“Plainclothes”
Director: Carmen Emmi
Cast: Tom Blyth, Russell Tovey, Maria Dizzia, Christian Cooke, Gabe Fazio, Amy Forsyth
Premiere Date: Sunday, January 26
Lowdown: A longtime industry veteran, Emmi’s directorial debut finds Blyth as an undercover cop tasked with arresting gay men for soliciting sex in public bathrooms. Set in the ’90s in Syracuse, New York, Blyth’s character has a personal crisis when he falls for one of his targets, portrayed by Tovey. Acquisition Title
“The Wedding Banquet”
Director: Andrew Ahn
Cast: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, Youn Yuh-jung.
Premiere Date: Monday, January 27
Lowdown: Ahn’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed Hulu hit “Fire Island” finds him reunited with Yang as they remake Ang Lee’s 1993 comedy classic. This isn’t hitting theaters for almost three months, so it seems obvious that everyone involved is pretty confident it will go over well. Plus, Gladstone in a comedy? Sign us up! Bleecker Street, Opens In Theaters April 18
“The Ballad of Wallis Island”
Director: James Griffiths
Cast: Tom Basden, Tim Key, Sian Clifford, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Carey Mulligan
Premiere Date: Sunday, January 26
Lowdown: Griffiths is a veteran television director who has helmed everything from “Bad Sisters” to “Black-ish.” Word is this British comedy about a lottery winner who tries to reunite his favorite singing duo is a crowd-pleaser. The trailer also just dropped. Focus Features, Opens in theaters March 28
“Love, Brooklyn”
Director: Rachael Abigail Holder
Cast: André Holland, Nicole Beharie, DeWanda Wise, Roy Wood Jr., Cassandra Freeman, Cadence Reese
Premiere Date: Monday, January 27
Lowdown: Holland is rumored to deliver another incredible performance for the second Sundance in a row after last year’s drama “Exhibiting Forgiveness.” This U.S. Dramatic Competition selection follows three characters who navigate love and life as Brooklyn is increasingly gentrified. Acquisition Title
“Last Days”
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Sky Yang, Radhika Apte, Naveen Andrews, Ken Leung, Toby Wallace, Ciara
Premiere Date: Tuesday, January 28
Lowdown: The last time Lin debuted a movie at a major film festival it was Sundance and 2007’s mockumentary “Finishing The Game.” He returns to Park City for the third time with a rare independent project after spending most of the past two decades making Hollywood studios billions with one action flick after another. “Last Days” is a departure for him as it chronicles the story of John Allen Chau (Yang), a Christian missionary who tried to make contact with the Sentinelese, a tribal group living in isolation in the Indian Ocean. Google at your peril. Acquisition Title
