Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Hedgehog’s Home is a stop-motion animation delight.

The Film follows the story of a hedgehog and his friends in the forest. All have homes but only one is happy to have it, the hedgehog. The other animals are unable to understand why the hedgehog can love being in his own home. The animation is visually stunning, the moral is heartwarming and the narration brings back a feeling of childhood fairytales.

Hedgehog’s Home screens before White Fang at the Sundance Film Festival before White Fang on Jan. 21 at 11:30AM at Prospector, Jan. 21 at 6PM at SLC Library, and Jan. 27 at 3:30PM at Redstone 1.

By Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

It’s day three at the Sundance Film Festival and the snow has come, hard. Roads were backlogged and the temperatures hit below zero but that didn’t stop anything from happening at the Festival. The Films were still playing, the stars were still out and most important fans were flocking to theatres.

Some of the Films having their premieres tonight in Park City are Colette, TYREL, Sorry To Bother You, Yardie and Wildlife. Colette is about a young woman, played by Keira Knightly, in Paris who writes novels and gets them published under her husbands name. TYREL is about a man who begins to panic when he realized he is the only black person at a birthday weekend party in a secluded cabin. It stars Jason Mitchell, Christopher Abbot, Ann Dowd, Michael Cera and Caleb Landry Jones.  Sorry To Bother You follows a black Telemarketer who discovers a magical key to professional success which propels him into a macaber universe. It stars Tessa Thompson, Terry Crews, Armie Hammer and Keith Stanfield. Yardie is the directorial debut from Idris Elba about a young boy who witnesses his brother’s assassination and ten years later is sent on a mission to London. And Wildlife is the directorial debut of Paul Dano who co-wrote the script with Zoe Kazan, which is adapted from the Richard Ford Novel of the same name. Its described solely as a portrait of a family in crisis and stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan as husband and wife.

But the stars aren’t only attending premieres they are also walking along Main Street in Park City doing press or grabbing a bite to eat. There were plenty of stars sitting on that strip such as Jane Fonda, Craig Robinson, Common, Chloë Sevigny, Luke Wilson, Jim Parsons and much more. It’s only day three there is just over a week more to go but this Festival shows no signs of slowing down!

See some of our Snaps. Hover left and right to navigate slideshow:

#Sundance star sightings by our @GilmoreAmanda! Swipe left for more! 1. #DenisOHare 2. #Common 3. #CraigRobinson 4. #ChloeSevigny 5. #HaleyJoelOsment

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 🏮 (@mrwillwong) on Jan 20, 2018 at 8:32pm PST

(Photo credit: Amanda Gilmore)

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

The Catcher Was A Spy follows the true story of Boston RedSox catcher Moe Berg (Paul Rudd) who also worked for the Office of Strategic Services and was sent to kill Werner Heisenberg (Mark Strong) for possibly making a nuclear bomb.

The Film brings together an impressive and talented Cast consisting of Rudd, Strong, Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Jeff Daniels and Paul Giamatti. They all do a great job of bringing their characters to life but none more so then Daniels who steals every scene he’s in. This is also Rudd like you’ve never seen him. Playing a character unlike he ever has before. And he effortlessly disappears into Berg. It’s a compelling story that Director Ben Lewin and Screenwriter Robert Rodat turn into a strong Film.

The Catcher Was A Spy screens at Sundance on Jan. 19 at 8:30PM at The MARC PC, Jan. 24 at 6:30PM at Eccles PC, Jan. 25 at 9AM at Eccles PC, Jan. 27 at 5:30PM at The MARC PC, and Jan. 28 at 6:15PM at The Grand SLC.

By Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Mandy is one of the Films in the Midnight cateogory at Sundance this year. Its directed by Panos Cosmatos and stars Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough and Linus Roache. It follows outsiders Red Miller (Cage) and Mandy Bloom (Riseborough) who live a loving and peaceful life. But when their haven gets savagely destroyed by cult leader Jeremiah Sand (Roache), Red seeks bloody vengeance. Director Cosmatos and both stars Cage and Roache were on hand at the Sundance Film Festival today for their junket. The three joke privately amongst each other and with journalists while speaking passionately about Mandy.

Q: Nicolas and Linus could you talk about how you got attached to this project and why you wanted to be apart of it? And Panos can you speak about why you wanted to make this Film?

A: Cage: I wanted to work with Panos I saw Behind The Black Rainbow I thought it was powerfully unique, a world unto itself, visionary, artistic, hallucinogenic. And I felt that to be able to play a man with the pathos of Red Miller in that kind of world would give me something that I had never done before.

