Sundance 2014

[Chris Knipp]

SUNDANCE 2014. JANUARY 16-26, PARK CITY, UTAH

Maybe we can try to cover Sundance a bit - from a distance - this year, since it's off season when not too much else is going on anyway (except seeing films we missed when they came out in December). Click on their logo above for their website. Note: I am not covering Sundance. I am not at Park City. I am only scanning and summarizing reports on the festival.

So here is their lineup, dramatic feature and documentary, US and "world," and "Next," just announced (December 11, 2013).

PREMIERES

Boyhood -- Richard Linklater.

Calvary / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: John Michael McDonagh) — Calvary is a blackly comedic drama about a priest tormented by his community. Father James is a good man intent on making the world a better place. When his life is threatened one day during confession, he finds he has to battle the dark forces closing in around him. Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran, Marie-Josée Croz.

Frank / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Lenny Abrahamson, Screenwriters: Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan) — Frank is an offbeat comedy about a wannabe musician who finds himself out of his depth when he joins an avant garde rock band led by the enigmatic Frank—a musical genius who hides himself inside a large fake head. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy.

Hits / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Cross) — A small town in upstate New York is populated by people who wallow in unrealistic expectations. There, fame, delusion, earnestness, and recklessness meet, shake hands, and disrupt the lives around them. Cast: Meredith Hagner, Matt Walsh, James Adomian, Derek Waters, Wyatt Cenac, Jake Cherry.

I Origins / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Mike Cahill) — A molecular biologist and his lab partner uncover startling evidence that could fundamentally change society as we know it and cause them to question their once-certain beliefs in science and spirituality. Cast: Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Steven Yeun, Archie Panjabi.

Laggies / U.S.A. (Director: Lynn Shelton, Screenwriter: Andrea Seigel) — Laggies is a coming of age story about a 28-year-old woman stuck in permanent adolescence. Unable to find her career calling, still hanging out with the same friends, and living with her high school boyfriend, Megan must finally navigate her own future when an unexpected marriage proposal sends her into a panic. Cast: Keira Knightley, Sam Rockwell, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ellie Kemper, Jeff Garlin, Mark Webber.

Little Accidents / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sara Colangelo) — In a small American coal town living in the shadow of a recent mining accident, the disappearance of a teenage boy draws three people together—a surviving miner, the lonely wife of a mine executive, and a local boy—in a web of secrets. Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Chloë Sevigny, Jacob Lofland, Josh Lucas.

Love is Strange / U.S.A. (Director: Ira Sachs, Screenwriters: Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias) — After 39 years together, Ben and George finally tie the knot, but George loses his job as a result, and the newlyweds must sell their New York apartment and live apart, relying on friends and family to make ends meet. Cast: John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Darren Burrows, Charlie Tahan, Cheyenne Jackson, Marisa Tomei.

A Most Wanted Man / Germany, U.S.A. (Director: Anton Corbijn, Screenwriter: Andrew Bovell) — Based on John le Carré’s bestselling book, Anton Corbijn directs this modern-day thriller with Academy Award–winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, and two-time Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe headlining an ensemble cast. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, Willem Dafoe.

Nick Offerman: American Ham / U.S.A. (Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Screenwriter: Nick Offerman) — WARNING: MINOR NUDITY AND NOT SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS. This live taping of Nick Offerman's hilarious one-man show at New York's historic Town Hall theater features a collection of anecdotes, songs, and woodworking/oral sex techniques. The routine includes Offerman's 10 tips for living a more prosperous life, so hearken well. Cast: Nick Offerman.

The One I Love / U.S.A. (Director: Charlie McDowell, Screenwriter: Justin Lader) — Struggling with a marriage on the brink of falling apart, a couple escapes for the weekend in pursuit of their better selves, only to discover an unusual dilemma waiting for them. Cast: Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss, Ted Danson.

The Raid 2 / Indonesia (Director and screenwriter: Gareth Evans) — Picking up where the first film left off, The Raid 2 follows Rama as he goes undercover and infiltrates the ranks of a ruthless Jakarta crime syndicate in order to protect his family and expose the corruption in his own police force. Cast: Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad.

Rudderless / U.S.A. (Director: William H. Macy, Screenwriters: Casey Twenter, Jeff Robison, William H. Macy) — When a grieving father in a downward spiral stumbles upon a box of his deceased son's original music, he forms a rock 'n' roll band, which changes his life. Cast: Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, Felicity Huffman, Selena Gomez, Laurence Fishburne, William H. Macy. CLOSING NIGHT FILM

They Came Together / U.S.A. (Director: David Wain, Screenwriters: Michael Showalter, David Wain) — This subversion/spoof/deconstruction of the romantic comedy genre has a vaguely, but not overtly, Jewish leading man, a klutzy, but adorable, leading lady, and New York City itself as another character in the story. Cast: Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Ed Helms, Cobie Smulders, Max Greenfield, Christopher Meloni.

The Trip to Italy / United Kingdom (Director: Michael Winterbottom, Screenwriters: Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, Michael Winterbottom) — Michael Winterbottom reunites Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon for more delectable food, some sharp-elbowed rivalry, and plenty of laughs. Cast: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon.

The Voices Inside / U.S.A., Germany (Director: Marjane Satrapi, Screenwriter: Michael Perry) — This genre-bending tale centers around Jerry Hickfang, a lovable but disturbed factory worker who yearns for attention from a woman in accounting. When their relationship takes a sudden, murderous turn, Jerry's evil talking cat and benevolent talking dog lead him down a fantastical path where he ultimately finds salvation. Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick, Jacki Weaver.

White Bird in a Blizzard / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Gregg Araki) — Based on the acclaimed novel by Laura Kasischke, White Bird in a Blizzard tells the story of Kat Connors, a young woman whose life is turned upside down by the sudden disappearance of her beautiful, enigmatic mother. Cast: Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, Shiloh Fernandez, Gabourey Sidibe, Thomas Jane.

Young Ones / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jake Paltrow) — When a series of events is set into motion, altering his young life forever, Jerome is forced to make choices that no child should ever have to make. Cast: Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, Elle Fanning, Kodi Smit-McPhee.

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

The 16 films in this section are world premieres and, unless otherwise noted, are from the U.S.

Camp X-Ray— Directed and written by Peter Sattler. A young female guard at Guantanamo Bay forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch.

Cold in July — Directed by Jim Mickle, written by Nick Damici. A small-town Texas man kills a home intruder, only to see his life violently unravel in Mickle’s follow-up to “We Are What We Are.” Cast: Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, Sam Shepard, Vinessa Shaw, Nick Damici, Wyatt Russell.

Dear White People — Directed and written by Justin Simien. A tongue-in-cheek look at racial identity at an Ivy League university, where a riot breaks out over an “African-American-themed” party thrown by white students. Cast: Tyler Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, Brandon Bell.

