Gallery: From WikiLeaks to Pussy Riot: 10 Cool Films Coming to Sundance
01jobs
Around this time of year all of Hollywood's elite are all about the Golden Globes and Oscars. But north of Los Angeles, in the hills of Utah the future Academy Award contenders of the world are sharing their wares at the Sundance Film Festival. The [annual film festival](http://www.sundance.org/), which began Thursday in Park City, typically becomes the pace-setter for indie films for the whole year, giving a first screening to the movies that will, if they're lucky, be making it to cinemas throughout the year. Last year *Beasts of the Southern Wild* came out of the bayou to become one of the best films of 2012 and get director Benh Zeitlin and star Quvenzhané Wallis some Oscar nominations. What will be the breakout star of this year's festival? We have a few ideas. Wired will have (literally) boots on the ground at Sundance, so keep it locked here for updates throughout next week. But in the meantime, here are the brainy, nerdy flicks we expect/hope will be making a splash at the festival. __Above:__ [*jOBS*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13086/jobs) Puts Ashton in Steve's Shoes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Generally understood as the "Ashton Kutcher plays Steve Jobs" movie, *jOBS* will likely be the film at Sundance that geeks are most curious about. Set during the early days of Apple Inc. the film, not to be confused with that *other* Jobs movie that [Aaron Sorkin is writing](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2012/11/aaron-sorkin-steve-jobs-biopic/), follows the creation of the Apple 1 and Jobs' ascension to life-changing CEO. Good or bad, this will be the premiere to see. *Photos courtesy of the films' studios, unless otherwise noted*
02computer-chess
[*Computer Chess*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13102/computer_chess) Makes Check-Mate Chuckles ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Set in the early computer days of 1980, director Andrew Bujalski's *Computer Chess* promises to be a goofy comedy about a group of young nerds who try to make a computer program that can beat a human player. (Take that, [Deep Blue](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_(chess_computer))!) Computer jokes *and* chess jokes? Sounds like a winner.
03google-and-the-world-brain
[*Google and the World Brain*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13109/google_and_the_world_brain) Investigates What Happens When Books Go Online -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For years now Google has been working intensely to scan and digitize as many books as possible. Some think this is tantamount to theft, some say it's creating a consolidation of great thought. Director Ben Lewis' documentary *Google and the World Brain* aims to dig into the coalition trying to put a stop to the massive online library.
04pussy-riot-a-punk-prayer
[*Pussy Riot — A Punk Prayer*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13058/pussy_riota_punk_prayer) Sings a Radical Russian Feminist Tune -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's hard to believe that one of the biggest cultural-political stories of 2012 already has its own documentary, yet here it is. With the documentary *Pussy Riot — A Punk Prayer* British filmmaker Mike Lerner and Russian Maxim Pozdorovkin dig into how Pussy Riot's song against Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral gripped the Russian populace and made the radical feminist collective an international human rights story — even as some members of Pussy Riot remain behind bars.
05the-apocalypse
[*The Apocalypse*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13164/the_apocalypse) Makes Martin Starr's Head Explode (No, Really) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Even though it's coming to Sundance, you don't even have to go to Park City to watch this funny little short. The whole thing is on YouTube (above). Thanks to the subtle slacker humor of Martin Starr (*Freaks and Geeks*, *Party Down*) *The Apocalypse* takes a gruesome premise — people's heads randomly start exploding all over the world — and makes it fairly funny. And it asks the age-old question: How long could you keep from thinking when confronted by a beauty fresh out of the shower?
06the-crash-reel
Go Inside One Traumatic Snowboarding Injury with [*The Crash Reel*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13077/the_crash_reel) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 2009 snowboarder Kevin Pearce was training to take on his rival Shaun White at the 2010 Winter Olympics when he had an accident and suffered a terrible brain injury. *The Crash Reel* chronicles Pearce's path of recovery and his determination to return to snowboarding, even though another head injury could end his life.
07the-east-2
[*The East*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13131/the_east) Puts Ellen Page in the Midst of Anarchy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The dream team of writer/director Zal Batmanglij and writer/actress Brit Marling is back together after their time-travel cult flick *Sound of My Voice* with a new film about an ex-FBI agent (played by Marling) who is hired by corporate clients to infiltrate an anarchist collective. This time around the pair have billboard-ready names like *Juno'*s Ellen Page and *True Blood'*s Alexander Skarsgård on board. Expect thrills.
08virtually-heroes
[*Virtually Heroes*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13074/virtually_heroes) Gives Videogame Characters an Existential Crisis --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What happens when a character in a *Call of Duty*-style videogame gets fed up with killing bad guys yet never getting the girl working with his enthusiastic partner? Apparently, he seeks the assistance of a monk. At least that's what happens in *Virtually Heroes*. Think of it as *Wreck-It Ralph* for a slightly more grown-up audience, and complete with heavy satire of videogame culture, buddy comedy quips and existential dilemmas.
09we-steal-secrets-the-story-of-wikileaks
Behind Julian Assange's Curtain with [*We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13040/we_steal_secrets_the_story_of_wikileaks) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For an organization that prides itself on revealing other people's secrets, WikiLeaks also seems have its own limitless untold stories, which have been feeding news stories and films for years already. Trust that *We Steal Secrets* will tell one of the better ones — it comes from Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, who also made the acclaimed *Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room*.
1099
[*99% — The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film*](http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13121/99the_occupy_wall_street_collaborative_film) Goes Deep Inside a Movement --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Made from cameras on the ground in various Occupy camps, the documentary *99%* follows not only the activists who took over Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, but also the climate of America as their movement was unfolding. The coolest part? Filmmakers Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites took a cue from Occupy and accepted collaboration from people on the ground in various demonstrations — getting submissions from all over the country.
