Sundance is finally over, but I have just a few movie recaps left in me before my festival coverage comes to an end...until next year. Saturday I got to see two movies at completely opposite spectrums of the festival: the midnight section and the kids section. Here are my thoughts on 10 Lives and In A Violent Nature. 10 LIVES When kitten Beckett is taken in by a research scientist named Rose, he thinks he's got it made. His life is unexpectedly cut short, but he's given another chance in kitty heaven at another nine lives, but there's a catch. Each time he comes back, he comes back as another animal, with the new life designed with the purpose of Beckett learning a new lesson. Each life is intended as a stepping stone to help him learn how to be more selfless. Meanwhile, he also discovers from his various perspectives that Rose's boss may be out to sabotage her longtime work with nefarious purposes of his own. 10 Lives is a sweet if somewhat forgettable animated tale. It features one of the most adorable segments of an animated kitten ever...until he grows up and becomes more of an obnoxious fat cat. The best bits are the time in kitty heaven and waiting to see what animal he becomes next, but with nine after a while it feels a bit superfluous. The b plot line (pun intended since it's all about bees,) is a bit silly and never feels all that important. Plus, as a cat owner, I have to say it is kind of a bit ridiculous how quickly Rose gives up looking for Beckett once he's missing. I had a fine time with it, though I will add that it did struggle a little bit at times to hold my almost four-year-old's attention. RATING: 6.5/10 IN A VIOLENT NATURE After hearing an urban legend about a necklace in the woods with a mysterious past, a group of friends take it and unknowingly awaken an unstoppable killing machine. Before they know it, they are stalked mercilessly and hunted down one by one, with no hope of survival, by a giant man wearing an old stolen mask. The conceit of In A Violent Nature is that it's a slasher flick told almost entirely from the killer's point of view. That sounds like a great idea in theory until you see it in execution. Part of that is due to the type of slasher villain we're following. The killer in Nature most resembles Jason from the Friday the 13th franchise, so we're not really following some mastermind here, but rather just a lumbering killing giant. As such, much of the runtime is spent simply witnessing this monster trekking through the forest like a bear looking for its next meal. There's no cleverness, no premeditation. No sadistically staging bodies for others to stumble upon in horror. He's a villain with no thought at all and the results are very free from any kind of suspense. While I can appreciate that it's certainly a gorefest and an all-around love letter and homage to slasher films, the result is too boring to justify its existence. RATING: 5/10

Today's the last day of the festival, but as I'm still behind recapping you get a few more blogs from me about Sundance, before I round up my personal top ten films from the fest. Here is my recap of what I watched on Friday. EXHIBITING FORGIVENESS After a rocky childhood, Tarrell (André Holland) works through his past trauma with his art. One day, his life is thrown back into turmoil when his estranged father La'Ron (John Earl Jelks) re-enters his life and vows to make amends. La'Ron swears he's changed, but Tarrell is skeptical of empty promises due to their shared past. Exhibiting Forgiveness is a deeply personal and affecting drama with incredible performances from everyone involved. The script is solid--it's filled with various scenes of familial tensions that feel authentic enough to cut with a knife. These confrontations, as well as the series of flashbacks that reveal Tarrell's youth, are so heartbreaking and just feel so real. The trauma here feels so lived in, yet relatable. We all have those people in our lives who haven't earned forgiveness in our eyes, yet desperately want it. It's not an easy watch, but it is a powerful one and undoubtedly one of the highlights of the festival. RATING: 8.5/10 BETWEEN THE TEMPLES Between the Temples follows a widower cantor named Ben (Jason Schwartzman) who starts spending time with a former teacher Carla (Carol Kane) who despite her age, is eager to have a bat mitzvah. Their time together is filled with conversations and laughter, and more importantly-- a different way to look at life. While some interesting things are going on in the latter half of the film, overall this movie perplexed me with what exactly was the point. It meanders a lot and never feels to be building to anything substantial til it pivots late in the final act. Between the Temples has a style that may be off-putting to viewers. It's calculatedly quirky which just makes the whole thing feel disingenuous. While it's always welcome to see Carol Kane in anything, and Jason Schwartzman is as usual dependable (he has been on a roll in choosing his projects as of late)--I just wish this particular film were more worthy of their talents. RATING: 5/10 YOUR MONSTER After being unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend of five years, Laura happens upon the most unlikely of rebounds--the monster who has been living in her closet since she was a kid. After getting over the absurdity of her latest prospect being a literal monster, the two start to get closer and Laura begins to wonder if she's living in a new version of Beauty and the Beast with her unconventional happy ending waiting for her in the wings. But though she tries to move on, she keeps feeling the pull to her ex and the Broadway show he wrote for her when they were dating. Your Monster is equal parts romantic, comedy, and horror. It's a tough formula to get the mix just right, but director Carol Lindy is more than up for the task. Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey make for a wonderful pair whose chemistry is on fire. The film is continually funny and always engaging. Plus it has a nice commentary on the pressure women have sometimes to please everyone and keep their emotions at bay, and the need to release those in a healthy way. The audience I was with absolutely loved this, so I'm very excited to see what happens next with this movie. RATING: 8/10

