Top 20+ Films I'm Excited to See at Sundance 2019
Sundance. Utah's legendary, career-making festival. 14,259 submissions from 152 countries. 120 features programmed to unspool (or undigitize?) from January 24th - February 3rd (it's late this year). Of those 120, along with shorts and a VR experience that I'm looking forward to, here are the 20 films that have piqued my interest the most (and 11 more that I'll try to catch as well). **Full disclosure, three of these titles are from Amazon Studios. IMDb is a division of Amazon.com
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- DirectorUrsula MacfarlaneStarsHarvey WeinsteinBenjamin BrafmanHope Exiner D'AmoreFeature documentary about the spectacular fall from grace of media mogul Harvey Weinstein. With a cast of characters including survivors, friends and colleagues, this is a portrait of power and its abuses, spanning over forty years.In some ways showing this Weinstein doc. is like premiering Downfall in the Eagle’s Nest above the Obersalzberg. Not so very long ago Park City was Harvey's redoubt, a high altitude fortress the mogul ruled with fear, admiration, and loathing, and it had been thus for 20+ years. “Sobering” probably won’t begin to cover it.
- DirectorAlexandre O. PhilippeStarsClarke WolfeNicholas CullWilliam LinnAn in-depth voyage into the sci-fi film Alien (1979) with the visionary filmmakers who created it. See how one of the most terrifying movies of all time came to life 40 years ago, inspired by ancient mythology and our universal fears.This “making of” doc is so high because I expect to walk out of it having finally watched screenwriter Dan O’Bannon (Dead Alive , The Return of the Living Dead, Total Recall ) get his due. Since Diane O’Bannon, his widow, is an executive producer I’m hopeful that’s the case.
- DirectorSamantha BuckMarie SchlingmannStarsMichael MosleyJulie WhiteAmy HargreavesAmerica’s most famous evangelist is a woman looking for a way out. Fed up with her own success, and swept up in her lover’s daydreams about Mexico, she finds herself on a wild road trip to the border. Based on true events. Mostly made up.Before there was Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Before there was Jimmy Swaggart. Before those evangelical charlatans there was Sister Aimee Semple McPherson. If you don’t know anything about the true story behind one of the first evangelists to use a mass-communication medium you have got something in store for you. How these directors balance out getting out the facts with the gasp-inducing hypocrisy will be very worth seeing. I’m a little wary though as the production submitted the plot outline: “Based on true events. Mostly made up.” Sticking close to the facts should have been enough. This film also has a distinct Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room) vibe to it as it stars Amy Hargreaves, one of his co-stars from Blue Ruin, and co-stars his star from that film, Macon Blair. Stay tuned.
- DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoZawe AshtonA thriller about the contemporary art scene of Los Angeles, where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.Dan Gilroy wrote and directed Nightcrawler, and here he's collaborating again with his star of that film, Gyllenhaal (who was criminally overlooked in that awards season). I guess I could stop there as a rationale for this being in my top 5 to see but I’ll go on and mention that Gilroy also wrote Kong: Skull Island. Hmmm…On second thought, maybe I should have stopped there
- DirectorBart FreundlichStarsJulianne MooreMichelle WilliamsBilly CrudupA manager of an orphanage in Kolkata travels to New York to meet a benefactor.This is based on the lovely, original 2006 film directed by Susanne Bier. You might recognize that name recently as the director of Bird Box but you should also know her from her other work too such as The Night Manager and Academy Award-winner In a Better World. Back to this film, I’ll watch Michelle Williams in anything (yes, I saw Venom, leave me alone, I’m still in mourning) and Crudup and Moore aren’t too bad themselves. Director Bart Freundlich is married to Moore, btw.
- DirectorNisha GanatraStarsEmma ThompsonMindy KalingJohn LithgowA late night talk show host suspects that she may soon lose her long-running show.Most of my favorite “Transparent” episodes were directed by Ganatra, including "Moppa" and, does anyone love Emma Thompson more than me? “No,” says I, trying not to sound creepy.
