#andrewrutledge

[jcmatsundance2020-blog]

Trials and Tribulations of the E-Waitlist

The e-waitlist is one of the main features of the Sundance app. It allows you to reserve a spot in line for any film at a moment's notice, granted you are quick enough to the punch. While the waitlist can be an extraordinary tool to see movies you do not have tickets for, it can also lead to heartbreak. Take for example, my attempt to see Promising Young Woman. After waking up at 7 AM to get on the waitlist, I then stood in line for an hour before finally being turned away as the movie was starting. I am thankful for the waitlist and having the ability to see a movie on a whim, but that still doesn’t take away the pain of being turned away or not getting on the waitlist for a movie everyone else is talking about.

[jcmatsundance2020-blog]

Downhill: The Name Says it All

On my way to Eccles Theater, the bus was buzzing with hype as the majority of passengers, myself included, anxiously awaited the screening of Dowhill. Based on the French Film, Force Majeure, and featuring an all-star lineup of Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the film had the foundation for box-office success. Unfortunately for the film, the title says it all. The first ten minutes an enthralling sequence in the beautiful Swiss Alps in which Ferrell grabs his phone (instead of his wife and kids) during an avalanche. From this point on, the movie is lackluster and struggles to keep the lighthearted tone that viewers associate with Dreyfus and Ferrell. Even the funny parts of the film feel “wrong” with stakes as high as the survival of a marriage. When this movie reaches theaters on Valentine's Day, viewers will fill the seats based on the name recognition of this film alone. But if you’re reading this, avoid the avalanche of people and just stay home.

[jcmatsundance2020-blog]

The Future of Film

As the beginning of film festival season, Sundance has long been heralded as shaping the course of American cinema throughout the year. But Sundance is bigger than that. Sundance is not only influencing cinema throughout 2020, it is influencing the future of entertainment for the foreseeable future. Sundance’s “New Frontier” has been a showcase of Virtual and Augmented Reality for several years now. I was fortunate enough to partake in several of the New Frontier exhibits, including Spaced Out, an underwater VR exhibit. While Virtual Reality has a long way to go before it can be seen as a cheap, viable, entertainment option, The New Frontier demonstrated that this is the likely future of film. Since the beginning of entertainment, people have strived for more convenience and more interactive. Theater evolved into film and radio, and then the advent of the television changed the course of entertainment once again. The logical next step, is for virtual reality to move to the forefront of entertainment and Sundance is leading this revolution by showcasing the best, most immersive experiences that VR has to offer.

[jcmatsundance2020-blog]

A Dazzling Directoral Debut

Before Sundance and the premiere of Nine Days, I doubt anyone at the festival would have heard of Edson Oda. A former advertiser and an alumni of the Sundance lab, the up-and-coming writer and director had only previously made short films until his feature debut Nine Days debuted at Sundance in January. The previously unknown filmmaker suddenly rose to the top, as his movie became one of the most talked about at the Festival. Starring Winston Duke and Zazie Beetz, this original science fiction film follows several souls as they go through various trials in order to be granted the privilege of life. By the end of the Festival, Nine Days had emerged as one of the festival’s darlings, and would go on to win the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Oda’s promising debut out of seemingly nowhere makes him a name to look out for in the future of filmmaking.

[jcmatsundance2020-blog]

A Welcoming Culture

Sundance would be nothing without the volunteers and viewers. These people are at the heart of the Sundance culture and are represented by every age, gender, and race and united behind their love for film. During my time at Sundance, I joked that it was “friendly cult”. I never knew who I would meet in line. Sometimes it was a volunteer that had been volunteering for 15+ years, sometimes it was a fellow college student from Penn State or Arizona State, and sometimes I even had the chance to talk with festival filmmakers! No matter who I talked to, they were always eager to talk about what films they had seen and inquire about the films I had gone to see. I was never led to believe that I was “lesser” than anyone, even the filmmakers themselves. Everyone was just happy to be there and already looking forward to planning their next trip back to Park City.

[jcmatsundance2020-blog]

The Buying Bump

While most people flock to Sundance to see the best that independent cinema has to offer, the biggest buzz is surrounding those films that have already received distribution deals. Take for example, Palm Springs. While Palm Springs entered the festival as a so-called “independent film” it had the makings of a successful studio film. It stars comedy goliath, Andy Samberg, alongside Christin Miloti of How I Met Your Mother fame. In addition, this film filled a niche that has been missing from mainstream cinemas: romantic comedies. This combination of star power and dearth of rom-coms resulted in the film being purchased by Neon (theatrical release) and Hulu (streaming) for a Sundance record $17.5 million and 69 cents. This acquisition made it one of the most sought after features at the festival. The day after the purchase, I attempted to join the waitlist as soon as it opened, but still failed to secure one of the 400 available spots. The record purchase made this one of the most talked about and sought after films, despite the fact that it will be released in theaters on streaming by the end of this year.

[jcmatsundance]

The Future of Film

As the beginning of film festival season, Sundance has long been heralded as shaping the course of American cinema throughout the year. But Sundance is bigger than that. Sundance is not only influencing cinema throughout 2020, it is influencing the future of entertainment for the foreseeable future. Sundance’s “New Frontier” has been a showcase of Virtual and Augmented Reality for several years now. I was fortunate enough to partake in several of the New Frontier exhibits, including Spaced Out, an underwater VR exhibit. While Virtual Reality has a long way to go before it can be seen as a cheap, viable, entertainment option, The New Frontier demonstrated that this is the likely future of film. Since the beginning of entertainment, people have strived for more convenient and more interactive entertainment. Theater evolved into radio and film, and then the advent of the television changed the course of entertainment once again. The logical next step, is for virtual reality to move to the forefront of entertainment and Sundance is leading this revolution by showcasing the best, most immersive experiences that VR has to offer.  

[jcmatsundance]

Downhill: The Title Says it All

On my way to Eccles Theater, the bus was buzzing with hype as the majority of passengers, myself included, anxiously awaited the screening of Dowhill. Based on the French Film, Force Majeure, and featuring an all-star lineup of Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the film had the foundation for box-office success. Unfortunately for the film, the title says it all. The first ten minutes an enthralling sequence in the beautiful Swiss Alps in which Ferrell grabs his phone (instead of his wife and kids) during an avalanche. From this point on, the movie is lackluster and struggles to keep the lighthearted tone that viewers associate with Louis-Dreyfus and Ferrell. Even the funny parts of the film feel “wrong” with stakes as high as the survival of a marriage. When this movie reaches theaters on Valentine's Day, viewers will fill the seats based on the name recognition of this film alone. But if you’re reading this, avoid the avalanche of people and just stay home.