Fishing Without Nets (U.S.-Somalia-Kenya) — Directed by Cutter Hodierne, written by Hodierne, John Hibey and David Burkman. This story of pirates in Somalia is told from the perspective of a struggling young local fisherman. Cast: Abdikani Muktar, Abdi Siad, Abduwwhali Faarah, Abdikhadir Hassan, Reda Kateb, Idil Ibrahim.

God's Pocket — Directed John Slattery, written by Slattery, Alex Metcalf. The story of a man trying to conceal the truth about the construction “accident” that killed his stepson. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro.

Happy Christmas — Directed and written by Joe Swanberg. A young woman breaks up with her boyfriend and then moves in with her older brother, his wife, and their 2-year-old son. Cast: Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, Swanberg.

Hellion — Directed and written by Kat Candler. A 13-year-old delinquent must get his act together, along with his emotionally absent dad, in order to bring back his little brother, who’s been taken away by child protective services. Cast: Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins, Deke Garner, Jonny Mars, Walt Roberts.

Infinitely Polar Bear — Directed and written by Maya Forbes. A manic-depressive father tries to win back his wife by taking full responsibility of their two young daughters. Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, Ashley Aufderheide.

Jamie Marks Is Dead — Directed and written by Carter Smith. A ghost visits his former classmate, hoping to find the love and friendship he never experienced in life. Cast: Cameron Monaghan, Noah Silver, Morgan Saylor, Judy Greer, Madisen Beaty, Liv Tyler.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter — Directed by David Zellner, written by David and Nathan Zellner. A lonely Japanese woman abandons her structured life in Tokyo to seek a satchel of money rumoredly hidden in the Minnesota wilderness. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi.

Life After Beth — Directed and written by Jeff Baena. A man is devastated by his girlfriend’s unexpected death, but receives a second chance at love when she mysteriously returns. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Dave DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser.

Low Down — Directed by Jeff Preiss, written by Amy Albany and Topper Lilien. This adaptation of Albany’s memoir explores her
journey to adulthood while being raised by her troubled father, bebop pianist Joe Albany. Cast: John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Flea.

The Skeleton Twins — Directed by Craig Johnson, written by Johnson and Mark Heyman. An estranged brother and sister coincidentally cheat death on the same day, prompting a reunion. Cast: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook, Joanna Gleason.

The Sleepwalker (U.S.-Norway) — Directed by Mona Fastvold, written by Fastvold, Brady Corbet. A young couple see their lives violently interrupted when unexpected guests arrive at their secluded estate. Cast: Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott, Corbet, Stephanie Ellis.

Song One — Directed and written by Kate Barker-Froyland. When an accident leaves her brother comatose, a woman sets out to retrace his life as an aspiring musician, leading to an unexpected relationship against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s music scene. Cast: Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn, Mary Steenburgen, Ben Rosenfield.

Whiplash— Directed and written by Damien Chazelle. A talented young drummer pursues perfection at any cost in Chazelle’s follow-up to “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench.” Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons.

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

The 16 films in this section are world premieres and, unless otherwise noted, are from the U.S.

Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory — Directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett. A man discovers that songs embedded deep in memory can ease the pain of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

All the Beautiful Things — Directed by John Harkrider. An account of a close friendship between two men, tested by betrayal when one of them is falsely accused of rape.

Captivated — The Trials of Pamela Smart (U.S.-U.K.) — Directed by Jeremiah Zagar. An examination of the media’s impact on Smart’s 1991 murder trial, which became one of the highest-profile criminal cases of all time.

The Case Against 8 — Directed by Ben Cotner, Ryan White. A behind-the-scenes look at the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cesar’s Last Fast — Directed by Richard Ray Perez, Lorena Parlee. A portrait of Cesar Chavez’s devotion and personal sacrifice in fighting for economic justice on behalf of America’s poorest workers.

Dinosaur 13 — Directed by Todd Miller. An up-close look at one of the greatest discoveries in history.

E-Team”— Directed by Katy Chevigny, Ross Kauffman. A look at the high-stakes investigative work undertaken by four intrepid human-rights workers.

Fed Up — Directed by Stephanie Soechtig. An expose of the food industry’s 30-year campaign to mislead the American public, resulting in one of the worst health epidemics in history.

The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz — Directed by Brian Knappenberger. Documents the life and accomplishments of programming prodigy and information activist Swartz before he took his life at the age of 26.

Ivory Tower — Directed by Andrew Rossi. An inquiry into whether college is worth it in an era of soaring tuition costs.

Marmato — Directed by Mark Grieco. A historic Colombian mining town becomes the center of a modern gold rush when a Canadian company seeks to excavate the $20 billion in gold beneath residents’ homes.

No No: A Dockumentary — Directed by Jeffrey Radice. A portrait of former baseball player Dock Ellis, who once pitched a no-hitter on LSD and subsequently spent decades counseling drug abusers.

The Overnighters — Directed by Jesse Moss. The story of a pastor seeking to help the desperate men who work in the North Dakota oil fields.

Private Violence — Directed by Cynthia Hill. An intimate portrait of domestic violence against women as told through two personal stories.

Rich Hill — Directed by Andrew Droz Palermo and Tracy Droz Tragos. An examination of challenges, hopes and dreams of the young residents of a rural American town.

Watchers of the Sky — Directed by Edet Belzberg. This documentary interweaves five stories of courage by humanitarians working to end genocide around the world.


WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

The 12 films in this section are world premieres unless otherwise specified.

20,000 Days on Earth (U.K.) — Directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. A docu-drama hybrid and examination of the artistic process that imagines 24 hours in the life of Nick Cave.

Concerning Violence (Sweden-U.S.-Denmark-Finland) — Directed by Goran Hugo Olsson. A synthesis of newly discovered archival material documenting Third World struggles, accompanied by text from Frantz Fanon’s “The Wretched of the Earth.”

The Green Prince (Germany-Israel-U.K.) — Directed by Nadav Schirman. An account of one of Israel’s prized intelligence sources, who was recruited to spy on his own people for more than a decade.

Happiness (France-Finland) — Directed by Thomas Balmes. A portrait of social change as seen through the eyes of an 8-year-old Bhutanese monk whose village is about to be connected to electricity. North American premiere.

Love Child (South Korea-U.S.) — Directed by Valerie Veatch. Covers the 2010 trial of a young South Korean couple accused of neglect when their addiction to an online fantasy game resulted in the death of their infant daughter.

Mr. Leos Carax (France) — Directed by Tessa Louise-Salome. A portrait of the maverick director behind such films as Holy Motors, The Lovers on the Bridge and Pola X.

