Indie Film Release Guide: November 11th [An ONTD Original]

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Some weekends belong to the major studios, and this is one of them. The sequel to the 2018 smash hit Black Panther arrives in theaters this weekend, guaranteed to rule to the box office, and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans is Universal’s drama counterprogramming. There are indies, as always, but no major titles opening this weekend.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Five” - Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Columbia Pictures.. 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 4th, October 28th, and October 21st.

Is That Black Enough for You?

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Writer/Director: Elvis Mitchell
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Tracks the history of Black cinema, focused mainly on the '70s, with archival and new interviews with many of the key players from the era.
What you should know: Premiered at AFI Fest 2022.
Where to watch: Netflix



Spirited

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Stars: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Patrick Page
Writer: Sean Anders, John Morris
Director: Sean Anders
Genre: Comedy, Family, Musical
Plot: A musical version of Charles Dickens's story of a miserly misanthrope who is taken on a magical journey.
What you should know: The film features original music from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who also write for Broadway.
Where to watch: In theaters; streaming Nov 18th on Apple TV+

Bar Fight

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Stars: Melissa Fumero, Luka Jones, Rachel Bloom, Vik Sahay
Writer/Director: Jim Mahoney
Genre: Comedy
Plot: Nina and Allen split everything in their lives after their break-up and must compete in a ridiculous custody battle for their prized watering hole in which lines will be drawn, sides will be chosen, and beers will be drunken.
What you should know: Writer/director Jim Mahoney is an also an actor.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

The Swimmers

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Stars: Manal Issa, Nathalie Issa, Ahmed Malek, Matthias Schweighöfer
Writer: Sally El Hosaini, Jack Thorne
Director: Sally El Hosaini
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
Plot: A story of the miraculous journey made by swimming sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini who fled as refugees from war-torn Syria all the way to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
What you should know: One of the sisters did a stunt for the actress who was playing her in the film.
Where to watch: In theaters; available on Netflix November 23rd

Sam & Kate

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Stars: Jake Hoffman, Schuyler Fisk, Sissy Spacek, Dustin Hoffman
Writer/Director: Darren Le Gallo
Genre: Comedy
Plot: When Sam returns to his small town to care for his ailing father, he soon finds himself falling for a local woman, Kate. Simultaneously, his father begins finding love with Kate's mother. But both couples must confront their past in order to make their new love work for the future.
What you should know: The mother/daughter father/son pairs in the movie are related in the same way in real life.
Where to watch: In theaters

Retrograde

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Director: Matthew Heineman
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Tells the story of the last months of the 20-year war in Afghanistan through the intimate relationship between American Green Berets and the Afghan officers they trained.
What you should know: Nominated for an award at the Montclair Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters

Paradise City

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Stars: Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Stephen Dorff, Amber Abara
Writer: Edward Drake, Corey Large, Chuck Russell
Director: Chuck Russell
Genre: Action, Thriller
Plot: Ryan Swan must carve his way through the Hawaiian crime world to wreak vengeance on the kingpin who murdered his father.
What you should know: This is a reunion for Bruce Willis and John Travolta after 1994’s Pulp Fiction.
Where to watch: In theaters

Dylan & Zoey

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Stars: Blake Scott Lewis, Claudia Doumit, Kim Hamilton, Malcolm Barrett
Writer: Blake Scott Lewis, Matt Sauter
Director: Matt Sauter
Genre: Drama
Plot: Two friends, whose relationship has grown fraught for reasons unknown, reunite over the course of one evening to bridge the gap that has divided them for so long. While picking up where they left off proves easy at first, they quickly realize that in order to truly heal, they must confront the traumas that fractured them.
What you should know: This is Matt Sauter's feature directorial debut.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

My Father’s Dragon

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Stars: Charlyne Yi, Judy Greer, Dianne Wiest, Jacob Tremblay
Writer: Meg LeFauve
Director: Nora Twomey
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Plot: Elmer Elevator searches for a captive Dragon on Wild Island and finds much more than he could ever have anticipated.
What you should know: Based on the book by Ruth Stiles Gannett.
Where to watch: Netflix

The Friendship Game

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Stars: Peyton List, Brendan Meyer, Kelcey Mawema, Kaitlyn Santa Juana
Writer: Damian Ober
Director: Scooter Corkle
Genre: Sci-Fi
Plot: A group of teenagers in a small town discover a strange object that tests the strength of their friendship.
What you should know: Filmed in Canada.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

More New Releases

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Trailer) from Disney
The Fabelmans (Trailer) from Universal
A Couple (Trailer)
Rosé All Day (Trailer)
Manifest West (Trailer)

New to Streaming

First Love (Trailer) on Hulu
Code Name Banshee (Trailer) on Hulu
Autumn Beat (Trailer) on Amazon Prime

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?