Park City is the place for movie buffs

PARK CITY — Sure, the streets and sidewalks of Park City are steep, usually frozen and crowded during the Sundance Film Festival.

But it is ground zero for star central now through Jan. 25. And this year marks the 25th anniversary of Sundance, another reason to someday say "I was there."

So, if the shallow in you wants to ogle the likes of a Chris Rock or a Mariah Carey, then the bottom of Main Street, outside of a swag shack or near the entrance of Robert Redford's Zoom restaurant, are probably the ideal places to bag a celeb.

If your more serious side is interested in the films, then fret not, you're not stuck with Park City as the only place to catch a flick during the festival.

In Salt Lake City, new Sundance movies will premiere and play for 10 days at the Rose Wagner Center, Broadway Cinemas and Tower Theatre. In Ogden, Perry's Egyptian Theater is your place for the festival's films.

Close to but not right in Park City is the Redstone Cinemas at Kimball Junction, just off of I-80. Even closer to Park City is the Temple Theatre near The Canyons Ski Resort.

You could even check out a showing at Redford's own secluded — but not exclusive — Sundance Resort, where you can soak up the aura of creativity and inspiration that throughout the year fuels artists in their pursuit of the perfect low-budget, independent film.

Park City proper, though, is where it's at for the most movie venues, with eight in all. Abundantly patient shuttle bus drivers navigate the confusing grid of icy streets on four different routes that take you to each theater.

On any given day in Park City alone, the festival offers more than 3,000 seats for people who don't want to wait until one of the films either becomes a blip on the national scene or, ideally, gets picked up by a major distributor or comes out on video.

If the prospect of sidling up to some star-crazed stranger on a bus isn't your style, then walk off those layers of holiday calories still clinging to your body as you venture forth. Volunteers are everywhere — they're nice, usually film buffs or in the industry, they're there because they love the festival and they'll always guide you in the right direction.

There are other festivals within THE festival during Sundance, not the least of which is Slamdance, which seems to be attracting bigger and better movie makers and actors every year to the top of Main Street in Park City. Gamers will want to pay attention to Slamdance for the freshest, sickest (yeah, I did just say that) stuff out there, and way before all the other geeks in Gameland.