Indie Film Release Guide: July 7th [An ONTD Original]
This weekend marks a short break from the huge major studio releases we’ve been getting this summer, with Lionsgate’s Joy Ride and Sony’s Insidious: The Red Door being the two biggest titles debuting in theaters. But even though I won’t include it until next week’s roundup, Paramount’s Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning begins showing in select theaters as early as Sunday, so if you are jonesing for something bigger, it is just around the corner.
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: June 30th, June 23rd, and June 16th.
Joy Ride
Click to viewStars: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu
Writer: Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao, Adele Lim
Director: Adele Lim
Genre: Comedy
Plot: Follows four Asian-American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through Asia in search of one of their birth mothers.
What you should know: This is writer/director Adele Lim’s directorial debut.
Where to watch: In theaters
The League
Director: Sam Pollard
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: The story of the Negro Baseball League is told through previously unearthed archival footage and never-before-seen interviews.
What you should know: Director Sam Pollard also directed 2020’s MLK/FBI.
Where to watch: In theaters; available VOD on July 14th.
Amanda
Stars: Benedetta Porcaroli, Giovanna Mezzogio, Margherita Missonirno, Michele Bravi
Writer/Director: Carolina Cavalli
Genre: Drama
Plot: Born into an upper-class family with a doting mother who foots the bill for her indolent lifestyle, 24-year-old combative Amanda searches for boyfriends but only finds misfits who are repelled by her intensity. She longs for connection but has never had a friend of her own... until she discovers a long lost childhood bond, spurring a mission to convince another recluse that they are still best friends.
What you should know: It’s in Italian.
Where to watch: In theaters
Wham!
Director: Chris Smith
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Storyline: Through archival interviews and footage, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relive the arc of their Wham. career, from 70s best buds to 80s pop icons.
What you should know: Wham was the first western pop act to play in China.
Where to watch: Netflix
Biosphere
Stars: Sterling K. Brown, Mark Duplass
Writer: Mark Duplass, Mel Eslyn
Director: Mel Eslyn
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Plot: In the not-too-distant future, the last two men on earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity.
What you should know: This is writer/director Mel Eslyn’s feature directorial debut.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Lesson
Stars: Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy, Daryl McCormack, Stephen McMillan
Writer: Alex MacKeith
Director: Alice Troughton
Genre: Thriller
Plot: A young author takes a tutoring position at the estate of a legendary writer.
What you should know: This is writer Alex MacKeith’s first feature film.
Where to watch: In theaters
Earth Mama
Stars: Tia Nomore, Erika Alexander, Keta Price, Doechii
Writer/Director: Savanah Leaf
Genre: Drama
Plot: An intimate coming of age story of a pregnant single mother who embraces her Bay Area community as she determines the fate of her family.
What you should know: Won the Best Narrative Feature Award at the 2023 San Francisco International Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Out-Laws
Stars: Adam Devine, Nina Dobrev, Pierce Brosnan, Ellen Barkin
Writer: Evan Turner, Ben Zazove
Director: Tyler Spindel
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Plot: A straight-laced bank manager about to marry the love of his life. When his bank is held up by infamous Ghost Bandits during his wedding week, he believes his future in-laws who just arrived in town, are the infamous Out-Laws.
What you should know: Several comedians have bit parts in the film.
Where to watch: Netflix
Bad Girl Boogey
Stars: Lisa Fanto, Em Bleby, Mark Fantasia, Molly Ferguson
Writer: Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson
Director: Alice Maio Mackay
Genre: Drama, Horror
Plot: Years after Angel's mother was brutally murdered in a killing spree by a psychopath wearing a mask believed to be cursed with hate, the killings have started again. Now Angel must decide to either live in fear or find the killer before he, or it, slaughters everyone she holds dear.
What you should know: It’s Australian.
Where to watch: Available VOD
The YouTube Effect
Writer/Director: Alex Winter
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: A thoughtful, troubling look at YouTube, a site with humble origins that has gone on to change how we experience the world.
What you should know: Director Alex Winter has helmed several documentaries, feature films, and episodes of television, but you may know him better as Bill from the Bill & Ted series of films.
Where to watch: In NYC & LA theaters; expands next week
More New Releases
Insidious: The Red Door (Trailer) from Sony
Sound of Freedom (Trailer)
Dead Man’s Hand (Trailer)
The Crusades (Trailer)
Odd Hours, No Pay, Cool Hat (Trailer)
New to Streaming
The Quiet Girl (Trailer) on Hulu
Night Train (Trailer) on Hulu
Emily (Trailer) on Paramount+ (July 10th)
80 for Brady (Trailer) on Amazon
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?