Can Sunshine strike twice? Does that even make sense? Sunshine doesn’t actually strike, does it? It more sort of, uh, shines. Shines like gold. Box office gold! (Now I’m getting back on track.) Two years ago, Little Miss Sunshine was the belle of the ball at Sundance, selling for more than $10 million and going on to become a genuine mainstream hit. This year’s festival hasn’t seen any big money sales yet, although as the L.A. Times reports, “buyers were starting to circle several well-received movies available for distribution.”
Among those movies is Sunshine Cleaning, which the AP notes bears some resemblance besides the title to the 2006 breakout hit. “Like its predecessor, Sunshine Cleaning revolves around a quirky family with communication problems, stars Alan Arkin as a grandpa encouraging a cute kid to succeed, and features a sun-drenched Albuquerque, New Mexico setting.” Cleaning also co-stars Emily Blunt; Entertainment Weekly has a Q&A with her here.
We previously noted the preponderance of British films at this year’s festival, but there’s no shortage of American films – or at least, films with American in the title. “American navel-gazing has rarely been deeper or more intense,” says the Globe and Mail. “In the documentary category, we have An American Soldier, a documentary about a talented army recruiter. Then there's American Teen, another documentary about four Indiana teenagers in their senior year of high school; Made in America, Stacy Peralta's documentary about crime-ridden South Central Los Angeles; and I.O.U.S.A. about the American debt crisis. In the features category, there are several dramas, including Birds of America, Anywhere, USA and American Son,” the Canadian newspaper gleefully reports.
Speaking of our neighbors to the north, a documentary about a Canadian heavy metal band has provided a front-runner for our favorite title of the fest. Via Cinematical, it’s Anvil! The Story of Anvil. Really says it all, doesn’t it?
