"RED LIGHTS", "ARBITRAGE" & "ROBOT AND FRANK" GARNERING BUZZ AT SUNDANCE

Still from Red Lights

Filmed partly in Toronto, Director Rodrigo Cortés' Red Lights is getting a fair amount of positive buzz out of the Sundance Film Festival.  Described as "campy" and "over-the-top" by New York Magazine, the Thriller starring Sigourney Weaver, Elizabeth Olsen, Cillian Murphy and Robert DeNiro is about a Psychologist and her Assistant who study Paranormal Activity, being led to a world-renowned Psychic in Barcelona.  Alliance Films has picked-up this one, although there still isn't a set release date.  Will we be seeing this one at TIFF this September?

Richard Gere is no stranger to covering-up a secret or two. In 2002's Chicago, he played Billy Flynn - a top Lawyer hired to defend to Murderesses and also that year he starred in Unfaithful as a Husband who murders his Wife's Lover, rolling him up in a rug and throwing him in garbage dump.  Gere is gaining a ton of buzz at Sundance so far with his latest Drama, Arbitrage, which has him not only concealing his some financial wrong-doings at work, but also the death of his Mistress.  Juicy.  The New York Post also is raving that this juts might be the Actor's best performance ever.

Frank Langella and James Marsden star in Robot and Frank, a futuristic Comedy about and aged former-Jewel Thief whose Son employs a Robot to spend time with him.  New York Magazine already is calling the Film a "gem".

UPDATE: Abritrage was sold to Lionsgate Films and Roadside Attractions on January 25, 2012 for a reported $2.5 million. This might mean that Alliance Films will be distributing in Canada, seeing that they acquired Maple Pictures last year, which had a direct deal with Lionsgate.

(Photo credit: Nostromo Pictures)

ALL GOOD THINGS - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from All Good Things

The thing about Crime-Thriller All Good Things is that it could have been exceptional. The Cast and Acting are there, the Story is intriguing enough and Director Andrew Jarecki is more than capable of making a great Film - but it all falls flat.

Based on facts and evidence (old and new) surrounding a series suspicious disappearances and deaths spanning 1972 to 2003, the Story centers around David Marks (Ryan Gosling), Son of New York City Real Estate giant Sanford Marks (Frank Langella). David is a troubled type who displays obsessive tendencies and a need to please his demanding Father.  As a Child, he witnessed his own Mother's death and never fully recovers from the tragedy.  Somewhat of a Black Sheep, Mark also never really lives up to the high expectations his Father has of him, despite his incessant need to please him.  He meets Katie McCarthy (Kirsten Dunst) who is renting one of his Father's properties and falls in love with her. 

Genuinely in love with David, Katie realizes trouble is ahead when she becomes pregnant - without his support - and gradually it comes to light that The Markses might actually be involved in underhanded dealings. Their relationship becomes increasingly toxic and co-dependent.  Katie finds herself unable to leave David and is reliant on his funding her Medical School ambitions. Likewise, David is dependent on Katie, who feeds his obsession with control.   All good things come to an end as progressively their relationship becomes violent with David becoming threatened by Katie's success. 

Katie disappears, but despite all signs pointing to David being her Murderer, we wonder how it is that to this day he has avoided Conviction. From there, the Story cuts to the early 2000s where additional facts and evidence have been uncovered to warrant a re-opening of Katie's case.  We learn that David Marks, who today is a free man, might well be a ruthless Serial Killer with his ex-Wife possibly not being his only Victim.