Top 5 Movies of Sundance

Every January in the coldest of winter, thousands flock to the cold Mountain streets of Utah to sit in libraries, high school auditoriums and theaters. Among the thousands are the newest crop of emerging filmmakers that are living their dream and hoping to be the next Tarantino or Aronofsky, two directors who premiered their first feature in Park City.

This was my 3^rd year traveling to the Sundance Film Festival. What the festival has evolved to mean to me is much more than an opportunity to stargaze and binge on next year’s possible indie breakouts; it is a time of inspiration and self-evaluation.

Sundance is the farthest thing from Hollywood. The egos are few and far between. Sundance is meant to be is a platform, a chance for people to catapult into the spotlight and into superstardom. But unlike the “celebrities” of Honey Boo-Boo or Kardashian fame, these are actors, actresses and filmmakers who have yet to be discovered and for this week have their one shot, their chance for the Weinsteins, the Fox Searchlights and the masses to see what they can bring.

This hope and excitement is contagious. It floats through shuttles driving around town, it’s present in every single screening and it carries you through the streets. It takes a hold of you and you begin to feel inspired and ask yourself, why not me? There is no place like Park City and no better time than the Sundance Film Festival. Any film lover, artist, or dreamer should experience it at some point in their life.

This year I was fortunate enough to see 16 films during my 5 days in Park City. Below you can see the list of everything I have seen by visiting the festival page if you care to read more.

The greatest part of seeing films in Park City is the lack of any reference to what you are seeing. Audiences and critics have never seen these films so you have no clue if you are seeing a future Oscar contender or the next Norbit. The lack of a trailer means you are hinging your choices on what to see based on two sentence descriptions. So most choices are a roll of the dice, trusting your urges and hoping you walked into the right theater. Then the lights go out, the movie begins and when it ends, it’s now time to talk to the other people in the audience to see if their opinions matched yours.

Alright, enough of talking about how great Sundance was. Here are my top 5 films of Sundance*

Honorable Mention-
The Way, Way Back & Hell Baby
These are two completely different movies. One is the product of an Academy Award winning writing team and the other is the product of two men who brought us Reno 911.

The Way, Way Back is one of the many films at Sundance, which focuses on a child overcoming the effects of divorce. The writing team behind The Descendents make their directorial debut with this coming of age film about a 14 year old kid who breaks out of his shell by working at a water park over the summer. Sam Rockwell owns this film and raises the question why he isn’t a bigger star. After being acquired for $10 million by Fox Searchlight, you will be seeing this movie in theaters soon.

Hell Baby was exactly what I needed, when I needed it. It is in no means a good film. But, boy is it a good time! Hell Baby will be on par with Grandma’s Boy, Dude Where’s My Car? or any other thoughtless film you can think of, that college kids put on to enjoy over beer and other activities. The stupid, corny jokes require absolutely no brain power to enjoy. I laughed harder in this movie than anything I saw at Sundance, and it was really nice to turn my brain off for 90 minutes. I could see this film getting a wide release, thanks to its comedic star power, but a long theatrical run I highly doubt. However I do see it having a prolonged life on college campuses and drug dealer’s shelves for years to come.

#5- Sound City

Dave Grohl’s passion project about the famed California music studio really struck a note with me. This fantastic documentary chronicles the history of the Sound City studio where bands such as Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Nirvana and others recorded some of the greatest albums in music history.

Grohl felt the urge to tell this studio’s story and what results is a beautiful narrative and also a few surprise cameos and music performances. Any lover of music will appreciate this film. And anyone can watch it now as it is available on demand.

#4- S-V/H/S

The sequel to last year’s Sundance premiere V/H/S, S-V/H/S, vastly improves on everything good about the first one. This horror anthology which chronicles unfortunate souls being killed through first person video accounts, which for some reason are all then transferred to V/H/S tapes in 2013… Hmm… But don’t get stuck on that detail.

I was one of the few people I know who enjoyed V/H/S. The clever concept and entertainment of two of the short films was enough for me to get over the lack of through-line and ridiculousness of the other parts. But, S-V/H/S, is a drastic improvement on the first. All 4 of the shorts provide scares, creativity and entertainment. The third chapter is from the mind of the director of 2012’s The Raid: Redemption, and his 20-minute segment may be the most fascinating short film I have ever seen. I am sure this film will be playing art houses soon. If you appreciate a good horror film, see this, the 3^rd chapter of this film is worth the price of admission.

#3- In a World…

Lake Bell, wrote and stars in this film about the world of voice-over actors. This clever, funny, and cute movie has a hilarious script brought to life by a truly great comedic cast. Bell, Demetri Martin, Nick Offerman, Ken Marino and more all provide laugh after laugh, but what makes this movie rise above the crop is the amount of heart it has. This film has yet to pick up a distributor but I am sure it will and should be on Netflix or on demand some day soon.

#2- The Spectacular Now

This film is an all-star Sundance collaboration. The director of last year’s award winner Smashed teamed up with the writing team of 500 Days of Summer to create what I believe is one of the most gripping coming of age stories I have ever seen. Project X’s Miles Teller and The Descendents’ Shailene Woodley both provide my two favorite performances of the festival. Teller plays the popular, good looking senior guy who masks his fears of the future by making jokes and sneaking shots from his flask. Teller spends most of the movie trying to avoid making any decision that will affect his future until he meets Woodley, a sweet, innocent, vulnerable girl. What follows is the self-destruction of one character and their weight bringing everyone else down with them.

This film stuck with me long after I left the theater. The performances and script make this film truly touching and a movie I can’t wait to see again. I can see this movie coming out in theaters in the Fall. Don’t miss it.

#1- Toy’s House

My favorite thing about going into some Sundance movies is the fact that you have no idea what you are seeing. For this film, I was swayed to see it solely by the fact it starred Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally. I read those names and didn’t read anything else about the plot or anything. Then the very opening scene grabbed a hold of the audience with amazing visuals and sound, and it never let me go.

Toy’s House deals with its central characters, a group of high school freshman, and their desire to get out of their small town and away from their even smaller minded parents. This desire pushes them to build their own house in the middle of the woods and survive on their own.

This film, mirrors the childhood innocence it captures, it’s a feel good film filled with adventure, comedy and fun, but it ‘s also a reflection on growing older and the importance of friendships and family. I got lost in this film and I absolutely loved every minute of it. In the three years I have been going to the Sundance Film Festival, this is my favorite film I have seen there. I hope this film gets the release it deserves, if it does, please see it.

Full List of Movies Seen

Breath In
Toy’s House
The Spectacular Now
Which Way to the Front Line
Sound City
Blackfish
Upstream Color
Shorts Program #3
S-VHS
A.C.O.D
Prince Avalanche
Don Jon’s Addiction
Hell Baby
In a World…
The East
The Way. Way Back

*Unfortunately there were some critically praised films I did not see that may be widely talked about soon. Some of these (Fruitvale, Before Midnight, Stoker, After Tiller and more)