Making movies, making moves

Long after Bob Dylan’s moody antics at his movie premiere and Beck’s equally studied midnight acoustic set at Harry O’s, a throng of sweaty dancers -- among them Chloe Sevigny and Kieran Culkin -- swarmed as one young festival-goer rhythmically shed her sweater to the throbbing dance beat.

“Oh, my God!” said one of the party’s hosts, “Party Monster” co-director Randy Barbato. “We’re in Utah! Can you believe it! There’s flesh! It’s so hot people are taking off their clothes!”

It was Wednesday night, Day 7 of the 10-day Sundance Film Festival, and around town exhaustion was setting in among earnest filmmakers, studio film buyers and harried actor-wrangling publicists. Everyone seemed slightly hung over by the intoxicating movie buzz that colored every conversation.

But the crowd at the Shop, the modest room next door to the town library, was still going strong at 2 a.m. Culkin and big brother Macaulay and pals Mila Kunis of “That ‘70s Show” and Seth Green had settled into a spot on one of the orange mohair sofas just off the dance floor, which was clouded by the emissions of a smoke machine. Nearby, a guy with an orange mohawk bellied up to the vodka bar as one film buyer noted of the scene: “It’s ‘80s New York.”

Around the corner, author James St. James’ charcoal-shaded eyes sparkled with purple glitter as he swooned over the success of the gathering, a fete for “Party Monster,” the film about the real-life murder of a club kid, starring Macaulay Culkin and Green and based on St. James’ 1999 book “Disco Bloodbath.” St. James said he spent the week recruiting “every drag queen, every freak” for the evening’s festivities.

“After a week of industry parties, a party like this is about blowing off steam,” he said, as a passing guest kissed his bald head. “There was a woman who had a nervous breakdown outside and had to be taken away by the police. God bless her, that made the party!”

The excitement started early Wednesday night with the festival’s largest movie premiere, for “Masked & Anonymous,” a film directed by “Seinfeld” producer Larry Charles with an ensemble cast including Dylan, Jessica Lange, Penelope Cruz, John Goodman and Mickey Rourke. The film’s heady plot is set in a fictional country besieged by civil war, with Dylan playing a once-great troubadour who escapes from prison to perform one last concert to reunite the nation.

Hordes of people turned out for the screening, primarily to glimpse the elusive Dylan, who appeared nearly disguised in a knit hat pulled low and heavy wrappings. He kept his head down, ignoring photographers’ pleas of “Look up, Bob.”

After the screening, at the Lakota restaurant, Charles offered his own spin on the film as Cruz helped herself from a nearby buffet and Dylan chatted conspiratorially with Gina Gershon. “It’s a very dense movie, purposely so,” he said, through a wooly beard, his bespectacled eyes tinted by purple lenses. “I wanted it to be like a Dylan song. I wanted it to be multidimensional.”

For some, however, the film’s meaning was lost. About a quarter-mile away on Main Street, Harry O’s was crowded with industry types, most of whom stayed glued to their cell phones when they weren’t exchanging critiques on the festival fare. “Tedious” was the word one guest used to describe Charles’ film. Another was more blunt, saying it was “downright horrible.”

Others at the party, such as Mario Van Peebles, kept their conversations focused on their own projects. Van Peebles arrived to chat up the new film he made with his father, director Melvin Van Peebles -- he described “The Hebrew Hammer” as “Jewsploitation.” Mario’s appearance at the HBO bash was more to network than to let loose.

“You find that major [studios] chase an audience, whereas indies lead an audience,” he said. “And a lot of the good stuff you find on pay TV.” Peebles, looking very Sunset Boulevard in a colorful ensemble and sunglasses, stopped to greet actor David Alan Grier, who arrived in an enormous padded coat. “You need to check that sleeping bag, man,” Van Peebles told him.

Meanwhile onstage, Beck complained at the boozy audience, most of whom appeared more preoccupied with one another than his introspective set. (Beck’s opening act, an energetic, very danceable mix from DJ Z-Trip, had prepared the crowd for a more upbeat performance.) Before launching into another song, he told them: “I’ll play one more and let you get on with your conversations.”