The Sundance Film Festival kicked off today and celebrities from all over converged on the small Utah town of Park City. Robert Redford‘s independent film festival has launched many careers including that of Kevin Smith, Steven Soderbergh, Morgan Spurlock, Quentin Tarantino, and Paul Thomas Anderson.
What films, stars, and directors will eyes be on this year? ’Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest is generating a lot of buzz. The movie looked at the innovative group, what broke them up and keeps them divided today.
John C. Reilly should be named the sweetheart of Sundance (and I mean that in the best possible way). Reilly is an independent filmmakers go to guy and this year, he is appearing in Cedar Rapids, about insurance agents and Terri, about a angst-ridden teen (Reilly plays the vice principal who helps him out).
Speaking of Morgan Spurlock (one of my favorite documentarians), he is back with The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. This looks at the world of product placement, marketing, advertising, and selling.
First time director Vera Farminga brings Higher Ground) to Sundance. This film stars Farmina as Corrine, who joins a fundamentalist community that leads her to question her faith. As if acting and directing weren’t enough, Farminga was pregnant during this shoot.
If you want to go old school, you might want to see Rutger Hauer in Hobo with a Shotgun. He plays a homeless guy who shows up in a new town with corrupt cops and decides to settle the score for the brutalized underprivileged with a 12-gauge.
Remember the lady who spilled McDonald’s coffee on her lap and sued the company because it was hot? Susan Saladoff had made a documentary about how other companies have used this case to their benefit to stall the justice system and manipulate the public. And Saladoff should know the justice system – she used to be a lawyer.
And there you have it, just a few of the new films to keep an eye on.