Indie Film Release Guide: October 19th [An ONTD Original]

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Universal’s Halloween sequel is set to dominate the weekend, but there’s a lot of other stuff to see out there! Recently released films like Beautiful Boy, The Hate U Give and The Old Man and the Gun are all expanding to more theaters this weekend, and there are a bunch of brand new things to see as well.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia and Disney. 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: October 12th, October 5th, and September 28th.

Wildlife

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Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Bill Camp, Ed Oxenbould
Writer: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan
Director: Paul Dano
Genre: Drama
Plot: A boy witnesses his parents' marriage falling apart after his mother finds another man.
What you should know: Long-term couple Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan adapted this novel by Richard Ford together.
Q&A’s: In NYC, Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan appears after the 7:45pm showtime on 10/19 at the IFC Center, and Paul Dano and Jake Gyllenhaal appear after a couple of showtimes on 10/20 at the IFC Center. In LA, Carey Mulligan appears after various showtimes at Landmark and Arclight Theaters on 10/19, 10/20 and 10/21.
Opens in: NYC & LA, expanding next weekend.



mid90’s

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Stars: Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges, Na-kel Smith, Olan Prenatt
Written and directed by: Jonah Hill
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Follows Stevie, a thirteen-year-old in 90s-era LA who spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life and a group of new friends that he meets at a Motor Avenue skate shop.
What you should know: Shot entirely on 16mm film.
Q&A’s: In LA, Jonah Hill & the cast appear after several showtimes at Arclight and Landmark on 10/19, 10/20 and 10/21.
Opens in: NYC & LA, expanding next weekend.

What They Had

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Stars: Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Robert Forester, Blythe Danner
Written and directed by: Elizabeth Chomko
Genre: Drama
Plot: Bridget returns home at her brother's urging to deal with her ailing mother and her father's reluctance to let go of their life together.
What you should know: This is the writer/director’s first feature film.
Q&A’s: In LA, Elizabeth Chomko and Robert Forster appear after showtimes on 10/19 and 10/20 at Landmark.
Opens in: NYC & LA, expanding next weekend.

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

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Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone
Writer: Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty
Director: Marielle Heller
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Plot: Celebrity biographer Lee Israel makes her living profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee is no longer able to get published because she has fallen out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack.
What you should know: This is a true story, and an adaptation of the memoir by celebrity biographer Lee Israel.
Opens in: NYC & LA, expanding next weekend.

An Evening with Beverly Luff Lin

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Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Jermaine Clement, Emile Hirsch, Craig Robinson
Writer: Jim Hosking, David Wike
Director: Jim Hosking
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Plot: Lulu Danger's unsatisfying marriage takes a turn for the worse when a mysterious man from her past comes to town to perform an event called "An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn; For One Magical Night Only."
What you should know: Aubrey Plaza & Jermaine Clement previously co-starred in Legion.
Opens in: Select cities & available VOD

Galveston

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Stars: Ben Foster, Lili Reinhart, Elle Fanning, Maria Valverde
Writer: Jim Hammett
Director: Mélanie Laurent
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Plot: After escaping a set up, a dying hitman returns to his hometown of Galveston where he plans his revenge.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Nic Pizzolatto.
Opens in: Select cities and available VOD

Change in the Air

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Stars: Rachel Brosnahan, Aiden Quinn, Seth Gilliam, M. Emmet Walsh
Writer: Audra Gorman
Director: Dianne Dreyer
Genre: Drama
Plot: When a beguiling young woman moves in next door, a quiet neighborhood is awakened, bringing people face to face with their secrets and, ultimately, themselves.
What you should know: The film is aimed at a faith-based market.
Opens in: Select cities and available VOD

Fail State

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Director: Alexander Shebanow
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Investigates the dark side of American higher education, chronicling the decades of policy decisions in Washington, D.C. that have given rise to a powerful and highly-predatory for-profit college industry. With echoes of the subprime mortgage crisis, the film lays bare how for-profit colleges exploit millions of low-income and minority students, leaving them with worthless degrees and drowning in student loan debt.
What you should know: Executive produced by Dan Rather.
Opens in: LA, with box office proceeds going to benefit @GiBillRights and @USDveterans

The Guilty (Den Skyldige)

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Stars: Jakob Cedergren, Jessica Dinnage, Omar Shargawi, Johan Olsen
Writer: Gustav Möller, Emil Nygaard Albertsen
Director: Gustav Möller
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Plot: A police officer assigned alarm dispatch duty enters a race against time when he answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman.
What you should know: It’s in Danish.
Opens in: Select cities

Reach

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Stars: Corbin Bernsen, Garrett Clayton, Rio Mangini, Concetta Tomei
Writer: Maria Capp, Johnny James Fiore, Grant Harling
Director: Leif Rokesh
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: A socially awkward teenager plans on killing himself, until Clarence, the new quirky kid in school, befriends him.
What you should know: The number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255.
Opens in: Select cities, which you can check here.

Also opening: Charm City (Trailer), The Advocates (Trailer), Brampton’s Own (Trailer), Nowhere Mind (Trailer), Brewmaster (Trailer), On Her Shoulders (Trailer)

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What films have you seen recently, either mainstream or indie? What are you looking forward to seeing?