Indie Film Release Guide: August 5th [An ONTD Original]

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With no blockbusters on the horizon, August is looking to be a relatively chill month at the box office. This weekend, Universal and Sony go head to head with Easter Sunday and Bullet Train, while A24 has the biggest indie release of the weekend with Bodies Bodies Bodies.

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: July 29th, July 22nd, and July 15th .

Bodies Bodies Bodies

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Stars: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Rachel Sennott, Chase Sui Wonders
Writer: Sarah DeLappe, Kristen Roupenian
Director: Halina Reijn
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller
Plot: When a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game turns deadly in this fresh and funny look at backstabbing, fake friends, and one party gone very, very wrong.
What you should know: The name of the movie and the game played in the movie are based on a commonly played Improv Game called Body Body (or Murder In The Dark) where players run around in a dark room while the murderer "kills" players by tapping them, hoping to get away with killing the entire group.
Where to watch: In theaters



I Love My Dad

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Stars: Patton Oswalt, James Morosini, Claudia Sulewski, Amy Landecker
Writer/Director: James Morosini
Genre: Comedy
Plot: A hopelessly estranged father catfishes his son in an attempt to reconnect.
What you should know: You may recognize writer/director/star James Morosini from his role as the creeper soccer coach on The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Where to watch: In theaters; available on demand August 12th

Wedding Season

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Stars: Pallavi Sharda, Suraj Sharma, Arianna Afsar, Sean Kleier
Writer: Shiwani Srivastava
Director: Tom Dey
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Plot: Pressured by their parents to find spouses, Asha and Ravi pretend to date during a summer of weddings, only to find themselves falling for each other.
What you should know: Filmed in Toronto.
Where to watch: Netflix

Claydream

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Writer/Director: Marc Evans
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: The meteoric rise and dramatic fall of "Father of Claymation" Will Vinton is the subject of this fascinating portrait of one of cinema's unheralded innovators.
What you should know: Had its world premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters

Thirteen Lives

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Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton, Paul Gleeson
Writer: William Nicholson, Don MacPherson
Director: Ron Howard
Genre: Action, Adventure, Biography
Plot: A rescue mission is assembled in Thailand where a group of young boys and their soccer coach are trapped in a system of underground caves that are flooding.
What you should know: Colin Farrell and John Volanthen frequently spoke over Skype. Farrell took up distance running, a hobby of Volanthen's. At the end of the shoot, Farrell completed the Brisbane Marathon.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Tin Can

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Stars: Anna Hopkins, Simon Mutabazi, Michael Ironside, Amy Trefry
Writer: Seth A. Smith, Darcy Spidle
Director: Seth A. Smith
Genre: Sci-Fi
Plot: As the world faces a deadly plague, humanity's hope for a cure lies with a scientist who awakens imprisoned in a metal chamber. She desperately works to escape her confined cell to save the last of humanity.
What you should know: This is Seth A. Smith’s second directorial outing, after 2017’s The Crescent.
Where to watch: In theaters; available VOD August 9th

Prey

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Stars: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Stormee Kipp
Writer: Patrick Aison, Dan Trachtenberg, Jim Thomas
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Genre: Action, Drama, Horror
Plot: The origin story of the Predator in the world of the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. Naru, a skilled female warrior, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth.
What you should know: This is the fifth entry in the Predator series, excluding the Alien vs. Predator films.
Where to watch: Hulu

Givers of Death

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Stars: Addison Henderson, J.J. Alfieri, Jonathan Sterritt, Jason Delane Lee
Writer/Director: Addison Henderson
Genre: Sci-Fi
Plot: An incurable virus has wiped out one third of the world’s population. Many infected commit suicide to end their agony. Those who cannot bring themselves to end their own lives hire professionals. This is the journey of a hitman’s quest for peace as he navigates through a city on the brink of collapse, while on the run from a detective seeking revenge.
What you should know: Won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2020 American Black Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

Luck

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Stars: Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg
Writer: Kiel Murray, Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Director: Peggy Holmes
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Plot: The curtain is pulled back on the millennia-old battle between the organizations of good luck and bad luck that secretly affects everyday lives.
What you should know: Eva Noblezada is currently playing Eurydice in Hadestown on Broadway.
Where to watch: Apple TV+

They/Them

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Stars: Kevin Bacon, Anna Chlumsky, Theo Germaine, Quei Tann
Writer/Director: John Logan
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot: When a group of LGBTQ+ campers arrives at Whistler Camp - a conversion camp run by Owen Whistler - they are promised a “new sense of freedom” by the end of the week. But as the counselors attempt to psychologically break down each of the campers, a mysterious killer starts claiming victims, and they must reclaim their power if they’re going to survive the horrors of the camp.
What you should know: Kevin Bacon's second horror film to involve a slasher killer terrorizing a camp setting, the first being, of course, Friday the 13th.
Where to watch: Peacock

More New Releases

Bullet Train (Trailer) from Sony
Easter Sunday (Trailer) from Universal

New to Streaming

Belle (Trailer) on HBO Max
Belfast (Trailer) on HBO Max
Licorice Pizza (Trailer) on Amazon Prime
Carter (Trailer) on Netflix

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What movies have you watched recently, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?