Sundance 2021 is a wrap and I'd say that the first ever streaming version of the festival was a huge success!! While nothing can replace the experience of seeing the screenings in person and feeling all the excitement and buzz from your fellow festival attendees, the convenience and ease of this format can't be beat. I was able to see more movies than ever this year and the only movie from my most anticipated list that I wasn't able to catch was Passing, Now that everything is said and done, let's take a look back and round up my personal highlights of the festival. BEST OF FEST MASS This intimate drama about two sets of parents both affected by the same tragedy is sensational. The film focuses most of the duration on just these four actors having a very difficult conversation. The performances here are all incredible and I hope aren't forgotten when awards season hits. Everyone here is fantastic, but Ann Down and Martha Plimpton in particular blew me away. CODA CODA opened the festival and was so warm and winsome that many of the movies I watched afterward had a hard time measuring up. CODA is the type of coming of age movie I go to Sundance to see; humorous and heartfelt all at once. Plus it boasts a breakout performance from its young star, as well as an amazing soundtrack which she helps to perform. IN THE SAME BREATH This documentary about the origins of the pandemic in China from filmmaker Nanfu Wang is a must watch. She tells this story with an unflinching bravery and honestly, it is essential viewing to understanding how we got where we are and how we can try to understand where we go from here. ON THE COUNT OF THREE Two friends form a suicide pact in which they agree by the end of this day, they will each kill themselves. This movie was a hard watch, but surprisingly very rewarding about the fragility of life and the beauty it offers. EIGHT FOR SILVER There's nothing I love more than a good Sundance horror film and Eight For Silver happened to be my favorite horror film of the 2021 festival. It's better not to say too much because the reveal to what exact type of horror movie this is happens to be one of the funnest parts of the movie, but rest assured if you're a fan of horror you are in for a treat. IN THE EARTH In the Earth was my second favorite horror film of the festival and that might be entirely due to its creep factor. The atmosphere is just right all throughout with an underlying sense of dread. While it most definitely is a slow burn to get to that chaotic ending, it's definitely worth it. TOGETHER TOGETHER Together Together was a sweet and sincere dramedy exploring something not often explored in film: a platonic friendship. Ed Helms stars as Matt, a single man in his 40's who wants desperately to be a father. Since life hadn't given him that option yet, he decides to take matters into his own hands and hire a surrogate. The film follows the unexpected friendship that follows between the two and the unexpected complexness in understanding the boundaries of such a relationship. I really enjoyed this. These characters felt real and lived in. I only wish it had a stronger ending. JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH Judas and the Black Messiah features some of the strongest performances of the festival and will no doubt be recognized come Oscar time. The story of an FBI informant infiltrating the inner circle of the Black Panthers is incredibly compelling. Again I would have loved to have gotten to know some of the characters more to see more inner turmoil, but overall it's still an excellent film. HOW IT ENDS This quirky offbeat comedy about a woman coming to terms with the end of the world (with help from her younger self who joins her on her journey,) was light, fluffy fun in the midst of watching a lot of other movies with heavier subject matter. While the film mostly consists of one celebrity cameo after the other, I still just couldn't help but have a lot of fun with it. The humor was on point and everyone seemed to be having a fun time. CENSOR Another slow burn horror film to add to the list, Censor ties with The Blazing World (below) to take my tenth spot of my favorite films at Sundance 2021. This movie felt cold and distant; it was hard to love because I couldn't find myself warming to the lead with the way she was portrayed. It wasn't quite what I expected, but by the end I was along for the ride. THE BLAZING WORLD The Blazing World is a horror fairytale in the same vein of Pan's Labyrinth (definite Guillermo del Toro vibes all throughout). Sometimes it may be guilty of style over substance, but honestly who ever said style couldn't be substance too?? I have to hand it to the incredible production design for making this waking dream come to life. It truly had its own sense of dark magic. Well that's it for 2021. May 2022 bring us back to the screens of Utah so we can experience some of these films together.

