Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
This week’s dispatch is coming to you from the elevated altitude of Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Festival, where a team of Times journalists are working to bring you the best of what’s happening here online, in print, in photos and videos. This year has seemed a particularly pivotal one for the festival for any number of reasons.
“It’s the mood of change,” festival director John Cooper said as both a sign of a cultural moment and a signal of ongoing changes in the industry.
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For anyone looking for a tip sheet of the strongest films as the festival was getting underway, Kenneth Turan’s regular overview is frankly the best place to start. His attention to films across the fest’s different sections simply cannot be matched.
From left, actor Rafael Casal, director Carlos López Estrada and actor Daveed Diggs speak during the “Blindspotting” premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 18, 2018, in Park City, Utah.
(Sonia Recchia / Getty Images )
I also took a look at how Netflix and Amazon have made themselves part of the landscape at Sundance.
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As Netflix’s Ian Bricke said, “For the right movie at the right festival at the right time, there is no more impactful or exciting or better way to connect with an audience. A great crowded screening at the Eccles — there’s nothing like it.”
Given that a number of films from Sundance 2017 have been contending in the ongoing awards season, Glenn Whipp wrote about which films from Sundance 2018 we might still be talking about a year from now.
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Actor and musician Usher Raymond and director Andrew Heckler, from the film “Burden.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Jack Black from the film “Don’t Worry, He Wont Get Far on Foot,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio in Park City, Utah. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Writer-actress Vivian Bang, from the film “White Rabbit.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor LaKeith Stanfield, from the film “Sorry to Bother You‚” photographed in the L.A. Times studio during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor Jason Isaacs, from the film “The Death of Stalin,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor and American hip-hop musician Common, from the film “The Tale.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Jane Fonda, from the film “Jane Fonda in Five Acts,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio in Park City, Utah, Jan. 19, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actress Miranda July, from the film “Madeline’s Madeline.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actors Terry Crews, from the film “Sorry to Bother You‚” photographed in the L.A. Times Studio during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor Garrett Hedlund from the film “Burden.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Director RaMell Ross from the film “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Blythe Danner from the film “Heart Beats Loud,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio at Chase Sapphire on Main in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actress Nicole Beharie from the film “Monsters and Men,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio at Chase Sapphire on Main in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Directors Maclain Way, left, and Chapman Way from the film “Wild Wild Country.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Tony Revolori from the film “The Long Dumb Road,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio at Chase Sapphire on Main in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Director Boots Riley from the film, “Sorry to Bother You‚” photographed in the L.A. Times Studio during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor Jason Mitchell, from the film, “Tyrel,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Nina Moran, Ajani Russel, Rachelle Vinberg, Alex Cooper, Dede Lovelave, director Crystal Moselle, Kabrina Adams, actor Jaden Smith, Brenn Lorenzo, and Jules Lorenzo, from the film “Skate Kitchen,” photographed in the L.A. Times Studio at Chase Sapphire on Main, during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 21, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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From left, actors Terry Crews, Omari Hardwick, Steven Yeun, Tessa Thompson, director Boots Riley, and actors LaKeith Stanfield and Armie Hammer, from the film “Sorry to Bother You,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Back, from left, Rob Morgan, director/writer Reinaldo Marcus Green, Chante Adams, Anthony Ramos, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Niclole Beharie, and front, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and John David Washington from the film “Monsters and Men,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Writer Angelica Nwandu, left, Tatum Hall, Dominique Fishback and director Joreana Spiro from the film “Night Comes On.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actress Keira Knightley, from the film “Collette.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Nick Offerman from the film “Hearts Beat Loud,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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PARK CITY,UTAH --SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2018-- Actor Luke Wilson, from the film, “Arizona,” photographed in the L.A. Times Studio at Chase Sapphire on Main, during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Director Amy Adrion, from the film “Half the Picture.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor Tom Felton, from the film “Ophelia.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Paul Rudd stars in “The Catcher Was a Spy,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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“Clara’s Ghost” is the first feature film directed by Bridey Elliott, photographed in the L.A. Times studio in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Writer/director Brett Haley and Sasha Lane from the film “Hearts Beat Loud,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio at Chase Sapphire on Main in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Writer/actor Daveed Diggs, from the film “Bliindspotting,” photographed in the L.A. Times Studio at Chase Sapphire on Main, during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 19, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Janina Gavankar from the film “Blindspotting.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor Roddy Bottum, from the film, “Tyrel,” photographed in the L.A. Times Studio during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Grace Gummer from the film “The Long Dumb Road,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actress Elizabeth Gilles, from the film, “Arizona,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Jackie Seigel from the film “Queen of Versailles,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Limo Bob from the film “Generation Wealth,” photographed in the L.A. Times studio in Park City, Utah. FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival 2018 » (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor Steven Yeun, from the film “Sorry to Bother You‚” photographed in the L.A. Times studio during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20, 2018. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
The film is a wry cultural commentary enlivened by Riley’s own distinctive sensibility. As Thompson said, “He doesn’t mince words. It’s refreshing to have someone be so incredibly candid. It’s disarming and, oddly, makes you feel safe because you know he’ll tell you the truth.”
And for a story that will publish early in the week, Tre’vell also spoke to actor Kelvin Harrison Jr., who is at the festival with performances in “Monster,” “Monsters and Men” and “Assassination Nation.”
Amy Kaufman attended Saturday’s Respect Rally with keynote speaker Jane Fonda for an on-the-ground dispatch. Last year’s Women’s March has become something of a landmark moment for the festival, and the energy of engagement and activism that it elevated has continued this year.
The film feels extremely personal and detailed. As Jenkins said, “Have I been married? Yes. I was very interested in the expression of marriage in the movie, the feeling of what it is. So in terms of Paul and Kathryn, the actors, and our assignment as a team, making it feel lived-in and real was obviously high up on our list.
“I mean, it’s called ‘Private Life,’ so you’re seeing things we don’t necessarily see. I’ve certainly never seen this movie.”
Peretz talked about Hornby’s supportive, hands-off approach to seeing his work adapted to the screen, saying “He understands that the last thing a film needs is the novelist protecting their original idea. To make an effective film, you may have to, in effect, destroy the novel. If you’re committed to the integrity of the novel, you may make a movie no one wants to see.”
Kenny also spoke with Susan Bay Nimoy about “Eve,” the short she wrote, directed and stars in. Nimoy had not planned on performing in the film but jumped into the role when an actress she had cast decided two days before shooting that she didn’t want to do a nude scene. “I felt, yes, I could do it,” Nimoy said. “I didn’t think twice.”
Paul Rudd and Sienna Miller appear in “The Catcher Was a Spy,” by Ben Lewin, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
(Dusan Martinecek / Sundance Institute )
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We’ve been shooting video interviews with a handful of talent, with more to come. We’ve had the filmmakers and casts of “Heart Beats Loud,” with Ted Danson, Kiersey Clemons, Sasha Lane, Nick Offerman and Blythe Danner.
Paul Rudd and Ben Lewin stopped by to talk about “The Catcher Was a Spy,” based on the true story of Moe Berg, a professional baseball player who became a spy during World War II.
Bart Layton, Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner and Jared Abrahamson spoke about “American Animals.”
Carlos López Estrada, Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs talked about the Oakland-set “Blindspotting.”
Director Susan Lacy and Jane Fonda, from the film, “Jane Fonda in Five Acts,” are photographed in the L.A. Times Studio at Chase Sapphire on Main, during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 19, 2018.
