It’s Wednesday, January 16th – almost midnight – and I leave for Sundance tomorrow. I have an industry pass, which limits my choices to the screenings going on in three locations, but I just went through the catalog and will share here with others my plan of attack. Below are the films I hope to catch, along with an excerpt from the catalog:

Stranded: I’ve Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains
“One of the greatest survival stories of all time is finally told by the survivors themselves, brilliantly crafted by their childhood friend and master filmmaker, Gonzalo Arijon. If this is a story that you think you know, think again. In October 1972, a rugby team from Uruguay boarded a plane for a game that they would never play. Their plane crashed in the Andes. Miraculously, 16 of the original 45 passengers managed to defy nature and stay alive for 72 days on a frozen glacier, despite brutal conditions. How they did it became a story that shocked the world.”

Visitor
“Director Tom McCarthy returns to the Festival (The Station Agent won three awards in 2003) with an outstanding sophomore effort, The Visitor, an illuminating and superbly crafted film about how disparate people form familial bonds which inspire an emotional rebirth in a lonely widower.”

Recycle
“What makes a terrorist? In Zarqa, Jordan’s second-largest city with close to one million people, it is a much-debated question. Zarqa’s political Islamists are a powerful force in this industrial center, and it is the birthplace of Abu Musa al Zarqawi, the brutal leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, who was killed by American forces in 2005. Many in town knew al Zarqawi, many in his family remain, and Zarqa continues to be a source of new recruits to the jihadist cause. Inspired by his reporting on al Zarqawi and Al Qaeda for international news agencies, Jordanian/Palestinian filmmaker Mahmoud al Massad returns to Zarqa, where he grew up, to make Recycle. With ravishing cinematography that belies the unforgiving landscape, Massad charts the daily life of a religious Islamic man trying to survive in one of Zarqa’s poorest neighborhoods.”

Up the Yangtze
“Upon completion, China’s mammoth Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River will be the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. Progress, though, comes at a price: the dam will displace more than a million residents and destroy numerous cultural and archaeological sites, upending a way of life. In Up the Yangtze, filmmaker Yung Chang sensitively examines the effects of this massive project on personal lives as he follows two young people, each one transformed by the construction.”

Fear(s) of the Dark
“Spiders' legs brushing against naked skin. Unexplained noises in the dark. A hypodermic needle getting closer and closer. A dead thing trapped in a bottle of formaldehyde. A growling dog running and on the hunt. A big empty house creaking….Six amazing graphic artists and cartoonists lend their distinctive hands to stylize these dark nightmares with no color, only black, white, and gray.”

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
“Roman Polanski is certainly admired and respected as one of the world’s great film directors. But his reputation has been forever tarnished by his public conviction for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor some 30 years ago and his subsequent flight from the United States to avoid going to jail. At least that's what everyone thinks. In her riveting reopening of this controversial and, as it turns out, very complex case, filmmaker Marina Zenovich fashions a perceptive and intelligent exploration of what really happened those many years ago and casts a very different light on Polanski’s decision as well as the workings of the legal system.”

Time Crimes
“Nacho Vigalondo, who directed the ingenious, Oscar-nominated short 7:35 in the Morning, has a great instinct for the aesthetic, moving effortlessly between a tense, disquieting atmosphere and a relentless, driving energy. But drawing from a tradition of more cerebral science fiction, his story of an ordinary man flung into circumstances far beyond his comprehension (and perhaps his control) is propelled by a deeper curiosity than genre antics alone will satisfy. Ever more desperate to decipher the web of cause and effect surrounding him, Hector becomes increasingly complicit in the very situation he’s trying to escape. Any physicist would tell him that the more you try to fix things, the more they fall apart. When you mess with time, you mess with nature.”

Savage Grace
“In his long-awaited follow-up to 1992’s Swoon, Tom Kalin returns to a true crime story; this time it’s a society murder that rattled the world on both sides of the Atlantic. Based on the book by Natalie Robins and Steven M.L. Aronson, Savage Grace tells the astonishing story of Barbara Daly (Julianne Moore), a former actress who married above her class to become the wife of Brooks Baekeland (Stephen Dillane), heir to a plastics fortune. Alluring and charismatic, yet an unabashed social climber, Barbara becomes an embarrassment to her well-bred husband. The Baekelands crisscross the globe from New York to Paris to Cadaques to London, savagely grasping for the good life. The birth of their only child, Tony, pushes their already-rocky marriage over the cliff. Brooks looks upon Tony, who is homosexual, with litttle more than disdain. The groundwork for tragedy is laid as Barbara, scorned by her husband, does everything in her power to own her son.”

