5 Sundance Films You'll Actually Want To Watch

The 2009 Sundance Film Festival is upon us. Naturally we'll be covering the event, and kicking things off is our list of Sundance entries that are more than pretentious self-indulgence.

I Love You Phillip Morris

Jim Carrey? Ewan McGregor? Doesn’t sound like something usually plugged into an indie slot, does it? But then you realise it’s the tale of Steven Russell (Carrey) who suddenly realises he’s gay.

And who ditches his wife and family to live his new life. And who steals to keep it going.

Oh, and he ends up in prison where he falls in love with titular fellow convict Morris (McGregor). And when Russell is sent to a different slammer, he promptly escapes to be with the one he loves.

See it because: A love story with a twist and Carrey showing more of those Eternal Sunshine-level layers.

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See the I Love You Phillip Morris Trailer (YouTube) [page-break]

Adventureland

A traditional coming-of-age story is given a bitter, funnier twist as Jessie Eisenberg slumps into a job working at a local amusement park, only to find friendship (and romance) with fellow employee Kristen “Twilight” Stewart.

With supporting turns from the likes of Superbad’s Bill Hader and Knocked Up scene thief Kristen Wiig, this looks sharply funny and enjoyably cynical.

See it because: Hader and Wiig always make for good value. (We're also strangely attracted to Kristen Stewart's character in it - ed)

See the Adventureland Trailer (YouTube)

Dead Snow

You probably already know we’re looking forward to this one – undead Nazi bastards on the march in Norway? Blood, guts and black comedy? Count us in.

If only more Sundance movies were like this.

See it because: Did we mention Nazi zombies?

See the Dead Snow Trailer (YouTube) [page-break]

Black Dynamite

Another movie we’ve raved about recently, Black Dynamite is blackspoitation with a post-modern twist. Looking for all the world like the type of film Grindhouse wanted to be (but never quite was), this could make us forget the Shaft remake.

See it because: Michael Jai White’s star turn makes it all come together.

See the Black Dynamite (YouTube)

Mary And Max

How to describe this one? Well, let’s start with a rough plot – Mary (voiced by Toni Colette) is a lonely eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Sydney who has an unusual pen pal: 44-year-old, severely obese Max (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who lives in New York.

Spanning 20 years of their friendship, Mary And Max promises everything from religious issues, agoraphobia, taxidermy and dogs having sex. Oh, and did we mention it was Claymation?

See it because: It’s the older, weirder take on Wallace And Gromit’s turf.

No Trailer Yet, Folks!