In theaters now is X, Ti West's latest horror film that looks and feels like an ode to slasher flicks of the 1970s. X is simple at its core: a group of filmmakers attempts to make a porno on a remote farm and get more than they bargained for when they discover the owners of the said farm are not quite what they seem. But aspiring starlet Maxine (Mia Goth) is not about to let anything get between her dreams of stardom. X has a lot going for it. Ti West completely nails the era of the film; every frame feels authentic to the point where it almost feels like a movie made in the 1970s, not just one set then. It also has a totally committed cast in addition to Goth, with Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, Owen Campbell, Kid Cudi, and Martin Henderson each going all out with their performances. Henderson and Snow in particular are a hoot and make the movie as funny as it is suspenseful. X walks the line of comedy and horror incredibly well and is a delightful mix of the two genres, with a whole lot of sex thrown in for good measure (though honestly, probably too much for my liking). Though seeing how sex drives so much of the overall plot, as well as the individual motivations of these characters it makes sense how present it is, even if I personally felt that it could have been used a little less liberally. On a related note, X gives us one of the horniest and kookiest antagonists in a horror film in a very long time, and their actions all throughout are simultaneously fascinating, as well as absolute nightmare fuel. Though X is a really solid horror film, two things about it are keeping it from being truly great. The first is that it really takes its time to get going, which actually wouldn't be that big of a problem for me if it weren't for the second issue which is that once it finally does start moving along it resolves itself way too quickly. It feels like the real fun is finally starting right when it ends. As such, our final girl doesn't really go through hell and back to earn that mantle, she just kinda has it fall into her lap. It feels frustrating to have so much set up with not quite the payoff you hope for, even if it is still a really fun ride. Still, X is fun enough and likable enough to still appreciate its efforts and not feel too let down by the film as a whole. X is nothing revolutionary in terms of horror, but it's a really great throwback that feels old and new at the same time. It also is a horror movie with interesting things to say about both sex, as well as aging. I appreciated X on many levels, but I wouldn't be interested in what it had to say if it wasn't totally engaging first and foremost which it absolutely is. Its commentary only works because of how solid the film is as a whole. RATING: 8/10

Out today, streaming on Hulu is Deep Water, the erotic thriller by director Adrian Lyne--a director well versed in the genre (Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal, and Unfaithful). This time he pairs Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as a dysfunctional couple who gets their kicks in demented ways. In order to keep his wife Melinda (Ana de Armas) from divorcing him, Vic (Ben Affleck) allows her to have as many lovers as she wants. She parades them around the house in front of Vic, constantly trying to get a rise out of him and getting off on his jealousy. However, when her lovers start to mysteriously go missing their world starts crashing down around them. Deep Water was unceremoniously dumped onto streaming without much fanfare to be swiftly forgotten, and honestly...it's pretty easy to see why. Watching the film, I really couldn't understand what attracted these two stars to the project. While there is talent involved both in front of the cameras, as well as behind, Deep Water quite simply, is a hot mess. Don't get me wrong, I love myself a trashy guilty pleasure from time to time, but there are too many stretches of the film that just fumble along and feel pointless. To be a true guilty pleasure you've got to at least be thoroughly entertaining, and there were definitely parts of this that were a bore. That said, the film does still contain some incredibly ridiculous content too...it's just more few and far between than I'd like here. One such absurd aspect is the film's ending, which honestly needs to be seen to be believed. I'm not sure who signed off on it, but it was unintentionally hilarious and almost makes the whole thing worth it. Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas definitely gave more to the roles than the film deserved, Affleck in particular does a good job channeling a similar scumbag husband to the one he portrays in Gone Girl. Meanwhile, de Armas brings a bubbly yet devious demeanor to Melinda. But unfortunately, the script doesn't give either of them enough to do and there's not much either can do to save it. In the end, Deep Water needed either more sultriness coupled with thrills or just complete and total absurd insanity throughout to be truly memorable. Instead, its clumsy mix of those ingredients makes for something that will be forgotten soon. RATING: 3/10

When I saw the first trailer for Turning Red I have to say I was very unimpressed. The animation style seemed so far removed from the likes of Pixar's previous classics--it just looked like an average animated movie. But it wasn't just how it looked that felt off to me. Turning Red looked like something from any other animation studio in Hollywood, both as far as style went as well as content...it certainly didn't look special in any way (no trace of that Pixar touch so far as I could tell). Then came the rave reviews leading up to its release claiming it to be one of Pixar's best films in years while simultaneously being the ultimate metaphor for periods and adolescence. I became even more skeptical. I was not really eager to see a film with this subject matter and I went in prepared that I probably wasn't going to enjoy it. Turning Red follows Mei Mei, a young 13-year-old girl who lives a simple life in Toronto until one day she discovers that she turns into a giant red panda whenever her emotions are out of control. Early on, the film was what I was expecting. An unlikeable