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January 31, 2007

A Very Special Sundance

Pam Martin

Having a friend whose family lives in Park City, UT is a wonderful thing; especially around Sundance time. Though our trip was too short, we were still able to squeeze in a few movies and some stargazing.

 
The City

Park City is equal parts beautiful and freezing. It’s the kind of place I would love to live if I didn’t absolutely hate the cold.

Coldest/grumpiest moment: Waiting in line for newly released tickets at 7:30am on Saturday after only three hours of sleep.

Most unexpected pleasantry: It’s shockingly easy to get around, with festival shuttles running every five minutes and city buses that ask for “donations only.” Just make sure you get off at the right stop.

 
The Films

Our Saturday morning cold-fest yielded us a few tickets to Hear and Now, a documentary about a deaf couple in their mid 60’s, Paul and Sally Taylor, who decide to undergo an implant surgery that restores their sense of hearing – to a point.

This was easily one of the most emotional movie-going experiences I’ve ever had. Look for it on HBO in the coming months; and have some Kleenex in hand.

We also got to see Away From Her, actress Sarah Polley’s (The Sweet Hereafter, Go) first feature-length film as a director. This one was also about an older couple dealing with a medical condition – this time, Alzheimer’s. Not the kind of movie I would usually seek out, but it was good.

There’s one movie I’m kind of glad I didn’t get to see... Rumor has it that a few people were seen puking in the aisle during a screening of An American Crime, Terry O’Haver’s retelling of a gruesome 1965 murder, starring Catherine Keener.

I’m definitely intrigued, but I think it’s one I’ll Netflix and watch at home – perhaps with a bucket nearby.

 
The Celebrities

And then, of course, there were the celebs.

Our trip was bookended by Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey (Shane and Alice on The L Word) on the flight to Salt Lake City, and Camryn Manheim (The Practice) on the flight back.

Once in Park City, we had a few high profile misses – among them Kevin Bacon, who had just disappeared after posing for photos with fans on Main Street.

The most frustrating miss for me, though, was Miss Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell. I was standing right next to my friends when they all saw her, but, apparently, I’m blind.

And once again proving that he attends every event, regardless of whether he has any business there, we spotted P. Diddy, not once, but twice in the same night.

The first time he was walking down Main Street drinking from a bottle in a brown paper bag and the second time, a few hours later – still on Main Street – he and a friend were debating whether they should get cheeseburgers or turkey burgers for dinner. A question for the ages, indeed.
 
 

Posted by Rock Heals at January 31, 2007 12:00 AM