SUNDANCE 2018: THE BEST OF FEST AND AND ALL THE REST!
Article by Adam Mast
Photos by John Pugh
Another Sundance Film Festival is in the books and while it was an exhausting 10 days filled with freezing cold temperatures and a severe lack of sleep, this iconic fest remains what it’s always been; A movie lover’s dream! A joyful, exuberant experience made up of a diverse lineup of films from all over the world. But beyond an endless sea of cinematic discovery, deal making, and networking, what’s truly special about Sundance are the people. From storytellers to entertainment writers to volunteers to staff members to attendees, Sundance is a wonderful place to meet like-minded individuals and engage in deeply meaningful conversations about the glorious art-form that is film. In short, Sundance brings folks together.
There were several memorable films unveiled at Sundance 2018, and at the end of the day, I saw in the neighborhood of 35 of them. Here’s a list of 5 of my favorites from this year’s fest followed by a brief look at all the rest:
BEST OF FEST!
HEARTS BEAT LOUD
HEARTS BEAT LOUD spoke to me on an almost indescribable level. This wonderful movie from THE HERO director Brett Haley stars the great Nick Offerman as Frank Fisher, a record store owner and single father who is emotionally preparing for the departing of his UCLA medical school-bound daughter, Sam (played by the luminous and endlessly adorable Kiersey Clemons). As the big departing date looms ever so closer, music-loving Frank continues to spend as much time with Sam as humanly possible, and eventually, a few customary father/daughter jam sessions result in a real-life inspired pop song called, you guessed it, “Hearts Beat Loud.” The infectiously catchy tune is an instant sensation on Spotify prompting Frank to beg Sam to put medical school on hold so that they might give their newly formed band a chance to flourish. While this movie is, at its core, a moving father/daughter story, “Hearts Beat Loud” is also a charming, honest, and undeniably heartfelt musical about life and how art can get you through really tough times. This outstanding movie brought to mind the likes of HIGH FIDELITY, ONCE, SCHOOL OF ROCK, and the underappreciated gem, RUDDERLESS and having owned a record store back in the day, I could relate to it in a big way.
Grade: A-
HEREDITARY
The strikingly horrific HEREDITARY starts out as a dysfunctional family drama and deals with grief and mental illness head on all before taking a detour into terrain that could be best described as sinister in nature. What’s most worth noting about HEREDITARY is that it isn’t a surface level horror show. There’s real complexity here and first time feature director Ari Aster handles the proceedings with the skill of a seasoned pro. Of course, it helps that he has a sensational cast to back him up. Toni Collette is outstanding as an emotionally distraught mother who isn’t always the best of communicators. Equally effective are Alex Wolff and young Milly Shapiro as the children of the family. An understated Gabriel Byrne rounds out the cast as a perplexed husband and father whose becoming increasingly tired of enabling his wife’s seemingly erratic behavior. When tragedy strikes, HEREDITARY goes from shocking and heartbreaking to downright terrifying. But this isn’t “cat jumping on the window sill”-level scary. No, this is the kind of grim, unnerving horror that really gets under your skin, and there are a couple of creep-out moments in this picture that are absolute all-timers. A24 will release HEREDITARY in theaters this June and my advice to you is that you see this movie with the largest crowd possible, because it’s an absolute blast to watch with a packed house!
