Indie Film Release Guide: May 24th [An ONTD Original]

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This weekend, Disney’s Aladdin is set to rake in enough cash to fill the Cave of Wonders, but it’s not the only new film in theaters. Sony is releasing Brightburn, while Annapurna tries for a teen comedy win with Booksmart. Then, from some of the smaller studios, we’ve got docs and dramedies and foreign films.

The films listed are all 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: May 17th, May 10th, and May 3rd.

Booksmart

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Stars: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudekis
Writer: Susanne Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
Director: Olivia Wilde
Genre: Comedy
Plot: On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.
What you should know: The film premiered at SXSW on director Olivia Wilde’s 35th birthday.
Opens in: Wide release



Echo in the Canyon

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Director: Andrew Slater
Genre: Documentary, Music
Storyline: A look at the roots of the historic music scene in L.A.'s Laurel Canyon featuring the music of iconic music groups such as The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and The Mamas and the Papas.
What you should know: There’s a Q&A on Friday night at Arclight in LA, with Jakob Dylan and guests performing afterward, and Q&A’s at Landmark in LA all weekend.
Opens in: Select cities

Brightburn

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Stars: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones
Writer: Brian Gunn, Mark Gunn
Director: David Yarovesky
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Plot: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
What you should know: The middle school scenes were shot at the same now-defunct school where they shoot for Stranger Things.
Opens in: Wide release

The Tomorrow Man

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Stars: John Lithgow, Blythe Danner, Derek Cecil, Katie Aselton
Writer/Director: Noble Jones
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: Ed Hemsler spends his life preparing for a disaster that may never come. Ronnie Meisner spends her life shopping for things she may never use. Together they have a chance to embrace the present.
What you should know: John Lithgow is currently playing Bill Clinton on Broadway in the new play Hillary and Clinton.
Opens in: Select cities

Barbara Rudin and the Exploding NY Underground

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Director: Chuck Smith
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: A look at experimental filmmaker Barbara Rudin and her life in the 60’s and 70’s before her death at age 35.
What you should know: Her film Christmas on Earth, released in 1964, depicted double projections, overlapping images and orgy scenes.
Opens in: NYC

Halston

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Director: Frédéric Tcheng
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Prodigiously talented, Halston reigned over fashion in the 1970s and became a household name. But everything changed in the Wall Street era. With his empire under threat, Halston took the biggest gamble of his life.
What you should know: Features interviews with Liza Minnelli and Joel Schumacher, among others.
Opens in: NYC

Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation

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Director: Barak Goodman, Jamila Ephron
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: In August 1969, 500,000 people gathered at a farm in upstate New York. What happened there was far more than just a concert. Woodstock tells the story of a legendary event that defined a generation through the voices of those who were there.
What you should know: Premiered at Tribeca in April.
Opens in: Select cities

Diamantino

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Stars: Carloto Cotta, Cleo Tavares, Anabela Moreira, Margarida Moreira
Writer/Director: Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Plot: Diamantino, the world's premiere soccer star loses his special touch and ends his career in disgrace. Searching for a new purpose, the international icon sets on a delirious odyssey where he confronts neo-fascism, the refugee crisis, genetic modification, and the hunt for the source of genius.
What you should know: It’s in Portuguese.
Opens in: NYC

Funny Story

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Stars: Matthew Glave, Emily Bett Rickards, Jana Winternitz, Nikki Limo
Writer: Michael J. Gallagher, Steve Greene
Director: Michael J. Gallagher
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: A tragic comedy about a well-intentioned father who inadvertently wreaks havoc on the life of his estranged daughter.
What you should know: It’s not clear from the plot summary, but this film features lesbian characters.
Opens in: LA, SF and available on demand

The Poison Rose

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Stars: Brendan Fraser, Famke Janssen, Morgan Freeman, John Travolta
Writer: Francesco Cinquemani, George Gallo, Luca Giliberto
Director: Richard Salvatore
Genre: Thriller
Plot: Carson Phillips, an ex-football star turned PI, takes on a routine missing persons case which slowly reveals itself to be a complex interwoven web of crimes, suspects and dead bodies. When he discovers his long lost daughter is the number one suspect, he races a ticking clock to save her, solve the murders, and uncover the town's dirty secrets.
What you should know: This is the first movie co-starring Travolta and Freeman.
Opens in: Select cities and available on demand

Also opening: Avengement (Trailer), Assimilate (Trailer), No Doubt (Trailer), India’s Most Wanted (Trailer), The Proposal (Trailer), That Pärt Feeling: The Universe of Arvo Pärt (Trailer)

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?