#Mike and Abby both take on Charlie’s role

[scattered-dreamers]

Just finished The Twisted Ones and I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT MOVIE!

So: I already see how some things can play out. There are four characters focused on in the book but three characters to fill the roles in the movie. We have:

Clay - Cop

Jessica - Friend

John - Friend/love interest

Charlie - Henry Emily’s daughter and main character of the books.

Vanessa obviously plays the cop character in the movie, but she also plays the role of friend as well. So she takes on the role of Clay and Jessica.

Mike takes on the role of both Charlie and John. He has the dreams/nightmares that Charlie does but but he takes on the role of John for Abby, not as a romantic love interest but as an older brother. The Charlie/John relationship can totally be adapted as a sibling relationship for the movie. And he totally goes feral on Afton in the movie like Charlie does in the book.

Abby takes on the role of Charlie and Jessica. She gives herself to the animatronics in order to keep them from killing others and Mike is FRANTIC to get her back because he already lost one sibling to these things. He’s not going to lose another.

Anyway, before I start ranting and tearing the book apart to examine every fine detail, I just wanted to put out there character break down. So yeah:

Vanessa - Takes on the role of Clay and part of Jessica’s role.

Abby - Takes on the rest of Jessica’s role and part of Charlie’s role.

Mike - Takes on the rest of Charlie’s role and take on the role of John.

I’m curious how they’re going to split all of Charlie’s role between the siblings though.

Mike obviously coax’s out the animatronics to help Abby because she martyrs herself to them so they stop killing.

Mike goes feral on Afton for no other reason than protecting his siblings and demanding to know about Garrett.

Abby is the artist, but Mike is the dreamer.

That said, which one dies?

Is it Mike because he spots the door from his dreams and tries to reach Garrett? Because he feels Garrett reaching out to him?

Or is it Abby because she recognizes it from her drawings? Because the kids tell her about it?

[scribbles-ink]

im just thinking what if mike schmidt is the son of the movie's equivalent of henry emily. i had this thought on the way home from the movie at like. 10 pm so at the time it was incoherrent, but im going to expand on it here.

point 1- garrett played a similar role to charlie emily, in that despite being watched over they were both killed by william afton.

p2- in the flashbacks, its very obvious that the entire family is in a place away from society. they're literally in a forest. it wouldn't make sense for william of all people to be there if he wasn't close to the family.

p3- the books and the game mirror eachother, so there is a chance that schmidt could be another fake name, one william recognized because, again, he was a family friend.

p4-what happens when your kid goes missing? idk probaly witness protection or an urge to seperate yourself from the incident, both reasons for the name change.

p5-(kinds joke reason) abby rhymes with charlie and looks similar to her (brown hair, brown eyes)

p6-i argue that abby also took on the role of the puppet/charlie at the end of the movie. she didn't necessarily give them life, not like what was done in the game, she shoeed them how they died. she reminded the children of the life they had before, and of who really took it. by doing that, in a way, she gave them that life back. she gave them their real personality back, one not influenced by william. she cut them from his influence, she gave them the gift (the picture) and it gave them life (their memories)

p7- in the movie, mike says his father 'couldnt deal with it' and left after his mother died. yk what that sounds similar to? book henry emily killing himself in despair. maybe mike's dad is alive maybe he's dead, we dont know. but it is similar enough, an act of completely removing himself from the equation.

p8-book henry has a sister named jen, yk what name that sounds like? jane. who was mike and abby's aunt, and we dont know which parent she was related to.

p9-'but wouldn't mike know about the pizzaria if william was a family friend?' honestly, probably. but theres also a high chance that he wouldnt. if the family lived in nebraska, (which im pretty sure they did) they wouldn't have a need to go to utah, not even for a friend's restaurant. sure, he might know that his dad's friend had a restaurant, but not that it had animatronics or anything. the family probaly moved to utah after garrett's disappearance and after freddy's closed down.

p10-'wouldn't mike know vanessa? theyre similar in age' if they didnt live in the same state, probaly not. william in the movie was a, suprise suprise, shitty father, even foregoing the stabbing of his kid. i doubt hed care enough to take her with him on like. a short out of state trip.