My Prairie Home (Canada) — Directed by Chelsea McMullan. A musical documentary portrait of Canadian transgender singer Rae Spoon, featuring visual interpretations of the artist’s songs. International premiere.

The Notorious Mr. Bout (U.S.-Russia) — Directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin. A profile of war profiteer, entrepreneur, aviation tycoon, arms dealer and documentary filmmaker Viktor Bout.

The Return to Homs (Syria-Germany) — Directed by Talal Derki. A portrait of young revolutionaries fighting for justice in the titular Syrian city. North American premiere.

Sepideh — Reaching for the Stars (Denmark) — Directed by Berit Madsen. A young Iranian woman challenges traditions and expectations with her dream of becoming an astronaut. North American premiere.

We Come as Friends (France-Austria) — Directed by Hubert Sauper. A look at colonization as a human phenomenon from the director of “Darwin’s Nightmare.”

Web Junkie (Israel) — Directed by Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia. A look at a Beijing rehab center where Internet-addicted Chinese teenagers are deprogrammed.


WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

The 12 films in this section are world premieres unless otherwise specified.

52 Tuesdays (Australia) — Directed by Sophie Hyde, written by Matthew Cormack. An emotionally charged drama about a 16-year-old girl whose mother reveals her plans for gender transition. Cast: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Del Herbert-Jane, Imogen Archer, Mario Spate, Beau Williams, Sam Althuizen. International premiere.

Blind (Norway-Netherlands) — Directed and written by Eskil Vogt. A woman who has recently lost her sight retreats into the safety and isolation of her apartment, alone with her husband and her thoughts. Cast: Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Vera Vitali, Marius Kolbenstvedt.

Diffret (Ethiopia) — Directed and written by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari. A young lawyer operates under the government’s radar helping women and children, until one girl’s case blows her cover. Cast: Meron Getnet, Tizita Hagere.

The Disobedient (Serbia) — Directed and written by Mina Djukic. Two childhood friends reunite in their hometown, then take a bicycle trip around their old haunts. Cast: Hana Selimovic, Mladen Sovilj, Minja Subota, Danijel Sike, Ivan Djordjevic.

God Help the Girl (U.K.) — Directed and written by Stuart Murdoch. A musical about some messed-up boys and girls and the music they made. Cast: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray, Cora Bissett, Pierre Boulanger.

Liar’s Dice (India) — Directed and written by Geetu Mohandas. The story of a young woman who leaves her native land with her daughter to search for her missing husband, encountering a free-spirited army deserter along the way. Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta. International premiere.

Lilting (U.K.) — Directed and written by Hong Khaou. An intimate drama about a Chinese mother mourning her son’s untimely death and the sudden appearance of a stranger who doesn’t speak her language. Cast: Ben Whishaw, Pei-Pei Cheng, Andrew Leung, Peter Bowles, Naomi Christie, Morven Christie.

Lock Charmer (El cerrajero) (Argentina) — Directed and written by Natalia Smirnoff. A 33-year-old locksmith begins to have strange visions about his clients and decides to put this strange talent to use. Cast: Esteban Lamothe, Erica Rivas, Yosiria Huaripata.

To Kill a Man (Chile-France) — Directed and written by Alejandro Fernandez Almendras. A hard-working family man gets mugged by a neighborhood delinquent, setting off a chain of violence and retribution. Cast: Daniel Candia, Daniel Antivilo, Alejandro Yanez, Ariel Mateluna.

Viktoria (Bulgaria-Romania) — Directed and written by Maya Vitkova. In communist Bulgaria, a woman gives birth to a daughter who, despite being born with no umbilical cord, is hailed as the baby of the decade. Cast: Irmena Chichikova, Daria Vitkova, Kalina Vitkova, Mariana Krumova, Dimo Dimov, Georgi Spassov.

Wetlands (Germany) — Directed by David Wnendt, written by Claus Falkenberg and Wnendt. A graphic adaptation of Charlotte Roche’s bestselling novel about an 18-year-old girl obsessed with her own bodily secretions. Cast: Carla Juri, Christoph Letkowski, Meret Becker, Axel Milberg, Marlen Kruse, Edgar Selge. North American premiere.

White Shadow (Italy-Germany-Tanzania) — Directed by Noaz Deshe, written by Desh and James Masson. A survival drama about a young albino boy who goes on the run after witnessing his father’s murder. Cast: Hamisi Bazili, James Gayo, Glory Mbayuwayu, Salum Abdallah. International premiere.

NEXT

The 11 films in this section are world premieres.

Appropriate Behavior (U.S.-U.K.) — Directed and written by Desiree Akhavan. The story of the identity struggles facing a young Persian-American bisexual woman in Brooklyn. Cast: Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson, Halley Feiffer, Scott Adsit, Anh Duong, Arian Moayed.

Drunktown’s Finest — Directed and written by Sydney Freeland. A coming-of-age story about three very different young Native Americans living on a reservation. Cast: Jeremiah Bitsui, Carmen Moore, Morningstar Angeline, Kiowa Gordon, Shauna Baker, Elizabeth Francis.

The Foxy Merkins — Directed by Madeleine Olnek, written by Lisa Haas, Jackie Monahan and Olnek. A prostitute buddy comedy about two lesbian hookers working the streets of New York. Cast: Lisa Haas, Jackie Monahan, Alex Karpovsky, Susan Ziegler, Sally Sockwell, Deb Margolin.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night — Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. Residents of the Iranian ghost town Bad City are stalked by a lonesome vampire. Cast: Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Dominic Rains, Marshall Manesh, Mozhan Marnó, Milad Eghbali.

Imperial Dreams — Directed by Malik Vitthal, written by Vitthal and Ismet Prcic. A 21-year-old reformed gangster is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles. Cast: John Boyega, Rotimi Akinosho, Glenn Plummer, Keke Palmer, De’aundre Bonds.

Land Ho! (U.S.-Iceland) — Directed and written by Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz. A bawdy throwback to 1980s road movies, about two former brothers-in-law who head to Iceland in an attempt to reclaim their youth. Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Nelson, Alice Olivia Clarke, Karrie Krouse, Elizabeth McKee, Emmsje Gauti.

Listen Up Philip — Directed and written by Alex Ross Perry. A writer faces various mistakes and miseries affecting those around him, including his girlfriend, many ex-girlfriends and enemies. Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce, Krysten Ritter, Josephine de La Baume.

Memphis — Directed and written by Tim Sutton. The story of a strange singer’s doomed journey through the mythic city of Memphis. Cast: Willis Earl Beal, Lopaka Thomas, Constance Brantley, Devonte Hull, John Gary Williams, Larry Dodson.

Obvious Child — Directed and written by Gillian Robespierre. A Brooklyn comedian is dumped and fired, then learns she’s pregnant — all in time for Valentine’s Day. Cast: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, David Cross, Gabe Liedman, Richard Kind.

