Indie Film Release Guide: November 18th [An ONTD Original]

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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will certainly be repeating atop the box office, but there are a host of new films looking to elbow into the holiday box office by getting early starts this weekend, some in limited release. Universal’s She Said, Searchlight's The Menu, and MGM’s Bones and All are the biggest of these releases, but there are several other potential Oscar nominees in the mix as well.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Five” - Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Columbia Pictures. 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: November 11th, November 4th, and October 28th.

Bones and All

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Stars: Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, André Holland
Writer: David Kajganich
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Genre: Drama, Horror, Romance
Plot: Maren, a young woman, learns how to survive on the margins of society.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Camille DeAngelis.
Where to watch: In NY & LA; goes wide November 23rd



The Menu

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Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Ralph Fiennes, Hong Chau
Writer: Seth Reiss, Will Tracy
Director: Mark Mylod
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller
Plot: A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
What you should know: Director Mark Mylod has worked extensively in TV, on shows such as Succession, Shameless, and Game of Thrones.
Where to watch: In theaters

EO

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Stars: Sandra Drzymalska, Isabelle Huppert, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Mateusz Kosciukiewicz
Writer: Ewa Piaskowska, Jerzy Skolimowski
Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Genre: Drama
Plot: Follows a donkey who encounters on his journeys good and bad people, experiences joy and pain, exploring a vision of modern Europe through his eyes.
What you should know: Poland’s entry for Best International Film at the 95th Academy Awards.
Where to watch: In NY; In LA 12/2

Taurus

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Stars: Colson Baker, Megan Fox, Ruby Rose, Scoot McNairy
Writer/Director: Tim Sutton
Genre: Drama, Music
Plot: Follows the last days of a rising but problematic musician.
What you should know: Colson Baker, aka Machine Gun Kelly, has been trying to get an acting career going for a while now.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

Bad Axe

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Director: David Siev
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: A real-time portrait of 2020 unfolds as an Asian-American family in Trump's rural America fights to keep their restaurant and American dream alive in the face of a pandemic, Neo-Nazis, and generational scars from the Killing Fields.
What you should know: Won several awards at SXSW 2022.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

The Inspection

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Stars: Jeremy Pope, Gabrielle Union, Bokeem Woodbine, Raúl Castillo
Writer/Director: Elegance Bratton
Genre: Drama
Plot: A young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside.
What you should know: This is director Elegance Bratton’s first feature film.
Where to watch: In theaters

Memories of My Father

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Stars: Javier Cámara, Nicolás Reyes Cano, Juan Pablo Urrego, Patricia Tamayo
Writer: David Trueba
Director: Fernando Trueba
Genre: Drama, History
Plot: An author recalls life with his father, a university professor who fought against oppression and social inequality, and the circumstances of his murder by Colombian paramilitaries.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Héctor Abad Faciolince
Where to watch: In theaters

Christmas With You

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Stars: Aimee Garcia, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Grace Dumdaw, Gabriel Sloyer
Writer: Paco Farias, Jennifer C. Stetson, German Michael Torres
Director: Gabriela Tagliavini
Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
Plot: Feeling career burn out, pop star Angelina escapes to grant a young fan's wish in small town New York, where she not only finds the inspiration to revitalize her career but also a shot at true love.
What you should know: Director Gabriela Tagliavani has directed three movies that went to #1 in the box-office in Mexico and Spain.
Where to watch: Netflix

The People We Hate at the Wedding

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Stars: Kristen Bell, Ben Platt, Allison Janney, Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Writer: Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, Wendy Molyneux
Director: Claire Scanlon
Genre: Comedy
Plot: Family tensions ramp up among siblings in the week leading up to their half-sister's wedding in the country.
What you should know: Based on the book by Grant Ginder.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Slumberland

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Stars: Jason Momoa, Marlow Barkley, Chris O’Dowd, Kyle Chandler
Writer: David Guion, Michael Handelman
Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Plot: A young girl discovers a secret map to the dreamworld of Slumberland, and with the help of an eccentric outlaw, she traverses dreams and flees nightmares, with the hope that she will be able to see her late father again.
What you should know: Based on the comic book series Little Nemo in Slumberland.
Where to watch: Netflix

More New Releases

She Said (Trailer) from Universal
Eternal Spring (Trailer)
Fisherman’s Friends: One and All (Trailer)
There There (Trailer)

New to Streaming

The Wonder (Trailer) on Netflix
Dual (Trailer) on Hulu (November 20th)
Master of Light (Trailer) on HBO

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Sorry if this goes up a bit earlier than usual! What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?