I put off this list as long as I could because there always seemed to be more and more movies added to my watch list every single day. While I still haven't gotten to see everything I wanted, I knew I had waited long enough and had to get my list out sooner rather than later. So while there's still some movies that could weasel their way in once I've seen them, this will have to do for now! So without further ado, here's my list of my favorite movies that came out in 2020. 10. DA 5 BLOODS Okay, I'll be honest, this film took quite a long time for me to get into (honestly about an hour), but then suddenly the film gripped my attention and wouldn't let it go. The film follows a group of Vietnam War vets who return to Vietnam seeking to find treasure they buried there back during the war. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, and until they have to confront some of the ghosts of their past. Da 5 Bloods is shocking, thrilling, and devastating. You just have to have the patience to get through. 9. WANDER DARKLY Wander Darkly is a deep dive relationship exploration film, which happen to be one of my favorite types of movies. It feels almost like a spiritual sequel to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (except a tad bit more accessible) in both subject manner and the way this couple's story is relived. This is one of those films where the less said the better so as not to spoil how the movie gets where it's going, so I won't say much more than that... but I will say it made me cry like a baby. 8. NOMADLAND Nomadland is a quiet, understated portrait of grief anchored by another wonderful performance from the always solid Frances McDormand. Nomadland is a slice of life film, where there's not a lot going on aside from the observance of a lifestyle that many, myself included, may be unfamiliar with: the life of a nomad. While it's interesting to learn about this culture, the best material the movie has to offer are the character driven moments and there's a real beauty to the wisdom the film has to share. 7 TIE: HIS HOUSE, THE LODGE & THE INVISIBLE MAN I couldn't settle on which horror movie I liked best from 2020, so I'm cheating and giving you three for the price of one. Each play with the concept of ghosts in different ways, but to analyze each here would get us into spoiler territory. The Invisible Man is a fresh modern take on one of Universal's famous "movie monsters." It's thrilling and features one of the most gasp inducing scenes of the year. I saw The Lodge two Sundances ago, but it only made its debut last February or I would have included it on my 2019 list. It excels in giving the viewer both paranoia and claustrophobia that truly puts you in the characters' shoes. I saw His House at least years Sundance and it featured some of the most terrifying scares in recent memory pretty early on into the film's runtime and it just doesn't let up. Each of these films haunts their characters and the audience in different ways and all are excellent. 6. SWALLOW Swallow is such a bizarre movie based on a real life compulsion: swallowing weird objects. Swallow follows the life of Hunter, a newlywed who tries to convince herself she's blissfully happy, despite having in-laws who seem to find various ways of controlling her life. I found Swallow to be absolutely fascinating and captivating. I was on the edge of my seat about what could happen next, even though what happens in this film is mostly psychological. This film is certainly not for everyone, but I loved every minute. 5. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN I saw this at last year's Sundance back when seeing movies with an audience was still a thing (sniff), and I have to say I'm so glad I did. This movie almost would be a totally different one without a crowd, which actually kind of shows how many layers it has. Seeing it at Sundance, the dark humor of it came alive, while watching it alone, I think the dramatic elements would feel far more prominent. The truth is, Promising Young Woman is both and features a firecracker performance from Carey Mulligan as a woman looking to teach men that take advantage of women very dark lessons. 4. SOUND OF METAL I can't think of another movie that more fully puts you in the shoes of its protagonist than Sound of Metal, the story of a heavy metal drummer who loses his ability to hear. The film benefits tremendously from both fantastic sound design that truly lets you experience what the character is experiencing, coupled with an outstanding lead performance by Riz Ahmed. Sound of Metal is truly a film that takes you on a journey and makes you feel pretty much every emotion in the book. 3. TENET Tenet seemed to polarize audiences, but I'm in the camp that really enjoyed the ride Christopher Nolan took us on. Sure, it wasn't one of his strongest creative efforts (like Inception or Interstellar), but it still was a blast featuring some of the coolest action sequences I've ever seen. I would have loved more character development, heart and backstory, but the creativity of it all wins major points with me and I still left the theater thrilled and amazed. 