protagonist, with unlikeable friends, who together all obsess over a silly boy band. Couple that with some teenage angst and unbearable embarrassment due to mommy issues and voila! You've got yourself Turning Red. A scene ten minutes in where her mother mortifies her was so cringeworthy, it felt like it HAD to be a dream...and yet the movie continued on. I felt as though I was in for a long ride ahead. But as the film went on, at some point my annoyance kind of melted away more into amusement, and I couldn't help but smile and laugh at some of the antics to be found here. In the end, it won me over because I couldn't help but find its oddball quality endearing. While I do find the subject matter to be a bit old for a children's movie, there's definitely an audience for it and most of it goes over the really young kids' heads anyway. For its intended audience, the film is a hoot. Turning Red is really funny and deals with adolescence in a comical, yet relatable way. That said, it's not the instant classic many are claiming and it does have flaws. I do think that a lot of the praise is mostly due to people respecting its boldness in even going here, but just because the film takes on these topics doesn't automatically give it the quality some are claiming it has. While I think Mei Mei and her mother Ming are strong characters, the rest feel underdeveloped and merely caricatures. While the friendship at the core of the film is supposed to be what grounds her, we as the audience kinda just take their word for it. It could have also benefited from a tighter edit as things really lag in the middle and before the film's climax. It felt a lot longer than it actually was. Turning Red may not end up having the broadest appeal that previous Pixar films have, but it's still enjoyable if you can let go and enjoy the ride. RATING: 7/10

Streaming today on Netflix is The Adam Project, a sci-fi action-adventure that reteams Ryan Reynolds with director Shawn Levy, (Free Guy). Here Reynolds is up to his usual wisecracking smarmy schtick playing a pilot named Adam, who travels from the future and accidentally meets his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell). Adult Adam isn't thrilled to encounter his younger counterpart, since his younger self only serves as a reminder of the pain he endured in his youth and the regret he feels with how he handled the grief of losing his father (Mark Ruffalo), by making life incredibly hard for his mother (Jennifer Garner). But he's forced to put all of that aside and work with his younger self because the fate of the world and time travel as we know it is at stake...for reasons. In pursuit of Adam is his late father's colleague (Catherine Keener) who has found a way to abuse time travel and basically hold the world hostage over it. Adam decides his only option is to travel to before time travel had been discovered by his father and prevent his future from ever happening. As a sci-fi film, The Adam Project is certainly entertaining but fairly forgettable. It's got some fun action sequences here and there, but the overall conflict the story revolves around is weak. The film apparently lived in development hell for years, and it definitely shows that it went through some rewrites. Certain storylines aren't given the depth it seems like was intended, and it just doesn't come together as it should. The Zoe Saldana storyline in particular should have been fleshed out a lot more. But that's not to say that The Adam Project doesn't have anything going for it. Walker Scobell is surprisingly great in channeling his inner Ryan Reynolds, meanwhile, Reynolds himself, though still doing his usual thing, gets to inject a bit more under the surface than he normally gets to with portraying the unresolved issues of his complicated relationship with his parents. Jennifer Garner has a small but key role here and is wonderful. It's also lovely to see her reunited with her 13 Going on 30 co-star Mark Ruffalo and to see them share a sweet scene together. Overall, the film's real strength is its surprisingly tender moments focusing on all of the relationships at the core of the film. As an adult, it feels cathartic to see Adam work through his issues with his parents as well as his younger self and even get a second chance for closure. Though maybe you came to this film for some mindless fun, you leave having witnessed some surprisingly poignant and sweet moments. Essentially, what makes The Adam Project really worthwhile in the end is its heart. Oh, and the less said about the super creepy nightmare fuel-inducing de-aging CGI the better. RATING: 7/10

Sundance is just around the corner (a week from today to be precise!) and I couldn't be more excited. It's like Christmas all over again...for this indie movie lover anyway. And I'm proud to say, this is the first festival I've ever been on top of enough to pre-register for a ticket purchase slot (later today so wish me luck...) This time, I'm attempting to get my first dibs instead of trying my luck at the leftovers (though...I still may end up doing that if I get bored...) As always the festival has TONS to offer, so narrowing it down to just a few that I'll actually see has been quite hard! These particular ten have caught my eye, and if I don't get a chance to see them all (which let's be honest...I probably won't...) I'll definitely be paying attention to their general release. 