It’s always fun to watch a pro in action

One of the things I miss most about going to Sundance this year is that I won’t get to watch my friend Tim Mulligan in action. Tim, a Gonzaga Law School grad, lives and works in San Diego, Calif. (for the San Diego Zoo, no less). But he is, first and foremost, a movie fan.

So in 1999 when he found out how much fun my wife, Mary Pat, and I had had at Sundance the year before, he said, “ I want to go.” And so began our annual trek to a condo on Main Street, where as many as eight people would share two bedrooms, two toilets, one bathtub, and a small kitchenette for five days at a time.

Over the years, the condo site would change (last year MP and I had our own condo a few doors down from Tim and his other friends). We’d all see lots of films. But Tim, more than anyone, would take pride in his ability to get himself in photos with start. Sometimes the stars would know it. Other times they wouldn’t. But Tim would. And so would we, his fans.

Now, so do you.

Below : Tim poses with Ashley Judd, who was at the festival in support of her film “Come Early Morning.”

Photo courtesy of Tim Mulligan

Below : Tim sneaks into a shot with Toni Collette, following a screening of her film “Little Miss Sunshine.”

Photo courtesy of Tim Mulligan

Below : Tim competes with Joan Cusack, star of “Little Miss Sunshine,” to see who can look freakier.

Photo courtesy of Tim Mulligan

Below : Finally, Tim picks Josh Hartnett out of a crowd and comes up with this gem. Hartnett’s film “Lucky Number Slevin” also stars Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley.

Photo courtesy of Tim Mulligan