Indie Film Release Guide: January 18th [An ONTD Original]
Glass, the sequel to M. Night Shyamalan's 2016 film Split being released this weekend, doesn't face any competetion from major studio releases, but the indie slate is pretty full. If none of these float your boat (and since it's January, that's pretty likely), check your local listings for end of 2018 films you may have missed, like Mary, Queen of Scots, If Beale Street Could Talk, and On the Basis of Sex.
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: January 11th, January 4th, December 28th.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Click to viewStars: Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, Chris Ayres, Vic Mignogna
Writer: Akira Toriyama
Director: Tatsuya Nagmine
Genre: Animation, Action, Fantasy
Plot: Goku and Vegeta encounter Broly, a Saiyan warrior unlike any fighter they've faced before.
What you should know: You might not think of this as an indie, which is perfectly understandable. But since it wasn’t released by a major studio, it makes the cut for the purposes of this post. Also of note: it made 7 million dollars last night.
Opens in: Wide release
The Heiresses
Stars: Ana Brun, Margarita Irun, Ana Ivanova, Nilda Gonzalez
Writer/Director: Marcelo Martinessi
Genre: Drama
Plot: Chela and Chiquita, both descended from wealthy families in Asunción, Paraguay, have been together for over 30 years. But recently their financial situation has worsened and they begin selling off their inherited possessions. But when their debts lead to Chiquita being imprisoned on fraud charges, Chela is forced to face a new reality.
What you should know: This is Paraguay's official Oscar entry in the Foreign Language Film category.
Opens in: NYC
Adult Life Skills
Stars: Jodie Whittaker, Lorraine Ashbourne, Brett Goldstein, Rachael Deering
Writer/Director: Rachel Tunnard
Genre: Comedy
Plot: Anna is a little different. She lives in her mother's shed and spends much of her time privately making videos using her thumbs as actors. As her thirtieth birthday approaches, her mum tells her it's time to move out.
What you should know: It won in a couple of categories at the 2016 British Independent Film Awards.
Opens in: Select cities
Don’t Come Back from the Moon
Stars: James Franco, Rashida Jones, Jeffrey Wahlberg, Alyssa Elle Steinacker
Writer: Dean Bakopoulous, Bruce Thierry Cheung
Director: Bruce Thierry Cheung
Genre: Drama
Plot: Fathers in a small California desert town abandon their children one by one leaving behind a wake of anger and crime as their sons and daughters come of age.
What you should know: This made the festival rounds in 2017.
Opens in: Select cities
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
Stars: James Badge Dale, Brian Geraghty, Patrick Fischler, Happy Anderson
Writer/Director: Henry Dunham
Genre: Drama
Plot: A former cop-turned-militia man investigates a shooting at a police funeral.
What you should know: This is Henry Dunham’s directorial debut, and the reviews are pretty good overall.
Opens in: Select cities; also available digitally.
All These Small Moments
Stars: Molly Ringwald, Jemima Kirke, Harley Quinn Smith, Brian d’Arcy James
Writer/Director: Melissa Miller Costanzo
Genre: Drama
Plot: A teenage boy's infatuation with a woman he sees on the bus further complicates his already tumultuous adolescence.
What you should know: There are a couple of nepotism castings in this one - Sam McCarthy, son of Andrew McCarthy, and Harley Quinn Smith, daughter of Kevin Smith.
Opens in: Select cities
Canal Street
Stars: Michael Beach, Lance Reddick, Jon Seda, Will Yun Lee
Writer: Adam Key, Jon Knitter, Rhyan LaMarr
Director: Rhyan LaMarr
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Plot: After being arrested for the murder of a white classmate, a young black man's father fights in court for his son's vindication. Against all odds, they embrace their undying trust in each other and find faith in God.
What you should know: Star Michael Beach also appears in If Beale Street Could Talk, which is also in theaters now.
Opens in: Select cities
Split Lip
Stars: Maryam Cné, Mackenzie Coffman, Dorée Seay, David Alan Graf
Writer/Director: Christopher Sheffield
Genre: Action
Plot: Burned by her organization and hunted by her mentor, a brutal killer with an icy exterior goes on a treacherous journey to correct the tragic mistake that made her a target, befriending a kind stranger and facing her darkest path, but is she fighting to save a life? Or have her killer instincts gone too far?
Opens in: Select cities
Egg
Stars: Christina Hendricks, Alysia Reiner, David Alan Basche, Anna Camp
Writer: Risa Mickenberg
Director: Marianna Palka
Genre: Comedy
Plot: When conceptual artist Tina introduces her eight-month pregnant art school rival to her non-traditional surrogate Kiki, the truth outs and the patriarchy fights to hang on.
What you should know: Director Marianna Palka is a regular on GLOW.
Opens in: Select cities
What is Democracy?
You can watch this video on www.livejournal.com
Director: Astra Taylor
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Featuring a diverse cast - including celebrated theorists, trauma surgeons, activists, factory workers, asylum seekers, and former prime ministers - this urgent film connects the past and the present, the emotional and the intellectual, the personal and the political, in order to provoke and inspire. If we want to live in democracy, we must first ask what the word even means.
What you should know: This is Taylor’s first film in ten years.
Opens in: Select cities
Also opening: The Last Man (Trailer), I Hate Kids (Trailer), An Acceptable Loss (Trailer), Who Will Write Our History (Trailer), The Brawler (Trailer)
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What have you been watching recently, ONTD? Plan to see anything this weekend?