Gah! The festival is all but over and I am so behind on my recaps. I've spent so much time seeing movies, that I've had very little time to blog. Here are my thoughts on three more films I saw on Thursday: Handling the Undead, Good One, and A Different Man. HANDLING THE UNDEAD Handling the Undead follows three separate families whose loved ones unexpectedly come back from the dead one day. While they had been deep in the grieving process, they are now faced with a second chance to spend a little bit more time with those whom they had lost. Handling the Undead is a moody contemplation of grief...that moves at the slowest pace you can imagine. Many viewers, myself included will feel frustrated with this and have a hard time connecting to the story and characters. I wish I could say the audience's patience is rewarded, and for some that might be true, but this one just didn't ever take off for me. Nice performances and premise, but just not for me. RATING: 5/10 GOOD ONE Teenager Sam (Lily Collias) goes on an overnight backpacking trip with her father and his friend in Good One. She observes their dynamic, always listening and chiming in her opinions on what they're talking about, while rarely being asked to share much about herself. Through the course of her trip, she learns more about herself, her father, and his friend--and her place in their lives. Good One is slow and slight, but by the end feels meaningful. Lily Collias' performance as Sam is very impressive and surprisingly assured. It's not the showiest movie or role, so what she accomplishes with her expressions really is quite remarkable. You don't quite know where the movie is going until the third act where it reveals itself a bit, so some patience is required to get there. Here it does pay off. Hard to say too much more without showing the movie's cards, so we'll leave it at that. RATING: 7/10 A DIFFERENT MAN A Different Man is certainly one of the most unique films I've ever gotten to see at the festival. Sebastian Stan plays Edward, a man with a facial deformity that he feels keeps him apart from the world. When a new next-door neighbor moves in (Renate Reinsve), Edward makes a connection with her but fears she could never feel the same way about him. A possible solution to this is presented when his doctors share that they have good news for him: a potential cure to his ailment. But the grass is always greener on the other side as Edward finds life as a new man might not be all he imagined. A Different Man is not only full of twists and turns, it's also filled with constant genre changes! From drama to body horror, to black comedy... A Different Man often feels like a different film every 30 minutes...yet somehow it mostly all works. One of its biggest conceits is that it features a career-best performance from Sebastian Stan who fully commits to the role of Edward. The other is Adam Pearson plays Edward's All About Eve-esque nemesis who embraces his condition instead of hiding from it. Pearson is so charismatic here, that he steals every scene he's in. A Different Man has an essential commentary on the portrayal of disability in film and its ethicality. It's bonkers and crazy in how it tells its tale, but it's always entertaining. RATING: 7.5/10

Even though the festival is starting to dwindle down, there is plenty of Sundance left and a good deal of movies for me to recap here on the blog! In fact, I'm getting behind so let's remedy that right now! Here's my recap of another day of movie-watching! THELMA After falling for a phone scam and losing $10,000, Thelma (June Squibb) is determined to track down the thieves responsible and take back what is rightfully hers. Taking inspiration from Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible, Thelma will do whatever it takes to get the money back and won't let anyone underestimate her--even if she happens to be just a sweet old grandma. Though her family says she should accept the loss, Thelma enlists the help of an old friend (Richard Roundtree) and a scooter to help her catch some bad guys. Thelma is bound to win you over with its adorable geriatric caper comedy shenanigans. June Squibb is so good here as the world's sweetest grandma and the movie just could not work without her. She and Richard Roundtree have the sweetest chemistry and are so fun to see play off of one another. Thelma is a crowdpleaser with so many genuinely funny bits, it's truly impossible to come away from this movie with anything other than a smile. RATING: 8/10 DÌDI From the moment the film opened with Belle & Sebastian's I'm a Cuckoo, I knew Dìdi was gonna be a banger. As a Millennial, this film did such a perfect job of capturing the era of my adolescence--it truly felt uncanny. Dìdi follows teenager Chris Wang who, in his youth, lived with his mother and older sister Vivian. His dad is MIA as he works and provides for his children in Taiwan. Chris often feels alone navigating his life and trying always to fit in. Whether it's with his longtime crush, his trusty friend group, or a group of skaters he wants to impress, Chris is always trying desperately to be accepted. Dìdi is a slice-of-life portrait of life in the oughts. Chris is so relatable as a teen just trying to find his place in his own world His struggles are not unique to a teenager, and especially an Asian teen, but they are so real to him in this formative moment of his life. Dìdi is yet another great coming-of-age film to add to Sundance's storied history. Not only is it a perfect time capsule of what life is like for a teen trying to find themselves in the 00s, but it is also such a touching story of the sacrifices a mother makes for their kids that their kids are not always aware of. I can't wait for this film to find a home and resonate with many others who will see themselves in Chris. RATING: 8 THE MOOGAI After a traumatic birth, an exhausted new mother (Shari Sebbens) thinks she's starting to see things. Is she right or is she suffering from postpartum psychosis? Or perhaps she's being haunted by The Moogai, an evil spirit who wants to steal babies. While there is a cool premise to be found here--particularly playing with what a vulnerable and delicate time post-partum is for women, the execution just isn't here in this movie to make it anything other than forgettable. Horror films cannot be tensionless. they need to be scary! Though it had some moments here and there, ultimately there were one too many fake-outs to have any stakes. While an attempt was made with the creature design, overall it’s just not convincing and neither is the movie. Honestly there's not much more to say, this was definitely one of my biggest disappointments of the festival because I was really craving a great horror film and left empty handed. RATING: 3/10

