I looked outside and noticed it’s looking a little less like Arrakis and a little more like Hoth. That’s when I realized: the Sundance Film Festival’s coming! We at SciFiSurplus have assembled our crack team of researchers to search through the Sundance catalogs and find those films that are of most interest to you, the discriminating science fiction, fantasy, and horror fan. And just like in years past, there are some real gems coming to the Festival this year. All of them are World Premieres except for "Diary of the Dead," which, as we mentioned before, premiered in Canada.

You’ll find our picks after the jump. If you think we missed anything else, just let us know, and we’ll add it to the list!

Two films from the dramatic competition caught my eye right away: "Sleep Dealer" and "Pretty Bird."

Directed by Alex Rivera and written by Rivera and David Riker, "Sleep Dealer" is set in a near-future, militarized world marked by closed borders, virtual labor and a global digital network that joins minds and experiences. Three strangers risk their lives to connect with each other and break the barriers of technology. IMDB gives a little more information: "A young Mexican man from the provinces whose family and home are destroyed by terrorist-seeking drones. He goes to Tijuana, where he joins a workforce of illegal workers whose labor is transported electronically across the border, and finds the means to avenge the violence."

Sort of a cross between "Children of Men" and "The Matrix," perhaps?

"Pretty Bird" is a light-hearted comedy about three would-be entrepreneurs who set out to invent a rocket belt. Written and Directed by Paul Schneider ("All the Real Girls"). This one may not appeal to hard-core science fiction fans, but any movie that dares to utter the words "rocket belt" gets a nod in my book.

Next, the films that aren’t in competition. Call me crazy, but the one film I’m most excited to see out of the entire Festival lineup is "Be Kind Rewind." In this film by Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), Jack Black plays a man whose brain is accidentally magnetized. The result of which is that he wipes out all the tapes of his friend’s video store. To put things right, he sets out to recreate the movies (including "Robocop," "Back to the Future," "Rush Hour," "Ghost Busters," and so on), enlisting the people in his neighborhood as actors. And wouldn’t you know it, just as soon as they start to pull it off, they run afoul of the copyright police.

To do this one justice, I recommend you go see the Be Kind Rewind Trailer. The film also boasts performances by Mos Def, Mia Farrow, and Danny Glover. I can’t wait!

And finally, here are some other films (most of them in the category-defying Park City at Midnight group) that we at SciFiSurplus think you might enjoy:

REVERSION: U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Mia Trachinger)—In a world in which the past, present and future simultaneously unfold, a woman whose genetic mutation leaves her devoid of morality struggles to preserve her romance with the man she loves.

THE BRØKEN: U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Sean Ellis)—On a busy London street a woman sees herself driving by in her own car. Stunned, she trails the mystery woman as events take an eerie turn into a living nightmare. Cast: Lena Heady (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Richard Jenkins, Asier Newman.

GEORGE A. ROMERO’S DIARY OF THE DEAD: U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: George A. Romero)—When a group of film students making an indie horror film find themselves trapped in a world being consumed by flesh-eating zombies, they cleverly switch gears and use the camera to document the world crumbling around them. Cast: Nick Alachiotis, Matt Birman, George Buza, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro. U.S. Premiere

OTTO; OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE: Germany/ Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Bruce LaBruce)—A lonely gay zombie searches for love and meaning in contemporary Berlin. Cast: Jey Crisfar, Katharina Klewinghaus, Susanne Sachsse, Marcel Schlutt.

TIMECRIMES (LOS CRONOCRÍMENES): Spain (Director and Screenwriter: Nacho Vigalondo)—A man accidentally travels back to the past, only to meet himself there. He also encounters a series of mysteries—pieces of an unpredictable jigsaw puzzle of terror, drama, and suspense—that all lead to an unthinkable crime. Cast: Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernández, Bárbara Goenaga.

The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 17 to January 27 in Park City, Utah. For more information about the films showing in the 2008 Festival, visit http://www.sundance.org/festival/.