Indie Film Release Guide: June 15th [An ONTD Original]
So I'm crossing my fingers that you guys didn't get around to seeing Hearts Beat Loud or Hereditary or some of the other indies that were released last week, because this week is brutal in terms of indie releases that look remotely appealing. There's Eating Animals, The Year of Spectacular Men, and... some other stuff.
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: June 8, June 1, and May 25.
Gotti
Click to viewStars: John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Stacy Keach, Pruitt Taylor Vince
Writer: Lem Dobbs, Leo Rossi
Director: Kevin Connolly
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Plot: The story of crime boss John Gotti and his son.
What you should know: The director is E from Entourage.
Opens in: Select cities
Loving Pablo
Stars: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Julieth Restrepo
Writer: Fernando León de Aranoa, Virginia Vallejo
Director: Fernando León de Aranoa
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Plot: A journalist strikes up a romantic relationship with notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar.
What you should know: This is the fourth film that married couple Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz have worked on together.
Opens in: Not sure, check your local listings
The Yellow Birds
Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Jennifer Aniston, Toni Collette, Tye Sheridan
Writer: David Lowery, R.F.I. Porto
Director: Alexandre Moors
Genre: Drama, War
Plot: Two young soldiers, Bartle (21) and Murph (18) navigate the terrors of the Iraq war under the command of the older, troubled Sergeant Sterling. All the while, Bartle is tortured by a promise he made to Murph's mother before their deployment.
What you should know: Jack Huston cannot pick a good project to save his life, and this looks like no exception.
Opens in: NYC & LA, and available on demand
Gabriel and the Mountain
Stars: João Pedro Zappa, Caroline Abras
Writer: Fellipe Barbosa, Kirill Mikhanovsky
Director: Fellipe Barbosa
Genre: Drama
Plot: Before entering a prestigious American university, Gabriel Buchmann decided to travel the world for one year, his backpack full of dreams. After ten months on the road, he arrived in Kenya determined to discover the African continent. Until he reached the top of Mount Mulanje, Malawi, his last destination.
What you should know: It’s in Portuguese, English and French, so you’ll probably be reading subtitles for one part or another.
Opens in: NYC
Eating Animals
Narrator: Natalie Portman
Written and directed by: Christopher Dillon Quinn, Jonathan Safran Foer
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: The film reveals through intimate narratives what has happened to our country in the past 40 years as we have moved away from traditional farming communities to massive industrial farming complexes that produce a seemingly endless supply of so-called "cheap" meat, eggs, and dairy. What starts out as a simple question - where does our meat come from? - quickly takes us down the rabbit hole of today's industrial animal agriculture and becomes an exploration of the ultimate stakes of eating animals, the destruction of farming, and the complete unwinding of the American mythos.
What you should know: Based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer.
Opens in: NYC, LA
The Year of Spectacular Men
Stars: Zoey Deutch, Avan Jogia, Nicholas Braun, Madelyn Deutch
Writer: Madelyn Deutch
Director: Lea Thompson
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Story of Izzy Klein, a young woman fresh out of college as she strikes up and ruins relationships with several men, and struggles to navigate the failures of post-college adulthood, leaning on her mother and older sister for support.
What you should know: Lea Thompson is the mother of Zoey (actress) and Madelyn (actress/writer) Deutch.
Opens in: NYC, LA
A Skin So Soft
Stars: Jean-François Bouchard, Cédric Doyon, Benoit Lapierre, Maxim Lemire
Director: Denis Côté
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Jean-François, Ronald, Alexis, Cédric, Benoit and Maxim are gladiators of modern times. From the strongman to the top-class bodybuilder, to the veteran who has become a trainer, they all share the same definition and obsession with overcoming their limitations. They are waiting for the next competition, working hard in the gym and following extreme diets.
Opens in: LA
Affairs of State
Stars: Thora Birch, Mimi Rogers, Adrien Grenier, David James Elliott
Writer: Tom Cudworth
Director: Eric Bross
Genre: Drama
Plot: In his quest for power, D.C. aide Michael Lawson will do anything to take part in Senator Baines's White House campaign, including blackmailing Baines's shady advisor and sleeping with the candidate's wife. But when he gets involved with the senator's daughter, Lawson learns his dangerous game could have a deadly payoff.
What you should know: Their tagline is “Politics is the second oldest profession”. Both this and the trailer are kind of hilarious.
Opens in: NYC, LA
Also opening this week: Counterfeiters (Trailer), Intersection (Trailer), China Salesman (Trailer), Billy Boy (Juvenile) (Trailer), Five Seasons: The Garden of Piet Oudolf (Trailer), Race 3 (Trailer), Straight Into a Storm (Trailer)
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What are you planning to see this weekend, ONTD? See anything lately?