From the movies you’re excited about, projects in the pipeline, and spotlights on Hollywood’s biggest stars… this is the First Word for everything Hollywood.
This article includes:
Table of Contents
Page One: Sneak Peek of Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17
Page Two: The 5 All -Time Greatest Comedies from the Sundance Film Festival
Page Three: The 13 Most Buzz-worthy Films from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival
Page Four: The 5 Greatest Movies Starring Real-Life Married Couples
Page Five: The 5 Best Los Angeles Movies of All-Time
Robert Pattinson is set to die over and over again in new sci-fi comedy Mickey 17 from Parasite director, Bong Joon-ho.
With the film hitting theaters on March 7, a new trailer for the upcoming sci-fi black comedy arrived last week. In the clip, which you can view just below, Robert Pattinson’s Mickey Barnes has decided he doesn’t want to live on Earth anymore and signs up for a clearly strange alternative, but of course, he fails to read the paperwork. We will see Pattinson die over and over again, before he comes face-to-face with one of his copies, which appears to go on to have a life and love story of his own.
The official synopsis reads like this: “Mickey signs up to be an “expendable,” a disposable employee where after one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of their memories intact.” After one of his “multiples”, Mickey 17, unintentionally survives a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim, he goes head to head with a new multiple, Mickey 18.
The film is based on the 2022 Edward Ashton novel entitled Mickey 7. In addition to Pattinson, the cast includes Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, Holliday Grainger, and Anamaria Vartolomei.
Mickey 17 hits theaters on March 7.
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The 5 Greatest Comedies to Come Out of Sundance
As I write this article, the Sundance Film Festival is wrapping up over in Utah, which means there’s no better time to celebrate the five best films that have come of out of indie comedy.
The venerable Utah festival, which recently got underway, officially launched in 1984, and is now in its 41st year of saluting all things independent cinema. The history of Sundance is littered with future classics that had their premiere there, turning emerging directors like Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith into overnight sensations. And as recent history has shown with last year’s A Real Pain, nothing has changed, Sundance is still able to break the next big thing.
To celebrate all things Sundance, I’ve put together a list of the 5 best comedies that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The process of whittling down this list which started at fifty films was definitely arduous, but it also made me take a closer look at how many major names got their start at Park City; names like Jordan Peele, David O. Russell, and Amy Adams, just to highlight a few.
So, as journalists, critics, and filmmakers are in snowy Utah for the 41st edition, shall we take a moment to salute the films that made us laugh, and are still making us laugh.
5. Palm Springs (2020)
Brilliantly using the film Groundhog Day as inspiration, Palm Springs, was the talk of 2020 Sundance. The dreamed up scenario from director Max Barbakow and screenwriter Andy Siara sees two wedding attendees (played by Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti) trapped in a time loop, and forced to hang out together for what they sense could be all of eternity. Palm Springs certainly finds it strength and energy in the charisma of the two stars, Samberg and Milioti have wonderful chemistry, but the film also finds inventive ways to rework the premise of the Harold Ramis classic. Also, who doesn’t love Nana played by comic June Squibb? She is excellent here, and I’m pretty certain (spoiler alert) she’s stuck in the time loop with them.
Palm Springs has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 7.7/10 and is currently streaming on Hulu.
4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
The film that makes people draw a line in the sand was the talk of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. That line or debate, shall we say, is whether this Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Zooey Deschanel starring romantic comedy is a smart reimagining of the usual genre tropes or is just a mean-spirited, self-pitying look at a guy who should just let go and move on from his broken heart? Whatever side you fall on, just know you are in good company, as that has been the debate for 500 Days of Summer since its premiere at Sundance. And while some of Gordon-Levitt’s man-child character’s whining hasn’t aged well, the film remains a funny, cutting cautionary tale about how we can work so hard sometimes to make our significant other our dream companion that we never bother to learn who they actually are.
500 Days of Summer has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 8.0/10 and is currently streaming on Hulu.
3. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Little Miss Sunshine, the 2006 Sundance darling, went on to win two Oscars and created a template for the crowd-pleasing mainstream-indie comedy along the way. The film filled with likable, acclaimed actors the likes of Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, and Alan Arkin explores a dysfunctional family with tenderness and laughs as they embark on a fraught road trip. Ultimately, the charm of Little Miss Sunshine lies in the cast’s snappy chemistry and the genuineness of their emotions displayed on screen.