10. THE SKELETON TWINS IMDb summary: "After ten years of estrangement, twins Maggie and Milo coincidentally cheat death on the same day, prompting them to reunite and confront how their lives went so wrong. As the twins' reunion reinvigorates them both, they realize that the key to fixing their lives just may lie in fixing their relationship with each other." After how much I hated Girl Most Likely I'm wary of seeing Kristen Wiig in another indie, but I do love the idea of her and Bill Hader playing twins. The plot seems interesting enough and if they let both of them show their comedic skills instead of letting indie bleakness take over completely this could be fun. Sundance synopsis and showtimes click HERE 9. CALVARY Sundance website summary: "Father James is a good priest, driven by spiritual integrity. One day in confession, an unseen man tells James that he’s going to kill him precisely because he’s done nothing wrong. Given a week to make his peace with God, James ministers to sundry lost souls—visits that double as a guided tour of suspects. His preparation for death is further complicated by the arrival of his daughter, who has recently attempted suicide. " This movie's plot sounds like something out of an old fashioned Hitchcock film (particularly reminded me of the very good film I Confess,) I'm not sure if it will veer toward drama or thriller...or perhaps drama/thriller but Brendan Gleeson is certainly a capable enough actor to make this one pretty solid. For more info on showtimes click HERE. 8. WISH I WAS HERE IMDb summary: 'Wish I Was Here' is the story of Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, father and husband, who at 35 is still trying to find his identity; a purpose for his life. He winds up trying to home-school his two children when his father can no longer afford to pay for private education and the only available public school is on its last legs. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn't find." Zach Braff is back at the Sundance Film Festival. Garden State was much loved by me...and I even didn't hate The Last Kiss haha. I'm very interested in his third feature which was in part funded by some generous fans on Kickstarter. I'm very interested to see if this gamble will pay off. Sundance summary and showtimes HERE. 7. THE VOICES IMDb summary: This genre-bending tale centers around Jerry Hickfang, a lovable but disturbed factory worker who yearns for attention from a woman in accounting. When their relationship takes a sudden, murderous turn, Jerry's evil talking cat, and benevolent talking dog lead him down a fantastical path where he ultimately finds salvation." Talking cat AND Ryan Reynolds? Where do I sign up?? Haha! Oh and it also has the always likable Anna Kendrick as well. Yeah, I'm excited for this one. Sundance summary and showtimes HERE. 6. THEY CAME TOGETHER Sundance summary: They Came Together relates the epic love story of Joel, a corporate executive for Candy Systems and Research, a mega candy store chain, and Molly, the owner of a small sweet shop called Upper Sweet Side. When Joel is tasked with shutting down Molly’s mom-and-pop operation, the unlikely lovers find themselves hurtled into a whirlwind romance. From quaint bookstores and coffee shops to neurotic family members and psychotic ex-lovers, Joel and Molly must face some harrowing obstacles on their path to true love." I expect this to be somewhat of a parody of the genre...and with Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd I'm hoping it will be amiable enough (then again Paul Rudd & Tina Fey did nothing for me...so we'll see how this one goes.) Showtimes HERE 5. LAGGIES Sundance summary: "Content to remain in a permanent adolescence, 28-year-old Megan clings to her job as a sign flipper for her father’s accounting company as her high school friends get married and advance their careers. When her high school boyfriend proposes unexpectedly, Megan panics and forgoes attending a professional development retreat to hide, at least temporarily, at the home of her new 16-year-old friend, Annika, and her attractive, single dad. " I'm not sure why this sounds so appealing to me, but there's something about movies where the characters are in an "in between" stage that I just love and relate with. Plus I'm interested to see Keira Knightley take on such a role when usually she plays such grand females who have their stuff together. I'm also quite fond of Chloe Moretz and Sam Rockwell (especially after The Way Way Back) so I think this one has some nice potential. For showtimes click HERE 4. INFINITELY POLAR BEAR IMDb summary: "A manic-depressive mess of a father tries to win back his wife by attempting to take full responsibility for their two young, spirited daughters, who don't make the overwhelming task any easier." JJ Abrams is an executive producer here and the pairing of Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana is very intriguing to me. From both summaries, I get the feel that a lot of the focus will be on the relationship between Ruffalo's character and his two daughters, as well as sorting out his own issues. This has all the makings of a very good movie. For the sundance summary and showtimes click HERE. 3. THE DOUBLE IMDb summary: "A comedy centered on a man who is driven insane by the appearance of his doppleganger." Now we get to the films I'm actively planning to see. This one was already released at the Toronto Film Festival to very positive reviews by critics and general audiences alike. The fact that it's source material is a Fyodor Dostoevsky novella certainly doesn't hurt either, and I'm looking forward to seeing Jesse Eisenberg in a leading role again. Sundance summary and showtimes HERE 2. GOD HELP THE GIRL IMDb summary: "Set in Glasgow, Scotland, the film is about a girl called Eve who is in the hospital dealing with some emotional problems and starts writing songs as a way of getting better. Songwriting becomes her way forward, leading her to the City where she meets James and Cassie, two musicians each at crossroads of their own. What follows is a story of renaissance over the course of a long, dream-like Summer." What has me most excited about this indie-pop-musical/coming of age tale is that it's the pet project of Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch. Apparently ten years in the making, Murdoch not only wrote all the songs, but acts as director as well. Since Belle & Sebastian is currently a favorite of mine I couldn't be more excited to see this one. Sundance summary and showtimes HERE 1. COOTIES IMDb summary: "A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives." You thought the zombie genre had stretched as far as it could go with zombie-rom-coms....little did we know what was in store next. Zombie elementary school children! The premise is hilarious and the film features a fantastic cast with all the comedic chops to make this film as funny as it can be. Sundance summary and showtimes HERE There you have it! Now go forth and Sundance y'all.

