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

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It's another week of new releases heading directly to the small screen, and there are a lot of new options to choose from this week, in a variety of genres.

If you ever noticed that I've neglected to add a new indie film, please let me know and I'll add it to the next week's post. Trying to determine everything being newly released on streaming services is definitely more of a challenge than figuring out what's being released in theaters.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have already come to VOD: April 17th, April 10th, and April 3rd.

The True History of the Kelly Gang

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Stars: George MacKay, Charlie Hunnam, Essie Davis, Russell Crowe
Writer: Shaun Grant
Director: Justin Kurzel
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Plot: The story of Australian bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang as they flee from authorities during the 1870s.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Peter Carey
Streams on: Available via digital content providers



Circus of Books

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Director: Rachel Mason
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: For over 35 years, the gay porn shop Circus of Books gave Los Angeles’ LGBT+ community a space to socialize and celebrate themselves without judgment. Artist Rachel Mason, who finally asks the least radical people she knows- her parents- how they became American's biggest distributors of gay porn.
What you should know: The West Hollywood store closed in February 2019.
Streams on: Netflix

Extraction

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Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, David Harbour, Rudhraksh Jaiswal
Writer: Joe Russo
Director: Sam Hargrave
Genre: Action
Plot: Tyler Rake, a fearless black market mercenary, embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he's enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord.
What you should know: Formerly known as Dhaka.
Streams on: Netflix

Bad Education

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Stars: Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Alex Wolff, Ray Romano
Writer: Mike Makowsky
Director: Cory Finley
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: A student reporter starts to trace embezzlement at the Roslyn School District, in Long Island after the assistant superintendent makes a crucial mistake that hints at corruption that spans over a decade.
What you should know: It’s based on a true story.
Streams on: HBO, starting Saturday 4/24

To The Stars

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Stars: Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Shea Whigham
Writer: Shannon Bradley-Colleary
Director: Martha Stephens
Genre: Drama
Plot: Under small town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer's daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.
What you should know: Director Martha Stephens most recently directed Land Ho! in 2014.
Streams on: Available via digital content providers

Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint

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Director: Halina Dyrschka
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: The story of a visionary artist whose talent, intellect, and dedication to her craft produced a prolific body of work unlike any other. Inspired by spiritualism, science, and the natural world, Hilma af Klint painted astonishingly contemporary microcosms of colour and form. This documentary is an exploration of how such an exceptional woman could be so frustratingly erased from the art world, written out by an industry dominated by the idea of male "genius."
What you should know: A recent retrospective of her work broke attendance records at the Guggenheim.
Streams on: Available to rent via your local indie movie virtual theater, such as Laemmle

1BR

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Stars: Nicole Brydon Bloom, Naomi Grossman, Giles Matthey, Alan Blumenfeld
Writer/Director: David Marmor
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Plot: After leaving behind a painful past, Sarah scores the perfect Hollywood apartment only to discover that her surprisingly welcoming neighbors may harbor a dangerous secret.
What you should know: This is writer/director David Marmor’s first feature film.
Streams on: Available via digital content providers

The Willoughbys

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Stars: Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews
Writer: Kris Pearn, Mark Stanleigh, Priscilla Parizeau
Director: Kris Pearn, Cory Evans, Rob Lodermeier
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
Plot: Convinced they'd be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family.
What you should know: Based on the book by Lois Lowery.
Streams on: Netflix

Beastie Boys Story

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Director: Spike Jonze
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz tell you an intimate, personal story of their band and 40 years of friendship in this live documentary experience directed by their longtime friend and collaborator and former hall monitor, Spike Jonze.
What you should know: The third founding member of the trio, Adam Yauch, died of cancer in 2012.
Streams on: Apple TV+

Rafiki (2018)

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Stars: Samantha Mugatsia, Sheila Munyiva, Nice Githinji, Neville Misati
Writer: Wanuri Kahiu, Jenna Cato Bass
Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Genre: Drama, Romance, LGBT
Plot: "Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives," but Kena and Ziki long for something more. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.
What you should know: Based on a short story by Monica Arac de Nyeko.
Streams on: Kanopy

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What have you been watching lately? Looking forward to anything coming out soon?