George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead
“In George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead, fiction turns into reality for a group of film students who set out to shoot a low-budget horror flick in the woods of Pennsylvania. When the dead come to life before their eyes, director Jason Creed decides to capture these startling events with his camera, even as members of his cast and crew become prey to the increasing army of walking corpses that surround them. Mainstream media coverage of this plague is manipulated and unreliable, so the only way to get the real story out to the public is by posting raw footage on the Internet. As the group make their way back home in an old Winnebago, they are met with death at every turn, and the realization sets in that the only remaining audience for Jason’s film may be the same undead subjects he is risking his life to document.”

Love Comes Lately
“Love Comes Lately is a film about real and imagined longings, the never-ending dream of love, and the power of fiction. On several occasions, we fall down the rabbit hole of Max’s imagination, where he embodies the lives of both a retiree named Simon and a sympathetic gent named Henry. During these sojourns into Max’s head and manuscripts, love and murder are just part of the landscape. Max’s real life takes an interesting turn when he runs into Rosalie (Barbara Hershey), a former student who always had a crush on him.”

Just Another Love Story
“If the first order of business for any self-respecting film noir is a dead body with a story to tell, Ole Bornedal is quick to oblige. But rest assured that this twisted, visually energized genre bender has no further use for “custom,” and Just Another Love Story is anything but.”

What Just Happened
“The vision that Academy Award–winning director Barry Levinson’s sometimes-mordant, often-penetrating, and fiercely comic chronicle brings to the screen is as human and universal as any insider's tale, a story about a man at the top of his game who has to deal with prima donnas, crazy artists, shameless egotists, and difficult marriages. This adaptation of Art Linson’s account of his day-to-day existence as a studio producer resonates with truth, insight, and the absurdity that often fills our lives. Because it’s personal and detailed and virtuously enacted by Robert De Niro and a spectacular supporting cast, it's even touching. Not only in Hollywood is maintaining your dignity so difficult; life is a humbling experience for all of us.”

The Broken
“On a typically gloomy day in London, Gina, a young and beautiful radiologist, is sure she just saw herself driving by–in her own car. When she follows her mysterious doppelganger into an unfamiliar apartment, she isn’t quite sure she can trust her own eyes until she spots a photo of herself and her father on the entryway table. Understandably spooked, she dashes back down to her car. Soon she finds herself in the hospital, unable to remember what has put her there or much about the strange woman. What Gina does know is her boyfriend seems different, the ceiling above the bathtub leaks blood in her dreams, and broken mirrors are becoming a recurring theme in her life. Increasingly paranoid, Gina is experiencing a bizarre and horrific version of her former life, and as things spiral out of control, she must escape from, or come to grips with, her new reality.”

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
“Few journalists have attained the notoriety of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. His legendary status is due as much to his scintillating writing as his outrageous antics. He became a living legend whose persona often overshadowed his work. However, Thompson's steadfast ability to remain true to his convictions created an entirely new style of journalism, dubbed "gonzo," and has solidified his place in history as one of America's most influential writers and rebels.”

Red
“From its first scene, Red rivets you like a classic page-turner. Set in small-town America, Red derives its title from a 14-year-old dog that is the sole companion of Avery (Brian Cox), an older gentleman who lives alone with his memories in a simple existence posing no threat to anyone. One day while he is fishing, three troublesome teens terrorize him and kill the only thing he has left to love in the world—his dog. He sets out on a quest for an apology, but the situation soon escalates into much more.”

Flow: For Love of Water
“Irena Salina’s cautionary documentary is determined to stir things up. Water, the quintessence of life, sustains every creature on Earth. The time has come when we can no longer take this precious resource for granted. Unless we effect global change, impoverished nations could be wiped from the planet. Roused by a thirst for survival, people around the world are fighting for their birthright.”

IOUSA
“Wake up, America! We’re on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States and its citizens. As the Baby Boomer generation prepares to retire, will there even be any Social Security benefits left to collect? Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that are becoming impossible to honor, America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions.”