Christine is a story based on true events. We're told this from any synopsis we read about the movie beforehand, as well as in the film itself right after we see the title. If you know anything about the story, you know that Christine follows the events leading up to the death of Christine Chubbuck, a reporter who committed suicide on a live news broadcast in the 1970's. The film takes a look at all of the pressures in Christine's life that led her to making her fateful decision. For such a film as this and the way it's told, the lead performance is key. Luckily for director Antonio Campos, he's got an always game performer in Rebecca Hall. Hall makes this movie her own and carries it on her back (after all she's in almost every single scene.) Right from her first line, I was mesmerized to see a Rebecca Hall completely different from any performance I had ever seen from her before. This is a woman who is so wound up by all the pressures in her life and always needing to be perfect that you can see she's close to losing it at any second. In fact, after awhile all the pressures she's dealing with start to weigh on the audience as well. Christine is a solid film that is anchored by an incredibly strong performance from its star. There are fascinating scenes throughout, and the ever-changing tone somehow always feels right. The film switches from personal portrait to inside look at journalism so often, but somehow it works. Another thing the film gets completely right is the look of the 1970's. It looks so authentic, it almost feels like the movie was made in the 70's. Unfortunately, since there's so much setup to the final act we know the movie is based on, it tends to meander a bit toward the end. You get the sense that the filmmakers had so much they wanted to include before the finale, they weren't always willing to cut it...even if it would better serve the story. That said--when we finally do get to that finale, even knowing what I was going to see and how it would end...the film still manages to pack a really powerful punch. A couple movies I've seen at this year's festival seemed like they didn't know exactly how to end their movies, but Christine's final scene is perfect. It really leaves a mark on the viewer and poses the question of how tragedy (whether close to us, or something we experience through voyeruism) affects us. EMILY RATING: 8/10

The time has finally come once again for the Sundance Film Festival, and with it my list of the ten films I'm most excited to see at this year's fest. For the second year in a row, due to the pandemic, the festival is entirely online--meaning you can enjoy all of these gems from the comfort of your own couch. So get the popcorn ready, we've got a lot to look forward to. As always, we'll start with my #10 pick. 10. NANNY OFFICIAL SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: Aisha, an undocumented Senegalese immigrant, lands a job as a nanny of a wealthy Manhattan couple. While she easily wins the affection of their young daughter Rose, she becomes a pawn in the couple’s facade of a marriage. The mother is as controlling as the dad is disillusioned and woke. Haunted by the absence of the young son she left behind in Senegal, Aisha hopes her new job will afford her the chance to bring him to the U.S. and share in the life she is piecing together. But as his arrival approaches, a supernatural presence begins to invade both her dreams and her reality. As envisioned by writer-director Nikyatu Jusu and brilliantly embodied by actor Anna Diop, Aisha is a dynamic, fascinating protagonist. She displays tremendous strength in enduring challenging circumstances, but must reckon with her own disappointment and frustration, as ominous intrusions enter her already fraught life. Jusu elegantly weaves in supernatural entities derived from West African folklore, spinning Nanny into a singular genre all its own, with horrors specifically drawn from Aisha’s life and legacy. WHY I'M EXCITED: The synopsis gives me major His House vibes, one of the horror selections from 2020's festival, which was absolutely excellent. I loved how that film seamlessly blended supernatural horror with the actual horrific situations immigrants face. Nanny promises to do that as well, while also examining the difficulty of leaving one's own children behind in order to provide for them, by taking care of someone else's. Nanny looks to explore many difficult themes, while also providing some chills, and who can ask for more in a horror movie? 9. WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD OFFICIAL SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: From his bedroom home studio, high school student Ziggy performs original folk-rock songs for an adoring online fan base. This concept mystifies his formal and uptight mother, Evelyn, who runs a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. While Ziggy is busy trying to impress his socially engaged classmate Lila by making his music less bubblegum and more political, Evelyn meets Angie and her teen son, Kyle, when they seek refuge at her facility. She observes a bond between the two that she’s missing with her own son, and decides to take Kyle under her wing against her better instincts. In his carefully observed, aesthetically pleasing directorial debut, Jesse Eisenberg adapts his audio project of the same name to tell the story of a mother and son who fail to understand each other’s values. With gentle humor and pitch-perfect dialogue, When You Finish Saving the World reflects a moment of internet fame and youth activism, but it also recounts the timeless tale of parents and children struggling to connect across the generational chasm that separates them. WHY I'M EXCITED: Quite often, Sundance picks really strong films to open the festival. Such was the case last year with CODA and in 2014 with Whiplash. But opening the festival isn't the only thing When You Finish Saving the World has going for it. The film, which tells the story of a strained mother/son relationship portrayed by Finn Wolfhard and Julianne Moore, also happens to be Jesse Eisenberg's directorial debut. I'm really excited to see what he brings behind the camera, as I always appreciate his talent when he stars. Plus, I love a good coming-of-age drama and the story here has really good potential to be something special. 