2. BLACK BEAR Black Bear is a tale of two halves and the whole picture it creates. I hate to say much about this movie because I really fear spoiling everything that makes it what it is. I thought about this film for days after I saw it because it's the type of movie rife with different interpretations and analyzations. In fact, my husband and I both came to different conclusions on what was real and what wasn't. It's the type of movie that reminds me why I love movies. 1. PALM SPRINGS Nothing ever really came along to knock the sunny time warp comedy off the top spot from when I saw it at Sundance (especially since my favorite from the festival, Nine Days, didn't get an official release last year). In a year where we all felt stuck in a time loop, this movie couldn't have come at a better time. I have a soft spot for romantic comedies, and seeing one so sweet and earnest, while also being hilarious was so refreshing. I love its message and it's one I see myself watching over and over. HONORABLE MENTIONS: MINARI, THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND, FREAKY, THE GENTLEMEN, MANK, COLOR OUT OF SPACE, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, BABYTEETH

It's a new year, and I wish it were time for a new list! But due to the craziest year ever, here we have almost the same list as last years. Thanks a lot 2020. When I wrote last year's list I definitely could have never foreseen a worldwide pandemic preventing most of these movies from coming out. The landscape of cinema looks a lot different, but hope is on the horizon that things will one day get back to more normal. So while this list is very tentative and could change at any moment, let's take a look at the movies we have to look forward to this year. 10. THE BEATLES: GET BACK Peter Jackson made this documentary with all new, never before seen footage of the fab four and as a big Beatles fan I couldn't be more excited to see it. The sneak peek Jackson posted to social media looked excellent and I was amazed at the quality of the footage. 9. SPIDER-MAN 3 I am in the small minority of movie goers who doesn't really enjoy the Tom Holland version of Spider-man, or the films in which he appears. That said, I can't ignore the intrigue around all the casting announcements of late which has this film poised to be a live action version of Into the Spider-Verse. I was a big fan of Andrew Garfield's portrayal and loved the Sam Raimi films with Tobey Maguire, so seeing both of them back on the big screen altogether would certainly be something. Still, I'm skeptical this will be nothing more than cameos and I'm keeping my expectations low. 8. A QUIET PLACE II We were so close to getting this movie, and yet so far. I'm not sure when this one will come out, but seeing the first was a very memorable theater experience and I really hope the sequel can live up to the original. 7. BOND: NO TIME TO DIE Another movie that was so close to its release date before the world shut down. I'm excited to see Daniel Craig's likely final outing as Bond and hope it can match the highs of his previous work as Bond (see Casino Royale, Skyfall) and not the lows (Quantum of Solace, Spectre.) 6. GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE I'm not positive the tone of this trailer is just right for a Ghostbusters sequel (it looks like it has a lot more of a Stranger Things vibe than a goofy comedy), but I'm definitely willing to see what Jason Reitman has up his sleeve. 5. HALLOWEEN KILLS We really could have used this Halloween sequel last Halloween, but alas... it gets pushed til 2021. Jamie Lee Curtis was having so much fun in the last movie, I'm excited to see her next rematch with the basically immortal Michael Meyers. Hopefully it's worth the wait! 4. THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT The first Conjuring film remains one of the best horror movies of the last ten years. While the sequel was a bit more uneven, it was still pretty solid and I absolutely love Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in these roles. However, I'm really hoping the director change doesn't bring down the quality. 3. MALIGNANT So if James Wan was enticed away from making The Conjuring 3 for this, it must be really good right?? At least that's my sincere hope. Not much is known here as the plot details are being kept under lock and key, but as a huge lover of horror it's definitely on my radar. 2. LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Edgar Wright is one of my favorite directors and his last film, Baby Driver, was my favorite movie of 2017. I will watch anything he does. Pair him with Anya Taylor-Joy, Hollywood's latest "It girl", make it a horror/thriller and you have my undivided attention. Cannot wait. 1. DUNE I am so excited to finally see this film... whenever we get to see it. The novel Dune was a huge inspiration on the sci-fi genre in cinema, so it's pretty exciting to see the OG sci-fi story get a proper grand adaptation (granted, I've never seen the 80's version.) Denis Villeneuve is one of the best directors working today and after achieving the impossible in making a critically adored sequel to Blade Runner, he seems poised once again to give us something great here.