Roache: I saw Black Rainbow after I read the script and saw the character that Panos had created it was an opportunity to kind of explore the outer limits of the male ego in all its grandiosity and pompous and outrageous violence. It was a gift of a role to be given. And to get to work with Nick was a Bucket List dream come true. So it couldn’t have been a better opportunity for me.

Cosmatos: I stated writing Mandy at the same time that I was writing Black Rainbow which was after the death of my father. Which was compounded on top of the death of my mother which I had suppressed and not dealt with. So I realized I had to face these things or I was going to be eaten alive. So I started writing Black Rainbow and Mandy at the same time and it wasn’t on purpose, but I realized in retrospect that they are both articulating two separate parts of the same thing. Black Rainbow deals a lot with control and I think I was a representation of me pushing in my emotions and feeling trapped. And Mandy is the opposite of that which is releasing all these emotions, its a very outward expression of those feelings. I’ve said that Black Rainbow is like an inhale and Mandy and exhale. But because of the feelings I was working through I became very obsessed with the theme of revenge at that time. Because it can be a very cathartic genre. I wanted to make a revenge movie that centered around the person that was being avenged as much as the avenger. I feel in the Film Mandy is ritually-killed because of the male ego and in the Film she is sort of reborn as an extension of her inner world. She is almost reborn as a Goddess and Red becomes like the Demigod.

Q: How was working with Andrea Riseborough?

A: Roache: Oh my God she’s amazing.

Cosmatos: I think Andrea is one of the greatest actresses of her generation, she’s a chameleon. I have been having people come up to me and telling me that they didn’t realize it was Andrea playing Mandy until about three-quarters of the way through.

Roache: I just had this one very intense scene with her and it was wonderful to do. But last night seeing the movie it kind of blew my mind that she represents all the different facets of the feminine. She’s like the mothers, the sisters, the daughters, she the lover. And it’s great.

Cosmatos: There are certain things in this film that are rooted way back in my past. Mandy to me is, when I was a kid there was a shitty fair in our town called the JC Fair, there was this stall that was selling ZZ Top wallets. There was this lady that was selling all the wallets and she was like a metal head who wore glasses. And for some reason I just fell in love with her. When I walked away I forgot the wallet and she called after me and my heart leaped. And I turned around and she said “you forgot your f***ing wallet.” I had an idea of Mandy in my head and I don’t think that Mandy was complete until Andrea come along.

Roache: But also as a woman though she brought the brokenness of her, the scar of the face, and that this woman was so warm and vulnerable. And almost otherworldly, like living in a fantasy world. Andrea really caught the, she sort of, she just did it unashamedly, there was no vanity in it. There was no “look at me.”

Cosmatos: Mandy is like the outsider looking out, I like characters like that.

There is no set release date yet for Mandy but more information can be found here.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

You Were Never Really Here follows traumatized veteran Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) whose job of tracking down a missing girl goes bad and a conspiracy is uncovered.

Phoenix is a force of nature as the tormented and violent Joe. With minimal dialogue Phoenix is forced the used his expressions and body language to display what Joe is feeling. And the range he displays in this Film is a tremendous feat. From being a caring son taking care of his mother, to a broken man still traumatized from his childhood and war, and then the killing machine he becomes to save missing girls.

The character of Joe is written unapologetically by Writer-Director Lynne Ramsey who also directs the Film with fearlessness. What also makes You Were Never Really Here special is that Ramsey has crafted a Hitman Thriller that is a character study, rather than one solely about violence.

You Were Never Really Here screens at Sundance on Jan. 19 at 9:15PM at The Grand SLC, Jan. 21 at 8:30PM at The MARC PC, Jan. 23 at 11:45PM at The Egyptian PC, and Jan. 27 at 6PM at PC Library.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Beast is a compelling Thriller about a young woman (Jessie Buckley) who falls for a mysterious outsider (Johnny Flynn) who becomes a suspect in a series of violent murders.

Writer-Director Michael Pearce crafts an ambitious and impressive first Feature. He creates steady suspense throughout with his direction until the explosive climax. Pearce writes extremely complex characters that swerve in and out of protagonists and antagonists.

These characters evolve over the course of the Film due to the tremendous cast. Buckley is a magnetic force playing the perplexing Moll who brings her character from quiet and refrained to assertive and uninhibited effortlessly. While Flynn makes his Pascal a humorous, mysterious and often questionable man. The pairing of Buckley and Flynn is golden and enhances the compelling script.

Beast screens at Sundance on Jan. 19 at 6PM at Tower SLC, Jan. 22 at 3PM at Sundance Resort, Jan. 23 at 6PM at PC Library, and Jan. 27 at 10PM at Redstone 2 PC.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Kailash tells the inspiring story of Kailash Satyarthi who had made it his life’s mission to end child slavery. The Documentary follows the work of Satyarthi from the beginning stages up until last year. But what makes this Doc so special is that it also tells us first-hand the stories of survivors of Child Slavery.