Ping Pong Summer — Directed and written by Michael Tully. A youthful snapshot of the summer of 1985, set in Ocean City, Md. Cast: Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet, Marcello Conte.

War Story — Directed by Mark Jackson, written by Kristin Gore and Jackson. A war photographer retreats to a small town in Sicily after being held captive in Libya. Cast: Catherine Keener, Hafsia Herzi, Vincenzo Amato, Donatella Finocchiaro, Ben Kingsley.

[Johann]

Quite the post Man.

Mr. Leos Carax is obviously interesting. I'd see that one immediately.
God's Pocket is also one that sounds great. Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the greatest modern actors.
Low Down sounds great too.
The Skeleton Twins is a story that sounds cool.
Song One- I'll see anything with Anne Hathaway in it.

The documentaries that sound intriguing to me:

Alive Inside: could be profound
Captivated: could be profound, historic- I remember seeing this case on TV
Cesar's Last Fast
Dinosaur 13: who doesn't dig Dinosaurs, Man?
Fed Up- could be incendiary
The Internet's Own Boy: Yikes.
Ivory Tower- I want to see this
Marmato: Canadians! This is for you....

[Chris Knipp]

Good choices. And as always thanks for being a faithful and enthusiastic reader and reviewer and political commentator. Ping Pong Summer is another one that I'm interested in, because it's from around where I grew up. Many of my classmates at school went to Ocean City in the summer. And I think I will get to watch this one shortly.

[Johann]

thanks for being a faithful and enthusiastic reader and reviewer and political commentator.

No thanks required. It is my priviledge to post here.
It's always nice to see films that hit close to home. It makes you introspective.
Sundance is always to be followed.

[Chris Knipp]

No thinks required perhaps, but thanks gladly given. "Sundance is always to be followed," but I hope to follow it a bit more closely as it unfolds this coming January. ALL IS LOST has made me renew my admiration for its presiding spirit and creator Robert Redford.

[Johann]

Fair enough. Thanks gladly accepted.

Robert Redford is man you have to admire. He's still there, still relevant.
I love that All is Lost has Redford as a "resourceful rugged man", no Bullshit.
We need to get rid of the corniness of some leading men. Redford is showing us how it's to be done.
He still looks great.
I haven't seen it yet. I haven't been to theatres hardly at all this year.
I will see something on Christmas day but I don't know what.
My focus has been on Stephen Harper and how much he sucks.
If I blink I might miss six or seven scandals ;)

[Chris Knipp]

Only seven?

Yes, I admire Redford. He speaks simply and with modesty. He was interviewed by Terry Gross on the NPR show "Fresh Air" yesterday (13 Dec. 2013). Read or listen here.

[Chris Knipp]

BOYHOOD

"Richard Linklater’s Long Awaited ‘Boyhood’ Starring Ethan Hawke to Premiere at Sundance Film Festiva," Indiewire

Richard Linklater's long awaited "Boyhood" will premiere at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, where it will screen on Sunday night. It's a welcome surprise addition to the Sundance schedule. In fact, we just listed "Boyhood" as one of the 50 Films Indiewire Wants to See in 2014.

For years known only as "Linklater's 12 Year Project," the nearly completed "Boyhood" is said to have begun production in Houston in the summer of 2002 and reportedly completed shooting in late 2013. Filmed over short periods from 2002 to 2013, "Boyhood" is a groundbreaking cinematic experience covering 12 years in the life of a family involving a divorced couple (Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette). At the center is their son Mason (Ellar Coltrane), who with his sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), are taken on an emotional and transcendent journey through the years, from childhood to adulthood. The experimental production has largely been shrouded in secrecy as Linklater has returned to it each summer.

With the addition of "Boyhood," the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in Utah, which kicks off on Thursday, will present 121 feature-length films, including 35 in competition.

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL JAN. 15-26, 2014, PARK CITY, UTAH.

[Chris Knipp]

MILES TELLER AND J.K. SIMMONS IN WHIPLASH


Sundance summaries from Amy and A.A.

Sounds like Linklaer's late addition BOYHOOD (noted in the post above) may be the major film of the festival, at lest so far (at day five). That and Damien Chaelle's WHIPLASH.

"Issue" Documentaries

Amy Goodman of "Democracy Now!" is broadcasting from Sundance this week and focuses on issue documentaries debuting at the fest. She started out with clips and interviews for these:

First day: The Internet’s Own Boy is a new film about Aaron Swartz, the young computer genius who committed suicide one year ago, a frustrated activist who championed online freedom, and was threatened with a possible 30-year jail sentence for what many consider to have been a minor violation.

Second day: Cesar’s Last Fast depicts how Cesar Chavez risked death to protect the lives of farmworkers he championed. Freedom Summer focuses on the civil rights activists who braved violence to challenge racism in 1964 Mississippi. Through a Lens Darkly focuses on African Americans using photography to shape their cultural representation.

Third day: Private Violence is a film about survivors and advocates confronting victim-blaming and the epidemic of domestic abuse (mostly of women). Alive Inside is a doc that depicts how music is proving therapeutic for patients with Alzheimers and dementia, or just for bringing nursing home residents back to life.

Features

The following day-by-day reports are largely radically condensed from AV Club's coverage by A.A. Dowd.

OPENING NIGHT

Whiplash is the second feature from Damien Chazelle (Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench), an excellent film that focuses on the hardships of playing music. With rapidly rising star Miles Teller as as aspiring jazz drummer brutalized by a sadistic teacher (J.K. Simmons) when he's put in the conservatory jazz band. Sounds like a powerful film and a star-maker for sure for Teller, who ought to have become one for his performance in last year's Sundance film [i[The Spectacular Now[/i]. Whiplash was picked up by Sony Classics. and it was the biggest deal so far: $3 million.

The documentary Dinosaur 13 about paleontologists who found a T. Rex skeleton in Soutn Dakota, was "underwhelming" and "conflates multiple points." Nonetheless it was an audience favorite and was picked up by CNN Films and Lionsgate.

DAY TWO

Lynn Shelton with Laggies, an outside-scripted tale about a woman (Keiry Knightly) drifting through her post-college years, has issued her second film indicating that she is sliding into the safely mainstream or "Indiewood" or the "stereotypical “Sundance movie". With Chloë Grace Moretz and Sam Rockwell. But the film "occasionally charms" especially when Rockwell is on screen. The film was picked up by A24, which will release it this summer.

Like Shelton, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett (V/H/S and its sequel) have returned to Sundance for a third straight year with The Guest about a young soldier who comes to Small Town, U.S.A., to pay his respects to the family of his deceased brother-in-arms. With Dan Stevens from Downton Abbey and unsophisticated, predictable, but fun thriller.