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival starts tomorrow! It feels like just yesterday that we wrapped up the last one, but here we go again. 2023 was such a great year so it has a lot to live up to. Not all years are created equal, but I hope this year has just as many gems. Here are the ten films from the festival I'm the most excited about. 10. THELMA SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her. Inspired by a real-life experience of writer-director Josh Margolin’s own centenarian grandmother, Thelma puts a clever spin on movies like Mission: Impossible, shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With affectionate humor, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle themes of aging, mortality, and human frailty. In the first leading film role of her over 70-year career, Oscar-nominated veteran character actor June Squibb portrays the strong-willed Thelma with grit and determination, demonstrating that she is more than capable of taking care of business — despite what her daughter Gail (Parker Posey), son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg), or loving grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) might believe.—BT WHY I'M INTERESTED: If anyone can pull off this role and make this movie work it's June Squibb. She has such great comic timing and can definitely elevate any material she's in. This is most certainly the type of movie that could go either way depending on execution, but I'm optimistic it can be a fun one. 9. LOVE ME SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: Long after humanity’s extinction, a buoy and a satellite meet online and fall in love. As filmmakers Sam & Andy demonstrate in their wildly imaginative debut feature, telling the love story of a smart buoy and an orbiting satellite that spans a billion years and probes the mysteries of being and consciousness requires legit storytelling dexterity. Love Me’s whimsically philosophical, shape-shifting structure ingeniously weaves together the real, the virtual, and the surreal. Its star-crossed, web-paired metallic protagonists — inhabited in different forms by Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun — awkwardly navigate romance and companionship, equipped only with untold petabytes of archived web data, social media, and online videos. Awash in these mediated experiences and fabricated expressions of love and identity, they yearn to understand who they are, whether their feelings are real, and for that matter, whether they are real.—JN WHY I'M INTERESTED: I've learned that sci-fi films are usually the most unpredictable with Sundance, yet they always intrigue me the most. Love Me could go a thousand ways, but I’m encouraged by the pairing of Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun and am very intrigued as to how they pair in this off-the-wall sci-fi romance. 8. A DIFFERENT MAN SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost. Writer-director Aaron Schimberg’s latest film is a surreal, singular tale of one man’s desire to self-actualize. Sebastian Stan is Edward, a man overcome by the reality of his appearance, intent on curing his alienation and transcending his self- and socially enforced artistic potential. Adam Pearson and Renate Reinsve carefully embody foils to Edward’s ambition, an artistic and philosophical juxtaposition of his, and our, conceits. Through a haunting score and folkloric magical realism, a unique psychological thriller emerges. A stylish vision of the theatrical currents of New York stages a universe where reality and fiction blend in beautiful ways; where lies, expectations, and internal turmoil weave a man’s consequentially incipient senses of truth and becoming. A Different Man is a reflexive allegory for the modern tortured artist, a subversive, gothic fairytale that deftly begets obsession.—CA WHY I'M INTERESTED: Sebastian Stan always chooses the most interesting indie projects and this one sounds really interesting. There are a lot of ways to tell a story like this, whether it leans into the absurd and is comedic, or if it winds up being more contemplative. Either way, I’m curious to find out. 7. KRAZY HOUSE SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: When Russian workers in Bernie’s house turn out to be wanted criminals, Bernie has to man up and save his ’90s sitcom family. In their hotly anticipated English-language debut, Dutch directing duo Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil (New Kids) spare no one, unleashing a deliriously fucked-up ode to the sanctity of family that consistently outdoes itself. Taking a studio audience–approved world and nuking it from the inside, Haars and van der Kuil bless us with their demented sense of humor and depravity. Nick Frost embodies Bernie Christian with zest, doing justice to his last name as a meek, devout head of household who’s suddenly forced into a bloodcurdling, jaw-dropping crusade when his spiritual foundations fail; Alicia Silverstone matches his madness as his gleefully mischievous wife. Miraculous in its very existence and gloriously unhinged, Krazy House begs to be seen to be believed.