Debuting on Disney Plus today is Soul, Pixar's second animated release this year following Onward. Soul is about a junior high school teacher named Joe (Jamie Foxx), who dreams of making it big as a jazz pianist. One day when he gets an incredible gig to play that night it finally seems like his dream is about to come true...that is, until he hits a bit of a snag. Joe's soul is sent to another dimension after he falls into an unexpected coma. With the help of another spirit known simply as 22 (Tina Fey), he must find his way back to earth to make it home in time for his gig, all the while showing 22 the joys of being alive. Soul is an easy movie to admire because there was so much creativity that went into crafting it. The film tackles a lot of difficult themes and overall has a really beautiful message to share. That said, the film bites off way more than it can chew. Pixar really seems to be forgetting who its audience is with this one as it delivers a film that seems way too high concept to appeal to the attention spans of children. Inside Out was great because it appealed to something kids understand: emotions, but I can't think of many kids that are wrestling with existentialism. Soul ultimately just has too much going on. It is definitely missing the simplicity and charm of Pixar's earlier works. While there is certainly an audience for this movie, especially as it already seems to be loved by many, it just wasn't for me. RATING: 6/10

Wonder Woman 1984 is out in select theaters and streaming on HBO Max today. So far it seems to be polarizing audiences in its ability to live up to its predecessor. Some had fun with it, while others were completely turned off by its campiness. The story here is simple. We meet up with Diana (Gal Gadot) in 1984, where she's spent quite a few decades grieving over her lost love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) while occasionally saving the day here and there. Through work, she meets Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), an awkward loner who quite literally wishes she could be as cool as Diana. Little did she and Diana know, she happened to make that wish on an actual wishing stone that their organization had obtained, a stone with power to grant wishes but to take something in return. So Barbara is granted with Diana's power at the cost of her humanity. Meanwhile, Diana too makes a wish on the stone which brings her lost love Steve back to her. But the stone has captured the eye of a broke mogul named Max Lord, who steals the stone for himself and then wishes to become the stone. Diana must save the world and stop these wishes from destroying mankind from itself. While the plot is pretty silly, it's almost trying to mimic the simplicity of action/adventure films of the era in which the film is set. The 80's weren't really known for complex plots in blockbuster movies, so I have no issue with the cheesiness and often cartoon nature of the film. Would this have been the sequel I wrote for Wonder Woman? No, it would not. I definitely think there were other decades that would have been a lot more fun to explore and see her save the day in, but seeing Gal return in the role here set in the 80s and having so much fun is just fine with me. Pedro Pascal hams it up while Kristen Wiig is surprisingly great (a lot of people felt she was miscast for the role.) Chris Pine is charming and he and Gal continue to have great chemistry. Wonder Woman 1984 as a whole, but especially it's incredibly earnest ending, is almost a test of a viewer's cynicism and ability to endure suspension of disbelief. For some, it will be too much to handle and they'll laugh it off, for others it will be just another comic book movie and they'll be able to enjoy it just fine. I'm among the latter in that I believe Wonder Woman 1984 is harmless popcorn fun, and not something to take too seriously. RATING 7/10

Okay guys, it's finally here. I've finally settled on my favorite movies from last year. I still haven't been able to see everything I wanted to see, but I feel pretty good about getting behind the following movies as solid, entertaining movies that endeared themselves to me in one way or another. Let's not waste any more time, here's my top ten from 2015. 10. Kingsman: The Secret Service I saw a screening of this early in the year, about a month before it came out and was absolutely blown away in entertainment. It would have been easy for me to put the more sophisticated Spotlight in this spot, but I had to be honest with myself on which movie I really enjoyed more. I came out of Kingsman on an absolute high and couldn't wait to tell everyone I knew to check this movie out. This movie is so much fun and a perfect homage to the spy genre. In a year packed with movies from that genre, nothing ever topped this one. Original review HERE. 9. TIE: Steve Jobs My initial reaction to Steve Jobs was that it was the "not as good" version of The Social Network. And while I still agree with my initial assessment, there's still so much to really like about it (and hey, in my mind comparisons to The Social Network are NEVER a bad thing.) I LOVE the format of this film, and as always Aaron Sorkin's script is top notch. Dropping in on a character at three different product launches in his life, was a brilliant approach and was sold beyond convincingly by Michael Fassbender (possibly at his career best.) Fassbender becomes Jobs, and it's fascinating to watch. 