Sundance: ‘Emergency’

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

The very legitimate fear that people of color feel when faced with the potential of confronting police has been featured in numerous films recently, both in documentary and narrative formats. In many cases, it’s a harrowing tale featuring brash reactions by law enforcement that assume the worst and end up needlessly harming those who weren’t doing anything wrong in the first place. The characters in the comedic Emergency know these truths and set out to do everything possible to avoid a tragic fate, which leads to wild hijinks…

Click to read more ...

Here's Your Sundance 2022

by Jason Adams

The main line-up for the 2022 edition of the Sundance Film Festival was announced this afternoon -- can I get a huzzah? Running from January 20th through the 30th they'll be screening 82 feature films and assorted other cinematic ephemera over the course of those ten days -- they're keeping themselves to the middle space in between in-person and virtual for their 2022 edition, with everything premiering in person in Utah and then subsequently screening via their (truly outstanding) online platform for those of us who can't make it to the mountains, for whatever reason. Like, for instance, the still-happening pandemic, which is certainly my own personal reason for only attending virtually again this time, and which it would be irresponsible for me to not recommend you all take into account. (That said their safety protocols seem very much on point, so your own mileage may vary.) 

I've got the entire press release with the word on everything announced today way down below -- and you can check out each title even more thoroughly on the fest's website, of course -- but I figured before that megaton of information I'd go ahead and poison your opinions with my opinions, highlighting ten movies that are immediately leaping forward onto my face for one particular reason or another.  

Sharp Stick -- Lena Dunham's new movie, her first in over a decade, will surely, as with everything Dunham-related, invite enthusiastic conversation from all angles. That's one way to say it! People sure do have opinions on her and her work, and the story here... 

Click to read more ...

It's Gonna Be May(Day)

by Jason Adams

Heads-up on a movie that should be on your radars if it isn't already -- I saw director Karen Cinorre's debut film Mayday at Sundance back in February, and it's a fascinating feminist spin on the War Film starring a slew of super up-and-comer actresses, including personal beloveds Grace Van Patten (so great on Nine Perfect Strangers right now) and Mia Goth (oh how we love Mia Goth). Oh and Juliette Lewis is there too? Indeed she is! Here's a little of what I said about Mayday in February:

"Mayday... is plenty aware of... the limitations in adopting masculine ideas of violence and revenge. But unlike something like Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch, which Mayday feels like an explicit rebuke of, there's no fetishization of girls play-acting tough guy roles -- their past wounds don't become level-up Barbie-costumes that wrap their sexual assaults in pleather bustier pseudo-feminist bullshit. These women's fuck-ups feel genuine, earned and experienced -- they've left more emotional marks than they have sexy thigh scars or pretty painted bruises -- while their baggy fatigues just make for a practical place to wipe off dude-gore."

Read the rest (which dives into some themes I saw percolating across several female-directed pictures at Sundance) here. Mayday is out on October 1st, and here's the trailer to get you hyped:

Meet the Parents

by Jason Adams

I'm can't really do a TFE-patented "Yes No Maybe So" for the just-dropped trailer for Mass -- writer-director Fran Kranz's Sundance smash that gives four great roles to the character actors Ann Dowd, Reed Birney, Jason Isaacs, and Martha f'ing Plimpton, playing the parents of two children involved in a school shooting -- because the trailer is mostly critical hosannas from Sundance, with maybe ten seconds of actual and intense footage from the intense film slammed down at the end, a bit like a punch in the gut. What am I gonna say, "Yes to that Variety quote but I'm iffy on the one from the Post?"

Anyway I already saw the movie at Sundance and it should be a yes for all of you, just trust me. All four actors have made it clear they're aiming for Supporting nominations Oscars-wise, and I wouldn't be surprised to see all of them make it. I'm rooting for all of them! The film hits NYC & LA on October 8th and rolls on out after that. Here's that trailer...

Sundance 2021 is a Wrap

by Nathaniel R

CODA was the big winner at Sundance and sold for an extravagant amount of money.

Thank you to Jason, Abe, Murtada, and Eurocheese for their coverage of the traditionally snowy but now virtual and room temperature Sundance Film Festival which wrapped on Wednesday. In case you missed any of the reviews here they all are in one place. As with ALL Sundance film festivals, some of these picture will fade quickly from awareness, others will be talked about incessantly upon release, and still others might strangely go into hiding for a year and all but forgotten before being rediscovered when they get a streaming deal or some such in the not so near future. But which ones? It all depends on the vagaries of distribution, media and public reaction, and future awards play. For example at the 2020 Sundance Awards Minari and I Carry You With Me (both on my top ten list for 2020) were both multiple winners but only Minari seems to have any heat going into the Oscar nominations while I Carry You With Me just kind of sat out awards season despite a qualifying week in virtual cinemas and now won't be released until May 21st, 2021 (sigh) one and a half years after its high profile success at Sundance. 

Our complete list of reviews plus all the Sundance 2021 winners are after the jump...

Click to read more ...