Here Are All the Movies Opening Today, July 25th. What Will You See?

These days, the number of indies premiering on a weekly basis can be both thrilling and intimidating. To help sift through the number of new releases (independent or otherwise), we’ve created the Weekly Film Guide. Below you’ll find basic plot, personnel and cinema information for today’s fresh offerings. 

Happy viewing!

Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, July 18th. (Synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.)

Beneath
Director: Ben Ketai
Cast: Jeff Fahey, Kelly Noonan, Joey Kern, Mark L. Young, Eric Etebari, Brent Briscoe
Synopsis: “Inspired by actual events: at a coal mine in a blue-collar town it’s the last day of work for veteran miner George Marsh. His daughter Samantha, a feisty environmental lawyer whose politics are bitterly opposed by her father, celebrates the occasion by accompanying him underground. She’s escorted by old flame Randy Bennings (Joey Kern); no sooner do they descend to the coal face, however, than a drilling machine malfunctions and punches through a supporting wall. A cave-in kills several workers and several others go missing. The crew foreman, Mundy, is grievously injured. The shocked survivors retreat to a claustrophobic rescue chamber. While they wait for surface workers to reach them they hear terrifying, almost-human sounds from the bowels of the mine. After arguing among themselves, they leave the chamber to discover the noises’ source. Their frenzied efforts find nothing—except evidence of a similar disaster more than 90 years ago. Meanwhile: Samantha begins experiencing horrific visions. Several of the men panic, are separated from the group, and murdered– gruesomely—by unseen assailants. As the air runs out and the death count rises, those who remain fight to separate their worst fears from reality.”
Theatrical Release: New York (opens in Los Angeles on August 1st)

Cannibal
Director: Manuel Martín Cuenca
Cast: Antonio de la Torre, Olimpia Melinte
Synopsis: “Carlos is the most prestigious tailor in Granada, but he’s also a murderer in the shadows. He feels no remorse, no guilt, until Nina appears in his life. She will make him realize the true nature of his actions and, for the first time, love awakens. Carlos is evil incarnate. Nina is pure innocence. And Cannibal is a demon’s love story.”
Theatrical Release: New York

Come Back to Me
Director: Paul Leyden
Cast: Matt Passmore, Katie Walder, Nathan Keyes, Laura Gordon, Caroline Clements, Peter S. Williams
Synopsis: “Sarah & Josh are married suburbanites. After a car accident, Sarah suffers blackouts & ends up pregnant though Josh is sterile. As her life spirals she hides a camera in her home & unlocks a horrific secret with far-reaching consequences.”
Theatrical Release: Various (including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Miami)

The Fluffy Movie
Director: Manny Rodriguez & Jay Lavender
Cast: Gabriel Iglesias
Synopsis: “A comedy concert film that captures the on-stage performance and inspirational success story of Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias.”
Theatrical Release: Wide

Happy Christmas
Director: Joe Swanberg
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, Joe Swanberg, Jude Swanberg
Synopsis: “After a breakup with her boyfriend, a young woman moves in with her older brother, his wife, and their 2-year-old son.”
Criticwire Grade Average: B+ (24 reviews)
Theatrical Release: Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia and Los Angeles (expands throughout August)

Hercules
Director: Brett Ratner
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, John Hurt, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes, Aksel Hennie, Rebecca Ferguson, Irina Shayk, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Tobias Santelmann, Reece Ritchie
Synopsis: “Fourteen hundred years ago, a tormented soul walked the earth that was neither man nor god. Hercules was the powerful son of the god king Zeus, for this he received nothing but suffering his entire life. After twelve arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods finding his only solace in bloody battle. Over the years he warmed to the company of six similar souls, their only bond being their love of fighting and presence of death. These men and woman never question where they go to fight or why or whom, just how much they will be paid. Now the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to train his men to become the greatest army of all time. It is time for this bunch of lost souls to finally have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen when they must train an army to become as ruthless and blood thirsty as their reputation has become.”
Theatrical Release: Wide

Ironclad: The Battle for Blood
Director: Jonathan English
Cast: Michelle Fairley, Roxanne McKee, Rosie Day, Danny Webb, David Rintoul, Tom Austen, Andy Beckwith, Predrag Bjelac
Synopsis: “Steel yourself for another brutal battle, as one of the few survivors of the Great Siege of Rochester Castle fights to protect his family’s estate from fierce Celtic raiders. With a new battleground and a new enemy, ‘Ironclad: Battle for Blood’ delivers the same ferocious, adrenaline-filled action that defined ‘Ironclad.'”
Theatrical Release: Los Angeles

Kick
Director: Sajid Nadiadwala
Cast: Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Randeep Hooda, Mithun Chakraborty
Synopsis: “On a train journey in Warsaw, psychiatrist Shaina meets Himanshu, a police officer from India, to discuss their prospective marriage. Both are reluctant to enter into an arranged union but become friends. Shaina reveals her previous relationship…”
Theatrical Release: Wide

The Kill Team
Director: Dan Krauss
Synopsis: “In 2010, the media branded a platoon of U.S. Army infantry soldiers “The Kill Team” following reports of its killing for sport in Afghanistan. Now, one of the accused must fight the government he defended on the battlefield, while grappling with his own role in the alleged murders. Dan Krauss’s absorbing documentary examines the stories of four men implicated in heinous war crimes in a stark reminder that, in war, innocence may be relative to the insanity around you.”
Criticwire Grade Average: A- (10 reviews)
Theatrical Release: New York (opens in San Francisco on August 1st, Los Angeles on August 8th and Seattle on August 15th)

Lucy
Director: Luc Besson
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Analeigh Tipton, Morgan Freeman, Amr Waked, Choi Min-sik
Synopsis: “An action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.”