Festival Favorites
One of the most anticipated independent releases of the past year is Karyn Kusama’s Girlfight, which shared the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance (with Ken Lonergan’s You Can Count on Me, opening late this fall). It’s an ass-kicking, heart-breaking, star-making turn for lead Michelle Rodriguez, who plays a Latina boxer in New York City… In Jenniphr Goodman’s The Tao of Steve, Dex is an oafish grade school teacher whose grand theories on love and sex make him a hit with the ladies. Donal Logue won the best actor award at Sundance… A British boy defies his blue-collar father by taking ballet in Stephen Daldry’s Cannes crowdpleaser Billy Elliott… The Yards, James Gray’s crime thriller about New York City’s subway yards, boasts a cast that includes Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, James Caan, and Faye Dunaway… Two-Family House follows a disgruntled father who is a legend in his own mind. Raymond DeFillitta’s writing/ directing debut won the Audience Award at Sundance… The Eyes of Tammy Faye peers into the woman behind the most famous mascaraed lashes in history.This article appears in September 1 • 2000.