Getting excited about some of the films that were on offer at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and coming to a screen near us (?) hopefully soonish!

THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND        

It sounds rather odd: lottery winner on a small island lures his favourite singer to the island to perform especially for him. But looking at the trailer it really works, is funny and has Carey Mulligan singing along. Gets a whopping 9.3 (!) on IMDb.

REBUILDING

Very ‘now’, this film about someone who’s life is ravished by wildfires, having to rebuild both home and life. Unfortunately, there’s not trailer to be found yet but it has Josh O’Connor in the lead and I think it might be a very moving film to watch. There’s something very appealing about O’Connor, even though I mainly recognise him from his Prince Charles era.

THE LEGEND OF OCHI

A fantasy-adventure film about scary creatures which may turn out to be quite cute, or at least more palatable maybe than some of the other inhabitants of that remote village?  It’s got Emily Watson and who doesn’t like her? It also features Willem Dafoe, so there’s plenty of interest there. Oh, and it has Kate Bush singing Hounds of Love as part of the soundtrack. What more does one want??!!