My favorite Sundance 2008 movies
The Wackness
Coming-of-age tale set in New York City, 1994. Teenage pot dealer trades dime-bags to a psychologist for weekly therapy session. Stars Ben Kingsley, who alone makes it worth watching.
Baghead
It’s a new twist on the campfire story that starts ‘So, there were four people in a cabin out in the woods…’ made by the Duplass brothers, who also made Puffy Chair in 2005. I expected to love it and I did. It managed to be scary and funny without the campiness of traditional horror films made to be ridiculous. It’s low-budget and unlike anything I’ve seen before.
Sugar
Written and directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, the same two behind Half Nelson. With a similar grit they tell the story of a Dominican teenager growing up in a local baseball academy with hundreds of other kids who hope to play in the American major leagues.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
A documentry about a 1980’s Canadian metal band that never made it big, but still trying. The band members are straight out of a Christopher Guest film, balancing normal 9-to-5 jobs while scheduling a summer tour through Romania. A comedy of errors that manages to be touching.
