I went to Sundance this year and saw a few of the films. Overall they weren't super awesome, but it was still kind of a fun experience.
Sightseers (4/5) was my favorite by a longshot. It's a dark comedy about a British couple who go on vacation, and after dealing with too many obnoxious people, the guy spontaneously decides to become a serial killer. I don't think it needs much more explanation than that. I'd recommend it to anyone who can enjoy a good dark comedy.
Virtually Heroes (2.5/5) was decent but I felt it was too long for what it is. I imagine that you'd like it more if you’re the sort of person who likes cheesy or "so bad it's good" movies. The plot is that the main player character in a video game has an existential crisis. That's about all there is to it. There are some good jokes that will only make sense to a gamer: the heroes avoid walking near barrels at all costs, after objectives are completed the movie gets letterboxed and prettier for a scripted cutscene, and characters keep forgetting to reload. It spends too much time being painfully self-aware and making sure it can get every joke the writer thought of into the movie, even if it doesn't fit.
We Are What We Are (2.5/5) was a horror movie about a family of cannibals. The atmosphere was great and the acting was good overall (especially considering that three of the stars were children or teenagers), but it lacked a plot. With more stuff happening and less time spent setting up a creepy, disturbing atmosphere, it could have been great.
Big Sur (1/5) was filmed beautifully and it convincingly portrayed a portrait of a depressed alcoholic sinking into madness. Too bad it was more dull than most documentaries.
Catnip: Egress to Oblivion was a short that played before Virtually Heroes, warning about the dangers of catnip abuse, in the style of half-documentary, half-propaganda. It was pretty cute. You can now watch the whole thing on YouTube; it's just a few minutes. Recommended for those with cats.
Probably not something I'd be terribly interested in doing again anytime soon, but the idea of a film festival is compelling in theory at least.
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