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

[scriptedending]

It’s (American) Thanksgiving weekend, and as per tradition, many of the week’s new films premiere on Wednesday, hence the roundup being a day earlier than usual. Disney’s Encanto looks to lead the pack of new releases at the box office over the five day weekend, with MGM’s House of Gucci poised to come in third, behind a second weekend of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Sony’s Resident Evil: Raccoon City (yes, this is a real title!) is the only other major studio release, but there are a few indies on deck as well.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Studios, 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 19th, November 12th, and November 5th.

Licorice Pizza

Click to view

Stars: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Skylar Gisondo, Bradley Cooper
Writer/Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot: The story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.
What you should know: This is Cooper Hoffman’s first acting gig; he’s the son of the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Where to watch: In select theaters in NY & LA on Friday; opens wide Christmas Day



Drive My Car

Click to view

Stars: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Reika Kirishima, Yoo-rim Park
Writer: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Genre: Drama
Plot: Two years after his wife’s unexpected death, Yusuke Kafuku, a renowned stage actor and director, receives an offer to direct a production at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There, he meets Misaki Watari, a taciturn young woman assigned by the festival to chauffeur him in his beloved red Saab 900. As the production’s premiere approaches, tensions mount amongst the cast and crew, not least between Yusuke and Koji Takatsuki, a handsome TV star who shares an unwelcome connection to Yusuke’s late wife
What you should know: Adapted from the story by Haruki Murakami; it’s in Japanese.
Where to watch: In select theaters in NYC; expands to LA December 3rd

The Humans

Click to view

Stars: Jayne Houdyshell, Richard Jenkins, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun
Writer/Director: Stephen Karam
Genre: Drama
Plot: Follows the course of an evening in which the Blake family gathers to celebrate Thanksgiving inside a pre-war duplex in downtown Manhattan. As darkness falls outside the crumbling building, mysterious things start to go bump in the night and family tensions reach a boiling point.
What you should know: Jayne Houdyshell won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway production that the film is based on.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available on Showtime

A Boy Called Christmas

Click to view

Stars: Maggie Smith, Henry Lawfull, Joel Fry, Isabelle O’Sullivan
Writer: Ol Parker, Gil Kenan
Director: Gil Kenan
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family
Plot: In this origin story of Father Christmas, an ordinary boy (with a loyal pet mouse and a reindeer at his side) sets out on an extraordinary adventure to find his father who is on a quest to discover the fabled village of Elfhelm.
What you should know: Based on the book by Matt Haig.
Where to watch: Netflix

Ayar

Click to view

Stars: Ariana Ron Pedrique, Vilma Vega, Henry Foster Brown, Simon Haycock
Writer: Ariana Ron Pedrique, Floyd Russ, Vilma Vega
Director: Floyd Russ
Genre: Drama
Plot: Ayar, a first-generation American Latina, returns home to reunite with her daughter. But when her mother, Renata, refuses to let her see her daughter due to Covid, Ayar is confronted by the many roles she’s been forced to play.
What you should know: Nominated for the Visions Audience Award at SXSW 2021.
Where to watch: In theaters and available VOD on Friday

The Unforgivable

Click to view

Stars: Sandra Bullock, Jon Bernthal, Vincent D’Onofrio, Viola Davis
Writer: Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz, Courtenay Miles
Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Genre: Drama
Plot: A woman is released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime and re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past.
What you should know: Originally conceived as a project for Angelina Jolie, who did not sign on, and went through a number of directors and rewrites before filming.
Where to watch: In select theaters; on Netflix December 10th

Writing with Fire

Click to view

Director: Sushmit Ghosh, Rintu Thomas
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful.
What you should know: Won many awards on the film festival circut, including a couple at SXSW 2021.
Where to watch: In theaters

Devil’s Triangle

Click to view

Stars: Diana Prince, Fred Williamson, Alyson Gorske, Sharon Desiree
Writer: Brendan Haley, Joe Roche
Director: Brendan Petrizzo
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Plot: When a group of marine biologists crash land in the Bermuda Triangle, they realize they have stumbled into the lost city of Atlantis. But they quickly discover the city isn't friendly, and its humanoid inhabitants are planning worldwide domination using the piles of weapons and technology that have fallen through the Triangle over the centuries.
What you should know: This is the director's second feature film, following 2020's Monster Hunters, starring Tom Sizemore.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

Cusp

Click to view

Director: Isabel Bethancourt, Parker Hill
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: In the lazy days of a Texas summer, three teenage girls navigate friendship, relationships, and toxic masculinity as they make the transition to the adult world.
What you should know: Won the US Documentary Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker at SXSW 2021.
Where to watch: Showtime

For the Love of Money

Click to view

Stars: Katt Williams, Keri Hilson, Rotimi, D.C. Young Fly
Writer: Timothy Allen Smith, Zadia Ife, Leslie Small
Director: Leslie Small
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Plot: When a single mother is pushed to her limit, she turns to the only world she knows, a world she's spent a lifetime running from, to protect her daughter.
What you should know: Director Leslie Small frequently directs comedians such as Kevin Hart and Katt Williams.
Where to watch: In theaters

More New Releases

Encanto (Trailer) from Disney
House of Gucci (Trailer) from MGM
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (Trailer) from Sony

New to Streaming

Bruised (Trailer) on Netflix
Pig (Trailer) on Hulu
Ride the Eagle (Trailer) on Hulu
Nash Bridges (Trailer) on USA
8-Bit Christmas (Trailer) on HBO Max

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?