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The Sundance acquisition market has yet to reach its boiling point, with Sony Pictures Classics’ revival of “Kneecap,” writer-director Rich Peppiatt’s biopic about the Belfast Irish rap trio, being the most notable sale to date. Still, it’s still early days and the crowds (plus the long queue at the entrance to the Macro Lodge for its long-awaited late-night party) are backing the concept of a post-strike rebound, and that’s despite a feature-length lineup with 30 fewer titles than 2023.
The Times had a front-row (OK, third-row) seat to the guerrilla energy Sundance is still capable of generating Friday night at the off-program screening of Pauly Shore’s Richard Simmons short, “The Court Jester.” Read on to hear what Shore had to say in our post-screening interview, plus recommendations for what to see and do in Park City, Utah, on Saturday.
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“Presence” (9 a.m., Egyptian Theatre)
Call it Steven Soderbergh’s “Paranormal Activity” if you must, but that undersells the special brand of invention on display here. Captured with an athletic, vaulting camera (operated, as always, by the director himself, using the name Peter Andrews), “Presence” is a first-person ghost story, a style that’s established within seconds as we float, “Shining”-like, through the empty rooms of a house for sale. It’s ominous, yes, but curious and thoughtful, too: a channeling of the restless spirit (sorry) of author Shirley Jackson. Into this haunted space comes a family already grappling with problems of its own: Mom (Lucy Liu) has a bit of corporate malfeasance she’s trying to delete; Dad (Chris Sullivan) is at his wits’ end; and teenage daughter Callina Liang can’t shake the memory of her dead friend Nadia. Drugs and various bad decisions infuse the plot with a horror that’s all too real, but this one’s too fun to miss. —Joshua Rothkopf
“The Outrun” (6 p. m. , Redstone Cinemas 2)
It might seem like a four-time Oscar nominee who hasn’t yet turned 30 is “back,” but those are the main expectations placed on Saoirse Ronan. After a series of supernatural deep dives (“Brooklyn,” “Lady Bird,” “Little Women”) and a brief phase of transitional exploration, the actress resurfaced with one of the most confident turns of her career in the role. of Rona, the troubled soul at the center of “The Outrun. “Alternating between London, a place of self-destructive drinking, and the Scottish coast, where isolated healing begins, the story caresses the frayed ends of an interrupted life, with Ronan invoking a point of reflection uncommon to most (not her). The film is based on the 2016 memoir of Amy Liptot, who survived her own Roaring Twenties, and is sensitively rendered through director Nora Fingscheidt. But your eyes may not stray from Ronan, cementing her prestige as the new Gena Rowlands. —Joshua Rothkopf
WATCH: Saoirse Ronan, Nora Fingscheidt and Amy Liptrot talk about their film ‘The Outrun’
“Where’s Pauly Shore?”
As the story goes, “The Court Jester,” a 10-minute short about Richard Simmons on the set of filmmaker Jake Lewis’ “Ellen,” landed at the Sundance Film Festival as a reaction to that question. Well, no, if it’s accurate. The film, starring Shore as the colorful fitness guru, was screened to loud applause in the basement of the Cabin nightclub on Friday night, its frigid brick-clad stadium with a dance floor set up with six rows of black steel chairs.
The short, which depicts Simmons befriending a segment maker in “Ellen” in the middle of the “Sweatin’ to the Oldies 5” press tour, is a prelude to a planned biographical feature about the reclusive aerobics instructor, who has denied any involvement in the project. . Which is a shame, Shore admits, though he hopes the paintings themselves can convince him otherwise.
“Hopefully, Richard Simmons will see we did not make fun of him,” Shore said, noting that the short would be available to stream on Lewis’ YouTube page Saturday. “We treated him with the utmost respect.”
Comparing the role to that of Brendan Fraser in “The Whale” and Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler,” Shore sees the Simmons biopic, produced through the Wolper Organization and lately looking for a writer, as a vehicle for comeback: as he put it. to the crowd an introductory and stand-up presentation before the screening: “There’s no explanation why I can’t get a damn Oscar. “
After “The Court Jester” aired, I was left with the “Encino Man” and “Bio-Dome” star, dressed in a pink Pepto hoodie under a dark winter coat, at the Cabin’s empty back bar. —Matt Brennan
What do you think is the most appealing thing about Richard Simmons as an actor?
