Indie Film Release Guide: March 8th [An ONTD Original]

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We all know that Captain Marvel is coming out this weekend; in fact, the other big studios didn’t even try to counterprogram against it. But there are more than a handful of indies being released this weekend, and this post aims to be an informative guide to those films.

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: March 1st, February 22nd, and February 15th.

Feel free to add your letterboxd handle in the comments!

Gloria Bell

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Stars: Julianne Moore, Sean Astin, John Turturro, Jeanne Tripplehorne
Writer: Alice Johnson Boher, Sebastián Lelio
Director: Sebastián Lelio
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: A free-spirited woman in her 50s seeks out love at L.A. dance clubs.
What you should know: This is an American remake of 2013’s Gloria, by the same director.
Opens in: Select cities



The Kid

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Stars: Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Adam Baldwin
Writer: Andrew Lanham
Director: Vincent D’Onofrio
Genre: Biography, Drama, Western
Plot: The story of a young boy who witnesses Billy the Kid's encounter with Sheriff Pat Garrett.
What you should know: Pratt, Hawke and D’Onofrio all starred in the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven.
Opens in: Wide release

Triple Frontier

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Stars: Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, Oscar Isaac
Writer: Mark Boal, J.C. Chandor,
Director: J.C. Chandor
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
Plot: Five former Special Forces operatives reunite to plan a heist in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America. For the first time in their prestigious careers these unsung heroes undertake this dangerous mission for self instead of country. But when events take an unexpected turn and threaten to spiral out of control, their skills, their loyalties and their morals are pushed to a breaking point in an epic battle for survival.
What you should know: Some of the names that have been attached to this movie at one point or another since 2010 - Tom Hanks, Tom Hardy, Channing Tatum, Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Mahershala Ali, Kathryn Bigelow
Opens in: Netflix and select cities

I’m Not Here

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Stars: J.K. Simmons, Sebastian Stan, Maika Monroe, Mandy Moore
Writer: Tony Cummings, Michelle Schumacher
Director: Michelle Schumacher
Genre: Drama
Plot: A man struggles with the tragic memories of his past to make sense of his present, but soon realizes that time isn't the enemy he thinks it is.
What you should know: Each era depicted in the film was shot on different lenses to give them a distinct look.
Opens in: Select cities

We Are Boats

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Stars: Luke Hemsworth, Angela Sarafyan, Graham Greene, Amanda Plummer
Writer/Director: James Bird
Genre: Fantasy
Plot: Lives intertwine and connect when Francesca navigates through the living world by encountering strangers at the exact moment she needs to, sending their lives on either a better course towards happiness or setting the wheels in motion towards a tragic end, and taking care of unfinished business of her own.
What you should know: The set was entirely vegan, including makeup, wardrobe and catering.
Opens in: Select cities

And Then There Was Eve

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Stars: Tania Nolan, Rachel Crowl, Mary Holland, Karan Soni
Writer: Colette Friedman, Savannah Bloch
Director: Savannah Bloch
Genre: Drama
Plot: A woman grapples with the loss of her husband while learning to love someone new.
What you should know: A selection of the 2017 L.A. Film Festival.
Opens in: LA

Babylon (1980)

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Stars: Brinsley Ford, Trevor Laird, David N. Haynes, Victor Romero Evans
Writer: Franco Rosso, Martin Stellman
Director: Franco Rosso
Genre: Drama
Plot: The story of Blue, a young man of Jamaican descent living in Brixton in 1980, as he hangs out with his friends, fronts a dub sound system, loses his job, struggles with family problems and has his friendships tested by racism.
What you should know: This British film from 1980 was never released in the US until now.
Opens in: NYC

Black Mother

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Director: Khalik Allah
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: From red light districts to lush rain-forests, a loving and lyrical ode to Jamaica and its people, a visual poem that is at once deeply felt love letter and ecstatic street-corner prayer.
What you should know: Learn more about the film here: http://grasshopperfilm.com/film/black-mother/
Opens in: NYC

Ferrante Fever

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Director: Giacomo Durzi
Genre: Documentary
Plot: Hillary Clinton, Roberto Saviano, Jonathan Franzen and others weigh-in on the Elena Ferrante "craze" and what makes her work - and her mysterious persona - so uniquely captivating.
What you should know: Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend was recently adapted into a miniseries for HBO.
Opens in: NYC

3 Faces

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Stars: Behnaz Jafari, Jafar Panahi, Marziyeh Rezaei, Maedeh Erteghaei
Writer: Jafar Panahi, Nader Saeivar
Director: Jafar Panahi
Genre: Drama
Plot: Three actresses at different stages of their career. One from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, one popular star of today known throughout the country and a young girl longing to attend a drama conservatory.
What you should know: It’s in Persian and Azerbaijani.
Opens in: NYC

Also opening: Badla (Trailer), An Elephant Sitting Still (Trailer), Kiss Kiss (Trailer)

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Planning on seeing anything this weekend?