Day 2 - Compelling 'Camp X-Ray' & Fabulous 'Lunchbox'

Today Peter Sattler's 'Camp X-Ray' had its public and industry premiere at Sundance. I was on the shuttle heading to our screening and sat next to a guy on the bus who just raved about it. Here's a shot from the red carpet - our screenings have no carpet. Well, ok, there's carpet...it's all weather gray plastic that looks like it's wet all the time. I digress. The film stars Kristen Stewart as an Army Private MP assigned to the prison at Guantanamo Bay. 'Guests' there are referred to as 'detainees', because 'prisoners' are subject to the Geneva Convention rules. She strikes up a relationship with one of the detainees, played brilliantly by Peyman Moaadi (A Separation). You, too, can see this compelling drama at the Sundance Kabuki in San Francisco on Thursday January 30th during Sundance Film Festival USA, with director Peter Sattler there in person. Tickets on sale now!

But my day started out fantastically with a film called 'The Lunchbox', starring my very favorite Indian actor Irrfan Khan (TV's In Treatment, Life of Pi, Salaam Bombay). Khan plays a terribly lonely widower who works in a Mumbai office where lunch is delivered each day as part of an elaborate system. He begins to receive amazingly flavorful meals mis-delivered and strikes up a relationship with a lonely housewife. The scenes of crowded and crazy Mumbai, juxtaposed with the characters isolation is part of a wonderful story from first time filmmaker and screenwriter Ritesh Batra. A must see. Also caught a film that was part of the NEXT Film Festival we held at our Los Angeles theatre called 'The Fox Merkins' about women who specialize as lesbian prostitutes (clever), and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright and Willem Dafoe in 'A Most Wanted Man', a taught thriller about espionage and the 'fight against terrorism'.

It was a rather satisfying day...and so much more tomorrow. 1 caramel apple on Main Street before the Texas Film Party where I got to hug my friend Clifford Pugh, editor of CultureMap Houston. Clifford will be moderating our screening of 'Cold in July' on January 30th as part of Sundance Film Festival USA.