Grade: A-
MANDY
From BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW director Panos Cosmatos (son of RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD: PART II and TOMBSTONE director, George P. Cosmatos) comes this hypnotic, batshit insane, 80s-set fever dream of a heavy metal horror show. And when I say batshit insane, I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Far from it, because for all its weirdness and “WTF is going on here?!” moments, this is ultimately a story of undying love and blood-soaked vengeance brought to life by way of striking visuals, a nightmarish tone, and a ferociously committed performance by the incomparable Nicolas Cage. Cosmatos is quite the visual stylist. He really puts us inside Cage’s headspace to be sure but outside of that, the fiery, hell-inspired imagery he and his creative filmmaking team conjure up coupled with small odes to classic horror works of yesteryear (i.e. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, FRIDAY THE 13TH, PHANTASM, EVIL DEAD, HELLRAISER, etc.) go a hell of a long way to keep viewers engaged even when it’s hard to entirely tell what’s always going on from a story standpoint. There’s a lot of symbolism pouring from this insane movie and I’ll be damned if I can tell you what it all means but this much is certain; MANDY is quite the wild ride and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
Grade: B+
PRIVATE LIFE
In this relationship drama, Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn are Richard and Rachel, a married couple in their 40s who desperately want to conceive a child. As they attempt to navigate through the tricky world of assisted reproduction, truths about their relationship are slowly revealed. I love, love, love Kathryn Hahn in this picture. She often plays supporting characters (ANCHORMAN, THE VISIT), but she’s front and center in PRIVATE LIFE. As the frustrated, anxiety-consumed Rachel, Hahn has created a character of tremendous depth and complexity. This is a towering performance made up of a wide range of emotions. Likewise, Giamatti is fantastic as Rachel’s emotionally exhausted husband. PRIVATE LIFE was written and directed by the gifted Tamara Jenkins whose last film, THE SAVAGES, was released a decade ago. It’s so great to have her back, because as she so skillfully demonstrated with that exceptional film, she shows a real knack for ringing humor and honesty out of the most serious and intimate of subjects. PRIVATE LIFE delves into some pretty rough territory and will be particularly relatable to folks who’ve dealt with the perils and pitfalls that come with fertility. Heartbreaking stuff, but again, honest.
Grade: B+
WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
When I was a child, there were two television shows that I refused to miss. One was “Sesame Street” and the other was “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Fred Rogers always had the ability to talk to kids at their own level as opposed to talking down to them and this is one of many reasons he became such an icon. One of the more intriguing aspects of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was that despite its substantially lower budget, it was considerably more successful then many of the other kids shows at the time, and that’s a testament to Rogers’ innate ability to speak to his core audience. Morgan Neville’s moving (and revealing) documentary, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR, is a warm, insightful, and important love letter to Mister Rogers and all that the man stood for. By way of interviews with Rogers and the people he was closest to, show clips, and rare behind-the-scenes-footage, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR is a must-see for everyone, particularly in a time of such division. Regardless of whether you grew up on this man’s show or not, this documentary is all about compassion, love, and hope and we could use a little of all of those things right now. Focus Features will release WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR in theaters this June. I encourage everyone to seek it out.
Grade: A
…AND ALL THE REST!
306 HOLLYWOOD
A brother and sister learn more about their grandmother’s history as they take part in an archeological excavation of her home shortly after her passing. This dreamy, realist-style documentary takes these siblings from New Jersey to Rome as they search for what’s left of life in the items we leave behind. There are certainly intriguing moments in this picture including a sequence in which an audio cassette tape is used to recreate real life moments from the past. 306 HOLLYWOOD is beautifully shot and scored, too. Ultimately though, this film tends to lean a little towards the pretentious side and in the end, this played more like a greatly inferior companion piece to A GHOST STORY for yours truly.
Grade: C+
ARIZONA
The housing collapse of 2009 serves as a backdrop for this would-be- thriller, but ARIZONA ultimately squanders its premise. This is by no fault of Danny McBride who brings a manic energy to the table as a disgruntled homeowner. Likewise, Rosemarie DeWitt is pretty good as the real estate final girl. There’s just no real sense of urgency in this picture and the fusion of black comedy and social commentary is wildly off balance.
Grade: C
ASSASSINATION NATION
It’s witch hunting season in the quiet, All-American town of Salem as a group of inseparable high school classmates discover that someone is hacking into local computers and destroying the lives of reputable locals. The timely ASSASSINATION NATION sort of plays like HEATHERS for the social media generation. It features a strong lead performance in Odessa Young, it’s stylish, it’s laced with plenty of social commentary, and it’s extremely well crafted. Look no further than a breathtaking oner in the final act, the kind of oner that would make the likes of Brian DePalma proud. But for all it’s flash and tackling of important issues, this darkly funny and satirical look at the PURGE-like world we’re living in does tend to get a little crushed under the weight of its own self-importance, particularly in the final act. Still, the wildly conceived ASSASSINATION NATION is worth a look for its ambition alone.
