Sundance Film Festival ‘08: Top Ten Films to Watch
The 2008 Sundance Film Festival announced its lineup today and, as usual, you need a GPS to navigate your way through the 121 feature films. So we’ve come up with a Top Ten for the Dramatic and Documentary Competitions. (This doesn’t include World Cinema categories — we’ll do that later.)
Sundance 2008 Top Ten to Watch
(no particular order)
DRAMATIC COMPETITION
:: Choke (see the trailer)
Written and directed by Clark Gregg, based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel. In this dark comedy, a con-man (Sam Rockwell) takes advantage of others to help pay the hospital bills for his mother (Angelica Huston).
:: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball), based on the novel by Michael Chabon (Wonder Boys). Sexual awakening and familial tension strike a recent college grad. With Jon Foster, Sienna Miller, Mena Suvari, Peter Sarsgaard and Nick Nolte.
:: Phoebe in Wonderland
Little Elle Fanning — of the Fanning acting empire — co-stars with Felicity Huffman, Bill Pullman and Patricia Clarkson in an offbeat tale of family dysfunction. Written and directed by Daniel Barnz.
:: Sugar
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the writer-director team behind Half Nelson, tell the story of a Dominican baseball player recruited to play minor league ball in the U.S.
:: The Wackness (see the trailer)
Once you hear the casting, you know the title’s accurate: Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, Mary Kate Olsen and Method Man. Huh?! Jonathan Levine’s comedy follows a teenage drug dealer who swaps stash for shrink visits, and then falls for the doc’s daughter. Josh Peck (from TV’s “Drake and Josh”) plays the kid.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
:: Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (see the movie poster)
How wasted was Thompson from 1965 to 1975? Find out via previously unseen home movies and unpublished manuscripts. Directed by Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room).
:: American Teen
Director Nanette Burstein (The Kid Stays in the Picture) tackles today’s teens (no, not literally), following a quartet of Indiana high school seniors.
:: The Order of Myths
If you think Mardi Gras only means booze, beads and boobs, you’ve never been to Mobile, Alabama. Director Margaret Brown chronicles that city’s celebration… which is still segregated.
:: Trouble the Water
Tia Lessin, Michael Moore’s former supervising producer, and Carl Deal present a video diary of a young couple struggling to survive the stress following Hurricane Katrina.
:: Bigger, Stronger, Faster (see our review)
As the world learns more about particular baseball players’ steroid use, one filmmaker uses his family — and himself — to see what it’s like to want to win so desperately.
Visit the official Sundance Film Festival site
What do you want to see? TELL US
Like this post? DIGG IT!
Other Posts of Interest
- Movie Poster Monday: THE ORDER OF MYTHS
- Sundance Film Festival ‘08: Ten More Films to Watch
- Trailer Tuesday: THE WACKNESS
- SUNDANCE SPOTLIGHT: “American Teen” Makes Lotsa Friends
- Independent Film Fest Boston Preview: PING PONG PLAYA, CRAWFORD, TIMECRIMES
19 Comments
Leave a comment
[…] Original post by Meet In The Lobby […]
Ben Kingsley is one of my favorite actors, but he makes the *weirdest* acting choices. I might have to catch The Wackness just because it’s such an odd lineup.
[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptThe 2008 Sundance Film Festival announced its lineup today and, as usual, you need a GPS to navigate your way through the 121 feature films. So we’ve come up with a Top Ten for the Dramatic and Documentary Competitions. … […]
- Monique -
Yes, Kingsley’s odd choices continue… He’s also in the upcoming Mike Myers’ comedy The Love Guru. Maybe after years of roles in films like Gandhi, Death and the Maiden and Sexy Beast, he’s ready to chill. Although I’d say his Sopranos appearance makes up for any bad choices…
-Norm S.
BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER
This is exactly what America needs to see a film like this doesnt just talk about steroid abuse but the larger picture on Americas problems and the emphasis on the real problems in America and not jUst Steroids.. A great FILM.
- BFT -
I look forward to seeing it. As the Barry Bonds BS continues, it seems like “talking” is all this country will be doing. I feel like the “did he or didn’t he” chatter will actually overshadow the dangers and illegal uses of steroids.
-Norm S.
I want to see the Unlikely’s (starring Matthew Ashford)
- Elle -
Thanks for the tip. I didn’t come across the title, so I’m assuming it’s playing out of competition. Fill us in with more information if you’ve got it.
For those who don’t know, Matthew Ashford is best known for his time on Days of Our Lives (and, yeah, I had to look that one up).
-Norm s.
Can’t wait to see Bigger, Faster, Stronger* on the big screen. Steroid education is something we need more of. And winning at all cost is a point that sounds interesting to explore.
- Rosemary -
Agreed. What becomes of the psyche when only perfect will do?
-Norm S.
can’t wait to see bigger, stronger, faster by christopher bell. sounds interesting
I want to see Bigger, Stronger, Faster. We all want more, maybe this will show why.
[…] Juno, you’ve probably seen the trailer for In Bruges, the Opening Night selection for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star in this action comedy as two hitmen forced to chill out in […]
[…] November, we offered our first-look Top Ten Sundance Films to Watch for this year, and previewed the Opening Night film, In Bruges. If you’re heading to the Utah […]
[…] First, a disclaimer: We are not at the Sundance Film Festival. We love researching and digging out the details, but didn’t swing out to Utah this year. On to movie news: indieWIRE reports on the screening of the documentary American Teen, which we listed on our Top Ten Sundance Movies to Watch. […]
[…] Is it already time to reminisce about the 90s? I guess so, as The Wackness revels in all its New York 1994 glory. (see our Wackness Sundance coverage) […]
[…] to celebrate America than with the man who pursued the crumbling American Dream? Norm put it on his Top 10 Films to Watch at Sundance so it must be worth checking […]
[…] See our Sundance Film Festival coverage of Bigger, Stronger, Faster* […]
[…] first reported on The Order of Myths last November, as part of our Sundance Film Festival Top Ten Films to Watch. It ended up a Grand Jury Prize nominee in the documentary category (see, we know what we’re […]