Sundance 2014: Films We Have Seen
A list of films that Keith Simanton and Michelle Bryant have seen at Sundance 2014, with a few first impressions.
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- DirectorCharlie McDowellStarsMark DuplassElisabeth MossTed DansonA troubled couple vacate to a beautiful getaway, but bizarre circumstances further complicate their situation.Do yourself a favor and do not read reviews or message boards for this film. Actually, you could probably go ahead and do it and be utterly confused by anyone attempting to give a synopsis of what happens in this smart, romantic-comedy/drama about a couple who, in an attempt to save a failing marriage, take the advice of their marriage counselor (a nice cameo for Ted Danson), and go to a cabin retreat in some orange groves to reconnect. There is a kinetic energy in this film provided in the screenplay by Justin Lader, the direction by Charlie McDowell and the two leads. I take that back, don't read anything else about this film, just go see it. 9.4/10 - Keith
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsRoger EbertChaz EbertGene SiskelThe life and career of the renowned film critic and social commentator, Roger Ebert.It's hard for me to distance myself from the incredibly emotional premiere screening of Life Itself, the firm-footed but sympathetic portrait of the late, beloved film critic. First off, John Cooper choked up introducing the director, Steve James who became so emotional he had to walk away from the podium. The film is a celebration of Ebert's life but doesn't shy away from his alcoholism, his ego, or some of his poor choices. What Life is mostly about however, is the incredible love story between Roger and his wife Chaz, one that transcended his cruel illness and horrible last months in the hospital. Roger could have never written a word, never inspired another critic or filmmaker and his marriage to Chaz would have been a lifetime achievement for most. 8.9/10 - Keith
- DirectorJim MickleStarsMichael C. HallSam ShepardDon JohnsonWhen a protective father meets a murderous ex-con, both need to deviate from the path they are on as they soon find themselves entangled in a downwards spiral of lies and violence while having to confront their own inner psyche.I'm almost surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie because from the synopsis I thought it was just another "out for revenge" story. I'm happy to say I was wrong. Based on Joe R. Lansdale's novel, this pulpy noir film is a nod to the John Carpenter films and is a thrill ride from beginning to end, with great performances from Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, and Don Johnson. The best part of the film for me: Michael C. Hall's wicked mullet. - Michelle
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.This is nothing short of writer/director Richard Linklater's magnum opus and a film to join my short list of truly spectacular Sundance films (which includes Beasts of the Southern Wild and Whale Rider). Shot intermittently over 12 years, principal photography commenced 4,208 days ago from its premiere at the Eccles Theater. Linklater follows the fictional life of Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane from age 5 to age 18. Mason, his sister (played by Linklater's actual daughter, Lorelei) and their mom (a stirring performance by Patricia Arquette) move around Texas and through several men in her life. The kids' ne'er-do-well father is played by Ethan Hawke. The passage of time and of memory feels like a stream pushing Mason through his life as he becomes more and more of an iconoclast and as the years take their toll on everyone. At 164 minutes there does seem to be some fat that could be trimmed but it might cause diminishment. A very special film. 10/10 -Keith
- DirectorMike CahillStarsMichael PittSteven YeunAstrid Bergès-FrisbeyA molecular biologist and his laboratory partner uncover evidence that may fundamentally change society as we know it.Writer/director Mike Cahill's new film (he did Another Earth) is an audacious work that dares to tackle the big themes of science and faith. Michael Pitt (whom I'm now going to have to re-think) proves that he can be a leading man while delivering a performance of wide-ranging emotion and silent depth. He plays Ian Gray, a scientist who falls for an ethereal creature, played by Astrid Berges-Frisbey, while he searches for a way to create an eye, thus disproving a last bastion of the "intelligent design" crowd. Brit Marling plays his assistant. Cahill is working on a big canvas here, from international locals to odd sexual moments and the film constantly teeters on a balance beam where falling means becoming ludicrous or pretentious (even the title feels a bit too on the nose). But he never does and I Origins lands squarely in my top 5 films seen here so far. 8.9/10 - Keith
