Indie Film Release Guide: August 9th [An ONTD Original]

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Deadpool & Wolverine will continue its chokehold on the box office this weekend, but there are a few new contenders battling for second place. Sony is bringing a Colleen Hoover novel to the screen with Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us, while Lionsgate is bringing a video game to the screen with Borderlands. Neon also has a new entrant in Cuckoo, a horror film starring Hunter Schafer.

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: August 2nd, July 26th, and July 19th.

Cuckoo

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Stars: Hunter Schafer, Jessica Henwick, Dan Stevens, Jan Bluthardt
Writer/Director: Tilman Singer
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Plot: A 17-year-old girl is forced to move with her family to a resort where things are not what they seem.
What you should know: This is Tilman Singer’s first full length English language film.
Where to watch: In theaters



Borderlands

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Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Edgar Ramírez, Jamie Lee Curtis
Writer: Eli Roth, Joe Crombie
Director: Eli Roth
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Plot: Based on the best-selling videogame, this all-star action-adventure follows a ragtag team of misfits on a mission to save a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power.
What you should know: Tim Miller directed reshoots while Eli Roth was tied up with Thanksgiving.
Where to watch: In theaters

Sugarcane

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Director: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school sparks a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
What you should know: Won a directing award at Sundance 2024.
Where to watch: In theaters

Dance First

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Stars: Gabriel Byrne, Fionn O'Shea, Aidan Gillen, Maxine Peake,
Writer: Samuel Beckett, Neil Forsyth
Director: James Marsh
Genre: Biography, Drama
Plot: Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings
What you should know: James Marsh also directed 2014’s The Theory of Everything.
Where to watch: In theaters; available VOD on August 16th

Girl You Know It’s True

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Stars: Tijan Njie, Elan Ben Ali, Matthias Schweighöfer, Bella Dayne
Writer/Director: Simon Verhoeven
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Plot: Follows the true story of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, who conquered global music charts as the pop duo "Milli Vanilli." Their fame turned to infamy when it's revealed the iconic voices behind their hits were not their own, but those of other singers.
What you should know: The movie is dedicated to the late Rob Pilatus, who died on April 2, 1998 in Frankfurt, Germany. He was 33.
Where to watch: In theaters

Good One

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Stars: Lily Collias, James Le Gros, Danny McCarthy, Sumaya Bouhbal
Writer/Director: India Donaldson
Genre: Drama
Plot: During a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills, 17-year-old Sam navigates the clash of egos between her father and his oldest friend.
What you should know: This is India Donaldson’s directorial debut, nominated for awards at Cannes and Sundance 2024.
Where to watch: In theaters

The Last Front

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Stars: Iain Glen, Sasha Luss, Joe Anderson, Leander Vyvey
Writer: Julien Hayet-Kerknawi, Kate Wood
Director: Julien Hayet-Kerknawi
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Plot: Amidst World War I's chaos, a grieving father turns hero, leading villagers to safety while evading a relentless enemy driven by vengeance.
What you should know: Filmed in Belgium.
Where to watch: In theaters

Running on Empty

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Stars: Keir Gilchrist, Lucy Hale, Rhys Coiro, Jay Pharoah
Writer/Director: Daniel André
Genre: Comedy
Plot: Follows Mort who discovers he has less than a year to live, and after his fiancé leaves him, he meets Kate in a dating service that matches people by their death dates, all while being stalked by a disturbed pimp.
What you should know: Previously called Mort in Sherman Oaks.
Where to watch: In theaters

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

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Stars: Louis Koo, Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau, Philip Ng
Writer: Kin-Yee Au, Tai-Lee Chan, Li Jun, Kwan-Sin Shum, Yi Yu
Director: Soi Cheang
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Plot: Follows troubled youth Chan Lok-kwun as he accidentally enters the Walled City, discovers the order amidst its chaos, and learns important life lessons along the way.
What you should know: Filmed in Hong Kong.
Where to watch: In theaters

Daughters

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Director: Angela Patton, Natalie Rae
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C. jail.
What you should know: Won the U.S. Documentary Award at Sundance 2024.
Where to watch: In theaters; on Netflix August 14th

More New Releases

It Ends With Us (Trailer) from Sony
Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds (Trailer)

New to Streaming

The Instigators (Trailer) on Apple TV+
Inside the Mind of a Dog (Trailer) on Netflix
One Fast Move (Trailer) on Amazon Prime

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?