The 10 Indies to Watch on VOD This June
With summer soon upon us (the season officially kicks off June 21), can you think of anything better to do during the hot, sweaty months than stay inside a cool air conditioned space and catch up on some must see indies via VOD? To help you figure out what to watch, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best indies to watch on VOD this month. Included are everything from a creepy, noir-inspired thriller starring the ever reliable Toby Jones, to a hard-R stylized Viking epic, to the terrifying sequel to “V/H/S,” to Alex Gibney’s latest acclaimed and very topical documentary. Below are the 10 indies to watch this June, in alphabetical order.
“Berberian Sound Studio” (June 14)
After making an almost yearlong international run through
various festivals, this Toby Jones-starring, noir-inspired thriller is finally ready to be
unveiled to the general public June 14. Jones (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”)
stars as Gilderoy, a sound engineer working in an Italian horror studio whose
life verges a little too close to his art. If the unnerving trailer isn’t
enough to peak your interest, flip it on for Jones. The long-time second
fiddle—he played Truman Capote after Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Alfred
Hitchcock after Anthony Hopkins—finds “his Norman Bates role” according to
Indiewire’s Eric Kohn, who called the movie “an enticing audiovisual enigma” in
his review.
Where to Watch: Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox, Insight, Time Warner
“Bert and Arnie’s Guide to Friendship” (June 18)
“My Girl” star Anna Chlumsky is all grown up. Need proof? Then look no further than this sexy romantic comedy about the romantic misadventures of Bert Sheering, a sophisticated, yet sexually repressed author and Arnie Hubert, an executive and unabashed ladies man. When Bert discovers that Arnie is sleeping with his wife (among many other women…), this odd couple’s friendship takes an unexpected turn. Chlumsky co-stars as one of Arnie’s romantic interests.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Playstation, XBOX, YouTube, Nook, CinemaNow and Vudu
“Dead Man’s Burden” (June 11)
Western fans of all kinds should be pleased with Jared
Moshe’s directorial debut that premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in
2012. Set in the years following America’s Civil War, “Dead Man’s Burden”
focuses on a mining company trying to buy the land of a struggling New Mexican
family. While it’s not a shoot-em-up style western like the immortal “Tombstone,” Indiewire’s Eric Kohn said the film “maintains the Western
requisite that bullets must find their targets.” “Dead Man’s Burden” also
showcases newly minted country western star Clare Bowen — made so by the hit
television show “Nashville.” She may not be crooning along with Connie Britton,
but her cowboy boots carry just as much kick.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Playstation, XBOX, Vudu, Time Warner, Dish Network, Blockbuster on Demand, Cablevision
“Hammer of the Gods” (June 1)
Those in need of some highly stylized violence need look no
further than the action epic “Hammer of the Gods.” Set in the “Norse world,”
this hard-R flick tracks one brother’s journey in search of the other and his
simultaneous development into a brutal warrior. The film is written by Matthew
Read, an executive producer of the much-hyped Cannes entry “Only God Forgives,”
and directed by long-time television director Farren Blackburn (“Luther”). Even
if you’re frothing at the mouth to see Ryan Gosling trounce some unsuspecting
Taiwanese mobsters, you still have to wait until July 19. “Hammer of the Gods”
may be your best option to tide you over.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Playstation, XBOX, Vudu, Time Warner, Dish Network, Blockbuster on Demand, Cablevision
“How to Make Money Selling Drugs” (June 18)
“How to Make Money Selling Drugs,” which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, uses pop culture as a lens through which to investigate the
lives of people on both sides of the “war on drugs.” 50 Cent, producer
David Simon, Arianna Huffington, Woody Harrelson, Eminem, Rick Ross and
Susan Sarandon are among those interviewed for the film, along with Drug
Enforcement personnel and the U.S. Drug Czar. Bert Marcus of Bert
Marcus Productions and Adrian Grenier, who created the 2010 doc “Teenage
Paparazzo,” produced “Drugs.”
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Playstation, XBOX, Vudu, Time Warner, Dish Network, Blockbuster on Demand, Cablevision
“Maniac” (June 21)
Do you prefer Elijah Wood in “Lord of the Rings” as the lovable Frodo Baggins,
or in “Sin City” as the murderous, spectacles-wearing Kevin? If you answered
with the latter, then you might want to check out “Maniac,” the 2012
Cannes-entry and remake of the 1980 B-movie horror flick of the same name. Wood
stars as the titular whacko who owns a mannequin shop and also thoroughly
enjoys stabbing people, something Frodo would never dream of.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Playstation, XBOX, Vudu, Time Warner, Dish Network, Blockbuster on Demand, Cablevision
“Nancy, Please” (June 11)
Part cringingly distressful comedy, part taut dramatic thriller, “Nancy,
Please,” the debut film of director Andrew Semans, premiered at Tribeca
Film Festival last year (you can read our review here).
Starring relative newcomer Will Rogers and Eleonore Hendricks (“The
Dish and the Spoon”) as his titular crazed ex, the film follows a Yale
student struggling to finish his dissertation when he realizes that his
unhelpful ex-girlfriend still has his copy of the book he needs in order
to do this.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Playstation, XBOX, YouTube, Nook, CinemaNow and Vudu
“The Rambler” (June 25)
Starring the undervalued Dermot Mulrooney, this 2013 Sundance selection is not
about a man who won’t shut up. Rather, it focuses on a recently released
convict who decides to search for his long-lost brother rather than take an
easy job and put up with a no-good girlfriend. “The Rambler” marks director
Calvin Reeder’s second feature and was adapted from his 2008 short of the same
name. Both got into Sundance, and both co-star Lindsay Pulsipher.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Playstation, XBOX, Vudu, Time Warner, Dish Network, Blockbuster on Demand, Cablevision
“VHS 2” (June 6)
The sequel to the Sundance and SXSW horror spectacular “V/H/S” somehow
replicated its predecessor’s impressive admittance streak by obtaining entry to
both festivals as well. Indiewire’s Eric Kohn certainly approved, stating the
gory short films that make up “V/H/S 2” are “relentless in their attempts to
provoke immense shock,” while the footage “smartly contextualizes its
nightmarish cavalcade of violence by acknowledging the luxury of enjoying it
from a distance.” If brave enough, you can enjoy “V/H/S 2” up close and
personal via the modernized spirit of its creation: VOD.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Playstation, XBOX, Vudu, Time Warner, Dish Network, Blockbuster on Demand, Cablevision
“We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks” (June 7)
Though released in select theaters on May 24, “We Steal
Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks” makes it at-home debut June 7 after stirring
up plenty of buzz at its Sundance premiere. The documentary tracks the
controversial website created by Julian Assange from creation through its part
in the largest security breach in U.S. history. Assange only appears in
archival footage and has denounced the film, but critics responded positively
to veteran documentary-filmmaker Alex Gibney’s piece.
Where to Watch: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Playstation, XBOX, Vudu, Time Warner, Dish Network, Blockbuster on Demand, Cablevision
