It might be competing against all sorts of obstacles for attendance — from the Presidential Inauguration to a cautious economy to Prop. 8 Utah protesters — but once again, the Sundance Film Festival returns in all its independent glory, offering a complete line-up of films from January 15-25th for fans, film junkies and industry insiders alike. With categories spanning from Dramatic Competition to Park City at Midnight, the Fest is once again pulling in a host of high-wattage celebs attached to films — and those just there to schmooze, as opportunity is always just around the corner.
We’ve eyed a few buzz films for you, in case you need to narrow down your hot ticket list; or just want to sound very ‘in the know’ at your next bar hang.
Peter and Vandy
Cast: Jason Ritter, Jess Weixler, Jesse L Martin
Director: Jay DiPietro
Category: U.S. Dramatic Competition
What to Expect: A story about twentysomething love with no beginning — and no end. Set in Manhattan, the relationship tale that plays with memory and reality shifts back and forth in time, from Peter and Vandy’s romantic beginnings to the slow deterioration that follows.
What Caught Our Eye: Ritter and Weixler already proven themselves to be rising fresh faces with their darkly comic 2008 Sundance outings about budding sexuality and romance: with Good Dick and Teeth, respectively. Yup, both fully understand the irony of love.
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The Informers
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder
Director: Gregor Jordan
Category: Premieres
What to Expect: Sex, drugs and new wave — early 1980s L.A. — a time of excess and decadence. Found at the top of the heap: a Hollywood dream merchant, a dissolute rock star, an aging newscaster; at the bottom: a voyeuristic doorman and an amoral ex-con. None realizing they’re dancing on the edge of an abyss.
What Caught Our Eye: Mickey, Billy Bob and Kim — between their real lives and many roles, nothing spells excessive, alluring L.A.-inspired grit like these three.
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I Love You Phillip Morris
Cast: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Category: Premieres
What to Expect: When a married Texas cop turns to cons to allow him to change his lifestyle (on many levels), his subsequent stay in the state penitentiary results in his meeting the love of his life, a sensitive fellow inmate; and so begins attempted escapes and more cons, all in the name of love.
What Caught Our Eye: Can Jim surpass caricature to play a complicated character? Ace Ventura says no; Eternal Sunshine says yes. You’ll only know the answer if you take a chance on this post-prison-coming-out drama. Hair-dos aside, we can’t wait to see how it pans out with Ewan.
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Lymelife
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon, Emma Roberts
Director: Derick Martini; Screenwriters: Derick and Steven Martini
Category: Spectrum — Narrative Spotlight
What to Expect: Set in 1970s Long Island, a darkly comic coming-of-age drama on the dangers of the American dream seen through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy, surrounded by anger, suburban malaise, rocky marriages and messy affairs — all against the paranoid backdrop of a Lyme disease outbreak.
What Caught Our Eye: The effortlessly searing Alec Baldwin and two of the talented Culkins together in a potbolier, ’70s dark comedy — done.
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Cast: The Edge, Jimmy Page, Jack White
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Category: Spectrum — Documentary Spotlight
What to Expect: The history of the electric guitar from the point of view of three legendary rock musicians.
What Caught Our Eye: Jack White tearing-up the strings somewhere alongside Jimmy Page, we’re there!
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Big Fan
Cast: Patton Oswalt, Michael Rapaport, Kevin Corrigan
Director: Robert Siegel
Category: Dramatic Competition
What to Expect: When a parking-garage attendant — self-described as the “world’s biggest N.Y. Giants fan” — and his best friend follow a linebacker into a strip club to talk to their “hero,” what starts out as a dream come true turns into a nightmare as a misunderstanding ignites.
What Caught Our Eye: The Wrestler‘s writer is having one heck of a January: a directing debut at Sundance in dramatic competition and a Globe-trotting film with a possible Oscar nom the very same week. Siegel vs. Siegel; it’s his own glorious smackdown.
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The Messenger
Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone
Director: Oren Moverman
Category: Premieres
What to Expect: Having spent hospital-time, healing scars from Iraq duty, a serviceman — dumped by his girl — makes a fresh start by working with a senior officer at a new post: the Casualty Notification Office, where he breaks bad news about those officers who didn’t make it.
What Caught Our Eye: From her noted screen debut in Woody Allen‘s Sweet and Lowdown, Samantha Morton has made an art out of channeling forlorn quirkiness. In this dramedy and teamed with Foster and Harrelson, the off-beat actor trio is destined to start buzz.
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Good Hair
Cast/Executive Producer: Chris Rock
Director: Jeff Stilson
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
What to Expect: An entertaining exposé that only Chris Rock could pull off, Good Hair visits hair salons, styling battles, scientific laboratories, and Indian temples to explore the way black hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the larger culture.
What Caught Our Eye: Some may say it’s a little too “insider” … the thing is Chris Rock knows how to make just about anything accessible — heck, he starred in perhaps the first mainstream comedy, to seriously contemplate a black man as president (Head of State). And yes, it was popular across the boards!
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Afghan Star
Director: Havana Marking
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
What to Expect: After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, “Pop Idol” has come to television in Afghanistan — and millions are watching and voting for their favorite singer. This film follows four contestants as they risk their lives to sing.
