Indie Film Release Guide: November 1st [An ONTD Original]
This weekend, we’ve got big studio releases Motherless Brooklyn from Warner Brothers and Terminator: Dark Fate from Paramount battling it out with holdovers from weeks past and a few new entrants from the smaller studios listed below.
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: October 25th, October 18th, and October 11th.
Some recent highly acclaimed releases to search for: Parasite, The Lighthouse, Jojo Rabbit, and Pain and Glory.
Harriet
Click to viewStars: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom, Jr., Joe Alwyn, Janelle Monáe
Writer: Gregory Allen Howard, Kasi Lemmons,
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama
Plot: The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
What you should know: Cynthia Erivo, the lead actress of the film and an accomplished Broadway performer, sings a song for the soundtrack of the film called “Stand Up”.
Opens in: Wide release
The Irishman
Stars: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Jesse Plemons, Joe Pesci
Writer: Steve Zaillian, based on the book by Charles Brandt
Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Plot: An epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.
What you should know: The film cost $160 million to make and 106 days to shoot, which makes it the longest film shoot of Martin Scorsese’s career.
Opens in: Select cities
Light From Light
Stars: Marin Ireland, Jim Gaffigan, Josh Wiggins, David Cale
Writer/Director: Paul Harrill
Genre: Drama
Plot: A single mom and part-time paranormal investigator, is asked to look into a possible "haunting" at a widower's farmhouse in East Tennessee.
What you should know: Jim Gaffigan has been in more than a handful of movies this year, some of which are comedies but others, like this, that are dramas.
Opens in: NYC
Adopt a Highway
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Elaine Hendrix, Diane Gaeta, Chris Sullivan
Writer/Director: Logan Marshall-Green
Genre: Drama
Plot: Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize - including trying to learn how to use the internet - he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster behind the fast food restaurant where he works as a dishwasher. Unsure of what to do, and caught between impulses of kindness and panic, Russ soon realizes this could be his chance at redemption.
What you should know: This is actor Logan Marshall-Green (aka that guy who looks like younger Tom Hardy)’s directorial debut.
Opens in: Select cities, and available VOD
The Apollo
Director: Roger Ross Williams
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Internationally renowned for having influenced American and pop culture more than any other entertainment venue, the Apollo Theater created opportunities for new talent to be seen and has served as a launchpad for myriad artists including Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and more.
What you should know:
Opens in: Select cities; available on HBO November 8th
Earthquake Bird
Stars: Alicia Vikander, Jack Huston, Riley Keough, Kiki Sukezane
Writer: Wash Westmoreland, based on the novel by Susanna Jones
Director: Wash Westmoreland
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Plot: An enigmatic translator with a dark past is brought in for questioning after an ex-pat friend, who came between her and her photographer boyfriend, ends up missing and presumed dead.
What you should know: Jack Huston is in it, which does not bode well for its quality or prospects.
Opens in: Select cities; available on Netflix November 15th
Cousins
Stars: Thiago Cazado, Paulo Sousa, Denis Camargo, Duda Esteves
Writer: Thiago Cazado
Director: Mauro Carvalho, Thiago Cazado
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, LGBT
Plot: Lucas is a young man who lives with a religious aunt in a quiet country town. He helps his aunt by holding religious meetings with the ladies of the area, in the living room, playing biblical songs on the keyboard. This quiet life will end as soon as the charitable aunt communicates the arrival of another nephew, Mario, just out of jail. The clash of reality between the cousins ends up causing unusual situations, and an unexpected attraction among the boys.
What you should know: It’s in Portuguese
Opens in: Select cities
The Etruscan Smile
Stars: Thora Birch, Brian Cox, JJ Feild, Rosanna Arquette
Writer: Michael McGowan, Michal Lali Kagan, Sarah Bellwood
Director: Oded Binnun, Mihal Brezis
Genre: Drama
Plot: Rory MacNeil, a rugged old Scotsman, travels to San Francisco to seek medical treatment. He moves in with his estranged son Rory, as he sees his life getting transformed through a newfound bond with his baby grandson.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Jose Luis Sampedro
Opens in: Select cities
Queen of Hearts
Stars: Trine Dyrholm, Gustav Lindh, Magnus Krepper, Liv Esmår Dannemann
Writer: Maren Louise Käehne, May el-Toukhy
Director: May el-Toukhy
Genre: Drama
Plot: A woman jeopardizes both her career and her family when she seduces her teenage stepson and is forced to make an irreversible decision with fatal consequences.
What you should know: It’s in Danish and Swedish, and is Denmark’s submission for next year’s Best International Feature Film Oscar.
Opens in: Select cities
Mrs. Lowry and Son
Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Timothy Spall, Stephen Lord, Michael Keogh
Writer: Martyn Hesford
Director: Adrian Noble
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Plot: A portrait of the artist L.S. Lowry and the relationship with his mother, who tries to dissuade him from pursuing his passion.
What you should know: The film was shot using the exterior of the real Lowry house.
Opens in: Select cities
Also opening: Cubby (Trailer), Eminence Hill (Trailer), The Portal (Trailer), Crepitus (Trailer), Spell (Trailer), Bloody Marie (Trailer)
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?