PARK CITY, Utah — It’s hard to think of Mark Ruffalo, Philip Seymour Hoffman or Diego Luna as first-time film … anythings.

But at Sundance this year, these actors are newcomers of sorts, all showing off their work as first-time filmmakers.

Luna, best known for acting in Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Terminal and Milk, directed and co-wrote the Spanish-language heartwarmer Abel, about a family who indulges a little boy’s fantasy to become head of the household, pushing aside his absentee father.

“It’s a very personal story,” Luna said. “It’s about a kid who has to become an adult before he’s ready. That happened to me. I started to work (as a child actor) when I was 6. My mother died when I was 2. I had to behave as a grown-up, though I wasn’t, and I wanted to reflect on that.”

Ruffalo’s Sympathy for Delicious is the fantastical story of a recently paralyzed club DJ who discovers he has the power to heal through touch.

But instead of using the gift for good, he is tempted to use it for selfish reasons, making himself a new-age star to restore his craving for sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll — to the dismay of the world.

Jack Goes Boating is a story Hoffman lived with for a long time, playing the lead character in the stage version, and feeling a connection to the tale of a lumbering limo driver who tries to open up his life to new experiences: cooking, swimming, a girlfriend (played by Amy Ryan) and, of course, boating.

“I was trying to just direct it and not act in it, but it was very difficult to try to find somebody to play the part in the time we had before we had to shoot,” Hoffman said.

Actors don’t worry about those things.

“I thought I could put off the making of the film, but then we had to do it,” Hoffman said. “So I said, ‘All right, I’ll just do it.’ “

The Lord’s ways are mysterious if not downright perverse in “Sympathy for Delicious,” an unusual tale of miracles and self-doubt that marks the feature-directing debut of Mark Ruffalo.

Although not aimed at the conventional religious audience (its profanity and occasional images of debauchery rule that out), it is straight-faced enough about its metaphor-ready premise that marketing to secular viewers could be a challenge.

The title refers to a turntable wizard nicknamed Delicious, who has lost use of his legs and found himself homeless, living in his car under a bridge and relying on the generosity of do-gooder priest Father Joe (Ruffalo). Played by screenwriter Christopher Thornton, the character is bitter and standoffish, eager to get off the streets, but only on his own terms.

After a failed visit to a faith-healing evangelical congregation, Delicious finds that he has the power to cure disease and disability. With the touch of his hands, he cures everything from blindness to gout — but he can’t heal himself.

Ruffalo gives voice to the film’s unironic point of view: Shocked but not disbelieving, he urges Delicious to join him on Skid Row and put his God-given gift to work. Curiously, the film never wonders whether Delicious, a worldly denizen of the Los Angeles music scene, might be an unbeliever; the only crisis he faces is whether to give of himself freely or exploit his new talent for money and fame.

After teaming briefly with Joe and becoming understandably overwhelmed with the attention he draws, Delicious allows himself to be turned into a sideshow. He joins a band whose narcissistic frontman (played with vigorous pomposity by Orlando Bloom) sees the laying-of-hands as a fame-ensuring gimmick and quickly loses himself in the rock life.

The band and its milieu are drawn in such broad strokes, as an amalgam of rock-star clichés, that “Sympathy” has a hard time portraying the moral crisis Delicious faces in a realistic way. The caricatures are particularly jarring given the strong realist notes hit by other production elements, like Chris Norr’s artful cinematography.

I finished our gallery theme, finally you all must think! It’s really simple and I don’t have time for much details but I just love it and I think it looks gorgeous! We also have over 6,000 photos ready for your viewing pleasure and more will be added everyday so keep visiting.

The gallery is closed to registered users only, I believe it’s safer and everyone interested should register. If you have any problems with registration please let me know.

Hi guys, long time but I am finally able to catch up with you. As you can read from the previous post I am re-building our photo gallery and I have to start by saying a huge thank you to Carmel for the help, you’re simply amazing girl.

Anyway I have added photos from Sundance and the latest events Mark attended in 2010. I am working on a gallery theme and if I find some time today I’m gonna screencapture some movies and add to the gallery.

Hey guys, I’m still in the process of re-doing the gallery, please understand I had to gather all photos and this was nearly 8,000 and start uploading again. I have everything on my computer but I need to create new albums and upload, and this takes time and my life right now is kinda crazy so I decided to post a link to the new gallery, it has already 1,600 pictures, I believe all photoshoots were added and I’m working currently in appearances and movies sections. There’s also no layout yet but you can take a look at what we have, since everyone is insisting so much on the photos I thought I’d do this :)

I know I need to put the ad code but please I am waiting for a new password since I lost some documents on my computer and with it the info from the site, so as soon as I can log into ftp I’m gonna put the ad!

Just passed by to wish you all a great new year 2010, may all your dreams come true and may this be a better year for everyone filled with the essential which is health, peace and love!

Among the better-known filmmakers is actor Mark Ruffalo, who is making a directing debut with Sympathy for Delicious, about a paralyzed man drawn into the world of faith healing.

The Sundance Institute has today unveiled the lineup of films in competition for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival (Jan. 21-31). The U.S. Dramatic Competition’s 16 films include: Derek Cianfrance’s romantic drama Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams; HIMYM star Josh Radnor directing and starring in happythankyoumoreplease; Kevin Tyler Asch’s Holy Rollers starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha; James Franco starring in Allen Ginsberg story Howl; Mark Ruffalo’s directorial debut feature Sympathy for Delicious; and Jake Scott (Ridley’s son) directing James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart in Welcome to the Rileys.

You can get more information at Sundance’s Official Website by clicking here.