- DirectorCarter SmithStarsMorgan SaylorNoah SilverCameron MonaghanBased on the novel "One For Sorrow" by Christopher Barzak, Jamie Marks is Dead is the story of a murdered high school boy who returns as a ghost looking for the love and friendship he never had when he was alive.Young actor Noah Silver proves himself an engaging screen presence in the haunting but messy Jamie Marks. Director Carter Smith links up ghosts with the bullied and the abused as Jamie Marks was before he shows up blue and nearly naked on the banks of a river. Jamie is a restless soul though and he begins to appear to the girl who found him, Gracie (Morgan Saylor) and Adam, the cross-country track star, played by Cameron Monaghan. Jamie's somehow corporeal form is a symbol for his emotional battering he took at school which is only given ease when he's with Adam. Marks is an odd and mournful film but it's so clammy that it leaves us a chilled as the titular character. 7/10 - Keith
- DirectorMalik VitthalStarsJohn BoyegaRotimiGlenn PlummerA 21-year-old reformed gangster's devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles.When Bambi is released from prison, he is determined to change his ways. His main priority is to take care of his son (whose mother is also incarcerated). While in prison he developed a passion for writing and dreams of publishing a novel, but the reality is in order to provide for his family he needs a job. His uncle who raised him is pressuring him to "work" for him, but Bambi doesn't want to take that route. The film doesn't tip-toe about the harsh realities of rehabilitation but doesn't play victim to them either. At heart, it's a film about having the courage to dream of a better life and the conviction to do what it takes to make that dream come true. - Michelle
- DirectorLynn SheltonStarsKeira KnightleyChloë Grace MoretzSam RockwellIn the throes of a quarter-life crisis, Megan panics when her boyfriend proposes. She takes an opportunity to escape for a week, hiding out in the house of her new 16-year-old friend Annika and her world-weary single dad.Director Lynn Shelton can almost be guaranteed to get some fine performances out of her cast and that's true for this film, particularly from Sam Rockwell and Chloe Grace Moritz. But the main conceit of this film, that a 27-28 year old woman (played with arms akimbo by Keira Knightley) would move into the house of a teenager that she met and become her bff, never, ever works. I always have a tough time with whiny slackers and Knightley's character is the whiniest. 7/10 - Keith
- DirectorHong KhaouStarsPei-Pei ChengBen WhishawAndrew LeungA young man of Chinese-Cambodian descent dies, leaving behind his isolated mother and his 4-year male lover, who grieve but don't speak a lick of each other's language.Lilting follows June, a Chinese-Cambodian mother living in retirement home in London, and Richard, the boyfriend of June's son Kai who tragically died just before coming out to his mother. June does not speak English --Kai was her only connection to the modern world--and so Richard attempts to form a bond with her. Both haunting and poetic, this is a beautiful film about loss, language, and finding a connection beyond words. - Michelle
- DirectorPeter SattlerStarsKristen StewartPayman MaadiLane GarrisonA soldier assigned to Guantanamo Bay befriends a man who has been imprisoned there.I wasn't really sure what to expect from this film, but as director Peter Sattler stated before the film, this isn't your average Guantanamo Bay film. Ultimately I really enjoyed it and thought it had strong performances. Read more of my thoughts in our special Sundance section blog. - Michelle
- DirectorKate Barker-FroylandStarsAnne HathawayJohnny FlynnBen RosenfieldA young woman strikes up a relationship with her ailing brother's favorite musician.There is a lot to recommend about Song One. The songs, for one, are quite good, that kind of hipster-melodic stuff you hear in coffee shops. Hathaway is also an able lead. She plays Franny, an anthropologist who returns home to be with her brother, Henry, who is in a coma after being struck by a car. Franny finds Henry's private journal, which, among other things, lists out his interest in indie rocker, James Forester (played by the uber-sauve, "guy who your girlfriend broke up with you for," Johnny Flynn). James has writer's block...hmmm...perhaps he can find some muse to wake him from his doldrums? The biggest issue with this film is the too leisurely pace it takes to where we know it's going to go. I think after the fourth scene where they sat by the Hudson, looking at the Empire State I'd become restless. Hipsters' mileage may differ. 7/10 - Keith
