Early January is just a bleak time for movies. It’s that part of the year when things are light on new offerings – though both Mean Girls and The Beekeeper (which is way more fun than it needs to be) did really well – but mostly it’s that time where we are still bogged down by the same handful of 2023 awards movies that we are all kind of sick of hearing about already and we still have a couple more months to go, somehow. And you can see it on social media, people are starting to get ornery about their individual awards favorite. I decided to take a unique approach this year: I do not have a favorite. People do ask, some version of, “I know you’re sick of being asked, but what’s your favorite?” To which I reply, “Oh I don’t have one.” I honestly don’t and, strangely, I’ve been much happier this year about the whole thing. I really do like movies like The Holdovers and American Fiction. Should they win Oscars? Sure, but maybe other movies should to? Who’s to say? I digress.
But whatever, here comes Sundance. It’s like going on a juice cleanse. At least for a while we can stop talking about movies we’ve been talking about since September and, instead, talk about brand-new movies. And like the last few recent years, a good number of offerings will be available online for you through the Sundance Film Festival. Let’s take a look at a few movies that, from their descriptions, look pretty good!
Freaky Tales
Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s most successful movie to date is, of course, Captain Marvel. It’s weird to sit back and think, wait, the directors of Half Nelson made a movie that grossed over a billion dollars? Regardless, I will watch anything that the directors of Mississippi Grind make. (For me, that movie is a lifetime pass. Also, they re-team with Ben Mendelsohn here.) In Freaky Tales – the duo’s first movie since Captain Marvel – we get four interconnected stories set in Oakland featuring teens fighting Nazis, a rap duo, an NBA all-star, and a henchmen. With Captain Marvel, though, again, very successful, it did kind of feel like some of what makes the duo’s films special and unique was held back. Whatever this winds up being, at least that does not seem the case here.
Love Lies Bleeding
Rose Glass’s Saint Maud was a 2019 sleeper hit that did get critical accolades, but in retrospect should have gotten more and has only grown in stature since. Glass is back with Love Lies Bleeding about a gym manager (Kristen Stewart) who falls for a bodybuilder (Katy O’Brien, who you probably know from The Mandalorian). This would make the second Sundance in a row where one of the hottest titles is about the world of bodybuilding (you’ll probably never see last year’s), though as opposed to last year, since the official Sundance synopsis calls it “bombastic,” this doesn’t sound near as intense. But then again, it later offers a description of “the darkest ilk.” Whatever, this sounds great.
The American Society of Magical Negroes
Director Kobi Libii’s satire has Justice Smith (who was great in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) being recruited by David Alan Grier (I do not know his character’s name, but I’ll assume he’s not playing himself) to join a mystical society that’s stated goal is to make white people feel comfortable. Because, as it says in the trailer, bad things sure seem to happen when white people get uncomfortable. Speaking of the trailer, the tone seems biting, but light and does seem to center on a love story. I am curious if the tone will be as light in the actual film.
A Different Man
Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man, on paper, sounds like a pretty great concept. Sebastian Stan plays an actor who goes through, according to the Sundance official synopsis, “a radical medical procedure,” for a role … that he does not get. Reading between the lines, this sounds way more like a movie that is going to be disturbing and bizarre, as opposed to the laugh riot that the premise could easily be. Disturbing and bizarre can go a lot of different directions, but still sounds pretty intriguing.
Devo
How has there not been a defining documentary about Devo before? This is a band that seems to have its own unique fanbase and niche, but also had their cover of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” featured prominently in Martin Scorsese’s Casino and have had a top 20 hit with “Whip it,” with a video that played on MTV on a constant loop. Everyone knows Devo, but I suspect most people can’t name three of their songs. Especially three songs that aren’t covers. Everything about Devo is fascinating. Or, maybe the documentary will tell me this is not true. Maybe I will learn they are boring! I am looking forward to finding out.
The Greatest Night in Pop
Bao Nguyen has made a documentary about the making of the song “We are the World” by USA for Africa (which, if you somehow don’t know, was a collection of nearly every single popular recording artist at the time, plus Dan Aykroyd, who was a Blues Brother so, sure, why not?) that, if you were around at the time, was played on a never-ending loop for what I can only guess was “eternity.” I never once even considered I’d want to see a documentary about the making of this song and video, but now it’s all I want to see.
Hit Man
Richard Linklater’s Hit Man actually premiered back at the Venice Film Festival before Netflix bought it and now it still continues on its festival tour – but who cares, it’s a great movie and is a lot of fun. Glen Powell plays mild-mannered Gary Johnson, a New Orleans college professor who, as a side hustle, works with the local police department as a tech specialist during sting operations to catch people trying to hire contract killers. When the officer who usually poses as the hitman is out of action, Gary steps in and … is pretty great at it. So great he starts to really like the personas he adopts more than he likes the real Gary. Though, Gary gets into some hot water when he starts to date a suspect (Adria Arjona), still in his cool guy hitman persona of Ron. Hit Man is kind of, sort of based on a true story and is a whole heck of a lot of fun.
You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.
