Indie Film Release Guide: April 5th [An ONTD Original]
There are two major studio releases this week - Paramount's Pet Sematary remake, based on the creepy (and sad!) novel by Molly's human servant Stephen King:
and Shazam!, which as far as I know doesn't star any cute animals. If you're not thrilled by either of these offerings, read on for some indie options, including films from noted directors Claire Denis and Mike Leigh. And thank you for all of your support in last week's abbreviated post, I had a great trip!
The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia and Disney. Note that some of the movies listed are in their first week or two of limited release in the USA, so it may take them a few more weeks (or months) to show up in your local arthouse theater or on VOD. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have just opened near you: March 29, March 22nd, and March 15th.
High Life
Click to viewStars: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin, Mia Goth
Writer: Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau, Geoff Cox
Director: Claire Denis
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Horror
Plot: Monte and his baby daughter are the last survivors of a damned and dangerous mission to the outer reaches of the solar system. They must now rely on each other to survive as they hurtle toward the oblivion of a black hole.
What you should know: Director Claire Denis is quoted as saying that the film is about “about sexuality, not sex. Sensuality, not pornography”.
Opens in: Select cities
Peterloo
Stars: Rory Kinnear, Rachel Finnegan, Simona Bitmate, Maxine Peake
Writer/Director: Mike Leigh
Genre: Drama, History
Plot: The story of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre where British forces attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester.
What you should know: The film has its UK premiere at the BFI Film Festival, which held the premiere in Manchester, the location where the events in the film happened.
Opens in: Select cities
Amazing Grace
Director: Alan Elliott, Sydney Pollack
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: A concert film of Aretha Franklin performing with a choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.
What you should know: Sydney Pollack had never directed a music documentary, and didn’t use clappers to sync the audio and video when the film was shot in 1972. As a result, the footage was unusable even after extensive work by experts couldn’t match the audio to the video, and the incomplete film languished in storage until Pollock signed the rights over to music enthusiast Alan Elliott before his death.
Opens in: Select cities
The Wind
Stars: Caitlin Gerard, Miles Anderson, Julia Goldani Telles, Dylan McTee
Writer: Teresa Sutherland
Director: Emma Tammi
Genre: Horror, Western
Plot: A plains-woman faces the harshness and isolation of the untamed land in the Western frontier of the late 1800s.
What you should know: This is director Emma Tammi’s first feature.
Opens in: Select cities & VOD
The Best of Enemies
Stars: Taraj P. Henson, Sam Rockwell, Babou Ceesay, Nick Searcy
Writer: Robin Bissell, based on the book by Osha Gray Davidson
Director: Robin Bissell
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Plot: Civil rights activist Ann Atwater faces off against C.P. Ellis, Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1971 Durham, North Carolina over the issue of school integration.
What you should know: The critical reviews are… not great.
Opens in: Wide release
The Haunting of Sharon Tate
Stars: Hilary Duff, Jonathan Bennett, Lydia Hearst, Pawel Szajda
Writer/Director: Darren Farrands
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Plot: Pregnant with director Roman Polanski's child and awaiting his return from Europe, 26-year-old Hollywood actress Sharon Tate becomes plagued by visions of her imminent death.
What you should know: Sharon Tate’s sister Debra Tate does not support this film about her sister’s life.
Opens in: Select cities
The Head Hunter
Stars: Christopher Rygh, Cora Kaufman
Writer: Jordan Downey, Kevin Stewart
Director: Jordan Downey
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Plot: A medieval warrior's gruesome collection of heads is missing only one - the monster that killed his daughter years ago.
What you should know: A majority of the filming was completed in Portugal.
Opens in: Select cities
Storm Boy
Stars: Jai Courtney, Geoffrey Rush, David Gulpilil, Erik Thomson
Writer: Justin Monjo, based on the book by Colin Thiele
Director: Shawn Seet
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family
Plot: Storm Boy lives a lonely life with his reclusive father on a desolate coastline, but when he forms a close bond with a pelican, Mr. Percival, his life takes a new and unexpected turn.
What you should know: They found and trained five pelicans for the film, who were unrestrained on set and often flew away, lured back by the sight of a red bucket indicating they’d get more than one fish as a reward for returning.
Opens in: Select cities
Division 19
Stars: Linus Roache, Alison Doody, Lotte Verbeek, Clarke Peters
Writer/Director: S.A. Halewood
Genre: Action, Sci Fi, Thriller
Plot: In the near future, prisons have turned into online portals where subscribers get to vote on inmates' fates.
What you should know: This was filmed in 2013, hit the festival circuit in 2017, and is finally getting an official release.
Opens in: Select cities & VOD
Back Fork
Stars: A.J. Cook, Josh Stewart, Agnes Bruckner, Wade Williams
Writer/Director: Josh Stewart
Genre: Drama
Plot: When the strain of tragedy was too much for a young couple in Appalachia, prescription pills became the medicine to ease the pain.
What you should know: A.J. Cook and Josh Stewart also play a married couple on Criminal Minds.
Opens in: Select cities
Also opening: Suburban Birds (Trailer), Acres and Acres (fka Mum’s List) (Trailer), Mistresses (Trailer), Catching Sight of Thelma and Louise (Trailer), The Holy Fail (Trailer), Berserk (Trailer)
Source 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Going to see anything this weekend?