p11(edit)- in the books aunt jane was killed by evil charlie to get to charlie, yk what that sounds like? the animatronics killing aunt jen to get to charlie

p12(edit)-the words at the end of the movie say 'come find me' and the music playong at the end is the puppets song so i think garrett is the puppet which is. again. an emily thing

p13(edit)- mikes dad looks like a mechanic shown in the training videos [cough henry emily cough]

if i think of anything else ill add it but anywys this is why i think the schmidts in the movie are the emilys equivalent. also check out the notes on this post because theres a lot of replies n reblogs that support my theory

[cherrytimemachine]

Parallels I noticed between Elizabeth and the Golden Freddy kid in the FNAF movie (plus my own ideas and interpretations):

- Coerces someone into trusting them and then trying to kill them (GF taking Abby to get turned into an animatronic and Baby scooping Michael to wear his skin)

- Both GF and Baby coerce people based on incorrect information (Baby thinks Michael is William and GF thinks Abby is becoming part of their “family” because of William controlling the kids, or I have another idea that GF might be trying to bring Abby back to the pizzeria so she can break William’s hold on the kids but I’ll elaborate on that some other time)

- Kills/attacks the main character’s aunt and leaves her on the floor (whether or not Aunt Jane is dead we don’t know for sure) like Baby does in The Fourth Closet with Aunt Jen (plus the Aunt Jane/Aunt Jen thing)

- Assuming that GF is William’s son and Vanessa’s brother, this would be a reverse of Sister Location. In the games, it’s the son who survives to adulthood and has to do his father’s bidding, while the daughter had been killed as a child and stuck in an animatronic. In the movie, the daughter survives and the son dies and becomes the leading spirit.

- Both Elizabeth and GF seems to have more authority over the other animatronics, both being the ones who really speak to the main characters directly.

- It’s possible that GF mistook Abby for Vanessa, seeing as her outfit on the first night she was there she wore the same pink top and blue pants combination that Vanessa wore in the photo with her father, which could parallel how Baby mistook Michael for William

Bonus Thoughts: I have a theory/hypothesis that the GF kid might actually be Michael, or this universe’s stand in for him. Instead of it being the idea that the Aftons and the Emilys switched kids, what if instead the kids in each family switched roles, like the brother (Garrett) being killed and turned into the Puppet instead of the sister (Charlie) like in the games (plus Mike being like the older brother who feels guilty for his brother’s death, and the novel said in chapter 1 that he felt like he was the problem in the family even before Garrett went missing, and then being related to Henry would be great). It would make a neat spin on things to see Vanessa as this world’s Elizabeth and her trying to free her brother, just like Michael did for his sister in the games. Whether a horrible fate will befall her like Michael had I don’t know we’ll just have to see for ourselves when the next movie comes out.

[star-dust-n-astral-wind]

A Theory On The Puppet's Identity

Getting out way ahead of this one, because I think I already figured it out.

The Five Nights At Freddy's film follows a loose outline of the game's canon. Abby (an anagram of Baby) nearly gets put into the stomach of a clown-like animatronic, Mike's motivation is the loss of his brother (per Foxy-Bro theory), Vanessa is a "Reluctant Follower", and so on.

Another quick stop before the meat of this theory is the FNAF 2 minigame "Take Cake To Children", because it has something else that you may remember: the Puppet speaking, saying "S-A-V-E-H-I-M." This is very much the same to the closing moments of the film's credits, wherein we hear the Puppet's voice asking that someone "C... O... M... E... F... I... N... D... M... E..."

So, who do I think the Puppet is? Garret Schmidt.

Okay, bit of a stretch, but hear me out.

We know that Garret is taken by William Afton some years before the events of the film. We also know that Afton killed him ("First I kill your brother, then I kill you. It's like symmetry, my friend."), but we're a bit lacking in the details of the event itself.

There's no mention of Garret ever being found, not even his body. Well, the other victims of Afton that were never found were in the animatronics, so... why not again? Or rather: why not first?

