Fall Movie Preview: Indie Edition

BreakingModern — As far as high-profile independent film goes, it’d be a lie to say 2015 hasn’t been a little disappointing. By this time last year we’d had Boyhood, Chef, The Double, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Under the Skin and many more. This year we’ve had Ex Machina, It Follows and While We’re Young. I’m sure there are several great indie releases I haven’t noticed (especially foreign films), but the point remains — the first half of this year has been severely disappointing for independent film lovers.

Fortunately, the year isn’t over yet. It appears there are several promising narratives set for release in the coming months that may not receive a nationwide push but are most certainly worth your curiosity, if not your attention.

indie

Before We Go

What is it? Before We Go is Captain America’s … I mean Chris Evans’ directorial debut. It follows two strangers who meet by chance one night in New York and, through a series of adventures, become closely attached to each other.

How’s the buzz? Early reception of Before We Go isn’t great. As I’m writing this piece, Evans’ movie has four negative reviews (and zero positive reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes. There is still more than enough time for this to turn around, though. To be completely honest, this movie looks a lot like a new entry in my favorite film trilogy (Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy), so I’ll probably give it a chance no matter what the word is.

When does it come out? Before We Go will be released in select theaters on Sept. 4.

indie

The Danish Girl

What is it? Directed by Tom Hooper of The King’s Speech and written by Lucinda Coxon, The Danish Girl is an adaptation of David Ebershoff’s novel from 2000 of the same name. The recently Academy Awards winning Eddie Redmayne stars as Lili Elbe, one of the first recipients of sexual reassignment surgery.

How’s the buzz? As of now, there is no buzz, since nobody’s actually seen The Danish Girl yet. Regardless, there’s a serious amount of pedigree behind this production, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a major player in this year’s awards circuit.

When does it come out? The Danish Girl is set for a limited release in New York and Los Angeles on Nov. 27.

indie

The End of the Tour

What is it? Fans of acclaimed writer David Foster Wallace will immediately recognize James Ponsoldt’s The End of the Tour as an adaptation of David Lipsky’s Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, which chronicled a four-day adventure Wallace and Lipsky had in 1996 while on the last legs of Wallace’s Infinite Jest book tour. Non-fans might be interested in the movie because it features performances by Jason Segel (as Wallace) and Jesse Eisenberg (as Lipsky).

How’s the buzz? The End of the Tour has created a little bit of controversy due to criticism from Wallace’s family. But otherwise, pre-release buzz has been overwhelmingly positive. Wallace is my absolute favorite writer, and I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with how he lived his life. For me, this is the most anticipated film of the year.

When does it come out? I cheated a bit on this one, The End of the Tour actually came out in a very limited number of theaters on July 31. Still, we can hope for Ponsoldt’s film to enjoy a healthy rerelease in the near future.

indie

Sleeping With Other People

What is it? Writer-director Leslye Headland’s Sleeping With Other People stars SNL and We’re The Millers’ Jason Sudeikis and Community and Mad Men’s Alison Brie as two romantically toxic people who make an effort to maintain a platonic relationship with each other. Of course, with this being a romantic comedy, that’s not likely to happen.

How’s the buzz? So far, it’s mixed. Rotten Tomatoes pegs it at a not altogether encouraging 58 percent for now. Variety’s Geoff Berkshire writes: “Sleeping With Other People winds up both looking …. and often feeling like a run-of-the-mill studio comedy.” Conversely, Kyle Smith of the New York Post writes: “Headland’s script is so hilarious, so full of achingly well-observed one-liners … it qualifies as a sparkling new rethink of a beloved film we’ve all seen too many times.” So, basically, decide for yourself. As for me, I can’t pass up a romcom featuring two of my favorite comedic actors.

When does it come out? Sleeping With Other People is receiving a limited theatrical release on Sept. 11.

indie

Trumbo

What is it? According to IMDB, Trumbo is the story about a Hollywood screenwriter named Dalton Trumbo whose successful career comes to an end when he is blacklisted in the 1940s for being a communist. That sounds interesting by itself, but it becomes doubly so upon realizing this Jay Roach-directed, John McNamara-written feature is a vehicle for Breaking Bad’s very own Bryan Cranston. That’s right: Walter White is finally the lead in his own movie.

How’s the buzz? No word so far, but Jay Roach is a respected director, and Bryan Cranston is clearly capable of anchoring a film. I mean, the guy was both Werner Heisenberg and Malcolm Wilkerson’s dad.

When does it come out? Trumbo has a scheduled limited release for Nov. 6.

For BMod, I’m .

All Screenshots: BMod Staff

Jordan Wold

Author: Jordan Wold

Jordan Wold is a pop culture obsessive writer from the Midwest. He plans on attending Boston's Emerson College in the fall of 2015 as a Visual & Media Arts major. He is also far too proud of his own tweets. Follow him @JordanWold1.

Share This Post On

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>