Sundance crowded with ironies

PARK CITY — Alanis Morissette had not been to the Sundance Film Festival when she wrote the song "Ironic," but she certainly could have been singing about the event, with such lyrics as "And isn't it ironic, . . . don't you think?"

What better way to describe last Friday's opening-night event in Salt Lake City, which was one of the smoggiest, foggiest nights in the city's history, as it screened the film "On a Clear Day."

Even festival head-honcho Robert Redford, who introduced the film, admitted that the event's scheduling was "interesting, considering the day."

Ironies, coincidences, contradictions and just plain weirdness have been the bywords throughout this year's festival, as if some cosmic trickster was having a good laugh at Sundance's expense.

• Despite promises by festival officials that events would be more "open" this year, there were still many that were open only to celebrities, publicists and other members of the glitterati — including the Ray-Ban Visionary Award ceremony honoring Kevin Bacon, which is not an official part of the festival, though it has replaced the former Sundance-sponsored Tribute to Independent Vision.

• The catch-phrase "user-friendly" has been dropped a lot by festival operatives, but many screenings started 15 to 20 minutes late, or on "Sundance Standard Time," often making it impossible to get to the next screening on time, which sometimes caused a late-screening domino effect.

• In spite of the festival's efforts to emphasize films over celebrities, the "star-gazing" problem is worse than ever. Gawkers have snarled traffic on Park City's Main Street, and more were being lured on Saturday by premiere-night tickets for the Kevin Costner film "The Upside of Anger," going for $900 on eBay.

• At the first public screening of the documentary "Murderball," promotional rubber volleyballs bearing the film's title were tossed into the audience, causing a scramble that caused some audience members to hit the floor. The film is a documentary about quadriplegic rugby players.

• While some Utahns made the drive to Park City simply to get out of the smog, the value of fresh air was apparently lost on some out-of-state/out-of-country visitors who made up a constant parade of smokers on the street. (The lobby at festival headquarters in the Park City Marriott smells like a chimney.)

• There were almost springlike conditions in Park City, and no snow fell during the first week of the festival, despite an on-screen graphic before each Sundance screening that featured film reels that appeared to be snowflakes.

• Of course, early winter snows had piled up snow several feet deep around the city, with many unshoveled sidewalks proving hazardous, if not treacherous.

• Many festival attendees actually expressed disappointment with the storm-free weather, such as British actress Brenda Blethyn, who continued to bundle up despite temperatures that neared 50. "I came up here expecting some snow and cold," she said, "and there's none to be had. I'm wearing my parka and gear, so come on, where is it?"

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E-mail: jeff@desnews.com