Unlike last year, the 2010 edition of the Sundance Film Festival has seen a slow resurgence in pick-ups. If I remember correctly, 2009 was a tortured year filled with a lot of waiting for just about every filmmaker who brought a film to park city. This year, the tide seems to be turning, with a steady stream of purchases throughout the entire fest. Over the past few days, there has been a lot of action. Lets break it down:
Blue Valentine: The Ryan Gosling/Michelle Williams led drama about a disintegrating marriage was picked up by The Weinstein Co. This presents Harvey and Bob with a great opportunity in my mind. It will either be the film that marks their rebirth (if marketed well), or the film that cements their demise. It is up to their marketing and release timing, which at this point is suspect. As I said in my review, the movie is excellent. So the opportunity is there.
The Kids Are All Right: Lisa Cholodenko’s modern family dramedy scored with critics, including yours truly. You can read my review here. That led to a $5 million dollar deal with Focus Features, who shouldn’t have trouble selling a film that stars Annette Benning, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Aside from star power, this film also has accessible charm.
The Killer Inside Me: The only film in this report that I haven’t seen, Michael Winterbottom’s movie comes with a bit of controversy as it is acquired by IFC. According to early screening reports (via IndieWire), the film was met with shock – as in, it was shockingly violent. I’ve since heard from reliable sources that it is quite funny and dark, but also yes, very violent. Then again, its a movie about a killer. What do you want, stuffed animals and sing-a-longs?
More from Park City as Sundance 2010 rolls toward its close…