Allow me to paint a picture: William Afton kidnaps and kills Garret Schmidt for reasons unknown, takes him to some distant location (possibly a branch of Freddy's located in Nebraska), and kills him. But it doesn't stick. The nearby security puppet (brand new technology designed by William himself) starts acting up shortly after the boy died. It doesn't take him long to work it out, to figure out that the kid's soul is now inhabiting the puppet.

This leads into the events we know of before the film, with him claiming the five victims that inhabit the animatronics. It also explains his control over them and his apparent assurance that he'll return from death: he's studied this phenomenon already when the Puppet got possessed, and again when he killed the other five kids.

But why Garret, why not someone else? Well, a few reasons.

Firstly: while it may just be him removing mention of Henry's contributions, both William himself and the training tape say "the owner of Freddy's", singular. So it's unlikely that Henry and Charlie are around to play their parts in this event.

Secondly, and more importantly: it would fit Mike's arc.

Assuming that Mike returns as our protagonist next time (maybe hunting down rumours about other Freddy's, trying to unravel the mystery?), then it's really the most logical choice to have it be Garret. After a lifetime of obsession, Mike has finally found peace with the past, has realised the importance of the present, and has really settled into being a guardian to Abby for the future. He's put it to rest, and accepted that he has the answers he's always wanted.

So what better time for the past to come knocking? Or, more accurately, what better time for the Puppet to ask that someone "COME FIND ME"?

If it is Garret, then maybe he's angry and bitter ("Oh, you could save her!"), or he could be happier about it ("At least you saved her."), or perhaps even just resigned ("You really think he's dead?"). Despite all his progress, despite how much effort he's put into letting the past stay in the past, it's come back to haunt him in a very literal way.

How does he react when the object of his obsession is really here and truly in front of him?

We'd also get some other interesting interactions with this, such as Abby meeting her brother, or Vanessa apologising for any role she may have played in Garret's murder.

So yeah, I'm putting my money on "Garret is the Puppet". Largely because I think it makes logical sense from an in universe perspective for it to be him, and also because I feel it would be the most emotional option for our (potential) protagonist.

[darkmystress00]

Babysitters Club - Ch 1

A/N: If you don’t like Real Person Fiction (RPF) DO NOT READ THIS FIC! It does focus on real people and does focus on some heavy REAL LIFE situations that people face.

That being said I think Misha and Vicki are #relationshipgoals and they are endgame irl. I love both of them and would never wish anything bad for them and/or their family. This is a work of fiction and in no way represents anything I want to have actually happen...

Trigger warnings: Eventual divorce (YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)

Pairing: Misha x Reader (EVENTUALLY)

You sat on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television, trying to find the channel with the show that the kids loved the most. You stopped as the face of that beloved puppet popped onto the screen and you smiled in triumph. You heard the toddler at your side let out a squealing giggling before she settled down on the floor at your feet. “Alright sweetie. I need to go make lunch. I’ll be right over here ok?” You said as you carefully stood. The little girl was so engrossed in the show she didn’t even respond. You smiled and shook your head before making your way across the room to the kitchen to start making grilled cheese, the toddler’s favorite.

As the pan heated, and while you prepped all the ingredients, you marveled at everything going on in your life. You started out as just a babysitter to make some money in high school, but as you entered college it became more of a full time gig. Before long you found yourself employed as a professional nanny. Word spread and suddenly you found yourself unable to juggle the workload. That was how you found yourself employed by THE top nanny agency (because, yes, that was a thing, apparently.) The one that supplied nannies to the rich and famous, though those were only the select few. You were still “slumming it” with the upper-class families as the veteran nannies liked to tease. Personally you liked it that way. You didn’t have to worry about the paparazzi snapping pictures of you or fielding the wife from finding out about Mr. Famous’ many affairs. Just the simple task of watching the kid (or kids as the case may be.) It was nice not to be tied up in all the hullabaloo of having famous clients.

