Page 2 February 4, 2021 Entertainment Two Standouts from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival By Cinemacy for cinemacy.com By the time you read this, the 2021 Sundance Film Festival will have concluded. Award-winners will have been crowned and the buzziest indie films will start making their way into the mainstream. As we write this, we are only three days into the festival’s run and have already seen over 15 films (with coffee brewing non-stop). Among the films we’ve seen, here are two standouts that we can’t stop thinking about. A Doc That Conceals His Identity, Flee Recounts One Man’s Flight For Survival Remarkably moving in both its story and delivery, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated feature Flee is a must-watch. Expanding our idea of what a documentary can be, Flee is a depiction of an Afghan refugee’s decadeslong flight for survival and, most importantly, self-acceptance. Executive produced by Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Flee was also the first film to be acquired (by NEON) from the festival. The film begins with a title card informing us that what we are about to watch is based on a true story, but some names and locations have been changed to protect identities and avoid persecution. For the next hour and a half, we become wrapped up in the story of Amin (a pseudonym) as he tells his harrowing journey growing up as a young gay man who was always on the run from the police, the government, and his own feelings. Forever in flux, Amin shows how it is impossible to plan for the future when you’re forced to live a day at a time. Set against a haunting soundtrack from American-Icelandic artist Low Roar, Flee is one of the most profound films I’ve seen in a long time. Edgar Wright Fanboys it Up in The Sparks Brothers, His Love Letter to the Enigmatic Duo Spanning two hours and twenty minutes, it’s clear that Edgar Wright feels indebted to both educate, as well as attempt to make audiences appreciate, art-pop duo Sparks–the most influential band that you’ve never heard of–in his first documentary, The Sparks Brothers. An unabashed pop music fan himself (whose films’ perfectly-placed needle drops have attributed to his own film geek following), Wright makes it his mission to not only tell the story of the Mael brothers, Ronald and Russel, but capture their undefinable creative identity and show how real commercial success would evade them over their entire career refusing to sell out. Their career spanned over five decades in which the pair made 25 studio albums and 500 songs. Even if you’re not aware of Sparks’ music (which you likely aren’t) or even entirely “get” their music (which mass audiences didn’t), The Sparks Brothers is a fantastic story about creative artists who are unafraid to chart forward, change the formula, and evolve to new places. And while they wanted to be successful despite their outsiderness, they never settled for anything that would compromise their unique vision. So they chose to be the best band that you›ve never heard of–until now. • Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival. “Sundance was started as a mechanism for the discovery of new voices and new talent.” – Robert Redford Huber’s Hiccups News for the City of Good Neighbors from an Old Guy named Norb Huber February This is a strange month. From it’s spelling, to not knowing how long it’s going to be. Let’s just say it’s different. We never know if the weather will be cold and wet and wintery or milder. Ground Hog’s Day? What in the heck is that, such a weird tradition. We never know if there is a holiday on a Monday during this month. Presidents Day, Abe’s birthday, George’s birthday, Black History Month, Super Bowl Sunday, and the topper of all, Valentine’s Day. Maybe we mix this month up just to break up the misery of the cold, dark wintertime. Now, I hear there is a movement not to honor Abe or George since they weren’t perfect or politically correct by our 2021 standards. On Presidents Day, do we dare honor #45? Will #45 even be mentioned in history books? Maybe for being impeached twice. There have been some amazing people who happened to be of African American decent. They have contributed to making America what it is today. Those who have strived to build peace across all racial lines and demonstrated integrity in their work are to be celebrated. The Martin Luther Kings of this nation have stood for justice but in a non-violent way. These great leaders earned our respect. Moving on to Super Sunday, has our governor told us not to yell or scream at our Super Bowl parties? How many nonhousehold guests can come over to watch the commercials and the half time show? Is it okay if we hook up our television outside, sit six feet apart wearing masks, and have a cold one? I hear that old guy playing quarterback on Sunday is a supporter of #45. So, he will have half the nation pulling for him and the other have rooting strongly against him. What does his political views have anything to do with his football abilities? Why can’t we just have fun playing and watching sixty or more grown men tackle and push and hit and jump and run and breath on each other close up when we have to stay six feet away from each other? So, after all that fun on Sunday, we have to get ready for the V-Day. Candy, flowers, cards and whole lot of money are spent on trying to say “I love you” to our special ones. Why do we need to try to impress or prove or remind when they should know already that we love them? Bribes never really work. We show our love each day of the year by how we treat each other. True, unconditional love means so much more than the passionate night of physical romance. Yes, February is crazy. Life is crazy. Love that we share with others, especially the “close others” in our life, is what gets us through the crazy times. God says that he will never leave or forsake us, it’s a promise that we can lean on. When we commit to loving our spouses and our family no matter what the circumstances, we have that same peace and assurance that life is good and we can live it joyfully even during the weird month of February. Keep It Short - There is Hope There may be some light at the end of the tunnel. The virus is less. The shots are being given. The ground hog saw his shadow. The snow and the rain have come and there is some water in CA. We may have a change of governors some time this year. Spring training may be later, the season may be shorter, the DH is here to stay and 14 teams make the playoffs. Why not just have every team in the playoffs? March Madness will be strange without the fans. The NBA is just a lot of three point shots, go inside and kick it out. So, I’ve done my best to fill up my space here. Nothing really stupid. I trust that my 32 loyal readers are a little relieved to not have to suffer through any more bumbling, messy, ridiculous slop that permeates from this blog each week. Just keep it short baby, life is too short to spend precious minutes digest this stinky stuff. I’ll stop. Okay? Enough! – Thanks for allowing me to try to write my thoughts down: norbhuber@gmail.com • Classifieds The deadline for Classified Ad submission and payment is Noon on Tuesday to appear in Thursday’s paper. Advertisements must be submitted in writing by mail, fax or email. 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