Choke!

So, this might not be the newest of news, but I've been away for a bit. My friend Brandi pointed this out to me over a week ago, but here's the run-down from the Hollywood Reporter. Apparently, BAM does a run of the highlights from the recent Sundance Festival (May 29 - June 8). The one I'm most excited about is Choke.

It's based on the Chuck Palahniuk book of the same name, and stars Sam Rockwell. I'm of the opinion that Sam Rockwell is a fine actor and have been a long fan of Palahniuk's work. So I guess you could say I'm excited at the prospect of seeing this well in advance of the official release.

Random tangent: Choke is being distributed by Fox Searchlight. Fight Club was also distributed by 20th Century Fox. Fox also made and distributed the Russ Meyer masterpiece Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. (which, in case you didn't notice, is where the title of this blog originated) Beyond The Valley of the Dolls and Fight Club have to top my list of Movies-That-Were-Inexplicably-Greenlit (And-I'm-Eternally-Grateful-For). It's a cumbersome title, but apt. Let's see, an X-rated epic by a nudie-cutie director who never helmed a studio film. Then we have a movie following the charismatic leader of an underground boxing club, which grows into an anti-capitalist terrorist organization. I love both these films. The first time I watched both of them, I was simply amazed that a major studio financed and put out these two subversive films. It's kinda like the adage about a monkey behind a typewriter...

I hope I'm not building up my expectations for Choke.