8. WATCHER SUNDANCE'S OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Julia joins her husband when he relocates to his family’s native Romania for a new job. Having recently abandoned her acting career, she finds herself frequently alone and unoccupied. One night, people-watching from her picture window, she spots a vague figure in an adjacent building, who seems to be looking back at her. Soon after, while alone at a local movie theater, Julia’s sense of being watched intensifies, and she becomes certain she’s being followed — could it be the same unknown neighbor? Meanwhile, a serial killer known as The Spider stalks the city. Utilizing near-vacant Bucharest streets and expansive luxury apartments, director Chloe Okuno and cinematographer Benjamin Kirk Nielsen design compositions that are both exquisite and unsettling, with every shadow offering cover for potentially imminent danger. But beneath the tension of Okuno’s hypnotic auteur vision, Watcher is an elegantly simple depiction of one woman calculating in real time whether to trust her own sense of peril. Maika Monroe vividly conveys Julia’s nervous discomfort as no one takes her intuitions seriously and she pivots between self-doubt and defiant aggression. WHY I'M EXCITED: Having lived abroad in a foreign country, I definitely see the potential for anxiety that comes with a potential move overseas creating the perfect setting for a horror story that leaves the protagonist feeling very isolated. The last time Maika Monroe starred in a Sundance movie from the midnight selection it was a HUGE hit. While I myself am not the biggest fan of It Follows, I'm excited to see what she does here. One of the fun things about Sundance is that often we're given very little to fo on to form an idea of what the film is going to be. A cast, crew, synopsis, and a picture are all we get to form our judgments. So, I know it's not much, but I really love the foreboding composition of the photo and the promise of more where that came from in the description 7. SUMMERING SUNDANCE'S OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: It’s the waning days of summer for four friends Dina, Lola, Daisy, and Mari, who will soon be going their separate ways when they all start middle school. While planning how to spend their last weekend together, they stumble across a mystery that takes them on a life-changing adventure. The friends make a series of discoveries that are as much about solving the mystery as they are about learning the hard truths of growing up. Director James Ponsoldt (The End of the Tour, 2015, and The Spectacular Now, 2013) returns to the Sundance Film Festival with a film for every generation. Anchored by engaging performances from its youthful cast and a strong script from Ponsoldt and co-writer Benjamin Percy, Summering is a refreshing rarity when compared to the familiar animated and special effects–driven movies usually directed toward multi-generational audiences today. WHY I'M EXCITED: I really loved both The End of the Tour and The Spectacular Now, so I will gladly watch any directorial effort of James Ponsoldt's (though admittedly I skipped The Circle). But I love the idea of a female-centric coming of age adventure because there aren't many of them! "Boys will be boys" friendship stories have been told quite often over the years (see Stand By Me, The Sandlot and Goonies to name a few, which did at least throw in a couple of girls to the group). As fun as they are, it's important to see stories told from the female perspective as well, and I truly hope this can be an instant classic kids' adventure for a new generation of girls everywhere. 6. AFTER YANG SUNDANCE'S OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: When Yang — a lifelike, artificially intelligent android that Jake and Kyra buy as a companion for their adopted daughter — abruptly stops functioning, Jake just wants him repaired quickly and cheaply. But having purchased Yang “certified refurbished” from a now-defunct store, he’s led first to a conspiracy theorist technician and then a technology museum curator, who discovers that Yang was actually recording memories. Jake’s quest eventually becomes one of existential introspection and contemplating his own life, as it passes him by. An aesthete at heart, Kogonada only vaguely hints at the futuristic science fiction setting (and accompanying climate catastrophe), instead crafting a serene, meditative, compassionate story that inverts the trusted theme of robots exploring what it means to be human, by showing a human trying to understand this artificial being who was part of his family. Punctuated with humor and joyousness, After Yang’s quiet power lies in its timely contemplation of how we create meaning and experience loss. WHY I'M EXCITED: Kogonada's last Sundance film, Columbus, was an underrated beautiful gem of a movie. Every single shot was a stunner, mesmerizing the audience visually, while the screenplay continually engaged the viewer intellectually. But essentially, it's a very simple film at its core. After Yang, on the other hand, isn't grounded in the same reality since it's more in the sci-fi realm and promises a lot more complexity in its themes. Plus, I'm always excited to see Colin Farrell in anything 5. 892 SUNDANCE'S OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Living in a cheap motel in Atlanta and separated from his wife and child, former U.S. Marine veteran Brian Easley is desperate. Driven to the brink by forces beyond his control, the soft-spoken, kind man decides to rob a bank and hold hostages with a bomb. As police, media, and family members descend on the bank and Brian, it becomes clear he’s not after money — he wants to tell his story and have what is rightfully his, even if it costs him his life. In her debut feature, director Abi Damaris Corbin hauntingly blends together the dramatic tension of a hostage negotiation standoff with the intimate emotional world of one life derailed by bureaucracy and a lack of resources. Based on a true story, 892 showcases powerful performances by John Boyega, the late Michael K. Williams in his final screen role, and others who remind us of the social responsibility we have to our soldiers, colleagues, and families, and to strangers as well. WHY I'M EXCITED: John Boyega is a fantastic actor who was criminally underused in Disney's Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. I'm really hoping this will be a meaty role for him to showcase his amazing talents (certainly more than just yelling "Rey!!" over and over). I'm always rooting for his success and 892 seems like a really great star vehicle for him. I'm also really interested to see Michael K. Williams' last performance. 892 sounds like a valuable film focusing on how desperation can ultimately lead to devastation and the fact that it's based on a true story makes it all the more important. 