 Alpha Dog: Nick Cassavetes captures the driving energy and sordid anomie of contemporary youth culture in his unflinchingly told cautionary tale, Alpha Dog. Based on the true story of Jesse James Hollywood, a midlevel drug dealer whose ambition and ruthlessness led him to become the youngest man ever to appear on the FBI's Most Wanted list, Alpha Dog offers a glimpse of the rawness and reality of teenage life on the edge. The film stars Emile Hirsch as a teenage suburban drug dealer, Johnny Truelove, whose "gangsta" fueled lifestyle of sex, guns, and drugs is far over the top of customary adolescent restraints. When a competitor/client cheats him, he and his posse "kidnap" the client's younger brother, who is more than willing to spend days partying with little sense or anticipation of his fate. But as events spiral out of Johnny's control, the real consequences of his deadly games become inexorable. Featuring a marvelous ensemble cast that includes Justin Timberlake (whose work is a revelation), Ben Foster (equally so), Bruce Willis, and Sharon Stone, this is dense, galvanizing filmmaking, seething with tension and culminating in a tragedy that would be shocking if we weren't so aware of the kind of world we live in, a place with kids who live without mores, parents who don't have a clue, and ongoing conflict between the lingering innocence of youth and moral disintegration and dissolution.— Geoffrey Gilmore
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Cast : Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin and Vincent Kartheiser.
 Kinky Boots: With the sudden death of his father, Charlie Price takes up the reins of the family's Northampton shoe factory. But Charlie quickly discovers it is not business as usual, and without new shoe orders, bankruptcy is imminent. As if in a dream, enter Lola, fresh from London and larger than life: sexy, sassy, cabaret-singing man in a dress. These two unlikely friends become allies in a plan that will change the future of the factory and its workers, and the hearts and minds of anyone who crosses their path. Kinky Boots is a whimsical romp spotlighting the very best in British cinema, including an achingly charming performance by Joel Edgerton and a spectacular reintroduction to American audiences of Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things). Julian Jarrold pulls off an auspicious directorial debut by creating a glittering gift of a film about human dignity and compassion. From pub to factory, England to the big shoe show in Milan, two themes ring through: There is much to learn from the people you least expect can teach you; and in life, it is usually best to accept who you are as well as who you are not. Just in case you haven't figured it out, these kinky boots are made for walking.— John Cooper
Director: Julian Jarrold
Cast : Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor(the operative in Serenity) Sarah-Jane Potts, Jemima Rooper, Nick Frost, Linda Bassett
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival will be held from January 19 to 29 in Park City, Utah
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