Sundance 2009: Premieres
Mary and Max by Adam Elliot
Adventureland / U.S. (Director-screenwriter: Greg Mottola)
In 1987, a recent college graduate takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park and discovers the job is perfect preparation for the real world. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader. World premiere
Brooklyn's Finest / U.S. (Director: Antoine Fuqua; screenwriter: Michael C. Martin)
After enduring vastly different career paths, three unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location. Cast: Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Don Cheadle, Ellen Barkin. World premiere
Earth Days / U.S. (Director: Robert Stone)
The history of our environmental undoing through the eyes of nine Americans whose work and actions launched the modern environmental movement. World premiere, closing-night film
Endgame / U.K. (Director: Pete Travis; screenwriter: Paula Milne)
A political thriller in which a businessman initiates covert discussions between the African National Congress and white intellectuals to try and find a peaceful solution to the Apartheid regime. Cast: William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jonny Lee Miller, Mark Strong. World premiere
500 Days of Summer / U.S. (Director: Marc Webb; screenwriters: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber)
When an unlucky greeting-card copywriter is dumped by his girlfriend, the hopeless romantic shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days together in hope of figuring out where things went wrong. Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. World premiere
I Love You Philip Morris / U.S. (Directors-screenwriters: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa)
The true story about con artist and impostor Steven Jay Russell, a married father whose exploits land him in the Texas criminal-justice system. Based on the novel by Houston Chronicle crime reporter Steve McVicker. Cast: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro. World premiere
The Informers / U.S. (Director: Gregor Jordan; screenwriters: Bret Easton Ellis, Nicholas Jarecki)
A drama based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel, set in the 1980s, focusing on wealthy Angelenos consumed by a decadent lifestyle. Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder, Mickey Rourke. World premiere
In the Loop / U.K. (Director: Armando Iannucci; screenwriters: Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell)
A fast-paced film about Britain and America's special relationship in the lead-up to a war no one seems to be able to stop. Cast: Peter Capaldi, James Gandolfini, Tom Hollander. World premiere
Manure / U.S. (Director: Michael Polish; screenwriters: Mark Polish, Michael Polish)
A comic tale centered on manure salesmen in the early 1960s. Cast: Tea Leoni, Billy Bob Thornton, Kyle MacLachlan. World premiere
Mary and Max / Australia (Director-screenwriter: Adam Elliot)
The tale of two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely 8-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a 44-year old severely obese man living in New York. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman (voice), Toni Collette (voice), Barry Humphries (voice). World premiere, opening-night film
The Messenger / U.S. (Director: Oren Moverman; screenwriters: Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman)
Two soldiers from different generations form a unique bond as they cope with their assignment with the Army Casualty Notification Department. Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Eamonn Walker. World premiere
Moon / U.K. (Director: Duncan Jones; screenwriter: Nathan Parker)
Before returning to Earth after three years on the moon, things go horribly wrong for astronaut Sam Bell. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Sam Rockwell. World premiere
Motherhood / U.S. (Director-screenwriter: Katherine Dieckmann)
A mother of two from Manhattan is having a day that would challenge even the toughest maternal multitasker. Cast: Uma Thurman, Minnie Driver, Anthony Edwards. World premiere
Rudo and Cursi (Rudo y Cursi) / Mexico (Director-screenwriter: Carlos Cuaron)
Two siblings rival each other inside the world of professional soccer. Cast: Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal, Guillermo Francella. U.S. premiere
Shrink / U.S. (Director: Jonas Pate; screenwriter: Thomas Moffett)
Unable to come to grips with a recent personal tragedy, Los Angeles' top celebrity psychiatrist loses faith in his ability to help patients. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Keke Palmer, Mark Webber, Dallas Roberts, Saffron Burrows. World premiere
Spread / U.S. (Director: David Mackenzie; screenwriter: Jason Dean Hall)
A handsome young man survives in Los Angeles by seducing wealthy older women. Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Anne Heche. World premiere