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Sundance Film Festival · 2012

Sundance Film Festival 2012

Premieres

A showcase of some of the most highly anticipated dramatic films of the coming year from new and established directors. Presented by Entertainment Weekly. Each is a world premiere.

Programme

16 films · 11 reviews

Jump to a film

2 Days In New York

Review preview for 2 Days In New York

This was clearly a family affair for Delpy and a labour of love, but this film inevitably is taking a risk reheating the five-year-old meal that was 2 Days in Paris.

Owen Van Spall · 2 out of 5
Trouble brews for a New York couple when French relatives come to stay.

(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Julie Delpy; Writer: Julie Delpy, Alexia Landeau, Alexandre Nahon; Stars: Chris Rock, Julie Delpy, Vincent Gallo, Kate Burton, Dylan Baker, Brady Smith, Malinda Williams, Alex Manette, Emily Wagner, Alexia Landeau, Erin Maya Darke, Albert Delpy, Alexandre Nahon, Darlene Violette, Tatina de Marinis)

Full review

World premiere

Arbitrage

Review preview for Arbitrage

Richard Gere is getting better with age. The lived-in look suits him and he holds this film tight.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A hedge-fund magnate is in over his head, desperately trying to complete the sale of his trading empire before the depths of his fraud are revealed. An unexpected, bloody error forces him to turn to the most unlikely corner for help.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Nicholas Jarecki; Writer: Nicholas Jarecki; Stars: Richard Gere, Tim Roth, Brit Marling, Susan Sarandon, Monica Raymund, William Friedkin, Laetitia Casta, Josh Pais, Stuart Margolin, Evelina Oboza, Bruce Altman, Chris Eigeman, Nate Parker, Paula Devicq, Angel Picard-Ami) , Trailer

Full review See: Nicholas Jarecki interview about Arbitrage , San Sebastian Film Festival Diary - Day 1

World premiere

Bachelorette

Review preview for Bachelorette

Headland revels in the comedy of discomfort and keeps the one-liners coming, while still sticking to - and sticking it to - a romance plotline.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
An imminent marriage opens old wounds for a group of friends.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Leslye Headland; Writer: Leslye Headland; Stars: Kirsten Dunst, James Marsden, Isla Fisher, Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Rebel Wilson, Arden Myrin, Hayes MacArthur, Kyle Bornheimer, Meg Phillips, Ella Rae Peck, Leslie Meisel, Megan Neuringer, Chris Cardona, Gil O'Brien)

Full review

World premiere

California Solo

Review preview for California Solo

Lewy avoids the trite path to redemption, choosing instead to keep this a study of man in midlife crisis, understated and realistic.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
An ageing, faded Britpop star is forced to confront his past if he wants to avoid deportation from the US.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Marshall Lewy; Writer: Marshall Lewy; Stars: Robert Carlyle, Danny Masterson, Kathleen Wilhoite, William Russ, A Martinez, Patrick Gallagher, Alexia Rasmussen, Michael Des Barres, Brad Greenquist, Hal Landon Jr., Ella Joyce, Savannah Lathem, Niko Nicotera, Robert Cicchini, Jamal Kazak) , Trailer

Full review

World premiere

Celeste And Jesse Forever

Review preview for Celeste And Jesse Forever

The writing is so sharp and rapid-fire, and the performances so charmingly self-lacerating, that you will be happy to spend time in these characters' company.

Anton Bitel · 3.5 out of 5
Two best friends struggle to come to terms with sharing the perfect divorce.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Lee Toland Krieger; Writer: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack; Stars: Emma Roberts, Rashida Jones, Elijah Wood, Ari Graynor, Eric Christian Olsen, Andy Samberg, Chris D'Elia, Chris Messina, Sarah Wright, Rafi Gavron, Janel Parrish, Joel Michaely, Will McCormack, Matthew Del Negro, Jason Antoon)

Full review

World premiere

For A Good Time, Call...

Review preview for For A Good Time, Call...

Despite being occasionally misjudged, Travis' film maintains its sparkle and warmth thanks to its outstanding leads and sparky script.

David Graham · 4 out of 5
Odd couple flatmates get into the phone sex business in a cheerfully smutty comedy.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Jamie Travis; Writer: Lauren Miller, Katie Anne Naylon; Stars: Seth Rogen, Justin Long, Ari Graynor, Mimi Rogers, Nia Vardalos, Mark Webber, Lauren Miller, James Wolk, Sugar Lyn Beard, Vanessa Britting, Don McManus, Justin Wheelon, Veronika Dash, Michael Medico, Lawrence Mandley)

Full review

World premiere

Goats

Ellis leaves his unconventional desert home to attend the disciplined and structured Gates Academy. There, he reconnects with his estranged father and for the first time questions the family dynamics.

(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Christopher Neil; Writer: Mark Poirier; Stars: Vera Farmiga, David Duchovny, Minnie Driver, Keri Russell, Ty Burrell, Dakota Johnson, Justin Kirk, Graham Phillips, Evan Boymel, Adelaide Kane, Justin Wheelon, Olga Segura, Nicholas Lobue, Ricardo Andres, Tommee May)

World premiere

Lay The Favourite (Lay The Favorite)

Review preview for Lay The Favourite

Although the cast all appear to be having a whale of a time, it doesn't quite translate to the amount of laughs it ought to.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A young woman gets involved with a group of geeky older men who have found a way to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas to their advantage.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Stephen Frears; Writer: Beth Raymer, DV DeVincentis; Stars: Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vince Vaughn, Rebecca Hall, Laura Prepon, Joshua Jackson, Frank Grillo, John Carroll Lynch, Corbin Bernsen, Joel Murray, Andrea Frankle, Lara Grice, Dominique DuVernay, Michelle Torres, Jo Newman)

Full review

World premiere

Liberal Arts

Review preview for Liberal Arts

Josh Radnor is adept at creating flawed characters who nevertheless prove sweetly likeable.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
When 30-something Jesse is invited back to his alma mater, he falls for a 19-year-old college student and is faced with the powerful attraction that springs up between them.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Josh Radnor; Writer: Josh Radnor; Stars: Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, Zac Efron, Elizabeth Reaser, John Magaro)

Full review

World premiere

Predisposed

Eli Smith, a piano prodigy, is dealing with his troubled mother and enlisting help from a hapless drug dealer on the day he has an audition for a prestigious music program. Events spiral comically out of control as this gang of misfits faces the mistakes of the past, the challenges of the future, and the possibilities of love.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Phil Dorling; Writer: Phil Dorling, Ron Nyswaner; Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo, Tracy Morgan, Stephanie March, Sarah Ramos, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Jayce Bartok, Tanya Wright, Neal Huff, Emma Rayne Lyle, Harper Dill, Kai Chapman, Kevin Cannon, Kamil Dabrowski, Wayne Pyle)

World premiere

Price Check

Pete is having trouble resolving a happy marriage and family life with rising debt and a job he hates. When his new boss pulls him into the maelstrom that is her life, money and opportunities come his way, but at what price?

(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Michael Walker; Writer: Michael Walker; Stars: Juan Luis Acevedo, Frank Amoruso, Remy Auberjonois, Jayce Bartok, Brian Berrebbi, Natalie Best, Teena Byrd, Samrat Chakrabarti, Victor Cruz, Joe D'Onofrio, Elle Donoghue, Finn Donoghue, Edward Herrmann, Cheyenne Jackson, Stephen Kunken)

World premiere

Red Hook Summer

A young Atlanta boy spends his summer in Brooklyn with his grandfather, who he's never seen before.

(Year: 2012; Director: Spike Lee; Writer: Spike Lee; Stars: Limary Agosto, Turron Kofi Alleyne, Daniel Breaker, Colman Domingo, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Samantha Ivers, Kalon Jackson, Spike Lee, Keke Palmer, Nate Parker, Clarke Peters, James Ransone, Heather Simms, Fred Tolliver Jr.)

World premiere

Red Lights

Review preview for Red Lights

Suffers from excess in almost every department.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
Psychic debunkers target a clairvoyant who is determined to prove his talents are for real.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Rodrigo Cortés; Writer: Rodrigo Cortés; Stars: Robert De Niro, Cillian Murphy, Elizabeth Olsen, Sigourney Weaver, Joely Richardson, Toby Jones, Craig Roberts, Jan Cornet, Karen David, Burn Gorman, Jeany Spark, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Garrick Hagon, Jesse Bostick, Jeff Mash)

Full review

World premiere

Robot And Frank

Review preview for Robot And Frank

Jake Schreier and scriptwriter Christopher Ford go well beyond the initial fun of the robot conceit to craft a thoughtful film musing on both the ageing process and our relationship with technology.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A curmudgeonly OAP's kids install a robot as his caretaker.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Jake Schreier; Writer: Christopher D Ford; Stars: Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon, Liev Schreiber, Jeremy Strong, Katherine Waterston, Bonnie Bentley, Joshua Ormond, Dario Barosso, Rachael Ma, Dana Morgan, Hunter Reid, Jesse Newman)

Full review See: Sundance Episode 3: Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Robot & Frank and Lay The Favourite

World premiere

Shadow Dancer

Review preview for Shadow Dancer

Marsh takes no prisoners, makes no apologies and kicks you when you're down, all of which makes his films dangerous, inifinitely watchable and almost unbearably surprising.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
A woman caught up in the Troubles is forced to become a informant for MI5.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: James Marsh; Writer: Tom Bradby; Stars: Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson, Aidan Gillen, Andrea Riseborough, Domhnall Gleeson, Martin McCann, Stuart Graham, Michael McElhatton, Mark Huberman, Brid Brennan, Alan O'Neill, David Ryan, Morgan Watkins, David Kendellen, Daniel Tatarsky)

Full review

World premiere

The Words

Aspiring writer Rory Jansen finds another man's haunting memories in a collection of lost stories and claims them as his own, propelling him to literary stardom.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal; Writer: Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal; Stars: Olivia Wilde, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Ben Barnes, J.K. Simmons, John Hannah, Michael McKean, Zeljko Ivanek, Ron Rifkin, Liz Stauber, Nora Arnezeder, Jeanie Hackett, Gianpaolo Venuta)

World premiere. Closing night film