I was coming from one myself!), but I always worry when I see women in heels on those snowy streets, mainly because I do not know how to brace an ankle if one breaks in front of me.
As a Happy Endings fan, I was excited for Ass Backwards since it featured (and was written by) Casey Wilson. Wilson’s Penny Heartz cracks me up on a weekly basis and her character in Ass Backwards has many Penny-like qualities. It is a goofy flick with two daffy leads, but when your leads are Wilson and co-writer June Diane Raphael, it is hard not to find yourself having a good time. It was also interesting to see the affection and positive affirmations between these two best friends, a stark contrast to the duo’s last film, the hate-filled Bride Wars.
From towel triumph to towel tragedy.
I returned home to heated movie debates (mainly focused around Upstream Color) and many hugs (we’re big into hugging this year – it’s cold here!), but most importantly, our dear Eric D. Snider had taken it upon himself to wash all our towels. It was a triumphant feat (as they were apparently taking forever to dry), but a victory that sadly lasted only a few moments before all those nice, clean towels ended up in a heap on the floor. And this is essentially what living in the Bloggerati Condo of Dreams is like – moments of triumph quickly followed by moments of defeat. It keeps us humble. Or we’re all just too exhausted and emotions are running high. One of those.
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