9. TIE: Sicario Right from the beginning of Sicario, you know this movie will have an impact on you. Though I found the film to be unable to keep that constant pace that was set by the beginning there were still quite a few moments that grabbed a hold of me and wouldn't let go. They haunted me. The last twenty minutes is probably the strongest finale of any movie I've seen this year. Emily Blunt is terrific as usual, but it was Benicio Del Toro who really blew me away. 8. The Revenant The spectacle of The Revenant is certainly enough to get you caught up in it. If you know anything at all about filmmaking, you have to admire the sweep and scope that Inarritu was able to achieve the way he sought to achieve it. I'm a sucker for visual filmmaking, and there's certainly a visual factor to The Revenant that lifts it above other movies made this year. But it's not just a pretty movie to look at (in fact, on many occasions its quite the contrary,) the story itself is quite engrossing too. While some fat could definitely be trimmed, I was honestly never bored in the proceedings. The actors always kept me engaged in what would happen next. There are the classic tales of betrayal, survival, and revenge, but in the end, it is the choices the characters make in the end that interest me the most. 7. The End of the Tour One of my favorite film series is Richard Linklater's Before movies, which basically are two hour long conversations turned into their own films. The End of the Tour, like those movies, scratched me where I itch in presenting rhetoric that constantly blew me away. This is essentially the bromance version of the Before series, as Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel had a crazy camaraderie type chemistry and all they did was discuss everything they could possibly discuss. When the core of a movie revolves around a simple relationship and its progression (no matter how short a time it existed,) it becomes the best kind of movie for me. 6. Ex-Machina Ex-Machina is the type of science fiction I wish more people tried to make. This is the Frankenstein type of sci-fi, where moral dilemmas are everything and human nature is at the root of all. The movie is great in making you think it will go one way, and then turning those expectations on their head. But best of all, its cast (which the story falls pretty much on three characters only) is fantastic. Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac each give their all to this movie and their efforts easily made it one of my favorites of the year. 5. Mad Max: Fury Road There's really not much more to this movie than an exciting chase in the dessert...but oh what a chase it is, and oh how entertaining it is. I'm not going to pretend there's a ton of hidden depth here (though you're welcome of course to disagree,) but I can't deny how incredibly well made this movie is for what it is. The cinematography is stunning and the way everything is staged is absolutely superb. Plus I must say, Charlize Theron's Furiosa is a heroine that any girl can really root for. She and Tom Hardy are just grand. 4. Love & Mercy I'll be honest, other than knowing some songs here and there, I didn't know a lot about the Beach Boys, let alone their lives. Love & Mercy specifically follows the tumultuous life of lead singer Brian Wilson during two different periods of his life. Paul Dano plays the younger Wilson, while John Cusack plays him twenty years later. The two look incredibly different physically which threw me off at first, but I loved both of their performances so much I became lost in the film and it didn't matter. This movie stayed with me for a long time after it ended. I found myself often in the mood of listening to their tunes and thinking about how much artists put themselves through for the sake of their work, for the sake of something that will last much longer than them. 3. Me & Earl & The Dying Girl This film seems to get a lot of hate from some cinephiles who object to its tweeness and perhaps find it manipulative. The first time I saw the film at Sundance last year, I myself was hypersensitive of whether or not I found the film to be calculated. I couldn't love it immediately, but the more I thought about it, and the next few times I saw it, the more I loved it (sorry not sorry haters.) The main character Greg can be selfish and unlikable, the film abruptly switches in tone from funny to heartbreaking, the filmmaking is far too whimsical....bla bla bla. But guess what? I love it. I love all of it. And I don't care who knows it. And honestly? I think the movie works because of all of those things. For more in-depth thoughts, check out my original review HERE. 2. Bridge of Spies Bridge of Spies really took me by surprise. I really had no interest in seeing this movie, but saw it because I felt like I should. Honestly and truly, I really wasn't prepared to like it as much as I did. This type of movie is pretty much all but extinct. Characters with this much integrity that are just pure, strong and good rarely exist in cinema. Tom Hanks's James Donovan was as close to an Atticus Finch character I've seen in a very long time. He's not invincible or perfect by any means, but he strives beyond all to do that which is right. This felt like a classic feel good movie that Frank Capra would have made, not something I expected from Steven Spielberg in 2015. It was quite the delightful surprise for me. 1. Room Room completely and utterly