Sundance

Meredith over at io9 has taken the time to look over this year's Sundance selections to find the sci-fi for us, and surprisingly, there are a few to choose from.

Vincenzo Natali, who directed Cube, episodes of Earth: Final Conflict, and, interestingly enough, a segment in Paris, je t'aime, brings Splice to Sundance. Splice is about a new animal species ambitious young scientists engineer, making them celebrity scientists. Apparently they introduce human DNA into their experiment. The cast includes Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chaneac, David Hewlett. Natali wrote the screenplay with Antoinette Terry Bryant, and Doug Taylor.

The Violent Kind is written and directed by The Butcher Brothers (Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores). Here, a group of rowdies partying at a secluded farmhouse are tormented by a mysterious force. The cast includes a number of lesser known actors, including some scream queens.

Lastly, All My Friends Are Funeral Singers by first time director Tim Rutili stars the sublime Angela Bettis (May) as a fortune teller in a house overpopulated with ghosts who suddenly realize they are trapped and begin to rebel.

There's even a documentary among the mix. Space Tourists, directed by Christian Frei (War Photographer), is a look at those who go up in space because they have the money to do so.

I would also add Life 2.0 directed by Jason Spingarn-Koff, who has worked on a number of Nova programs, with this doc about Second Life.

By Kevin Kelly

Cory McAbee is not your average indie filmmaker. He's more of a self-taught Renaissance man who paints, writes, composes music, and also directs mind-bending films. At Sundance earlier this year, I had a slot to fill in my schedule and I thought Stingray Sam sounded interesting. Science fiction meets the Western? Sign me up.

What I didn't know was that I would be treated to a bizarre musical that was sliced up into a serialized format, complete with dance numbers, elaborate 60-second long handshakes between partners, and social commentary on everything from the U.S. prison system to tobacco companies. It's great stuff, and the songs will stick with you long after the movie ends.

Cory is no stranger to film festivals, having been at Sundance with three different films. I spoke with Cory at Fantastic Fest, where he was screening Stingray Sam. Check out the full interview after the break.