His selflessness. It was always about helping people. When you watched him, he felt very sincere when it came to helping overweight people or people that had mental issues… And he was also very silly and funny and goofy and didn’t take himself serious. You always hear these kinds of self-help people, but they’re very serious, there’s nothing really funny about him. And he was f— hilarious. You know what I mean? Just wacky. If you were watching Letterman and they’re like, “Up next, Richard Simmons,” you weren’t changing the channel. Like, you knew for sure it was gonna be fun.
When you were introduced to the character in the short film, was there anything specific like the hair, the tank top, or watching a specific clip that helped you connect?
At the end of the day, it’s always about the script and the story. So I thought the fact that they had this overweight kid, that was a fumbling [producer] and then I save him at the end — I just really think it was about this particular story.
Do you have an idea of what the final script of the feature film will be like?
You watch as many biopics as Elton John [“Rocketman”] and Freddie Mercury [“Bohemian Rhapsody”] and they’re all incredible. I’m like, “Wow. ” I haven’t looked at Weird Al One [“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”] but I’ve heard it’s great. And “Me, Tonya” and all the different ones. So, for that, I need it to be more dramatic than silly. . . I think it deserves to be sweet, sweet, and sincere. You’re going to have some crazy moments, but it doesn’t deserve to be a silly party. “”Little Miss Sunshine,” a tone like that, that’s the kind of mood. That’s how I feel.
How did you feel when Simmons posted that message that said, “I have nothing to do with this”?And what would you like to say to him if you had the chance?
I think he’s in a situation right now where it’s a knee-jerk reaction, and I think if he sat down with me and the producer, he’d have to be a part of it. But the wonderful thing about this business is that there are many unauthorized biopics. There are more unauthorized biopics than authorized biopics. But at the end of the day, and I repeat, I have said this a hundred times, I do not approach things in a vindictive way. I’m coming out in a very sincere, original and kind way, so I think it’s going to work. At some point, I think it will come back.
What do you think is the most important thing you have in common with Simmons, as you perceive him?
I think that one thing that we have in common is our flamboyance and our explosiveness and our craziness and our silliness — and our heart. I think we care about people… I’ve been touring for 30 years and I sell out shows, not so much because, “Oh, they saw my Netflix special, or they saw this funny thing.” People connect with me, and all my films have always had a lot of heart.
Sundance’s atmosphere of camaraderie is rarely much associated with rumor and baddiousness, yet “Real Housewives” like hers will gladly make an exception for “Salt Lake City” star (and Park City business owner) Meredith Marks, whose pronunciation of the word has become straightforward. one of the many memes from the recently concluded fourth season of the reality show Bravo. Marks will celebrate GLAAD and its paintings on behalf of LGBTQ netpaintings at its 7:30 p. m. store (511 Main St. )at 11:30 p. m. No stay in costume.
Earlier in the day, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Project Blackbird, an innovative live touring event that combines a film screening, post-screening conversation and journaling exercise, will hold a forum on mental health in film. Held at the Box at the Ray (1768 Park Ave.) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the event features panelists Lux Pascal (“Bust”), Dewayne Perkins (“The Blackening”), Liz Cardenas (“A Ghost Story”) and Latavia Young (“Grace”) discussing narrative film as a tool for understanding mental health in underserved communities, moderated by Sundance Institute’s manager, equity, impact, and belonging, Moi Santos. There will also be a screening of writer-director Morgan Davies’ “Blackbird,” about a Black teenager in recovery for bulimia and her roommate at an eating disorder treatment center, followed by a talk-back with Davies, producer Alexandra Miles, actor Regina Bryant and producer Ramfis Myrthil (“Cicada”), moderated by producer Mikail Chowdhury.
Then, you’ll have plenty of time to head to the Acura House of Energy (550 Swede Alley) to attend WIF’s panel, “Independent Women: How Independent Filmmakers Are Bringing Transformative Approaches to Hollywood,” with Sydney Freeland (“Echo”). Ally Pankiw (“Feel Good,” “Black Mirror”), Lana Wilson (“Brooke Shields: Pretty Bathrough”) and Fawzia Mirza (Toronto International Film Festival favorite “Queen of My Dreams”). The conversation, moderated by Kirsten Schaffer, CEO of WIF, will take place from 3 to 3:45 p. m. m. —Matt Brennan
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