Critic's notebook: Behind a lens, the actors range

January 25, 2007 At Sundance this year, it has been the Good, the Bad and the Ugly when it comes to the festival's experience in programming films made by actors. Not that there is anything unusual about actors moving behind the camera; Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford and this week's Oscar nominee Clint Eastwood long ago demonstrated that the class, precision and restraint they bring to their acting careers transition exceptionally well to their work as film directors. In the case of the four actors under scrutiny here, the most sustained, conscientious and ambitious efforts were by those lacking celebrity credentials.

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