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SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2009 –Special Event:
“Bon Appétit Supper Club” Dinner for RUDO Y CURSI
By: Denise Castillon for Your Entertainment Ticket

On Friday, January 16th, the premiere foodie magazine, Bon Appétit, sponsored an honorary dinner for Sundance screening film, Alfonso Cuaróns’ RUDO Y CURSI, at their “Bon Appétit Supper Club” set up in downtown Park City, especially for the Sundance Film Festival. The three-course meal was prepared by Scott Conant, chef-owner of NYC’s Scrapetta, with wine pairings by John Terlato of the Terlato Wine Group. Conant and Terlato also hosted the private event, and welcomed special guests as well as the filmmakers of RUDO Y CURSI and Sony Picture Classics executives.

The “Bon Appétit Supper Club” menu started with Ceci Bean Soup, with sausage and cabbage, and paired with Terlato Family Vineyards Pinot Grigio. Followed by the main course of Sirloin of Beef, served with roasted winter vegetables, truffled spinach puree and shaved parmigiano, which was nicely complemented with Terlato Family Vineyards Cabernet Savigon. The finale, a dessert of Amedi Chocolate Cake, was accompanied by burnt orange-caramel gelato and espresso sauce, and finished with Tiramisù liqueur.

The Spanish-language comedy/drama, RUDO Y CURSI, was written and directed by Carlos Cuarón, and stars, together for the first time since their break-out film, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna. The sports-theme film was produced by “Los Tres Amigos”, -Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu. Recently announced, Sony Picture Classics has picked up the film for US theatrical distribution.

Film Lover’s Guide to the 2009 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

OPENING NIGHT FILM REVIEW:
MARY AND MAX

By Denise Castillón

Mainly held in the ski town of Park City, Utah, the 25th edition of the Sundance Film Festival kicked off on January 15th with MARY AND MAX, a clay-animated narrative feature from Australian animator, Adam Elliot, and will close after the 2009 Awards Ceremony on January 25th. Renown as the premier showcase for U.S. and international independent film, the festival is offshoot of Sundance Institute, a nonprofit cultural organization founded, by actor-director Robert Redford in 1981, to nurture independent filmmaking.


This years’ opening night film, Elliot’s MARY AND MAX, played to film-loving festival attendees and well and members of the film industry and press.

MARY AND MAX
Genre: Clay Animation/Comedy/Drama
Country: Australia
Running Time: 92 min

Narrated by Barry Humphries, “Mary and Max” is a funny, but odd and lengthy dramatic comedy, starring the voices of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette as two socially-awkward and lonely pen pals, whose long-distance friendship provides mutual moral support for over twenty years.

Eight-year-old Mary Daisy Dinkle (Collette), curious about life in America, randomly chooses to write to Max Jerry Horovitz (Hoffman), a middle-aged New Yorker struggling with Asperger's disease. After enduring some bumpy patches in their friendship, they finally learn to accept their imperfections with themselves, as well as with each other.

Set in the 70’s, the Elliot uses neutral brown tones to define Mary’s dull suburban life in Australia, while a black and white color scheme to illustrate Max’s frenzied New York City.

“Mary and Max” was produced by Melanie Coombs. Executive producers are Mark Gooder, Paul Hardart, Tom Hardart, Bryce Menzies and Jonathan Page.

HOTEL FOR DOGS
Starring: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Kyla Pratt, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and don Cheadle
Directed by: Thor Freudenthal
Rated PG for brief mild thematic elements, language and some crude humor
By John Delia
Hotel for Dogs is a movie I did not expect to like after viewing the awful trailer for the film, but after seeing the movie I’m recommending it for parents and children who love dogs. The film hits home with a good storyline, excellent message and exceptional dog handling. If you need a distraction for your children, Hotel For Dogs is a good diversion while reinforcing their love for pets.
Andi (Roberts) and her younger brother Bruce (Austin) are orphans who have been placed by the city’s welfare officer Bernie (Cheadle) in the strictly no-pets foster home of Carl (Dillon) and Lois Scudder (Kudrow). Andi and Bruce’s dog, who has taken refuge on their fire escape, has been swiping food on the street to fill his over active appetite. Sad that their pet does not have a future, the two children are desperate to find a way to keep their dog even if it means trying to get new foster portents.
When Andi and Bruce accidentally stumble on an abandoned hotel that is already home to a couple of resourceful strays, Andi has an idea. She taps Bruce's mechanical genius for turning everyday objects into mechanical marvels, and, with the help of their friends in the neighborhood; attempt to transform the down-and-out hotel into dog haven.
The film is directed at children that have pets and it hits home. Exceptional direction by Freidenthal of the bevy of dogs, child actors and the filmmakers props department make the film very enjoyable to watch. I especially liked all the gizmos and fantastic inventions that Bruce comes up with to feed the dogs, provide a place to poop and some fun exercise. Directing the dogs must have been a nightmare, however as trying to make any animal sit for any period of time while there are others present can be a test of patience.
I won’t give away all the fun, but there is one scene where the dogs get to go on rides in cars with simulated backgrounds and the breeze blowing in their faces that I found to be extremely fun. If you do get to see the trailer, rest assured that the movie is much funnier and more enjoyable. What the trailer does, however is not give away all the enjoyment the film provides like other previews I have seen.
The film contains some brief mild thematic elements, language and some crude humor, so be forewarned.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Hotel for Dogs is a cute and enjoyable film for families and pet lovers. (3.5 of 5 Palm Trees)

