Sundance Buzz 2010

The 2010 Sundance Film Festival, North America’s most famous independent film festival, is fuller every year.  Next month’s line-up is especially full, making Park City, Utah an increasingly crowded town during this month of movies and precipitation.

If you had to predict 3 standouts from this list, which would they be?

Here are the films that seem to have the most buzz going:

• Howl - A movie about Allen Ginsberg.  With James Franco, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeff Daniels and Jon Hamm, this cast has a lot going for it. 
• Un Prophète (The Prophet) – This was my favorite film at the Telluride Film Festival this summer.  It will get a lot of attention at Sundance as well.
• Get Low – An old man in Tennessee fakes his own death in the 1930′s.  Written and directed by Aaron Schneider. It stars Robert Duval, Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray, Lucas Black.
• Hesher - Starring Joseph Gordon-Levit, Rainn Wilson, Natalie Portman. Enough said?  Perhaps Urban Dictionary’s definition for this word is a good start: Reebock-wearing, mulleted person in acid-washed jeans and a Judas Priest T-shirt who, at the age of 28, still lives in his/her parents’ basement and swears that he/she can really rock out on his/her Ibanez Stratocaster copy guitar and probably owns a Nova that hasn’t run in 5 years.”
  
• The Romantics – with Katie Holms and Elisha Wood, among others.  Based on the novel, also by director Galt Niederhoffer.
• HappyThankYouMorePlease - Starring the quickly rising Malin Akerman, this is pure indie Romantic comedy.
• The Killer Inside Me - Thriller about a small town Texas sherrif, starring Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba and Casey Affleck. Doesn’t sound very “indie.”
• Welcome to the Rileys - with the hysterically popular Kristen Stewart, this film will certainly sell.  Also starring is James Gandolfini.
• Nowhere Boy - John Lennon’s early years. Lots of buzz on this one.
• The Runaways – Another Kristen Stewart film, also starring Dakota Fanning.  Two promising actresses with a lot expected of them in this biopic about Joan Jett and the 1970′s band “The Runaways.”
• Sympathy for Delicious - Mark Ruffalo debuts as a director.  This dramedy about the world of faith healing stars Orlando Bloom.
• Frozen - Skiers stranded on an icy ski lift make life-or-death decisions.  I like the concept.
• Tucker & Dale vs. Evil – Hillbillies are accused of murder.  It’s been compared to Shaun of the Dead.  Sounds fun.
• Jack Goes Boating - Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Ryan grace this NYC, working-class romance.
• Io Sono L’Amore – “I am Love.” Love and tragedy in early 1900′s Milan, Italy
• The Extra Man – Katie Holmes and John C. Riley in another NYC drama / romance.
• Mother and Child - Naomi Watts and Samuel L. Jackson lead this story about adoption and motherhood.
• Cyrus – Jonah Hill, John C. Riley and Marisa Tomei lead this comedy about difficult children.
• Twelve – A young drug dealer watches his life fall apart.  Look for Emma Roberts, Chase Crawford, 50 Cent and Rory Culkin and Zoe Kravitz.
• HIGH School - Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks burn down this pot comedy.
• Buried - A thriller set in Iraq.
• Blue Valentine - with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.
• Son of Babylon – Another Iraq film, thought this one is made by an Iraqi.
• Holy Rollers - Hasidic drug dealers in this NYC drama.

Documentaries to watch for:

• Lucky — From the director of “Spellbound,” this doc follows past and present lucky Lotto winners, discovering more than enough misfortune.
• Casino Jack: The United States of Money — From Alex Gibney, Oscar winning director of “Taxi to the Dark Side,” takes on the complex scheme spun by Jack Abramoff on Wall Street.
• Waiting for Superman — The talented Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) takes a look at America’s education system.
• I’m Pat ______Tillman — This timely documentary by Bar-Lev follows the Arizona Cardinals safety as he enlists fight in Afghanistan.  His death (from friendly fire) is controversial.
• Enemies of the People — The painful story of a Cambodian man whose family was killed by the Khmer Rouge – and the painful uncovering of the historic massacres.

Thanks to Film.com, Sundance, LA Times and lots of random blog posts and various Google Reader encounters.