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With Memorial Day sneaking upon us this weekend, summer is right on our heels. And as is traditional for the cinematic season, our theaters are about to be inundated with a slew of big-budget blockbusters, dominating the box office and luring in crazed audiences around the world. But if that's doesn't seem to tickle your film affinity, between the cracks of massive Hollywood studio pictures, are some of the year's most-anticipated and brilliant features from Xavier Dolan and David Lowery, to Joss Whedon and Pedro Almodovar, to Sofia Coppola and David Gordon Green—to name a few. So as we get closer to June, July, and August's wonderful releases, let's get excited about what will be premiering this summer. Enjoy.

David Lowery's lens-flared Texas drawl of a film Ain't Them Bodies Saints sounds as delicious rolling off the tongue as looks unfolding moment by moment in front of your eyes. As one of the most anticipated films to come out of Sundance this year, the slow-burning crime drama has the well-crafted filmmaking, beauty, and intrigue to engage any audience and with its wonderfully-acted performances from Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, and Ben Foster, this one is sure to set Lowery on a track of his own.

As one of the most anticipated films to come out of Sundance this year, David Lowery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a beautifully painful southern drawl of a film. Starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, and Keith Carradine, it has the touch of Terrence Malick with the bite of 1970s crime dramas. And Lowery has had quite the prolific year—between shooting this, editing Shane Carruth's stunning Upstream Color, finding himself attached to numerous other projects in the works, and now heading to Cannes next week where the film will screen as part of the festival's Critic's Week. 

Yesterday, we were pleased to reported that David Lowery's fantastic debut feature, the southern crime drama, Ain't Them Bodies Saints would be headed to France next month for the Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week. And today, as more festival news unravels, it appears that more and more surprises are in store. The Director's Fortnight slate has been announced and this year's line-up will feature not one, but two Alejandro Jodororowsky features. Well, one will be the first proper feature from the director in over 20 years and the other, a documentary about "the greatest film never made."

Emerging from Sundance as one of the most anticipated films of the year, Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a beautifully painful southern drawl of a film. Harkening back to 1970s classics yet with the freshness and grit of a new filmmaker truly establishing a voice, writer and director David Lowery has found himself on the tip of everyone's tongue. After editing Shane Carruth's stunning Upstream Color, Lowery completed his own directorial debut, and now the southern crime drama will officially be headed to Cannes.

Reviews can be dangerous. Personally, I tend not to read too many of them until after I've seen a film—and even then, only after I've processed my own thoughts. What's the point in seeing a film if you're just going to walk out of the theater and think, Well that was a disaster, but I know I'm supposed to love it or being profoundly moved by something but knowing that critics felt just the opposite so, I'll keep this absolute joy to myself. Come on, now. If there's a discussion to be had about the film before its release, it's always more interesting to learn about the person or people behind the film and how that person made this specific piece of art and what it meant for them, so you can at least learn the intentions behind the work.

Amidst the delirium of award season, the annual Sundance Film Festival creeps up every January to remind us each year that the scope of Hollywood is changing and being infiltrated with a host of new talent and emerging artists from around the world. The festival is a beacon for A-list talent as well as those new to the world of cinema who are getting their first premieres and chance at large-scale recognition. With an enormous slate of films, the festival will commence on Thursday and feature new work from those you already know and worship and those whose names are on the tip of our tongues.