The Sundance Film Festival is in full swing and I’ve gathered a number of reviews around the web. The first is for Rodrigo Cortés‘ Buried, the Ryan Reynolds indie vehicle (clip and teaser here). The next is for Cyrus, directed by the Duplass Brothers and starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei and Catherine Keener. Check out the trailer for that here and the review round-up below.
James Wallace‘s 9 out of 10 review (via Gordon and the Whale):
It is minimalist filmmaking at its best, stripping away all convention, returning the currently-fleeting suspense genre to its Hitchcockian roots. From its commentary on government, terrorism, corporate greed, and the endurance of the human mind, BURIED keeps you completely immersed for every single second of its 94 minute runtime, never leaving the box it takes place in but always thinking outside of it.
Neil Miller (via Film School Rejects)
The ultimate takeaway from a film such as Buried is in the potential shown by director Rodrigo Cortés. His willingness to stick to the guns of the script and keep us inside the coffin with Paul through the entire movie is very bold, and it works to set up the environment.
Katey Rich (via Cinema Blend)
Despite its masterfully controlled tension and emotional pull, Buried doesn’t quite feel like a full-fledged movie, and might not work so well for audience who paid their $12 without the bonus of a Ryan Reynolds Q&A at the end. But suspense junkies and aspiring filmmakers will be forced to marvel at how on earth these guys pulled it off, and even someone who comes into the movie hoping for something bigger will find their heart racing by the end. With a star like Reynolds in the lead and what’s sure to be a lot of nerdy buzz coming out of Sundance, Buried will likely be showing up in theaters sometime soon; go in prepared for a clever cinematic experiment, ignore the little flaws, and be rewarded.
Peter Sciretta‘s 9 out of 10 review (via /Film)
For me this film works on every level. It achieves so much with so little. It is not only an amazing example of what minimalistic filmmaking can accomplish, but it is a great film in its own right. I have no idea if people will see it – or want to see it. The sell might/could be hard — it’s such a crazy concept, and I can understand why people might think this film could/would be boring. But this is the type of film that you show all your friends. I could definitely see this being the next word-of-mouth viral blockbuster, following in Paranormal Activity’s footsteps.
Alex Billington‘s 9.5 out of 10 review (via First Showing)
There’s really no way to compare Buried to anything else because it’s such a unique film. It stands on its own as a piece of incredible filmmaking that will be talked about for years to come. See this the first chance you get.
Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Buried is currently being bid on by Lionsgate and Fox Searchlight. Expect to hear final buying news soon considering the critical response (check here for instant updates).
Peter Knegt (via Indiewire)
The bizarrely hilarious, largely improvised dark comedy follows John (Reilly), a down-on-his luck film editor whose life takes a significant and strange turn when he becomes romantically involved with Molly (Tomei), a woman with an unusually close bond with her 21-year old son Cyrus (Hill). Their antics had the audience in hysterics, and the film received a very warm round of applause as the Duplasses and their cast took the stage.
Tim Grierson (via Screendaily)
A very unusual romantic triangle powers the narrative engine for Cyrus, the Duplass brothers’ peculiar and memorable third film. Executive produced by Tony and Ridley Scott and featuring a higher-profile cast than their previous comedies, Cyrus pours the idiosyncratic spirit of the Jay and Mark Duplass’ previous micro-budget indies into the world of broad studio comedies, resulting in plentiful laughs and some truly poignant moments.
Drew McWeeny (via HitFix)
Shot with a simple, austere eye and elegantly constructed, “Cyrus” was a complete knockout, and Fox Searchlight will figure out how to sell this to the general public in a very big way. What’s great is that Mark and Jay Duplass seem to have proven that they can work for the studios in a way that makes them happy, that allows them to make their movies, and that will reward the faith of the studios with genuinely great commercial fare. Win. Win. Win. There’s no date yet set for “Cyrus,” but there will be soon. I loved it.
Anne Thompson (via Indiewire)
Mark and Jay Duplass did not disappoint with Fox Searchlight-backed Cyrus, a bizarre, intimate, unpredictable family drama that is believable, real and often hilarious. Jonah Hill steps up a notch in the title role as a pampered mother’s boy who freaks when his mom (Marisa Tomei) brings home a new boyfriend (Reilly). The Duplasses have not betrayed their Mumblecore roots: they still employ a loose hand-held HD camera approach.
Peter Sciretta (via /Film)
Cyrus is one of my favorite films of the festival thus far, and I’d venture to say John C Reilly’s funniest performance since Boogie Nights. It’s probably the most laughs I’ve heard in a Sundance movie in a couple years. We sat a few rows in front of Danny McBride and Jody Hill (director of Observe & Report), and I could hear both of them laughing throughout.
Fox Searchlight has Cyrus, but has not announced a theatrical date yet.
Do you want to see these films when they hit theaters? What other Sundance films are you excited about?