Grade: B-
BEIRUT
The CIA calls a U.S. diplomat back to Lebanon 10 years after an incident gone horribly wrong. What this man quickly discovers is that the more things change the more they stay the same. BEIRUT was directed by THE MACHINIST helmer Brad Anderson, written by BOURNE series screenwriter Tony Gilroy and stars “Mad Man” veteran Jon Hamm. This film certainly has moments of tension and drama, mostly in the form of a strained relationship between Hamm’s diplomat and now grown middle Eastern freedom fighter from his past, but as a film, the proceedings feel fairly routine. BERUIT as a whole sort of feels like a watered down Tom Clancy effort. Not bad but very middle-of-the-road.
Grade: C+
BLINDSPOTTING
BLINDSPOTTING was one of the bigger buzzed about movies at Sundance 2018. So buzzed about, in fact, it led Lionsgate to snatch up distribution rights. This is a colorful, vibrant, provocative comedy/drama about a black ex-con and his white best friend making a living and getting into trouble in the inner city. But who the bad influence is, might surprise you. Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal are terrific in the lead roles and first time director Carlos Lopz Estrada brings real energy to the proceedings in a timely movie about race punctuated by a couple of really powerful rap numbers.
Grade: B
A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE
A cheeky and immensely funny exploration into the early days of National Lampoon, and how the popular outlet would go on to create landmark comedies like ANIMAL HOUSE and CADDYSHACK. The film doesn’t shy away from showing the rough stuff (drug use, womanizing, etc.) but as directed by the great David Wain (WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, ROLE MODELS, THEY CAME TOGETHER), A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE is a comedy, first and foremost. How could it not be with Will Forte in the lead role of National Lampoon founder, Douglas Kenney?
Grade: B
REVENGE
The set up here is pretty simple; Three shady (and wealthy) individuals leave an attractive woman for dead in the desert, only survival mode kicks in, and our heroine survives. I have to say, I didn’t expect to enjoy REVENGE nearly as much as I did! We’ve seen variations of this kind of exploitive revenge thriller countless times through the years (see I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE or THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.) What really surprised me here, though, is that REVENGE is a lot less nihilistic than I expected it to be. Instead, this film turns into a surprisingly entertaining crowd-pleaser! Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz is outstanding as the woman out for revenge. She’s gorgeous to be sure, but it’s her tenacity and toughness that really kick this one up a notch. And boy oh boy does director Coralie Fargeat put her through a physical wringer. Yes, REVENGE stretches the bounds of credibility but what a bloodsoaked good time this movie is!
Grade: B
SUMMER OF ’84
In the summer of 1984, a teen suspects that his neighbor might be a serial killer in this flaccid thriller from the team behind TURBO KID. I love a nice big helping of nostalgia but this movie very seldom delivers the goods. And had SUMMER OF ’84 come out before “Stranger Things” and IT, it wouldn’t have a made a bit of difference. This film deserves a few points for an unexpectedly brutal moment in the final act and for the fashion in which the killer attempts to scar his primary victim for life, but in the end, some of those very points have to be taken away for this film’s sheer lack of sufficient scares and authenticity. SUMMER OF ’84 was the biggest disappointment of Sundance 2018 for me.
Grade: C-
AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN
Grade: C
BURDEN
Grade: B-
COME SUNDAY
Grade: B-
DAMSEL
Grade: C
THE DEATH OF STALIN
Grade: B+
DON’T WORRY, HE WON’T GET FAR ON FOOT
Grade: B
EIGHTH GRADE
Grade: B
FOXTROT
Grade: B
HAL
Grade: B+
I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW
Grade: C+
JULIET, NAKED
Grade: B-
LEAVE NO TRACE
Grade: B-
NANCY
Grade: C+
PIERCING
Grade: C
PUZZLE
Grade: B-
ROBIN WILLIAMS: COME INSIDE MY MIND
Grade: B+
SEARCHING
Grade: B-
THE SENTENCE
Grade: B
TULLY
Grade: B
WILDLIFE
Grade: B
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
Grade: B+
Special thanks to my partner in crime John Pugh for all his help, to Shayne Cullen for all his assistance, and to an extremely accommodating Sundance Press Department for all they do.
For more information on The Sundance Film Festival, click here.
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