Earlier this week we celebrated Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday by ranking his films. Today we continue to celebrate the auteur’s work by listing indie films which remind us of his work. And because Hitchcock inspired so many filmmakers over the years with his innovative storytelling and crafty camera shots, we had a ton of films to choose from. The films below are the kind Hitch would have made if he were still live, or at the very least, films he would have enjoyed watching himself.

9 Indie Films That Remind Us Of Alfred Hitchcock

Tell No One

A married couple goes skinny dipping in a lake at night. After an argument, the woman swims to shore to clear her head. Suddenly, the man hears her scream and swims to shore to investigate only to be knocked unconscious by an off-screen culprit. Jump ahead eight years, and two bodies have mysteriously surfaced at the site where it’s believed the wife was murdered, reopening the case with the husband as the primary suspect. A classic cocktail of mystery, suspense and paranoia, Guillaume Canet’s Tell No One is a tense thriller with a knotty plot that harkens back to Hitch in its themes while satiating modern audiences with its brisk narrative momentum and elaborate action sequences. Francois Cluzet exudes intensity in the lead role, his frazzled charm making him a more volatile man-on-the-run than Cary Grant’s Roger O. Thornhill (North By Northwest) or Robert Donat’s Hannay (The 39 Steps), though he’s no less riveting. Like any good Hitchcock film (or any good mystery, for that matter), Tell No One always keeps you guessing and never fails to surprise, all while continuously building an emotional foundation that makes the shocker ending feel like a shotgun to the chest. [Bernard]

The Usual Suspects

Alfred Hitchcock was masterful at creating mesmerizing characters who often danced on the edge of suspicion. Sometimes mysterious, sometimes charismatic, but always fascinating, these antagonists (to call them villains is a little too much) aren’t necessarily the kind to root for, but it isn’t a bad thing they get away with what they get away with for as long as they can. More than just foils, the greats include Madeleine Elster (Vertigo), Uncle Charlie (Shadow of a Doubt), and even Lars Thorwald (Rear Window) who, in Hitch’s hands, is captivating as little more than an object of observation. The modern indie film equivalent of these delicious baddies, a character Hitchcock would have had a blast with, is Verbal Kint, from Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects. What makes Kint, as played by Kevin Spacey, the archetypical Hitchcock antagonist is how ordinary he seems—the most usual of the usual suspects—until he weaves a hypnotic narrative tale about five villains, three heists, and one crime lord: Keyser Söze, a man whose reputation is so fearsome, he’s more than legendary, he’s mythological. Yet from Kint’s lips to the cops’ ears floats a story told with such subtle conviction and drenched in such rich detail, every last word is believable. Or is it? This is the Hitchcockian genius of him. Kint is known to be one of those five criminals and a man who simply cannot be trusted, but his feeble physicality is disarming. This allows his hypnotic storytelling acumen to take charge (Verbal is verbal, indeed). As Hitchcock would have wanted, Kint is a character the viewer should see coming, and yet fails to do so. As for the stunning reveal at the end, it’s Hitchcockian too, and one of the greats of movie history. [Michael]

Buried

Hitch wasn’t just the master of suspense, but he was also an expert at single location filmmaking (Lifeboat, Rope, Rear Window). Rodrigo Cortés applied Hitchcockian attributes in his 2010 indie thriller Buried, where Ryan Reynolds (his best performance to date) finds himself trapped inside a coffin with only a lighter, a cell phone, and enough oxygen for 90 minutes. It’s a gripping race against the clock shot entirely in a claustrophobic setting. While it contains a super simple setup, the film is full of technical challenges. But Buried makes great use of constrained space, using careful camera framing and a sharpened sense of hearing to obtain a high level of suspense, all while opting not to show any shots outside the coffin. A less ambitious filmmaker would’ve added some flashbacks or cuts to a grieving spouse. But not Cortés. By leaving these shots out, the audience remains isolated with the character and the results are so suffocating they’ll leave you gasping for air. Hitchcock would have admired such an impressive feat. [Dustin]

Timecrimes

When one thinks of Hitchcock-inspired films, works of science fiction usually aren’t the first to come to mind. Nonetheless, Spanish filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo’s 2007 Timecrimes, proves that Hitch’s impact stretches to all corners of the contemporary cinematic realm and can even be found in the likes of foreign language time travel flicks. Like other modern films containing narratives dealing with the manipulation of time (such as Shane Carruth’s Primer and Bradley King’s recent Time Lapse), Timecrimes has a relatively complex plot that unfolds gradually and only fully presents itself to viewers during its third act. Vigalondo’s film follows a married ogler by the name of Héctor (Karra Elejalde). One quiet afternoon, after spotting a naked woman through a pair of binoculars, he wanders over to get a closer look; by the time he reaches the woman, she’s unconscious, slumped against a large rock, and suddenly Héctor is stabbed with a pair of scissors by a second, masked person. From there, the storyline only becomes more obscure though it certainly evolves in a fascinating and original manner. All originality aside, the Hitchcockian influence is surely present and can be found in qualities such as Timecrimes’ increasingly guilt-ridden protagonist and its utilization of voyeurism, in a similar vein as Hitch’s famous Rear Window and Psycho. [Eli]

Mulholland Drive

Many deem David Lynch a singular artist. Out of his influential oeuvre a whole new adjective was born; one that’s used to describe any picture cloaked in a mysterious, off-kilter atmosphere. So it’s interesting that this one decidedly unique filmmaker’s greatest film, the mesmerizing Mulholland Drive, borrows so directly the themes, aesthetics, and particles from Alfred Hitchcock’s most critically lauded film, Vertigo, in order to help create what’s arguably the most Lynchian atmosphere and story to date. Naomi Watts’ career-making role of a wide-eyed dreamer is an amalgamation of various Hitchcock “classic blonde” heroines, striking the biggest resemblance with Kim Novak from the 1958 classic. Not only is the 1950s aesthetic that provided the contemporary backdrop to Vertigo prevalent in the old-fashioned Hollywood look to Mulholland Drive, but it’s weaved into the thematics as well. Together with fear, manipulation, and spiraling madness, all of which permeate the tone of both pictures. Lynch contorted the very same type of suspense that Hitch mastered in his day; using audience’s’ imaginations and subconscious as a plaything to create unforgettable and influential art. [Nik]

