Sex and Time Travel Among Themes at Sundance 2012
America's Numero Uno indie flick mill, the Sundance Film Festival, soon will be back for another year and it has just the right mix of fantasy and lust to lure movie lovers again.
The ever-present theme of love is still present but in many variations - people who end up together, trying to hook up or grieving over not doing so.
However, those alone are not enough; filmmakers needed to throw in sex surrogates, drunks, gangsters and time travel in order to create buzz.
Positively enough, chances are high that it will all work. Responsible for this year's 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' and 'Like Crazy', the film festival is poised to win critics, audiences and eventually, award ceremonies once more.
Here are the announced titles for the U.S. category of the competition:
Beasts of the Southern Wild - Dubbed as a modern "fairytale" tale set in a Louisiana town known as the "Bathtub."
The Comedy - A satire that features "Adult Swim's" Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, and revolves around an heir who's indifferent with his fortune and bands together with hipsters to escape his boredom.
The End of Love - A drama about a young father who tries to cope up with the loss of his son's mother. Mark Webber directs, writes and stars in this feature.
Filly Brown - A hip-hop inspired drama about a Mexican girl who gets famous, while her family life deteriorates.
The First Time - A decidedly teen-driven film about two high schoolers who discover love for the first time. Teen stars Brittany Robertson and Victoria Justice are included in the cast.
For Ellen - Boasting an ensemble cast of known indie actors (including Paul Dano and Jon Heder), it tells the tale of a struggling musician who plans to take back his daughter in the course of a night.
Hello, I Must Be Going - A May-December romance between a disillusioned 35-year-old woman and a teenage boy.
Keep the Lights On - Based on a true story, it narrates the story of two men in love, both driven by addiction and secrets.
LUV - An orphaned young boy discovers the horrible truth about his beloved uncle in this movie that stars Common and Michael Rainey Jr.
Middle of Nowhere - A drama that revolves around an African-American woman who struggles to balance her life after her husband is incarcerated.
Nobody Walks - Olivia Thirlby plays a young artist who stays in a liberal LA family home for a week, gradually causing imbalance on the household status quo.
Safety Not Guaranteed - A sci-fi feature about three magazine employees who seek a partner in time travel.
Save The Date - Two sisters (Lizzy Caplan and Alison Brie) with opposing fates in romance are forced to relearn the very concept of love.
Simon Killer - A U.S.-French co-production about a recent graduate (Brady Corbet) who dumps his 5-year long relationship and heads to Paris with the aid of a prostitute.
Smashed - A haunting drama about a young couple (Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul) whose marriage is hinged on drinking. Complications ensue after one of them kicks the habit.
The Surrogate - A quirky tale about Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes), a writer who consults a professional sex surrogate, after deciding to lose his virginity after 36 years.
While their premises are enough to warrant their inclusion into the prestigious film festival, the world has yet to see them in full as the event occurs Jan. 19-29 in Park City, Utah.
Any future Oscar contenders here, perhaps? 2012 will tell.