Biopics and ‘Boyhood’: All the Buzz from Sundance

KCRW’s Eric Roy discussed some of the notable films coming out of the festival with John Horn, film writer for the Los Angeles Times.

Film buying has been slow but is starting to pick up, according to Horn. Sony Classics acquired the international rights to “Whiplash,” the festival’s opening night feature film; Focus Features acquired the Kickstarter-funded Zach Braff film “I Wish I Was Here”; Fox Searchlight bought the sci-fi thriller “I Origins”; and “Dinosaur 13” sold to CNN Films and Lionsgate.

One major theme in this year’s offerings, Horn said, is the proliferation of documentaries about individual people. There are movies that turn the lens on notorious criminals like Whitey Bulger and Jerry Sandusky, as well as public figures like Mitt Romney and Roger Ebert.

The standout movie from the festival so far, Horn said, is “Boyhood.” Writer and director Richard Linklater spent 12 years filming the movie, which follows a boy named Mason as he matures from youth to teenager in Texas.