- StarsLorena BobbittJohn Wayne BobbittPaul EbertFrom Executive Producer Jordan Peele, this four-part docuseries re-investigates the events of 1993, where Lorena Bobbitt sliced off her husband's penis after years of abuse.I groaned when I found out there was going to be a four-part mini-series about one of the most famous amputations in the 20th century. But, I think that's the thing that executive producer Jordan Peele and others are counting on. This series is supposed to be about, not just the facts of the case, but about the resulting media frenzy that surrounded it. Watch the trailer. It looks damn good. **
- DirectorJoe BerlingerStarsLily CollinsZac EfronAngela SarafyanA chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy from the perspective of Liz, his longtime girlfriend, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.So this is the movie that should show us, finally, if Efron is more than an extremely effective entertainer and comedian and is, indeed, a dramatic actor. Berlinger has a great track record with documentaries (Paradise Lost) but a very shaky one with narrative features (Blair Witch: Book of Shadows). This topic, as odious as the tale of Ted Bundy is, could be the perfect combination of themes for the director.
- DirectorRitesh BatraStarsNawazuddin SiddiquiSanya MalhotraSachin KhedekarA struggling street photographer in Mumbai, pressured to marry by his grandmother, convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée. The pair develop a connection that transforms them in ways they could not expect.Since his gorgeous, romantic, sensuous, 2013 film The Lunchbox I’ve been waiting for Batra’s great follow-up. Fonda/Redford's Our Souls at Night wasn’t it. Neither was The Sense of an Ending (though that was closer). **
- DirectorAbe ForsytheStarsLupita Nyong'oAlexander EnglandJosh GadA washed-up musician teams up with a teacher and a kids'-show personality to protect young children from a sudden outbreak of zombies.I’ve long tired of the zombie film but Nyong’o has a penchant for involving herself with smart projects and here she gets to play the active, action role here (ok, she did roust it up a bit in Black Panther). One has to imagine that Josh Gad will finally get to unleash that raging cauldron of violence buried deep inside him.
- DirectorGrant SputoreStarsLuke HawkerRose ByrneMaddie LentonIn the wake of humanity's extinction, a teenage girl is raised by a robot designed to repopulate the earth. But their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news.Indie sci-fi has a special place in my heart, particularly for Moon, The One I Love, and Prospect. Let's hope this is in that league.
- DirectorBertie EllwoodAmber TemplemoreStarsMckenna GraceViola DavisJim GaffiganIn rural 1977 Georgia, a misfit girl dreams of life in outer space. When a competition offers her a chance to be recorded on NASA's Golden Record, she recruits a makeshift troop of Birdie Scouts, forging friendships that last a lifetime.I’ve been hearing good things about this film for a few months. That kind of enthusiasm is hard to manufacture unless something is worthwhile. **
- DirectorAlice WaddingtonStarsEmma RobertsDanielle MacdonaldAwkwafinaUma is a young woman who wakes up in an apparently idyllic reform school for young ladies. But a dark secret lies within its walls.Director Waddington is new but her cast is strong, including Macdonald, Roberts, and Gonzalez and it's co-written by Nacho Vigolando (Timecrimes, Colossal).
- DirectorLee CroninStarsSeána KerslakeJames Quinn MarkeyKati OutinenA single mother living in the Irish countryside with her son begins to suspect he may not be her son at all, and fears his increasingly disturbing behavior is linked to a mysterious sinkhole in the forest behind their house.I guess phenom distributor A24 can now book a "your family is the devil" double-bill with last year's Hereditary and this super, super creepy-looking film (watch the trailer).
- DirectorAlma Har'elStarsShia LaBeoufLucas HedgesNoah JupeA young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health.I don't know what LaBeouf's writing is like. I met him in Cannes once and I thought he was both arrogant and sad. His acting, at least for the last few years though, is pretty terrific. And then there's Hedges and Monroe who are both on rolls.
