This weekend, "Anger Management" will be the No. 1 movie in America. Kids will turn out by the millions hoping Adam Sandler says something on par with "Stop looking at me, swan!" Even my parents will go see "Anger Management" because they, like everyone else, live to see Jack Nicholson being Jack Nicholson.
Although Sandler will never be as funny as he was in "Billy Madison," and Nicholson will have a hard time coming close to his hilarious performance in "As Good As It Gets," "Anger Management" is almost certainly good for a laugh.
But don't go see it this weekend.
My parents are off the hook because they live in St. Louis and, since they just bought me a Ford Explorer, they can do anything they want. ASU students, on the other hand, live in the Phoenix area. For them, watching Adam Sandler beat up midgets means sacrificing a much more meaningful movie-going experience.
This Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the third annual Phoenix Film Festival. Unless you have seen the fliers and posters on campus, you probably have no idea that Phoenix even has a film festival.
Well it does, and it's a great way to get a taste of true independent filmmaking without dropping megabucks on a road trip to Sundance. How independent? This year's feature films cost less than a million dollars apiece. That's pennies compared to the independent films that show at Camelview and Madstone theaters.
Directors, writers and actors will be on hand for question and answer sessions after their films, and they love star-struck college students. They will provide more insight into the rough, gritty world of independent filmmaking than any Web site or DVD audio commentary could.
Last year, these contributors included Brian O'Halloran, best known as Dante from Kevin Smith's "Clerks." O'Halloran starred in "Drop Dead Roses," a film that premiered at the Festival. In addition to answering questions about the new film, O'Halloran hosted special screenings of "Clerks."
He liked the Festival so much that he's coming back this year to host the Copper Wing Awards and a discussion after a screening of "Clerks" Friday night.
This year's festival will also feature the Arizona premier of the new film "Confidence" from James Foley, director of "Glengarry Glen Ross." Actor Edward Burns will be hosting a tribute to Foley as part of the Festival's opening night festivities.
But a film festival is not about hanging around with celebrities. It is a celebration of independent film, where film lovers and aspiring filmmakers discover some great films they would never have an opportunity to see otherwise. It eliminates the distance between the audience and the filmmaking process.
One movie that stood out at last year's festival was Brett Wagner's "Five Years," a gripping and thrilling drama about a boy who returns to his family after spending five years in prison for murder. The Copper Wing Award winner for best picture was Adam Baratta's "Do It for Uncle Manny," a hilarious romp about two guys who borrow a Rolls Royce and a Rolex from their rich uncle.
While attending this kind of event is usually expensive, the Phoenix Film Festival offers a great deal on student passes. Student admission for all three days is just $70. That includes "Confidence," "Clerks," 10 feature films, 49 short films, four seminars and the Copper Wing Awards. Students also have the option to purchase single-day passes.
"Anger Management" will still be in theaters next weekend, but the Festival only happens once a year.
Tim Agne is a journalism junior. Reach him at tim.agne@asu.edu.