Match Point

While Woody Allen has continued to churn out a movie a year for most of his career, his recent films seem to have narrowed in scope, losing some of the sharp-witted satire that marked many of his earlier films. One film that has poked through this listless drought is Match Point, a flick that saw Allen test the waters of the thriller genre, and most importantly, play homage to the godfather of suspense himself. Allen has never been afraid to wear any particular film’s influences on his sleeve, and Match Point is no exception. The premise alone is rife with nods to Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train, a film that centers on a tennis star, murder, and, most importantly, chance, which in Match Point is redubbed as luck. The nods don’t stop there. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Chris, a handsome, talented charmer with sociopathic tendencies, much in the style of classic Hitchcock villains: men who can literally get away with murder. Most importantly of all, is Scarlett Johansson, the beautiful blonde temptress, the source of all this lust, the carrier of the unwanted child, the catalysis of everything. To put the sexual politics of Allen’s work in question is to be a conscious and critical filmgoer (which we all should be), but while off-putting and dated, the film stays true to its influences, for better or worse. [Gary]

Chuck & Buck

While maybe not an obvious selection for a Hitchcock-inspired film, Miguel Arteta and Mike White’s thoughtfully constructed and hilarious micro-budgeted black comedy, Chuck & Buck, owes a lot to the popular works of Hitchcock including Psycho and Rear Window. Chuck & Buck follows the reunion of two childhood friends, writer Mike White in the role of Buck and filmmaker Chris Weitz (About a Boy, American Pie) plays Chuck who now goes by Charlie. After Buck’s mother passes away, the two friends awkwardly reconnect at her funeral which is followed by Buck following Chuck (and his wife) to Los Angeles. Buck tries desperately to fit himself into Chuck’s life as his obsession becomes increasingly more sexual and invasive. Instead of taking the path of someone like Brian De Palma (whose fantastic Blow Out I nearly chose for this list) where the Hitchcock influence is more authentic and direct, Arteta and White twist the voyeuristic themes and Norman Bates-like qualities of Buck to a wildly different effect. It plays up these qualities pushing them to levels of uncomfortable and sometime gut-busting laughter as the film brilliantly satirizes the irrational homophobic fear that can exist in straight men. [Ryan]

Stoker

The screenplay of Stoker is what most recalls Hitchcock’s work. Revolving around a teenage girl (Mia Wasikowska) and her prickly mother (Nicole Kidman) mourning the loss of a father and husband as a mysterious relative (Matthew Goode) slowly moves into the picture, the plot draws comparisons to Shadow of a Doubt, but Director Park Chan-Wook makes it his own uniquely twisted beast. While the story pays clear homage in the structuring of gradually built dread and distrust, Park’s offbeat and richly sensual direction marks the singular vision of a true auteur. Through detailed mise-en-scène and slick, haunting visuals, we are steered through an unsettling vision of sexual awakening and hereditary depravity. The film crawls under one’s skin as it pries open narrative and thematic doors initially closed tightly. The film resembles Marnie in its Freudian hang-ups and Frenzy in its relative grittiness, and although it’s far bleaker and bloodier than Hitch had the ability to be in his time, something tells me that fans of his distinct brand of psychological terror would be tickled by this one-of-a-kind experience. [Byron]

Misery

It feels almost as though any horror, thriller, or psychological suspense film we could possibly think of and include on this list would feel obvious in some way. There isn’t a great movie out there among these genres that doesn’t herald back to something Hitchcock either invented or did so well it merited emulation. But in terms of Hitchcock signature moves, Rob Reiner’s 1990 Misery uses all the very best. Single-location by way of a secluded country house. Slow zooms into character’s faces as anxiety builds giving a sense of claustrophobia. And of course, a main character with alarmingly obsessive tendencies. Hitch knew that love could be a far scarier emotion than hate. Vertigo taught us the price of obsessive love, and Misery’s Annie Wilkes is a fan whose love of a book series is more than a little unbridled. Rear Window established that a character immobilized and trapped in a small space is more horrifying than any dark castle, and Paul Sheldon learns just how harrowing four walls are when your ankles are smashed to bits. Those who appreciate the simmering, confined, tension-filled thrillers Hitchcock made his name on, will find themselves satisfied by Misery. [Ananda]

Apparently 2013 was a good year to have the number twelve in your movie title (12 Years a Slave and Short Term 12) as well as an abstract meaning of the word color (Blue Is the Warmest Color and Upstream Color). And speaking of color, a couple highly praised films (Frances Ha and Nebraska) were shot only in black-and-white. While some films void of color such as Escape From Tomorrow and Computer Chess did not make our list, a film set in the black void of space did (Gravity). It was especially a good year for Matthew McConaughey and Brie Larson as each of them are in multiple films on our list.

Eight members of our staff voted on their favorite films of the year by submitting their own ranked list—those individual lists were mathematically converted into the list you see below. Before you dive into the results it is important to note that we were unable to see three potential list-changers before our voting deadline (Her, American Hustle, and The Wolf of Wall Street).

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2013

#25  Wadjda

Veiling undercurrents of politics and gender inequality with the simple tale of a smart girl who wants a bike is nothing short of genius – particularly when the story is done with so much gumption. Wadjda, both the first film to be shot in Saudi Arabia as well as the first to be directed by a Saudi woman, may not be infallible, but it is a sharp commentary that pierces to the heart of things just as well as its eponymous protagonist pierces our own hearts with her quirky, rebellious ways. It’s hard not to be inspired by her, and she’s bound to be a fantastic role model for young children everywhere, reminding us in small yet tenderly humorous ways how ridiculous prescribed gender identities can be. As WTI’s very own Bernard Boo points out in his review of the film, the male characters in this film are secondary, which is such a fantastic way for first-time director Haifaa Al-Mansour to give her female characters a prominent voice. Wadjda is not just a commendable debut; it’s an inspiring and charismatic journey. [Pavi]
Wadjda Review | Watch Trailer

#24  All is Lost

Emerging director JC Chandor’s debut, Margin Call, was a wordy chamber piece featuring an all-star cast, but for his second effort, All is Lost, he takes a refreshingly approach, shrinking his cast to a sole lead (the legendary Robert Redford) and giving him a mere three lines of dialog. Redford and Chandor’s tale of a lone man at sea is a textbook on visual and auditory harmony, with the sights and sounds of the swirling elements pounding Redford’s boat transporting us to another place entirely (an astonishing cinematic feat only matched this year by Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity). We’re given virtually zero background about Redford’s character, but by the end of the film, we learn volumes about his mental, physical, and spiritual resilience. Is his fight for survival an exhibition of courage, or is it all for naught? [Bernard]
All is Lost Review | Watch Trailer

#23  About Time

I was so full of optimism and adoration for Richard Curtis when I left the cinema after seeing About Time. He was able to once again capture the hearts of all wishful thinkers and hopeless romantics, including myself. A really lovely tale staring two great leads that you fall in love with almost immediately, however, as Ananda states in her review, anyone more concerned with space-time continuums or time travel paradoxes should just bypass this film, as it really is just another Richard Curtis movie and thus all sense of reality should be left at the door.