- DirectorJohn SlatteryStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanChristina HendricksRichard JenkinsA blue collar worker tries to cover things up when his stepson is killed in a suspicious accident, but a local reporter senses that something's amiss.It's been hours since I saw this film and I still can't decide whether I enjoyed the film or not. I laughed, even shed a few tears, but some of the characters were so unlikable, I'm on the fence. One thing I can say is that it's very well-written and has strong performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro, Richard Jenkins, and Eddie Marsan, and it's a strong directorial debut from John Slattery. But did I like it? I'll have to sleep on it. - Michelle
- DirectorLenny AbrahamsonStarsMichael FassbenderDomhnall GleesonMaggie GyllenhaalJon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.This is officially my favorite film so far. Even wearing a huge paper mâché head, Michael Fassbender gives a charismatic and often hilarious performance. Actually the entire cast was great but Scoot McNairy and Maggie Gyllenhaal were stand-outs. I also think the final song may be a contender for next year's Oscar for original song. Highly recommend this one. - Michelle
- DirectorJoe BerlingerStarsStephen RakesJames 'Whitey' BulgerTommy DonahueA look at James 'Whitey' Bulger, one of the most infamous criminals in American history.I've been to hundreds of filmmaker Q&As after a screening and this is the first time I've witnessed the audience shouting out more questions after time is up. When I went into this documentary, I expected the film to be mostly about the horrific crimes of Whitey Bulger. But the most shocking revelations of the film were the corruption within Boston FBI, and that the fact defense was cooperating with the filmmakers because they wanted the truth revealed. This is a must-see. - Michelle
- DirectorJustin SimienStarsTyler James WilliamsTessa ThompsonKyle GallnerThe lives of four black students at an Ivy League college.I really wanted to love this but have to admit I was a bit disappointed. The film was reportedly going against typical stereotypes in black film, but it almost felt like the main characters were a new type of stereotype. Granted it was a satire, but no one seemed really happy or comfortable in their own skin. It wasn't a complete miss but I think I may have set my expectations too high. - Michelle
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisYayan RuhianArifin PutraOnly a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.In a post-screening Q&A, talking to a rapturous crowd, director Evans revealed that the script for this film was written before the first film, The Raid: Redemption. It was decided to do Redemption first because it was sleeker and required less set-up. That's quite true as Raid 2 has a somewhat convoluted plot. It starts just a few hours after the first film wherein our hero, Rama (the amazing Iko Uwais), still has his traitorous captain in tow (PS: It may be worth revisting the first film before you see this one). Because he's taken down an important drug kingpin Rama's life and his family's life are essentially forfeit, if he stays a cop. To protect them he takes the undercover assignment of cozying up to Uko, the scion of a mobster who controls one-third of the town and the cops. Evans is attempting to make an action/mob epic and it's well worth watching him try to do it. Two scenes in particular, a prison riot in a muddy courtyard and a car chase shows us an Evans who can create something new out of very worn-out scenarios. Hyper-violent and very gory. 8.8/10. - Keith
- DirectorCraig JohnsonStarsKristen WiigBill HaderLuke WilsonHaving both coincidentally cheated death on the same day, estranged twins reunite with the possibility of mending their relationship.Wiig and Hader prove themselves very adept dramatic actors playing Maggie and Milo, the twins of the title, who haven't lost their ability to slide in humor on the side. You'd need it in a film where the two leads are contemplating suicide and one of them (Milo) actually goes through with it by slitting his wrists. He's found though and Maggie takes him under her charge. She is, however, no more stable than he as she's living a sham marriage with doofus, good-guy Lance (played by Luke Wilson, always good to see him). These very messed-up siblings have a storehold of secrets and lies and director Craig Johnson makes the reunion funny and poignant . 7.7/10 - Keith
- DirectorChapman WayMaclain WayStarsLou RussellKurt RussellKen WheelerIn 1973, Hollywood actor Bing Russell starts an independent minor league baseball team in Portland consisting of outcasts and misfits, and turns them into unlikely overnight success.A fine film BBoB doesn't really distinguish itself from ESPN's "30/30" series but it's certainly worth a watch for fans of the sports doc. It's the true story of Kurt Russell's father, Bing Russell, a lifelong baseball fanatic and actor, who started the Portland Mavericks, an independent baseball team in 1973, a time when the massive consolidation of the farm system was changing the way the game was played. The greatest joy in this, by far, is the barrage of quips from their eleven year old batboy at the time, who turned into director Todd Field. 7.7/10 - Keith