4. EMERGENCY SUNDANCE'S OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Straight-A college student Kunle and his laid-back best friend, Sean, are about to have the most epic night of their lives. Determined to be the first Black students to complete their school’s frat party legendary tour, the friends strap in for their ultimate assignment, Solo cups in hand. But a quick pit stop at home alters their plans when they find a white girl passed out on the living room floor. Faced with the risks of calling the police under life-threatening optics, Kunle, Sean, and their Latino roommate, Carlos, must find a way to de-escalate the situation before it’s too late. Two-time Sundance alum Carey Williams (R#J, 2021) makes his U.S. Dramatic Competition debut with Emergency, the darkly comedic and wildly hard-hitting feature version of his short by the same name (a Special Jury Award winner in 2018). Bringing K.D. Dávila’s sharp and layered writing to life through an incredibly talented breakout cast, Williams hazes us with a timely and biting satire in which racial dynamics unmask a world so absurd that it could only be real. WHY I'M EXCITED: One of the most poignant moments in the film Get Out is in its final moments, where, when our black protagonist sees cop lights coming toward him and we as an audience realize that in your typical horror film with a white lead, this is the moment where the day is saved. But with a black lead being found in a compromising position, it brings yet another moment of fear in knowing that they do not have the privilege of being given the benefit of the doubt. Just by reading the synopsis of Emergency, I felt the tension and worry over an explosively bad situation that for these characters will most likely look incriminating if they come forward. Emergency has a lot of potential to make a statement while putting you directly in the shoes of our protagonists and making us feel the danger they face. My only hope is that they don't ease up on the tension. 3. FRESH OFFICIAL SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: Frustrated by scrolling dating apps only to end up on lame, tedious dates, Noa takes a chance by giving her number to the awkwardly charming Steve after a produce-section meet-cute at the grocery store. During a subsequent date at a local bar, sassy banter gives way to a chemistry-laden hookup, and a smitten Noa dares to hope that she might have actually found a real connection with the dashing cosmetic surgeon. She accepts Steve’s invitation to an impromptu weekend getaway, only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites. FRESH is an intoxicating ride, nesting a penetrating thriller about the perils women face on the modern dating scene within a ferocious allegory for the commodification of their bodies. Director Mimi Cave’s feature debut brings Lauryn Kahn’s shrewd, witty script to the screen with a knowing zeal, deploying a soundtrack of retro deep-cut bangers to highlight the film’s over-the-top verve. Daisy Edgar-Jones captivates as Noa, who defiantly turns her vulnerabilities into strengths, while Sebastian Stan delivers a deliciously wicked performance as the roguish Steve. WHY I'M EXCITED: As someone who has had a lot of dating app experience before I got married, I can tell you that this is a premise that is ripe for opportunity as a horror film. Dating is hard enough without having to deal with something more sinister beneath the surface. I love that this film was directed and written by two women because there's always an inherent danger any time women agree to meet up with a stranger that only a female point of view can truly understand. I am also excited for this because I really like Sebastian Stan in quirkier roles like iTonya, as opposed to playing a stoic superhero in the MCU, so I hope he has a lot of fun in this role. 2. YOU WON'T BE ALONE OFFICIAL SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: In an isolated mountain village in 19th-century Macedonia, a young girl is taken from her mother and transformed into a witch by an ancient, shape-shifting spirit. Left to wander feral, the young witch beholds the natural world with curiosity and wonder. After inadvertently killing a villager and assuming her body, she continues to inhabit different people, living among the villagers for years, observing and mimicking their behavior until the ancient spirit returns, bringing them full circle. The debut feature of Australian-Macedonian writer-director Goran Stolevski, You Won’t Be Alone is wonderfully unlike any witch film you’ve seen. Its striking artistry and aestheticism blends supernatural horror (there’s no shortage of blood and entrails) with poetic fable, yielding a sensory meditation on life that is unexpectedly emotional and profoundly humanistic. Even the malevolent ancient spirit, born of suffering and loneliness, is a contoured character. And the young witch (played by multiple actors, including Noomi Rapace, Alice Englert, Carloto Cotta, and Sara Klimoska) suggests a transcendent spirit who, across successive lives — woman, man, mother, child — experiences what it means to be human. WHY I'M EXCITED: This looks and feels like a spiritual sequel to The Witch, which was definitely one of my all-time favorite Sundance films and viewing experiences. While I didn't love Noomi's last film, Lamb, I respect the creative choices she makes with her career and I'm excited to see her performance here. Plus the trailer for this was just absolutely fantastic. The last few years have produced some truly haunting horror films at Sundance, and I'm hoping this one is the breakout this year. 1. DUAL OFFICIAL SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: Recently diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease, Sarah is unsure how to process the news. To help ease her friends’ and family’s impending loss, she is encouraged to participate in a simple futuristic cloning procedure called “Replacement,” after which Sarah’s last days will be spent teaching the clone how to live on as Sarah once she’s gone. But while it takes only an hour for a clone to be made, things become significantly more challenging when that double is no longer wanted. This darkly off-kilter comedy marks a welcome return to the Festival from writer-director Riley Stearns (The Cub, Sundance 2013). He straddles a curious line between deadpan satire and high-concept storytelling to take us on a sci-fi journey into the ways a catastrophic life change can force reconsideration of one’s entire existence. In the lead dual role, an oddly charming Karen Gillan proves the perfect match for Stearns’s strange, strange cinematic world. WHY I'M EXCITED: I'm so fascinated by this one! With its oddball, Black Mirror-esque plot and it's very curious promo still, this movie has totally piqued my curiosity. Dual has a lot of potential for oddity, I just hope it has the depth to match. There's a lot of interesting themes here to explore and I hope it does so thoughtfully. I'm also looking forward to seeing Karen Gillan in a more personal role after doing the big popcorn movie rounds for a bit. Well, that's it for this list! Check back all throughout the festival for my daily recaps of everything I have the pleasure of seeing. The Sundance Film Festival officially begins Thursday, January 20th. You can find tickets for all film screenings HERE

