Mar 11, 2009 -
It wasn't my favorite of the 2008 Sundance movies I saw, but The Mysteries of Pittsburgh was still an interesting watch — and probably even more so for those who have read the Michael Chabon book on which the movie is based. Jon Foster plays the main character of Art Bechstein, a young man who passes his last Summer before entering the "real world" working at a book warehouse, meeting regularly with his dad (a shady Nick Nolte) for dinner, and sleeping with his boss, Phlox (Mena Suvari). Things get considerably more interesting, however, when Art meets the alluring Jane (Sienna Miller) and her boyfriend Cleveland (Peter Sarsgaard).
- 11 Comments
Oct 15, 2008 -
Got your tissues handy? Because this trailer's probably going to make you sad and if you're like me (highly prone to crying at trailers) you might shed a tear (or five). Starring Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor, Incendiary (based on a novel of the same name) is the story of a woman who loses her son and her husband in a suicide bombing, an event made more traumatic by the fact that she witnesses the attack on TV with the man with whom she's having an affair.
- 33 Comments
Oct 06, 2008 -
"Turns out it's against the law to throw biohazards in the dumpster. Who knew?"
Emily Blunt's character, Norah, dryly says this in the preview for Sunshine Cleaning, a little indie movie from this year's Sundance that finds two sisters starting up a "biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service."
- 18 Comments
Aug 20, 2008 -
The documentary Trouble the Water was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and the buzz around this movie has continued to build from there. The film centers around Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her boyfriend who were trapped in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. Roberts videotaped the the entire ordeal, which was, as you might imagine, horrifying.
- 16 Comments
Aug 15, 2008 -
Note: I posted this review soon after I saw this movie at Sundance, and today it's out in theaters, so I thought I'd share my thoughts again. It has some flaws, but overall I really like this movie.
Henry Poole Is Here was one of the first non-documentary feature films to be snatched up by a studio at this year's Sundance, and I can easily see why.
- 7 Comments
Aug 13, 2008 -
One of my saddest moments at Sundance this year was not being able to get into a screening of Phoebe in Wonderland, which looks like a darkly whimsical, adorably bizarre film all about the incredible imagination of a little girl. The girl at the heart of it is Phoebe (played by Elle Fanning), who is talented, gifted, and obsessed with a powerful fantasy life. She has trouble with her rule-filled world, and finds relief and inspiration in her quirky teacher (Patricia Clarkson).
- 9 Comments
Aug 06, 2008 -
When I saw the documentary American Teen at Sundance this year, I was totally wowed, and I knew I was watching something special. It's truly one of the most insightful documentaries on American life to come out in years. The film is in select theaters now, and I highly recommend you check it out.
- 5 Comments
Aug 01, 2008 -
What Just Happened? was a fairly big deal at this year's Sundance mostly because of Robert De Niro who is at the center of this strange comedy. It's a Hollywood satire that some people will probably appreciate more than others, and the reviews I've read of the film have said there may be too many "insider" jokes about "the industry" for most people, but that otherwise it's a great movie.
- 3 Comments
Jun 18, 2008 -
Another day, another trailer for a movie from this year's Sundance Film Festival. Today's features Matthew Broderick and Alan Alda as an uncle-nephew duo in Diminished Capacity. The plot is this: "A man (Broderick) suffering from memory [trouble] takes a trip to a memorabilia expo with his Alzheimer's-impaired relative (Alda) and his high school flame (Virginia Madsen), where the trio plans to.
- 1 Comment
Apr 30, 2008 -
Towelhead (which also goes by the title Nothing Is Private) was one of the movies on my to-see list at Sundance that kept getting edged down by other movies, partially because of other priorities, though I also worried that it would be really disturbing. Now the film, based on the novel by Alicia Erian, has a theatrical release date of August 8 and a trailer that has only made me more uneasy about watching the movie — though also more curious, too.
The story is of the coming-of-age variety, though this one features a 13-year-old girl (Summer Bishil) whose Caucasian mother (Maria Bello) sends her to live with her Lebanese father (Peter Macdissi) in a small suburban town.
- 5 Comments