—AS WHY I'M INTERESTED: The premise of this sounds so totally wacky, but honestly seeing the clip Alicia Silverstone posted to her Instagram the other day had me sold. Nick Frost is so funny, and the world has been in desperate need of a really good horror comedy. I’m hopeful this one delivers the goods. 6. THE OUTRUN SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands — where she grew up — hoping to heal. Adapted from the bestselling memoir by Amy Liptrot. Nora Fingscheidt’s poignant adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s fearless memoir details the author’s liberation from drug and alcohol addiction, a triumph forged on the enchanted, wind-battered coasts of her childhood home. The Outrun traces Rona’s false starts and setbacks on the road to recovery through harrowing flashbacks to her downward spiral in London and her reckoning with reality in a strict rehab program. But Fingscheidt is more concerned with Rona’s final destination — deliverance from personal demons through transcendent communion with nature. Grounded in local lore and rich with Liptrot’s journalistic digressions on the land and its life-forms, The Outrun artfully ties Rona’s healing to her growing environmental stewardship. Four-time Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan gives a heartbreaking, humane performance that moves from woozy self-annihilation to serene calm.—MC WHY I'M INTERESTED: Put Saoirse Ronan in anything and I will watch! This sounds like a different kind of role for her and I’m really interested in what she does with it. Anything that has the possibility of getting her close to that Oscar right? 5. IN A VIOLENT NATURE SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: The enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of an undead monster in a remote wilderness. In his directorial feature debut, Chris Nash skillfully flips the slasher genre on its head by shifting the perspective from the victims to the killer with haunting effect. In A Violent Nature upends a formulaic mainstay featured within horror films for decades, minimizing familiar tropes to inject new life into the genre. Instead of dwelling alongside promiscuous young people in a remote forest cabin before they get what’s coming to them, the film keeps their unsuspecting voices in the distance as we follow a maniacal murderer trudging through the woods to stalk his prey. Infusing inventive kills with generous amounts of gore, Nash is methodical in his approach, setting an ominous and ambient tone that will linger within your psyche for a long time to come.—AM WHY I'M INTERESTED: The description of this one was so intriguing to me. Not often do we get the killer's perspective in horror (the only example I can think of is from Tucker and Dale vs Evil which does so in a comedic fashion). But I love the idea of turning the trope on its head and hope this one will be one of the breakout horror films from the festival 4. THE MOOGAI SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: A young Aboriginal couple bring home their second baby. What should be a joyous time takes a sinister turn as the mother starts seeing a malevolent spirit she is convinced is trying to take her baby. Adapted from his award-winning short and made with the producers of The Babadook and Talk to Me, Jon Bell’s debut feature draws from Indigenous lore for a thematically rich supernatural tale that quickly establishes the lurking menace of a child-stealing spirit. Its simmering suspense empathetically builds around the fragile psychology of a new mother, blurring the lines between exhaustion, paranoia, and postpartum depression. In exacerbating her isolation and hopelessness, Bell shrewdly accentuates traditional tools of oppression to reveal a darker allusion to Australia’s stolen generations — the tens of thousands of First Nations children forcibly removed from their families through the government’s assimilation policies — which the filmmaker calls a “massive wound in the psyche of Australia.” The Moogai bears its terrifying resonance out of sublimated trauma.—JN WHY I'M INTERESTED: Australian horror can go either way at Sundance with the incredible to the disappointing, what gives me hope about this one is seeing that the Sundance programmers had a good consensus that this one leaves you spooked. The plot has all the potential to be great and hopefully, it will be. 3. HANDLING THE UNDEAD SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: On a hot summer day in Oslo, the newly dead awaken. Three families faced with loss try to figure out what this resurrection means and if their loved ones really are back. Based on the book by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Reuniting Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie (The Worst Person in the World, 2022 Sundance Film Festival), Handling the Undead is a visually expansive experience, full of arresting images and subtle performances that collapse the space between the living and the dead. Director Thea Hvistendahl’s steady directorial hand leaves her characters room to breathe, to mediate the moral gray area, letting the minutiae of grief lead them as they feel their way through an extraordinary circumstance. Hvistendahl’s interpretation of Lindqvist’s novel addresses daunting questions about the body, the soul, loss, and moving on, pushing viewers to get to the root of reanimation: What would you do, and how would you feel, if someone you loved returned? WHY I'M INTERESTED: I absolutely loved The Worst Person in the World so I'm so excited to see Anders Danielsen Lie and Renate Reinsve work together again. I had not previously known about this novel, but it sounds incredibly intriguing. 2. PRESENCE SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone. In every project of his legendary career as a director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor, Steven Soderbergh has brought a vital energy, curiosity, and unique vision to storytelling that has few parallels in filmmaking history. Following groundbreaking work like sex, lies, and videotape (1989 Sundance Film Festival, Audience Award: Dramatic) and The Girlfriend Experience (2009 Sundance Film Festival), he returns to Park City with a film shot entirely in one location that will haunt audiences with its otherworldly story and constantly awe-inspiring visuals. Working from a taut, mysterious script by David Koepp and featuring an exciting cast of known actors and newcomers, Presence is a thrilling cinematic ride that reifies Soderbergh’s status as an icon of American independent film.