But it is another great British classic to go alongside Bridget Jones, Love Actually and Notting Hill – you know those select few films that you’re never sure it’s okay to admit loving, but everyone really wants to. Well I’m singing it loud and proud, I thoroughly enjoyed About Time as much as any film I have seen this year and I can’t wait for its purchase release so that I can re-watch it over and over again. [Amy]
About Time Review | Watch Trailer

#22  Drinking Buddies

Considering Drinking Buddies had roughly ten times the amount of budget that director Joe Swanberg had for previous films, many thought this to be his crossover into the Hollywood system. And in some ways it is true. But considering the budget was only half a million dollars (well under most films you see nowadays), it really puts in perspective where Swanberg came from. For the first time in his career Swanberg is able to afford household names (Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, and Ron Livingston) to star in his film. Drinking Buddies explores the dangers of getting too romantically involved with your close friends by utilizing familiar and relatable situations. Through the use of improvised dialog the film comes across as natural feeling as a film can be. The best moments of Drinking Buddies are when emotional tension is displayed without dialog because the characters are so well established that we know exactly what they are thinking. [Dustin]
Drinking Buddies Review | Watch Trailer

#21  The World’s End

The final film in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy and by far the best. The World’s End is a highly entertaining science fiction/comedy hybrid that constantly fires on all cylinders. Simon Pegg leads a fantastic cast with the likes of Rosamund Pike, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan and Pierce Brosnan. Pegg, who has never been better, is Gary; an alcoholic who still holds on to memories of him and his mates trying to finish off the world’s toughest pub crawl. They try again 20 years later only this time find themselves in the midst of a colossal fight with intergalactic androids. The film is typical Wright, but as The World’s End barrels along to its conclusion, it starts to unravel a lot of layers that were not present at the beginning. What starts out as a high flying comedy soon turns into unexpected drama about alcoholism. Wright and his compatriots blaze a wonderful yarn about a group of men trying to reconnect with their youth and at the same time Wright constructs a meaningful film about poor souls who fall prey to the bottomless pits of despair. The World’s End is high class entertainment. [Blake]
Watch Trailer

#20  A Hijacking

Known to most people as that other film about Somalian pirates that came out this year (both of which were covered here), A Hijacking is one of many terrific dramas to make its way out of Denmark in the last several years. A corporate executive (Søren Malling), who starts the film giddy about successfully negotiating a sale, faces a tougher battle when one of his company’s ships is taken over by pirates. Malling’s character and a chef on the overtaken ship (Pilou Asbæk) are the film’s main focus, and as both men are trapped (one psychologically with guilt and a bruised ego, the other physically) we see them slowly crack under the pressure. Director Tobias Lindholm knows how to pile on the tension too: Negotiation scenes are filmed from Malling’s end, making them unbearably tense when things go awry, and the film’s biggest shocks come from its casual way of letting the audience see the passing of time. Captain Phillips may get all the fame this year, but A Hijacking gets the glory. [CJ]
Watch Trailer

#19  Mud

Mud was one of my Sundance London spotlight films; I had never seen McConaughey in such a sincere role. A story based upon one man’s pursuit to survive after being crushed by the undefeatable higher powers of the world. Mud (Matthew McConaughey) banishes himself to a deserted island surrounded on all sides by the Mississippi Rivers so that he will not be imprisoned for the crime he has been accused of committing in defence of the woman he loves. Two adventurous boys stumble upon Mud and once captured by the thrill of their secret mission to help him, do everything in their power to fight for what they believe to be right, freeing a man of the burdens that he carries and to find the woman he loves. [Amy]
Mud Review | Watch Trailer

#18  Stoker

Arriving the same year American Spike Lee would remake his seminal Oldboy, Park Chan Wook’s highly anticipated first English-language feature proved a kind of poetic statement of call-and-response to the tendency for North American cinema to re-make excellent films not just more linguistically palatable, but better while they’re at it.

Stoker stood in the face of this logic, bringing Park’s every lurid aesthetic chop together with richly stylized performances to deliver one of the year’s most disturbing, incessantly watchable, so-bad-it’s-brilliant American pictures. Matthew Goode is like a porcelain mask bound to crack and cut, his Uncle Charlie sharing a fascinating, not-so-deftly suggestive relationship with Mia Wasikowska’s elliptical India that’s at Stoker‘s brittle core. But it’s the boldness of violence – both physical and psychological – and consistency of vision that elevates the picture: at this rate, Park could direct the phone book and it’d be among the most considerately art-designed films of the year. [Jansen]
Stoker Review | Watch Trailer

#17  Side Effects

Who knew that Steven Soderbergh’s supposedly final theatrical feature would turn out to be his one of his most entertaining? Beginning with a stressed out wife (Rooney Mara) unable to handle her white-collar criminal husband (Channing Tatum) returning home after serving his sentence, she starts seeing a therapist (Jude Law) who prescribes her a new drug that apparently cures Mara of all her troubles. That is, until she winds up murdering her husband without any recollection of performing the act. The film’s first half is an unsettling look at the way prescription meds can alter one’s body, but it’s Soderbergh’s (and Scott Z. Burns’ terrific screenplay’s) distinct shift in the second half that elevates the film to something more than basic genre fare. Some people may be upset at the film’s blatant manipulation, but it makes a chilling impact. Just how much do we know about what we put in our bodies, and what it can make us capable of? Side Effects‘ second half makes us question everything we’ve seen beforehand, all while indulging in elements from 70s paranoia and 80s/90s psychosexual thrillers. The fact that Soderbergh can weave all these things together seamlessly speaks to his talents, and we can only hope that he’ll reconsider his early retirement from filmmaking. [CJ]
Side Effects Review | Watch Trailer

#16  Fruitvale Station

Following slain 22-year-old Bay Area resident Oscar Grant’s last day on earth, docu-drama Fruitvale Station is a resounding debut feature from young director Ryan Coogler, who’s as prone to take Hollywood by storm as his star, Michael B. Jordan. Coogler’s script pushes forward forcefully and cuts deeply, and along with Jordan’s breakout performance as Grant it helps to remind us of the humanity at stake in headline-grabbing travesties of this nature. [Bernard]
Fruitvale Station Review | Watch Trailer

#15  Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey’s towering turn as HIV-positive Texas tough-guy and alternative drug entrepreneur Ron Woodruff in Dallas Buyers Club has earned the once oft-shirtless Hollywood hunk much deserved universal praise. But standing right alongside him, towering perhaps even taller, is Jared Leto, whose eerily lived-in portrayal of gregarious transsexual Rayon is one of the most entertaining and charming actor transformations of the year. The script is solid, as are the supporting players, directing (by Jean-Marc Vallée), and visuals, but the dual career-defining performances by the male leads propel Dallas Buyers Club up to the #15 slot on our list. [Bernard]
Dallas Buyers Club Review | Watch Trailer

#14  Spring Breakers

I went back and forth many times on whether or not to place Harmony Korine’s visual and aural sensation of a film as the #1 on my personal list before eventually settling for the #2 slot. Korine’s Spring Breakers perfectly captures and presents the ethos of American youth. I realize most kids are not gun toting, sex zealots like the heroines presented here, the mentality of “I’m gonna get mine at any cost,” reverberates incessantly throughout the film. Spring Breakers is a visual wonderland. Korine uses every trick in the book to fully illustrate the colorful scenery of the Floridian debauchery-soaked landscape. His brilliant visuals are backed by a maniacal score by dubstep master Skrillex and electro wizard Cliff Martinez. Even though the film may be tough to watch at times, there’s no denying the magnetic power Korine holds over you. Spring Breakers is dazzling. [Blake]
Spring Breakers Review | Watch Trailer

#13  The Great Beauty

Immediately after watching Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty I had a sudden urge to go visit a city that I have not considered before. This is due to the dazzling imagery of the landscapes, architecture, and culture of a modern-day Rome that is contained within this appropriately titled film. Every frame in the film feels like it could be made into a painting, then showcased in an art museum, and be admired by the very same people that are portrayed in the film. The film is ultimately about a man who has trouble finding true beauty in his elegant lifestyle even though beauty is all around him. Sorrentino certainly finds this great beauty while making a statement about the current Italian culture. [Dustin]
The Great Beauty Review | Watch Trailer

#12  The Place Beyond The Pines

Because The Place Beyond The Pines came out so early in the year (March) it is easy for the film slip under the radar for end of the year lists. Fortunately, Derek Cianfrance’s film has stuck with me the entire year due to the amazing cinematography (one of the best opening sequences of the year) that pairs perfectly with the unsettling score of the film. This is a classic three act story that is best experienced going into it without knowing much about it—which the trailer brilliantly abides by not giving away too much details. The acting performances from Ryan Gosling and Brady Cooper are simply stunning. If I had to vote for 2013’s Most Forgotten About Film, The Place Beyond The Pines would be at the top. [Dustin]
The Place Beyond The Pines Review | Watch Trailer

#11  The Spectacular Now

As much about coming of age as it is about love in its many forms, The Spectacular Now is a sweet yet poignant tale that tips its hat to the American high school drama whilst thoroughly surpassing it in the best way. Our expectations of the genre are as humbled as popular high-school kid Sutter is when he meets Aimee, the quiet nerdy girl he’s never noticed before. Sutter has a “live in the now” philosophy, but Aimee’s arrival in his life switches everything up, forcing them both to confront their deepest issues. Director James Ponsoldt gives us all of the teen awkwardness and curiosity with none (or at least very little) of the melodrama, and Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are spectacular leads; though the film is primarily about Sutter, Woodley steals the show with her quiet love and concern that manifest themselves so plainly in her every expression. This film feels familiar and yet so much more complicated than anything we know, all at the same time. [Pavi]
The Spectacular Now Review | Watch Trailer

#10  Upstream Color

How to recommend a film that will undoubtedly leave you scratching your head and utterly perplexed? Perhaps by saying, never have you enjoyed being confused in so lovely a fashion. Upstream Color, the second of Shane Carruth’s bewildering directorial feats, is about two people who find each other after going through traumatic experiences where their minds were manipulated and now they are missing memories and much of their bank accounts. It’s a film full of beautiful scenery and strange happenings. It’s about many things: falling in love, finding and creating identity, solving a mystery, exacting revenge, and all sorts of other weird things one could only start to fathom upon repeat viewings. However you interpret it, there’s no denying Upstream Color is truly intriguing to watch. [Ananda]
Upstream Color Review | Watch Trailer

#9  The Hunt

Mads Mikkelsen is at his best as a teacher who is wrongly accused of molesting a young girl at his school. The Hunt is undoubtedly hard to watch at times as family and close friends turn their back on him, all while Thomas Vinterberg’s direction ratchets up the intensity with each passing minute. Everything about the film is top notch and the supporting actors are great; but the film is owned by Mikkelsen (Best Actor Winner at Cannes) who is onscreen for nearly every second. Sure, its melodrama, but Vinterberg and company are more than up for the challenge; and they succeed with flying colors. [Blake]
The Hunt Review | Watch Trailer

#8  The Act of Killing

No other film this year touches Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing when it comes to the amount of jaw-dropping, shake your head in disbelief moments. Whether it’s former generals happily describing how they strangled innocent people with razor wire, government officials openly extorting business owners, a talk show audience applauding war crimes, or the sight of one of these generals dry heaving as he comes to understand what he did, The Act of Killing has no shortage of completely surreal and unbelievable moments. And I haven’t even described the re-enactments of the Indonesian military coup that the film uses as its starting point, all of which accentuate the stomach-churning feeling that goes on throughout Oppenheimer’s film. But what really makes The Act of Killing such a landmark documentary is the way Oppenheimer turns the footage around on viewers. Does Indonesia’s explicit endorsement of these actions somehow make them better or worse than the way Americans (or more generally people in the first world) implicitly endorse similarly oppressive and reprehensible behaviour? What makes The Act of Killing such a sickening film to watch is the realization that, as bone-chilling and incomprehensible this world is, it isn’t too far off from ours. [CJ]
The Act of Killing Review | Watch Trailer

#7  Nebraska

I grew up spending several weeks a year in my grandparent’s Midwestern town of 300 people. A town where the local bar was the only hangout and where many a conversation among neighbors revolved around the cars they drove and the farming equipment they operated. Alexander Payne (a fellow Midwesterner and Nebraska native) might as well have been writing about that town, tapping into the subtle humor found in the mundane of Midwestern life portrayed in Nebraska. I could go on and on about Bruce Dern’s performance as an old man duped into believing a marketing scheme is actually promising him a million dollars if he travels back to his native Nebraska to claim it, but the truth is his son, played with affable sincerity by Will Forte, provides a vantage point that is easy to relate to. A son coming to understand, or at least accept, the motivations that fuel his father forward and make up the man he has become in old age. Shot in beautiful black and white, which only adds to the lost-in-time feel of a small town, the film is quiet and hilarious, not to mention deeply touching. [Ananda]
Nebraska Review | Watch Trailer

#6  Short Term 12

A film that centers around a foster care facility, Short Term 12 could have been a clichéd attempt at manipulating our emotions with contrived characters and scenes. Instead, thanks to heartfelt direction from Destin Cretton as well as spectacular performances from the cast, it is exactly the opposite – a touching, genuine film that quietly leaves its mark in our hearts. Brie Larson gives the performance of her career, and possibly of the year, as Grace, a young woman who supervises at the facility, and is much loved by the children there. When a new arrival means she begins to confront her own past, and the traumas that lie within it, we’re drawn even further into her world, sympathizing with her emotions as though they touch us in our very flesh. The supporting cast are no less captivating, coming together to create a beautifully crafted film that confronts us with the reality of many lives. [Pavi]
Short Term 12 Review | Watch Trailer

#5  Blue Is the Warmest Color

Controversy has surrounded Blue Is The Warmest Color ever since the film premiered Cannes and won the grand Palm d’Or prize. Early on the debate was if the powerful ten minute lesbian sex scene was too graphic, too long, or just simply too taboo. However as time passed the lead actresses admitted to feeling mistreated during the filmmaking process (especially in the sex scenes) which sparked a whole new round of controversy. But with all this attention on the film, perhaps it proves that sometimes bad press is good press.

Putting aside all of the buzz surrounding the film, what you need to know is that Blue Is the Warmest Color is first and foremost about self-discovery and the intimate passion of love. The acting performances from the two female leads (Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux) are so effective that their love for each other is never in question. However, the film does not sugar cost the reality of love when it displays the tragedy of heartbreak. Blue Is the Warmest Color worth seeking out regardless of your stance on the film’s subject matter. This is masterful filmmaking and among the best cinema has to offer this year. [Dustin]
Blue Is the Warmest Color Review | Watch Trailer

#4  12 Years a Slave

One advantage to press screenings, sometimes, is there’s not yet much hype or disdain for a film. I had no idea going in the effect 12 Years a Slave would have on me. I knew director Steve McQueen was known for his effectiveness with serious subject matter, but am ashamed to admit I had never actually gotten around to watching one of his films. And now I worry that all the hype will actually deter some people from seeing the film, because when does one ever get in the mood to watch a film I personally described as “sobering and immensely difficult to watch”? But this film is in the Top 5 for good reason. Amazing performances and gripping imagery aside, 12 Years a Slave is storytelling at its most powerful. And partly what makes it so powerful is because it’s a true story. Every American should be made to watch this film, because each of us have exactly what this character/man of history, Solomon Northup, had, lost, and then regained: freedom. And McQueen’s cinematic reminder of just how invaluable a thing like that is, will always be timely. [Ananda]
12 Years a Slave Review | Watch Trailer

#3  Before Midnight

The third in Richard Linklater’s unprecedented touristic walk-n-talk romance series, Before Midnight checks in on Celine and Jesse 9 years after Before Sunset and 18 years after Before Sunrise. The couple’s once fresh, vigorous attraction to one another has begun to sour a bit as mounting mid-life stresses strip their romance bare, but Delpy and Hawke’s unparalleled chemistry is as crackling as ever. The progressively contentious (and riveting) interactions between the now-jaded lovers bring a raw intensity not found in the film’s predecessors, and as the stinging reality begins to emerge that the yappy soul mates may have reached the end of lovers’ lane, a profound feeling of desperation rocks their world, and ours. This is the first time we’re seeing these precious-to-many characters get their hands dirty, and not only is this the best film in the series, it’s damn near close to perfection. [Bernard]
Before Midnight Review | Watch Trailer

#2  Frances Ha

What can I say about Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha? The film is totally original and rare gem unlike anything I have ever seen before. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt so connected to a character as I did with Frances (wonderfully played by Greta Gerwig); she is the embodiment of every emotion and defeat we go through. Yet, instead of actually being defeated she rises and she fights—never letting the wavering flame of hope burn out, and that is what I found humbling, encouraging, and powerful. The script found in Frances Ha was flawless and brilliant; it was stylistic in every sense of the word. Frances Ha has my sincerest recommendation and is completely worthy of its high rank on our list. I challenge you to watch the film and not fall in love with Frances. [Amy]
Frances Ha Review | Watch Trailer

#1  Gravity

Our film of the year is a fitting champion in form, tone, and technique within such a banner year for the art precisely because it worked counter to so many worrying trends pervading in the industry as of late. A muscular 90 minute story in a sea of 2 1/2 hour-plus 3D action epics released every year, perhaps the highest praise we can offer Gravity is that it can (and often does) work without words. Is storytelling through visuals not cinema at its most romantic? Does that not emphatically harken back to movies at their most alluring and pure?

Gravity is a feat of virtuoso visuals and its excellent use of 3D technology goes without saying; it’s been said everywhere. But what most impressed me is Alfonso Cuaron’s unsentimental, almost ruthlessly direct narrative: you-are-there at tis most cathartically palpable, and relentlessly potent. This is space. and these are the turmoils of space. and here are two characters that can help you relate: even if you didn’t buy into the higher allegorical ambitions of Gravity, that much of the story, at least, touches everybody. And that is a thrilling thing for cinema. [Jansen]
Gravity Review | Watch Trailer

Our Best Films of 2013 Infographic

For this monthly staff feature we came to the conclusion that because not everyone on the staff has been to the same festivals, thus having the opportunities to see the same films, that each writer from the staff would list their own individual Top 5 Films of 2013 (So Far). You can tell just by looking at our lists that there is a wide range of quality films that have been released at the halfway mark of 2013. While we wait to see what upcoming gems 2013 will bring us, here are the best films of the year so far.

