Sundance Snapshot

I've already given you the scoop on My Idiot Brother, but the Paul Rudd comedy isn't the only film that Elizabeth Banks was promoting at Sundance. Her second movie, The Details, is also about a family, but that's where the similarities between the two end. Here's more about the black comedy.

• Who's behind it? The film stars Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Kerry Washington, Ray Liotta, and Laura Linney. It was written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes.
• What's it about? Jeff (Maguire) and Nealy (Banks) have been married for 10 years, and are starting to feel the negative effects of suburban married life: they rarely sex anymore, and they're constantly at each other's throats. When he's not escaping to the world of Internet porn, Jeff becomes obsessed with trapping the raccoons that have been destroying his new lawn. Between his two new hobbies, Jeff inadvertently sets off a chain of events that get him into more trouble than he ever could have imagined.

So is this your kind of film? Find out when you read more

The Sundance Film Festival comes to a close this weekend, but I've still got a few more movie goodies to keep you all informed. If you haven't already, check out my Sundance Snapshots covering movies from the likes of Josh Radnor to Ben Affleck to Ryan Gosling. For now, let's move on with the Duplass Brothers' Cyrus.

• Who's behind it? The film is written and directed by the Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark, who are no strangers to Sundance at this point. John C. Reilly, Catherine Keener, Marisa Tomei, and Jonah Hill make up the cast.
• What's it about? Reilly stars as John, a regular Joe (and self-proclaimed "Shrek") who's been a bit lost since his wife (Keener) left him seven years ago. He's skeptical about finding love again until he meets Molly (Tomei) at a party and forms an instant connection with her. Everything is going smoothly between the two until John meets Molly's 21-year-old son, Cyrus (Hill). Feeling very protective of his single mother, it isn't long before Cyrus starts sabotaging Molly's relationship with John. Check out the trailer right here.

To see how I feel about the film, just read more

Though I'm back in San Francisco, I still can't stop thinking about all the films I was lucky enough to catch at Sundance. We're coming down the homestretch, but I've still got a few more tricks up my sleeve. Read on for my review of Hesher, and be sure to check out all of my Sundance Snapshots.

• Who's behind it? Spencer Susser wrote and directed the film, which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Rainn Wilson, as well as relative newcomer Devin Brochu
• What's it about? Brochu plays TJ, a troubled 13-year-old trying to cope with his mother's recent death. With his father in a daze and no friends to turn to, TJ spends his time trying to avoid a bully at school and crushing on a supermarket checkout girl (Natalie Portman). A twist of fate brings a foul-mouthed, greasy, tattooed pyromaniac named Hesher into TJ's life and his house, forming a strange bond and leading to all kinds of strange adventures that eventually affect TJ and his whole family.

Is Hesher another homerun for JGL? Find out when you read more

Before Jon Hamm was in NY gearing up for SNL, he made an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival for the world premiere of Howl. I was lucky enough to catch a screening of the film, which centers around Allen Ginsberg's life during the beatnik era and his controversial poem.

• Who's behind it? Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman teamed up to write and direct the film, with James Franco, Jon Hamm, Bob Balaban, and David Strathairn as the major players.
• What's it about? The film takes its title from Ginsberg's four-part poem, Howl, and goes back and forth between the year it was written (1955) and the year it became a lawsuit (1957). The movie is cut together into four very distinct parts: we see an interview with Ginsberg (Franco) as he discusses his life and work in 1957, as well as Ginsberg reading his poem to an audience for the first time in 1955. When Franco's not on camera, we see some trippy animation portraying the poem in a literal sense or scenes inside the courtroom debate regarding the poem's obscenities and literary worth.

To see whether or not the pieces all fit together for me, just read more

I'm sadly back in San Francisco after a lovely stint in Park City, but I've still got plenty of goodies from my Sundance experience to share with you guys. I've been profiling each of the movies I've screened with my Sundance Snapshots, and today I'm keeping the ball rolling with Blue Valentine.

• Who's behind it? Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play the leading couple under director Derek Cianfrance.
• What's it about? Gosling and Williams play Dean and Cindy, a married couple who are starting to realize that their fairy tale romance isn't exactly shaping up to the life they imagined. The film shifts back and forth between their current relationship and their initial courtship, giving the audience a side by side look at how different they've become over just a few years.

To see my two cents, just read more

I've had a little crush on Ted Mosby Josh Radnor ever since I got hooked on How I Met Your Mother, and I've had high hopes for the side project he's been working on between seasons. Radnor makes his debut as a triple threat writer/director/actor in HappyThankYouMorePlease — but don't let the quirky title turn you away. I'm happy to report the film is among my favorites from Sundance 2010, so let's get into the good stuff.