—SS WHY I'M INTERESTED: No one does paranoia quite like Steven Soderbergh. Not all of his projects always land for me, but he’s still the type of filmmaker that I’m always excited keen in seeing what he’s up to, and this particular movie seems tailor-made to all of his strengths. Plus Lucy Liu is great and I hope this is a meaty role for her. 1. HIT MAN SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: A strait-laced professor discovers his hidden talent as a fake hit man. He meets his match in a client who steals his heart and ignites a powder keg of deception, delight, and mixed-up identities. Inspired by an unbelievable true story. In Richard Linklater’s enjoyable comedy noir, Hit Man, which premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) might at first seem like a geeky philosophy professor — and he most certainly is one. But don’t be fooled by his scholarly appearance, quiet life, and cats named Id and Ego. There are many sides to Gary’s personality, thanks to Powell’s and Linklater’s witty script — and arguably, the former’s most versatile and charming performance to date. Gary’s shape-shifting life is turned upside down by a meet-cute with a damsel in distress. But just as with the character of Gary, under layers of physical comedy and goofy humor, Linklater plants questions about identity and self, as well as the idea that, to some extent, we are all performing our roles.—AT WHY I'M INTERESTED: Ever since the rave reviews at TIFF, this movie has been at the top of my anticipated movies list. I adore Richard Linklater and Glen Powell just has so much charisma. He deserves to be a star and I hope this is as amazing a vehicle for him as everyone has been saying. I can’t wait to see for myself This year will be more challenging for me to get as many films in as usual, but I'll do what I can so be sure to check back throughout the fest for all of my reviews.

The festival is still going strong and I'm seeing more movies daily. I'm getting a bit behind with blogging, but I'm doing my best to keep up! So let's crank out a couple more, shall we? Here are some of my thoughts on A Real Pain and Love Me. A REAL PAIN Jesse Eisenberg returns to Sundance with his second directorial effort A Real Pain. Unlike his last film When You Finish Saving the World, where he remained completely behind the camera, this time around he shares the screen with Kieran Culkin in a co-leading role. Eisenberg and Culkin play two cousins whose personalities couldn't be more different as they both attempt to cope with the loss of their recently departed grandmother. Together they decide to travel to Poland, to see where she came from as well as to visit the concentration camp she was forced to endure during World War II. Eisenberg effortlessly examines the messy bonds of family--the relationships we don't choose to be in but want desperately to maintain. Kieran is absolutely magnetic here and Eisenberg gives one of his best performances in ages. He's grown much more assured in his second outing as a director and it really shows in the film. They play off one another so perfectly here and you can really feel the familial tensions between the two. A Real Pain is the perfect dramedy where there are so many moments of laugh-out-loud humor, mixed with actual touching moments of reverence and gravitas. RATING: 8/10 LOVE ME Love Me will inevitably be compared to WALL-E for the rest of time as their concepts are strikingly similar, but Love Me has more of a modern twist. After the earth is destroyed, an inquisitive buoy learns all about humanity by studying YouTube videos and social media. From their research, they decide they'd like to be human and they'd like to be in love with the the only other object they ever communicate with: the satellite in the sky. Together they attempt to live a life based on what the buoy believes is an ideal life: that of an influencer. Love Me is all about living behind the facade we present to the world instead of letting our true authentic selves be known. It is completely a two-person show carried on the backs of Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun's very impressive performances. It has an important message, though at times can feel a bit repetitive in conveying it. Still, I appreciated where they took the characters and that they did move the story forward in unpredictable ways. I don't see it as the type of film I'll ever come back to, but I appreciated it all the same. RATING: 6.5/10

The festival is now halfway over and I finished my third day of movie watching by adding two more films to my watched list. I didn't really have high expectations for either film I had slated today, and somehow it happened to be my best day yet. WINNER Emilia Jones is back yet again at Sundance starring in her fourth film for the festival. Here she reteams with Cat Person director Susanna Fogel to portray Reality Winner in Winner. Right from the get-go Winner is engaging as it gives a window into who the character is and the family life that shaped her. Winner is at its best when it focuses on these dynamics and it boasts a great supporting cast in these roles with Zach Galifianakis, Connie Britton, and Kathryn Newton. In addition to its cast, it also boasts a sharp script that fluctuates between humourous and poignant moments with ease. Her story is continually captivating in showing the events that led her to make the decisions that ultimately cost her her freedom. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect much from this film and figured it would be a dour, by-the-numbers espionage thriller. I certainly didn’t expect it to be as funny or entertaining as it was, let alone to have the tender moments that it did. And while it was all of those things, it didn’t sacrifice telling the hard truths of her story either. I was so pleasantly surprised with this film and once again Emilia Jones proves herself to be a Sundance MVP. I hope she keeps popping up in festival films for the foreseeable future because she always turns in really great work. RATING: 8/10 MY OLD ASS Eighteen-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) can't wait to leave her small town behind for a bigger and better life away from her family once the summer ends. Then she can finally move away for college to be free to live her life the way she chooses and to finally get some space to become who she wants to be. On the night of her birthday, a drug trip magically allows her to come face-to-face with an older version of herself (Aubrey Plaza) who graciously imparts some pieces of wisdom to the younger Elliott. Newcomer Maisy Stella is really wonderful as young Elliott, and she and Aubrey Plaza have a great rapport playing off one another. They totally have each other's mannerisms down and are believable at playing different versions of the same character. Aubrey’s Elliott feels lived in and she does a great job of conveying the regret one has over taking things for granted in her youth, while Maisy's Elliott is wide-eyed and hopeful at all the potential her future holds. My Old Ass does a fantastic job of exploring the age-old concept of "If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing, what would it be?" The more life we live, the more we are able to see our past from a different perspective than we could while it was our present. So too with wisdom, sometimes the less willing we are to take risks. My Old Ass is surprisingly retrospective in ruminating how continually looking back at the past and only looking forward to the future keeps us from appreciating our present. By the end, My Old Ass becomes a beautiful coming-of-age story and if you know anything about me, when done right, films like these are among my absolute favorites. And yes, I even shed a tear or two in its final scenes. RATING: 8.5/10

My second day of Sundance is in the books and I managed to check off two of my most anticipated films with The Outrun and Presence. Still, a lot more movies to go, but check out my quick reviews of these two solid films. THE OUTRUN Saoirse Ronan stars as Rona, a woman desperately trying to overcome her demons in The Outrun. Told non-linearly, we follow Rona's recollections of her many struggles in her fight against alcoholism. At times it can be difficult to follow where we're at in Rona's journey, with her hair as the main clue to the sequence of events. Because of that, it’s easy to feel a bit lost initially while the story is really finding its feet. In the Q&A, director Nora Fingscheidt said that it was intentional to mimic the fight to attain sobriety— a chaotic beginning that eventually comes into focus and calms down by the end. As a first-time viewer, at times that can feel frustrating, but as the story does come into that focus it’s easier to appreciate the film as a whole and what it’s trying to accomplish. Rona’s battle is not an easy one. It is ruthless and harrowing. She somehow continues to find new ways to reach rock bottom when you think she couldn’t go any further down. It’s a powerful story and incredibly intimate. Needless to say, Saoirse is amazing and excels in the role. Her range is truly impressive and it makes you wonder what she can’t do! She is committed and fearless in showing the ugly side of addiction and how it drags a person down to the point they feel they can never escape. After Magazine Dreams last year, I'm vowing to never do any more Oscar predictions during Sundance, but it would be lovely if Saoirse got some recognition for her incredible work here come awards season. RATING: 8/10 PRESENCE Somewhere between A Ghost Story and The Others, lies Presence, an experimental ghost story told in reverse by Steven Soderbergh. As seen with Unsane, Soderbergh loves to venture into telling smaller stories with a somewhat scaled-down production. Presence feels like the type of film made spontaneously during a weekend with some friends, and in this case, it doesn't feel like a bad thing. Presence feels fresh and new, but its gimmick may wear out its welcome fast depending on the viewer. The story is told entirely from the perspective of a ghost, haunting the new home of a family. This ghost is a (mostly) quiet observer, gliding from room to room in the house and listening in on conversations from the new owners. At times this approach can feel a bit aimless, and luckily the runtime and pacing keep things quick enough that you can't complain too much. Plus, it does have a point and when it gets there, it all clicks. Presence isn’t really scary because its titular character isn’t a malevolent spirit, but rather a protector. From the beginning, it’s clear that the ghost takes an interest in the daughter of the family. It hangs out most in her room and it wants her to be aware that they’re there, with various attempts at making their presence known. The film is very clever in portraying this unseen character and the whole thing almost feels interactive, that you as the audience ARE the ghost as you see everything unfold from their specific point of view. It's amazing how much we get to know these characters by simply observing them, and the strength of the film is that they are good, interesting characters that you don't mind spending time with. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I’m happy it exists and I’m happy big filmmakers are willing to take risks. RATING: 7/10

