Indie Film Release Guide: November 22nd [An ONTD Original]
It’s finally time to get Glicked, as both Gladiator II and Wicked make their theatrical bows this weekend. While Wicked looks to clean up at the box office, Gladiator hopes that it will not be too far behind, and both films succeeding will be a boon to a somewhat lackluster box office year to date. If you aren’t interested in defying gravity or emperors, read on for more options to watch in theaters and at home.
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: November 15th, November 8th, and November 1st.
Flow
Click to viewWriter: Matiss Kaza, Gints Zilbalodis
Director: Gints Zilbalodis
Genre: Animation, Family
Plot: Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences.
What you should know: There is no dialogue, and the animal sounds are recordings of real animals.
Where to watch: In theaters
Joy
Stars: Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton, Bill Nighy, Heather Agyepong
Writer: Emma Gordon, Rachel Mason, Jack Thorne
Director: Ben Taylor
Genre: Drama, History
Plot: 3 trailblazers: a young nurse, a visionary scientist, and an innovative surgeon face opposition from the church, state, media, and medical establishment in their pursuit of the world's first 'test tube baby,' Louise Joy Brown.
What you should know: Director Ben Taylor also worked on Sex Education.
Where to watch: Netflix
Never Look Away
Writer: Whetham Allpress, Tom Blackwell, Lucy Lawless
Director: Lucy Lawless
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth fearlessly captures footage of war zones. After receiving catastrophic injuries in the crosshairs of battle, she returns to work with more courage than ever. An intimate portrait of a trailblazing female photojournalist, featuring interviews with Moth's family and friends, including CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
What you should know: Premiered at Sundance 2024.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
Porcelain War
Writer: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
Director: Aniela Sidorska, Paula DuPré Pesmen, Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Under roaring fighter jets, Ukrainian artists Slava, Anya, and Andrey choose to stay behind. Defiantly finding beauty amid destruction, they show that although it's easy to make people afraid, it's hard to destroy their passion for living.
What you should know:
Where to watch: In NYC; expands to LA next week
Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.
Stars: Jonas Dassler, August Diehl, David Jonsson, Flula Borg
Writer/Director: Todd Komarnicki
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Plot: As the world teeters on the brink of annihilation, Dietrich Bonhoeffer joins a deadly plot to assassinate Hitler, risking his faith and fate to save millions of Jews from genocide.
What you should know: From Angel Studios, the same studio that released the controversial Sound of Freedom.
Where to watch: In theaters
Spellbound
Stars: Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane
Writer: Vicky Jensen, Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin
Director: Vicky Jensen
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family
Plot: Follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious princess who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents, the King and Queen of Lumbria, into monsters.
What you should know: Alan Menken scored this film.
Where to watch: Netflix
Bread & Roses
Director: Sahra Mani
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Capturing the experiences of Afghanistan's women under the Taliban since they took control of Kabul.
What you should know: Nominated for the Golden Eye Award at Cannes 2023.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
The Black Sea
Stars: Derrick B. Harden, Irmena Chichikova, Stoyo Mirkov, Samuel Finzi
Director: Crystal Moselle, Derrick B. Harden
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: A man journeys to a small Eastern European coastal town where he finds unexpected connections despite being the only black person in the area.
What you should know: Won a Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize at the 2024 Nashville Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters
ICYMI - New to Streaming
The Piano Lesson
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher
Writer: Virgil Williams, Malcolm Washington
Director: Malcolm Washington
Genre: Drama
Plot: Follows the lives of the Charles family as they deal with themes of family legacy and more, in deciding what to do with an heirloom, the family piano.
What you should know: Based on the play by August Wilson.
Where to watch: Netflix
Blitz
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Benjamin Clémentine, Harris Dickinson, Kathy Burke
Writer/Director: Steve McQueen
Genre: Action, Drama
Plot: Follow the stories of a group of Londoners during the events of the British capital bombing in World War II.
What you should know: Saoirse Ronan and Harris Dickinson previously starred in See How They Run together
Where to watch: Apple TV+
More New Releases
Gladiator II (Trailer) from Paramount
Wicked: Part I (Trailer) from Universal
Sabbath Queen (Trailer)
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found (Trailer)
Armor (Trailer)
New to Streaming
Firebrand (Trailer) on Hulu
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?