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“Worst birthday ever” doesn’t begin to cover the magnitude of what befalls our protagonist in “Goran.” Fast-rising Croatian helmer Nevio Marasovic’s third professional feature — he’s made a well-received fourth, “Comic Sans,” since this one premiered at Fantasia nearly two years ago — is not so much a psychological thriller as an emotional horror movie, in which the title character’s fortunes go from bad to unimaginably worse. Holding its poker face to the bitter end, this is a black comedy whose slow burn nonetheless eventually leaves no one unconsumed by the flame of cruel fate. Uncork’d is giving it a limited U.S. theatrical release starting this Friday.

Goran (Franjo Dijak) is an uncomplicated guy who enjoys drinking (maybe a little too often), driving a cab (in a podunk town where it’s scarcely needed) and hanging out with bestie Slavko (Goran Bogdan) at a cabin where...

Kate Plays ChristineThe lineup for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, taking place between January 21 -31, has been announced.U.S. Dramatic COMPETITIONAs You Are (Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, USA): As You Are is the telling and retelling of a relationship between three teenagers as it traces the course of their friendship through a construction of disparate memories prompted by a police investigation. Cast: Owen Campbell, Charlie Heaton, Amandla Stenberg, John Scurti, Scott Cohen, Mary Stuart Masterson. World Premiere The Birth of a Nation (Nate Parker, USA): Set against the antebellum South, this story follows Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner, accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. After witnessing countless atrocities against fellow slaves, Nat devises a plan to lead his people to freedom. Cast: Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley, Gabrielle Union, Mark Boone Jr. World PremiereChristine (Antonio Campos,...

The Sundance Film institute has released the line-up of film for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Going to Sundance is one of my favorite events of the year. I love going because you never know what kind of movies you're going to see. Sometimes they are great films that amaze and entertain, other times they completely suck ass, but that's all part of the fun of going to the festival. It's an awesome experience for any hardcore movie geek, and if you ever get a chance to go, you need to.

The event takes place in Park City, Utah next year from January 21st to the 31st. It looks like there's a great line-up of movies at next year's event. My favorite portion of the event is the Midnight section because it deals more with geeky genre type movies, but I also enjoy the various sections of other line-ups.

Some of...

In last year’s section which included Ariel Kleiman’s Partisan and Anne Sewitsky’s Homesick, it was John Maclean’s debut Slow West claimed the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, Alanté Kavaïté’s The Summer of Sangailé landed the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic, Umrika was the audience’s won the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic. In this year’s dozen offerings we have names we normally associate with Cannes in The Misfortunates‘ Felix van Groeningen (Belgica), The Other Side of Sleep‘s Rebecca Daly (Mammal – see pic above) and A Stray Girlfriend‘s Ana Katz (Mi Amiga del Parque). Here are the selections.

Belgica / Belgium, France, Netherlands (Director: Felix van Groeningen, Screenwriters: Felix van Groeningen, Arne Sierens) — In the midst of Belgium’s nightlife scene, two brothers start a bar and get swept up in its success.Cast: Stef Aerts, Tom Vermeir, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Hélène De Vos. World Premiere.

Titles include Tallulah starring Ellen Page and Allison Janney, and Chad Hartigan’s Morris From America (pictured); Next strand also announced.Scroll down for full list

Sundance Institute has announced the 65 films selected for the Us Competition, World Competition and out-of-competition Next categories set to screen at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival (Jan 21-31) in Park City.

Us Dramatic Competition selections include Sian Heder’s Tallulah with Ellen Page and Allison Janney; Antonio Campos’ Christine; Clea DuVall’s feature directorial debut The Intervention; and Richard Tanne’s Southside With You, about Barack Obama’s first date with the First Lady.

Among the Us Documentary Competition selections are: Holy Hell by undisclosed; Jeff Feuerzeig’s Author: The Jt LeRoy Story; and Sara Jordenö’s Kiki.

The World Cinema Dramatic Competition entries include: Belgica (Belgium-France-Netherlands), Felix van Groeningen’s follow-up to The Broken Circle Breakdown; Manolo Cruz and Carlos del Castillo’s Between Sea And Land (Colombia); and Nicolette Krebitz’s Wild...

Chicago – Ole Bornedal’s “Deliver Us From Evil” is a superb B-movie that occasionally threatens to become something more substantial. It has the misfortune of being saddled with one of the most overused titles of recent years, though I am certain no one will be confusing it with Amy Berg’s brutal yet vital 2006 documentary on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Bornedal’s film is brutally dark yet also darkly humorous.

From the very first fade-in to the last droll frame, the picture is awash in the desaturated colors and harshly lensed grime that are commonplace in Danish cinema, which seems to perpetually exist beneath a dark cloud. An oddly inviting narrator sets up the action in deceptively peaceful western Jutland, while hinting at its more malicious undertones. There’s a memorable early moment when devoted mother Pernille (Lene Nystrøm) attempts to teach her children that there are no evil people,...

A father returns to his old hometown with his young family. Events force him to face the small town's xenophobia Click here to read our french "Deliver Us From Evil" review, directed by Ole Bornedal, with Lasse Rimmer, Lene Nystrøm, Mogens Peterson, Jens Andersen, Bojan Navojec, Fanny Bornedal starring. A rock'n'roll vampire spoof about a down and out band, The Winners, who will do anything for a record deal. When their disgruntled manager tells them that they are getting .long in the tooth., he doesn't know that his words are truly prophetic. During a road trip, their humdrum image radically changes when Jennifer (Jessica Paré), the bass player, disappears one night with a hip vampire. She emerges with a sexually charged charisma that drives the audiences wild. Click here to...

The Danger After Dark film festival will host a series of horror and action thrillers at this years event. Included in the line-up are Big Tits Zombie 3-D, The Life and Death of a Porno Gang, RoboGeisha and Ole Bornedal's Dutch language film Fri Os Fra Det Onde (Deliver Us From Evil). The festival begins July 9th and Deliver Us from Evil involves a deadly auto accident and one man's desperate attempt to cover up the crime by blaming another. Have a watch of the trailer for the film in what is surely to be one of the best at the film festival.

A description of the film here:

"Deliver Us from Evil opens on a deserted coastal road as the film's narrator, a garishly dressed young woman, quickly introduces us to the film's principal characters. They include Anna, the angelic wife of the town's unofficial mayor, Ingvar,...