I got a bit later of a start than usual this year after a couple of my screening plans fell through the last two days. But I could finally see two films today so my Sundance season has now officially begun. While yesterday was Day 3 for everyone else, it was Day 1 for me so it's time to play catchup by checking out some of the most talked about movies of the festival so far. FREAKY TALES Freaky Tales is a series of seemingly inconsequential vignettes that invariably intertwine as the movie progresses. 1980s Oakland acts as the backdrop here, with plenty of classic metal anthems and synths to accompany the film's frequent scenes of mayhem. The film is told in four chapters and unfortunately, each story is not created equally. In fact, I didn't find myself very interested in the film until the third chapter and by then I wasn't sure I could overcome my apathy. Plus, it doesn't help that when those two storylines do make their way into the others, they still don't really feel justified in existing, rather they just feel roped in and insignificant. That said, its over-the-top violent ending makes up for a lot, so I can see how a lot of people felt so enthusiastic about it and came out of it raving. Ultimately, I'm not the audience for this, though I'm sure it will be beloved by many. There are some really good performances to be found in Freaky Tales. The second half of the film gets the benefit of being supported by strong acting turns from Pedro Pascal and Ben Mendolhsen, while the first two storylines lack characters with much depth. While there are definite highlights as the film does its very best to channel Quentin Tarantino in its last vignette, I just felt overall this film was less than the sum of its parts. RATING: 6/10 IT'S WHAT'S INSIDE It’s What’s Inside is the type of movie that’s so hard to know how to review. Its central concept is one that is better kept a secret, for the viewer to enjoy the surprise of…well what’s inside. But more broadly told, It’s What’s Inside follows the gathering of a group of old college friends getting together to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of their friends. But the evening takes a turn when one of the members of the group brings along a mysterious suitcase whose contents bring fateful consequences. It takes a little bit to really get going, but once it does It’s What’s Inside is quite the ride. It’s definitely a concept film, and its gimmick is explored fully and well. I would say it’s poised to be the next runaway Sundance horror hit, save for a few snags. The first of which, is that well it’s not really horror. It always feels as though it could veer there, but never quite does. It instead settles more for a mystery whodunnit type of feel. The other issue keeping it from true greatness is that a movie like this would excel with deep complex characters, but instead, they come off as more caricatures. Sometimes in horror movies that doesn’t really matter, but this one in particular you need to really differentiate between these characters and it kind of becomes tough to do. I don’t need my horror characters to be likable, but it helps when there’s more depth to them at least. Still, those things aside, it is an impressive feature! It’s creatively told and continually engaging. It keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing where it’s going to go, and you can never quite predict it. I don’t know what its current plans are for distribution, but I’m excited for this to get a wide release and for more people to see it. But I hope when they do they can keep a secret to preserve its surprises. RATING: 8/10

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival. As a long-time blogger and attendee of Sundance, I and many others were asked to give my top ten list of favorite films I had the pleasure of experiencing firsthand during my years covering the festival. Believe me, when I tell you, It was really not easy narrowing this down! During the past twelve years of attending the festival, not only was I able to see some amazing films from first-time directors who are now major talents, I had the privilege of seeing these incredible gems before they were available to the rest of the world--without any marketing or reviews to shape my expectations. 10. CODA I remember the experience of seeing CODA at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival so vividly. In a way, it was one of the most important films in the festival's history because it was tasked with being the opener during the most unorthodox year they'd ever had! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sundance had to change course and for the first time, it shifted to being an online film festival. As a lover of the festival, I was so skeptical if it could be the same! But CODA was just the right type of Sundance magic to bring attendees together even if we were apart. It had heart, humor and that crowd-pleasing energy that is so special to Sundance and it made me feel all the feels, even if I wasn't sitting in Park City at the Eccles. It quickly won me over and became one of my favorite movies to come out of Sundance, and I wasn't alone! Its overwhelming support eventually carried it to an eventually successful Oscar campaign, resulting in Sundance's first-ever Best Picture win. Read my original Sundance review of CODA HERE 9. MASS Along with CODA, Mass was another reason 2021's festival was so special. If you had told me when that festival ended that one of the movies at Sundance would have ended up the best picture winner of the year, I would have been sure it would have been Mass. It's actually crazy to me to think how ignored this film was by basically everyone after the festival ended! It is such an incredibly powerful film with some of the best acting of that year. Mass is such a devastating heartbreaker. It's truly a shame it seems to be so forgotten, but for those who know... they know! Read my original Sundance review of Mass HERE 8. BROOKLYN Brooklyn is actually one of the few films from the festival that had to grow on me, instead of being instantly enthralled with it. I saw it back to back with the next entry on my list, and I think I was still so absorbed with thinking about that one, that Brooklyn just felt too simple in comparison. But the more time went on the more I appreciated Saoirse Ronan's quietly understated performance as well as the film's beautiful portrayal of the life of a young immigrant, torn between her new home and her old. There are so many wonderfully poignant moments throughout, Brooklyn is just a gem. Read my original Sundance review of Brooklyn HERE 7. THE WITCH On a crisp January day in 2015, I had a double feature of The Witch and Brooklyn. My screening of The Witch has to be among my all-time favorite Sundance experiences. I had no idea what to expect from this film. Was it a historical drama or a horror film? It wasn't placed in the horror section, but with its title and image, I was very hopeful that it would be. The answer came early on in a rather shocking fashion and the tension the audience felt from that point forward was palpable. The Witch was the slowest of slow burns, but oh that payoff was more than worth it. The final images stayed with me for a very, very long time. Plus, seeing then-unknowns Anya Taylor-Joy and director Robert Eggers get their start here is truly incredible to look back and see. Read my original Sundance review of The Witch HERE 6. