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PARK CITY — As filmmakers from around the world begin converging in Park City, the Flicks Junkies team has started gearing up for their annual Sundance coverage.
This week we spoke with “Drunktown’s Finest” co-star, Shauna Baker, and next week, we begin the impossible task of guessing which films will be the must-see movies of the festival.
But while I openly admit defeat in guessing which films will be the best of the 10-day movie binge, or frankly which ones will even be good, I definitely think there are obvious films that represent what Sundance is all about.
So in honor of its now 30th year giving independent filmmakers a voice, here are five 2014 films that celebrate the spirit of Sundace.
Every year, Sundance has at least one project attempting to redefine an actor’s image, and no 2014 submission fits that description better than “The Skeleton Twins.”
Starring Saturday Night Live alumni Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, this non-comedy follows estranged twins reuniting in their hometown to discuss relationship woes. As far as story pitches go, that’s a pretty terrible one, but both Hader and Wiig are ridiculously talented, and their fans want to know if they’re ready for a dramatic transformation. Will the duo end up like fellow SNL alum Bill Murray in “The Razor’s Edge,” or Bill Murray in “Lost in Translation”?
One of the big films to come out of Sundance in 2013 was “The Spectacular Now,” which if you’ve seen, you’re aware it was Shailene Woodley that put the spectacular in the title. OK, maybe Woodley and Bob Odenkirk, but mostly Woodley. She at least contributed “spectac,” and Odenkirk added the “ular,” which if you think about it isn’t even really all that important because you could just say “spectac” and people would know what you were talking about, but if you said “ular,” I mean, who would have any idea?
Regardless, “Blizzard” brings the rising actress back to Sundance and represents the edgier part of the festival.
Since submissions are left unrated, there’s no way to say for sure what content director Gregg Araki will fold into this film, but I think it’s safe to say “Blizzard” will not be considered in the new “Sundance Kids” category.
Social dialogue is a pretty big deal at Sundance, and one film contributing to the discussion is Sydney Freeland’s feature film debut, “Drunktown’s Finest.”
As Baker told us on the podcast, this is a film aiming to break down the stereotypes of young Native Americans. Following three eclectic youth and examining their individual perceptions of the Navajo Nation, this film falls in as another Sundance regular, the ever-important coming-of-age story.
Even if you’re not a fan of Zach Braff, “Wish I Was Here” represents what some believe is the future of filmmaking. The Kickstarter-funded project is one people are eyeing, not necessarily because it looks like the breakout film of the festival, but instead because they want to know if the crowdsourced kids can compete in the same games as the privately funded kids.
“Wish I Was Here” may be an exclamation mark to the idea that fans can finance the projects they want to see. What would that mean to the major studios? This I don’t know, but I’m always up for a good discussion about the democratization of film.
Sundance is legendary for attracting great documentaries. “WE ARE THE GIANT,” “This May be the Last Time,” and “To Be Takei” are just a few of the potentially amazing premieres for 2014, but let’s be honest, the documentary everyone’s talking about is “Mitt.”
“Mitt” is that documentary that even people who hate documentaries are curious to see. People from all political affiliations are hoping for their first honest look at a presidential candidate, and “Mitt” promises to provide just that.
If you’re lucky enough to get a ticket, definitely attend just to soak in the Sundance environment. But if not, you can catch “Mitt” streaming on Netflix on Jan. 24, which will actually allow you to see it before some festival attendees. Travis has been covering movie news, film reviews and live events for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010, and currently co-hosts the FlicksJunkies podcast. You can contact Travis at tspoppleton@gmail.com
