There are so many movies screening at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City this year that it’s nearly impossible to choose ten that are most buzzworthy. I say nearly impossible, because I just pulled it off.
● Adventureland – Because this coming-of-age story set in an amusement park is from the director of Superbad. Because it has two of our favorite Kristens, Stewart and Wiig. Because of these clips. And because this is this year’s “This year’s Little Miss Sunshine.”
● Big Fan – Because it’s the directorial debut of Robert Siegel, former Onion editor and screenwriter of The Wrestler. Because the story of a Giants fan (Patton Oswalt) from Staten Island who gets into a violent altercation with his favorite player at a strip club couldn’t be more timely. Because this could be the birth of a bright new voice in American cinema.
● Rudo y Cursi – Because it reunites Y tu mamá también costars Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal as rival brothers on the same soccer team. Because those two actors helped give Alfonso Cuarón his big break in Y tu mamá and will try and do it again for his baby brother Carlos, who directed this.
● Brooklyn’s Finest – Because Michael Martin was a tollbooth worker when he wrote this script to finance repairs on a car he totaled. Because Michael Martin is still a toll booth worker despite Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, and Don Cheadle starring in his movie. Because the last time Antoine Fuqua directed a gritty cop drama, Denzel Washington won an Academy Award for Training Day.
● I Love You Phillip Morris – Because even though this “indie” features superstars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, it features them as gay lovers who fall in love in prison. Because it comes from the twisted minds behind Bad Santa. Because it’s Brokeback Mountain for the Apatow set.
● Dead Snow – Because it’s about zombie Nazis. Because I’m not lying.
● Tyson Because even Mike Tyson was surprised at the ovation this documentary received at Cannes. Because it will make a convicted rapist, ear biter, and all-around thug seem compassionate, vulnerable, and human.
● The September Issue – Because it’s a rare account of the months leading up to Vogue’s biblical September issue. Because you might see Anna Wintour smile, or even laugh. Because she’s more intimidating than Tyson.
● Brief Interviews with Hideous Men – Because this could be the breakout role for Law & Order: Criminal Intent’s Julianne Nicholson. Because instead of giving the camera knowing looks on The Office, John Krasinski is behind it. Because based on his short stories, it will remind us of the genius of the late David Foster Wallace.
● The Missing Person – Because it’s a noirish private eye yarn set in a post-9/11 landscape. Because after Shotgun Stories and Revolutionary Road, a Michael Shannon performance has suddenly become can’t-miss. Because Amy Ryan is no slouch either.