Indie Film Release Guide: July 26th [An ONTD Original]
Clearly the world has not become completely tired of superheroes, as Deadpool and Wolverine is set to take the box office by storm this weekend, pushing out Twisters from the top spot. No other big studio is opening a film this weekend, so the other options are all past releases or indies, which you can check out below.
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 19th, July 12th, and July 5th.
Didi
Click to viewStars: Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, Zhang Li Hua
Writer/Director: Sean Wang
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can't teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.
What you should know: Director Sean Wang previously directed the Oscar-nominated short film Nai Nai & Wài Pó.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Fabulous Four
Stars: Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Bette Midler, Megan Mullally
Writer: Ann Marie Allison, Jenna Milly
Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Genre: Comedy
Plot: It tells the story of two friends who travel to be bridesmaids in a surprise wedding of their college girlfriend.
What you should know: Sheryl Lee Ralph replaced Sissy Spacek on the film.
Where to watch: In theaters
Mothers’ Instinct
Stars: Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathway, Anders Danielsen Lie, Josh Charles
Writer: Olivier Masset-Depasse, Sarah Conradt, Barbara Abel
Director: Benoît Delhomme
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Plot: Alice and Celine live a traditional lifestyle with successful husbands and sons of the same age. Life's perfect harmony is suddenly shattered after a tragic accident. Guilt, suspicion and paranoia combine to unravel their sisterly bond.
What you should know: Remake of the film of the same name from 2018; both films are adapted from Derrière la haine by Barbara Abel.
Where to watch: In theaters; available VOD on August 13th
The Beast Within
Stars: Kit Harington, Ashleigh Cummings, James Cosmo, Caoilinn Springall
Writer: Greer Ellison, Alexander J. Farrell
Director: Alexander J. Farrell
Genre: Horror
Plot: After a series of strange events leads her to question her family's isolated life on a fortified compound deep in the English wilds, 10-year-old Willow follows her parents on one of their secret late-night treks to the heart of the forest.
What you should know: Filmed in the UK.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Arctic Convoy
Stars: Tobias Santelmann, Adam Lundgren, Jakob Fort, Anders Baasmo
Writer: Christian Siebenherz, Harald Rosenløw-Eeg, Lars Gudmestad
Director: Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Plot: Summer 1941: Hitler seems unstoppable, invading the Soviet Union. Convoys of cargo ships with war materials began the perilous journey to Murmansk. Ordinary sailors facing German superiority in the icy Arctic sea with lives at stake.
What you should know: It’s in Norwegian, English, and Swedish
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
The Last Breath
Stars: Julian Sands, Alexander Arnold, Kim Spearman, Jack Parr
Writer: Andrew Prendergast, Nick Saltrese
Director: Joachim Hedén
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot: A group of old college friends reunite on a Caribbean scuba diving trip exploring the wreckage of a WWII battleship and find themselves trapped inside the underwater labyrinth of rusted metal surrounded by great white sharks.
What you should know: The last credit of actor Julian Sands, who died in 2023.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
The Girl in the Pool
Stars: Freddie Prinze Jr., Monica Potter, Kevin Pollak, Tyler Lawrence Gray
Writer: Jackson Reid Williams
Director: Dakota Gorman
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Plot: A well-to-do family man is forced to struggle through a surprise birthday party moments after hiding the murdered corpse of his mistress.
What you should know: Reunites Freddie Prinze, Jr and Monica Potter 23 years after 2001’s Head Over Heels.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
Swan Song
Writer: Victoria Abolarinde, Chelsea McMullan, Sean O’Neill
Director: Chelsea McMullan
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: A behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's leading ballet companies' production of Swan Lake.
What you should know: Executive produced by Neve Campbell.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
Only the River Flows
Stars: Yilong Zhu, Chloe Maayan, Miyi Huang, Tong Linkai
Writer: Yu Hua, Chunlei Kang, Wei Shujun
Director: Wei Shujun
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Plot: Chief police investigates a series of murders in a riverside town in rural China in the 1990s. An arrest is made quickly, clues push the policeman to dive deeper into the hidden behaviour of the locals.
What you should know: Nominated at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters
Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net
Director: Dawn Porter
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Follows the resurgence of Cirque du Soleil after the most difficult period in its history.
What you should know: Director Dawn Porter has directed a number of other documentaries, including 2020’s John Lewis: Good Trouble.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
More New Releases
Deadpool and Wolverine (Trailer)
New to Streaming
Love Lies Bleeding (Trailer) on HBO
Bob Marley: One Love (Trailer) on Amazon Prime
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (Trailer) on Amazon Prime
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?