My first introduction to Daveed Diggs’ wide array of talent was in Hamilton when he sang and danced his heart out as Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. He blew me away! I mean, who could resist that smiling face singing “What’d I Miss”? And when I heard at Sundance that he had written a movie, I was sold. 

Blindspotting tells the story of two young men. Collin (Daveed Diggs) and his troublesome best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal), are movers that watch closely as the neighborhoods of Oakland, California, are gentrified to a trendy, hipster-esque, crowd. Collin is on his last few days of probation. One night he witnesses a young black man get shot by a white police officer, causing him to miss his curfew. After this event, Collin and Miles struggle to keep their friendship afloat as this evolving Oakland uncovers the differences that the two of them face.  

ANOTHER film that got an immense amount of buzz at Sundance! And pretty much everywhere else that it screened… Sorry to Bother You is written and directed by rapper Boots Riley and is one wild and eye-opening ride from start to finish. From the very beginning, it straps you in for a whirlwind roller coaster of comedy and unabashed political honesty. It’s original, ambitious, and unafraid to speak truth to power. 

I was originally going to see The Tale during my quick trip to Sundance but was unable to attend. I patiently waited to see if it would be picked up for distribution. Luckily for me (and to everyone’s surprise) the film was acquired by HBO. This was on everyone’s mind during the festival, popping up in conversation amongst almost every movie-goer, so you can imagine my anticipation in seeing what all of the chatter was about. 

The Tale was written and directed by Jennifer Fox. She has frequented Sundance in the past with her documentaries, but this time her movie was featured in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. It’s a vulnerable memoir about Fox’s experience with sexual abuse as a teenager from her running coach, and she isn’t afraid to tell her story with complete transparency.  

I have been anticipating this movie for months now, and that anticipation really hit a high note after it premiered at SXSW (the DAY BEFORE I GOT THERE… still bitter) and positive reviews came pouring in. John Krasinski’s film is a smashing success. 

For weeks it remained at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes… now at 98%, which is still AMAZING. 

Everyone and their mother knows I’m a big dog lover. I’ve got two big fur-babies that I love very, very much. So that was definitely a hefty contributor to my dire need to see this movie. 

Isle of Dogs comes from the mastermind of perfectly symmetrical scenes with vibrant colors and quirky writing, Wes Anderson. It stars a whole slew of famous folk: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and Greta Gerwig just to name a few. 

Advocating for women in media is something very close to my heart, as many of you already know. So it’s not surprising that this was my top pick for a movie to see while I was at SXSW. 

Directed by Amy Adrion, Half the Picture is a documentary about the severe lack of female directors in the film industry. It’s comprised of multiple women we know and love. A few of them being Ava DuVernay, Penelope Spheeris, Gina Prince-Blythewood, Brenda Chapman and so many others. This film is being released at just the right time. Hollywood is evolving, and with the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements in a constant motion, this film is a perfect fit into the mold. 

Eighth Grade has been stealing the hearts of audience members ever since it first screened at Sundance this year. People have raved about it constantly and I couldn’t wait to see what all of the hype was about. It was written and directed by Bo Burnham, who is one of my absolute FAVORITE comedians, so I had an inkling that it was going to be amazing… and it was. 

Also, relatable as hell. 

Science fiction is my favorite genre. This movie reminded me exactly why. 

“Annihilation” is written and directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, 28 Days Later). It’s based off the book by Jeff VanderMeer, which is part of a trilogy called the Southern Reach. 

I sincerely hope they turn the movies into a trilogy because I absolutely LOVED IT. 

It’s been three years since Aardman Animations graced us with a claymation masterpiece for the kiddos (but mainly the adults…let’s be real with ourselves). I grew up loving “Wallace & Gromit”, “Creature Comforts” and “Chicken Run”. The hilariously dry British humor and eccentric storylines helped to make Nick Park’s films stand out from other family films. 

So, where does “Early Man” stand amongst its successful predecessors in the Aardman Animations collection? 

Greetings from snowy Salt Lake City, Utah! There’s a couple movies I’m really excited to be talking about this year from the Sundance Film Festival. Kicking it all off with a French thriller that premiered in its Midnight section; “Revenge”. 

“Revenge” is directed by French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat. This is the first film on my slate to be directed by a woman! Which leads me to a slightly off-topic point, but still relevant, 37% of the 122 featured films at this festival were directed by women. Thank you, Sundance, for giving them the recognition they deserve and helping to broaden the spectrum of directors in the world of cinema. 

Imagine getting a phone call one day that said “Hey, listen, Steven Spielberg loves your script. He’s pausing post-production on “Ready Player One” because he’d really like to take it on.” I mean, I would probably scream…for hours. I’m sure that’s how screenwriter Liz Hannah felt, and she should be proud of the work she did because my GOD this story is fantastic. 

It has a message that’s just as important now as it was back in the early 1970’s. 

Talk about an incredibly new and different way to make a biography. 

Craig Gillespie (director) and Steven Rogers (screenwriter) decided to tell the story of Tonya Harding and the incident with Nancy Kerrigan in a very different way then audience members would expect. The film tells the story from two different perspectives; Tonya (Margot Robbie) and her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). 

This movie’s narrative is broken up into many interesting pieces. Robbie and Stan act out real interviews from Harding and Gillooly that were conducted by Steven Rogers prior to filming, and occasionally our main characters will break the fourth wall and describe their points of view on the situation instead to the audience. This adds so many different layers to what could’ve been just a normal biography. It’s equal parts tragic and hilarious and is very self-aware of the story it’s telling. They milk every aspect of it and leave you wanting more.