Sundance Movie Review - 'Life in a Day'

Life in a Day Directed by Kevin MacDonald Unrated

What did you do on July 24, 2010?

Chances are you don't even remember. For most of us, it was simply another day. We all just went about our lives as usual. And that's what director Kevin MacDonald and producer Ridley Scott are hoping to capture in Life in a Day - the mundaneness of everyday life that binds us all together.

To make Life in a Day, they turned to the YouTube community and asked members to upload videos shot on July 24, 2010 chronicling their lives. They received 80,000 clips (4,500 hours of footage) shot in 192 different countries, which was edited down to a 90-minute film. It's a really clever idea and one that is executed quite well.

The risk of simply asking people to submit homemade footage is that the movie could easily end up feeling like an endless string of boring home movies. Yet somehow, that's not at all the case. Instead, Life in a Day is a strangely captivating and uplifting film.

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Sundance Coverage: Kevin Smith's 'Red State' Distribution Plans

I know, a lot of you are probably tired of our Kevin Smith/Red State coverage, but the last 24 hours have been big for this film in all respects.  In case you hadn't heard, Red State had it's world premiere last night at the Sundance Film Festival (I don't have a review as I wasn't in attendance, but those I spoke with that were at the screening said that while it does have its flaws, Red State is the best Smith film in years and definitely stays with you).  

The big news came after the screening as Smith, who had financed the film independently, had planned to auction the film's distribution rights off to the highest bidder.  Well, once Smith hit the stage was where things got interesting as he announced he would be keeping the rights himself and, in true Red State fashion, would be distributing the film independently as well.

Hit the jump for all the details (which include a Red State USA Tour), a video of Smith's post-screening speech, and a compilation of the filmmaker's Tweets that give a more in depth insight to his plan.

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Sundance Coverage: Paramount Picks Up 'Like Crazy' for $4 Million

As you guys know we're a couple days in to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.  For many films, they just premiered a screening of the film to the press.  Like Crazy is one of those films and was instantly critically acclaimed by press and film reviewers within the first 24 hours and this caused an intense bidding war.  So who won?

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Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven, Thomas Jane, and Christian McKay in Four Teaser Clips from 'I Melt With You'

With the Sundance Film Festival now underway, one of my most anticipated premieres in Park City this year is Mark Pellington's Henry Poole is Here follow-up, I Melt With You. The film has an outstanding cast (Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven, Thomas Jane, Christian McKay, Carla Gugino, and Sasha Grey), a pretty cryptic premise ("a thriller centered around four men whose lives being to intersect"), and, knowing Pellington's filmography, reaction will definitely be mixed.

Now, an unorthodox film from its start has begun an unorthodox marketing campaign leading up to the premiere.  Rather than release a teaser trailer, the filmmakers have decided to release short teaser clips showing off each main character.  And, the clips are... interesting.

Hit the jump to see what I mean and get a more detailed film synopsis from the Sundance website.

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GTBP Exclusive: Emerging Filmmaker Series: Jef Taylor and Michael Tisdale Tell Us What Happened 'After You Left'

Back in the early 90s, Jef Taylor and Michael Tisdale, a couple of college kids who had been friends since early childhood, hit the road for a music festival in southern Ohio. Shortly after pitching an old canvas tent that Jef had borrowed from his father, the two realized that their shelter was no match for the elements. Despite the pouring rain that found its way into the humble quarters, the two made the best of the situation. Using Jef’s tape recorder, the two spent the evening singing and improvising little sketches that they later entitled: “Leaky Tent”. From these soggy, yet joyous beginnings came Leaky Tent Collective, the small film, theater, and video production company that the two created that has just been granted the distinct honor of producing a short film accepted by the Sundance Film Festival.

Last fall the long time friends found themselves in yet another potentially somber situation: they had both been dumped by their live-in girlfriends. To make matters worse, Jef had also recently gotten laid off from his job. Single, sad, and broke, the two got together in early November of 2009 to do what two old friends do best, drink and talk. Once again, Jef and Michael put their heads together to find a way to capitalize on their current straights. The result was the creation of After You Left, directed by Taylor.

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