Indie Film Release Guide: February 15th [An ONTD Original]
It’s a pretty light week for new releases. From the big studios: after being pushed back a couple of times, Alita: Battle Angel finally hits theaters, along with the sequel to the surprise 2017 hit Happy Death Day. If you’re looking for something a little different, read on for some of the other options hitting theaters this week.
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: February 8th, February 1st, and January 25th.
Isn’t it Romantic
Click to viewStars: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine, Priyanka Chopra
Writer: Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox, Katie Silberman
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Plot: A young woman disenchanted with love mysteriously finds herself trapped inside a romantic comedy.
What you should know: Director Todd Strauss-Schulson also directed the very meta 2015 horror comedy The Final Girls.
Opens in: Wide release
Patrick
Stars: Ed Skrein, Jennifer Saunders, Cherie Lunghi, Peter Davison
Writer: Vanessa Davies, Mandie Fletcher, Paul de Vos
Director: Mandie Fletcher
Genre: Family
Plot: Sarah is a young woman whose life is in a bit of a mess. The last thing she needs is someone else to look after. Yet, like it or not, her Grandmother has bequeathed her a very spoiled pug - Patrick. Surely she must have had her reasons?
What you should know: The tagline is “Pug… Actually”.
Opens in: Select cities
Fighting With My Family
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden
Writer/Director: Stephen Merchant
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Plot: A former wrestler and his family make a living performing at small venues around the country while his kids dream of joining World Wrestling Entertainment.
What you should know: Director Stephen Merchant is one of the creators and writers of the original UK version of The Office.
Opens in: Wide release
Birds of Passage
Stars: Carmiña Martínez, José Acosta, Natalie Reyes, Jhon Narváez
Writer: Maria Camila Arias, Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde Vidal
Director: Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra
Genre: Drama
Plot: During the marijuana bonanza, a violent decade that saw the origins of drug trafficking in Colombia, Rapayet and his indigenous family get involved in a war to control the business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture.
What you should know: This was Colombia’s submission to the Foreign Language Film category of this year’s Academy Awards.
Opens in: Select cities
A Tuba to Cuba
Director: T.G. Herrington, Danny Clinch
Genre: Documentary, History, Music
Storyline: Follows New Orleans' famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band as they retrace their musical roots from the storied city of jazz to the shores of Cuba, and in turn discover a connection that runs much deeper than could have been imagined.
What you should know: The film premiered at SXSW 2018.
Opens in: Select cities
Donnybrook
Stars: Margaret Qualley, Jamie Bell, Frank Grillo, James Badge Dale
Writer: Frank Bill, Tim Sutton
Director: Tim Sutton
Genre: Drama
Plot: Two men prepare to compete in a legendary bare-knuckle fight where the winner gets a $100,000 prize.
What you should know: The film premiered at TIFF 2018.
Opens in: Select cities
Hotel By The River
Stars: Joo-Bong Ki, Min-hee Kim, Hae-hyo Kwon, Seon-mi Song
Writer/Director: Sang-soo Hong
Genre: Drama
Plot: Two tales intersect at a riverside hotel: an elderly poet, invited to stay there for free by the owner, summons his two estranged sons, sensing his life drawing to a close; and a young woman nursing a recently broken heart is visited by a friend who tries to console her. At times these threads overlap, at others they run tantalizingly close to each other.
What you should know: Premiered at TIFF 2018, and is in Korean.
Opens in: NYC
Ruben Brandt, Collector
Stars: Iván Kamarás, Gabriella Hámori, Zalán Makranczi, Csaba Márton
Writer: Milorad Krstic, Radmila Roczkov
Director: Milorad Krstic
Genre: Animation, Crime, Drama
Plot: Ruben Brandt, a famous psychotherapist, is forced to steal 13 paintings from the world's renowned museums and private collections to prevent his suffering from terrible nightmares he has as a result of subliminal messaging he received as a child.
What you should know: The film originated from Hungary.
Opens in: NYC, and expands to LA next week
Sorry, Angel
Stars: Vincent Lacoste, Pierre Deladonchamps, Denis Podalydès, Adèle Wismes
Writer/Director: Christophe Honoré
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: Jacques is an older writer from Paris. Arthur is a young student in Rennes. They instantly fall in love. But they'll have to face rejection and sickness to keep it that way.
What you should know: It’s in French.
Opens in: NYC
The Maestro
Stars: Sarah Clarke, Xander Berkeley, Kristen Gutoskie, Mackenzie Astin
Writer: C.V. Herst
Director: Adam Cushman
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Plot: After the Second World War, budding film composer Jerry Herst moves to Hollywood to study with infamous master teacher Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
Opens in: Select cities & on demand
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Planning on seeing anything soon?