I love the Sundance Film Festival. I mean, don’t get me wrong…It can be a grind braving freezing cold temperatures in Park City, UT and hustling to get tickets to that must-see film but make no mistakes; It’s always worth it.
The Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 18th thru January 28th and after getting a look at what promises to be yet another impressive lineup, I thought I’d share a list of 5 films I’m most excited to see at the upcoming fest.
(In alphabetical order)–
A REAL PAIN
Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play cousins who head out on an epic road trip to Poland to honor their late grandmother. During the trip, old tensions resurface. The pairing of of Eisenberg and Culkin sounds like a good one but the fact that Eisenberg is serving as director here is what has me most intrigued. His directorial debut WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD was a gem and I’m hopeful that A REAL PAIN will continue that trend.
IN A VIOLENT NATURE
I’m a sucker for the slasher genre and this one sounds like it has a most unusual hook; IN A VIOLENT NATURE is said to take place mostly from the killer’s perspective. As far as the story, it sounds pretty old hat but Sundance has a real knack for delivering solid horror upon the world and this one sounds like one of those films that will be a blast to watch with a rowdy late night crowd.
PRESENCE
Steven Soderbergh is a legend and he’s pretty much done it all. The idea of seeing this crafty auteur give viewers his take on a haunted house movie sounds way too awesome to pass up. Given that it’s Soderbergh, it’s safe to say that we should probably expect that unexpected and that’s fine. I’m all in.
SUPER/MAN: A CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY
I love a good documentary and this one certainly looks to fit the bill. One of my favorite films at last year’s Sundance Film Festival was STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE. SUPER/MAN sounds a little similar in structure in that both docs are about superstar celebrities who would be thrown unexpected curveballs that would challenge their lives forever. As a massive fan of Reeve (the actor and the human being) and his most legendary movie role, this one is high on my list of must-sees at this year’s festival.
THELMA
When I read the synopsis for this film, I laughed out loud. The idea that an elderly woman would take matters into her own hands after being duped by a telephone scammer sounds like the most awesome concept in the history of awesome concepts. Then, when I read that the film stars June Squibb (ABOUT SCHMIDT) as the scammed and the late, great Richard Roundtree (SHAFT) as the elderly gentleman who assists her on her quest, it kicked the whole thing up a notch. I’m greatly looking forward to this one.
For more on Sundance 2024, click here.
