[From Jan. 19 to 29, Flixist will be bringing you live coverage, from Park City, Utah, of Sundance Film Festival 2012. Keep an eye out for news, features, videos, and reviews of some of the most anticipated films to hit the festival circuit in 2012.]
More movies, less sleep. Yesterday, we saw Spike Lee’s latest, a Bridesmaids wannabe, and one of the best films of the festival yet.
Find out more, after the jump.
Features:
Five Questions with Director Craig Zobel
I spoke to Zobel prior to the premiere. He was quick to laugh and I could hear the smile in his voice. He’s got such a light and self-deprecating personality, a stark contrast to the darkness of Compliance. In fact, if you’ve seen his first film, Great World of Sound, or knew about his connection to Homestar Runner and The Brothers Chaps, you wouldn’t expect him to make this kind of movie. — Hubert Vigilla
Reviews:
Bones Brigade: An Autobiography
Director: Stacy Peralta
Bones Brigade is the type of documentary I love watching. It takes you to another place and time, completely immersing you in the joy, drama, and adventure these guys went through. By the end of the film, I feel inspired and full of life in the way only a great documentary can. Bones Brigade was the team Peralta was destined to form, and this is the story he was born to tell. — 92, Spectacular [Read the full review]
Red Hook Summer
Director: Spike Lee
It’s nice to see Spike Lee back in full-effect, bold and uncompromising. I can appreciate the film’s energy and ambition, but the lame characters and muddled plot keep this one from being a true return to form. Not even a cameo of Do the Right Thing‘s Mookie can save Red Hook Summer‘s downward spiral to the bottom of Spike’s filmography. — 48, Terrible [Read the full review]
Bachelorette
Director:Leslye Headland
There are two major trends amongst 2012 Sundance entries. One is the prevalence of privileged, depressed trust fund babies (or hipsters, if you prefer) dramas. The other trend is raunchy comedies with female leads (a la Bridesmaids). No film takes such a literal approach to copying Bridesmaids’ formula than Bachelorette. Becky, a heavy-set girl ridiculed in high school, is getting married and she invites her three best friends to celebrate with her in New York. Becky’s friends are terrible, shallow, and addicted to cocaine. Being the case, they tear Becky’s wedding dress and must spend the night before her wedding finding a way to repair it in NYC. Instead, they just get blood and cum stains on it. I enjoyed Bachelorette a bit more than Bridesmaids, mostly due to it being better paced and having the always wonderful Adam Scott. Also, Kirsten Dunst is in a pretty intense sex scene. So, there’s that. — 62, Decent
Compliance
Director: Craig Zobel
It’s a movie that made some audience members at Sundance angry, and rightly so. Compliance is an upsetting, painful movie about human weakness. Not only are the events factual, but the layered characters feel true — and the truth hurts. — 75, Good [Read the full review]
