Film Feature: Preview of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

Digging for Fire

‘Digging for Fire’

Sundance Synopsis: The discovery of a bone and a gun sends a husband and wife on separate adventures over the course of a weekend.

Director: Joe Swanberg
Cast: Jake Johnson, Rosemarie Dewitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick

“Drinking Buddies” writer/director Joe Swanberg’s new prowess of scooping up big stars for unassuming projects continues — it seems — with this mystery (?) that also involves a more concrete promise of relationship exploration. Based on a script co-written with his “Drinking Buddies” star Jake Johnson, this synopsis at least boasts more movement than Swanberg’s entire previous film, “Happy Christmas” (which also starred Anna Kendrick). Maybe a certain Pixies song will come into play too?

Don Verdean

‘Don Verdean’

Sundance Synopsis: Biblical archaeologist Don Verdean is hired by a local church pastor to find faith-promoting relics in the Holy Land. But after a fruitless expedition, he is forced to get creative in this comedy of faith and fraud.

Director: Jared Hess
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Jemaine Clement, Amy Ryan, Danny McBride, Leslie Bibb, Will Forte

I am an unabashed member of the virtually non-existent cult based around “Gentleman Broncos,” an unjustly ostracized entry from Jared Hess, the director of “Napoloen Dynamite.” Granted, that movie is made for maybe three people, and I feel lucky to be one of them. But one can imagine my excitement then when I heard about Hess’ “Masterminds,” which is set to be released later in 2015. A studio gave Hess money, and he’s working on a script co-written by Jody Hill (“Observe and Report”) and Danny McBride (“This is the End”). This excitement was oddly elevated when I heard about “Don Verdean,” a second film from Hess that will play in 2015. A new gem? Another cult favorite? More jokes involving thrift store costume design, and maybe a great soundtrack? I’m there. This is my most anticipated film of Sundance.

The End of the Tour

‘The End of the Tour’

Sundance Synopsis: This story of the five-day 1996 interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace explores the tenuous yet intense relationship that develops between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave, sharing laughs, and also conceive and reveal their hidden vulnerabilities.

Director: James Ponsoldt
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Segel, Anna Chlumsky, Joan Cusack, Mamie Gummer, Mickey Sumner

Director James Ponsoldt is on the rise to making something huge. His second film “Smashed” starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead gave alcoholism an earnest reflection, nonetheless experienced by a charismatic grade school teacher. His followup to that was the even sturdier high school recollection “The Spectacular Now,” which provided further evidence of the voltage within now-superstars Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley. It also offered an excited but unglamorous look at emotional growth in the time of high school, becoming one of the finest entries of its kind. Here’s hoping that a nonfictional focus only furthers that honest perspective on destructive identity, nonetheless with a David Foster Wallace embodiment by Jason Segel that could make-or-break a film. Also, this might be a good teaser for how Ponsoldt will do with that kicked-around “Rodham” project based on Hilary Clinton’s life.

Entertainment

‘Entertainment’

Sundance Synopsis: En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert.

Director: Rick Alverson
Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek

This one’s billed under Sundance’s exploratory “Next” category, though it could argued its creative forces aren’t that new. The director is Rick Alverson, who previously gave a blank-face to the mega-ironic “The Comedy” starring Tim Heidecker (of “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”). Now, Alverson returns with a story co-written by Heidecker and Gregg Turkington. Here’s thinking that Turkington will do some variation on his almighty Neil Hamburger character (judging by the picture) similarly to Heidecker playing against his usual fun-loving wackiness in “The Comedy’s” intentional non-hilarity.

Experimenter

‘Experimenter’

Sundance Synopsis: “Experimenter” is based on the true story of famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram, who in 1961 conducted a series of radical behavior experiments that tested ordinary humans’ willingness to obey authority by using electric shock. We follow Milgram from meeting his wife through his controversial experiments that sparked public outcry.

Director: Michael Almereyda
Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, Winona Ryder, Jim Gaffigan, Kellan Lutz, Taryn Manning, John Leguizamo

Peter Sarsgaard is one of those actors who can sneak up on you, even if he bides a lot of time in supporting parts. This nonfiction account concerning issues of power and inhumanity certainly has a vivid contemporary curiosity as well.