UPDATE: Martha Marcy May Marlene was just picked up by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
I’m not at the Sundance Film Festival, but I’ve been working on adding several of the films showing at the fest to the database as many have already received some good buzz and distribution deals. So let’s take a look at those that have caused the biggest stir so far.
Director: J.C. Chandor
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Aasif Mandvi
Distributor: Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions
Thoughts and Synopsis: The cast is the big sell here, but from what I’ve heard this is a pretty solid film that takes place over the course of one night inside an investment bank leading to the recent and continuing financial crash.
RopeofSilicon’s Box Office Oracle, Laremy Legel, reviewed this one for Film.com and gave it an A-. You can read his review right here.
Director: Drake Doremus
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Thoughts and Synopsis: Speaking of reviews from Laremy, he gave this one an A+ (read the review here) and he isn’t the only one that loved it as Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) seems to be involved with yet another Sundance standout, but this one isn’t her film. Instead the two leads are Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin with Jones playing a British college student who falls for an American student (Yelchin), only to be separated from him when she’s banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa.
Paramount Pictures and Indian Paintbrush picked up the rights and will release the film this year.
Director: Sean Durkin
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, Christopher Abbott
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Thoughts and Synopsis: Martha Marcy May Marlene has not yet found a distributor, but that’s not what makes this a stand out. Instead it’s because of its lead actress, Elizabeth Olsen, sister to the infamous Olsen twins. Word on her performance is that it’s stellar and she has already landed a role in the thriller Red LIghts from Buried director Rodrigo Cortes and starring Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy.
In Martha, Olsen stars as a damaged woman, haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, struggling to reassimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.
Director: Gavin Wiesen
Cast: Emma Roberts, Freddie Highmore, Michael Angarano, Alicia Silverstone, Elizabeth Reaser, Blair Underwood, Sam Robards, Rita Wilson
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Thoughts and Synopsis: Fox Searchlight paid a reported $2 million for writer/director Gavin Wiesen’s feature debut starring Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland) as George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who’s made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, who is befriended by Sally (Emma Roberts), a beautiful and complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
Director: Jesse Peretz
Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones
Distributor: The Weinstein Co.
Thoughts and Synopsis: Paul Rudd stars in this one as an idealist dealing with his over-bearing mother who crashes at the homes of his three ambitious sisters (Banks, Deschanel and Mortimer) and brings truth, happiness and a sunny disposition into their lives while also wreaking havoc.
This just so happens to be the biggest deal of the Festival yet as The Weinstein Co. paid a reported $6 to 7 million plus a $15 million P & A commitment for domestic rights as well as U.K., Germany, France and Japan. Buzz on the film is good, but that’s a lot of money to pay for an indie comedy.
Director: Kevin Smith (Clerks)
Cast: Michael Parks, John Goodman, Dermot Mulroney, Kyle Gallner, Michael Angarano, Stephen Root, Kevin Pollak, Melissa Leo
Distributor: Smodcast Pictures
Thoughts and Synopsis: Sunday night was bustling on Twitter as audiences got their first look at Kevin Smith’s new movie following almost a year of bickering between Smith and just about anyone that would step up to the plate. However, the past is in the past and Smith’s new film has now been seen. Word around the Internet is mixed, but some of it seems more spiteful toward the filmmaker that promised an auction would be held following the screening to find the film a distributor.
Instead of that happening, Smith announced he would be distributing the film himself through his own company, Smodcast Pictures. The plan is to roadshow the film in 13 cities beginning in New York on March 5 and ending here in my home city of Seattle on April 4. You can get the full list of cities right here. Following that, plan is to release the film in theaters on October 19.
The story follows three horny high-school boys who come across an online ad from an older woman looking for a gang bang, but what begins as a fantasy takes a dark turn as they come face-to-face with a terrifying “holy” force with a fatal agenda.
Director: Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me)
Distributor:Sony Pictures Classics
Thoughts and Synopsis: The best way to describe this one is to just give you the quote from director Morgan Spurlock that accompanied the press release:
“I felt the best way to examine the ever-growing debate of brand integration in film and television was to make a non-fiction film that openly uses brand integration to tell the story,” said Spurlock. “The idea was to do the same type of advertising, giveaways and cross-promotion for a documentary that big summer blockbusters do, to create a ‘docbuster,’ and to try to retain total creative control along the away.”
It could be great as long as Spurlock doesn’t get too goofy the way he did with Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? The film will hit theaters in April.
Any of these catching your attention? As more deals are announced I’ll be sure and keep you up-to-date on what to look forward to out of the festival. Meanwhile, I’m already booking my trip to Cannes this May and I can’t wait to hit the festival circuit once again.
