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by Jonathan W. Hickman
January in Park City. No, I won't be hitting the slopes. Instead, in a darkened movie theater I will plant myself taking in some of the 2005 offerings at the Sundance Film Festival.
 The festival opens on Thursday night with a screening of Don Roos' latest film entitled "Happy Endings." Roos veteran Lisa Kudrow joins the always irresistible Maggie Gyllenhaal and the often funny Tom Arnold in a multiple story-line movie about American life. The stories include tales of (1) a filmmaker who is blackmailing a woman about a son she once put up for adoption, (2) a gay couple in which one partner wonders whether the other is the sperm donor for a lesbian couple, and (3) a young man who moves in with a 30 plus year old woman in an effort to convince his father that he is straight. Roos has proven that he can heft multiple narratives within the same film populating it with eclectic acting performances. I see this film on Friday morning.
Also on Friday, I will take in "The Jacket" staring Oscar winner Adrien Brody and the slender goddess Keira Knightley. This time traveling thriller sounds very cool. Brody plays a Gulf War veteran who loses his memory permanently on the battlefield. This ailment results in his inability to defend himself when he is accused of murder. He is then sent to a mental hospital where he is treated by a doctor played by Kris Kristofferson whose character uses experimental treatments resulting in Brody being able to time travel. Yeah, it sounds crazy but while time-traveling, Brody falls in love with Knightley's character and sees his and others' death. The idea here is the changing of one's destiny.
I remember how painful it was to sit through "The Butterfly Effect" last year when it premiered at Sundance and this film does sound a little similar. However, "The Jacket" has a great cast including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kelly Lynch, and Brad Renfro. It is directed by John Maybury whose style promises to make this an entertaining experience.
Naomi Watts co-produced a little HD film in the American Dramatic Competition entitled "Ellie Parker." This LA story looks like it could be funny and insightful. Watts plays the title character who is a struggling actress rushing around from audition to audition. Her personal life is as chaotic as her professional one. This lower budget approach from Director Screenwriter Scott Coffey who is blessed by the support of the popular Watts puts "Ellie" high on my anticipation list.
The Frontier section of the festival contains a wicked sounding film named "Sugar" that I will check out for EI readers on Friday. Co-directed by first-timers Reynold Reynolds and Patrick Jolley this is billed as a Gothic horror film. The film stars Samara Golden who co-wrote the script with the directors.
EI's Joe Dwyer is coming with me to shoot video clips and he is spending time over at Slamdance. Watch for our updates.
For information about Sundance visit the festival website: http://www.sundanceonlinefilmfestival.org/
For information about Slamdance visit the website: http://www.slamdance.com/
Jonathan W. Hickman
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