Indie Film Release Guide: October 29th [An ONTD Original]

[scriptedending]

October has been full of huge new releases, but things slow down considerably this weekend, which happens to be one week after Dune, one week before The Eternals, and Halloween weekend all at once. The biggest new release on tap is Last Night in Soho from Edgar Wright and Focus Features, but Dune is widely expected to win the box office again in its second weekend. If that doesn’t catch your interest, there are several great indies out this weekend - check out the list below for more info.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Studios, Universal, Columbia/Sony 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 22nd, October 15th, and October 8th.

Last Night in Soho

Click to view

Stars: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg
Writer: Edgar Wright, Krysty Cairns
Director: Edgar Wright
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Plot: An aspiring fashion designer is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer. But the glamour is not all it appears to be and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something darker.
What you should know: This is Dame Diana Rigg’s final performance; she passed away on September 10, 2020.
Where to watch: In theaters



Passing

Click to view

Stars: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Bill Camp
Writer/Director: Rebecca Hall
Genre: Drama
Plot: Follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.
What you should know: Based on the novella by Nella Larsen.
Where to watch: In theaters; on Netflix November 10th

The Souvenir Part II

Click to view

Stars: Honor Swinton Byrne, Tilda Swinton, Richard Ayoade, Harris Dickinson
Writer/Director: Joanna Hogg
Genre: Drama
Plot: In the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship, Julie begins to untangle her fraught love for him in making her graduation film, sorting fact from his elaborately constructed fiction.
What you should know: Follows The Souvenir (2019).
Where to watch: In theaters

Antlers

Click to view

Stars: Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene
Writer: Henry Chaisson, Nick Antosca, Scott Cooper
Director: Scott Cooper
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Plot: In an isolated Oregon town, a middle-school teacher and her sheriff brother become embroiled with her enigmatic student, whose dark secrets lead to terrifying encounters with a legendary ancestral creature who came before them.
What you should know: Based on the story “The Quiet Boy” written by Nick Antosca.
Where to watch: In theaters

Violet

Click to view

Stars: Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey, Justin Theroux, Dennis Boutsikaris
Writer/Director: Justine Bateman
Genre: Drama
Plot: Violet realizes that her entire life is built on fear-based decisions, and must do everything differently to become her true self.
What you should know: Writer/director Justine Bateman is the sister of actor Jason Bateman.
Where to watch: In theaters

Only the Animals

Click to view

Stars: Denis Ménochet, Laure Calamy, Damien Bonnard, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Writer: Dominik Moll, Giles Marchand
Director: Dominik Moll
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Plot: Two depressed farmers, an unfaithful wife, a lovelorn waitress and an African con artist are drawn together in a mystery surrounding the disappearance of the glamourous Evelyne Ducat.
What you should know: It’s in French, and based on the novel by Colin Niel.
Where to watch: In theaters

The Spine of Night

Click to view

Stars: Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel
Writer/Director: Philip Gelatt, Morgan Galen King
Genre: Animation, Horror, Fantasy
Plot: This epic fantasy tale, about the history of a land that never was, begins when an ambitious young man steals forbidden knowledge from a sacred plant. He falls to its darker temptations and in so doing, unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind. As his power grows over the years, it falls to people of different ilk and culture to attempt to stop him. Among those who stand against him are a daring tomb-robber, star-crossed lovers, a maniacal necromancer, winged assassins, and an undying guardian.
What you should know: Nominated for the Satoshi Kon Award at the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

Bulletproof

Click to view

Director: Todd Chandler
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Explores the complexities of violence in schools by looking at the strategies employed to prevent it.
What you should know: Nominated for the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Award at SXSW 2020.
Where to watch: In theaters and virtual cinemas

Army of Thieves

Click to view

Stars: Matthias Schweighöfer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby O. Fee, Stuart Martin
Writer: Zack Snyder, Shay Hatten
Director: Matthias Schweighöfer
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Plot: German safecracker Ludwig Dieter leads a group of aspiring thieves on a top secret heist during the early stages of the zombie apocalypse.
What you should know: This is a prequel, set before the events of Army of the Dead.
Where to watch: Netflix

Cicada

Click to view

Stars: Matthew Fifer, Sheldon D. Brown, Sandra Bauleo, Cobie Smulders
Writer: Sheldon D. Brown, Matthew Fifer
Director: Matthew Fifter, Kieran Mulcare
Genre: Drama
Plot: Ben, a young bisexual man, comes out to the world and develops an intense relationship with Sam, a closeted man struggling with deep wounds of his own. As the summer progresses and their intimacy grows, their pasts begin to crawl to the surface.
What you should know: Accumulated several nominations and wins from LGBT-focused film festivals.
Where to watch: In theaters

Also Opening

A Mouthful of Air (Trailer) from Sony
My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission (Trailer)
Attica (Trailer)
Snakehead (Trailer)
Speer Goes to Hollywood (Trailer)

Expanding

The French Dispatch (Trailer)

New on Streaming

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (Trailer) on Paramount+
In the Heights (Trailer) on HBO

Source 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

What have you been watching lately, ONTD?