IndieWIRE’s Andy Kaufman gives “Sunshine Cleaning” a glowing review, describing the latest effort from New Zealand’s Christine Jeffs as “an affecting, well-acted drama that casts an even brighter spotlight on rising starlet Amy Adams.” This one could be one of the breakout films from this year’s Sundance….

Check out the full review on IndieWIRE

Kim Voynar of Cinematical is reporting the same post-viewing buzz that we’re hearing about “In Bruges”…. it is hugely popular with a wide range of festival goers! Director Martin McDonagh and a terrific cast and crew have created what is already being talked about as one of the best Sundance films in years….. or at least that’s what the buzz says and the rest of us will have to find a way to see it for ourselves.

Visit Cinematical for lots of festival news and updates

Now you can experience some Sundance films from anywhere in the world, online! For the 10 days of the festival Sundance.org will stream one “short” film per day, for free, from the Sundance website. The film will change each day so be sure to check the site daily if you want to have a chance to catch all 10 short films. After that they will be available for paid downloads via iTunes, Xbox LIVE, and the NetFlix member site. [hat tip, IndieWire.com]

Click here to visit the FREE short films streaming page

[Jan. 16, Hollywood, CA] “I’m hitting Park City tomorrow, leaving at the crack of dawn to head for the cold. I’ll be covering the opening night movie, In Bruges. I’ve spoken to a number of folks in advance of the fest: we’re all fastening our seatbelts for a rocky ride. The conditions are ripe. Too many buyers, a strike, too many movies for sale….” visit the Thompson on Hollywood blog for Variety’s Anne Thompson commenting upon the 2008 Sundance Film Festival

[courtesy of Indiewire.com] “According to Sundance’s press office, 121 feature-length entries are being shown this year. With 87 being world premieres, 14 North American premieres and 12 U.S. premieres, most are unknown quantities. Further, there are 55 first-time filmmakers, including 32 in competition. And as reported yesterday in indieWIRE, there are some 100 films on the market for potential U.S. distribution.”

Visit Indiewire.com for more details

Many more arrivals over the past 24 hours……. the town is transformed. Sundancers often seem to be greeted with some of our coldest and snowiest days, maybe just maybe because the festival is in January….. this year is no different as the thermometer is dipping to some of the lowest lows of the year tonight and tomorrow night. Hope y’all brought a lot of warm layers!

Checking out some of the pre-festival buzz I find a lot of good info from the folks at Indiewire. Check out their site for all the scoops on who, what, where during the festival:

Indiewire.com

If you don’t already have tickets for these opening events of the Sundance Film Festival you’re most likely SOL (unless you have Redford’s cell phone number), but here’s what is happening to kick off the 2008 Sundance Film Festival:

Opening Night and Salt Lake City Gala

Opening Night Screening

Thursday, January 17, 2008

In Bruges

Director: Martin McDonagh
Screenwriter: Martin McDonagh
Executive Producers: Jeff Abberley, Julia Blackman, Tessa Ross
Producers: Graham Broadbent, Peter Czerin
Cinematographer: Eigil Bryld
Editor: Jon Gregory

The 2008 Sundance Film Festival opens in Park City with the world premiere of In Bruges, written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker and award-winning playwright, Martin McDonagh. With an international cast starring Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell, and Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges tells the suspenseful, twisted tale of two London hit men ordered to take a forced vacation in Bruges, Belgium, and how their subsequent time in exile goes awry.

6:00 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Eccles Theatre
Screening ticket required. Wait list is available and encouraged.

Opening Night Party

Thursday, January 17, 2008
Welcome! Arriving from all corners of the globe, filmmakers and Festival friends reunite or meet for the first time and embark upon the journey of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

10:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Legacy Lodge
1310 Lowell Avenue
Park City
On Shuttle Route
Parking is available
Party Ticket Required

Salt Lake City Gala Screening

Friday, January 18, 2008

The Great Buck Howard

Director: Sean McGinly
Screenwriter: Sean McGinly
Executive Producers: Steven Shareshian, Marvin Acuna
Producers: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman
Coproducer: Ginger Sledge
Cinematographer: Tak Fujimoto
Editor: Myron I. Kerstein

The Salt Lake City Gala on Friday, January 18 will feature the world premiere of The Great Buck Howard, directed by Sean McGinly and starring Colin Hanks, John Malkovich and Emily Blunt about a law school dropout who answers an advertisement to be a celebrity’s personal assistant and finds himself staging the comeback of a lifetime for a mentalist whose flamboyant style is at once confounding and wholly authentic.

6:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake City
Screening ticket required. Wait list is available and encouraged.

Salt Lake City Dessert Reception

Friday, January 18, 2008
Celebrate the 2008 Sundance Film Festival at our Salt Lake City Gala. Following the gala screening, film enthusiasts will gather for a dessert reception and share their passion for new independent film.

8:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Pierpont Place
163 Pierpont Avenue
Salt Lake City
Reception Ticket required

The official kick-off for the festival is Thursday evening, January 17…. but already on the 15th and 16th the town is getting busy with at lot of the early arrivals. Festival staffers, media and film biz people are already popping up all over, checking into lodging to get ready for the onslaught, etc. Locals are poking their heads out for a last look around before the most intense 10 days and nights in any ski town, anywhere. The interesting thing for skiers and boarders, though, is that it’s actually a great time to be on the slopes because while the lodging and restaurant base is packed the slopes are just about deserted throughout the festival. All those “People in Black” from NYC to LA don’t seem to have as much passion for snowsports as they do for film and parties, so those of us who do hit the slopes during these 10 days in January find we often have entire runs and bowls to ourselves. It’s actually a pretty fair division of labor - those who want films and parties focus on that, and those who want the powder, well we know what to do with that….. and some folks manage to enjoy a pretty large share of both the festival and the ski resorts.