Little Miss Sunshine has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 8.1/10 and is currently streaming on Hulu.
2. Get Out (2017)
In 2017, writer-director Jordon Peele brought his feature debut to Sundance with a secret screening that was quickly the buzz film of the festival, being hailed as a horror-comedy like no other. Get Out went on to become a box office sensation and an Oscar winner, and is now hailed rightfully so as a landmark satire. Peele has continued to take big risks with films that have followed, but the clarity and wit displayed in Get Out is a tough act to follow.
Get Out has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 8.1/10 and is currently available to buy or rent through Amazon Prime Video, iTunes or Google Play.
1. In Bruges (2008)
Writer-director Martin McDonagh showed up at 2008 Sundance with a delightful sardonic crime thriller about two hitmen on hiatus in the Belgian town of Bruges starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. In Bruges runs high and funny on back-and-forth insults, and the laughs are enhanced by the shocking violence and soulful interludes. Plus, you get Ralph Fiennes in his funniest role, (no it’s not The Grand Budapest Hotel), it’s right here as Harry in In Bruges.
In Bruges has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 8.2/10 and is currently streaming on Peacock.
And with that, we move to what has 2025 Sundance all a buzz…
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2025 Sundance Notables
The following 13 films attracted a lot of attention at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
1. The Ballad of Wallis Island
Our first film is actually going to be in theaters rather quickly, as in March 28. Word is that you should prepare yourself for a full range of emotions when watching director James Griffiths’ The Ballad of Wallis Island. The full length film was first conceived and produced as a short film 18 years ago by Griffiths along with co-writers and stars Tom Basden and Tim Key. The presentation of The Ballad of Wallis Island is of a quirky comedy about an eccentric millionaire and the washed up musician who has traveled to his home for a private concert. Meanwhile, under the surface, Wallis Island is subtly serving up themes of love and loss, creativity and ownership, and the oh so painful importance of moving on.
The Ballad of Wallis Island will be in theaters March 28.
2. The Legend of Ochi
If you miss the charm of old-school fantasy films, full of magical creatures and stunning matte paintings, instead of high-end digital effects, director Isaiah Saxon in his first feature film, had you in mind. Shot on location in the Carpathian mountains, The Legend of Ochi, showcases the importance of harmony with nature through a simple story of a girl on a journey to reunite a baby creature called an ochi with its family. Saxon looks to have truly created a world where every frame is a painting as Yuri (Helena Zengel) travels through woods, caves, snow, and water in defiance of her father (Willem Dafoe), whose fear of the creatures has led him to create an army of boys (including Finn Wolfhard) to hunt the animals. This is certainly one I’m really excited about, as everything from the performances, set designs, and locations all look amazing, not to mention the little creature at the center of the story that Saxon says we will find most impressive. Jonathan Nolan Studios gets the credit for bringing the ochi to intricate, articulate, and heart-melting life through fully practical puppet effects.
The Legend of Ochi will be in theaters April 25.
3. Omaha
Okay, there has been a lot of secrecy around this film currently at Sundance. What I have heard is that the audience is going to need to be in a good place mentally before engaging with director Cole Webley’s devastating drama about a family on the edge. Omaha will take us on a road trip with a father (John Magaro) and his two children (Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis), the true nature of this trip is slowly revealed, but I have been told that it’s clear from the first few scenes that they were probably better off not embarking on this journey. I have also been told that we will want to see this one through to the very end, the richness is in the payoff.
4. Sorry, Baby
Details for Sorry, Baby have been even scarcer, but I do know that it follows Agnes (Eva Victor) over a period of five years, as she is a professor living in the wake of a traumatic accident. Victor, who some may recognize as Rian from Billions, serves as the director, writer, and star of the film. Filmmaker Barry Jenkins is one of several notable producers on the project that co-stars Naomi Ackie as Agnes’ roommate and Lucas Hedges as her neighbor.
