10 films I wish I was seeing at Sundance...

The Sundance Film Festival kicked off Thursday in Park City, Utah.  Here are ten films I wish I was there to check out!

1.  The Stanford Prison Experiment - Featuring a huge ensemble cast that includes Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Thirlby and Michael Angarano, "The Stanford Prison Experiment"is the intense story of a 1971 mock prison experiment that examined psychology and involved twenty-four undergraduate students.  Billy Crudup plays Dr. Philip Zimbardo who headed the study.  This sounds like an intense viewing experience.

2.  Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief - Alex Gibney's new documentary exposes the world of Scientology as he interviews eight former members.  From their personal experiences, to the origins of the church and its practices, this sounds like another unforgettable documentary from the filmmaker.  Based on the book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright.

3.  Lila & Eve - Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez play Lila and Eve, two grieving mothers whose children were killed on the same night.  They join forces to seek justice in what sounds like an emotional thriller.

4.  Diary of a Teenage Girl - Based on the reaction coming out of the festival today, this seems like the film to see.  Newcomer Bel Powley is getting rave reviews for this coming-of-age story about a girl in 1970's San Francisco who engages in an affair with her mother's boyfriend.  Alexander Skarsgârd, Kristen Wiig and Christopher Meloni also star.

5.  True Story - James Franco plays Christian Longo who was on the FBI's most wanted list for the murder of his wife and three children and hid under the identity of journalist Michael Finkel.  The real Finkel (played by Jonah Hill) goes to interview Longo.  Oscar-nominee Felicity Jones plays a supporting role.

6.  The End of the Tour - Jason Segal plays author David Foster Wallace on tour after the publication of his novel Infinite Jest.  The film details his five-day interview with Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky, played by Jesse Eisenberg.  The film debuted yesterday and buzz is high.  I'm a big fan of director James Ponsolt ("The Spectacular Now") and this is a film I expect we'll be hearing a lot more about upon release.

7.  The Hunting Ground - I recently posted the trailer for this new documentary from Kirby Dick that exposes the horrible pattern of sexual assault taking place on college campuses.  Bound to make me angry, I have no doubt it will be an important work, especially for the survivors as they fight for change.

8.  The Overnight - A couple moves to Los Angeles from Seattle with their son.  Looking to make new friends, they meet up with another family and a gathering exposes various aspects of the group as the night progresses.  The film stars Taylor Schilling, Adam Scott, Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche.

9.  I Am Michael - The story of gay-rights advocate Michael Glatze who later in life denounces his homosexuality.  An intriguing premise to say the least, the film stars James Franco, Zachary Quinto and Emma Roberts.

10.  Z for Zachariah - Craig Zobel is a director to follow, especially after his last feature film "Compliance".  Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine and Margot Robbie star in this film about a woman who believes she is the last woman on Earth following a disaster.  She then meets a dying scientist who is searching for survivors.  This sounds very different for Zobel and I can't wait to catch it.

"The Hunting Ground" premieres at Sundance tomorrow

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival tomorrow, "The Hunting Ground" is sure to be an emotional and anger-inducing film.  After directing the powerful Oscar-nominated documentary "The Invisible War", Kirby Dick is back with a documentary that exposes the horror that one in five women in college are sexually assaulted and shows that the perpetrators are rarely punished.  You can read more about the film here on the Sundance Film Festival website.  The trailer is below.

'Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God'

Alex Gibney's 'Mex Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God', which premiered last night on HBO, shows that there is much that needs to be done in order for the Catholic Church to fully acknowledge the sexual abuse that has taken place over decades throughout the world.  This abuse has happened at the hands of religious leaders who prey upon helpless young children.  For the first part of the documentary, Gibney focuses on Father Lawrence Murphy, who was responsible for molesting hundreds of children at a Milwaukee school for the deaf.  Murhphy used his power for evil, as many children at his school came from families with non-signing parents and looked up to him with his ability to sign.  The abuse at the school shows us how the students' silence made it even harder for their experiences to come to the surface and into public knowledge.  Gibney interviews four men who were victims of Murphy and how they have struggled to be heard and for their experiences to demand action, even confronting Murphy in person in his later years.  Although actors have been utilized to let us know the words they sign, the expressions on the men's faces and the passion of their gestures tell us so much about how this has affected their lives and how it continues to haunt them.

The film's scope broadens as it goes on, detailing how Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was at one time personally in charge of seeing every documented sexual abuse case.  The film also briefly covers the measures being taken to make the Vatican responsible in a court of law.  Little has changed however, and hundreds if not thousands of known pedophiles have stayed free.  'Mea Maxima Culpa' shows a flawed system, where religious leaders have been placed in a God-like position above the law.  The Catholic Church remains in the shadow of these horrific wrongdoings and must be forced by the government to answer to its people rather than God.  The system must transform, as far too many victims' voices have been silenced, left to wonder if true change will ever happen and if long-standing traditions of keeping these horrors hidden will end.