So far, the only thing you’d had to worry about was potty training, and explaining to the wife why her husband’s business flight had been delayed (not your job per say, but you’d received the call on the home line, so figured you could relay the information.) You peered at little Abby who was still fully engaged with the television show, and smiled again. You made quick work of making two sandwiches, one for you and one for her (she would most likely only eat half right now before her nap and then half when she woke up.) You froze as you heard the door from the garage open and the tell-tale sound of keys jingling signaling that the wife was home. “Hello Mrs. James.” You said, moving the pan to the sink to cool and be cleaned. “you’re home early.” Abigail James was a tall, leggy brunette that was the most sought after interior designer in the entire state (probably the country…but you were biased.) She was married to Mike James, software developer for Microsoft (just enough of a bigwig to be able to afford anything she wanted whenever she wanted it) and they had two children, Abby and Charlie.

Abigail Madison Winston James III. That was Abby’s full name and it sounded every bit as pretentious as the child was silly. Abby was just Abby. She was a bundle of energy that loved to swim and swing and scrape knees. She was a joy to be around and made your job easy. Charlie was her little brother. Charles Michael James was almost a year old and was a smiley baby that could find a way to make a mess in a completely empty room. He was forever finding ways to make messes right after you cleaned and got everything put to rights. (His parents understood his antics and often snickered as they watched you scramble to clean up the last minute messes when they strolled through the door.) The James’ were a loving family and you hoped to have one just like them one day.

“Hello, Y/N. Yes, my client ran into a few snags today before design so I got to come home early.” You nodded as you watched Abby run up to her squealing with delight. “It’s just as well, Mike and I have been meaning to talk with you.” You felt a churning in the pit of your stomach.

“Oh?” You asked pensively as you set out lunch and watched as Abigail placed Abby in her chair so the child could eat.

“Yes. Mike has decided to take a position in upstate, and we’ll be putting Abby in daycare after the move. As sad as we are, we are going to have to cancel services.” You felt the pit in your stomach spread and get heavy as a cold settled over you. “We’d love to take you with us, but that’s just not viable for us.” She offered sympathetically.

“No I understand.” You smiled. “I’m so excited for you all! It’s going to be great. Upstate is amazing.” Abigail nodded and stroked Abby’s hair as she stuffed the grilled cheese in her mouth. “When do you move?”

“Actually we are beginning the move next week, so this will be that last week we need you.” You wanted to wince at how quickly everything was moving but you understood. This was just a job and no matter how attached you got to the clients, this was plain and simple, just a job. You’d miss them, that was for sure, but you understood. You had to. “We called the agency already and I think they’re planning a few interviews for you so you won’t be out of work because of our change in situation.” You nodded. That was standard practice.

“Perfect.” You smiled at her. “Well, I’m going to miss you guys.” You offered sadly. “It’s been amazing working with all of you.” Abigail smiled and pulled you in for a hug.

“You have been a God-send and I don’t know how we’re going to get along without you.”

“Oh, you’ll do fine.” You reassure her. “Well, then, I’ll leave you to it. Charlie has been down for his morning nap for about an hour and a half, he should be waking up soon.” Abigail nodded. “And, Abby is finishing lunch, so she’s good until her nap time…” You trail off quietly. “I’m sorry…you know their routine.” You shake your head as Abigail laughs gently. “Well, if you need me for anything, just call the agency.” Abigail gave you a soft smile.

“I will. I promise.” She turned to her daughter. “Abby, Y/N is going to be going now. Want to give her a big hug before nap time? She won’t be here when you wake up since Mommy’s home.” Abby smiled up at you before stretching her hands up and wiggling her fingers at you, signaling she wanted up in your arms. Quickly you scoop her up before smothering her in a giant hug and peppering her face with playful kisses which caused the child to squeal as she wrapped her arms around you.

“Bye, bye baby girl. You’re going to have so much fun coming up!” You say quickly, smiling at the little girl in your arms.

“Bye bye Y/N!” She coos before leaning towards her mother to clean her up and get her ready for nap time. You smiled at Abigail again before giving her a gentle wave and making your way to the door to scoop up your purse and make your way back home. As you slid into the driver’s side of the car, you heard your cellphone ringing. You checked the caller ID and recognize the agency’s number. They must have found you an interview already. That was promising.

“Hello?”

