by indieWIRE (January 18, 2008)

Screening in the Dramatic Competition program at Sundance ’08, Daniel Barnz’s feature directorial debut, “Phoebe in Wonderland” is a rich investigation of the complexities of growing up. “Phoebe” details Phoebe (Elle Fanning), a young girl, her mother (Felicity Huffman), a woman who desperately seeks success in an academic career at the expense of her parenting, and a drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson), who is directing a school production of “Alice in Wonderland” in which Phoebe seeks a role. Sundance’s Geoffrey Gilmore calls “Phoebe” an “honest and thoughtful work that is not to be missed.” He explains that “as an examination of normalcy and madness, this is realistic and cerebral storytelling, but it is also extravagantly magical, a metaphorical fable that examines childhood, our attempts to understand it, and the way we, as parents and teachers, navigate its treacherous shoals.”

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by Michael Koresky (January 17, 2008)

Presidential hopeful and all-around sleaze bucket Mitt Romney’s desperate equivocating over the use of waterboarding during this season’s Republican YouTube debate nearly left the man a frothing mess. That’s because there really isn’t any room for equivocation: torture is torture, no matter how much the administration and other assorted “defenders of freedom” try to make excuses or strict, revisionist definitions. In his simultaneously harrowing and soberly parsed new documentary, Alex Gibney (“Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”) trots out endless footage of disgraced Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld smugly invalidating queries into American torture of Muslims at Guantanamo Bay and George Bush musing into what really constitutes torture, after all.

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by indieWIRE (January 15, 2008)

Based on the award-winning play by Lorraine Hansberry, “A Raisin in the Sun” is a film adapation of director Kenny Leon’s own recent Broadway revival of the play. “Raisin” follows the Younger family as they struggle in 1950s Chicago. When an insurance check changes that, each goes about spending the money differently, and the family balance is but to the test. Sundance’s John Cooper says “Raisin” has been elegantly transformed from stage to film by director Kenny Leon’s careful guidance and the performances of a talented and insightful cast. In their capable hands, this American classic reveals it is as timely and significant as ever.”

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by indieWIRE (January 11, 2008)

Premiering at Sundance ’08 in the Dramatic Competition program, Courtney Hunt’s “Frozen River” follows Rae Eddy (Melissa Leo), a woman who lives in upstate New York whose husband has left her two days before Christmas. In addition to that, he has also gambled way all their savings, forcing Rae to feed her two sons popcorn and Tang. But when Rae meets Lila LIttlewolf (Misty Upham), she discovers a new way to make money: smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States. Sundance’s Shari Frilot calls “River” “a wonderfully directed film full of atmosphere, heart, and outstanding performances  by Melissa Leo and Misty Upham.” that is
ultimately about the strength that resides in family and the way hope in a dire situation can be uncovered by courage and trust.”

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