by keithsim | Public
1/28: 5:00PM - Director Heder has been in Sundance before with TALLULAH in 2016 (where I was fortunate enough to interview her, Elliot Page and Allison Janney) and she's a wonderful light. She's been keeping herself busy on ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK and GLOW so watching how her storytelling has matured with be fascinating.
1/28: 9:00PM. I'm such a wimp. I'm already squirming at the thought of watching this Midnight section selection. But the film stars the intriguing actress Niamh Algar (the android "mother" from RAISED BY WOLVES) and the film is co-writer and director was one of Variety’s "10 Directors to Watch."
1/29, 2:00PM - Writer/director Shaw was at Toronto in 2016 with his earlier animated effort, MY ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL SINKING INTO THE SEA. His voice actors here are stellar and include, in all this uniqueness Angeliki Papoulia, the lead actress from DOGTOOTH. Because of course she is.
1/29: 3:00 - If I was stack-ranking these movies, instead of putting them in screening order, this would be my #1 film. And it's entirely because it's done by one of my favorite people in the movie world, Lucy Walker. Yes, the twice-Oscar-nominated Walker. Yes, the maker of THE CRASH REEL, a favorite doc. of mine.
1/29, 6:00. Which Ben Wheatley are we going to get here? A FIELD IN ENGLAND Wheatley? Or the upcoming director of THE MEG 2 Wheatley (actually, I kind of love that he's directing the MEG sequel)? The main image, of a person in shadow, carrying an ax, might mean a bit of both.
1/29, 9:00PM - Another film from the Midnight program this has such a bizarre plot outline but I feel compelled to watch it. Plus the only other thing playing at 9:00 at night is REBEL HEARTS, a documentary about unconventional L.A. nuns (Don't get mad at me, I'm sure it's great and I'll feel terrible about missing it on its Premiere...I'll do a few "Hail Mary's" to make up for it.)
1/30, 9:00AM - This will be my fourth "Sesame Street" documentary at Sundance (including BEING ELMO, about Kevin Clash, which didn't age well) because Sundance and I seem to love "Sesame Street." This looks like the definitive origin story so I'm excited to learn more.
1/30, 12:00PM - If you didn't get to see deservedly Oscar-nominated CORPUS CHRISTI, please do. Bartosz Bielenia, the mesmerizing lead from that film is also the headliner here, from a first-time director.
1/30, 3:00PM - Rebecca Hall is an actress that I've always found to be witty and detailed. This is her directorial debut. Plus What A Cast (WAC).
1/30, 6:00PM - Ellis directed the ambitious ANTHROPOID. Both Reilly and Holbrook have been favorites of mine for a while now. Hope this works.
1/30, 9:00PM - Intriguing concept and the other premiere is about "ruthless drifters" and I've had enough of those in real life, thanks.
1/30 Alternate (we have the day, essentially, to watch this if we change our mind) I said last year that apocalyptic movies have a tough time at Sundance...and then I saw SAVE YOURSELVES!. This film looks much more somber than that lark.
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography
1/30 Alternate (we have the day, essentially, to watch this if we change our mind) I had a chance to see Rita Moreno in concert. I sat next to a senior. After she amazed us for two hours, regaling
1/31, 9:00AM - Sundance has a mixed history with these kind of quirky team-ups (THE WACKNESS comes back to me from 2008, just to annoy me) but, again, this is a Premiere film.
1/31, 12:00PM - I include this because, whenever I was talking to someone from Sundance, including the demonstrations on how to use the ticketing service this title kept being used as an example. "So, say you want to see TOGETHER TOGETHER..." I think it's subliminal. Plus I like Ed Helms.
1/31, 3:00PM, - Three actors I respect: Cliff Collins Jr., Molly Parker and Moises Arias from a first time director. These are the kinds of films that can make Sundance sing.
1/31, 6:00PM - Nicolas Cage.
1/31, 9:00PM - Alternate - Vassilopoulos based this feature on his short of the same name from 2016. While some of the results of these heavily-work-shopped Sundance films don't actually work and can't be shopped around sometimes they are honed films, with a considered finesse to them.
2/1, 3:00PM - So, someone at Sundance realized that 2/1 is a Monday and some people have other work to do. Thus this film and BLACKJUDAS are the only Narrative Premieres scheduled for today. I hope to catch JUDAS another way.
2/1, Alternate (we have the day, essentially, to watch this if we change our mind) - I think we're all struggling with the fabulists of the world. What motivates them? This doc looks utterly fascinating.
2/1, Alternate (we have the day, essentially, to watch this if we change our mind) I don't have any other films from the NEXT section at Sundance (which programs the alternative films that just wouldn't play well with a general audience. Shoenbrun is a 1st time director.
2/2, 12:00PM, I'll just quote the Sundance guide here for my reasons: "Mona Fastvold’s rugged period romance, The World to Come, is adapted from Jim Shepard's 2017 short story of the same name and premiered in competition at the Venice International Film Festival."
Going to figure out if I can fit this in: There's a LAST PICTURE SHOW feel to the image provided for this doc. That's enough for me.
Going to figure out if I can fit this in: This movie. Right here. Know nothing about it. But maybe it's WHALE RIDER or MINARI or PALM SPRINGS.
Going to figure out if I can fit this in: A gothy/fantasy movie in the main competition? Must be good.