Sundance Film Festival

When I left Utah, I didn't think I would be back. The awesome part about moving back with Andy is seeing everything in an entirely different light. Growing up here I didn't take advantage of all of the incredible things the state has to offer and in the year since moving back I feel like I've experienced more of the culture than I ever did in my 20 something years living here before. One of those very cool things is the Sundance Film Festival which Robert Redford started about 30 minutes up the canyon from where we live.

The whole premise of the festival is to show independent films that may or may not make it to the big screen. The whole audience has a more bohemian artsy feel to it than is typical in movies in general, and especially in these parts. Instead of popcorn, the theaters smell like beer and patchouli. The showings have no previews and are introduced by the writer and the director (and often the actors) in person, and then there's a Q&E after each film. The entire back row of the theater is saved for scouts and critics, and the crowds get really involved in the show with no distractions of cell phones or giggling teenagers. There are also "ushers" lurking about to make sure there is no recording going on. All in all, a very cool experience.

So tonight we left the kids, drove up the canyon to this gorgeous little resort nestled in the mountains, and went to a film. I had really wanted to see Blue Valentine with Ryan Gosling but all shows were sold out. We just randomly picked one with Dax Shepherd that turned out to be intensely thought provoking. We had a fantastic evening and the only sad part was coming home and finding out that at the exact same second we were in Sundance, Ryan was in Park City, UT at his preview of the film we had wanted to see. He answered questions and shook hands. I'm sad we missed that aspect of it, but I'm still okay with him being delicious from a distance.