Indie Film Release Guide: July 22nd [An ONTD Original]
This weekend, Jordan Peele’s Nope is the only major studio release arriving in theaters nationwide. In fact, it’s one of the last big studio releases of the summer, despite the fact that we’re not even through July yet. Last year may have had overcrowding at the box office with many pandemic-delayed releases, but this year looks to have the opposite issue.
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: July 15th, July 8th, and July 1st.
Alone Together
Click to viewStars: Katie Holmes, Jim Sturgess, Derek Luke, Becky Ann Baker
Writer/Director: Katie Holmes
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: Two strangers wind up double-booked in the same upstate New York rental during the start of the pandemic quarantine. Exasperating the situation, the lockdown forces them both to stay and confront the unexpected feelings that develop between them.
What you should know: This is the second feature film directed by Katie Holmes, after 2016’s All We Had.
Where to watch:
Anything’s Possible
Stars: Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Simon Joy Jones
Writer: Ximena García Lecuona
Director: Billy Porter
Genre: Romance
Plot: Follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.
What you should know: This is Billy Porter’s feature directorial debut.
Where to watch: Amazon
My Donkey, My Lover and I
Stars: Laure Calamy, Benjamin Lavernhe, Olivia Côte, Marc Fraize
Writer/Director: Caroline Vignal
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
Plot: A schoolteacher crashes her married lover's family vacation and befriends a donkey named Patrick.
What you should know: Inspired by Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes by Robert Louis Stevenson, it’s in French.
Where to watch: In theaters; available VOD August 30th
Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher
Stars: Matt Hookings, Ray Winstone, Russell Crowe, Marton Csokas
Writer: Matt Hookings
Director: Daniel Graham
Genre: Biography
Plot: At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism was the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer fought his way to becoming champion of England.
What you should know: Director Daniel Graham previously collaborated with actor and writer Matt Hookings on his last film, The Grand Duke of Corsica.
Where to watch: Amazon
How to Please a Woman
Stars: Sally Phillips, Caroline Brazier, Erik Thomson, Alexander England
Writer/Director: Renée Webster
Genre: Drama
Plot: Stuck in a passionless marriage, Gina is ready to spice things up. Her idea for an all-male cleaning business leads her on a journey towards happiness and pleasure.
What you should know: Filmed in Australia.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Wheel
Stars: Amber Midthunder, Bethany Ann Lind, Taylor Gray, Nelson Lee
Writer: Trent Atkinson
Director: Steve Pink
Genre: Drama
Plot: Albee and Walker, a couple on the verge of divorce. Albee wants out, while Walker wants to make it work, no matter the damage. A weekend in the mountains to work through a book that might save their relationship via total, brutal honesty.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
My Old School
Stars: Alan Cumming, Lulu, Dawn Steele, Clare Grogan
Writer/Director: Jono McLeod
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Storyline: In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two years became the stuff of legend.
What you should know: The film is named after Steely Dan's 1973 song "My Old School."
Where to watch: In theaters
Art of Love
Stars: Esai Morales, Caterina Murino, Kunjue Li, Jim Lau
Writer: Betty Kaplan, Eduardo Lalo
Director: Betty Kaplan
Genre: Romance, Thriller
Plot: A mysterious, erotic and haunting love story between a writer/professor at Puerto Rico's leading university and an aspiring artist from the immigrant Chinese community.
What you should know: Filmed in Puerto Rico.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
Aftershock
Director: Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Following the deaths of two young women due to childbirth complications, two bereaved families galvanize activists, birth-workers and physicians to reckon with one of the most pressing American crises today: the US maternal health crisis.
What you should know: Won a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2022.
Where to watch: Hulu
Skies of Lebanon
Stars: Alba Rohrwacher, Wajdi Mouawad, Isabelle Zighondi, Mariah Tannoury
Writer: Chloé Mazlo, Yacine Badday
Director: Chloé Mazlo
Genre: Drama
Plot: In the 1950s, Alice leaves her Swiss homeland for Lebanon. There, the best years of her life are marred by the threat of war.
What you should know: It’s in French, Arabic and Italian.
Where to watch: Available VOD
More New Releases
Nope (Trailer) from Universal
The Nan Movie (Trailer)
Bundles (Trailer)
Blackwood (Trailer)
The Daphne Project (Trailer)
New to Streaming
The Gray Man (Trailer) on Netflix
All My Friends Hate Me (Trailer) on Hulu
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing any movies this weekend?