Local woman takes in Sundance Film Festival

Some people go to the mountains to ski this time of the year. Others head to the sun, making the resort communities of the south their perfect vacation spot. Becky Hoag spends her winter vacation watching movies.

Hoag recently returned from a trip to the Sundance Film Festival where she spent her time watching a variety of movies from documentaries to comedies, dramas to indie shorts.

"My sister moved to Salt Lake and I went out to see her and we went to the Olympics," she said. "It was really great. I loved it."

Debbie, Becky's sister, suggested that the two of them try the Sundance Film Festival. It was equally as fun.

"Most of the festival takes place in Park City, Utah," said Hoag. "There are films shown in school auditoriums, theaters and even large meeting spaces."

The biggest challenge of the Sundance Festival is getting tickets.

"There is a mad scramble to get tickets since there are so many different movies taking place at multiple venues. Sometimes it's quite a puzzle to put it altogether," she said.

For Hoag, this year's festival was doubly exciting because she was able to get tickets to see "Assassination of a High School President," the new film by Batavian Kevin Jakubowski.

"We caught the late showing but he came up on stage and answered questions afterwards," said Hoag. "It was so cool to see him up there. The film was very well received. The script was wonderful. I think it will be a big hit."

Hoag is not alone in that response. The Sundance reviews are filled with statements like, "The lightning quick dialogue is nothing short of brilliant," and "The world of this story is masterfully crafted."

Those are great reviews for Jakubowski and his co-writer Tim Calpin.

"The audiences at Sundance are filled with young writers and film enthusiasts," said Hoag. "It was fun to hear the questions for Kevin and Tim because it gave these young film wannabees hope for their own films."

Bruce Willis stars in the film as the high school principal.

"Bruce Willis plays his role like a Marine," said Hoag. "I think there might be some high school principals that are horrified by that stereotype."

Hoag didn't get to see Willis or Mischa Barton, one of the other stars of the film.

"Most of the celebrities go to the premieres," she said. "They don't go to the late showings."

Celebrities do attend the festival but it is a bit more low-key than L.A. or New York.

"You don't see a lot of paparazzi there," she said. "Everyone is all bundled up in parkas because it is pretty cold getting from one movie to another."

The last night of her stay, Hoag got quite a surprise. She had purchased tickets for a documentary done with Crosby Stills and Nash and Young. After the film the entire group took the stage and answered questions.

"I hadn't expected that," she said. "It was great."

Seeing the variety of movies and the talent of young independent filmmakers was the highlight of Becky Hoag's week. Hearing about the films from a film enthusiast was the highlight of mine.

king60510@aol.com