“Dead Lover”
I’m a simple woman: I hear of a Sundance Midnight entrant that follows “a lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses,” I plan to see that film. Grace Glowicki writes, directs, and stars in her second feature, “Dead Lover,” in which she plays the aforementioned stinky heroine. If Glowicki’s acclaimed first feature, “Tito,” is any indication, she loves to put on a bunch of makeup and get weird, and “Dead Lover” seems like no exception. In my humble opinion, that’s what the Midnight section should really be about. Per Sundance, “From disco to German Expressionism to sketch comedy to Bugs Bunny, ‘Dead Lover’ draws on countless inspirations spanning a century of creative influences to manifest an exciting, new cinematic fever dream.” Sold! —LW
Release Date: January 24 at Sundance
“Didn’t Die”
Prolific TV director Meera Menon (“Ms. Marvel,” “Westworld”) returns to the big screen after a nine-year hiatus with “Didn’t Die,” a black-and-white homage to George Romero in which a podcaster tries to maintain her audience during the zombie apocalypse. After nearly a decade away from features, the “Farah Goes Bang” and “Equity” director returns to Sundance with this low-budget, black-and-white thriller starring Kiran Deol (“Sunnyside”) and George Basil (“Crashing”). Playing on pandemic-era quarantine anxiety and capitalizing on America’s never-ending love affair with zombies? Sounds like a winning formula to us. —LW
Release Date: January 28 at Sundance
“Die, My Love”
When will my Lynne Ramsay return from war? This year, god willing! The director of The Playlist’s number-one movie of 2017 (“You Were Never Really Here”) has been away far too long, so it’s great news that she’s in post-production as we speak. The project is “Die, My Love,” adapted from the novel of the same name by Ariana Harwicz, in which a new mother struggles with postpartum depression and psychosis. Jennifer Lawrence plays the lead, alongside Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield, Sissy Spacek, and Nick Nolte. Shot in 35mm by cinematographer Seamus McGarvey (“Nocturnal Animals,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin”) and produced by none other than Martin Scorsese, this one is bound for a major awards push after a big-deal festival release. Maybe we’ll finally get Lynne a freakin’ Oscar nomination… —LW
Release Date: Filming wrapped last fall, so keep an eye on Cannes or Venice.
“Elio”
Pixar director Domee Shi knocked it out of the park with her debut “Turning Red,” so it’s no surprise that she’s been trusted with another feature — “Elio,” which she co-directed with Madeline Sharafian (“Burrow”). Shi and Sharafian took the project over from “Coco” writer and co-director Adrian Molina. The film follows Elio, an 11-year-old who accidentally becomes the intergalactic ambassador of Earth. Yonas Kibreab voices Elio, and he’s joined by Jameela Jamil, Brad Garrett, and Zoe Saldaña. The latest trailer looks deeply adorable, so we’re excited to see this alien-obsessed kid finally hit the big screen. —LW
Release Date: June 13 via Disney
“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
Was “Five Nights at Freddy’s” good? Not really. But it made its budget back more than tenfold, and it was pretty fun. So we’re down to see what the first film’s director, Emma Tammi, has in store for the sequel, which will welcome back Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to once again create the franchise’s iconic animatronics. Joining those creatures are the first film’s stars: Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa, and Matthew Lillard as William Afton. I’m personally hoping they scale down the plot for this one and focus more on some good ol’ fashioned creep-outs. —LW
Release Date: December 5 via Universal
“Folktales”
“Jesus Camp” co-directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady are returning to Sundance with another documentary chronicling niche adolescent experiences. “Folktales” centers on a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway, where students learn to rely on little more than a pack of sled dogs and their own prowess in order to survive conditions on the edge of the world. The “Love Fraud” and “Endangered” filmmakers are longtime Sundance darlings, including in their solo work — Ewing made waves with her acclaimed 2020 narrative debut “I Carry You With Me.” Seeing these filmmakers return to their roots and learn more about such a unique way of life should be fun. —LW
Release Date: January 25 at Sundance
“Freakier Friday”
This year, “Late Night” director Nisha Gantara will capitalize on millennial nostalgia with “Freakier Friday,” a sequel to Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan’s 2003 body-swap hit. They got everybody back for this thing: Curtis, Lohan, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal Mitchell and Haley Hudson as Lohan’s BFFs, Ryan Malgarini as Lohan’s younger brother, Lucille Soong and Rosalind Chao as the Chinese restaurant proprietors — everybody. Manny Jacinto and Julia Butters (“The Fabelmans”) are joining the fray, too. The jury’s out on whether this be a cynical cash grab or a genuinely lovely stroll down memory lane, but it’s nice to see “Dollface” creator Jordan Weiss behind the screenplay, and it’s sweet that they were able to get the whole gang back together. It’ll be a solid win if this soundtrack is half as iconic as the first movie’s. —LW
Release Date: August 8 via Disney
“Freaky Tales”
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck undoubtedly got a good payday for directing “Captain Marvel” back in 2019, but the “Half Nelson” and “Mississippi Grind” duo went back to their indie roots for “Freaky Tales,” which premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival but gets a wide release this spring. This ensemble action comedy takes place in 1987 Oakland and stars Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis (“Insecure”), Normani, Ben Mendelsohn, and Angus Cloud, among others. The film follows four different stories that all take place on the same day — a device that, per our own Marshall Shaffer, somewhat makes up for the otherwise disjointed narrative. Ah, well. Even if “Freaky Tales” isn’t perfect, everybody’s always up for some good Pedro Pascal. —LW
Release Date: April 4 via Lionsgate
“Girls on Wire”
Vivian Qu (“Trap Street”) directs this drama about Tian Tian, a single mother of a five-year-old daughter, who kills a drug dealer and is then pursued for vengeance. The only person she can turn to for help is her female cousin, Fang Di.
Release Date: Slated to debut at Berlinale.
“Grafted”
“The Substance” seems to have set a precedent for beauty body horror — Sasha Rainbow’s debut feature “Grafted” is one of two such films on this list. Although “Grafted” premiered in its native New Zealand and the Chicago International Film Festival late last year, it’s set for its wide release this month via Shudder. The film follows a scalpel-happy young woman unafraid to make a few nicks on her quest for physical perfection. If you’re not into body horror, definitely don’t watch this movie. If you are a body horror person — especially if you didn’t think “The Substance” took the horrors of beauty culture far enough — check out the trailer and join us in getting excited. —LW
Release Date: January 24 via Shudder
