Despite grumblings that this year's features are weaker, on the whole, than those of years past, a handful of films have already been snatched up by distributors. "Scrubs" star Zach Braff's first film, "Garden State," which also stars Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard, is one of the more sought-after films to see at the festival, and has already been purchased by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Miramax. Reviews of the film are mixed so far. "Open Water," a torturously realistic nail-biter that has accurately been described as a cross between "Jaws" and "The Blair Witch Project," is based on the true story of a couple left behind on a scuba diving expedition. The movie was acquired by Lions Gate Films, and the company's president, Tom Ortenberg, says it plans to release the film this Summer, perfect timing to ensure that the lily-livered among us don't go anywhere near the water.

There's also a lot of positive talk about "The Motorcycle Diaries," a film by Walter Salles that focuses on a young Che Guevara's tour across South America on a motorcycle with his friend, Dr. Alberto Granado. The film has been picked up by Focus Features and stars Gael Garcia Bernal ("Y tu Mama Tambiin," "Amores Perros") and Rodrigo de la Serna. Other films with a lot of buzz are Nicole Kassell's "The Woodsman," about a former pedophile, starring Kevin Bacon; "Easy," an intelligent, realistic take on sex and the single girl written and directed by Jane Weinstock and starring reportedly endearing newcomer Marguerite Moreau; and "The Machinist," an "existential horror film" directed by Brad Anderson ("Next Stop: Wonderland") and starring Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Longtime festival-goers say that this is a particularly strong year for documentaries at Sundance, and after the success in the past few years of films like "Bowling for Columbine," "Spellbound," "Winged Migration," and "Capturing the Friedmans," distribution executives are scrambling to pick up the most audience-friendly of the lot. Big-wave surfing documentary "Riding Giants," which played to enthusiastic audiences on the opening night of the festival, was quickly picked up by Sony Pictures Classics. Given the infectious charms of the film and the critical success of director Stacy Peralta's last film, "Dogtown and Z-Boys," it's not hard to believe this film will find a healthy audience among die-hard surfers and landlocked outsiders alike. Other notable docs screened thus far include "Born Into Brothels," about the children of prostitutes in Calcutta's red light district, "Super-size Me," about one man's experiment eating nothing but fast food for a month, and "DIG!" which follows the friendship and rivalry of Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols. Another documentary to watch for is "Control Room," a sharp, disturbing entry in the "American Spectrum" segment of the festival, which focuses on the inner workings of Al Jazeera, and the Bush administration's manipulation of the press during the war in Iraq.

Of course, films aren't the only thing to see in Park City -- the streets are clogged with so many young partygoers, you'd think you were on the Sunset Strip if not for the piercingly cold weather and the suede and fur "Mountaineering Barbie" outfits. Those who've been to the festival for years find this drunken throng more than a little inconvenient. "My biggest frustration with Sundance is that it's become a sort of holiday weekend destination," says indieWIRE's Hernandez. "I'm looking forward to the middle of the week when some of the Hollywood people and the partying kids leave. It's selfish, but sometimes I just want to be like it was 10 years ago."

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