Indie Film Release Guide: December 6th [An ONTD Original]
There are zero big studio releases this week. Even the widest of the new releases, Playmobil: The Movie, hails from STX Entertainment, the same studio that brought us Hustlers. But at least that gives you a chance to catch up on the plethora of recent releases, before a spate of new offerings appears next week.
The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony 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: November 27th, November 22nd, and November 15th.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Click to viewStars: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino
Writer/Director: Céline Sciamma
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
What you should know: It’s in French.
Opens in: Some disappointing news. :( Since Neon has its hands full promoting Parasite, and France picked a different film for its Best International Film entry for the Oscars, Neon has pushed back the full release of this film until Valentine’s Day 2020. But this is its qualifying week-long run for awards eligibility, so if you live in NYC or LA and are dying to see it, go this week! And don't you worry, if ONTD is still around on Valentine's next year, I'll put it in that roundup, too. Because I make the rules.
The Aeronauts
Stars: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Tom Courtenay
Writer: Tom Harper, Jack Thorne
Director: Tom Harper
Genre: Action, Adventure, Biography
Plot: Pilot Amelia Rennes and scientist James Glaisher find themselves in an epic fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a gas balloon.
What you should know: The flight takes place in real time in the movie.
Opens in: Select cities
In Fabric
Stars: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires, Leo Bill, Gwendoline Christie
Writer/Director: Peter Strickland
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Plot: A haunting ghost story set against the backdrop of a busy winter sales period in a department store and follows the life of a cursed dress as it passes from person to person, with devastating consequences.
What you should know: Premiered at TIFF 2018, and is just now being released.
Opens in: Select cities
The Wolf Hour
Stars: Naomi Watts, Jennifer Ehle, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Emory Cohen
Writer/Director: Alistair Banks Griffin
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Plot: A reclusive activist must confront her demons when she encounters a mysterious force.
What you should know: Naomi Watts and Kelvin Harrison Jr, also co-starred in Luce, released earlier this year.
Opens in: Select cities
A Million Little Pieces
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Odessa Young, Giovanni Ribisi
Writer: James Frey, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sam Taylor-Johnson
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Genre: Drama
Plot: A young aspiring writer at the bottom of his addictions is interned in a facility center to face his traumatic past.
What you should know: This is based on the book by James Frey, and if you’ve never heard of it, you should do some reading because it’s an interesting story.
Opens in: Select cities
Little Joe
Stars: Emily Beecham, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox, Kit Connor
Writer: Géraldine Bajard, Jessica Hausner
Director: Jessica Hausner
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Plot: Alice, a single mother, is a dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species. Against company policy, she takes one home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe.
What you should know: The director was nominated for the Palm d’Or at Cannes 2019, and lead Emily Beecham won Best Actress.
Opens in: Select cities
I See You
Stars: Helen Hunt, Jon Tenney, Judah Lewis, Owen Teague
Writer: Devon Graye
Director: Adam Randall
Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror
Plot: Strange occurrences plague a small town detective and his family as he investigates the disappearance of a young boy.
What you should know: Filmed in Ohio
Opens in: Select cities
Midnight Family
Director: Luke Lorentzen
Genre: Documentary
Plot: In Mexico City's wealthiest neighborhoods, the Ochoa family runs a private ambulance, competing with other for-profit EMTs for patients in need of urgent help.
What you should know: Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Opens in: NYC
The Mandela Effect
Stars: Charlie Hofheimer, Aleksa Palladino, Robin Lord Taylor, Clarke Peters
Writer: David Guy Levy, Steffen Schlachtenhaufen
Director: David Guy Levy
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Plot: A man becomes obsessed with facts and events that have been collectively misremembered by thousands of people. Believing the phenomena to be the symptom of something larger, his obsession eventually leads him to question reality itself.
What you should know: The Mandela Effect is named after a phenomena in which a large number of people believed South African leader Nelson Mandela had died in prison in the 1980s and were surprised to learn of his actual death in 2013. Other examples of mass misremembering include the spelling of The Berenstain/stein Bears or Jif vs Jiffy peanut butter.
Opens in: Select cities
Knives and Skin
Stars: Marika Engelhardt, Grace Smith, Ireon Roach, Kayla Carter
Writer/Director: Jennifer Reeder
Genre: Drama
Plot: A mystical teen noir that follows a young girl's disappearance in the rural Midwest and its effect on teens and parents.
What you should know: Reeder’s last feature film was the 2017 lesbian romantic comedy Signature Move.
Opens in: Select cities, and available on demand
Also opening: Daniel Isn’t Real (Trailer), Grand Isle (Trailer), Trauma Center (Trailer), The Islands (Trailer), Broken Dreams (Trailer), The Disappearance of My Mother (Trailer), Playmobil: The Movie (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? Seeing anything this weekend?