Indie Film Release Guide: October 2nd [An ONTD Original]
We’ve reached October, and the busy release schedule reflects that with some ~spooky~ new picks. This weekend is jam-packed with new releases, some of which are only available in theaters, but most of which are available from home, either right now or in a couple of weeks. Once again, big studios have shied away from releasing anything new, with the exception of Spontaneous from Paramount, which I don't think is gonna make any waves at the box office.
The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney. All films listed will be available at their respective sources on Friday unless otherwise noted. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have already come to VOD: September 25th, September 18th, and September 11th.
On the Rocks
Click to viewStars: Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans, Jenny Slate
Writer/Director: Sofia Coppola
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Plot: A young mother reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New York.
What you should know: Coppola’s husband Thomas Mars, the lead singer of the French indie pop group Phoenix, provided music for the soundtrack of the film.
Where to watch: Select theaters; available via Apple TV+ on 10/23
Scare Me
Stars: Aya Cash, Josh Ruben, Chris Redd, Rebecca Drysdale
Writer/Director: Josh Ruben
Genre: Horror
Plot: During a power outage, two strangers tell scary stories. The more Fred and Fanny commit to their tales, the more the stories come to life in their Catskills cabin. The horrors of reality manifest when Fred confronts his ultimate fear.
What you should know: This is the first feature film directed by writer/director Josh Ruben.
Where to stream: Shudder
The Boys in the Band
Stars: Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells
Writer: Mart Crowley
Director: Joe Mantello
Genre: Drama
Plot: At a birthday party in 1968 New York, a surprise guest and a drunken game leave seven gay friends reckoning with unspoken feelings and buried truths.
What you should know: This film uses the same director as cast as the 2018 Broadway revival of the play, which was based on the original 1968 play.
Where to stream: Netflix, available now
Possessor
Stars: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuppence Middleton
Writer/Director: Brandon Cronenberg
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Plot: Follows an agent who works for a secretive organization that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies - ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients.
What you should know: Writer/director Brandon Cronenberg is the son of director David Cronenberg.
Where to watch: Select theaters and drive-ins
The Glorias
Stars: Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Janelle Monáe, Bette Midler
Writer: Sarah Ruhl, Julie Taymor
Director: Julie Taymor
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Plot: The story of feminist icon Gloria Steinem's itinerant childhood's influence on her life as a writer, activist and organizer for women's rights worldwide.
What you should know: Based on the book by Gloria Steinem
Where to stream: Amazon Prime, available now
Save Yourselves!
Stars: Sunita Mani, John Reynolds, Ben Sinclair, John Early
Writer/Director: Alex Huston Fischer, Eleanor Wilson
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Plot: A young Brooklyn couple heads to an upstate cabin to unplug from their phones and reconnect with each other. Blissfully unaware of their surroundings, they are left to their own devices as the planet falls under attack.
What you should know: This is the first feature film directed by either director.
Where to watch: In select theaters; available VOD on 10/6
Dick Johnson is Dead
Writer: Nels Bangerter, Kirsten Johnson
Director: Kirsten Johnson
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Storyline: A daughter helps her father prepare for the end of his life.
What you should know: Won the Innovation in Nonfiction Storytelling U.S. Documentary Jury Award at Sundance 2020.
Where to stream: Netflix
Vampires vs. The Bronx
Stars: Jaden Michael, Gregory Diaz IV, Coco Jones, Sarah Gadon
Writer: Blaise Hemingway, Osmany Rodriguez
Director: Osmany Rodriguez
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Plot: A group of young friends from the Bronx fight to save their neighborhood from gentrification...and vampires.
What you should know: Director Osmany Rodriguez has previously worked on A.P. Bio and Saturday Night Live.
Where to stream: Netflix
Once Upon a River
Stars: Kenadi DelaCerna, John Ashton, Tatanka Means
Writer/Director: Haroula Rose
Genre: Drama
Plot: Margo Crane's odyssey on the Stark River introduces her to a world filled with wonders and dangers.
What you should know: Based on the book by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas
Myth of a Colorblind France
Director: Alan Govenar
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: For more than a century, African American artists, authors, musicians and others have traveled to Paris to liberate themselves from the racism of the United States. What made these African Americans choose France? Why were the French fascinated by African Americans? And to what extent was and is France truly colorblind?
What you should know: Director Alan Govenar has worked primarily in documentaries.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas
A Call to Spy
Stars: Sarah Megan Thomas, Stana Katic, Radhika Apte, Linus Roache
Writer: Sarah Megan Thomas
Director: Lydia Dean Pilcher
Genre: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Plot: In the beginning of WWII, with Britain becoming desperate, Churchill orders his new spy agency - SOE - to recruit and train women as spies.
What you should know: Director Lydia Dean Pilcher’s last film was 2018’s Radium Girls.
Where to stream: Available VOD
More New Releases
Spontaneous (Trailer)
Halloween Party (Trailer)
The Antenna (Trailer)
Then Came You (Trailer)
Death of Me (Trailer)
American Murder: The Family Next Door (Trailer)
The Great American Lie (Trailer)
12 Hour Shift (Trailer)
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD?