The One I Love

The One I Love is a genre-bending psychological, comedic (in some parts), dramatic romance story that follows Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss), an unhappily married couple seeking new thrills through their couples therapy sessions. The story is well written and the film is excellently executed. Duplass exemplifies the emphatic character with his extremely likeable mannerisms and familiar character traits. The dramatic reflection of married life is well paced and had the audience emotionally invested as their story progressed. Using only one location, Duplass and Moss were able to express a very personal experience to the unlikely implications of a relaxing “weekend away” to rebuild their relationship. In the end, The One I Love is a surreal, surprising, and enjoyable fantasy version of marriage counseling.

RATING: 8.7

Little Accidents

Pinpointing the exact reason why this film is worthy of this rating is difficult, there are so many. Little Accidents is not only a beautifully shot film, but it also had the collectively incredible cast whom were unwavering in their individual performances to portray isolation, betrayal, heartache, and the wonder of the human spirit in the face of sorrow. Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook and Jacob Lofland are the films driving force and carry the weight of their character profiles extremely well. Little Accidents is a heartbreaking story of loss and the pressure of a society that has conformed to a poverty stricken way of life. The towns inhabitants work their fingers to the bone and some are at risk of life threatening conditions all to put food on their tables and a shirt on their back.

Little Accidents was shot entirely on location in West Virginia and has a very convincing authenticity about it. The grey, misty atmosphere, the natural forest backdrops and rundown neighborhoods are all suggestive that what you’re seeing is real. It’s easy that this traumatic event had a lasting effect on the town.

RATING: 8.8

The Voices

The town of Milton is home to pink overalls, pink trucks, pink forklifts, and a population of 4,000 including one disturbed young man named Jerry (Ryan Reynolds). This endearing, yet mentally unstable, factory worker initially tries his very best to blend in to society–volunteering to help organize the office party, doing his best to always wear a smile. However, as unfortunate events occur, Jerry loses his ability to lead a normal life and becomes increasingly more involved and allied to his psychosis and is unable to identify what is reality.

The Voices aims to bend the rules of the psychological comedy genre by featuring a unique storyline. Reynolds plays a fantastic l”oveable” psycho serial killer and the comedic values he brings to this film are brilliant and welcomed. The film is a tremendous accomplishment. I’m sincerely optimistic for it to have a universally enjoyed worldwide release.

RATING: 8.9

They Came Together

They Came Together states straight away that the story contains obvious romantic comedy clichés. Molly (Amy Poehler) and Joel (Paul Rudd) are dining with their friends Kyle (Bill Hader) and Karen (Ellie Kemper) discussing when they first met; “It’s a long story” they say, and boy was it! Using split screen techniques (much like You’ve Got Mail) and long shots above the NYC skyline (…every romantic comedy based in NYC) we are introduced to Molly and Joel living separate lives who nearly run into each other everywhere they go. With cliché shots and narrative throughout, They Came Together never once takes itself seriously and acknowledges to the audience its satirical attitude towards romance every chance it gets. The film is a continuous barrel of laughs, highly recommended for those wanting a mashup between Parks and Rec and You’ve Got Mail.

RATING: 7.7

Hits

The film plays its first joke from the very beginning when the voice of Ellen DeGeneres is heard interviewing a celebrity, before realizing that it’s actually Katelyn (Meredith Hagner) sitting in her car imitating her fantasy. Then we are introduced to Katelyn’s father, Dave (Matt Walsh), who is listening to a government rant on the radio while driving home from his job. Dave is a lonely man whose obsession with “corrupt” local government has taken over his entire life, devoting all of his energy in bringing an onslaught of complaints to the town halls attention.

Katelyn and Dave are two very determined individuals who will go to any lengths to achieve their goals. One dreams to be famous while the other just wants to have his pot holes filled by the city. However, neither one of the character are fully developed. I’m not exactly sure on the what genre David Cross was going for; comedy/drama seems to fit the bill, however, the film had much fewer laughs than I think Cross was aiming for.

RATING: 7.5

Memphis

There was only a short amount of time that Memphis was actually able to grab my attention. The film was little more than just a montage of mood pieces to depict the life of Willis Earl Beal, a singer who loses his mind before recording an album. From start to finish, the film is a long mishmash of beautiful, but unimportant imagery with an inconclusive storyline. The experimental arrangement made it nearly impossible to decipher what was going on. After the screening, another member of the press took the words right out of my mouth, describing Memphis as “a tedious, meandering character study which offers little insight into a city, the music business, and a society”.

RATING: 4.9

Returning to the Sundance London Film Festival this year, I’m excited to witness the big hits that Park City’s Sundance Festival brought us. Some of which are: Frank, Memphis, Fruitvale Station (UK Premiere) and Blue Ruin. Although Sundance London is still quite small, the lineup is nonetheless impressive. Some of the stars and filmmakers in attendance this year are: David Cross (Hits), Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station), Sara Colangelo (Little Accidents), Michael Fassbender (Frank), Ryan Reynolds and Gemma Arterton (The Voices). Below I have highlighted my 5 most anticipated films that will be playing at Sundance London 2014.

#5 – Hits

David Cross makes his directorial debut with a comedy about a paranoid municipal worker named Dave, his The Voice obsessed 19 year old daughter, a wannabe teenage rapper and their neighbours in a small, working-class town in New York. Hits is a satire towards the absurd nature of the Internet age through a collective cast of some of the funniest comedians around at the minute. I’m very optimistic about this comedy despite some of the negative feedback it received at Sundance in January.

#4 – They Came Together

After briefly hearing of this film in January, They Came Together looks to be a homage of the romantic comedies of classic American cinema. With hilarious cameos throughout, I have high hopes that David Wain (We Hot American Summer) will be able to truly capture the art of modern American Comedy.

#3 – The One I Love

Staring the director of one of my all time favourite films (Jeff Who Lives at Home), Mark Duplass plays the husband to Elizabeth Moss’s character Sophie, both of which are trying to recreate their magical first night together due to the drudgery of their current unhappy marital state. The One I Love looks to put a lot of focus on a highly relatable modern love story.

#2 – The Voices

The Voices consists of a mix match of genres including: comedy, crime, horror and thriller aspects which features the names of Ryan Reynolds, Anna Kendrick, Gemma Arterton and Jacki Weaver. Jerry (played by Reynolds) is mentally ill and has been avoiding taking is prescribed anti-psychotic medication which instigates severe hallucinations in the form of his cat telling him to be a serial killer. That’s enough synopsis to make this a most anticipated film.

#1 – Little Accidents

This debut feature by Sara Colangelo is supported by lead actors Boyd Holbrook and Sundance London alumni Jacob Lofland (Mud) and explores the intricacies of small-town social order. The film also illustrates how in times of tragedy, we find the unlikeliest of places. The main reason this film is at the top of the list is due to the uniqueness of the story. From what I can tell (without reading any spoiler reviews from Sundance in January) Little Accidents includes a superb cast who are able to carry the dramatic narrative that is suggested.

What an incredible experience Sundance London Film Festival was. The line-up was so exciting and I knew right away I was in for a brilliant week, that I would be able to witness some of this year’s worthy hits.

The festival was primarily focused on the films they were showcasing, and their schedule also included some fantastic panel events that film fans and press were invited to attend. Sundance London is not just about the films however, they also provide live music events, which unfortunately I did not really have any desire to attend. The Sundance institute has always been about films and their filmmakers; they promote independent filmmaking and moreover, they’re very good at it. Introducing a sub festival for music at the London event seemed slightly disconcerting and even though I did not take part in this aspect I don’t believe many people understood its connection with Sundance.

A.C.O.D Panel Event

If it is the Sundance Institutes intention to focus on music as well as film at its London festival then it may need to work on why they are doing so and what relevance it has with Sundance. Aside from this minor criticism, the festival was a wonderful experience and being hosted at the hugely popular o2 arena, I believe it will only grow and improve over the years. With this all said, it is worth noting that this was only the second year of Sundance London and that it is too early to judge the festival’s success, but what I will say is that I had a fantastic time and that I will be attending again next year – unless between now and January some miracle happens and I’m able to jet off and attend the Utah experience!

Sundance London Stage

Top 3 Films From Sundance London

In a World

What I loved most about In a World was its ability to really involve the audience. The comedic relationships and witty one liners were so incredibly well written that you cannot help but love Lake Bell’s directorial debut. There was nothing at all that I could fault or criticize throughout the entire film, I simply loved it.

Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes

Francesca Gregorini’s depiction of the hardship of losing loved ones and dealing with life’s uncontrollable curve balls was so wonderfully visualised. It had such a personal feel to it that you could not ignore that the director’s heart and soul were being laid bare for the world to see. She did so with such taste and beauty that many of whom I spoke with after shared my love for what we had just seen. Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes is truly a cinematic achievement.

Mud

I was totally taken aback by Mud as I had not known what the story was about at all, I had just heard that it included stellar performances and an intriguing narrative. They were not wrong – it was without a doubt one of the best films to come out of Sundance this year. Mud displays beautiful friendships and an alternative love story, giving Matthew McConaughey, what critics are describing as the performance of a lifetime and I’d have to agree.

In A World

What a fantastic, honestly hilarious comedy. Perfect in every sense of the word, In a World defines my idea of funny. This is the directorial debut for Lake Bell, and yet you really would not know it – she brought to the table a vision and with that a solid script; which deservedly won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance, Utah in January.

Carol Solomon (Lake Bell) is a struggling vocal coach, teaching actors how to speak with different accents. This is how we are introduced to Bell’s character, she receives a phone call asking if she could work with Eva Longoria to develop her cockney accent – the auditorium is in fits of laughter as we hear Longoria trying to pronounce “slapper”, just a few seconds into the film. From then on, almost every scene has you involuntarily bursting out laughing as Bell knows exactly what the audience finds funny.

Though lacking in confidence, Carol seems to get lucky in scoring her first big ‘gig’ and attempts to pursue a career in voice acting, something she has always dreamed. Her father, Sam Sotto, the reigning king of movie-trailer-voice-over artists, has never wanted her daughter to follow in his footsteps and becomes insanely jealous of her success.

Dealing with issues of sexism, Bell highlights the hardship women can face in a male dominated industry, however this is not the focal point of In a World and during a Q&A at the end, she described it as being something she wanted to include but never to force onto the audience.

In a World is a wonderfully charming and extremely witty comedic gem directed, written and starred in by Lake Bell – I look forward for its international release.

RATING: 9.5

Touchy Feely

Lynn Shelton’s Touchy Feely has, so far, gathered mixed reviews and unfortunately I got to see why. I went into the film very open minded and came away feeling confused and largely disappointed. Nevertheless, there can be a lot said for the powerful depiction of energy and balance within life and relationships, something that Shelton has always done a great job with in her films.

We presume that from the Touchy Feely poster of Abby and that the entire sequences of events that occur are related to this character’s lifestyle – that Touchy Feely is about her. Yet once the credits role, I felt that it highlighted her brothers personal progression and even his daughter Jenny’s development so much more than any other – that Abby’s final ‘realisation’ was a mere after thought. If this was what the film intended, that the whole storyline and focus would shift along with the balance of energy then it would seem to make a lot more sense.

Stick around Way Too Indie for a full review of Touchy Feely coming soon.

Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes

Sitting in the 9am screening of Francesca Gregorini’s Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes, I was surrounded by sleepy film fans and people uncertain of what to expect from what they were about to see. Myself, I had taken an interest in Gregorini’s film as soon as I saw the synopsis hit the Sundance web page late last year. I then watched the interview with her on the Sundance YouTube channel and became increasingly eager to see her story.

Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes was an incredible artistic, poignant and heartfelt tale drawing upon Gregorini’s personal issues about loss, guilt and pain whilst focusing on the courage to overcome individual trauma. The narrative also highlights the strong emotional connection humans can hold for each other, and in Emanuel’s case (portrayed by Kaya Scodelario), the effects on a troubled child longing to find a mother figure in her life.

Emanuel meets Linda (Jessica Biel), the mysterious lady who moves in next door, she is a new mother it would seem and Emanuel is instantly intrigued by this woman. Their relationship grows when Emanuel volunteers to babysit Linda’s newborn baby, and develop an affectionate bond towards each other.

Kaya Scodelario is the heart of this story, her emotion is so unbelievably real throughout the entire film – if not lead astray by Hollywood, her career will only continue to progress and her performances, excel. Many closed-minded men may disagree as the film was extremely feminine and focused on trauma only women can really relate to. Others that may focus more on dialogue could find faults within the screenplay as some criticized it as being very “written after attending a screenwriting seminar” feel. However, Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes is overall a fantastic achievement for Francesca Gregorini and an absolute pleasure to watch.

RATING: 9.4

A.C.O.D

Going into this film I undoubtedly had expectations in regards to it being a comedy, as the chosen cast were renowned for their humour. Adam Scott and Amy Poehler work as such an amazing comedic couple in Parks and Recreation that knowing their characters were the complete opposite of that in A.C.O.D, where Poehler is now Scott’s stepmother – I expected hilarity to ensue. Ultimately I was very disappointed with the lack of overall chemistry of the cast. That said however, I did enjoy A.C.O.D as it was a ‘good’ comedy; it just didn’t utilize the actors’ comedic potential enough.

Carter (Adam Scott) was unknowingly part of a research study focusing on observing Children of Divorce when he was younger; in fact the woman investigating this study, Dr Judith (Jane Lynch) wrote a book about him and other children involved. As Carter’s brothers wedding in announced and the preparation commences, Carter is responsible for getting his parents to be civil towards each other ready for the ‘big day’. This results in extremely comedic scenes and Carter eventually getting in touch with his old therapist, Dr Judith.

Scott was the perfect guy to represent the awkwardness of Carter’s character as his blunt and dry self-conscious sense of humour really highlights the effects of the trauma he is undergoing through his parents messy relationship.

Although A.C.O.D was not my favourite film of the day, nor is it one likely watch again – I’d certainly say it’s worth seeing at least once. It gives you the chance to see the diversity of Adam Scott’s abilities as an actor as they really shine through, and there are some real classic comedic moments that shouldn’t be overlooked.

RATING: 7.6

Mud

Mud is a story focused on a compassionate fugitive deserted on a lonely island surrounded by the Mississippi Rivers. This is until two adventurous young boys stumble across this rugged man whilst trying to salvage a lost boat. The two boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and his best friend Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are hesitant when they first meet Mud, as he is an unkempt looking man, whose sun dyed skin and worn out appearance gives them reason for caution – that and the fact he has a pistol tucked into his trousers. Mud introduces himself and tells the boys that he is waiting for a woman to meet him and asks if they could bring him food the next time they visit the island.

Tye under the impression that Mud is undergoing this hardship for love wants to help him and Neckbone being his best friend agrees to assist Tye in doing so. There are certain scenes that highlight the personalities of these two young boys and these are what made the film – their chemistry and on screen relationship has been likened to the young boys in Stand by Me.

Illustrating immersive imagination and extracting impeccable performances from all members of the cast, Jeff Nichols did a fantastic job representing a carefully constructed Deep South dramatic feature. Mud will do extremely well through it festival experiences, and will, without a doubt make it onto the big screen with huge success.

RATING: 8.6

Running From Crazy

The Hemingway family have always been “Running From Crazy” – their dark roots connected to Ernest’s suicide and their long history of mental illnesses caused depressive tendencies within every member of the family, even today. This unwaveringly honest account of the Hemingway family’s turmoil’s is delivered by actress Mariel Hemingway herself.

The documentary details every dark and beautiful aspect of the lives of the Hemingway granddaughters. Mariel, Margaux and Muffet each had their stories told and bought to life by Barbara Kopple’s direction, and the emphasis on suicide awareness and mental health evaluation were highlighted throughout.

The structure in which the documentary followed was slightly disjointed and hard to follow at times. It was sometimes hard to understand which sibling we were focusing on and what relevance that particular back story had on the topic but what defined this documentary was its ability to bring you closer and closer into the hearts of the Hemingway story. The last ten minutes were extremely touching and incredibly poignant to what Mariel wanted to achieve with this documentary; that nobody is perfect and it’s in the journey of life that we shape ourselves and understand who we are.

RATING: 7.7

Metro Manila

A touching story filled with depth, courage and sacrifice, Metro Manila tells the story of an out-of-luck family trying to survive the hardship they are being dealt. With no money and no food the family leave their province in the Philippines and travel to the metro Manila region to look for work.

As soon as they arrive in the city, their luck turns from bad to worse, until Oscar (Jake Macapagal) lands a job working with the armoured truck company delivering “boxes” to different clients – “one of the most dangerous jobs in the city”, explains Ong (the superior officer) during his preliminary interview. With no other option available to him or his family, Oscar takes the job and begins training with Ong. As the risk of robbery is high, the two drivers are always on alert and Ong constantly asks Oscar if he “has his back”, putting the audience also on edge.

The story also shows the suffering of Oscar’s wife Mai (Althea Vega) trying to provide for her family by working in a sleazy go—go bar. We’re able to see how much she cares for her children and how disturbed and unhappy she is by having to perform these duties whilst at work, giving us an understanding of the type of person she is.

Metro Manila was an incredible film about desperate times leading to desperate measures; with an extremely heartfelt ending you realise the severity of the struggle in which this family suffered. The production value was flawless in attention to detail with every bit of information displayed through extraordinary imagery and sincere performances by its cast- it will do well with ‘at-home’ distribution.

RATING: 8.2

Being from the UK with only a select few film festivals to attend each year, Sundance London offers British film-fans the chance to access the UK premiere of the fantastic films that were premiered in Utah earlier this year. Redford himself will be attending the press conference this morning at 11am as will Festival Programmer John Cooper, I am very eager to hear their welcoming messages. All films that will have their UK premiere have their maker in attendance at the festival this year. So we will be hearing from Lake Bell, In a World, Lynn Shelton, Touchy Feely and Francesca Gregorni, Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes and more.

Today, the 2nd Sundance London Film and Music Festival opens its doors to the press. Londoners and films buffs from all over the UK are given the opportunity to be a part of the Sundance experience starting tomorrow through the 28th.

This festival introduction includes my top three films I am looking forward to seeing at Sundance London

Touchy Feely

Sundance regular, Lynn Shelton had her third film premiered this January at the festival and will be screening again in London at the end of the week. Shelton’s Your Sisters Sister of 2012 was one of my favourite films of the year so I’m extremely eager to see recurring actress Rosemarie DeWitt take the lead in Touchy Feely. As Dustin said in Way Too Indies Top 10 Most Anticipated Films Playing Sundance – “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”.

In A World

Coming away with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: US Dramatic in January, In A World “brings us into an idiosyncratic world where one woman fights the odds and family finds her voice”. This is Lake Bell’s directorial debut and showcasing her incredible talent also wrote and stars in this comedy. The story delves into the world of the Hollywood voice over talent with Carol Solomon a (Bell) a struggling vocal coach who is both irritated but pushed by her renowned famous voice over artist father, Sam Sotto. Pursuing her dream to be a voice-over star, Carol lands her first voice-over gig which entangles her in a web of dysfunction, sexism, unmitigated ego, and pride.

A.C.O.D

Stuart Zicherman’s A.C.O.D (Adult Children of Divorce) is a comedy whose cast includes some very familiar faces, including Adam Scott (Parks and Rec), Amy Poehler (also Parks and Rec), Jessica Alba (Sin City) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim).

Adam Scott’s character becomes aware that he was once a participant in a study about children of divorce and is sought out to undergo a follow-up study as an adult. His participation in the present-day is where the comedy ensues as his younger brother is getting married which brings his divorced parents back together, causing a lot of awkward friction.

Reviews at present for A.C.O.D have not been kind, judging it as an “amusing but formulaic man-in-crisis comedy” (The Guardian) – however, I am keeping an open mind and very much looking forward to seeing some of the fantastic Parks and Rec actors together in a feature film among others.