VOD Overdose is Movie Buzzers’ coverage of video-on-demand developments and upcoming films premiering on video-on-demand. With an increasing number of studios embracing VOD as a way to premiere and distribute films, this column covers movies that might be worth a look even though they aren’t playing at your local multiplex.
Latest VOD News
I’ve been a big proponent of VOD distribution for indie filmmakers, but not everyone will have the success of Magnolia Pictures or Edward Burns. In fact, IndieWire has a great article about the major pratfall of VOD distribution that all filmmakers considering that approach should read — what happens if the VOD distributor that picks up your film goes bankrupt before releasing your film? That’s the dilemma that the filmmakers of Gun Hill Road have had to face over the past two years.
With music documentaries like Anvil! The Story of Anvil and Searching for Sugar Man becoming critical hits over the last few years (and led to an Oscar win for Sugar Man), offbeat music stories are definitely a strong trend in documentaries recently. GoDigital made one of the first acquisitions of SXSW by nabbing the rights to The Punk Syndrome, a doucmentary about a Finnish punk band that is made up of four mentally handicapped musicians, before the festival even started.
Another SXSW acquisition was done by Texas-based Drafthouse Films. Drafthouse and Snoot Entertainment acquired the theatrical, home video and VOD rights to Cheap Thrills, a dark comedy starring Pat Healy and David Koechner. It was directed by E.L. Katz (his directorial debut after a lengthy screenwriting career).
Full Moon Features is launching a new online streaming service, www.GrindhouseFlix.com, which is completely devoted to grindhouse films from the 1960s-80s. Launching the service is a brand new grindhouse-style film, OogaBooga, and stars — believe it or not — the infamous Maddox from The Best Page in the Universe. OogaBooga “follows the murder of an innocent African-American medical student whose soul is transferred into the body of an obscure toy, eventually extracting his revenge by killing racists in the city.” That sounds so awesome I think only multiple viewings can handle the awesome-ness.
And in another cool online streaming service for classic movies, AMC Networks is launching YeahTV.com, which will stream classic films — like Superman, Pulp Fiction, and The Terminator — with bonus content, not unlike DVD extras. It’s a pretty good way to check out the behind-the-scenes content of films you might like but not enough to shell out money for the extra-amazing super-duper edition.
Video game company Devolver Digital has announced that it is getting into the VOD business and has been cruising for new releases at SXSW. Filmmakers who have completed projects who are looking for VOD distribution can reach out to Devolver at films@devolverdigital.com!
Now on VOD… And We Reviewed It!
Here’s a sampling of recent VOD movies that Movie Buzzers has viewed and reviewed. Check your cable provider or online retailers:
The ABCs of Death (Review: ?/10)
Red Flag (Review: 6/10)
Rubberneck (Review: 8/10)
The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (Review: 8.5/10)
Mafia (Review: 2/10)
Noobz (Review: 4.3/10)
As Luck Would Have It (Review 7.3/10)
Upcoming VOD Releases
March 19
An Awkward Sexual Adventure
In case you haven’t seen enough sex comedies, this movie features a man getting dumped for not being good in bed. So, he does the most logical thing — find out from a stripper how to improve in the sack. Never fails!
March 21
Thale
So you think cleaning crime scenes would be a rough enough job as it is, right? What happens when during your latest job you discover a tailed woman out of Norwegian folklore in the basement? Things get crazy real fast. Thale will also get a limited theatrical release on April 5.
March 26
Hemel
Talk about daddy issues — the award-winning Dutch film Hemel is about a young woman who engages in a series of one-night stands until becoming overwhelmingly jealous of her father’s new girlfriend. Artspolitation is offering Hemel in its original uncut and uncensored version for the first time in the U.S.
March 29
Mental
Now this looks like it could be a lot of fun. The eccentric Shaz (Toni Collette) is hired as a nanny to five girls by a mother who is suffering from a mental breakdown. It gets a limited theatrical release on the same day.
Dog Pound
This 2010 Tribeca Film Festival favorite is set in a juvenile detention center and focuses on a 17 year-old trying to avoid trouble for two weeks so he can be released for good behavior. It will also screen on the same date at Cinema Village in New York
Detour
Detour is a thriller about a man trapped in his car during a mudslide. That sucks, but I bet the movie doesn’t — it seems like it’s along the lines of “confined space horror” like Buried.
Have news about an upcoming VOD movie? Want to have Movie Buzzers check out your upcoming VOD release? Contact me here!
Recent Comments