“Hey Y/N.” Sylvia’s voice chirped into your ear. “So, I have an interview for your next assignment.” She started tentatively. “How do you feel about traveling?”

~~~

Misha stared at the profiles before him. He and Vicki had decided that it was time for a full-time nanny to help with the kids. West was five (or going to be very soon) and Maison was three. Vicki could take care of them on her own, but it became more and more apparent to the two of them that the kids (or at least little West) wanted to go with his daddy whenever he traveled. Misha knew being on the set of Supernatural all day was going to drive the kid nuts, so a nanny would help keep the kid busy and out of trouble. The problem was, he’d never needed a nanny before and had no idea how to pick a good one. They’d gotten the name of this agency from a couple of Vicki’s friends that used them, and had called them this morning. Almost instantly the company had faxed over about five profiles of current nannies that were available and open for traveling, but none of them really seemed to instill any confidence in him (of course it was just a sheet of paper with their information and a short blurb about experience, but still.) Maybe this wasn’t going to work.

He could still take West to work with him in Vancouver. He was sure that Jensen or Jared could help with keeping an eye on Westy as well as any other crew member that would be willing. He wrinkled his nose thinking to himself. He really didn’t want to impose the role of “babysitter” on any of the guys. They would be just as busy (if not more so) as him, so in all honesty that option really was moot. He let out a sigh and flipped through the profiles again before he heard his phone ringing. Tapping the screen without looking he answered quickly, noticing Vicki turn her attention to him from across the room where she was playing with West and Maison.

“Mr. Collins?” He perked a little.

“Yes.”

“Hello, this is Sylvia from the agency.” She chirped cheerfully. “We spoke earlier about your inquiry for a nanny to travel with you and your children while you were on set?” He hummed into the phone. “Yes, well, there has been a development.” He wanted to sigh. This didn’t sound good. “One of our best nannies just became available as of this morning. I was wondering if you were interested in me sending over her profile or if you’d already made a decision?”

“No. That sounds good.” He said as he moved to go sit by his wife as he listened to the receptionist from the nanny agency (God, he couldn’t even believe that was a thing) chirp off a few things about the newest nanny she wanted to send over.

“She’s been employed with us for almost six years. She’s received her degree in child development with a special emphasis on child psychology. She’s worked with numerous clients and has received nothing but the highest marks and customer reviews.”

“Then why did she just become available?” He asked, truly interested. If she was so good, why would any family let her go?

“Her current family is moving upstate and decided to terminate services since their child was going to be placed in preschool after the move.”

“Ah.” He answered. “Well, then yes. Go ahead and send over her information. I’ll go over it with my wife and let you know who we want to meet with.”

“Very good sir. I’ll send over her information for you to peruse at your leisure.” Misha hummed into the receiver again. “Alright sir. Well, we hope to hear from you soon.” With that a quick click sounded in his ear and he sighed, tucking his phone away.

“Everything alright Mish?” Vicki asked as she sat down next to him on the couch.

“Yeah. They’re sending over another profile. This one sounds almost too good to be true.” He commented as he watched West and Maison begin to play.

“How so?”

“Degree in child development, or child psychology or something like that.” He shrugged. “She’s one of the top nannies they have.” Vicki gave a hum of her own.

“You’re right.” His phone dinged, signaling that he received an email, most likely the agency sending over that profile. He opened the file attachment and scrolled through it, vaguely registering that it basically parroted all the same information he’d just been told. He turned his phone to Vicki.

“What do you think?” She read through the information and thought for a moment.

“It’s worth a meet. If she really is as good as they say, then we shouldn’t have a problem.” She said. “And West will definitely let you know if things aren’t working out.” Misha nodded in response. West was definitely an outspoken child that had no problem telling them how he felt. They’d have the initial interview, and then maybe a secondary where she got to meet the children. Then they’d make a final decision.