destroyed me. I felt more emotion in just the first half of the movie than almost every other movie I saw in 2015. I felt the highs, I felt the lows, and I felt so much tension in one small sequence that I legitimately had a physical reaction of shaking constantly in my seat. While in film we often end with a triumph, we rarely see the aftermath of what the end of a situation would really bring. I loved how much Room explored of its simple concept and the damaging effects it would have to all involved. Though Room would still be effective if it only examined the tragedy the characters faced, it's the moments of hope that really moved me and resonated with me. Room was a fantastic film for everyone involved filled with Oscar-worthy performances, and while it doesn't have the bravado it takes to be a best picture winner, it was one of the most deeply personal films of 2015, and my favorite. Honorable mentions: Spotlight, Queen of Earth, Inside Out, The Martian, The Wolfpack, The Final Girls. Honorable mention because my teenage self would be very upset if I didn't mention the movie I spent the whole year thinking about and looking forward to: Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens. You were a crazy flawed movie that got WAY too much praise. Critics did me no favors in not helping me lower my crazy high expectations, and because of that disappointment, there was no way I could include you in the actual numbering (though for the record, I was saving my #1 spot for it.) In subsequent viewings, I've come to appreciate it a lot more....though am still inclined to agree with my brother's summation that it was "nothing special." So your honorable mention here is basically the mere fact you have Star Wars in your title, and after a couple viewings I learned to like you more.

Another year of the Sundance Film Festival has come and gone, and unfortunately this year I didn't keep up with my review writing on a timely basis to give coverage while the fest was going strong. So instead of giving you a bunch of late reviews now that it's all over, I decided instead to rank all the films I saw this year and condense all my thoughts in one post. This year has been decried by many writers as a slow year for Sundance, with few standouts. But at the same time, I heard so many films being raved about, though not all movies I was able to get a chance to see (The Tale, Sorry To Bother You). While the films I selected ended up being pretty hit or miss, the hits were probably stronger than the majority of what I ended up seeing last year. I usually like to build anticipation for my top pick until the end of a list, but this year I find myself so eager to talk about the best films that I just can't help myself. 1. HEREDITARY Toni Collette gives a jaw dropping performance as a woman trying to keep her sanity (as well as her family's) after the loss of her mother. Hereditary follows in the Sundance horror footsteps of The Babadook and The Witch of being absolutely terrifying and bound to be one of the best horror films of the year. I thought I had this movie figured out early on, and then it did something utterly amazing: it shocked me. It shocked me to my core. From that point forward, I sat back and let the movie surprise me, and horrify me. And horrify me it did. Hereditary might just be one of the scariest horror films in years, and it does so not necessarily by being revolutionary, but by being traditional. Hereditary takes tried and true formulas and makes them fresh and new again. It's a remix of old school horror, but it works so well due to first time director Ari Aster's perfect execution. Hereditary is an absolute must see for horror buffs. RATING: 9.5/10 2. AMERICAN ANIMALS American Animals is the stylishly told true story of four college boys who set out to rob their local college's special collections library. Director Bart Layton artfully mixes documentary and movie to tell this story with the real life versions of the characters popping in to add their recollections here and there. American Animals accomplishes the incredible feat of managing to be funny, tense, thrilling and even sobering all at once. Half the fun is how creatively told it all is, and it's easy to get swept up in their plan without thinking of the actual life consequences...until the real counterparts ground you back to reality. There's more to American Animals than just a heist movie, it's about the moral boundaries we cross and the repercussions to our humanity. RATING: 9/10 3. WILDLIFE Paul Dano gives an amazing and accomplished directorial debut with Wildlife, a Richard Ford novel adapted by Dano and longtime companion Zoe Kazan. Wildlife is mostly seen through the eyes of a fourteen year old boy named Joe (Ed Oxenbould,) whose recently unemployed father Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) leaves his family to fight a nearby wildfire. Joe's mother Jeanette (Carey Mulligan) does not take the departure well and finds the burden of having to provide for her son to be unbearable, as well as an undeniable strain on her marriage. Dano favors a simple and sensitive approach, pulling thoughtful performances from all three of his leads. The film relies strongly on Oxenbould's young shoulders and he is definitely up to the task in a challenging role that requires less in word, and much more beneath the surface. Joe is soft spoken and not too eager to interject himself; he's a constant observer. While Joe only