Blake’s Top 5

2013, what a year you’ve been so far for us film going folk. You’ve made me cry (A Haunted House, Aftershock), you’ve made me laugh (Warm Bodies in a good way, A Good Day to Die Hard in a bad way) and you’ve had me cheering from the rafters (Gareth Evan’s Safe Haven, Fast and Furious 6). You were better than the first half of 2012 so keep up the good work. Picking my favorite 5 films of the year so far has proven to be a malicious act. I’ve seen some great films. There are easily more than five and since I can only have that amount, I shall list what barely misses here. These are my, as Roger Ebert would call them, Special Jury winners: Graceland, The Silence, The Act of Killing, The Place Beyond the Pines, and Side Effects.

#1  Spring Breakers

#2  Reality

#3  The Hunt

#4  Upstream Color

#5  The Lords of Salem

Bernard’s Top 5

My top two films of the year so far are interchangeable, as they’re both brilliant, but in different ways. Before Midnight is nearly flawless—I was floored by every facet of it. Sarah Polley’s documentary/family-drama/soap-opera/whodunit, Stories We Tell, is a Frankenstein’s monster of personal filmmaking goodness that exists outside any genre. These two films are absolute beasts, and there are miles between them and the rest of the movies I saw this year. That said, it would be amazing if a film in the last half of 2013 can top them somehow. Fingers crossed!

#1  Before Midnight

#2  Stories We Tell

#3  Simon Killer

#4  You’re Next

#5  Like Someone In Love

Amy’s Top 5

I had the opportunity to see so many great films at this year’s Sundance London Film Festival, but only a few have so far have had confirmed releases, In a World will be heading to the UK this September. It was a tremendous comedy written, directed and performed by Lake Bell – I would recommend anyone to go see it when it hits cinemas! I also had the chance to see Mud at the festival and loved every minute of it. Stoker, (directed by Chan-wook Park, Oldboy) was a phenomenal film – its stunning visuals and intense storyline had me utterly gripped throughout, sincerely recommend for those who like Park’s style. Warm Bodies was a great film that turned our expectations of a zombie film upside down, making the dead come alive and love again. I really did not think I would take to Sightseers as much as I did, most of the film I was thinking – “what the hell is going on” – but the last few scenes had me in stitches. Looking forward to seeing: This is the End, The East, and Before Midnight.

#1  In a World

#2  Mud

#3  Stoker

#4  Warm Bodies

#5  Sightseers

CJ’s Top 5

I’ve never seen a year where my two favourite films (at this time) are documentaries, let alone ones that push the capabilities of documentary filmmaking and cinema itself into new directions. I had an internal debate about my placement of both films on this list. Do I give the #1 spot to the film with the most societal and moral impact, or the film with the most cinematic impact? In the end I couldn’t choose, so I let them both share the top spot. The other three are all terrific, and Bernard has explained enough why Before Midnight is great, but these first two shook me to the core. Other films that barely made the cut: Spring Breakers, Side Effects, The Place Beyond The Pines, Valentine Road.

#1 (tie)  Leviathan and The Act of Killing

#3  Before Midnight

#4  Beyond The Hills

#5  Hors Satan

Ananda’s Top 5

Perhaps it’s the celebration of the end of a long recession, but of 2013’s film offerings thus far, the ones that have seemed strongest to me are all of a lighter fare. Granted I haven’t seen A Hijacking, Mud, or The Stories We Tell (which would probably make this list because I have a huge girl-crush on Sarah Polley). I can wait for the fall to indulge in the heavier stuff, including all those festival films not yet released (Blue is the Warmest Color, holler). But sometimes lighter is better. From the bottom, This is the End is the best buddies-in-a-crises film I’ve seen since Shaun of the Dead and had my abs hurting for days. A three-quel on my list? I’m just as shocked, but when Hollywood’s wittiest writer, Shane Black, unites with the world’s wittiest superhero, Iron Man (played by the man Black was born to write for, Robert Downey Jr.) it’s a match made in Marvel heaven. Upstream Color isn’t easier to follow than Shane Carruth’s first film Primer, but was much easier to accept and had a lovely hum to it. It’s no secret I’m a sucker for films of the dark and twisty variety, and Stoker manages to be elegant with its seductive spookiness. Frances Ha, at the top of my list, stroke some realistic chords with this urban-dwelling 20-something, and Greta Gerwig shines as she makes what could be an aimless hipster, a relatable heroine. All in all, 2013 has me feeling rather positive thus far. Honorable Mentions: Side Effects (The twists and pacing of Ocean’s 11 with the gravitas of Contagion) and since we’re keeping it light with my list Warm Bodies successfully paired young love and zombies to my great delight.

#1  Frances Ha

#2  Stoker

#3  Upstream Color

#4  Iron Man 3

#5  This is the End

Dustin’s Top 5

It is not all that surprising that three of the top five films I have seen so far in 2013 had played at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. But only one of those (Nebraska) is allowed to be on this list as the other two (Like Father, Like Son and The Great Beauty) do not meet our prerequisite of having a hard 2013 U.S. release date yet. But because 2013 has been a solid year for films so far, it was not difficult to find two other films to take their place. And it will only get better during the fall festival circuit and awards season. Though I saw Ulrich Seidl’s hard-to-watch yet stimulating Paradise: Love last year, it is still the top film for me with a 2013 release date. A few films that just missed the cut for me were: To The Wonder, 28 Hotel Rooms, and The Act of Killing. I should also include a few films that I have not seen yet: Mud, Fruitvale Station, Before Midnight, and Post Tenebras Lux.

#1  Paradise: Love

#2  The Place Beyond the Pines

#3  Upstream Color

#4  Frances Ha

#5  Nebraska

Way Too Indie has teamed up with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment to give one reader a chance to win a Blu-ray copy of Stoker, the latest film from the critically acclaimed filmmaker Chan-wook Park (Oldboy, Thirst). Stoker is his first English-language film which stars Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska. The film features a dark and twisted story about an odd-ball family with sinister secrets. And thanks to Park’s artistic abilities, this mystery thriller is not only poetically told, but poetically displayed with its visuals.

How do you enter the giveaway?