More adult is Anton Corbijn’s adaptation of John Le Carré's recent (2008) novel novel, A Most Wanted Man, involving a German intelligence officer (Philip Seymour Hoffman) keeping tabs on a Russian-Chechen immigrant who may be a security threat Corbijn captures the mood of Le Carré nicely but this lacks the excitement of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank is a "quirkfest that’s bound to polarize audiences." Its famous star Michael Fassbender's face is hidden under a giant plastic mascot head playing "the mentally unstable, potentially brilliant frontman of an obscure avant-pop band. With Domhnall Gleeson). An oddball piece whose characters never quite jell but preferable and more valid for Sundance than the conventional Laggies. Scott Foundas of VARIETY loved it. It was purchased by Magnolia Pictures.

DAY THREE

Norwegian screenwriter Eskil Vogt's directorial debut Blind about a writer recently gone blind and her fantasies. Vogt cowrote Joachim Trier's brilliant Reprise and Oslo, August 31st. He hasn't the energy and brilliance of Trier but he's where the heart of Trier's films comes from.

Zach Braff's Wish I Was Here, a decade since his debut Garden State, shows he has all the deep feelings and he wants us to know about them. His new film abounds in "precocious moppets, dying loved ones, and cathartic, hair-in-the-wind joyrides set to the best indie rock of 2006." It seems to beg you to hate it, but in site of that it feels "less canned" (more authentic) than Braff's debut and one ends by seeing it as "exactly the film Braff wanted to make" and not hating it. And others didn't hate it since it was one of the best deals of the festival, having sold for $2.75 million to Focus Features.

Mike Cahill’s I Origins is "a hokey reason-vs.-faith parable" that at least does not "reduce its sci-fi conceit to window-dressing as" as his Another Earth did. "But the filmmaker's plotting id deeply simplistic." (Nonetheless this was picked up by Fox Searchlight.)

Gwyneth's younger brother Jake Paltro's Dust Bowl is a post-apocalyptic Western with Michael Shannon as a farmer and Elle Fanning and Kodi Smith-McPhee as his children, Nicholas Hoult as a young rival as people fight over water, now the key resource and energy source. Nice retro effects, but "the actors are playing archetypes in search of characters" and the plot lacks "urgency." If there were still a lot of new big-screen Westerns coming out, this wouldn't make much of an impression.

DAY FOUR

Richard Linklater's personal coming of age tale Boyhood is an unusual experiment. It was shot over a 12-year period so characters actually grow up and the effect is unique. With Patricia Arquette as the single mother, Ellar as Mason, the boy, Linklater's daughter Lorelei Linklater as the sister, Ethan Hawke as the rarely seen father. The effect is sometimes patchy and overlong, but fascinating.

In Life Itself Steve James (Hoop Dreams) chronicles the life and career of Roger Ebert, borrowing freely from the late critic’s memoir of the same name. Moving and insightful, even if there is nothing unexpected.

The Babadook is an "Aussie creepshow" (screened late at night) that provokes "more admiration than raw terror" that pits "a single mother and her troubled, fatherless child against a malevolent storybook monster called Mister Babadook." Best part is an intense performance by Essie Davis as the mother.

DAY FIVE

Alex Ross Perry's debut The Color Wheel was rejected by Sundance but his new comedy Listen Up Philip is in this year's Next competition. Jason Schwartzman plays a successful novelist who's "portrait of toxic narcissism" worse than Baumbach's Greenberg but Schwartzman's performance is "wickedly funny." Multiple POVs with narration by Eric Bogosian. Influences of Wes Anderson and John Cassavetes are evident. Uneven but pointed.


MOSS, SCHWARTZMAN: LISTEN UP PHILIP

In The Skeleton Twins , a dramedy by Craig Johnson (True Adolescents), Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader credibly play feuding simblings reunited when the brother attempts suicide. The film is heavy-handed but the stars have some amusing riffs together and Luke Wilson is funny as Wiig's husband. Picket up by Lionsgate.

Jim Jarmusch's suavely beautiful vamprie movie Only Lovers Left Alive,which debuted at Cannes and was reviewed on Filmleaf as part of the NYFF 2014, completed its festival run with a Sundance showing on this day.

DAY SIX

There was a surprise night preview of Lars von Trier's new film Nymphomaniac but US distributor Magnolia showed only part one of two parts of a four-hour film. With Charlotte Gainsbourg, who regales a "kindly stranger" (Stellan Skarsgård) who rescues her with tales of of her sexual awakening and later sex addiction, including deflowering by Shia LaBeouf, " seemingly cast for his douchiness, not in spite of it." The film feels like "a kind of academic spoof of Euro-art smut." Impossible to judge by this half but there are good things, such as the "Godardian doodling" and an "uncomfortably hilarious" appearance by Uma Thurman.

Whitey: United States Of America V. James J. Bulger is a detailed documentary dissection of a Boston gangster's trial by Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost).

Cold in July is "a tonally inconsistent thriller" direcgted by Jim Mickle "about a Texas family man (Michael C. Hall) who’s drawn into a world of violence after he shoots and kills a young home invader."

A.A. Dowd's rankings of the best of what he saw at Sundance are below. Of course there are a lot he didn't see, but this may be an indication of some of the American critical and even box office favorites. Certainly the Linklater and Jarmusch will get plenty of attention.

1. Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
2. Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
3. Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch)
4. Listen Up Philip (Alex Ross Perry)
5. Blind (Eskil Vogt)


BLIND

[Chris Knipp]

Redford may be smiling, below, but he is not at all happy with the way the distributor Roadside Attractions, which did okay for BIUTIFUL with Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence's debut WINTER'S BONE, virtually abandoned J.C. Chandor's ALL IS LOST, in which he gave the performance of a lifetime in an incredible film -- that nobody is going to see. And he did not get nominated for Best Actor this year, which is robbery. Admittedly, with no dialogue and non-stop focus on one man manning a ship lost at sea, ALL IS LOST may seem offbeat. Wastn't Hemingway's THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA a bestseller though?

Indiewire:

the Sundance founder expressed his unhappiness with distributor Roadside Attractions' marketing campaign at his opening day Film Festival press conference. "We suffered from little to no distribution," he said. "I don't know what they were afraid of. They didn't want to spend money or they were incapable...We had no campaign to cross over into the mainstream."

In a GUARDIAN article Redford is reported as saying at Sundance that he is ready to depart from the festival and also take off from directing and producing to do more acting. He said he does not like the corporate direction the fest has recently taking and that the 35-year-old event's "earlier years felt best."


ROBERT REDFORD AT SUNDANCE 2014

[Chris Knipp]

More Sundance films viewed by GUARDIAN critics

These notes mostly come from the GUARDIAN, who are providing very wide festival coverage lately.