Director Derek Doneen balances facts, Kailash’s life and the lives of children equally. This Documentary educates and will affect heavily its audience. Leaving them inspired to make change themselves.

Kailash screens at Sundance on Jan. 18 at 5:30PM at The MARC PC, Jan. 19 at 9AM at PC Library, Jan. 19 at 9PM at Sundance Resort, Jan. 20 at 12:30PM at Rose Wagner SLC, Jan. 24 at 12PM at Temple PC, and Jan. 25 at 9:30PM at Redstone 1 PC.

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE is showing no signs of stopping! It stays on-top a third straight week with $20.8 million from 3,704 theatres for Sony Pictures, a total $317 million grossed domestically over five weeks.

In second in its debut is 12 STRONG with $15.4 million from 3,002 theatres for Warner Bros. Starring Michael Shannon and Chris Hemsworth, the post-9/11 Drama gets a 56% on the Tomatometer but an A CinemaScore.

In third also is another new release in DEN OF THIEVES with $13.5 million from 2,432 theatres for STX Entertainment/VVS Films. It gets a 38% score on the Tomatometer  and a B+ CinemaScore.

Oscar Contender THE POST is in fourth for 20th Century Fox with $12.4 million. Over five weeks it has grossed $45 million in North America.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN lands in fifth with $10.9 million showing longevity, having made $113 million in its run this far for 20th Century Fox.

FOREVER MY GIRL makes its debut rounding-out the Top Ten with $4.1 million from 1,115 theatres for Roadside Attractions/Elevation Pictures. It gets 18% on the Tomatometer.

By Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

It’s day two here at Sundance Film Festival and the momentum is building quickly. Main Street in Park City is buzzing with parties day and night. One of the main hotspots was the Sundance TV Kickoff Party where we spotted the likes of Terry Crews and Dominic Cooper. Moments after, a much in-the-news Ashley Judd was seen in the vicinity stopping for a Selfie.

It isn’t only the parties that are warming-up a snowy Park City, it’s also the starpower. Several Red Carpets took place including American Animals, a Heist Thriller starring Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan; Don’t Worry He Wont Get Far On Foot directed by Gus Van Sant (Milk, Elephant) and starring Jonah Hill and Joaquin Phoenix about a disabled rights Activist John Callahan who turns to drawing after becoming paralyzed; Lizzie starring Producer Chloe Sevigny and Kristen Stewart which is said to be Beautiful Creatures-like and based on the Borden Family murders; and Mandy starring Nicolas Cage as a man hunting a religious sect which killed his wife, all premiered tonight in Park City.

See the Teaser for the new Van Sant Film below:

Wait until you get to know John Callahan.

Get your first look at Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot​, starring Joaquin Phoenix, @JonahHill​, Rooney Mara and Jack Black​. Directed by Gus Van Sant.

In select theaters May 11. #DWHWGFOF pic.twitter.com/Sigc28D7V4

— Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot (@dontworrymovie) January 16, 2018

Sevigny at Sundance with Lizzie:

Chloe Sevigny is premiering her flick #Lizzie at #Sundance! https://t.co/MHWQtk74ju

— JustJared.com (@JustJared) January 20, 2018

Salt Lake City also is booming with that Sundance spirit! It saw a Premiere for You Were Never Really Here which stars Sundance “It Boy” Phoenix. This is the Film for which he won Best Actor at Cannes last year, premiering at The Grand Theatre. Director Lynne Ramsay was in attendance.

 Stay tuned for more!

(Photo credit: Amanda Gilmore)

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Blindspotting tells the tale of Collin (Daveed Diggs) in his final three days of parole and his hotheaded best friend Miles (Rafael Casal).

What is special about Blindspotting is that it tackles the issues of race relations in a unique way. The script, written by Diggs and Casal, flips back and forth between Comedy and Drama. One minute audiences will be laughing at the Buddy Comedy it seems to be, but then hit hard with the reality of race relations in America. Not only does Diggs and Casal do a great job of writing the script but also breathing life into their fully developed characters. There isn’t a second where you don’t believe the two haven’t been friends their entire lives. And you feel for them just as much as you question their mistakes. Top the script and performances off with energetic direction from Carlos Lopez Estrada and this is a Film not to be missed.

Blindspotting screens at Sundance on Jan. 18 at 5:30PM at Eccles PC, Jan. 19 at 9:30AM at The Ray PC, Jan. 20 at 9:15PM at The Grand SLC, Jan. 24 at 6PM at PC Library and Jan. 25 11:45PM at The Egyptian PC.