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 thought it was really surprising that there wasn’t much news out of Cannes on films being purchased for distribution on VOD or otherwise. Turned out I wasn’t the only one: over at IndieWire, Anthony Kaufman wrote an editorial covering that very same thought. Considering that at last year’s Cannes the Weinstein Company acquired The Artist and turned it into a Best Picture winner, indie filmmakers might have cause for concern…
As announced several months ago, Kevin Smith is wrapping up his own directing career (or so he says) and helping independent filmmakers exhibit their films through his SModcast Pictures company. IndieWire is reporting that Smith will be promoting a limited run of Bindlestiffs, about three suspended high school students who try to re-enact Catcher in the Rye. After screenings in New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Austin (which will each have a Q&A with Smith, star/co-writer/director Andrew Edison and co-writer/star Luke Loftin), the film will hit VOD at the end of June. Seems like a good way to build buzz on a flick!
Did you see Jesus Camp? The documentary filmmakers who made that Oscar-nominated film, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, will be releasing Detropia, a documentary on the awfulness of declining Detroit. Damn, why are most documentaries so depressing? Anyway, I applaud the duo for deciding to self-distribute the film, which they talk about in detail here, including VOD plans. Yet another way Kickstarter is changing the industry.
Vyer Films, a website which offers the best international films you can’t see anywhere else, has made some further cool tweaks to its business model — not only do they cost $7, but they last for “forever and a week.” That is, you have as long as you want to watch the complete film, and once you complete it you can view it for another week. Not a bad way to spend your money!
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 the below online retailers:
Cellmates (Review 6/10), available on Amazon, iTunes, and YouTube.
Take This Waltz (Review 8/10), available on Amazon, iTunes, and YouTube.
Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope (Review 6.5/10), available on Amazon and iTunes.
God Bless America (Review 7.5/10), available on Amazon.
Upcoming VOD Releases
(For films premiering on VOD platforms, or hitting VOD after limited theatrical runs.)
[D2V] denotes movie that is also being released direct to DVD and/or Blu-ray on the same day.
June 7:
A Secret Promise [D2V]
Debuting on VOD, DVD and in theaters on the same day, A Secret Promise is the debut feature from writer/director Fred Manocherian and has gone unreleased since being filmed in 2009 under the title My Father’s Will.
June 15:
Exterrestrial
Though it gets a limited theatrical release on the same day via Tugg, it’s likely your best bet to see this alien invasion comedy is VOD.
June 19:
The Love Guide
Indie darling Parker Posey stars in this about a weight loss reality show and a woman trying to save her chicken farm. Yup, sounds like something right up Posey’s alley.
The Big Fix
If you have any lingering questions about the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, The Big Fix is a documentary that strives to be the final word.
June 20:
Collaborator
Martin Donovan, whose appeared in some major films and TV series, makes his directorial debut with this dark comedy, in which a struggling playwright and his former neighbor have an uncomfortable reunion. It will also be screening in New York at the IFC Center starting June 18 and the awesome Museum of the Moving Image starting June 19.
Stella Days
Despite not so great reviews, I like the concept behind this movie, which stars Martin Sheen as a film buff priest in the 1950s.
June 21:
The Trials of Zander Peterson
From first time writer/director/producer Damion L. Smith, this thriller looks to be sufficiently mind-boggling. It’s pretty cool how in-depth the movie’s Facebook goes into its production.
Have news about an upcoming VOD movie? Want to have Movie Buzzers check out your upcoming VOD release? Contact me here!
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