Indie Film Release Guide: September 20th [An ONTD Original]
This weekend in major studio releases, we've got James Gray's well reviewed Ad Astra from 20th Century Fox. Lionsgate is releasing Rambo: Last Blood, which does technically qualify for this roundup, but I forgot and ran out of room. So consider this a reminder that we are still doing Rambo movies in 2019.
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: September 13th, September 6th, and August 30th.
Villains
Click to viewStars: Bill Skarsgård, Maika Monroe, Jeffrey Donovan, Kyra Sedgwick
Writer/Director: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Horror
Plot: After a pair of amateur criminals break into a suburban home, they stumble upon a dark secret that two sadistic homeowners will do anything to keep from getting out.
What you should know: Played at SXSW earlier this year.
Opens in: Select cities
Downton Abbey
Stars: Michelle Dockery, Matthew Goode, Tuppence Middleton, Maggie Smith
Writer: Julian Fellowes
Director: Michael Engler
Genre: Drama
Plot: The continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century.
What you should know: Imelda Staunton (Lady Bagshaw) is married to Jim Carter (Mr. Carson) irl.
Opens in: Wide release
Midnight Traveler
Director: Hassan Fazili
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan director Hassan Fazili’s head, he is forced to flee the country with his wife and two young daughters. Capturing the family’s uncertain journey firsthand, Fazili documents their harrowing trek across numerous borders revealing the danger and uncertainty facing refugees seeking asylum juxtaposed with the unbreakable love shared amongst the family on the run.
What you should know: It’s in several languages: Arabic, English, Turkish and Bulgarian.
Opens in: Select cities
Bloodline
Stars: Seann William Scott, Mariela Garriga, Dale Dickey, Kevin Carroll
Writer: Avra Fox-Lerner, Will Honley
Director: Henry Jacobson
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot: Evan values family above all else, and anyone who gets between him, his wife, and newborn son learns that the hard way. But when it comes to violent tendencies, it seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
What you should know: This is director Henry Jacobson’s first feature film.
Opens in: Select cities
Loro
Stars: Toni Servillo, Elena Sofia Ricci, Riccardo Scamarcio, Kasia Smutniak
Writer: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Genre: Biography, Drama
Plot: Sex, drugs, power, and vice: welcome to the mid-2000s Italy of Silvio Berlusconi, the egomaniac billionaire Prime Minister who presides over an empire of scandal and corruption. Sergio is an ambitious young hustler managing an escort service catering to the rich and powerful. Determined to move up in the world, Sergio sets his sights on the biggest client of all: Berlusconi, the disgraced, psychotically charming businessman and ex-PM currently plotting his political comeback.
What you should know: It’s in Italian
Opens in: Select cities
Where’s My Roy Cohn?
Director: Matt Tyrnauer
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Roy Cohn personified the dark arts of American politics, turning empty vessels into dangerous demagogues - from Joseph McCarthy to his final project, Donald J. Trump. This thriller-like exposé connects the dots, revealing how a deeply troubled master manipulator shaped our current American nightmare.
What you should know: Cohn also has a prominent role in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America.
Opens in: Select cities
The Wedding Year
Stars: Sarah Hyland, Anna Camp, Jenna Dewan, Keith David
Writer: Donald Diego
Director: Robert Luketic
Genre: Comedy
Plot: A commitment-phobic 27 year old's relationship is put to the test when she and her new boyfriend go to seven weddings in the same year.
What you should know: Director Robert Luketic was also responsible for 2004’s Win a Date with Tad Hamilton.
Opens in: Select cities and on demand
Auggie
Stars: Richard Kind, Larisa Oleynik, Susan Blackwell, Christine Donlon
Writer: Matt Kane, Marc Underhill
Director: Matt Kane
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Plot: Forced into early retirement, Felix Greystone falls in love with an augmented reality companion, to the detriment of his relationship with his wife and daughter.
What you should know: This is director Matt Kane’s first feature film.
Opens in: Select cities
Corporate Animals
Stars: Demi Moore, Ed Helms, Jessica Williams, Karan Soni
Writer: Sam Bain
Director: Patrick Brice
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Plot: An egotistical megalomaniac CEO leads her staff on a corporate team-building trip that involves a weekend of caving in New Mexico. When they become trapped underground after a cave-in, the group must pull together to survive.
What you should know: Demi Moore replaced Sharon Stone due to scheduling conflicts.
Opens in: Select cities
Always in Season
Director: Jacqueline Olive
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: When 17-year-old Lennon Lacy is found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014, his mother's search for justice and reconciliation begins while the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present.
What you should know: The New York Times has a review of this film in today's paper if you're interested in learning more.
Opens in: Select cities
Also opening: Zeroville (Trailer), 3 From Hell (Trailer), Britt-Marie Was Here (Trailer), 7 Days to Vegas (Trailer), Running With the Devil (Trailer), Send Me to the Clouds (Trailer)
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?