Review: 'The East', starring Brit Marling and Alexander Skarsgard

*This is a reprint of my review from the Sundance Film Festival*

It seems that every conversation or piece on Brit Marling must begin with her amazing debut at Sundance just a couple of years ago with the films Another Earth and Sound of My Voice. The latter, a thrilling and ominous exploration of a cult leader and her followers, was cheered by critics but mostly ignored at the box office. Now Marling and 'Voice' director Zal Batmanglij have returned to Park City with their pulsing and exciting eco-thriller, The East.

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Interview: Brit Marling, Ellen Page, and Zal Batmanglij talk 'The East'

When I walked into the Sundance screening of Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij's eco-terrorism thriller, The East, I had no idea what to expect. Unlike many others who were infatuated with Marling after Another Earth, it left me a little cold. But when she teamed up with Batmanglij for Sound of My Voice, they put together a provocative thriller and one of last year's great surprises. But I wasn't convinced they could replicate its success, and was pleased to be proven completely wrong by the time I walked out of the theater.

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11 Indie Films to Watch this Summer

A true cinephile cannot live on blockbusters alone. With the summer season already under way, there will be plenty of Iron Man 3's and Man of Steels to go around, and they will undoubtedly do the job fulfilling a certain need for bigger than life action. But for those who are perhaps craving something more, the summer has proven to be fertile ground for small-budgeted movies that are no less exciting, and perhaps may turn out to be more meaningful. It's always a great feeling to experience a film that may not be on everyone's radar, and feeling as if you've just seen something truly special; or feeling as if you've just witnessed the breakthrough performance by an undiscovered talent. This summer there are plenty of options to choose from at your local art house theater, and here are just a few you should be tracking down.

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The Must-See Movies of May

May 2nd

Iron Man 3
Director: Shane Black
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall

How successful have Marvel's first two Iron Man movies been? The first two didn't just combine for over $1.1B at the box office, they led to one of the most successful films of all-time in The Avengers, and helped usher in Marvel's dominant movie machine. So what's next? Iron Man 3 kicks off Phase Two, and it finds Tony Stark affected by the tragic destruction of New York after the Avengers' battle with Loki. His vaunted intellect will be put to the test by the Mandarin, a global terrorist utilizing a powerful nano-virus more advanced than anything Stark has ever seen. Expect the usual round of Marvel Easter Eggs and cameos, including a possible appearance from the Guardians of the Galaxy, as the march begins towards The Avengers 2.

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New posters for 'Star Trek Into Darkness', 'The Way Way Back', 'The East', 'Pacific Rim', and more

Star Trek Into Darkness isn't all about the beef between Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the mysterious John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), although Paramount has certainly made it seem that way by their marketing approach. There are a number of great characters who have largely been ignored, but now they're getting some love thanks to a cool series of character posters. Sulu (John Cho), Bones (Karl Urban), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Scotty (Simon Pegg), and new addition Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) are all in their element in these new one sheets. Am I the only one who has some serious questions about Carol Marcus and her true allegiances? Star Trek Into Darkness opens on May 17th.

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Uncover the mystery in the new trailer for 'The East'

Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij's The East was one of the few films that premiered at Sundance already with a distribution deal in place, and there's a pretty good reason why. Unlike the usual festival fare, and that includes Marling's previous films Another Earth and the hypnotic Sound of My Voice, The East is an espionage thriller at heart, with flashes of nicely staged action that are shown off in the newly-released trailer.

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New posters for 'Now You See Me', 'Spring Breakers', 'The East', and more

There's a definite Ocean's Eleven quality to Louis Leterrier's illusionist heist film, Now You See Me.  Perhaps that's why the latest poster bears such a striking resemblance to the one-sheets for Steven Soderbergh's star-studded ensemble. It is a clever way of putting the incredible cast front and center, boasting the talents of Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, and Melanie Laurent. The film centers on a cat 'n mouse chase between a team of illusionists/bank robbers and the FBI squad assembled to bring them down. Now You See Me opens on May 31st.

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Release dates for Sundance hits 'The Way, Way Back' and 'The East'

Most films at the Sundance Film Festival aren't exactly what you'd call "mainstream", but when one emerges they tend to get snapped up pretty quickly and for large sums of cash. That was certainly the case with the coming-of-age comedy The Way, Way Back, easily the most accessible film of the festival. Fox Searchlight, who had worked with directors Jim Rash and Nat Faxon on The Descendants, paid a reported $10M to snag the rights, and now they've dated it for this summer on July 5th.

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Sundance Review: 'The East' starring Brit Marling and Alexander Skarsgard

It seems that every conversation or piece on Brit Marling must begin with her amazing debut at Sundance just a couple of years ago with the films Another Earth and Sound of My Voice. The latter, a thrilling and ominous exploration of a cult leader and her followers, was cheered by critics but mostly ignored at the box office. Now Marling and 'Voice' director Zal Batmanglij have returned to Park City with their pulsing and exciting eco-thriller, The East.

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First trailer for 'The East' starring Brit Marling and Ellen Page

Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij have a message to deliver, so maybe it's time to start paying attention. The duo were unjustly overlooked in last year's unsettling Sound of My Voice, which explored a pair of journalists infiltrating a cult and falling under the sway of a charismatic leader. Now with The East, they hit upon some very similar themes in examining those who engage in political anarchy.

Marling stars as an investigator for a private intelligence firm who goes deep undercover in an ancharchist collective, and before long gets swept up in their message and activities. The first trailer has now arrived, just as the film is debuting at Sundance, and while it maintains Sound of My Voice's eerie feel, this one promises a more threatening and aggressive tone.

Also starring Alexander Skarsgard, Ellen Page, and Patricia Clarkson, The East should hit theaters later this year. I'll hopefully be catching it tomorrow, so assuming all goes well look for a review soon.

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