Sundance is back! Well sort of.
For a lot of locals, Sundance has meant risking life and limb driving up Parley’s in a blizzard, making our way to historic Main Street, and navigating industry-types in thousand dollar Canada Goose jackets and never-before-worn L.L. Bean duck boots to try and get a pic with their favorite celebrity.
My celebrity interactions, for the most part, have been extremely awkward and often involved a high school jock head nod as we pass each other in the bathroom (I’m talking to you Lars Ulrich and Michael Shannon) or trying to snag a high-five like I did with O’Shea Jackson, Jr. during the premiere of Ingrid Goes West.
As a side note, the thing I miss most from my pre-COVID life is high-fives. If you don’t believe me, check out my pure joy in this Instagram video after I score a post-game hand slap from Nikola Jokic.
But my favorite Sundance-related celebrity interaction involves my friend Kenyon. With all due respect to Lisa Barlow, Kenyon is actually the King of Sundance—at least when it comes to finding and exploiting a party with an open bar.
Back in 2003—before Paul Rudd was Paul Rudd—Kenyon was chopping it up at a party and pulled Rudd aside for a quick pic. When he was walking away, he turned to his friend and said, “I don’t even like that guy!”
In a cruel twist of fate, right as he said that the music stopped and it was quiet enough for the future Marvel superhero to hear the slight. Now, I’m not saying that Kenyon’s insult motivated Rudd to take his career to the next level, but I’m also not not saying that.
This year, the focus of the festival shifts from celebrity to the films, which is the way it probably always should have been, with a completely virtual affair between January 28th and February 3rd. And it has its pros and cons. Let’s break it down:
Sundance is going to be more accessible than ever. There are a number of options to experience the fest in 2021. On the high end is the Festival Pass that is relatively inexpensive, at least by Sundance standards, that gives you access to every film, Q&A, and event. Single film tickets are also available, and are only $15.
Tickets and passes are currently on sale via the festival website. The last day to purchase passes is January 22nd, while single film tickets can be purchased throughout the fest.
Each film is showing twice. First, during its premiere that also includes a live Q&A. The second showing is actually a 24-hour window where you can watch the film at your leisure.
Filling out your schedule is a little more convoluted than it should be. For example, if you want to watch a film during its premiere you will first need to add it to your schedule and then go into your schedule and reserve a spot for the showing, as there is a limited number of viewers who can access the film during that window. However, if you select the second showing you won’t need to confirm your reservation.
Are you confused yet?
You can stream films using Chromecast, Airplay, Apple TV and Fire TV. To watch on your TV, you’ll need to download the Sundance Film Festival app from your device’s respective app store, although as I write this, the app isn’t available in the Apple TV app store.
Before you can watch a film, you will need to enter a unique code located in the “My Account” section of the Sundance website into your app to gain access to the movies you’ve requested. For more detailed instructions on how to stream, visit the festival help center.
Now that we’re past the logistics, let’s get to the fun part—deciding which movies to watch. Here are some of the films I’m most stoked to watch this year:
The Sparks Brothers - If you’ve watched any of Edgar Wright’s movies like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World or Baby Driver, the thing that’s most evident is how good Wright’s taste in music is. And one of the bands that has kept his interest throughout his life is Sparks, an oft-overlooked but influential band that’s been making music for 50 years. He told the Los Angeles times, “I really felt that they were one of the most important bands in music that had no documentary about them, so I wanted to make the case for them as one of the greats.”
The Sparks Brothers
Premiere: Jan 30 at 4 p.m.
Second Screening: Feb 1
At the Ready // Try Harder! - Last year, one of the best movies to come out of Sundance was Boys State. The doc followed a group of students who attended Boys State in Texas. That premise might sound boring, but anyone who’s seen the film knows how great it is. You might be asking why I bring up Boys State in the context of these two films. It’s because they both focus on a group of teens trying to navigate this messed up world we created for them.
Try Harder! delves into the lives of students attending a mostly Asian high school in San Francisco as they prepare for the stressful, highly competitive college admissions process.
At the Ready follows teens from El Paso who are members of the criminal justice club that conducts mock drug raids and active shooter drills as they prepare for a career as border patrol officers. Their story is juxtaposed with the impact their chosen career path might have on those closest to them. I’m hopeful that one of these films will rise to the level of Boys State.
At the Ready
Premiere: Jan 31 at 10 a.m.
Second Screening: Feb 2
Try Harder
Premiere: Jan 30 at 1 p.m.
Second Screening: Feb 1
How it Ends - I’ve been on the Zoe Lister-Jones train ever since she played the power-hungry city councilwoman Fawn Moscato on New Girl. How it Ends is the second Sundance feature she wrote, directed, and starred in. The previous is one of my favorite Sundance films in recent years, Band Aid.
How it Ends
Premiere: Jan 29 at 4 p.m.
Second Screening: Jan 31
On the Count of Three - One of the genres Sundance does best is the dark comedy. These are movies like Reservoir Dogs or Little Miss Sunshine that mine laughs from places or themes that are often very cringe. The film, starring Jarrod Carmichael, is about finding true friendship in the unlikeliest of places—with the person you’ve decided to commit suicide with.
On the Count of Three
Premiere: Jan 29 at 7 p.m.
Second Screening: Jan 31
First Date - One of the hardest things to do when picking a movie you want to watch at Sundance is deciding whether a movie will be good based solely on a 100-word description. That being said the description for First Date won me over when it was described as, “Superbad meets True Romance.” If that doesn’t check every box for me, I don’t know what will.
First Date
Premiere: Jan 31 at 7 p.m.
Second Screening: Feb 2
Prisoners of the Ghostland - And last but certainly not least is Prisoners of the Ghostland, starring Nic Cage. The festival guide doesn’t pull any punches when it says this is “one of [Cage’s] most unhinged performances to date,” which is certainly saying something considering his filmography the past 20+ years. If you liked Cage’s last foray into Sundance, Mandy, I’m sure Prisoners of the Ghostland will be right up your alley.
Prisoners of the Ghostland
Premiere: Jan 31 at 7 p.m.
Second Screening: Feb 2