Sundance!

This is day 2 of my first experience as a volunteer at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah and...it was a really great day. Yesterday I traveled on two planes, hit a bit of a snag at my hotel and then pretty much showered and went straight to my 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. volunteer shift. So, as you can imagine, I was a bit too exhausted to enjoy myself! Today, however, I got some much-needed beauty sleep and then decided to take a risk and try to see a film that has been much-hyped at the festival. It is entitled The September Issue and it revolves around the development of the most important issue of Vogue in the year--apparently, according to the film, September is like January in the fashion world, meaning everything starts fresh and new, just like New Year's Day. Anyway, I digress, but if you have seen The Devil Wears Prada, the film features the real woman whom Meryl Streep plays in Prada. And Streep's portrayal, although a bit more extreme, is not all that far off.

The real Anna Wintour is a bit more personable than the fictional account would have you believe but when it comes to her magazine and fashion, what she says goes. The scene in Prada that shows Streep reviewing a clothing line and everyone watching her reaction is completely accurate. The film also centers around the relationship between Anna and Vogue's Creative Director, Grace. It is wonderful to watch because it is obvious that although they bicker and clash over different aspects of the September issue, there is a kinship and a respect between them that only comes from working closely with someone for a very long time. Their interaction is very amusing and relatable because I would assume that we all have people in our lives whom we love but who can nonetheless manage to frustrate us to no end.

I won't give away any more details of The September Issue--and believe me I haven't told you anything that would ruin it, I swear--but I highly recommend this film. I am by no means a "fashionista" so this comes very honestly from a person who likes to see interesting and engaging films and this is definitely one to see.

Also recommended from Sundance: The Yes Men Fix the World. I only saw about twenty minutes of it but it was an exceptional twenty minutes and I can't wait to see the entire film. These two men basically impersonate people in order to try and encourage change in the US. For example, due to their dissatisfaction with government effort to help heal New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, one of the men impersonated a HUD (Housing and Urban Development) representative and made announcements about reopening homes that had been closed by the government and that Exxon oil was going to donate money to fund developments. To their surprise, the announcement went over very well...until people figured out that he was not from HUD! Overall, a very provocative and interesting film that I highly recommend as well. Check out their website: http://www.theyesmen.org/.

Tomorrow I plan to try and fit in three more films so wish me luck! One on the list is a documentary co-written by Chris Rock called Good Hair. It focuses on African American hairstyles and how it affects African American culture and social status. I'll be sure to post my perspectives on what I see tomorrow as soon as I can.