With most of the big premieres behind it, 2023 Sundance Film Festival Gear down for the final day on January 29th. For those who still have their snow boots on the ground, Park City locals and hard-working Fest volunteers join in to pack multiple screenings each day. Anna Camp, Jane Levy, and Will Pullen were among him those who did the publicity for Angus MacLachlan. little prayer, Ben Whishaw just finished the premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. bad behaviorshowed up to assist Ira Sachs in his epic return to Sundance, passage.
Acquisition news, passage receive Delivery from moviein the meantime small prayer Have you been to Sony Pictures Classics? When A24 added to already full roster In the much-talked-about horror film of Danny and Michael Philippow talk to me. Flora and son Acquired by Apple TV+, the first streamer to win Best Picture. coda— the first Sundance title to win that award.Read the capsule review of this year’s premiere of Can He One Be Next Season’s Awards Champion? Flora and son And two other movies worth getting on the radar.
Flora and son
Director: John Carney
Cast: Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Oren Kinlan, Jack Reynor
John Carney’s latest ode to the power of music, Flora and son It may be the most traditional film on offer at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and it’s by no means the mark for it. will appreciate your warm embrace. The irresistibly charming Eve Hewson stars as a young Irish mother raising a delinquent son (Oren Kinlan), putting her innate musical instincts to good use thanks to a virtual guitar tutor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). It’s the kind of movie designed to discover and create a smile from ear to ear. ear.
There’s plenty of sour mixed in with the sweet, especially thanks to Hewson’s foul-mouthed intensity, and Carney and Gary Clark’s original songs are to die for. You know that thing where a musical film has to include a songwriting montage, and the grand reveal of that song has to serve as the entire story’s emotional climax? With Flora And Son, like Once before it, there’s no doubt that the resulting musical performance will deliver the feel-good goods, and have you applauding as the credits roll. [Jack Smart]
Mariachi go to the Varsity
Director: Alejandra Vasquez, Sam Osborne
It may sound like an inside-out tribute, but Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborne’s Mariachi go to the Varsity A thoroughly enjoyable documentary. Definitely built in the spirit of underdog sports docs (although this focuses on high school mariachi competitions, not track and field), this South Texas-set doc is beautifully pressed. I put my heart into my sleeves. Filmed over the course of a year, this heartwarming film follows Edinburgh North High School’s mariachi Oro as they rehearse and compete in a variety of mariachi tryouts. Along the way, Vasquez and Osborne introduce some of the members who have to juggle the often grueling commitments and routines required by mariachi practice.
Some of these stories (including that of a teacher leading a mariachi ensemble) are more drawn to familiarity and familiarity than others. A well-trodden beat here feels less like a miss than the whole point.for Mariachi go to the Varsity As the documentary reminds us time and time again, it’s a celebration of musical culture with a long history of allowing South Texas teenagers to find their voice through the music of their culture. [Manuel Betancourt]
my animal
Director: Jacqueline Castell
Starring: Bobby Salver Menez, Amandla Stenberg, Stephen McHattie
80s-inspired romantic horror film directed by Jacqueline Castell my animal A low-key entry in Sundance’s “Midnight” program, but nonetheless compelling. and follows Heather (Menuez), a tomboyish hockey goalie with a dangerous secret. she’s a werewolf As she navigates her blossoming emotions and a close-knit community reluctant to embrace her queerness, Heather struggles to keep Johnny safe from her darker side as the blood moon slowly approaches. increase.
Scripts can often feel sparse and leave something to be desired in direction, my animal Nonetheless, it lives on as a sensual and queer drama that draws interesting inspiration from erotic thrillers and classic horror, gothic romance with a capital G and a capital R. based on, my animal‘s thematic and aesthetic strengths make up for its aimless directionality. [Lauren Coates]