“Alright. I’ll call them and set up the interview.” Vicki nodded again.

“I’m going to get the kids fed while you do that so Maison can get ready for her nap.” He nodded and placed a quick kiss to Vicki’s cheek before she walked away. He placed the phone up to his ear and listened as it rang.

“Hello! This is Sylvia from The Nanny Association Agency. How can I help you?”

“Hello, Sylvia. This is Misha Collins.”

“Oh, hello Mr. Collins. I take it you’ve made a decision?” She queried enthusiastically.

“Yes, but we’re still a little on the fence.”

“Oh dear. Well what can I do to help assuage your fears and placate your concerns?”

“My wife and I were hoping to do an initial interview with one of the nannies and then if we feel comfortable we’d like to have a secondary interview where we can see her interact with the children. These are our kids and we’re just unsure about trusting them with someone we’ve only met once.”

“I completely understand. Standard procedure states that you are entitled to up to three interview sessions. Many families do only have the initial interview, but it is completely up to you if you would like to stage a few more interview sessions just to make sure. These are your children and we understand how important it is to make sure this is the correct fit.” He smiled into the phone. “Does that help Mr. Collins?”

“Yes. That helps a lot. Thanks.”

“Wonderful. When did you want to schedule your initial interview? We have two days from now at eleven, twelve thirty, one, four, or would another day work best for you two?”

“Two days will work. Let’s schedule for one.”

“Very good sir, and who did you decide to meet with?”

“The last girl you sent us. Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

“Wonderful. She’s highly recommended and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I’ll relay the information and she will meet you two days from now at one.”

“Great. Thank you.”

“No, thank you Mr. Collins.” Sylvia replied into the phone before listening to it click as he hung up the phone. Misha tucked his phone into his pocket and sighed, stacking the printed profiles in the folder and sliding it away. He hoped this girl, this Y/N, was going to be a good fit. He really didn’t want to have to start over with all of this headache. Especially not with filming starting soon.

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[ethanalter]

2017 Sundance Film Festival Preview: 23 Movies We Can't Wait to See

As the first major film festival of every calendar year, the Sundance Film Festival always sets the conversation for the films that serious movie buffs will be seeking out and debating for the next 12 months. And the 2017 edition, which runs from January 19-29 in the festival’s longtime home base of Park City, Utah, will be no different. Yahoo Movies combed through the 181-entry line-up to pick the 23 features we’re most excited to see at this year’s festival. And check back here often for our continuing coverage from Park City.

Salma Hayek in ‘Beatriz at Dinner’ (Photo: Sundance Institute)

Beatriz at Dinner The dynamic duo behind the 2000 Sundance sensation Chuck & Buck, writer Mike White and director Miguel Arteta, re-team for another off-kilter comedy. After her car breaks down, holistic health expert, Beatriz (Salma Hayek), is stranded at a client’s house as a celebratory dinner party is about to begin. Over the course of the evening, she becomes increasingly obsessed with one of the partygoers, Doug (John Lithgow). And, as Chuck & Buck fans know, obsession is fertile territory for White and Arteta.

Before I Fall Ry Russo-Young’s adaption of Lauren Oliver’s bestselling novel puts a YA spin on the “live, die, repeat” school of movies like Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow. Zoey Deutch stars as Sam, a high school Queen Bee who finds herself reliving the day of her death over and over again. Open Road Films will release this cult hit-in-the-making in March.

Zoe Kazan and Kumail Nanjiani in ‘The Big Sick’ (Photo: Sundance Institute)

The Big Sick Silicon Valley and Twitterverse funnyman Kumail Nanjiani co-wrote this rom-com with wife Emily V. Gordon based on their real-life coupling. He’s an aspiring comedian whose one-night stand with a grad student (Zoe Kazan) blossoms into a full-fledged relationship, much to the chagrin of his Muslim parents. Directed by The State creator Michael Showalter and produced by King of Comedy Judd Apatow, the film also features Ray Romano and Holly Hunter.

Burning Sands Welcome to Hell Week, frat-house style. Gerrard McMurray’s scalding debut feature takes audiences inside an African-American college fraternity as a new group of pledges, led by promising freshman Zurich (Trevor Jackson), endures emotional and physical abuse in the name of brotherhood. Look for a supporting turn from Moonlight star Trevante Rhodes.

