PARK CITY, UTAH?Just the sight of the snow-capped mountains on the ride from the airport to this city that hosts America?s most prestigious film festival relaxes, and at the same time thrills us, with the singular prospect of watching film after film for the next few days.

Leaving our monkey suit home, we are looking forward to catching some of the films that have been generating early buzz, or stumbling into movies that could be the surprise hits. Last year, ?Precious? and ?An Education? were the discoveries. The following films could dominate this year?s film scene:

?The Runaways,? the much-awaited film that features ?Twilight? star Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett is unveiled with Dakota Fanning as her costar. Floria Sigismondi directs this bio-pic on the pioneering band of teenage girls in the 1970s.

?Welcome to the Rileys,? the other film with Kristen. James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo also star.

?Buried,? which top-bills Ryan Reynolds as a truck driver in Iraq who is held for ransom while he is, well, buried in a coffin. Ryan?s character wakes up in that confined space with only a lighter and a cell phone. Rodrigo Cortes directs.

?Howl,? with James Franco as beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

?Sympathy for Delicious,? actor Mark Ruffalo?s directorial debut about a paralyzed man. Mark also stars with Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis, Laura Linney and Noah Emmerich.

?Jack Goes Boating,? a first film by another actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, which revolves around a limo driver?s blind date in New York. Philip is in the cast, too, with Amy Ryan.

?Cyrus,? by the Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark, with John C. Reilly, Catherine Keener, Marissa Tomei and Jonah Hill, in a story set in contemporary LA.

?Douchebag,? which attracts attention by its title alone, by Drake Doremus.

?Holy Rollers,? based on a true story in pre-9/11 times when Hasidic Jews smuggled drugs from Amsterdam to New York. Jesse Eisenberg of ?Zombieland? and ?Adventureland? reportedly turns in a breakout performance.

?Blue Valentine,? with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

?Animal Kingdom,? said to be an impressive first feature by Australian writer-director, David Michod.

?12th and Delaware? by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, described as a strong contender in the documentary competition.

?Secrets of the Tribe,? another documentary, by Brazilian Jose Padilha.

?Bhutto,? also a docu, which spotlights assassinated Benazir Bhutto and her prominent political family.

?Space Tourists,? a look at Russia?s space program, and how green bucks (loads of it) enabled an American to get a space ride.

?The Killer Inside Me,? by Michael Winterbottom, about a Texan sheriff who goes on a killing rampage. With Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson and Casey Affleck.

Casey?s brother, Ben Affleck, appears with Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Costner as ?The Company Men,? executives who layoff employees at a shipbuilding company. It is already being referred to as ?Up in the Air,? part 2.

?Get Low? by Aaron Schneider, which has a dream cast: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek.

?Twelve? by Joel Schumacher, based on the acclaimed novel, with Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland and Ellen Barkin.

E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com and read his blog, ?The Nepales Report,? on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.