Sundance A-to-Z

» H IS FOR HORROR. As always, the festival's Park City at Midnight series is filled with films that hope to be the next "Blair Witch Project." This year's contenders include "The Descent," "Moonshine," "Salvage" and "Subject Two."

» I IS FOR INTERNATIONAL. The festival has expanded its World Cinema section to include competitions for both dramatic and documentary foreign-language films. Nearly 40 countries are represented this year.

» J IS FOR JOURNALISTS. Sometimes it seems as if there are as many newspaper and television reporters covering the festival as there are actual civilian moviegoers. And it's always fun to watch Roger Ebert and his television reviewing partner, Richard Roeper, argue over what they've seen . . . or sometimes fight to get seats when the festival screenings are packed.

» K IS FOR KNOCK-OFFS. As always, Sundance brings with it several wannabe festivals with the word "dance" in their name — some of the wilder ones being Lapdance and Tromadance (the latter from the creators of the "Toxic Avenger" films). Of course, the competing Slamdance Film Festival, which returns to Utah Jan. 20-27, has come into its own. And now in its fifth year, the locally run LDS Film Festival (Jan. 18-21 at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem) has helped produce quality work in its 24-Hour Filmmaking Competition.

» L IS FOR LATE-NIGHT REVELRY. In addition to several sanctioned festival parties, there are unsanctioned parties going on as well. But you'll have to be connected to get into most of them.

» M IS FOR MUSIC. This year's festival is filled with music documentaries — about the Beastie Boys ("Awesome!"), Leonard Cohen ("Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man"), the Police ("Everyone Stares: The Police Inside and Out") and Neil Young ("Neil Young: Heart of Gold"). There are also more general documentaries about music festivals ("Glastonbury"), hip-hop ("Beyond Beats and Rhymes") and hard-core punk-rock ("American Hardcore"). Also, rocker Nick Cave wrote the script for "The Proposition" and Tom Waits co-stars in "Wristcutters: A Love Story." And if it's live music you're after, the festival's Music Cafe will feature Judy Collins, Bruce Hornsbury, Rufus Wainwright and others.

» N IS FOR NAPS. You'll need them just to keep up with everything that's going on.