#blakejohnson

I do believe that New Frontier has a place at Sundance, but the programming of the event could be a little bit more strict. It is important to explore the future of film viewing, and different mediums of experiencing media, but not at the cost of the viewer’s enjoyment. I witnessed a “Machine for Viewing,” which utilized virtual reality to explore a new mode of viewing films. A comedy of technical difficulties mixed with flat and bland storytelling made the virtual reality concept unnecessary. The experience talked about the potential of VR, but still placed the subject in a virtual theatre watching a virtual screen, failing to see the irony of everyone sitting in a real theatre. If anything, the experience managed to cement my belief that while VR is an entertaining media, film and the film experience still belong on the silver screen. 

Streaming platforms scouting for Sundance films is a genius tactic to snag films, that might not do so well in a theatric release. I do believe that when a streaming service brings a film to premiere, with a release day already set, it jeopardizes the success of the film at the festival. For example, Sundance purchasing “His House,” right before the festival, but not having a release date had an intriguing lure to it, to see what Netflix saw in this film that they bought it before its premiere. On the other side of the coin, Netflix bringing Miss Americana jeopardized its success. What I heard in every waitlist line and shuttle was “it’s coming to Netflix this weekend so I won’t waste a ticket on it.” It seems almost unnecessary to create a buzz for a movie, by taking a slot from a film that might still be seeking distribution. 

I normally don’t go anywhere near horror movies, especially with a paranormal presence. “His House” offers more than just jump scares, as the intriguing story of two refugees trying to assimilate in London outweighs my hatred for anything scary. It is not common that a plot and mystery can be so well rounded that I am willing to put aside my fear for ghosts in order to fully understand these fully fleshed out characters, and their motivations. The set design and cinematography was some of the best I had seen at Sundance, and the half of the film I didn’t close my eyes was the best experience I had all week. 

After watching the first couple of films, it is not hard to see what kind of films Sundance is looking for, and who the festival is trying to represent. The Sundance film festival has a large interest in making sure all stories are told. Representation is a large focus of the Sundance message, and that becomes clear through the films they program. The most obvious sign of this message coming through was with the film, “His House,” while it seemed like a simple horror film, the representation and importance of telling the story of refugees must’ve played a large part in the film being programmed.

The Green Goblin himself

@bennettharada @therealjeffho @jessmarsk8 @ogcullen from Adidas talk about the Venice Pavilion and the re-creation of this legendary spot at @beyondthestreetsart brought to you by @adidasskateboarding , with clips of Bennett Harada and Blake Johnson skating it. 🎥 #juicedan #allhailskaten #juicemagazine #talesfromthepit #goodtimes #venice #crstecykiii #rogergastman #adidas #skate #art #riskrock #skateboard #graffiti #jeffho #jessemartinez #bennettharada #blakejohnson #ogslick #sprayanddestroy #venicepavilion (at Los Angeles, California)