sees glimpses of who Jeanette really is and the listlessness of her life, Carey Mulligan is still able to imbue a selfish character with desperate humanity. Gyllenhaal has the least screen time of the leads, but is dependable as always. Wildlife is a quiet simple story, but a very effective one. RATING: 8.5/10 4. BURDEN Director Andrew Heckler spent 20 years trying to bring the true story of former Ku Klux Klan member Mike Burden (played by Garrett Hedlund) to the screen. Burden was raised in the Klan and considered them family. But one day his life changes when he meets and falls for a single mom named Judy (Andrea Riseborough in the first of many Sundance movies on this list) who eventually issues an ultimatum for Mike that he leave the KKK, in order to protect her son from the Klan's influence. But leaving the Klan isn't so easy, and Mike finds an unlikely ally in the local Reverend (Forrest Whitaker) who has always been at odds with his former family. I would have liked to see more scenes that truly convinced me of Mike's conversion, but I still think that this was a powerful story and a story worth telling. Also Garrett Hedlund and Forrest Whitaker give their all to this film and were incredible. I may have even shed a tear or two. RATING: 8/10 5. NANCY Andrea Riseborough appears again in the story of Nancy, a woman who has a terrible habit of catfishing everyone around her. When she discovers a couple on tv whose missing kidnapped daughter is roughly the same age as herself and whose age projection photo looks just like her, she reaches out informing these strangers that she believes she could be their daughter. Nancy is a fascinating film where the main character not only cons those around her, but also the audience into whether or not we can trust her. The film is intriguing throughout and Riseborough definitely makes an unlikable character fascinating enough, but with such a shady lead you always feel the film keeping you at arm's length. The biggest problem, though, is the ending is left far too vague. I understand there can sometimes be a value to a "write your own adventure" ending, but in this case it just seemed lazy. RATING: 7/10 6. MANDY It's been over a week since I've seen Mandy and I still don't even know how to feel about it, other than being able to label it with certainty as one of the most bizarre movies I've ever seen. The first half is a straight up drug fueled crazy nightmare, while the second half is an over the top absurd Nicolas Cage revenge fantasy. It's hard to recommend this to anyone but truly patient fans of bizarre cinema, but it certainly had it's share of unforgettable moments, including a Nicolas Cage performance at its most unhinged and ridiculous. It also left me speechless more times than one at its sheer ludicrousness. RATING: 6/10 7. DON'T WORRY, HE WON'T GET FAR ON FOOT Gus Van Sant's latest features a couple of great performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Jonah Hill in particular, but its lack of focus in what it wants to be and meandering nature left me underwhelmed overall. The film follows the story of cartoonist John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) and his battle over his addiction to alcohol. He finally hits rock bottom when he gets paralyzed in a drunk driving accident but through the help of his AA group, he tries to find a life worth living again; a life filled with love and a career he can actually obtain and be passionate about. All the while, he must come to terms with how his life lead him to this point and what he needs to learn from it. This movie definitely had its moment, and as I already mentioned, had terrific performances. I just wanted more from it and less at the same time: less meandering and more focus. RATING: 6/10 8. TIE: SUMMER OF '84 & ASSASSINATION NATION And finally, my two least favorite films I saw this year both came from the horror section of the festival, both have teen leads, and both were incredibly mixed bags for entirely different reasons. Summer of '84 was completely uninspired and unoriginal. Basically taking the plot of The 'Burbs and setting it to the backdrop of Stranger Things...except this time the characters personalities consist solely of being obsessed with porn. The film is completely predictable and holds no surprises...that is until the last ten minutes which actually were pretty good. But by then it's a little "too little too late." But bonus points for using my last name as their suspected serial killer's name so I got to hear constantly of how awful and evil Mackey really was. Assassination Nation on the other hand felt more fresh, but within the first 5 minutes I thought I could possibly have walked out of the film and not cared. Assassination Nation is like The Purge meets an episode of Black Mirror, meets Mean Girls...except all the characters are bland and two dimensional (two in particular are completely devoid of personalities.) It gets better in the second half and there are truly some stylish and well executed sequences to be found here. Plus I did kinda dig that the whole movie was basically a personification of the mob mentality of internet culture...I just wish it were a little less obnoxious. RATING: 5/10 And that's a wrap...until next year that is. But in the meantime, we can all look forward to these films hopefully coming out within the next year. I know there are many I'm still very eager to see and can't wait til they hit theaters.