5. The Thing With Feathers
Dylan Southern (Meet Me in the Bathroom) adapts Max Porter’s acclaimed novella “Grief Is the Thing with Feathers,” illustrating on film the unbearable sadness and often horrific experience of loss, and persistent presence of the grief which follows. In the film, Grief itself is personified as the haunting, hulking Crow, voiced by David Thewlis, a sardonic, sometimes violent, and unrelenting character overshadowing the lives of a father (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his two sons as they wade through the sudden death of their wife/mother. Cumberbatch’s performance has all the critics talking, calling it “an extraordinarily demanding physical and emotional performance in this wildly creative (albeit abstract) expression of Porter’s intellectual prose.” Word from Sundance says the film is clearly weighty throughout, but its highlighted with moments of humor and provides some relief as you watch the broken family ever so closely allow themselves to settle into grief’s embrace, coexisting with it rather than fighting it with fists of rage.
6. Atropia
Director Hailey Gates described her new film and entry at this year’s Sundance as a satire in the tradition of stories like M*A*S*H*. And while they might be true, I dare to say, based on the film synopsis and feedback, we have never seen a film like Atropia. Set at a US military training camp during the Iraq war, Atropia follows Fayruz (Alia Shawkat), an aspiring actress working as part of a 24/7 role playing experience for deploying soldiers. Along the way, she develops a friendship with fellow reenactor and veteran (Callum Turner), who is playing a “terrorist” named Abu Dice.
7. Ricky
Ricky, Rashad Frett’s debut feature film is a story that he has been developing for a long time. Frett first conceived the story of a man putting his life back together following 15 years of incarceration while he was a graduate student at NYU Tisch. After that, Frett and his collaborators took the script through several Sundance labs, which resulted in a short film that premiered at the festival just two years ago, in 2023. And now, Ricky has been actualized in its final feature form, and judging by early festival reaction, the many years Frett has lived with this project has paid off. I believe audiences can look for this film to be full of rich, painful moments, but Frett says Ricky in it’s totality, is a movie about hope.
8. Oh, Hi!
Two years after her Sundance favorite, Theater Camp, Molly Gordon is back at Sundance. This time, co-starring in a romantic comedy alongside Logan Lerman for director Sophie Brooks. Gordon and Brooks co-wrote the screenplay for Oh, Hi!, which tells the story of Iris and Isaac’s romantic weekend gone amok. The supporting cast includes Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers, Drive-Away Dolls) and John Reynolds (Search Party).
9. Train Dreams
Director Clint Bentley is on a roll, after his indie moment with his last film, Jockey, he’s a producer of the recently Oscar-nominated drama, Sing Sing. And now, his latest film, Train Dreams is making waves at Sundance. The theme of Train Dreams, a period western starring Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a day laborer who’s helping build America’s railroads, might bring The Brutalist to mind for some, which is fair, as Edgerton nearly starred as architect Laszlo Toth in that newly minted American epic. For extra Brutalist connections, Oscar nominee Felicity Jones co-stars as Grainier’s wife. Word is Train Dreams performed really well at Sundance and could be coming to a living room near you as Netflix scooped it up at the festival.
10. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, the new film premiering at Sundance from director Mary Bronstein was conceived while the director was caring for her sick child. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You explores the darker sides of motherhood. Rose Byrne stars as a woman whose life is hanging by a thread as she struggles to balance the needs of her chronically ill child, her therapy patients, and the reconstruction of her apartment ceiling after a dramatic cave in. The word from Sundance is Byrne’s performance is stellar, but there are two other surprises in standout performances from Conan O’Brien as her therapist and an easygoing performance from A$AP Rocky.
11. Rabbit Trap
Rabbit Trap, the British horror tale and Sundance import, stars Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen as a musician couple who conjure up some folksy trouble in the woods of Wales. After moving from London to a cottage in Wales to complete their new album, by accident they record a mystical sound never heard before and gradually disconnect from reality. With word from the festival strong on this one, I’m betting a horror specialty label snaps it up fairly quickly.
12. Bubble & Squeak
This one is for those of you who have always wanted to smuggle in some cabbage. Don’t look at me, you know who you are. In Bubble & Squeak, Himesh Patel, Sarah Goldberg, and Matt Berry star in writer-director Evan Twohy’s first feature, which he adapted from his play. Patel and Goldberg play a couple who are pursued by the fabulously named customs agent, Shazbor (Berry). That casting alone has me excited, as it should give Berry a spotlight to do his unique comedic thing in his first role since What We Do in the Shadows signed off.
