R.I.P. Sundance Film Festival

I'm a movie guy, as many of you should already know and I remember when the Sundance Film Festival was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

First, it's named after The Sundance Kid and put on by the man himself, which made it unassailably cool.

Second, this was where little movies became big movies and guys like me who have always liked things a little left of center could find a less-hyped, non-blockbuster to hitch my wagon to and fall in love with. Some of the greats over the years from Sundance include Clerks, El Mariachi, Little Miss Sunshine and Thank You for Smoking.

Lastly, Sundance was where Hollywood went to not be Hollywood; it was a getaway from the glitz and the glamor and seemed, in the early days, to truly be about the movies and the filmmakers and getting the little guy a piece of the bigger pie.

Not anymore.

Now, Sundance isn't even a place C-List celebrities hit during the winter chill of January. When Hulk Hogan's ex-wife Linda is garnering throngs of attention, you know that your time has come and gone.

Seriously, this used to be a required stop for any up-and-coming actor-slash-director-slash-writer and numerous actual celebrities flocked to Park City to spend some time in the snow, but now, you're left with Kevin Federline's ex-girlfriend trolling through the free swag, a tramp who used to be in a band you probably never heard of in the first place (Aubrey O'Day of Danity Kane) and a flock of nobodies from the realm of Reality TV.

You know you've passed your expiry date when people are raving about Mariah Carey's performance in a movie. She very well could be great, but really, it's Mariah Carey and you're judging her against Glitter. It's not as if she's suddenly morphed into Meryl fucking Streep or anything...

Sadly, my new measuring stick for things being officially over comes from one of my former favorite shows, Entourage, which has also ran it's course and remains on television solely to inspire douchebags to slum around Hollywood mooching off their one rich friend.

Even though Entourage made their trek to Sundance during the outstanding first season, it's like the Sports Illustrated / Madden Cover curse; once they use you, consider yourself officially done.

Such is the case with the Sundance Film Festival, the new playground for has-beens and never-weres.

Rest in Peace...

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Paul Newman (1925 - 2008)

We lost a legend last night and Heaven gained one of the greatest talents ever to grace the screen.

Paul Newman lost his battle to cancer. He was 83.

If you've never listen to anything I have said here over the months that I've been doing this thing, listen just this once:

Go to whatever movie store you rent from, even if you don't rent movies anymore, and grab as many of Paul Newman's old classics as you can. Make no plans other than spending the day watching greatness at work.

Get Hud.
Get The Sting.
Get Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.
Get The Hustler and Color of Money.
Get Cool Hand Luke.

Pop some popcorn, grab whatever cold beverage you favour and just sit back.

Watching Newman at work, in everything, but especially along side Redford as Butch opposite Sundance and in The Sting and you'll wonder why we have to suffer through the scores of horrible movies Hollywood sends us each year.

The answer, in part, is that they don't make them like Paul Newman any more.

Enjoy a two minute glimpse at greatness here... best fight scene ever.

Thank you Mr. Newman.

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Where Have Movies Like This Gone?

Someone needs to answer this for me because after spending the last year working at Blockbuster and watching the good, the bad and the ugly that Hollywood and everywhere else has to offer, setting in with Butch & Sundance last night was the best movie experience I've had in a long time.

I can't believe no one ever mentions this as their favourite movie. It's now officially mine. How could it not be?

Newman and Redford are a perfect match and play off each other better than any tandem we've seen on the screen in a long time. They are what every buddy movie pairing aspires to be and so very few actually capture.

And if that's not enough, this movie has current era tie-ins that should force anyone who claims to like movies to pick it up.

Sundance, as in, the film festival. I wonder where it got it's name?

Mallrats fans, this is where the daunting Mall Cop LaFours - he's got four kills! - comes from, name and white skimmer hat included.

At the end of Hot Fuzz, when they're shooting it out with the bad guys? Butch & Sundance.

Besides, it's two of the best ever running around robbing banks and slinging jokes on screen for two hours. If you've sat through Atonement, then you sure as hell can spend a night with Mr. Parker and Mr. Longbaugh.

And if you don't want to watch the whole thing, do yourself a favour and watch the Knife Fight scene and the scene where they're stuck on a rock ledge, pinned in by LaFors above them and a river below them.

I pissed myself. You will too.

"The future is all yours, ya lousy bicycle!"

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