Well, the Golden Globes are over (boy, that was exciting), so now I'm going to turn my attention to something I really care about: Sundance, baby! In gearing up for 2008, I decided to take a glance back through our Sundance coverage from last year ... a little walk through the past to remind myself of all the great films I saw last year, and to keep my current pre-Sundance stress level in perspective. In going back through our Sundance 2007 coverage, I came across this journal entry from former Cinematical editor Karina Longworth (now editor over at Spoutblog) written just before the fest started:

Reading Eugene Hernandez' blog whilst waiting the for the cab to arrive to take me to La Guardia this morning, I learned that David Poland and Jeffrey Wells have declared that Sundance 2007, which officially begins tonight, is, in fact, already over. You see, they arrived in Park City a good 48 hours ahead of me, took turns inserting their thermometers in the rectum of the festival, and rushed to their computers to report the reading: cold. In fact, according to Wells, EVERYONE is saying that this year's line-up looks "flat, so-so, nothing to write home about material...a couple of almost-but-not-quite- as-good-as-Half Nelson flicks, and apparently nothing even close to a Little Miss Sunshine-type breakout waiting to happen."

And of course, rumors of the early death of last year's Sundance proved to be false -- more than a few Sundance flicks got bought last year (though we're still not-so-patiently waiting for some of them to actually see light of day), and a decent number of Sundance flicks ended up being critical darlings and finding audiences outside the fest (Waitress, Once, The Savages, Away from Her, War/Dance, No End in Sight). Some of the films I enjoyed last year, including Son of Rambow and Teeth, are finally getting a release in 2008.Not everyone was negative about Sundance 2007 going in; Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE wrote in response to the Poland/Wells doomsaying:

We shall see, but until I see some finished films in a theater, I'll remain entirely optimistic for all the new films and filmmakers I'll be encountering over the next 10 days. Why would you want to go into a festival like this any other way?

Amen to that. I fully expect, going into Sundance in a couple days, that by January 18 we'll be seeing some posts about how boring this year's lineup is, how lame the hype is, how there's nothing as exciting as this-or-that film that took Sundance by storm five, or eight, or 20 years ago. At least one critic who's been going to Sundance forever will bitch about the packed shuttles (nevermind that they're free, and remarkably efficient for getting around the fest), the snow too much or too little, and how Sundance just isn't what it used to be, what with all the preening celebs and over-hyped films. Bah humbug. If you can't still enjoy a fest, get excited about the films and the fun, why bother going?

Myself, I'm counting down the days with excitement until I can get checked into my hotel room and immerse myself in 10 non-stop days of watching, discussing and writing about films. This is only my third year going to Park City, and I've not yet gotten jaded about the fun and spirit of the whole thing. I love almost everything about Sundance. We'll get there the 16th, and I'll feel a little thrill of excitement every time I walk down the long hallway past the press screening theaters, the Yarrow 1 and Yarrow 2, as they cover the carpet with plastic sheeting and roll in the big, black boxes labeled "Sundance" and set up the risers.

I'll take a peek into the Yarrow bar, which, I hear, will not be quite as artistically pimped out redesigned as it was last year, but which will still suffice for a quick post-screening drink-and-pontificate by all the critics who will hover around tables, over-talking each other with volume levels directly proportional to the number of rounds of beer or scotch or cosmos that have passed the table, about what they loved or hated. If we're lucky, the son of a certain celeb will likely be once again occupy a corner seat at said bar, waiting for people to notice his resemblance to his father.

We'll hit the press office early to get our passes before the long line starts queuing up, and hopefully this year they'll have my name right on my pass and I won't have to wait for another two hours to get it fixed while the printer balks at working properly. We'll stock up on bottled water and lip balm and protein bars (oh my) at Albertsons, and find out what restaurant is occupying the rotating space between the Holiday Village Theater and the mediocre Chinese buffet place (last year it was a NYC pizza slice joint, the year before it was giant burritos ... maybe gyros this year? Gourmet hot dogs? Who knows.)

There will be old friends to catch up with, new friends to meet ... oh, and the movies! I'll look over our Sundance review spreadsheet and my own viewing calendar, and agonize over how many films I won't be able to work into the schedule, and flip coins with colleagues over who gets to review films we all want. I'll listen to the buzz from all the industry folks I admire and respect, who've been doing the fest circuit much longer than I have, and I'll take into account what they're excited about -- probably I'll add a couple films based on friends who are excited about them, and a couple more based on hearing lots of folks talking them up in lines for parties and on the shuttles.

Certain films will fall to the wayside with a resounding "meh." Others will surprise us, thrill us, maybe, if we're lucky, even inspire us. Cinematical's Sundance team will be bringing you reviews, interviews, news and dispatches from Sundance for the duration of the fest, and we hope that, like us, you feel excited by the thrill of uncovering the little gems at Sundance that will be end up on top ten lists and awards noms at the end of 2008. To get you warmed up for Sundance 2008, here are a couple of galleries from 2007 to get you geared up for the fun. And if you're going to Sundance yourself, we'll see you in Park City!