• Who's behind it? I already mentioned that Radnor wrote and directed the script, and he has plenty of talent supporting his cast, including Malin Akerman, Tony Hale, and Kate Mara.
• What's it about? The movie centers around Sam Wexler (Radnor), a writer in his late 20s living in New York and struggling to find meaning in his love life and career. On a particularly fateful day, Sam befriends and takes in a young boy who's been separated from his foster family and meets a potential love interest in Mississippi (Mara). Akerman plays Sam's best friend and confidant Annie, who's got her own issues to deal with (particularly with a co-worker (Hale) who won't give up until he gets a date with her). Finally, Zoe Kazan plays Mary Catherine, a lifelong friend of Sam's who is struggling to figure out whether or not she and her boyfriend have a future together in New York.

To see why I enjoyed the film so much, just read more

One of the films I was most interested in checking out at Sundance was The Company Men. The timely tale, which focuses on three high-paid corporate executives slapped with downsizing at their company, boasts a stellar cast and is already drawing comparisons to Up in the Air. But does it have the potential to enjoy the same success?

• Who's behind it? Like I said, there are some heavy hitters here: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson, and Rosemarie DeWitt star in the film, with writer and first time director John Wells at the helm.
• What's it about? Affleck, Jones, and Cooper play three colleagues who excel at their jobs and have plenty to show for it — big houses, fancy cars, privileged families living in the suburbs of Boston. Their cushy lifestyles are quickly brought into jeopardy, however, when massive layoffs begin at their company; the men are forced to re-examine themselves, their careers, and their family lives as they face unemployment and potentially losing everything they've been working for all their lives.

To find out what I thought of the movie, just read more

I'm still having a blast here at the Sundance Film Festival. The days have been chock full of screenings and celebrity sightings (Ryan Reynolds, Kate Mara, and Josh Radnor, to name a few), and I've been giving you recaps of the films I've been lucky enough to check out. Now that I've shared my thoughts on Get Low, here's my take on Sympathy For Delicious.

• Who's behind it? Mark Ruffalo makes his directorial debut and stars in the film, with Orlando Bloom, Laura Linney, Juliette Lewis and Christopher Thornton rounding out the cast.
• What's it about? Thornton stars as Dean, a once-respected DJ (named "Delicious D") who has lost his way since becoming paralyzed. Angry at the world and living out of his car, Dean's life takes a dramatic turn when he realizes his mysterious ability to heal people of various ailments. His gift is at first exploited by a priest looking to raise money for the church, but Dean quickly learns that he can pocket the cash himself if he takes matters into his own hands.

So, is it any good? To find out, just read more

As I waited patiently in line to see Buried at Sundance last night, I learned that the film is the festival's first movie to be bought for major release! I'd already heard a ton of buzz about the film, but my curiosity peaked when I heard the exciting news. So did it live up to the hype? Let's review.

• Who's behind it? The film's directed by Rodrigo Cortés, with Ryan Reynolds as the one and only actor in the film.
• What's it about? Paul Conroy (Reynolds) wakes up to find himself trapped in a wooden coffin, buried alive after being taken hostage in Iraq. With only a lighter as a guide and a cell phone as a connection to the outside world, Conroy has roughly 90 minutes to assess his situation and attempt to contact someone, anyone, that can help him escape.

Did I develop claustrophobia or what? To find out, just read more

Hello from snowy Sundance! Once I got settled in to Park City (and stopped by the Howl red carpet to chat with Jon Hamm and James Franco), it was time to start the screenings. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be sharing my thoughts about the movies I check out, giving you guys a preview of the films that may go on to be the blockbusters (or bombs!) of the future. First on the list is Get Low.

• Who's behind it? Directed by Aaron Schneider, the film stars Bill Murray, Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, and Sissy Spacek.
• What's it about? Felix Bush has been living in an isolated cabin in the woods of Tennessee for 40 years. Blocking out the 1930s society around him, his only interactions are with the boys who dare trespass on his territory, hoping for a glimpse of a local legend. The stories of Felix's eccentricities grow right along with his long white beard, and the hermit adds fuel to the fire when he makes an appearance in town. Felix asks a local funeral director to arrange a "funeral party" for him as a means to gather all the locals to share their respective stories about him. Here's the twist: Felix wants to schedule the party before he dies so that he can actually attend.

To see my verdict on the film, just read more