I Always Wanted To Be a Gangster
“At the center of Samuel Benchetrit’s charming existential comedy about wishful criminality are four stories and an unadorned roadside cafeteria.”

Fields of Fuel
“Most Americans know we’ve got a problem: an addiction to oil that taxes the environment, entangles us in costly foreign policies, and threatens the nation’s long-term stability. But few are informed or empowered enough to do much about it. Enter Josh Tickell, an expert young activist who, driven by his own emotionally charged motives, shuttles us on a revelatory, whirlwind journey to unravel this addiction—from its historical origins to political constructs that support it, to alternatives available now and the steps we can take to change things.”

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden
“Morgan Spurlock, director of the unforgettable Super Size Me (2004 Festival), returns with a surprising follow-up: his search for the most wanted man on earth. And as he did with fast food, he’s determined to go the distance.”

Choke
“Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Chuck Palahniuk, Choke tickles the funny bone as it dives into darker areas of human behavior. At the heart of the film is yet another staggering performance by Sam Rockwell as Victor. He fully inhabits the character and nails both the comedic and dramatic aspects with indelible timing and delivery. A delicious blend of fresh writing, juicy performances, and sharp directing, Choke is actually quite easy to swallow.”

Funny Games
“It may not be immediately evident that an unrelentingly brutal home-invasion thriller can rekindle your faith in a cinema of ideas, but that’s what Funny Games does. In every detail, Michael Haneke’s remake of his own 1997 Austrian film is constructed expressly to comment on itself. The physical and psychological violence forms a powerful, self-reflexive conceit to challenge the audience’s complicity and systematically frustrate the impulse toward gratification. At one point, Haneke literally hands control of the film itself over to one of his characters.”

The Escapist
“What is so great about The Escapist is that it functions as both a classic prison-break film and an existential puzzle and is thoroughly enjoyable either way. The film is meticulously crafted, and filled with minute details of place and plot. Director Rupert Wyatt subtly melds story and visuals to fashion an exhilarating ride through the prison milieu and the internal workings of the characters. His insightful mix of frenetic and static camerawork prompts a visceral reaction that amplifies the speed and urgency of the escape.”

Quentin Tarantino Presents Hell Ride
“Hell Ride is a raucous throwback to the days of the Sergio Leone spaghetti western, with a heaping helping of testosterone-fueled chopper action thrown into the mix. Writer/director Larry Bishop takes on a third role as Pistolero, head honcho of the Victors, a group of badass bikers who are out to avenge the murder of one of their members at the hands of the 666ers, a rival gang whose actions live up to their hellish moniker. Along with his cohorts, the Gent (deviously portrayed by Michael Madsen) and the mysterious Comanche (Eric Balfour), Pistolero aims to take down the Deuce and Billy Wings, menacing leaders of the 666ers, but a mutiny looms on the horizon when his commitment to profit is questioned by a few of his fellow Victors. An even larger story unravels when previously unknown information about Comanche resurrects ghosts from Pistolero’s past.”

On a side note, and as a cat lover, I must say that I am very, very bummed to miss one particular film that falls on the day that I leave:

Goliath
“Good writers of all kinds rely on basic observations about human nature. This is especially true in comedy, and that's exactly what makes Goliath hilarious. A bare-bones production, it's a study in economical storytelling that lives up to its name in laughs.

Beginning with the opening photo montage of a man, his cat, and the scratched-out face of his soon-to-be ex-wife, Goliath ripples with insights into the human condition—specifically, the condition of a man working in a dead-end job, going through a divorce, and coping with a missing cat. The crappy job and the divorce he can take, but the absent cat is too much. He focuses his frustration on broadening his neighborhood search, posting flyers, offering a reward, even seeking out the assistance of a private investigator. When his worst fears are confirmed, he snaps—but realizes in the end where happiness can be found.

The plot of the film is secondary, however, to the comical moments sprinkled throughout. Finding humor in the trimming of a moustache, the signing of divorce papers, and the inane lunchroom banter of coworkers, brothers David and Nathan Zellner show they are as perceptive as they are funny. With three prior shorts at the Festival, they return with a feature that is simultaneously deadpan, stark, strange, realistic, and amusing. Goliath further establishes their comedic talent and distinctive vision.”