Indie Film Release Guide: January 13th [An ONTD Original]
Although House Party is the only new major studio release of the weekend, there is no shortage of indie films coming out. This means that Avatar: TWoW and M3gan will likely continue their January box office domination, but it gives viewers more choices in select theaters and at home.
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: January 6th, December 23rd, and December 16th.
Plane
Click to viewStars: Gerard Butler, Danielle Pineda, Tony Goldwyn, Mike Colter
Writer: Charles Cumming, J.P. Davis
Director: Jean-François Richet
Genre: Action/Thriller
Plot: A pilot finds himself caught in a war zone after he's forced to land his commercial aircraft during a terrible storm.
What you should know: Director Jean-François Richet also directed 2005’s Assault on Precinct 13.
Where to watch: In theaters
Skinamark
Stars: Jaime Hill, Ross Paul, Lucas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault
Writer/Director: Kyle Edward Ball
Genre: Horror
Plot: Two children wake up in the middle of the night to find their father is missing, and all the windows and doors in their home have vanished.
What you should know: This is what OP thinks of when she hears the word skinamarink, but it doesn’t seem like it will be in the film.
Where to watch: In theaters; on Shudder in late 2023
Saint Omer
Stars: Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Valérie Dréville, Aurélia Petit
Writer: Amrita David, Alice Diop, Zoé Galeron
Director: Alice Diop
Genre: Drama
Plot: Follows Rama, a novelist who attends the trial of Laurence Coly at the Saint-Omer Criminal Court to use her story to write a modern-day adaptation of the ancient myth of Medea, but things don't go as expected.
What you should know: Official submission of France for the Best International Feature Film category of the 95th Academy Awards in 2023.
Where to watch: In theaters
Dog Gone
Stars: Rob Lowe, Johnny Berchtold, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Susan Gallagher
Writer: Nick Santora
Director: Stephen Herek
Genre: Drama, Family
Plot: Based on the true story of a father and son who repair their fractured relationship during a forced hike of the Appalachian trail to find their beloved lost dog.
What you should know: Based on the book by Pauls Toutonghi.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Offering
Stars: Nick Blood, Emily Wiseman, Paul Kaye, Allan Corduner
Writer: Hank Hoffman, Jonathan Yunger
Director: Oliver Park
Genre: Horror
Plot: A family struggling with loss finds themselves at the mercy of an ancient demon trying to destroy them from the inside.
What you should know: Director Oliver Park is also an actor.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
Kitchen Brigade
Stars: Audrey Lamy, François Cluzet, Chantal Neuwirth, Fatou Kaba
Writer: Louis-Julien Petit, Liza Benguigui, Sophie Bensadoun, Thomas Pujol
Director: Louis-Julien Petit
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Cathy is a sous-chef wanting to open a restaurant. Having financial difficulties, Cathy accepts a job at a shelter for young migrants. At first she hates the job, and then her passion for cuisine starts to change children's lives.
What you should know: It’s in French.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
The Drop
Stars: Anna Konkle, Jermaine Fowler, Jillian Bell, Utkarsh Ambudkar
Writer: Joshua Leonard, Sarah Adina Smith
Director: Sarah Adina Smith
Genre: Comedy
Plot: A married couple face a marriage test when one of them drops a baby during a tropical island wedding.
What you should know: Nominee at Tribeca 2022.
Where to watch: Hulu
The Seven Faces of Jane
Stars: Gillian Jacobs, Joel McHale, Sybil Azur, David Balcorta
Writer: Julian Acosta, Xan Cassavetes, Ben Del Vecchio, Ryan Heffington, Tran Ho, Boma Iluma, Nick Iwataki, Gillian Jacobs, Alex Takacs, Antonio Macia, Kaydee Volpi
Director: Julian Acosta, Xan Cassavetes, Gia Coppola, Ryan Heffington, Boma Iluma, Gillian Jacobs, Ken Jeong, Alex Takacs
Genre:
Plot: After dropping off her daughter at a summer camp for the first time, and encouraging her reticent child to engage in new experiences, Jane finds herself heeding her own advice. Jane finds herself tumbling through a gauntlet of surreal, beautiful and heartbreaking adventures.
What you should know: Each segment is written and directed by different people.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available on VOD
Beautiful Beings
Stars: Birgir Dagur Bjarkason, Áskell Einar Pálmason, Viktor Benóný Benediktsson, Snorri Rafn Frímannsson
Writer/Director: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
Genre: Drama
Plot: A teenage boy raised by a clairvoyant mother takes a bullied kid into his gang of violent outsiders.
What you should know: Iceland's official submission to the 2023 Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Tomorrow Job
Stars: Grant Schumacher, Caitlin Duffy, Ariella Mastroianni, Chris Cimperman
Writer/Director: Bruce Wemple
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Plot: A team of thieves use a drug that allows them to trade consciousnesses with their future-selves in order to steal tomorrow's secrets.
What you should know: Director Bruce Wemple and star Grant Schumacher have worked together on several films.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD January 17th
More New Releases
House Party (Trailer) from Warner Bros
Door Mouse (Trailer)
The Price We Pay (Trailer)
On Sacred Ground (Trailer)
Night of the Bastard (Trailer)
Chess Story (Trailer)
Jethica (Trailer)
Come Find Me (Trailer)
New to Streaming
She Said (Trailer) on Peacock
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?