Sundance 2014 Sneak Peek!

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.