DEFIANCE

Starring: Daniel Craig, Live Schreiber, and Jamie Bell

Directed by: Edward Zwick

Rated R for violence and language

By John Delia

Defiance is like a good book, hard to put down until the very last page is read. With an extraordinary true story, excellent acting, faultless direction, and flawless cinematography this film should not be missed. To honor the film in the same sentence with Schindler’s List shows how much I was moved by the whole experience.
Based on an extraordinary true story, Defiance is an epic tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. The film opens in the year 1941with Jews of Eastern Europe being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis. Tuvia (Craig), Zus (Schreiber) and Asel (Bell) are the brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential – a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others.
Craig ups his value as an actor tremendously with this performance as the leader of the community of terrified Jews escaping from the clutches of the Germans while fending off local police that are hunting them for bounty. In support, Schreiber shows his amazing strength as an actor breathing realism into the enraged Zus who wants revenge for the loss of his wife and child. I especially liked the scene between Craig and Schreiber, who are at odds with each other on how they should defend themselves, which ends up in a fistfight. The scene was well choreographed and believable.
Direction by Zwick (Blood Diamond) is top notch and faultless. Shooting the film in the woods for the long duration, coping with the lighting and weather, special effects explosions, large groups of actors and a script that had to be filmed with a delicate hand was accomplished brilliantly. His depiction of the anti-Semitism, degradation of the Jews and their resistance gave me chills.
There is a lot of violence involving war, graphic brutality, language and a brief sexual inference in the film.

FINAL ANALYSIS: One of the best films of the year, Defiance should not be missed (5 of 5 Palm Trees)

CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Deepika Padukone, Ranvir Shorey and Gordon Liu

Directed by: Nikhil Advani

Rated PG-13 for violence and martial arts action

By John Delia

In Theatres Friday, January 16

There is a lot to like in Chandni Chowk To China, but with it being around two and a half hours long with subtitles the film becomes a little too tedious. If you like marathon Chop Socky movies with a lot of well choreographed martial arts, interesting characters, a good measure of comedy and exciting new actors, then this film will give you a kick.
Chandni Chowk to China is the story of the epic heroic journey of Sidhu (Kumar), a simple cook from Chandni Chowk who longs to escape his dreary existence and looks for shortcuts with everything from astrologers and tarot readers to a magic potato. He believes in anything and everything except himself. His fate changes when two strangers from China claim him to be a reincarnation of a war hero from the past and enlist him to come back with them to their village in China. His opportunistic translator, Chopstick (Shorey), tells Sidhu of the women, wine and princely existence that await him in foreign lands; what Chopstick doesn't tell him is that he has become the village's best hope to take on the vicious gangster Hojo (Liu), who has been terrorizing them. When he meets Sakhi (Padukone) however, his life starts to change and not necessarily for the good.
The film is filled with an over abundance of story. Director Advani probably could have made two films out of the one, but instead he fills the movie with a lot of plots that you will probably identify. The initial story sounds like Kung Fu Panda, then turns into The Magnificent Seven; he throws in a lot of Jackie Chan, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and includes many bits and pieces of other films along the way. Actually it was fun seeing what film he was going to parody next.
On the bright side, the acting was very good, especially by Liu who plays the Chinese mobster who enlists his beautiful henchwoman to smuggle diamonds into China from India. His sinister smile and his weapon, Goldfinger’s Odd Job’s hat that slices off heads, really sets the tone of the film when Sidhu gets to China.
The cinematography is brilliant, showing the Great Wall of China, an interesting back ally look of India and some great vistas. The fighting sequences are photographed with some great close-ups and multi-angles making the battles exciting.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Chandni Chowak to China is a fun film but bring a pillow and a good pair of reading glasses. (2.5 of 5 Stars)