Imagine a world where scientific proof of the afterlife has been discovered. Such a world is where the film The Discovery takes place. Human life has considerably altered since the discovery, as many people's views on suicide have evolved. Pure curiosity has enticed people to take their lives, not to end them...but to see how they continue on another plane of existence. Jason Segel plays Will, the son of the acclaimed scientist Thomas Harbor (Robert Redford) who changed the world with his findings. Will has always been skeptical on whether or not his father's evidence should be accepted as fact, and when he meets Rooney Mara's Isla, his beliefs are put even further to the test. Several films that came to the festival this year had really cool premises, but The Discovery might have explored theirs the very best. The world director Charlie McDowell creates is a fascinatingly bizarre one, yet somehow seems simultaneously seems like a plausible one. He masters the tone of the film in keeping it mysterious enough that the audience isn't sure whether to doubt along with Will or to believe like everyone else. He poses a lot of questions in the film and the joy comes in waiting for the answers. Jason Segel and Rooney Mara make a strange pair, and occasionally it's hard to buy. Fortunately, though, both actors were dedicated enough to make it work, and their efforts were not in vain. But The Discovery isn't so much about the characters as it is about the journeys they take. I'd heard some mixed reception to the film before I saw it about how they didn't care for the ending, but when I saw it I felt that it only made everything stronger. The Discovery is an interesting film that takes a concept and explores several different facets of it and does it well. Thankfully for those clamoring at the bit to see this film, it will debut in March on Netflix...so you won't have to wait all year to see it. RATING: 8.5/10

If it wasn't enough to read all my thoughts on the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, now you can hear them too. I paid the boys of Baconsale a visit and let them know about each and every film I saw at the fest. Listen below!

Every time a new adaptation of a well loved (but oft filmed) literary classic makes its way to cinemas, the question is often asked "is a new version really needed?" But every few decades it seems to happen like clockwork. Following fresh off the heels of Greta Gerwig's take on Little Women, newcomer Autumn de Wilde saw fit to give us another version of Emma. Emma's most famous adaptation comes in the form of 1995's Clueless and is almost universally loved by all. Fresh off of Clueless's success a more traditional adaptation was made a year later in 1996 with Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Toni Collette and Jeremy Northam. As a huge Jane Austen fan I really loved both, but wondered if there was room in my heart for another version. When you get attached to one movie's way of telling a story you love, it's hard not to compare any other movie afterward that tries to do the same. As such, I couldn't help but compare this Emma to all the others, though I tried as hard as I could to be objective. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Emma, our high society regency heroine who has a hobby of matchmaking. After successfully wedding one friend, she is determined to find love for another, a young woman named Harriet Smith (Mia Goth.) Things get complicated when Emma finds herself entangled in all of the setups. I love Anya Taylor-Joy but she played Emma with all of the cattiness and none of the genuinely good heart the character possesses. She just comes off as a very cold, aloof Emma and not really how I picture the character. Ultimately the whole film kind of comes off as a Cliff's Notes version, as each plot point is lightly covered but you don't really get the full impact of any of it. But the biggest blunder comes during one of the film's climactic scenes, which I shall not spoil here, but suffice it to say it should be a great moment when two characters get together...not how they do it here. But hey, visually the film is beautiful to look at. The colors are bright and the landscapes are lovely. However, when I'll be needing my Emma fix in the future I'll be sticking to Clueless and Emma '96. RATING: 6.5/10