Simply email me (dustin AT waytooindie.com) or tweet us at @WayTooIndie the answer:

Which iconic tale of vengeance did Chan-wook Park also directed?

a) Die Hard: With a Vengeance
b) Oldboy
c) Irreversible
d) Hard Candy

Stoker is Available on DVD and Blu-ray on June 18th!

Watch the trailer for Stoker:

Follow Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on Twitter @FoxHomeEnt

Since Chan-wook Park emerged into the cinema scene with his critically acclaimed Vengeance Trilogy, he has been a director to pay close attention to. When it was announced that Stoker would be his first English-language film, naturally everyone’s ears perked. But going into Stoker with the exact same expectations based on his previous work would be ill-advised. The story here is more subdued and is slower paced than his previous work. In the film there is some violence (though much less is actually shown), incestuous suggestions, and good ol’ fashion that is often found in his work, everything is just more submissive here.

India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) is a peculiar girl who just lost her father on the arrival of her eighteenth birthday. This event makes the already bizarre and reserved teenager even more withdrawn as India was always very close to her father. Not making the matters any better is the fact that India has always been distance with her mother Evelyn Stoker (Nicole Kidman). What makes the story unsettling is the arrival of Uncle Charles (Matthew Goode), an odd mannered character himself, who India never even knew existed before the funeral.

For no real apparent reason it is suddenly decided that Charles will be staying at the mansion with family for an undetermined amount of time. From the very beginning India had an uneasy feeling toward her father’s brother, but her mother’s eerily attraction towards him only added fuel to the fire. Her suspicions about him keep adding up the longer he is around and the film does a great job of filling the viewer with those same uncertainties.

The story is not entirely cohesive as it starts down several paths but does not quite finish on any of them. This can be off-putting to some people as the film seemingly cannot make up its mind on where to go, but the intention is to keep everyone involved guessing. The frustrating part is the end result is not as interesting as some of the other possibilities that it explored. That, and it builds itself up to be a mystery, but it is solved well before the conclusion.

All three leads do a great job with what their role demanded. The weakest of the bunch would probably have to go to Nicole Kidman, but only because her character is the least interesting. Mia Wasikowska is simply outstanding as the dark introvert who discovers some sinister secrets about her family. Then there is Matthew Goode, who at first seems awkwardly out of place, but then ends up nailing the role brilliantly as his character develops.

The camera techniques in Stoker are incredibly well-crafted and original, just what you would come to expect from the acclaimed filmmaker. Most of the shots had to be meticulously planned out and synced together. A great example of this is when the film cuts back and forth between two different characters in different locations walking out of doors and opening others in perfect rhythm. All of that happens while the same nature documentary on the television, which talks about sibling rivalry and is therefore relevant to the story, plays in the background in each of their locations.

Considering Park’s previous work, some might be a little disappointed that Stoker tells a much more conventional story with a final payoff is not as grand as Oldboy’s was. But the way the story is displayed is certainly as artful and poetic as anything Park has done to date. His sense of style is evident in the very beginning when the opening credits playfully interact with what is happening on the screen. For example, the text of the credits may be placed beside a rock on screen and when the character moves the rock, the text moves along with it. While the style does outweigh the story, Stoker is a welcoming first English-language film from Park that I hope is not his last.

Stoker is Available on Blu-ray and DVD on June 18th

Ever since Park Chan-wook’s breakthrough hit Oldboy premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004, he has exploded onto everyone’s radar as a director to follow. His latest film, Stoker, is the director’s first film in English and stars some big-named American celebrities; Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Matthew Goode, just to name a few. It was announced today that Stoker will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on June 18th.

Official Synopsis

Following the tragic death of her father on her eighteenth birthday, India Stoker (Wasikowska) meets Charlie (Goode), her charismatic uncle, whom she never knew existed. When Charlie moves in with India and her unstable mother (Kidman), both are drawn to his charming and calming demeanor. But it soon becomes clear that Charlie’s arrival was no coincidence, and that the shocking secrets of his past could affect India’s future…or shatter it completely.

Blu- ray Special Features

• An Exclusive Look: A Filmmakers Journey
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Behind the Scenes: Mysterious Characters, Designing the Look, Creating the Music
• Red Carpet Premiere: Emily Wells’ performance of “Becomes the Color”
• Free Song Download of “Becomes the Color” by Emily Wells
• UltraViolet
• Hypnotherapy
• Image Galleries and more!

STOKER Blu-ray & DVD Specs

Street Date: June 18, 2013
Prebook Date: May 22, 2013
Screen Format: Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA / 5.1 Dolby Digital DVD, English 5.1 Descriptive Audio, Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital / 2.0 Surround Dolby Digital DVD, French: 5.1 Dolby Digital / 2.0 Surround Dolby Digital DVD
Subtitles: English, Spanish
U.S. Rating: R
Total Run Time: 99 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes

With 2012 behind us and the Oscars only weeks away, the year in film for 2013 is just about to get underway. Park City, Utah is home to the Sundance Film Festival, a showcase for new independent films in America and (to a lesser degree) the rest of the world. Despite running at the start of the year, Sundance has premiered plenty of films that have eventually gone on to successful runs at the box office and award shows. If you want an example, look no further than last year when Beasts of the Southern Wild premiered to raves and ended up with four Oscar nominations including Best Picture.

So now with Sundance already getting underway, will there be another film ready to ride a wave of success all the way to awards season at the end of the year? Since Way Too Indie won’t be attending the festival this year we won’t be able to see any of the films playing yet, but we’ve gone through the festival line-up and picked the movies we’re most excited to watch. If you want to check things out yourself, the Sundance 2013 line-up can be seen here.

Way Too Indie’s Top 10 Most Anticipated Films Playing Sundance Film Festival 2013

Before Midnight (dir: Richard Linklater, Premieres)
Back in 1995 Richard Linklater released Before Sunrise, a simple but enjoyable film about an American (Ethan Hawke) and a French woman (Julie Delpy) spending the day together in Vienna. Nine years later Linklater, Hawke and Delpy reunited for Before Sunset which found the two characters reuniting in France. Sunset turned out to be one of Linklater’s best movies, and ever since then people have been wondering if a third film would ever get made. Now, nine years after Before Sunset, the three have reunited again for Before Midnight. It remains to be seen whether or not Midnight will live up to the quality of Sunrise and Sunset, but either way it’ll be nice to catch up with Jesse and Celine again. [C.J.]