The Green Prince is Nadav Schirman's documentary telling the story off Mosab Yousef, the cherished son of Palestinian firebrand and Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, who agrees to spy on his father for the Israeli secret service.

Talal Derki's documentary Return to Homs is a "herky-jerky" film focused on Free Syrian Army rebel leader Basset who was once the country's most promising soccer goalkeeper. The film documents Basset's small band as their hope turns to despair and over a two-year period the city of Homs is turned into prison-like pockets and then an empty shell.


RETURN TO HOMS

The Raid Two: "Out of the tower block and into Jakarta's crime underworld, Gareth Evans's gory sequel is even more violent – you'll thrill despite yourself"

White Bird in a Blizzard: "Gregg Araki's last film was a sci-fi sex romp. Now, he sends The Descendants' Shailene Woodley into thriller territory – but can't resist dwelling on the sexual side of the plot?"

The Voices: "Ryan Reynolds finds a creepy niche as a meds-skipping murderer advised by a dog and cat in Marjane Satrapi's grisly thriller". Too-cleancut Hollywood star Reynolds may havd found his perfect role in "Marjane Satrapi's lurid tale of an ostensibly ordinary Joe who skips his medication and becomes a psycho-killer assailed by demons."

Happy Christmas: "In Joe Swanberg's charming but slight follow-up to Drinking Buddies, it's the director's own baby who acts his little socks off ." The film dramatizes how a young husband's neglect of his writer wife's ambitions, leaving her to care for the baby, are shaken up with the arrival of his drunken sister. With Joe Swanberg, Melanie Lyndskey and Anna Kendrick. Film sold to Magnolia and Paramount.

Obvious Child, a biting comedy by Gillian Robespierre about a female stand-up comic. Praised by Xian Brooks and Henry Barnes. This was the second big sale of the fest, picked up by A24 for a reported seven-figure amount.

Calvary: "John McDonagh follow-up to The Guard is a rich, ripe and altogether delicious whodunnit with a difference, starring Brendan Gleeson as the priest in peril." With Kelly Reilly, who was so memorable in Zemeckis' Flight. This was picked up by Fox Searchlight.

God Help the Girl: "The directorial debut of [Scottish indie band] Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch translates his Glasgow love stories to the big screen to sometimes charming, sometimes cloying effect." "God Help the Girl is a dreamy Glasgow-set musical, crowded with mixtapes and thrift-shops and football in the park; a film as indebted to the work of Bill Forsyth as that of Jacques Demy."

The Trip to Italy: "Four years after they ate their way round the Lakes, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon sample the fare of the Amalfi coast. But the taste left by this movie version of the forthcoming TV series is less tart than anticipated – comfort food, not challenging fodder." A pity, because The Trip, a feature condensation of their series on a gastronomic tour of the north of England, was very, very funny. Again, this was filmed by Michael Winterbottom.


ROB BRYDON, STEVE COOGAN: THE TRIP TO ITALY

Infinitely Polar Bear: "Mark Ruffalo's hyper-stimulated performance unbalances Maya Forbes's autobiographical account of growing up with a manic-depressive father."

Song One: "A doe-eyed romantic drama with Anne Hathaway is held back by its reverence for the restorative power of middling indie folk." A woman doing an anthropological study in Morocco comes home when her brother is hit by a car and then becomes involved with a folk musician her brother admired. Kate Barker-Froyland is the writer-director, Johnny Flynn is the folk musician. This could have been more fun, Henry Barnes thinks. (It's evidently a somewhat ho-hum attempt to do an Brooklyn-set version of the surprise Irish hit Once. But its featuring Anne Hathaway but not having her sing appears a miscalculation. "Not as commercial as it could have been," wrote VARIETY's Film Editor Ramin Setoodeh in his somewhat jaundiced roundup of the whole festival.

Dear White People,: Director Justin Simien, focuses on the 'new American black experience' in this falsely conceived "post-racial" society by focusing on four black students in a predominantly white Ivy League college where white students give a "black-people themed" costume party. Simien was named as one of Variety's "10 directors to watch" in December, and Sundance is the debut of his first film.

God's Pocket: od Mad Men star John Slattery's directorial debut, "a brash, black comedy about a blue-collar neighborhood" set in South Philadelphia with Philip Seymour hoffman and John Turturo, based on a book by Pete Dexter, the author of The Paperboy. It romanticizes poverty like Russell's The Fighter, but it's dark humor sets it apart. Henry Barnes thinks. This seems a polarizing film, which some hated, others liked.

Camp X-Ray: "Kristen Stewart's US soldier falls in love with a wild-eyed detainee behind the razor wire of Guantanamo Bay. Now what could possibly go wrong?" says Xian Brooks. The writer-director is Peter Sattler, and the film about a platonic romance is "crude and overstretched," but it shows Stewart can do more than act in the Twilight movies.


RYAN REYNOLDS IN MARGANE SATRAPI'S THE VOICES

[Chris Knipp]

Manohla Dargis' modest proposal

The NY Times' no. 2 film critic Manohla Dargis has attended Sundance and wrote an article reviewing eight of the new films. Perhaps overwhelmed by the number of indie films getting their premiere, she also wrote recently proposing (in "As Indies Explode, an Appeal for Sanity") that it might be a good idea if fewer of them got picked up by distributors to go into theaters. Indiewire said, in an article by Anne Thompson, "Why Manohla Dargis's Sundance Proposal Is Behind the Times", that maybe she's afraid 990 new films opening in NYC last year was too many for the Times to cover. That has met with cries of outrage.

In her aforementioned collective review piece, Dargis praises (as all others do) Boyhood and Whiplash; finds things oddly missing in the Roger Ebert doc Life Itself, and thinks the one about Aaron Swartz Internet's Own Boy, too "hagiographic" and tending to "flatten" a more complex story. She likes the new doc by Hubert Sauper of "the 2004 masterwork" Darwin's Nightmare, faulting its classic jazz score (too historically "fraught") but favoring Sauper's " moving, infuriating and persuasive argument that in South Sudan there’s nothing 'post' about colonialism." Dargis also liked a feature others have not mentioned, Land Ho!, "a delightfully funny road movie" directed by Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz. It's notable for the acting of its leads, Earl Lynn Nelson ("the breakout star of this year's festival") and Paul Eenhoorn. Dargis also liked Alex Ross Perry's Listen Up, Philip, the ironic Jason Schwartzman vehicle already listed above. And she liked Frank, the film with Michael Fassbender perpetually in a cartoon mask.


MILES TELLER IN WHIPLASH

As for Dargis' call for distributors to weed out more indie films, she claimed "There are, bluntly, too many lackluster, forgettable and just plain bad movies pouring into theaters", and said

I have a little favor to ask of the people cutting the checks. Stop buying so many movies. Or at least take a moment and consider whether flooding theaters with titles is good for movies and moviegoers alike.… It’s hard to see how American independent cinema can sustain itself if it continues to focus on consumption rather than curation.

