Indie Film Release Guide: June 12th [An ONTD Original]
Every week, more and more states are opening up things that have been closed since March because of Covid-19 - retail stores, gyms, restaraunts, bars, and most relevant to this post, movie theaters. It's hard to say how successful they will be in reopening, considering there is still no proven treatment or vaccine for Covid-19, but there are obviously a number of people clamoring to get back in the AC and watch movies on the big screen. But for now, studios continue to send their releases to the small screen via streaming and VOD services, and they are highlighted in this post.
Note on last week's new release Shirley: I didn't know this at the time, but it's available on Hulu, if you're interested in watching and didn't want to pay to rent it. Same with The Painter and the Thief from a few weeks ago - I suspect both are available there because of Neon's distribution deal with Hulu.
The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney - except where noted. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have already come to VOD: June 5th, May 29th, and May 22nd.
Da 5 Bloods
Click to viewStars: Chadwick Boseman, Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Jonathan Majors
Writer: Danny Bilson, Paul de Meo, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee
Director: Spike Lee
Genre: Drama, War
Plot: Four African-American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen Squad Leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.
What you should know: The film was supposed to premiere at Cannes 2020.
Where to stream: Netflix
Aviva
Stars: Zina Zinchenko, Bobbi Jene Smith, Tyler Phillips, Or Schraiber
Writer/Director: Boaz Yakin
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Plot: After meeting online, transatlantic lovers Aviva and Eden embark on a tumultuous courtship, love affair and marriage. The couple struggles, separates, and tries to get back together, as dual aspects of each one's personality battles forces inside and out.
What you should know: It’s in French and English.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas
The Surrogate
Stars: Jasmine Batchelor, Chris Perfetti, Sullivan Jones, Brooke Bloom
Writer/Director: Jeremy Hersh
Genre: Drama
Plot: A web designer for a nonprofit in Brooklyn, is ecstatic to be the surrogate and egg-donor for her best friend and his husband. Twelve weeks into the pregnancy, a prenatal test comes back with unexpected results that pose a moral dilemma.
What you should know: Chosen for SXSW 2020.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas
The Soul Collector
Stars: Tshamano Sebe, Inge Beckmann, Keita Luna, Garth Breytenbach
Writer/Director: Harold Hölscher
Genre: Horror
Plot: An old man, fated to collect souls for eternity, seeks atonement after trading his daughter's soul.
What you should know: It’s in English and Tswana.
Where to stream: VOD
Marona’s Fantastic Tale
Stars: Lizzie Brocheré, Bruno Salomone, Thierry Hancisse, Nathalie Boutefeu
Writer/Director: Anca Damian
Genre: Animation, Drama, Family
Plot: After an accident, a little dog remembers all the different masters she's had successively and loved unconditionally.
What you should know: It’s in French & Romanian.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas
In My Blood it Runs
Director: Maya Newell
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: An observational documentary from the perspective of a 10-year-old Aboriginal boy in Alice Springs, Australia, struggling to balance his traditional Arrernte/Garrwa upbringing with a state education.
What you should know: It’s in Aboriginal and English, and was nominated for Best Documentary and Best Cinematography in a Documentary at the AACTA’s.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas
Sometimes Always Never
Stars: Bill Nighy, Sam Riley, Alice Lowe, Jenny Agutter
Writer: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Director: Carl Hunter
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Plot: Sharp of both suit and vocabulary, Scrabble-obsessed Merseyside tailor Alan, whose eldest son Michael stormed out of the house after a particularly heated round of the popular board game, never to return. Years later, Alan and his other son Peter continue the search while trying to repair their own strained relationship.
What you should know: Though similarly titled, this is not be confused with Never Rarely Sometimes Always, the Eliza Hittman film from earlier this year about a young woman seeking an abortion.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas
Hill of Freedom (2014)
Stars: Ryô Kase, Moon So-Ri, Seo Young-hwa, Kim Eui-sung
Writer/Director: Hong Sang-soo
Genre: Drama
Plot: Kwon returns to Seoul from the mountains and is given a packet of letters from Mori back from Japan to propose to her. Kwon drops and scatters the undated letters. She reads them and has to make sense of the chronology - and so must we?
What you should know: This film was released in South Korea in 2014, but is just getting distribution in the US. It’s in English, Korean and Japanese.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas
Darkness Falls
Stars: Shawn Ashmore, Gary Cole, Daniella Alonso, Richard Harmon
Writer: Giles Daoust
Director: Julien Seri
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Plot: After his wife's suicide, Detective Jeff Anderson becomes convinced that she has been murdered. Obsessed with his investigation, he finds out that his wife was the victim of a team of father-and-son serial killers and sets out to stop them.
What you should know: Director Julien Seri was also responsible for 58 of the 413 episodes of the French series A Sun So Bright.
Where to stream: VOD
Exit Plan (fka Suicide Tourist)
Stars: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Tuva Novotny, Robert Aramayo, Kaya Wilkins
Writer: Rasmus Birch
Director: Jonas Alexander Arnby
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Plot: Insurance detective Max is investigating Arthur's disappearance. The assignment takes him on a long, mysterious journey into the clandestine Aurora Hotel. While in the midst of an existential crisis, Max questions his perception of reality.
What you should know: It’s in Danish.
Where to stream: VOD
Not Indie, But New to Streaming:
The King of Staten Island
Stars: Pete Davidson, Bel Powley, Ricky Velez, Marisa Tomei
Writer: Judd Apatow, Pete Davidson, Dave Sirus
Director: Judd Apatow
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Scott has been a case of arrested development since his firefighter dad died. He spends his days smoking weed and dreaming of being a tattoo artist until events force him to grapple with his grief and take his first steps forward in life.
What you should know: Pete Davidson’s father was a firefighter who died on 9/11, and Steve Buscemi was a NYC firefighter before he became an actor.
Where to stream: VOD
Artemis Fowl
Stars: Ferdia Shaw, Colin Farrell, Josh Gad, Nonso Anozie
Writer: Conor McPherson, Hamish McColl; based on the novel by Eoin Colfer.
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Plot: Artemis Fowl, a young criminal prodigy, hunts down a secret society of fairies to find his missing father.
What you should know: OP cannot hear the words “Artemis Fowl” without thinking of ONTD’s very own sandstorm.
Where to stream: Disney+
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD?