by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport

Next week, I shall find myself donning my journo cap, sporty new patented insulated puffy coat and hopping on a jet plane headed to the mountains of Park City for the 2020 Sundahhhhnce film festival (please take your eyeballs and ears here to understand the pronunciation, courtesy of dreamboat, Crispin Hellion Glover).

With the support of the Sundance Press Inclusion Initiative and by not succumbing to an icy river* during my last Park City expedition, I am fortunate enough to be able to embark on this incredible journey of movie magic. *For those that are not aware that I almost went sleepies in the name of movie reporting, you can read all about that wild escapade here. 

There is nothing like spending multiple days within the darkened cinema. Being a gal that is not fond of the sun (aka cinematic vampire) an excursion such as this is an absolute dream. As a shock to no one, after being immersed for days on end in nothing but motion pictures, it is inevitable that I shall find myself transformed into film (literally a plastic coated strip with light-sensitive emulsion edged in perfs is how they shall find me by the end of day five). My only wish is that I would experience this transformation with some of my film pals - maybe next year… come on guys, Redford ain’t gettin’ any younger. 

Not unlike my other fest experiences, I have once again found myself with the challenge of making my watch list. This task can be rather daunting as I am often only utilizing a short description and photo to make my selections. Below are some of the movies I hope to check out. I’ll be reporting back here on Moviejawn.com with all my full length reviews, so watch out for them starting next week. For those that want to follow my live! coverage, please ensure to follow Moviejawn on twitter and instagram, where I’ll be providing my thoughts on all the films I see and assuring you (and my mom) that I am alive. I’ll be just a little film strip with the wind blowing through my perfs and who knows maybe this year I’ll even bump into Redford.

Jumbo 
This flick had me at the poster. I have three dream locations for movies that I want to make: historic hotel, eccentric movie palace and carnival. With the picture being set in an amusement park, starring Noemie Merlant (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) and being helmed by Belgian female filmmaker, Zoe Wittock, it quickly jumped to my most anticipated at Sundance. I will watch any movie set in a theme park, but knowing that the demure character prefers designing miniatures of the rides and hanging out with the attractions rather than spending time with people makes me think this film was made especially with me in mind. 

Dinner in America
After a haphazard meeting, a rebellious punk rocker (Kyle Gallner) and a kooky gal named Patty (Emily Skeggs) embark on a wild adventure filled with mayhem, mischief and absurdity. Set in midwest suburbia, Lea Thompson (aka Marty’s mom) and with the promise of an original soundtrack my hope is that it will provide for a radical, amusing and peculiar time at the cinema. 

Shirley
Over the course of the past year or so, I have become somewhat of an avid reader. In my search for horror-centric stories, my partner in crime MJ’s Best Boy suggested I check out late author Shirley Jackson. After reading her short, The Lottery, I was confident she would end up being one of my favorite writers. When I heard there was a biopic premiering at Sundance, helmed by Josephine Decker (Madeline’s Madeline) that focused on a time in her life, I was sold. Learning that Elizabeth Moss stars as Shirley and Michael Stuhlbarg as her spouse has made this one of my most anticipated flicks at the fest. 

Sylvie’s Love
I’m such a sucker for any story set in the 1950s as I have such a fondness for the decor, outfits and overall style of the era. Even with a muddled plot, at least I may have some interesting production design to look at. Sylvie’s Love’s is a tale about a woman in Harlem that works at her father’s record store during the 1950s and makes a connection with an ambitious saxophonist. Tessa Thompson stars, which tells me this picture may just be a winner. 

Dream Horse
There seems to be a theme at Sundahhhhnce this year involving horses. Frankly, I am here for it, especially pictures involving stories that involve pony races. Toni Colette stars as a bartender who decides to breed a mare in hopes of winning a championship. This has the potential to get wild. 

Relic
As if I am not anxious enough, I have made the decision to attend a midnight screening of a film that sounds like a guaranteed case of the heebie-jeebies. After eighty-ish year old Edna (Robin Nevin) disappears, her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer) and granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote - Neon Demon), set out on a mission to find her. In spending time at the home, they find evidence of not just a decaying residence, but of a deteriorating mind. When Edna suddenly returns, her family begins to question whether she returned alone. I’m always down for a haunting tale and look forward to this feature debut from writer/director, Natlie Erika James. 

Kajillionaire
I am always interested in what Miranda July is up to and, with it being over eight years since her last feature, her flick is high on my must watch list. Known for her offbeat and quirky stories, her latest centers  around a family of bandits that are in the midst of planning one more heist. This plot sounds like it is right up my alley. With a cast of Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez, Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins, this sounds like it will be a fun time at the movies. 

Possessor 
In reading the log line courtesy of IMDb for this film, I feel like this flick may be trying to tell us something about our imminent future: “Possessor follows an agent who works for a secretive organization that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies - ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients.” I meannnnn you have all seen this Elon Musk “mind mesh” thing right?! Written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg (YES! The son of the great Canadian filmmaker, David Cronenberg) this movie is most likely going to be a sure-fire wait to induce nightmares. However, with a cast consisting of Jennifer Jason Leigh (how is her only Oscar nomination for Hateful Eight… Christ! I hate the academy) and Andrea Riseborough (remember Mandy), bring on the weird! (MJ’s Best Boy saw Cronenberg’s short, Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to You at TIFF last year and this seems like an expansion on some of the ideas presented there.)

Horse Girl 
I am really anticipating something outlandish here as this filmmaker most recently gave the world the film Little Hours, featuring Aubrey Plaza   Jeff Baena’s latest feature is about a demure, awkward  lady that has an affinity for arts & crafts, ponies and supernatural crime shows… ummmm, has someone been spying on me? Probably goes without saying that I am totally down for this one. Reading that star of the flick, Alison Brie also co-wrote has doubly piqued my interest. 

Black Bear
Speaking of Aubrey Plaza, I was happy to see that her latest flick will be at the fest. I am always intrigued by her choices and find she is rarely afraid to get a lil’ weird (ie Ingrid Goes West). Imagine if they actually allowed her to go full werewolf in that abomination known as Child’s Play? In Black Bear, she stars as a filmmaker who has found herself on the quest to awaken her creative spirit. Instead, she finds she rouses her inner malignant spirits. 

Zola
Apparently this story is based on a few tweets. I am a bit skeptical, but heck I’ll give it a whirl. It is already lined up to be distributed by A24 and centers around a stripper that embarks on an exotic journey to Florida. This is the latest feature from Janicza Bravo (Lemon). 

Promising Young Woman 
After seeing the trailer for this flick, the man baby I was sitting next to in the cinema during a screening of Uncut Gems emphatically exclaimed “No, thank you”. I immediately turned to Ben and said, “Oh hell yea!” If I would have had access to some cans of beers at that moment, I would have totally smashed ‘em together Stone Cold Steve Austin style, cause not only did the prospect of this movie have me pumped, I also kinda got a kick outta the baby gettin’ all riled up. While attending fests I try to focus on films made by women, minorities and those that may have a tougher time finding their way to viewers. This flick is slated to open in March - so I might skip it at Sundance, but rest assured, it is most definitely on my radar. Starring Carey Mulligan as college dropout/barista Cassandra Thomas. Cassandra had been a promising medical student until a traumatic event takes her off course. She now seeks revenge against any dude that tries to take advantage of her. This may be writer/director Emerald Fennell’s (Killing Eve - writer) feature debut, but I think it is sure to be a real scream!

Watch Moviejawn.com starting next week for all the latest Sundance 2020 coverage!