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA From the moment I read the 2016 Sundance film guide while planning my schedule, I had a really good feeling that Manchester by the Sea would be a really good solid drama. I just could never have foreseen HOW good! Manchester by the Sea is one of the most powerful films I've ever had the privilege of seeing at Sundance and there wasn't a dry eye in the house by the time the credits rolled. It features some of the most incredible performances I've ever seen in my hears at the fest, with Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams giving some of the best performances of their careers. Then newcomer Lucas Hedges in one of his first major roles was excellent too. Casey and Michelle would later be recognized by the Academy with Affleck winning Best Actor, while Michelle was nominated for supporting actress but lost to Viola David in Fences. Read my original Sundance review of Manchester by the Sea HERE 5. PAST LIVES Past Lives is the newest film to join the list, in fact, in the original list I submitted to Sundance I realized I had omitted it. Yet here it is, cracking my top five. Though this might be recency bias talking, the thing is, it's just SO GOOD. From the very first scene, you can just tell that this is something special. The fact that this was Celine Song's directorial debut still absolutely floors me. It has a beautiful simplicity, yet there is so much left unsaid. Everything in Past Lives is happening under the surface and what it accomplishes is truly incredible. Read my original Sundance review of Past Lives HERE 4. THE WAY WAY BACK I have such a special place in my heart for The Way Way Back and the experience of seeing it at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The Ogden Egyptian Theater was one of my all-time favorite venues (it's a long shot, but PLEASE bring it back someday!!) and the energy for this film in that theater was infectious. Every joke landed to perfection and it felt like the perfect summer escape on a cold winter's day. What could have been a throwaway generic teen movie was a fantastic coming-of-age film with genuine heart. The ending puts a lump in my throat every time. It's such an underrated film, but one I always look at with fondness. Read my original Sundance review of The Way Way Back HERE 3. SING STREET From the second I saw Sing Street I was absolutely obsessed with it and recognized its potential as a true instant classic. I wasn't alone either, because I could feel the audiences' affection for it growing with every passing minute of screen time. I loved every moment and every song. I couldn't wait for its soundtrack to be released upon seeing it, and when it finally came out it was on repeat in my car for a good two years afterwards. John Carney brought a magic to the festival with Sing Street that I'm not sure anyone else since (including Carney himself with his follow-up Flora & Son), has quite been able to duplicate. Just as with The Way Way Back, I could watch Sing Street at any time and be just as delighted as I was the first time I saw it. I love this movie with all of my heart. and it is truly one of my all-time favorites. Read my original Sundance review of Sing Street HERE 2. HEREDITARY Aside from some amazing coming-of-age films, Sundance also has reliably screened some of the best horror films of the last decade. When I went to a screening of Hereditary in 2018, I expected a run-of-the-mill spooky child horror movie but what I got was so much more. The genius of it is thinking you know exactly which way it’s going to go, only to be completely blindsided midway through. You realize that you are along for a ride and that you have absolutely NO idea where you’ll end up. The utter boldness of Ari Aster had my instant respect, but apart from its originality and unpredictability it also boasted some of the most daring performances ever seen in the genre. Toni Collette gave a performance for the ages and I’m still upset it wasn’t recognized by the academy. Hereditary was one of the most confident debuts I’ve ever seen at the festival and would be the number one debut, if not for my number one pick. Read my original Sundance review of Hereditary HERE 1. WHIPLASH Whiplash was the opener of the 2014 Festival, and from the moment it debuted, it was almost all anyone would talk about the entire festival. It wasn’t really on my radar before that because it just seemed like an average teacher drama, and I didn’t really have any plans to try and see it. But as a Utah local, I received the best of fest passes and was eventually excited when Whiplash was announced to be the film playing at my screening at the end of the festival. None of that small hype I heard beforehand could have prepared for what an absolute ride Whiplash is and how tense it would be! It's more anxiety than most horror films Read my original Sundance review of Whiplash HERE HONORABLE MENTIONS: PALM SPRINGS, ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL, LIBERAL ARTS, NINE DAYS, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, BEFORE MIDNIGHT And a special shout out to (500) Days of Summer, my favorite Sundance movie of all time and the one that inspired me to start attending the festival so I'd never miss out on these gems again.