Sundance day 1 is in the books and I already got to see three of the movies I was looking forward to the most. Not a bad way to start the festival! Here are my thoughts on what I had the pleasure to see yesterday. Keep checking back every day for more! WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD Jesse Eisenberg makes his directorial debut with When You Finish Saving the World, a film as awkward and oddball as he is in many of his performances. Finn Wolfhard plays Ziggy, a high schooler who is convinced his musical talent is going to make him rich and famous. In his free time, Ziggy has built up quite a following as a live stream musician, making money from generous viewers' contributions. Julianne Moore plays his uptight social worker mother Evelyn, who, just can't help but be a buzzkill at every moment. Evelyn and Ziggy are at that point during many mother/teenage son relationships where they are constantly butting heads with each other and they just can't connect. Ziggy is crushing hard on one of his fellow classmates (Alisha Boe) who is passionate in her political opinions and desires to be an activist. Ziggy is desperate to impress her (with very cringeworthy results), but finds he is intellectually unable to engage with her on important societal issues. Evelyn, meanwhile, is more interested in overstepping her bounds by mothering a boy at her shelter whom she sees great potential in. He's polite and intelligent, plus he seems to actually listen to her, unlike Ziggy. Both storylines give the viewer incredible discomfort and are honestly hard to watch. The film's humor makes it a pretty breezy watch, but there isn't a ton of depth or focus beyond that. More buildup was needed for the ending to pack the punch it intends and a lot is left unresolved. The movie's humor carries it through though and helps to make the cringy moments more bearable. I suspect that this movie would work a lot better playing to an audience. But what the film really has going for it is the dedication of Wolfhard and Moore. Here they are both playing incredibly unlikable characters, but they play them so perfectly. Their performances are key to the film and it wouldn't work on any level without them. RATING: 6/10 EMERGENCY Emergency follows roommates Sean (RJ Cyler), Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins), and Carlos (Sebastian Chacon), who one night come home to discover a young white girl drunk and passed out in their living room. If they were white men, they could call 911 and be given the benefit of the doubt regarding their innocence, but being minorities, they find the optics of the situation really endangering. They decide instead to drop her off at the hospital, but getting there without any problems will be more difficult than they can imagine--especially with the girl's sister trying to find her. Emergency tiptoes a very impressive balance of using moments of levity to lighten up an incredibly tense and life-threateningly serious circumstance. The characters here feel like lived-in, authentically real people--not the caricatures they could easily be in less capable hands. We are really put in their shoes and feel the danger they feel in this situation. The film does a good job of presenting a bad situation that continually snowballs until it feels completely unsustainable. It's a simple premise that director Carey Williams gets a lot of mileage out of, and again does a great job of always making the situation worse. The tension is definitely palpable, but the characters and their likability and camaraderie keep you truly invested. While I feel like it suffers from having one too many endings, that's pretty much my only complaint as it truly is a great film overall. RATING: 8.5/10 FRESH Fresh is every woman's worst nightmare. Fed up with the world of online dating, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) finds it too good to be true when she meets the handsome and personable Steve (Sebastian Stan). After inviting her on a spur-of-the-moment romantic weekend getaway, she soon learns the hard lesson that if something appears to be too good to be true it usually is. It's hard to really get into the specifics of Fresh without spoiling it, and I myself am so glad I knew as little as possible going in. I'm really curious to see how this film will be marketed and if there's any way to preserve its mysteries without giving it all away. The performances here are really good. Sebastian Stan, in particular, has never been better. Daisy Edgar-Jones is also solid as a girl trying desperately to wake up from a bad dream and dig deep within herself to survive. My only complaint really is that I wish the ending wasn't quite so tidy as the tension could have been dialed up a little bit more in the climax. A bigger picture of the entire story is hinted at but not explored fully, which is unfortunate because it would have been interesting to dive deeper into Steve's world. Still, this one gets a lot of points from me because of how truly shocking it was, as well as the commentary it makes on everything women have to endure due to their objectification by men. RATING: 7.5/10

