The 9 Indie Films You Must See This July

Director: Woody Allen

Cast: Emma Stone, Colin Firth, Hamish Linklater, Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver

Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics 

Why Is It a “Must See”? Although Woody Allen’s films (at least the more recent ones) are either a hit or miss, his latest project looks promising enough. Following right after his heavy and dark “Blue Jasmine,” “Magic in the Moonlight” takes us to Europe, specifically the French Riviera in the 1920s. “Magic in the Moonlight is a comedy that stars Colin Firth as a magician who is called to the Riviera in an attempt to defraud Emma Stone’s character, a young woman who claims to be a spiritualist. The film looks to be a light and refreshing picture and it helps that it features performances by two of todays most sought after actors. 

Watch the trailer below:

Director: Anton Corbijn

Cast: Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Daniel Brühl, Nina Hoss, Grigoriy Dobrygin

Distributor: Roadside Attractions 

Current Criticwire Average: B

Why Is It a “Must See”? Anton Corbijn plus John Le Carre is a match made in heaven. Corbijn’s last outing in the cinematic arena was with the 2010 “The American,” starring George Clooney as a contract killer hiding out of Castel del Monte, Abruzzo. Leonard Maltin described the drama as “a slowly-paced, European-style mood piece, short on dialogue and action and long on atmosphere.” John Le Carre, on the other hand, has written some of the greatest espionage novels of all time, including the likes of “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold,” “The Constant Gardener” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” which was recently adapted by Tomas Alfredson. “A Most Wanted Man” therefore, a product of both men, is bound to knock your socks off and keep you glued to the edge of your chair. Based on Le Carre’s 2008 novel of the same name, the film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman (in one of his last performances), Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Daniel Brühl and Nina Hoss. In it, Hoffman plays Gunter Bachmann, a hard-drinking, smart-as-a-tack Spy-chief who reaches out to a young lawyer (Rachel McAdams) and a banker (Willem Dafoe) as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding a bruised and battered immigrant.

Watch the trailer below:

Director: Michel Gondry

Cast: Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris, Omar Sy

Distributor: Drafthouse 

Current Criticwire Average: B+

Why Is It a “Must See”? Michel Gondry is a genius. His filmography, including the much-beloved “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “The Science of Sleep” and “Be Kind Rewind,” exemplifies some of the most unique and inventive filmmaking of the 21st century. His latest film “Mood Indigo” is based on the novel “Froth on the Daydream” by Boris Vian. It stars Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou (their fourth film together) as couple, Colin and Chloe, whose budding romance is tested when an unusual illness plagues Chloe; a flower begins to grow in her lungs. It’s clearly a seasonal summer flick for all.

Watch the trailer below:

7. “Land Ho” (July 11)

Director: Martha Stephens, Aaron Katz
Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Lynn Nelson
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Current Criticwire Average: B+

Why Is It a “Must See”? Our critic said, “This unassuming, elegantly shot collaboration…actively avoids any melodramatic confrontations or cheesy subplots. A gentle meditation on growing old and bored, ‘Land Ho!‘ never rises to the level of narrative engagement found in the filmmakers’ previous efforts, but it doesn’t take much to make it sufficiently insightful, carried along by a pair of actors so inherently likable from the outset that ‘Land Ho!’ hardly requires a lot of story to set their adventure in motion.”

Watch the trailer below:

8. “I, Origins” (July 18)

Director: Mike Cahill
Cast: Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Steven Yeun, Archie Panjabi 
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Current Criticwire Average: B+

Why Is It a “Must See”? Director Mike Cahill got everyone’s attention with his Sundance sci-fi hit “Another Earth,” which won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize. His second feature, “I Origins” also won the prize and continues to establish Cahill as an innovative director who molds hardcore science with spirituality. “I Origins” stars Michael Pitt as Ian Gray, a scientist who studies the human eye. When he and his lab partner (played by Cahill’s longtime friend and colleague Brit Marling) uncover something groundbreaking, Gray starts to question everything he believes. It’s interesting and rather vague premise makes the film a must-watch. 

Watch the trailer below: