This month on VOD: The latest from the makers of “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” the pleasingly grisly debut from David Cronenberg’s son, a Jeff Buckley biopic starring “Gossip Girl” star Penn Badgley as the famous musician, a mystery-ridden road story from “Upstream Color” star Amy Seimetz, and much more. Below are the 10 indies to watch on VOD this month in alphabetical order.
“33 Postcards” (April 15)
Guy Pearce headlines this heartwarming tale of a teenaged orphan from China who searches for her
benefactor, Dean (Pearce), in Australia. When they do meet, she discovers that
the family man Dean had made himself out to be is in fact a convict,
charged with murder. What follows is an uplifting, captivating story of
redemption, crime, sacrifice and love, as they both take risks and make
sacrifices to connect with each other.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Charter, Comcast, Google Play, DirecTV, Playstation, SuddenLink, Time Warner, Verizon FIOS, Vudu, XBOX
“Antiviral” (April 12)
David Cronenberg’s son, Brandon, follows in his famous father’s footsteps with his disturbing debut, “Antiviral,” an exercise in body horror that harks back to the grisly work that put his dad on the map. “Antiviral” presents an eery future in which companies extract non-infectious diseases from ill celebrities and harvest their blood for eager masses hoping to experience a famous person’s sickness. Caleb Landry Jones stars as a clinician at one such company who contracts a dying movie star’s disease by accident and subsequently becomes embroiled in an investigation into the cause of her death.
Where to Watch: Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox, Insight, Time Warner
“Broke” (April 16)
Following
on-the-verge artist Will Gray through the recording of his debut album
(featuring production by Grammy Award-winning producer, T Bone
Burnett), the documentary “Broke” chronicles the stories of artists and executives
searching for ways to thrive in the face of today’s music industry
challenges. Featuring candid interviews with industry insiders and
intimate profiles of some of the brightest emerging musical talent in
the country, the film digs beneath the clichés and standard story-lines
to reveal an industry struggling to find a new identity and an artist
who’s simply trying to establish one.
Where to Watch: Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, iTunes, Amazon, Xbox, Vudu, Google Play
“The English Teacher” (April 16)
After romancing Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the Sundance/Berlinale hit “Don
Jon” (formerly titled “Don Jon’s Addiction”), Julianne Moore is at it
again, putting the moves on her much younger co-star Michael Angarano in
the raucous indie comedy “The English
Teacher.” In the Cinedigm/Tribeca Film release, Moore plays a
40-year-old unmarried high school English teacher who mounts a play by a
former student (Angarano), only to find herself falling for him. Greg
Kinnear co-stars as the aspiring playwright’s overbearing father, while
Nathan Lane pops up as a wacky colleague to Moore’s teacher.
Where to Watch: Amazon Instant Video, Bright House, Optimum, Charter, Cox, DirectTV,
Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Vudu, Xfinity, iTunes, Rogers Anyplace TV
“Erased” (April 5)
Aaron Eckhart headlines this breathless thriller as
ex-CIA agent Ben Logan, who discovers that he and his daughter
have been marked for termination as part of a wide-reaching
international conspiracy. A dangerous game of cat-and-mouse ensues as
Logan tries to outsmart his hunters and uncover the truth. “To the Wonder” star Olga Kurylenko co-stars.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Playstation, XBOX, Vudu, Time Warner
“Greetings From Tim Buckley” (April 16)
“Greetings from Tim Buckley,” which screened at Toronto last year, leads
up to Jeff Buckley’s famous 1991 singing debut at his father’s tribute concert in Brooklyn. Over the course of Dan Algrant’s drama, Jeff (“Gossip Girl” star Penn Badgley) struggles with bitterness
toward his father who abandoned him and died at age 28 in 1977. The film
charts the lives of both Jeff in 1991 as he prepares for the concert and falls in
love with Allie (Imogen Poots), and Tim in the ’70s during his early years as a father.
Where to Watch: Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox, Insight, Time Warner
“Love Hate Love” (April 23)
It’s
been ten years since Liz Alderman’s son Peter was killed in the Twin Towers and five years since her sister was killed in the London 7/7 bombings. Every day since then she’s faced the same two options;
succumbing to the depths of despair or finding a way to survive. Esther
Hyman knows about this choice. Her sister was killed when her bus was
blown up, she too has had to continuously keep from being immobilized by
sadness. And Ben Tullipan now lives minus two legs because of his
encounter with a car bomb. Their lives, shattered by terrorists, are now
on a new path and they’re taking thousands of people along for the
ride. The documentary “Love Hate Love” follows these survivors as they search for honor,
meaning and a new life’s path.
Where to Watch: Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, iTunes, Amazon, Xbox, Vudu, Google Play
“Simon Killer” (April 12)
Conceived of bydirector Antonio Campos (“Afterschool”) and star Brady Corbet
(“Melancholia”), “Simon Killer” follows Simon (Corbet), an
American college grad who, on the heels of a rough break-up with his
high school sweetheart, decides to visit Paris. Once there, he quickly
falls for a young prostitute (stunning breakout Mati Diop, of “35 Shots Of Rum”). As they become more involved in each others lives, Simon’s true intentions are brought into question.
Where to Watch: Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox, Insight, Time Warner
“Sun Don’t Shine” (April 26)
Written and directed by actress/filmmaker Amy Seimetz (“Upstream Color”), “Sun Don’t Shine” follows Crystal (Kate Lyn Sheil) and her boyfriend Leo (Kentucker Audley) on a tense and mysterious road trip through central Florida. Seimetz keeps the purpose of their journey and the motivations behind their heated altercations unclear. As the couple travels up the Gulf Coast, the disturbing details of their excursion gradually begin to emerge.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Charter, Comcast, Google Play, DirecTV, Playstation, SuddenLink, Time Warner, Verizon FIOS, Vudu, XBOX
“Wuss” (April 2)
“Wuss,” a 2011 SXSW entry, is the darkly comic drama of Mitch, a high school teacher, who faces constant ridicule after he’s repeatedly beaten up by several of his own students. When he hooks up with a student with a dark past to seek revenge, the two of them bond to fight back and Mitch is a wuss no more. Bonded in battle, the student and teacher form a friendship that stretches the use of the word inappropriate.
Where to Watch: Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, iTunes, Amazon, Xbox, Vudu, Google Play
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