13. Together
Michael Shanks’ body horror film Together stars real-life couple Dave Franco and Allison Brie, and follows their characters Tim and Millie as they leave city life behind for Millie’s new job out in the suburbs. Unfortunately, it would seem the two are not destined for a life of domestic bliss. Tim, a musician without a drivers license, feels trapped in the country, while Millie fears they may have fallen out of love. What they don’t know is that these worries will pale in comparison to what’s waiting for them out in the woods. The most important and common things I have heard about this film at Sundance, is that the film, though it utilizes some classic horror tropes, the execution of those elements make Together feel extremely fresh and special. Secondly, there has been this prevailing request for potential audiences to avoid trailers and reviews, and hold out for the release of what some critics from Sundance are hailing as a “slam dunk horror comedy.” Hopefully we don’t have to wait too long.
That concludes my look at the thirteen buzz-worthy films at 2025 Sundance. Transitioning from real-life couple Dave Franco and Allison Brie, and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, on Page 4 I present to you the 5 Greatest Movies Starring Real Life Married Couples.
The 5 Greatest Movies Starring Real Life Married Couples
Clearly, there’s something magical about seeing your favorite real-life couples bring their chemistry and connection to the big screen. Whether it’s adding a spice of real love to romantic comedies or contemporary indie dramas, these films capture the intimate dynamics of relationships in a way that is unique and authentic while showcasing each partner’s extraordinary talents and creative strengths.
Without further ado, these are the five best real-life couple moments in cinema.
5. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) – Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
The movie that famously brought together the at one time Hollywood power couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The couple was such a big deal, they were coined Brangelina. Mr. & Mrs. Smith is an extremely fun and exciting action film telling the story of John (Pitt) and Jane Smith (Jolie), a married couple who have secret identities as skilled spies working for competing agencies, and who now have each other as a target.
Of course, when they were shooting the movie, Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston, but soon afterwards they filed for divorced and Pitt officially started a relationship with Angelina. No doubt, this was due to the sparks flying in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 7.0/10 and is currently streaming on Hulu.
4. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) – Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor
The comedy film, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber has a cast full of A-list fun stars headlined by Vince Vaughn and the real-life married couple, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor. The underdog story revolves around Peter LeFleur (Vince Vaughn), owner of a gym called Average Joe’s. He has to put together a team to compete in a dodgeball tournament in order to save his business from being bought out by his ruthless rival, White Goodman (Ben Stiller), who runs Globo Gym.
Dodgeball is a fantastic sports comedy and has a fun story that leads to a final match with both teams, all the while playing hilariously with cliches. In the film, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor are on opposite teams, giving us some really funny moments of dialogue. Taylor plays for Average Joe’s and is the main romance with Vince Vaughn’s character, but in real life Stiller and Taylor have been married since 2000.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 7.1/10, and is currently streaming on Hulu.
3. Matilda (1996) – Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman
Matilda is a terrific film about a girl with superpowers. That girl, Matilda, played wonderfully by Mara Wilson, is brilliant, but the same cannot be said for her parents played by Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. Despite having difficult parents and at school, a headmistress that is even worse to deal with, Miss Trunchbull (Pam Ferris), Matilda keeps a focus on her intellectual abilities and soon finds a comforting soul in Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz), a kind-hearted teacher, who helps her fight back as they stand for what is right.
Matilda is a wonderful movie to watch with the whole family, now a beloved classic with iconic characters based on the novel by Roald Dahl, and directed by Danny DeVito. Matilda’s parents were also a real life couple, DeVito and Perlman were married for 35 years until their divorce in 2017.
Matilda has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 7.3/10, and is currently streaming on Max.
2. Ruby Sparks (2012) – Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan
Ruby Sparks, written by Zoe Kazan and directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris tells the story of Calvin (Dano), a novelist struggling with writer’s block who after dreaming about a woman named Ruby Sparks (Kazan), he uses her as inspiration for his next novel. Seemingly brought to life by his writing, to his surprise, Ruby suddenly appears in his apartment as a real person. As Calvin begins to fall in love with Ruby, he struggles with the power he holds over her as her creator and the implications of being able to manipulate her behavior through his writing.
