Indie Film Release Guide: August 2nd [An ONTD Original]
While there are a couple of new big studio releases this weekend in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap and Sony’s Harold and the Purple Crayon, both will fall well short of Deadpool & Wolverine’s second weekend box office totals. In smaller release news, Sing Sing is expanding wider - likely as wide as it will go - so check that out if you’re interested. For information on this weekend’s other indie releases, read on.
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 26th, July 19th, and July 12th.
Kneecap
Click to viewStars: Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, DJ Próvai, Josie Walker
Writer: Rich Peppiatt, Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara
Director: Rich Peppiatt
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: When fate brings Belfast teacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed 'low life scum' Naoise and Liam Og, the needle drops on a hip hop act like no other. Rapping in their native Irish, they lead a movement to save their mother tongue.
What you should know: Won the NEXT Audience Award at Sundance 2024.
Where to watch: In theaters
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes
Writer: Tal Ben-David
Director: Nanette Burstein
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Newly discovered interviews with Elizabeth Taylor and unprecedented access to the star's personal archive reveal the complex inner life and vulnerability of the groundbreaking icon.
What you should know: Nominated for the Golden Eye award at Cannes 2024.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Peak Season
Stars: Claudia Restrepo, Derrick Joseph DeBlasis, Ben Coleman, Fred Melamed
Writer/Director: Steven Kanter, Henry Loevner
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot: An emotionally adrift young woman forges an unexpected friendship with a wilderness guide when she and her fiancé take a summer holiday in Jackson Hole, WY.
What you should know: Filmed on location in Jackson Hole.
Where to watch: In theaters
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
Stars: Carolyn Lawrence, Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Bill Fagerbakke
Writer: Kaz, Tom Stern, Stephen Hillenburg
Director: Liza Johnson
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Plot: When Bikini Bottom is suddenly scooped out of the ocean, Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob journey to Sandy's home state of Texas, where they meet Sandy's family and must save Bikini Bottom from the hands of an evil CEO.
What you should know: This will be the fourth hybrid animated SpongeBob movie.
Where to watch: Netflix
Coup!
Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Magnussen, Sarah Gadon, Skye P. Marshall
Writer/Director: Joseph Schuman, Austin Stark
Genre: Comedy, Thriller
Plot: On a seaside estate in 1918, a mischievous cook leads an uprising against his wealthy employer.
What you should know: This is the first feature film from co-director Joseph Schuman.
Where to watch: In theaters
Sebastian
Stars: Ruaridh Mollica, Hiftu Quasem, Jonathan Hyde, Ingvar Sigurdsson
Writer/Director: Mikko Mäkelä
Genre: Drama
Plot: Max, a 25-year-old aspiring writer living in London, begins a double life as a sex worker in order to research his debut novel.
What you should know: Nominated for the World Cinema - Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2024.
Where to watch: In theaters
Four Souls of Coyote
Stars: Clé Bennett, John Eric Bentley, Diontae Black, Lorne Cardinal
Writer: Géza Bereményi, Áron Gauder
Director: Áron Gauder
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Plot: Native American protesters confront an oil pipeline project, down the hill from their ancestral land. The grandfather evokes the tale of Creation, reminding all of us that we need to find our place in the great circle of creatures.
What you should know: Official submission of Hungary for the Best International Feature Film category of the 96th Academy Awards in 2024; this version is dubbed.
Where to watch: In theaters
Doctor Jekyll
Stars: Eddie Izzard, Scott Chambers, Lindsay Duncan, Simon Callow
Writer: Dan Kelly-Mulhern
Director: Joe Stephenson
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Plot: A modern re-imagining of the infamous Dr. Jekyll from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
What you should know: In Nov. 2021, the U.K.'s Network Distributing sealed a deal with iconic British horror label Hammer Films to form Hammer Studios Ltd.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Instigators
Stars: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Jack Harlow
Writer: Chuck MacLean, Casey Affleck
Director: Doug Liman
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Plot: Follows two robbers who must go on the run with the help of one of their therapists after a theft doesn't go as planned.
What you should know: This film marks the second collaboration between Hong Chau and Matt Damon after 2017’s Downsizing.
Where to watch: In theaters; streaming on Apple TV+ August 9th
Expands
Sing Sing
Stars: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Sean San Jose, Paul Raci
Writer: John H. Richardson, Brent Buell, Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John Divine G Whitfield
Director: Greg Kwedar
Genre: Drama
Plot: Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
What you should know: Much of the cast is made up of formerly incarcerated members of the real-life theatre troupe.
Where to watch: In theaters
More New Releases
Trap (Trailer) from Warner Bros
Harold and the Purple Crayon (Trailer) from Sony
New to Streaming
Rebel Moon: The Director’s Cut (Trailer) on Netflix
Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color (Trailer) on Netflix
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Trailer) on Hulu
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?