By Vanessa Zimmer

Regardless of whether Major League Baseball materializes this spring, March won’t be without some heavy hitters — courtesy of five film anniversaries during the month. All five are Sundance Film Festival alums.

Two became cult classics: Heathers, a hilarious dark comedy for the ’80s, and House Party, showcasing the Black teen hip-hop culture of the 1990s. The latter proved popular enough to spawn a series of follow-ups. 

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels unleashed director Guy Ritchie (and actors Vinnie Jones and Jason Statham) on the film world. And Memento, just Christopher Nolan’s second feature film, lent the director enough traction to ramp up his career for reviving the Batman franchise in 2005, completing a trilogy, and creating the 2010 Oscar-winning Inception — plus much, much more.

Last, but certainly not least, is the sweet Irish film Sing Street, a coming-of-age story that resonated with audiences. 

So, pour up the green beer, or whatever it is you need to celebrate these March birthdays, and enjoy rewatching these memorable Festival films. The year of wide release is in parentheses.

Heathers (1989) — This dark comedy with the tagline “Best friends, social trends and occasional murder” features Winona Ryder as a high school student who attaches herself to the three “Heathers,” all popular BFFs with the same first name. Then along comes a motorcycle-riding rebel (Christian Slater). That’s when things get… interesting. “Heathers, in fact, clicks on all levels — script, direction, production — and must be applauded as a clever, ambitious new film,” wrote programmer Tony Safford in the Festival Program Guide. Available on Amazon Prime, Pluto, and Tubi.