Ruby Sparks is a wonderful movie about relationships and well penned by Kazan, who admits she had Dano in mind for Calvin while she was writing. They both really shine in their roles, as author and imaginary girlfriend.
Ruby Sparks has an an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 7.5/10 and is available to purchase or rent on iTunes and Google Play.
1. A Quiet Place (2018) – John Krasinski and Emily Blunt
A Quiet Place, directed by John Krasinski, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, is an absolutely brilliant thriller of a horror film. The film follows a family living in a post-apocalyptic world decimated by mysterious creatures extremely acute to sound. The parents are played by John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, and with their two children (Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe) are living on a farm and have adapted their house to be as silent as possible, as they communicate in sign language.
Everyone involved in this movie is stellar, but the relationship between the real life couple, Krasinski and Blunt, are crucial to what makes this film so special. Having met in a restaurant through common friends, the couple has been married since 2009 and have two children.
A Quiet Place has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 7.8/10 and is currently streaming on Paramount+.
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As Los Angeles largely enters into recovery stage from the recent wildfires, I dedicate this next page to that wonderful city that has given us so many timeless classics. Below you will find 5 movies that made us love Los Angeles.
The 5 Best Los Angeles Movies of All Time
Certainly, there are a lot of movies with an L.A. setting; it’s literally the home of the American movie industry, after all. And yet, L.A. movies seem somehow less exalted than other locales. There’s quite a few reasons; certainly the city is harder to romanticize, since we mostly think about congestive traffic. But these five great Los Angeles films really standout.
5. Heat (1995)
Okay, for the most part Heat takes place in Michael Mann land; a cool, urban landscape of postmodern interiors bathed in gunmetal-blue twilight. Not many filmmakers are as known for their stylish terrain as Mann. That being said, the film’s heist centerpiece, as it spills out violently onto downtown Flower Street, is 100% Los Angeles, and one of Hollywood’s finest bits of mayhem.
Heat has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 8.6/10 and is currently streaming on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Plex.
4. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Singin’ in the Rain is the crown jewel of Hollywood musicals, and its subject is Tinseltown itself. Hollywood royalty Gene Kelly plays a silent-movie star making an uneasy transition to sound. Kelly’s failed screen test is a classic comedy set piece, but it’s the giddy, astonishing musical performances that make the film really shine, especially the peerless title love ballad that was shot on a two block long backlot set that will forever remain one of La La Land’s most iconic moments.
Singin’ in the Rain has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 8.6/10 and is currently streaming on Max.
3. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Sure, there are a lot of successful people in the Los Angeles movie industry, but there are also screenwriters just trying to get by and former stars that are fading into the background. In Sunset Boulevard, we get these two types running into each other with disastrous consequences. The movie opens with William Holden’s screenwriter dead in a pool, and we then go back to find out he got there.
Sunset Boulevard has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 8.7/10 and is currently streaming on Paramount+.
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The source of many of movie scenes, the Los Angeles River plays a predominant role in Terminator 2. Though I have never been there personally, I have been told that most of the year there is barely any water flowing in the river, which leaves a lot of concrete and open space for filming. Most of us have definitely seen the basin that the Los Angeles River runs through in films that includes Grease, and, of course, the big car chase scene in this movie.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 8.9/10, and is currently streaming on Paramount+.
1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
There is no doubt the film industry of today owes a debt of gratitude to Los Angeles native Quentin Tarantino‘s second feature film, and the world of independent cinema it helped to create. One thing’s for sure, no one who strikes up a discursive conversation in a car stuck in Los Angeles traffic will ever fail to be conscious of the fact that they are going through the same motions as Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) as they considered the “Royale with Cheese.”
Cars, and the distances, specifically, they have to travel in a town like Los Angeles, are an integral part of the fabric of the Pulp Fiction story. Harvey Keitel’s character offering Vincent and Jules rides home until he hears they live in Redondo Beach and Inglewood: “In your future… I see… a cab ride.”
Pulp Fiction has an A Cute Film Addictive Rating of 9.2/10 and is currently streaming on AMC+.
The Final Word:
”And you know what they call a…a…a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?
Until next time, enjoy your time at the movies! As always, your thoughts are welcome in the comments section below. If you want to get my posts delivered to your inbox, please subscribe below as well.
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