Indie Film Release Guide: July 1st [An ONTD Original]
While Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick looks to add to its healthy box office totals this holiday weekend, the only big studio coming out with a new film is Universal, who are distributing the latest Illumination animated film Minions: The Rise of Gru. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On will crawl into more theaters after a limited opening last weekend, and it will join a lot of the indies listed below.
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: June 24th, June 17th, and June 10th.
Mr. Malcolm’s List
Click to viewStars: Frieda Pinto, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Theo James, Zawe Ashton
Writer: Suzanne Allain
Director: Emma Holly Jones
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot: When she fails to meet an item on his list of requirements for a bride, Julia Thistlewaite is jilted by London’s most eligible bachelor, Mr. Malcolm. Feeling humiliated and determined to exact revenge, she convinces her friend Selina Dalton to play the role of his ideal match. Soon, Mr. Malcolm wonders whether he’s found the perfect woman...or the perfect hoax.
What you should know: Sam Heughan was initially attached to the project, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.
Where to watch: In theaters
Beauty
Stars: Gracie Marie Bradley, Aleyse Shannon, Niecy Nash, Giancarlo Esposito
Writer: Lena Waithe
Director: Andrew Dosunmu
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: A gifted young Black woman struggles to maintain her voice and identity after she’s offered a lucrative recording contract.
What you should know: Director Andrew Dosunmu’s last film was 2017’s Where is Kyra?.
Where to watch: Netflix
Accepted
Director: Dan Chen
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: The ambitious students of the TM Landry Prep School enjoyed a remarkable 100% acceptance rate into the country's most elite colleges until an explosive NY Times article exposed the controversial teaching methods of its dynamic founder.
What you should know: This is director Dan Chen’s first documentary feature film.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
Rubikon
Stars: Julia Franz Richter, George Bladgden, Mark Ivanir, Nicholas Manu
Writer: Magdalena Lauritsch, Jessica Lind, Elisabeth Schmied
Director: Magdalena Lauritsch
Genre: Sci-Fi
Plot: Following a catastrophe on Earth, the planet is covered in a toxic fog. The crew in the space station must decide whether to risk their lives to get home and search for survivors, or stay safe in the station's "algae symbiosis system".
What you should know: This is Magdalena Lauritsch’s feature directorial debut.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
The Art of Making It
Director: Kelcey Edwards
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: The film follows a diverse group of young artists on the brink of success or failure as they challenge systems, break barriers, and risk it all with the goal of making it in an industry where all the rules are currently being rewritten.
What you should know: Won the Festival Favorites Audience Award at SXSW 2022.
Where to watch: In select theaters
Clara Sola
Stars: Wendy Chinchilla Araya, Ana Julia Porras Espinoza, Daniel Castañeda Rincón, Flor María Vargas Chavez
Writer: Maria Camila Arias, Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
Director: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
Genre: Drama
Plot: In a remote village in Costa Rica, Clara, a withdrawn 40-year-old woman, experiences a sexual and mystical awakening as she begins a journey to free herself from the repressive religious and social conventions which have dominated her life
What you should know: It’s in Spanish.
Where to watch: In theaters
Code Name Banshee
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Jaime King, Tommy Flanagan, Kim DeLonghi
Writer: Matthew Rogers
Director: Jon Keeyes
Genre: Action, Thriller
Plot: Caleb, a former government assassin in hiding, who resurfaces when his protégé, the equally deadly killer known as Banshee, discovers a bounty has been placed on Caleb's head.
What you should know: Antonio Banderas is also set to star in the director’s next film.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
Attack on Finland
Stars: Jasper Pääkkönen, Nanna Blondell, Sverrir Gudnason, Cathy Belton
Writer: Jari Olavi Rantala, Antti Jokinen, Mika Karttunen
Director: Aku Louhimies
Genre: Action, Thriller
Plot: Finland's Independence Day celebration on December 6 is crudely interrupted by an attack on the Presidential Palace. A set of distinguished guests are taken as hostages. Security service officer Max Tanner is set as the negotiator of the hostage crisis and soon it is clear that the main target behind the terrorist attack is a plan to destabilize the security of Europe. Tanner must make bold and even painful decisions to figure out who is behind the attack
What you should know: Based on a novel by Ilkka Remes.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
The Forgiven
Stars: Jessica Chastain, Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith, Abbey Lee
Writer: John Michael McDonagh, Lawrence Osborne
Director: John Michael McDonagh
Genre: Drama
Plot: Speeding through the Moroccan desert to attend an old friend’s lavish weekend party, wealthy Londoners David and Jo Henninger are involved in a tragic accident with a local teenage boy. Arriving late at the grand villa with the debauched party raging, the couple attempts to cover up the incident with the collusion of the local police. But when the boy’s father arrives seeking justice, the stage is set for a tension-filled culture clash in which David and Jo must come to terms with their fateful act and its shattering consequences.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Lawrence Osborne.
Where to watch: In theaters
Major Studio Release
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Stars: Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Alan Arkin, Taraji P. Henson
Writer: Matthew Fogel, Brian Lynch
Director: Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson, Jonathan del Val
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Plot: The untold story of one twelve-year-old's dream to become the world's greatest supervillain.
What you should know: This is the longest-advertised animated film in motion picture history, due to a nearly 2½-year gap between its first trailer and its official release.
Where to watch: In theaters
More New Releases
Hot Seat (Trailer)
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (Trailer)
Expanding
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Trailer)
New to Streaming
Julia (Trailer) on HBO Max
Respect (Trailer) on Amazon
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What have you been watching, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?