Indie Film Release Guide: July 21st [An ONTD Original]
July 21st, 2023… a date that will live in infamy! The long awaited shared release date of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is finally upon us. Of course, there are other movies coming out that day, and this post will focus mainly on those, since neither one of the above films needs any more promo at this point.
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: July 14th, July 7th, and June 30th.
Cobweb
Click to viewStars: Lizzy Caplan, Antony Starr, Cleopatra Colman, Woody Norman
Writer: Chris Thomas Devlin
Director: Samuel Bodin
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot: Horror strikes when an eight-year-old boy named Peter tries to investigate the mysterious knocking noises that are coming from inside the walls of his house and a dark secret that his sinister parents kept hidden from him.
What you should know: The script was featured on the 2018 Black List.
Where to watch: In select theaters; expanding over the next couple weeks
They Cloned Tyrone
Stars: John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, Kiefer Sutherland, David Allen Grier
Writer: Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor
Director: Juel Taylor
Genre: Action, Comedy, Mystery
Plot: A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper.
What you should know: The script was featured on the 2019 Black List.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Beanie Bubble
Stars: Sarah Snook, Geraldine Viswanathan, Zach Galifinakis, Elizabeth Banks
Writer: Kristen Gore, Zac Bissonette
Director: Kristen Gore, Damian Kulash
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Ty Warner was a frustrated toy salesman until his collaboration with three women grew his idea into the biggest toy craze in history.
What you should know: Co-writer and co-director Kristen Gore previously worked on Saturday Night Live.
Where to watch: In select theaters; streaming on Apple TV+ next weekend
Mother, May I?
Stars: Daphne Gaines, Kyle Gallner, Michael Giannone, Chris Mulkey
Writer/Director: Laurence Vannicelli
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot: When Anya starts behaving like her recently-deceased mother, Emmett must confront his deepest traumas to free his fiancee from this bewildering possession.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
Stephen Curry: Underrated
Director: Peter Nicks
Genre: Documentary, Sport
Storyline: The coming-of-age story of Stephen Curry, from an undersized basketball player at a small college, to becoming a larger-than-life NBA superstar.
What you should know: Nominated at the 2023 Miami Film Festival.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
Return to Dust
Stars: Renlin Wu, Hai-Qing, Guangrui Yang, Dengping Zhao
Writer/Director: Ruijun Li
Genre: Drama
Plot: The humble, unassuming Ma and timid Cao have been cast off by their families and forced into an arranged marriage. To survive, they have to come together and build a home for themselves.
What you should know: It’s in Mandarin.
Where to watch: In theaters
Glitch: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia
Director: Salima Koroma
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: This timely documentary chronicles the tech-fueled rise and Fyre-style fall of HQ Trivia, the revolutionary "game show on your phone" app that went viral, swept the nation, then crashed and burned.
What you should know: Former host Scott Rogowsky is at the center of the doc.
Where to watch: Max
The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart
Stars: Clancy Brown, Jane Lynch, Patrick Warburton, James Urbaniak
Writer: Doc Hammer, Christopher McCulloch
Director: Christopher McCulloch
Genre: Animation
Plot: After Hank suddenly disappears, Team Venture is forced to fight their way through conspiracies, mysteries, and plenty of villains to find Hank and restore the world as they once knew it.
What you should know: This follows the long running series, allowing the creators to tie up loose ends after the show was unexpectedly canceled in 2020.
Where to watch: Available VOD
Fear the Night
Stars: Maggie Q, Kat Foster, James Carpinello, Gia Crovatin
Writer/Director: Neil LaBute
Genre: Action, Thriller
Plot: Follows Iraqi war veteran Tes, as she prepares to strike back after a group of home invaders attack during her sister's bachelorette party, and she discovers that they are hellbent on not leaving any witnesses behind.
What you should know: Writer/director Neil LaBute was originally a playwright.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD.
See You on Venus
Stars: Virginia Gardner, Alex Aiono, Rob Estes, Bernard Bullen
Writer: Victoria Vinuesa
Director: Joaquín Llamas
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: A dying 18 year-old orphaned girl wants to travel to Europe to track down her biological mother, so when she meets a kind-hearted young man reeling from the guilt of a fatal accident, she convinces him to accompany her on the journey.
What you should know:
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
More New Releases
Barbie (Trailer)
Oppenheimer (Trailer)
The Island (Trailer)
Ladybug and Cat Noir: Awakening (Trailer)
New to Streaming
Till (Trailer) on Amazon
The Ritual Killer (Trailer) on Hulu
Space Oddity (Trailer) on Hulu
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?