"You don't find as much originality in Sundance films these days, and for a simple reason. In the beginning, the festival was a home for the homeless, for a rambunctious outlaw take on filmmaking. There was no need to be cautious, since indie films were rarely hits. But as Sundance became the showcase for a form of movie gaining marketplace pull, young directors naturally made films to fit the new mold.... Trying to get your intellectual fill with Sundance films is like choosing homemade popcorn over the concession-stand variety: higher quality, little nourishment."Harsh words from Richard Corliss in Time Magazine regarding the state of Sundance, yes. Rather than regurgitating his sentiments, I will simply point out a very enlightening book I read a few years ago, Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film. If you think this article is being too harsh and unfair, the book very informatively strengthens a similar argument.
1. It's the whole broadway, off broadway, off off broadway, off x 300 broadway argument. As the "indie" gets popular, it becomes more mainstream. Now, we've got to go to slamdance to get back to the indie roots of sundance. Irony, right?
Posted at 10:57PM on Jan 21st 2007 by Randall