Before Midnight

Touchy Feely (dir: Lynn Shelton, U.S. Dramatic)
Lynn Shelton is no stranger when it comes to Sundance, Touchy Feely will be her third film in a row that will play at the festival. Her previous film, Your Sister’s Sister, was one of my favorite films of 2012, so I was naturally excited to hear that she would be presenting a new film this year. Back again for a lead role is Rosemarie DeWitt who plays a free-spirited massage therapist but develops a mysterious aversion to bodily contact, which makes her job intolerable to do. Shelton explains that the film is “Literally and figuratively about attempting to live in your own skin.” If it is anything like her previous films, we should expect a film with less script thus more natural feeling dialog, which helps maker her films so genuine. [Dustin]

Touchy Feely

Concussion (dir: Stacie Passon, U.S. Dramatic)
When the line-up was announced I ran through the lists as quick as I could, looking for familiar names and faces, I picked up on the storylines I thought I’d like instantly, and ignored one or two I knew I wouldn’t. Looking through the list again, with personal taste and bias set aside, I noticed quite a few more that had originally got tossed aside. I saw the film still that promoted Concussion on the festival’s programme for U.S. Dramatic and was drawn in to read more. The woman looked exhausted yet beautiful; I read the small description below and was eager to find the About the Director video. Written and directed by Stacie Passon, one of the many female directors amid the Sundance 2013 line-up, the film depicts the life of a married lesbian couple, and primarily focuses on one woman’s struggle of feeling alone, jealous and ultimately sexually abandoned by the person she thought loved her the most – an interesting and diverse storyline. [Amy]

Concussion

Upstream Color (dir: Shane Carruth, U.S. Dramatic)
It has been nearly 10 years since Shane Carruth took Park City by storm with his debut film Primer. Since then his name has barely been mentioned, except for a “special thanks” credit in Looper, until just recently when Sundance made its lineup announcement. Sticking the genre he knows best, Upstream Color looks as if it is another science fiction mind-trip from Carruth. Amy Seimetz plays a woman who has been drugged and brainwashed by a small-time thief. She ends up falling in love with someone who may also be under the same influence. The film has generated a lot of buzz around the internet, making people wonder if he could once again win the Grand Jury Prize. [Dustin]

Upstream Color

I Used To Be Darker (dir: Matt Porterfield, NEXT)
Back in 2010 Matt Porterfield released Putty Hill, a radical and surprisingly powerful film that slowly built up a following of critics who passionately supported it. Shot on an incredibly low budget over 12 days, Putty Hill stood out for its gorgeous cinematography, excellent use of unprofessional actors (including pop singer Sky Ferreira) and unorthodox format that made it feel like a hybrid between documentary and fiction. Two years later Porterfield has returned, this time to a bigger venue, and will hopefully make a bigger name for himself. The story in I Used To Be Darker involves an Irish runaway staying with her American aunt and uncle whose marriage is falling apart. Going by the trailer it looks like Porterfield might have another winner in store. [C.J.]

I Used To Be Darker

Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes (dir: Francesca Gregorini, U.S. Dramatic)
There’s an unintentional theme occurring with my choice of films, being that they’re all directed by women, this one however, is a film that gains greater depth given that the auteur is female. Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes represents the personal story Francesca Gregorini has portrayed through a young female character whose mother died at child birth, therefore leaving her daughter with a missing piece to her life. The director admits that this film is autobiographical as being unable to bare children she relates to the main character’s difficulties and hardship. Francesca Gregorini lays out her feelings and emotions towards loss and despair for the world to witness through this promising, very moving film. [Amy]

Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes

Mud (dir: Jeff Nichols, Spotlight)
Mud opened to a warm reception when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, where it was in competition for the esteemed Palme d’Or award. Though Jeff Nichols’ previous thriller Take Shelter was certainly worth a watch, Mud looks like it could be an even more intense thriller than his previous work. The first trailer for the first recently surfaced on the web, just ahead of its U.S. premiere, and it certainly looks promising. Matthew McConaughey appears to have found his niche in playing the “bad guy” role recently, first with Killer Joe and now with this. [Dustin]

Mud

We Are What We Are (dir: Jim Mickle, Midnight)
Anyone who considers themselves a fan of horror films should keep their eye on Jim Mickle. Years ago his debut feature Mulberry Street, about a virus in New York City that turned people into rat-like creatures, was overlooked by people when it got released in After Dark’s “8 Films to Die For” series. Years later Mickle finally started to make a name for himself with Stake Land, an ambitious film about a vampire apocalypse. Now Mickle has returned with We Are What We Are, a dark story about a family trying to keep its horrifying traditions alive. A remake of the 2010 Mexican film with the same title, Mickle has proven himself to be a unique and talented director in the horror genre and we can only hope that his latest movie will continue that trend. [C.J.]

We Are What We Are

In a World (dir: Lake Bell, U.S. Dramatic)
Trying to keep updated with all Sundance news and updates I immediately began following almost all the directors of the official selection on Twitter in search of more information. Lake Bell was one of the later profiles I came across, and now she feels a very familiar personality and a director whose work I am really eager to see. After reading some of her seriously happy, excitable and endearing tweets towards In a World and watching the interview she gave about the film I picked up instantly on her wonderful charm and have high hopes for In a World to surprise Sundance. [Amy]

In a World

Stoker (dir: Park Chan-Wook, Premieres)
Park Chan-Wook is known best for his Vengeance Trilogy, which includes his outstanding film that previously earned him a trip to Sundance, Oldboy. This year he will be bringing his first attempt at an English-language based film, about a woman who is dealing with the recent passing of her father when a mysterious yet charming family member shows up that she has never met before. Soon she starts to suspect this family member may have some ulterior motives. Stoker is said to be a cross between a psychological thriller and a horror film, so with a veteran like Park Chan-Wook at the helm, consider this writer highly intrigued. [Dustin]

Stoker

Other films we are looking forward to

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s writing and directorial debut Don Jon’s Addiction; George Tillman Jr.’s passion project The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete; teenage drama Very Good Girls; Midnight line-up films including S-VHS (the sequel to V/H/S), Hell Baby, Magic Magic and In Fear; Calvin Reeder’s sure to be divisive The Rambler; Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling`s follow-up to Sound of My Voice called The East; and Blue Caprice, a drama based on the Beltway sniper attacks. The Sundance film festival officially started today in Park City, Utah and will continue through January 27th.