A little over a year ago, I interviewed filmmaker Will Prescott as he set out on an ambitious Kickstarter campaign. He wanted to raise the majority of his budget through crowdfunding in order to produce and direct his first feature film . . . and that’s exactly what he did! Check out Fanboy Comics’ original interview with Will here.

The Way, Way, Back stars Liam James as Duncan, a young, quiet teen grappling with identity issues and lacking a strong sense of self. To his detriment, his mother Pam (Toni Collette) is in a semi-serious relationship with Trent (Steve Carell). Yes, this time around, Steve Carell basically plays a jerk. Trent lacks a strong sense of self, like Duncan, but as an adult, he uses his status to talk down to Duncan and pretty much everyone around him. Despite Duncan’s lack of enthusiasm on the matter, he, his mom, sister, and Trent head down to Trent’s beach house for a hopeful summer of relaxation and fun.

In 1445, an alien crash lands on American soil. Hurt, the alien plants a protective force field around all of the Americas that will stay in place until help arrives. Five hundred years later, the world as we know it has changed: Hitler wins WWII and takes over the entire world, except for the Americas, a land no one has been able to penetrate, let alone colonize.

Ten-year-old Timmy loves Halloween more than any other kid on his block. In fact, he loves Halloween so much, he wishes it was year round. But, when new neighbors move into the scariest house on the block, Timmy better be careful what he wishes for. He realizes he must use all of his resources to stop his new, otherworldly neighbors from handing out candy that turns children into monsters.

Mud is the latest film written and directed by Jeff Nichols. Nichols wrote and directed 2007’s Shotgun Stories and 2011’s Take Shelter (one of my favorite Sundance movies from that year). Nichols has proven that he understands character, and Mud, a true bildungsroman, is no exception. Two impressionable teenage boys living in the rural South discover a fugitive hiding out in marshland, and they agree to help reunite him with his true love.

The Lifeguard is written and directed by Liz W. Garcia. Garcia has a background in television where she co-produced for Cold Case and executive produced for Memphis Beat. The Lifeguard is her directorial debut. The film stars Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Veronica Mars) as Leigh, a former valedictorian who quits her reporter job in New York City and returns to Connecticut to live with her parents.

A housewife stuck in a suburban rut seeks to spice up her life. Sound familiar? Perhaps. But, the 2013 Sundance film Afternoon Delight deserves a deeper examination. The film stars Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan, Girls) as Rachel, a suburban housewife living in Los Angeles. She is a dutiful mother to her toddler daughter and a committed wife to husband Jeff (Josh Radnor, How I Met Your Mother). It’s clear, though, that restlessness is just under the surface as Rachel visits regularly with psychologist Lenore (Jane Lynch, GLEE) and finds little solace in Lenore’s guidance.

After viewing the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice and, specifically, the scene where Mr. Darcy, a.k.a. Colin Firth, dives into the pond outside his Pemberley estate in Derbyshire England, have you ever wished you could visit a fantasy Pemberley, complete with a fantasy Darcy and a fantasy pond scene?

I mentioned in a previous post that Don Jon’s Addiction was acquired for $4 million with a whopping $25 million P&A (Prints & Advertising) commitment by Relativity Media for an expected summer release.

Here’s why I think that commitment could very well pay off for Relativity Media:

My 2013 Sundance trip has already come and gone. In six days, I saw 13 movies, and my company hosted 3 events. I made it to 1 party, got lost on 1 bus, and almost missed 1 screening. I officially missed out on 1 movie that I had a ticket to and didn’t get to see, but it wasn’t on my original list to begin with, so I think I did pretty well!