My Favourite Films from Previous Sundance Film Festivals

So as Sundance London is just around the corner, I thought it would be a good idea to let you guys know my favourite films from the festival since it started in 1978. Obviously I have not seen all the films that have been screened there but I have seen a few, so here are my top ten favourites:

Submarine
This film is funny, touching and just genuinely great! It is a directorial debut for Richard Ayoade and he has started well! The director will also be at Sundance London so hopefully he may be able to give some tips and advice on his film making style. I have reviewed this film before and that can be found here.

Mean Streets
Martin Scorsese started his well known fame for bringing us the greatest gangster movies right here! The film has everything we love about the gangster genre and mixes it with a pretty awesome soundtrack. Although dated the opening credits sequence still remains one of my personal favourites.

The Kids Are Alright
This is also one of my favourite films. I think it is brilliantly filmed with a great story and an issue which has not been explored much by other filmmakers. The cast are spot on and they perfect every scene. Especially Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore who are standouts among the cast. But with a start and end that is soundtracked by two of my favourite artists, MGMT and Vampire Weekend, how could you go wrong?

Memento
The film that brought Christopher Nolan into the limelight. Starring the underrated Guy Pearce, this film has it all, action, romance and thriller of a plot! Yes it is crazy and messes with your mind but it sure does deliver! Has the man ever made a bad film?

Blue Valentine
This film is one of the most depressing films ever made, but it sure is good! Standout performances from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as a couple who's relationship is going down the drain. The film also gives us plenty of flashbacks into seeing the start of their relationship. Truly a great but depressing film!

Bronson
This film proved to me that Tom Hardy is a hell of an actor! He is almost unrecognisable in his role. The film is dark, violent and surprisingly funny! I have reviewed this film before and you can find that here.

(500) Days Of Summer
Another one of my favourite film. I love films that recreate the romance genre and make something new, original and exciting. This film is edited together brilliantly with comedy, great casting and some awesome tunes! The director Marc Webb is now about to film my most anticipated film of the year The Amazing Spider-Man.

Reservoir Dogs
One of Tarantino's best and also considered one of the best indie films of all time, started at Sundance. Could we see another breakthrough hit or future big star director premiere at Sundance London? I have reviewed this film before and that can be found here.

Four Lions
This is one of the best British comedies to come around since Hot Fuzz. It is hilarious and rather controversial, everything us British love about a comedy film! Who thought a comedy about terrorists could be so good!

Super Size Me
I could do this list without adding a documentary from the Sundance Film Festival! This is arguably one of the best documentaries ever made, it also had a big impact on audiences and the fast food industry alike. It certainly made me think twice when ordering a giant Big Mac!

So that concludes my list. Other films that didn't make it but should be given a mention include:
Donnie Darko
Napoleon Dynamite
American Psycho
Hump Day
Take Shelter
The Guard
Perfect Sense
Unmade Beds
Moon
World’s Greatest Dad
Thanks for reading! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @SuperAlexMan or subscribe to my YouTube account and watch my short film!

Come back Monday to see the review for a movie I am extremely excited about, Avenger Assemble. And then after that you can watch my first ever video blog for Sundance London!

See you then!

Easter Reviews Part 1

So over the Easter holidays so far, I have watched a lot of films and I am most likely to watch a lot more! So for this post I am going to write short reviews for all of the films I have seen so far. Then next week I will review the rest of the films I am most likely to watch in the coming days. So please enjoy!

Paranormal Activity 3
I was a big fan of the documentary Catfish which the directors of this film previously worked on. So I was hoping that they would do this franchise some good. I liked the first film, due to its originality in the horror genre, but I wasn't a big fan of the second as its seems they just copied what had happened in the previous instalment. The third, although having the same sort of rhythm to it, was actually my personal favourite of the series! I thought that it pushed the boundaries of the previous film and delivered some pretty creative scares. If you were put off by the second film then don't turn this one down as it might regain your faith. But I must ask how much life the series has left in it?

Martha Marcy May Marlene
I reviewed this in previous post but I thought I would still give a short verdict; If you are a fan of films which have interesting plots but don't actually go anywhere with it, then this is the film for you. Unfortunately this is not the film for me.

Sunshine
Danny Boyle has no boundaries! He can take any genre and make his own brilliant film within it. Sunshine is a great film and stars some great actors including the new Captain America. A great film that felt almost like a new take on the Alien films. Some great story telling done here and it was actually quite scary in places. My only criticism is that the ending was a little bit crazy and a points I was unsure as to what was actually happening.

Reservoir Dogs
This is the first time I have seen this Tarantino masterpiece. It was a great film which had me glued to my seat throughout. A proper classic and if you haven't seen it, you need too! This really is Tarantino at his best and I don't think I have seen a bad film from the director yet. I cannot wait for Django Unchained!

We Need To Talk About Kevin
I really enjoyed this film and thought that the subject area of which it is based on was handled well. My only problem with this film is that they try to hard. They try to establish this bad relationship between a mother and her soon to be mass killer son. The director obviously wanted the audience to question whether his actions could have been prevented by better parenting. The director also wanted us to think whether the mother is just as bad as her son. The only problem is, is that they focus to hard on making the character of Kevin come across as an evil delusional child. He needed therapy and he needed to be told off by his mum every once and a while for his terrible behaviour! A good film but it could be better.

Red State
This film has been heavily slated by audiences and critics. So I didn't watch this film expecting anything special. But actually it was a good fun watch and I enjoyed it very much. It is sold as a horror but actually isn't that scary. It's more of a fun thriller that makes fun of 'America's Most Hated Family' the Phelps family. The OTT Christians that goes to soldiers funerals with banners saying 'God Hates Fags'. Great way of spreading Gods love?? The family in the film now actually catch these sinners and kill them. The whole film turns into a massive shoot up between them and the police. John Goodman steals the show as usual but Michael Parks was not far behind. Some great acting and a good film which unlike many, i recommend.

Thanks for reading!