Sundance '09: Our 12 Most Anticipated Films

12 Most Anticipated Sundance Films

1. Big Fan
The Wrestler screenwriter Robert D. Siegel returns to New Jersey as director for this drama about a hardcore NY Giants fan (Patton Oswalt) who suffers major consequences when he's beaten up by his favorite player.
We Say: Hey Giants fans, at least we can watch them beating someone ...

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2. 500 Days of Summer
A quirky, offbeat comedy about a girl who doesn't believe in true love and the guy who falls head over feet for her.
We Say: Cliché? Maybe. But when else will we get to see indie darlings Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star opposite one another?

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3. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Based on the collection of short stories, Hideous Men follows a female grad student who, following a breakup, decides to interview men in an attempt to uncover the secrets behind their unpredictable behavior.
We Say: Fans of The Office's John Krasinski (who wrote and directed) will get to see his debut as a filmmaker.

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4. Moon
A character study about a lone astronaut (Sam Rockwell) stationed on the moon for three years who begins to unravel physically and mentally.
We Say: A whole film of just Sam Rockwell? Sign us up!

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5. Art & Copy
Doug Pray directs this documentary which delves deep inside the advertising industry to reveal the hidden secrets behind some of the most successful and innovative campaigns of our time.
We Say: Pray's Surfwise was one of the greatest (and most overlooked) docs of 2008, and so we'll gladly welcome his next outing.

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6. Sin Nombre
A social-political thriller set on the Mexican border about three teens whose fates collide on a train heading for the United States.
We Say: Writer-director Cary Joji Fukunaga is one to watch having taken home a student Academy Award for his previous short film, Victoria para chino.

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7. I Love You Phillip Morris
The writers of Bad Santa make their directorial debut with this story about a cop-turned-con man (Jim Carrey) who falls for a fellow inmate (Ewan McGregor) while in prison. But is it all just one big con?
We Say: There's nothing about this on-screen recipe that doesn't reek of fun festival flick.

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8. Reporter
Executive produced by Ben Affleck, Eric Daniel Metzgar's documentary travels deep into the Congo following New York Times reporter Nicholas D. Kristof on a mission to expose the affect this kind of journalism has on the rest of the world.
We Say: Definitely a worthy watch during this, the age of the disappearing journalist.

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9. The Missing Person
Starring Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan and Frank Wood, The Missing Person tells of a private investigator/alcoholic who lands the case of his life ... if he can just stick around long enough to crack it.
We Say: The promise of a smooth noir caper with a few sweet performances has more than piqued our interest.

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10. World's Greatest Dad
In an attempt not to feel shame following his son's death, a father (Robin Williams) writes a fake suicide note which ultimately gets published and becomes a huge hit – leading him to dive into a career as a fake author.
We Say: It's directed by funnyman Bobcat Goldthwait, whose keen eye for devilishly dark comedy (see: Stay) has us very interested.

Sundance Film Festival