Crown Heights After impressive supporting roles in Short Term 12 and Selma, LaKeith Stanfield (fresh off those sick dance moves celebrating Atlanta‘s win at the Golden Globes) lands his first starring role. He flexes a Trinidadian accent as Colin Warner, the real-life Brooklyn man who spent 20 years in prison after being falsely convicted of murder. The drama, written and directed by Matt Ruskin, follows the efforts of Warner’s best friend Carl King (Nnamdi Asomugha) to clear his name.

‘The Discovery’ (Photo: Sundance Institute)

The Discovery Sundance is never short on promising premises, and this one has us intrigued. It’s touted as a love story set in a world where the afterlife has been scientifically proven, which has set off a rash of suicides by people eager to get to the other side. Directed by Charlie McDowell, who brought the twisty sci-fi romance The One I Love to the fest in 2014, the ensemble features McDowell’s longtime girlfriend Rooney Mara, Jason Segel, Jesse Plemons, Riley Keough, and the Sundance Kid himself, Robert Redford.

Fun Mom Dinner Like Sundance’s indie response to the raunchy 2016 box office hit Bad Moms, this comedy unites Toni Collette, Molly Shannon, Katie Aselton, and Bridgett Everett as four preschool mothers who bond over the course of a wine-soaked, weed-clouded evening out. Written by Julie Yaeger Rudd (wife of Paul Rudd) and directed by Alethea Jones (making her feature debut), the film counts both the Ant-Man star and Adam Scott (who also appears) as producers.

A Ghost Story Three years ago, the trio of David Lowery, Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara teamed up for the breakout Sundance favorite, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. Now, they’re reuniting for the haunting tale of a dead man (Affleck) who returns from the hereafter to watch his lover (Mara) grow old without him. Despite the tragic subject matter, Affleck will have something to smile about during Sundance: his name will almost certainly be among the Best Actor candidates when Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 24.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Al Gore’s slideshow-driven global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth defied all expectations in 2006 when it earned $24 million at the U.S. box office, blockbuster numbers for a doc. Sundance 2017 will open with this sequel to the influential film, which also headlines the festival’s inaugural “Climates” section.

Jessica Williams in ‘The Incredible Jessica James’ (Photo: Sundance Institute)

The Incredible Jessica James Popular Daily Show alum Jessica Williams headlines her first film, playing a New York twentysomething struggling to get over a break-up and make it as a playwright. The fest’s closing night film is written and directed by Jim C. Strouse, a Sundance regular with entries like Grace Is Gone, People Places Things and The Hollars. Expect Jessica James to capture love and heartbreak in the same poignant, sharply funny fashion.

Ingrid Goes West The perils of social media connections are explored in this dark comedy from first-time feature director Matt Spicer, who cowrote with David Branson Smith. Parks and Rec alum Aubrey Plaza plays a mentally disturbed young woman who becomes so obsessed with an online “influencer” (Avengers star Elizabeth Olsen) she moves to Los Angeles to befriend her — and we can only assume, “single white female” her. Look for our reaction on Twitter.

Jenny Slate in ‘Landline’ (Photo: Sundance Institute)

Landline Gillian Robespierre and Jenny Slate’s follow-up to the 2014 Sundance favorite Obvious Child transports audiences back to that magical, mythical world known as the 1990s. While Dana (Slate) sows her wild oats as her wedding day approaches, her sister Ali (Abby Quinn) indulges in Party Girl-era New York City nightlife. For true ‘90s authenticity, we expect a soundtrack filled with equal parts TLC, Hootie and the Blowfish and Gin Blossoms.

The Little Hours Real-life comedy power couples unite. Engaged item Dave Franco and Alison Brie costar with Aubrey Plaza, whose boyfriend Jeff Baena (Life After Beth, Joshy) wrote and directed this Middle Ages-set laugher about three nuns (Brie, Plaza, and Don’t Think Twice breakout Kate Micucci) whose chaste existence is thrown into upheaval by the arrival of a studly day laborer. Baena based on the story on The Decameron, the novellas of 14th-century author Giovanni Boccaccio.

‘Nobody Speak’ (Photo: Sundance Institute)