What Caught Our Eye: Who knew version of Idol could also be a political thriller?! Besides, we’re dying to see who Paula, Randy and Simon‘s Afghan’s equivalents are — see, auditioning can be risky.
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Adventureland
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig
Director: Greg Mottola
Category: Premieres
What to Expect: In 1987, James, an uptight recent college graduate takes a nowhere job at his chaotic local amusement park, after his parents decide they can’t fund his dream trip to Europe. He soon discovers the job is perfect preparation for the real world — and love.
What Caught Our Eye: From the filmmaker who brought you Superbad and years prior, festival darling, Next Stop Wonderland, comes a cast, with Jessie Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale), Kristen Stewart (Twilight, Into the Wild) that has tongues-a-talkin’. Bring on the edgy, angst-navigating youth.[PAGEBREAK]
Passing Strange
Cast: De’Adre Aziza, Daniel Breaker, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Stew
Director: Spike Lee
Category: Spectrum — Documentary Spotlight
What to Expect: A musical documentary about the international exploits of a young man from L.A., who leaves his church-going home to find himself and ‘the real’ — based on the stage production of the original Tony-Award winning book by Stew.
What Caught Our Eye: Sundance Lab and Tony-winning darling Stew, performer/lyricist who ignited an ‘out-there’ soulful rock movement on Broadway with his crew, arrives by way of Spike — the helmer once upon a time attached to direct Rent. A better fit? You bet.
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Paper Heart
Cast: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera
Director: Nicholas Jasenovec
Category: U.S. Dramatic Competition
What to Expect: Even though a quirky performer does not believe in love, she embarks on a quest to discover its true nature. Her journey takes on a surprising urgency when she meets unlikely fellow traveler.
What Caught Our Eye: Cera hits the slopes again with a quirky comedy exploring love. Without even checking further, we know his loyal fans are ready to slalom, ruthlessly, past the competition for a ticket.
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Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire
Cast: Gabourey Sidibe, Paula Patton, Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz
Director: Lee Daniels
Category: Premieres
What to Expect: Clareece “Precious” Jones is an overweight, illiterate African-American teen in Harlem. Just as she’s about to give birth to her second child, by her father, Jones is accepted into an alternative school where a teacher helps her find a new path in her life.
What Caught Our Eye: Not your average leading lady. Not the usual ensemble cast: Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz. All should make this raw buzz film — already kicking up snow — a trendy indie ticket.
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The Vicious Kind
Cast: Brittany Snow, Adam Scott, J. K. Simmons, Alex Frost
Director: Lee Toland Krieger
Category: Spectrum
What to Expect: Estranged from his family, Caleb, a bitter construction worker lives an isolated, but contented, life. Following a difficult breakup, he becomes scornful toward women. His resolve is tested, however, one holiday weekend, when he meets his younger brother’s new girlfriend.
What Caught Our Eye: Caustic filmmaker Neil Labute (In the Company of Men; Lakeview Terrace) is exec producer on Brittany‘s curious latest role. Must mean a bit of the dialogue is snap-crackle-pop hot.
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Big River Man
Cast: Martin Strel
Director: John Maringouin
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
What to Expect: Overweight, wine-drinking, fiftysomething Martin Strel is an endurance swimmer from Slovenia, who swims the world’s greatest rivers, including the perilous Amazon, to highlight global pollution. His treacherous journey brings him face to face with many obstacles — and several colorful characters.
What Caught Our Eye: Borat goes underwater! This wild n’ crazy real-life guy may give Sacha Baron Cohen a run-for-his-money.
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Rudo y Cursi
Cast: Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal
Director: Carlos Cuaron
Category: Premieres
What to Expect: A dark comedy about pair of rivaling, dim-witted brothers — with big dreams — who work on a banana ranch and play soccer for their local team. When a talent scout intervenes and one is chosen to become a star player, the other scores a goalie position on a rival team, further intensifying their competition.
What Caught Our Eye: Luna and Bernal‘s once again reunited, following their much-buzzed about kissing cult-fave Y Tu Mama.
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Spread
Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Anne Heche
Director: David Mackenzie
Category: Premieres
What to Expect: Reminiscent of American Gigolo is this tale about a handsome, ambitious young man who survives in L.A. by seducing wealthy older women. He soon strikes up a friendship with a waitress whom he begins to really care about — unbeknownst to him, she is playing the same game.
What Caught Our Eye: We’re a little too nervous to mention the “life-imitates-art” theme that this casting almost straddles. But Mr. Kutcher was his own mogul, pre-nuptials. So clearly he and the ever-dewy Demi must’ve had a sly laugh in bed knowing the overtones that’ll draw in audiences to see this curious moral tale.
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Tyson
Cast: Mike Tyson
Director: James Toback
Category: Spectrum
What to Expect: A gritty and intimate portrait of one of boxing’s most polarizing figures, that recounts Iron Mike’s rise to superstardom and subsequent fall from grace through the eyes of the man himself.
What Caught Our Eye: It’s sorta ‘tricky’ that Tyson himself is an exec producer on this, but none the less, the soft-voiced, not-so-gentle giant will reveal something of ringside intrigue; we just know it.