- DirectorDan ReedStarsMichael JacksonWade RobsonJoy RobsonAt the height of his stardom, the world's biggest pop star, Michael Jackson, began long-running relationships with two young boys, aged between seven and ten, along their families. They now allege that he sexually abused them.This was one of the two late additions to the festival (the other being The Brink, about Steve Bannon). That fact alone means that it could be one of the most explosive and, for even the most casual Jackson fan, the most painful to watch.
- DirectorSeverin FialaVeronika FranzStarsRiley KeoughJaeden MartellLia McHughA soon-to-be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé's two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place.Keogh is an underrated actress as she has had strong-though-small turns in American Honey, Logan Lucky and Mad Max: Fury Road. This looks like prime (and perhaps primal) role for her.
- DirectorMirrah FoulkesStarsDaisy AxonDon BridgesMichael PapasSeaside (nowhere near the sea), puppeteers Judy and Punch are trying to resurrect their marionette show in an an anarchic town on the brink of mob rule.The look of this film from the press kit images intrigues me and Wasikowska always has one Sundance film that I put on my list and intend to see...but never do.
- DirectorJ.D. DillardStarsKiersey ClemonsEmory CohenHanna Mangan LawrenceA woman washes ashore a small uninhabited island after an accident. The situation turns from bad to worse when she realizes there is a mysterious creature hunting at night.I don't know anything about Dillard but I'm a big fan of Clemons, a vibrant, charismatic actress who has shone in small roles ("Transparent") and large (Dope).
- DirectorHannah Pearl UttStarsHannah Pearl UttAyden MayeriOona YaffeA pair of sisters find out that the mother they thought was dead is alive and starring on a soap opera.A topnotch cast takes on the idiosyncratic rhythms of Putt.
- DirectorGarret PriceStarsAnton YelchinJ.J. AbramsSofia BoutellaA portrait of the extraordinary life and career of actor Anton Yelchin.
- DirectorJacob EstesStarsDavid OyelowoStorm ReidMykelti WilliamsonDetective Jack Radcliff and his recently murdered niece race against time to solve the crime before it happens.
- DirectorAnne SewitskyStarsIne Marie WilmannValene KaneEldar SkarThe story of Sonja Henie, one of the world's greatest athletes and the inventor of modern figure skating, who decides to go to Hollywood in 1936 to become a movie star.
- DirectorJoanna HoggStarsNeil YoungTosin ColeJack McMullenA young film student in the early '80s becomes romantically involved with a complicated and untrustworthy man.
- DirectorLaure de Clermont-TonnerreStarsMatthias SchoenaertsJason MitchellBruce DernWhile participating in a rehabilitation program training wild mustangs, a convict at first struggles to connect with the horses and his fellow inmates, but he learns to confront his violent past as he soothes an especially feisty horse.
- DirectorBritt PoultonDan Madison SavageStarsOlivia ColmanKaitlyn DeverAlice EnglertSet deep in the wilds of Appalachia, where believers handle death-dealing snakes to prove themselves before God, a pastor's daughter holds a secret that threatens to tear apart her community.
- DirectorMartha StephensStarsKara HaywardJordana SpiroTina ParkerUnder small town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer's daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.
- DirectorRashid JohnsonStarsAshton SandersMargaret QualleyNick RobinsonA young African-American living in Chicago enters into a seductive new world of money and power after he is hired as a chauffeur for an affluent businessman.
- DirectorPatrick BriceStarsDemi MooreJessica WilliamsEd HelmsCEO Lucy takes her staff on corporate team building in some underground desert caves in New Mexico. They get stuck there.
- DirectorBabak AnvariStarsArmie HammerZazie BeetzKarl GlusmanDisturbing and mysterious things begin to happen to a bartender in New Orleans after he picks up a phone left behind at his bar.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsAlex GibneyElizabeth HolmesDan ArielyThe story of Theranos, a multi-billion dollar tech company, its founder Elizabeth Holmes, the youngest self-made female billionaire, and the massive fraud that collapsed the company.