Indiewire points out that most of these only open in NYC and don't get to other cities: a pro forma theatrical release is necessary for them to gain Video on Demand status. And the NY Times might actually change theatrical NYC releases being obligatory by reviewing more films released in other platforms than theatrical. This thread illustrates the fact that while the Times is fairly diligent about providing some review coverage of every film that technically "opens" in the city, its festival coverage is slack, compared with the better efforts for their size of ONION A.V. CLUB and the impressive staffing the GUARDIAN provides at Toronto and Sundance as well as Cannes these days.

In a NEW YORKER blog entry, "More is more in independent film," Columbia University professor and Slate writer Tim Wu chellenges Dargis' assumption that fewer films would mean better films and suggests the NY Times is just foolish to insist on reviewing every film that is released in a NY Theater. The book review doesn't try to review every book that comes out. But We points out that interesting new films at Sundance often come unexpectedly, from "left field." "It may sound strange, but visible failures are the sign of a fertile cultural industry."

This is perhaps true and I wish more would write in their festival coverage about the bad films they see, and explain why they are bad. It should be recognizing what is bad that enables an educated audience to appreciate what is good.

A VARIETY article points out that "Festival Alternatives Exist for Independent Filmmakers," pointing to some obvious examples: South/by/Southwest, Tribeca, Fantastic Fest, and smaller regional festivals. Examples VARIETY gives of films that got picked up at SXSW last year are Short Term 12, Drinking Buddies (Magnolia Pictures), Cheap Thrills, A Band Called Death (both Drafthouse), Bad Milo! (Magnet Releasing), Haunter (IFC Midnight), The Punk Singer”(IFC Films), Good Ol’ Freda, I Give It a Year (both Magnolia) and 12 O’Clock Boys (Oscilloscope).

ENTERTAINMENT's Owen Gleiberman was kind enough to list in a video three Sundance 2014 films he did not think much of; this fits pretty well with A.A. Dowd's and the GUARDIAN'S earlier remarks: Camp X-Ray, Laggies, and Frank.

[Chris Knipp]

More "issue" docs from Amy Goodman at "Democracy Now!"

On Fri., Jan. 24 Amy Goodman of the TV/radio show "Democracy Now!" finished her week at Sundance with two more politically slanted docs and a rom-com with an abortion stance and interviewed the filmmakers. These were Hubert Sauper of We Come As Friends, We Are the Giant by Zainab Al-Khawaja and Gillian Robespierre of Obvious Child. Sauper is famous for his impressive, controversial 2004 film Darwin's NIghtmare. Sauper continues his focus on western exploitation of Africa with this new film that sees the new state of South Sudan coming under the thumb of outside corporate interests wanting its oil and gold. Interview by Goodman with Sauper here. We Are the Giant is a new documentary premiering at Sundance that looks at political repression and resistance to it in Bahrain through the lens of a prominent family of activists, the Al-Khawajas. See the interview with Zainab Al-Khawaja here. Gillian Robespierre's film is about a woman comic and aims to deal frankly and positively with the issue of abortion, often eschewed by Hollywood or shown negatively. The interview with Robespierre is here.

[Chris Knipp]

More Sundance films viewed by VARIETY critics

Here are some of the trade journal's reviews of films other publications mostly missed. Calvary, The One I Love, and the doc Last Days in Vietnam sound like definite winners worth looking for. "Much to be endured and little to be enjoyed" applies to others.

Appropriate Behavior: "It may be a lesbian Persian-American 'Girls' knockoff, but writer-director-star Desiree Akhavan's debut still packs plenty of punch," writes VARIETY's Andrew Barker.

Calvary: "Brendan Gleeson gives a performance of monumental soul in John Michael McDonagh's masterful follow-up to 'The Guard.' Justin Chang's review sees this sequel as far deeper and richer than its winning predecessor. This has been picked up by Fox Searchlight.

The Disobedient: "Two petulant brats go on a singularly unrewarding road trip across the Serbian countryside in Mina Djukic's debut feature." Dennis Harvey sounds annoyed by this one.

Jamie Marks Is Dead: "Carter Smith's follow-up to 'The Ruins' is an artfully handled but somewhat murky supernatural drama," writes VARIETY's Dennis Harvey.

Last Days in Vietnam: "Vividly annotating one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War, that of dozens of South Vietnamese struggling to climb the steps to a rooftop helicopter as Saigon fell, Rory Kennedy’s “Last Days in Vietnam” combines astonishing footage from April 1975 with the contemporary recollections of some who were there" review by Rob Nelson.

Little Accidents: "A mining accident ensnares an entire town in a web of tragedy and lies in this sensitive but ordinary Rust Belt melodrama, Scott Foundas opines.

Lots of bad stuff happens to honest, hard-working Rust Belt folk in “Little Accidents,” a sensitive and well-meaning but rather ordinary melodrama that wouldn’t have seemed out of place as a network movie-of-the-week circa 1985. Feature debut for writer-director Sara Colangelo, expanded from her prize-winning 2010 short, shows an admirable concern for the plight of the American blue-collar worker and features a standout central performance by newcomer Boyd Holbrook (“The Host”), but suffers from predictable plotting and shallow characterizations that keep the movie from ever transcending the obvious. Given the disappointing box office returns for the starrier, similarly bleak “Out of the Furnace,” buyers will be understandably skeptical of the pic’s commercial potential. [Foundas]

ELIZABETH MOSS, MARK DUPLASS: THE ONE I LOVE

The One I Love: "Charlie McDowell makes an incredibly assured directorial debut with this smart crowd-pleaser, featuring spectacular performances from Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss.," writes Geoff Berkshire makes this sound like a real Sundance-style winner.

A pleasure to watch but a challenge to discuss without spoiling a good deal of the fun, “The One I Love” marries Mark Duplass’ skill for incisive relationship comedies with a high concept any Hollywood studio would covet. Boasting spectacular performances from Duplass and Elisabeth Moss as a husband and wife on the brink of separation, this incredibly assured directorial debut of Charlie McDowell essentially turns the idea of a two-hander upside down and inside out. Such a smart, crowd-pleasing entertainment deserves a distrib savvy enough to navigate a release without giving away the central twist of the premise in the marketing. [Berkshire]

The Raid 2: Barandal: "A longer, slower, more expansive sequel that nevertheless delivers deep, bone-crunching pleasure for hardcore genre fans." -- review by Justin Chang of Gareth Evans' sequel to THE RAID: REDEMPTION, which was reviewed on Filmleaf as part of New Directors/New Films 2012.