Time for recaps of the three films that were on my slate for Day 2 of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Check out my thoughts on 892, Call Jane and Watcher. Be sure to check back tomorrow and throughout the rest of the festival for more! 892 John Boyega gives the best performance of his career in 892, a movie that tells the story of Brian (John Boyega), a man who out of pure desperation walks into a bank one day and informs the teller that he has a bomb that will destroy them all unless his demands are met. The entirety of the film is basically everyone--from the two bank employees, the news, the police, and his family--trying to reason with him and understand his plight. Unfortunately, the tension needed to keep this film going isn't sustained through its runtime and midway through the film starts to lag a bit. 892 would have greatly benefited from some tighter editing to keep the pace up, but as it is, this just didn't bring me into the narrative the way I hoped. Still, the performances here are all fantastic and it is well worth a viewing, especially in the commentary it makes on the hopeless situation many veterans face. RATING: 6.5/10 CALL JANE Call Jane takes a close look at the fight for reproduction rights in the late 1960's. The story follows Joy (Elizabeth Banks), a pregnant housewife who is told one day that her pregnancy will likely result in her death. After appealing to her hospital for a rarely approved abortion, she is told that her plight is impossible. Joy feels that she has more to do with her life and doesn't want to leave her teenage daughter and husband. She soon learns about a group that calls themselves "The Janes" who help women with their unwanted and unsafe pregnancies. Joy's life is changed as she spends more and more time with these women and begins to see a new perspective on life. Elizabeth Banks is great here and really gets a nice character arc to sink her teeth into with Joy. Still, I felt like the second half of the film started to feel a bit repetitive and we never really get a moment with her where she shares what she's gained from all of this and what it means to her. That's not to say there aren't some really effective moments to be found here that leave an impact, but overall the sum of the whole is not greater than its parts. Instead of showing scenes that would depict growth in characters, we're simply told about it in an epilogue-like narration. Ultimately I feel like the movie loses its focus and tries to do too much, feeling a bit scatterbrained with the various storylines it introduces in its second half that essentially go nowhere (for example, not sure I've ever seen Kate Mara wasted like this in such a throwaway role). RATING: 6.5/10 WATCHER Watcher forgets the first rule of slow-burn horror, which is that you eventually have to dial up the heat throughout the course of the film if you want that ending to actually boil. Instead, Watcher just coasts on creepy vibes and thinks that's enough instead of increasing the tension our heroine faces. By the end of the film, it still felt like not much had happened apart from some creepy reverse Rear Window moments of feeling watched. By horror movie standards this is the type of buildup that happens in the first fifteen minutes...not the whole runtime. Maika Monroe gives an effective performance, but I would have loved to delve deeper into her character and what drives her. How does she actually feel about being so isolated? What was her past that led her here? There are throwaway lines, but not enough to really know who she is and why we should care about her terror. I get the idea of minimizing what she's going through to keep the viewer guessing, but there's a fine line between having that be effective or dull. By the time we get to the ending, it just feels too little too late. Had the story been structured so that certain scenes happened earlier, I think it would have worked a lot better. But unfortunately as is, Watcher is a missed opportunity. RATING: 5/10

Day 3 of Sundance 2022 is a wrap and I got to check off three more films that had been on my radar, including two of my most anticipated films Nanny and Dual. Today promises to be an even busier day, so make sure to check back tomorrow for more reviews! NANNY Nanny tells the tale of Aisha, a Senagalese immigrant working to earn money working as a nanny for a wealthy family in New York City in order to be able to pay for her son to come to America. She begins seeing unsettling visions that fill her with fear and make her worry for the safety of her son back home, as well as her own well-being. Anna Diop is really great as Aisha, but the film is a bit too slow for its own good in introducing the horror elements. While it does lay the ground well for her plight, it doesn't leave enough time to delve into the mythology it tries to create with the supernatural elements. While I found the ending to be effective, I just wish that more of the haunting imagery that pervades the second half was equally present in the first. RATING: 6/10 DUAL Dual is the type of movie made for the Sundance Film Festival. The plot is very high concept and its sensibilities are the type to appeal only to those with certain acquired tastes. It's darkly comedic and exceedingly bizarre, but I was totally engaged from start to finish. Sarah lives a pretty normal life of dodging her mom's phone calls and struggling to keep her relationship healthy with her detached boyfriend. One day she learns she has a terminal illness but is encouraged by her doctors to create a clone of herself to help her family cope with her upcoming loss. Months later, when she miraculously recovers from her illness, the court orders that she and her clone are to have a duel to the death as there can be only one of them living the life of Sarah. Dual is completely absurd and is totally in on its own joke. Karen Gillan plays both Sarah and her clone in a totally deadpan way, without an ounce of emotion or stakes in her own situation. Yet, this is what makes the humor totally work. Dual won't be for everyone, but if you can appreciate the dark humor and the preposterousness of everything it's going for, Dual is wildly entertaining. RATING: 7.5/10 SPEAK NO EVIL All horror films require a certain level of suspension of disbelief in the characters' actions to make them work. We all roll our eyes when a character goes to investigate a noise they heard in the basement, but we go along with it for the sake of the scare. In Speak No Evil, we are pushed past that limit. It is hard to care because these characters make the most incomprehensible and unrealistic decisions anyone would ever make--horror movie or not! In Speak No Evil, a Danish family vacationing in Tuscany meets a charming Dutch family who invites them over for a weekend at their house in the Dutch countryside. Even though they barely know each other, they don't want to offend their new friends by declining the invitation. Throughout the weekend, numerous red flags pop up, but Bjorn, the father, is anxious to be a good houseguest and ignores all of his wife, Louise's concerns, even in situations that endanger their daughter, Agnes. Speak No Evil strains plausibility, but I can't deny that those last 30 minutes truly kept me on the edge of my seat. Still, the actions taken (or in this case, not taken), are really frustrating as a viewer, especially since you are never rewarded with that cathartic moment you desperately need to happen. RATING: 5.5/10