Mo Nique

Ever since Precious (previously known as Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire) took this year's Sundance Film Festival by storm, I've been waiting anxiously for this trailer. The movie stars Mo'Nique as a mother who constantly berates and emotionally abuses her daughter, played by newcomer Gabourey Sidibe.

The trailer makes this movie look absolutely brutal and emotionally intense — but Oprah and Tyler Perry teamed up to help get it distributed, which makes me hopeful that there's some uplifting content along the way. Regardless, I'm always interested in stories that treat complicated mother-daughter relationships honestly — even if they are tough to watch.

The movie overall and Mo'Nique's performance in particular are already receiving Oscar buzz, which is pretty amazing (if a little early). I'm also intrigued by some of the other big names in this cast, including Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz.

The movie is targeted for a November 6, 2009 release. To watch the trailer, read more

The buzz about Sundance has been largely positive this year and it sounds like the entries were, on a whole, some of the best the festival has rounded up in a long time. On Saturday the festival's closing Awards Ceremony was held and the winners were announced. Some of last year's outstanding Sundance entries just made it onto the list of Oscar nominations, including Frozen River (which won the Grand Jury Prize last year) and Man on Wire (which won the top Sundance prize in the international documentary category). So this year's Sundance wins just might be next year's Oscar nominees, too.

Here's a rundown of some notable awards:

• The big winner this year is Lee Daniels's Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, winning both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic category.
• The movie boasts several breakout performances including a young newcomer Gabby Sidibe and the comedian Mo'Nique who won the Special Jury Prize for Acting. This movie tackles some extremely heavy material — including incest and pregnancy by one's own father — but many reviewers say that as difficult as it is to watch it's worth the viewing. It still does not have a distributor.
• We Live in Public won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize and "portrays the story of the Internet's revolutionary impact on human interaction as told through the eyes of maverick web pioneer, Josh Harris, and his transgressive art project that shocked New York." I've heard this described as sort of an underground, technological Jonestown. Creepy.

For more news about this year's Sundance awards, read more