Rudderless: "Billy Crudup plays a grieving father who gets a new lease on life playing his late son's music in William H. Macy's miscalculated directing debut," writes a clearly very underwhelmed Dennis Harvey. "Official Sundance closer may score some theatrical exposure, though being neither quite mainstream crowdpleaser nor offbeat indie, it will likely play best on cable."

Sepideh: "Danish duirector Berit Madsen's documentary offers a leisurely, engaging portrait of a provincial Iranian teenager who dreams of becoming an astronaut," writes Dennis Harvey. He predicts bright broadcast sales for a film that whose inspirational arc of a girl in conservative Muslim culture aspiring nonetheless to serious job titles (astronomer being an alternative to astronaut) seems in some ways predictable and calculated.

Sleepwalker: "Mona Fastvold's consistently intriguing debut may leave audiences feeling it's all buildup and scant payoff, "writes Dennis Harvey. "Commercial prospects look iffy for helmer/co-writer Mona Fastvold’s debut feature, which gestures toward thriller and explosive-family-secrets terrain without ever quite committing to either." Sounds like fans of the more subtle and understated kind of horror film might want to watch this one.


THE RAID 2

[Chris Knipp]

BOY BAND HEARTTHROB HARRY STYLES POSES WITH
ZACH BRAFF, WHOSE FILM HE PARTLY FUNDED

A downbeat roundup

We may have missed a gem or two and many films of the fest are not covered in this thread, but the main hits are pretty clear and I've listed them below. Ramin Setoodeh, New York-based Film Editor of VARIETY, penned a not-so-upbeat summary. "Too much Brooklyn" is one criticism; sounds odd, but he cites examples. Maybe Redford got his wish for the fest to get back closer to its true indie roots; but Setoodeh found many of the films simply lackluster, downbeat, and far less appealing and commercial than they could be. He thought a lot of viewers complained they hadn't seen enough films they loved -- and that work by "A-List talent" like Kristen Stewart (Camp X-Ray), Anne Hathaway (Song One) and Zach Braff (Wish I was Here) was unexciting. He also noted that buyers showed less motivation. While Little MIss Sunshine in its day sold for $10 million (and so did The Way, Way Back last year) this year $3 million was the high price paid, others of the few that sold going for $1.75 max, or less. Setoodeh said big stars' appearances in indie films like Stewart in Camp X-Ray nowadays constitutes not a bold and daring move as in the past, but just the need to pick up another paycheck to make up for poor studio earnings. He felt few other than Dear White People (no distributor yet) and The Skeleton Twins (acquired by Lionsgate) indicated "real breakout potential." Setoodeh concluded that "The lesson of Sundance 2014 is simple enough: make better movies about topics that are more accessible. Now that studios are mostly interested in sequels and comic book sagas, independent film could step up to fill the gaps they don’t serve. In other words, it doesn’t need to all be so niche."

And a reply to the naysayers

Eric Kohn on Indiewire rejected the pessimistic view of Sundance 2014 and said those who adopted it were naive and simply hadn't seen enough of the selections to say; should not be surprised at lower prices paid; should not judge the fest by how many big titles emerged like Beasts of the Southern Wild or Fruitvale Station recently. "Dumb buzz and big dollar figures" are not the main thing, but multiplicity and depth. How good a festival it is in a writer's view depends on how well you chose (Kohn saw 40, and Indiewire reviewers saw 60 total), but he praised it for how different many films were from each other (he listed some of the usual titles, and some I haven't cited, such as an Iranian vampire movie, Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and and Australian horror entry The Babadook, saying "this has been a remarkable edition for international representations of imagination run wild." He cited War Story, in which Catherine Keener shines as a traumatized correspondent; The Overnighters, a doc about a North Dakotan priest "whose life crumbles around him;" Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, a combo of character-driven narrative and a absurdist storytelling, "poetry and melodrama." He noted the Iceland-set buddy picture Land Ho! was bought by Sony Pictures Classics; the guy who sold it also approved the multiplicity of the festival. Kohn didn't like everything. He admitted to finding Zach Braff's Wish I Was Here an "obnoxious suburban comedy" and Gregg Araki's White Bird in a Blizzard "disappointingly bland," and the documentary selection "noticeably weaker" than other years.

All these generalizations positive and negative are always dubious. It does count if a festival features a film that becomes famous and bog box office. I would say it was the World Cinema Dramatic competition that looks weak, more than the Documentary ones.

IMG]http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320x240q90/208/qox0.jpg[/IMG]
DEAR WHITE PEOPLE

Most admired films of Sundance 2014

From the PREMIERES group
Boyhood (Richard Linklater), Calvary (John Michael McDonagh, starring Brendon Gleeson), and The One I Love (Charlie McDowell) were most praised.

From the U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
The most admired films were Dear White People (Justin Simien),The Skeleton Twins (Craig Johnson), and the opening night film Whiplash (Damien Chazelle), which might make the super-talented young Miles Teller a famous name.

From the WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC competition
The Norwegian film Blind, written and directed by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier's collaborator, was mentioned.

In the DOCUMENTARY competitions
Dinosaur 13 (Todd Douglas Miller) and Life Itself, the film about Roger Ebert by Hoop Dreams director Steve James, and Last Day in Vietnam (Rory Kennedy) stood out in the U.S. entries, and We Come As Friends , by Hubert Sauper of Darwin's Nightmare, was the World competition standout.

From the NEXT COMPETITION
A film of arch dark humor about an egomaniac by Alex Ross Perry, Listen Up Philip, was admired.


WE COME AS FRIENDS (HUBERT SAUPER)

Other possibilities

The Raid 2 (Gareth Evans). Genre violence fans would not want to miss this sequel.
Frank (Lenny Abrahamson): This got a lot of comment, if only because in it Michael Fassbender has to act "without his face", in a mask.
God's Pocket (John Slattery): Urban poverty porn? But it's got Philip Seymour Hoffman.
I Wish I Was Here (Zach Braff) got bought up fast, and has mainstream appeal.
Love Is Strange (Ira Sachs), not from a newcomer, a complicated, downbeat gay story, was reportedly the warmest Sundance reception Sachs has ever had.

Many documentaries might be worth watching just for the new information they contain. Cinephiles might particularly turn to Mr. Leos Carax (Tessa Louise-Salome) especially for info on this cultish, mysterious director. Students of the Middle East would want to see The Return to Homs (Talal Darki), mentioned in the GUARDIAN summary above, and also Nadav Schirman’s The Green Prince, which depicts the son of a Hamas leader who was recruited by Shin Bet, Israeli intelligence. We frequent posters might all want to look at Web Junkie (Shosh Shlam, HIlla Medalia), an Israeli-made film about a boot-camp style treatment center in China where young male Internet (gane) addicts are subjected to Orwelliian deprogramming. They resist.


WEB JUNKIE