Nobody Speak: Hulk Hogan, Gawker and Trials of a Free Press With a wave of newsroom closings and charges of “fake news” flying around almost daily, the journalism industry is facing serious challenges in the coming years. Brian Knappenberger’s unnervingly timely documentary seeks to use one specific case — Hulk Hogan’s high-profile lawsuit against now-defunct website Gawker — to speak to the larger ramifications of living in an America in which the “free press” isn’t truly free.

Person to Person Dustin Guy Defa (who brought a short film by the same name to Sundance in 2014) wrote and directed this collage of intersecting tales of New Yorkers on the go. A newspaperman (Michael Cera) mentors a rookie reporter (Broad City‘s Abbi Jacobson) on the crime beat; a teenager (Tavi Gevinson) critiques her best friend’s new boyfriend; a slacker (George Sample III) offers an apology for posting nude pics of his ex-girlfriend; and a vinyl junkie (Craig Butta) chases a lead on a rare record.

The Polka King Just take one look at the title and tell us this doesn’t look like a vehicle tailor-made for Jack Black? The School of Rock and Bernie funnyman plays real-life Pennsylvania polka singer Jan Lewan, who (inadvertently?) operates a Ponzi scheme that will inevitably be his undoing. Jenny Slate, Jason Schwartzman, Jacki Weaver, and J.B. Smoove costar in this tragi-comedy from writer-directors Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky (Infinitely Polar Bear).

Nicholas Hoult as J.D. Salinger in ‘Rebel in the Rye’ (Photo: Sundance Institute)

Rebel in the Rye Suggested alternate title: Holden Caulfield Begins. Writer/director Danny Strong (one of the masterminds behind the hit Fox series, Empire) revisits the formative years of future Catcher in the Rye novelist J.D. Salinger (Nicholas Hoult), when he was just a struggling writer romancing Hollywood royalty, Oona O’Neill (Zoey Deutch).

Roxanne Roxanne You wouldn’t necessarily think old-school rapper Roxanne Shanté (Chanté Adams) would be next in line for the hip-hop biopic treatment after the likes of Biggie, Tupac, and NWA, but all the more reason this drama about the groundbreaking Queens emcee deserves its props. From the producing team behind the 2015 Sundance breakout Dope (including Pharrell Williams and Forest Whitaker), the Michael Larnell-directed film also features Nia Long and Moonlight costar Mahershala Ali.

78/52 Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho gets the Room 237 treatment with Alexandre O. Philippe’s shot-by-shot deep dive into the film’s notorious shower scene. Instead of Shining “truthers,” though, Philippe relies on directors like Guillermo del Toro and Peter Bogdanovich to analyze the art and science behind this nightmare-inducing sequence, which has been putting viewers off taking regular showers since 1960.

To the Bone Prolific TV writer/producer, Marti Noxon — whose small screen credits range from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Unreal — makes her feature filmmaking debut with the highly personal story of a 20-year-old woman (Lily Collins) wrestling with a serious eating disorder. With Noxon at the helm, not to mention skilled supporting players like Keanu Reeves and Lili Taylor in the ensemble, there’s little chance that To the Bone will play like an afterschool special.

Michelle Pfeiffer and Kiefer Sutherland in ‘Where Is Kyra’ (Photo: Sundance Institute)

Where Is Kyra? We’ve lived through the McConaissance; maybe 2017 will be the Pfeiffersance? With roles in Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express and Darren Aronofsky’s Mother in the coming months, Michelle Pfeiffer begins the year with a star turn in Andrew Dosunmu’s drama about grief-stricken, emotionally unstable woman whose reliance on the kindness of a stranger (Kiefer Sutherland) takes a dark turn.

Wilson Daniel Clowes’ 2010 darkly amusing graphic novel about an aging crank jumps off the page and onto the screen, with Woody Harrelson in the title role and writer/director Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins) behind the camera. General audiences will have a chance to see Wilson in March courtesy of Fox Searchlight, but Sundance crowds will be the first to know whether Johnson has done Ghost World-level justice to Clowes’ work.

XX Even as horror anthologies like V/H/S and The ABCs of Death have proliferated, female filmmakers are too rarely invited to join in the gory fun. Enter XX, which serves up four scary stories helmed by women, including Karyn Kusama (The Invitation), Roxanne Benjamin (Southbound), Annie Clark (a.k.a. St. Vincent) and Jovanka Vuckovic (The Captured Bird). It’s well past time for a horror movie to shatter that glass ceiling…and then use the resulting shards to draw some serious blood.