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.
Overdose Spotlight: Vyer Films
I’m always on the lookout for latest ways to distribute films, and I’ve recently come across VyerFilms.com, a digital streaming service that makes international films not yet available in the United States available for streaming. What I really like about the service is that on the website you’re able to watch the first 15 minutes of each movie for FREE (with a $10 for a 7-day rental of the entire film). I know that I’m a lot more willing to spend that kind of money if I’ve gotten a quick look and know that it’s something I’d like to watch. The newest film to premiere on Vyer is Good Girl, a romantic comedy from France, which you can preview here!
NetFlix Exploring Cable Streaming Service
It’s a no-brainer: the most popular streaming service becoming part of your cable package? It’s something that NetFlix is actively exploring, according to Deadline. You can read the whole story there, but it sounds like an exciting development… even though I doubt it will make my cable bill LESS expensive than it already is! It’s also a curious development for the thousands of people who ditched cable in favor of NetFlix and watching their favorite shows on demand (I have a few friends who don’t even bother with live TV anymore). Me? Sorry, I got to have live sports in HD quality.
Latest VOD News
Graham has been hitting it out of the park with his SXSW coverage, but check out this great editorial on IndieWire about how VOD plays into acquisitions at SXSW. Again, key points is making a moneymaker out of a film that just isn’t mainstream enough for a full-fledged theatrical release by getting it right to the eyeballs that want to see it.
In what I find to be curious news, Radius — the Weinstein Company’s VOD label — has picked up distribution rights for Only God Forgives, the next collaboration of director Nicholas Winding Refn and star Ryan Gosling. Considering how much success these two had with Drive — which was one of my favorite films of 2011 (and Alex picked it as his #1 film of 2011!), I will be surprised if this movie doesn’t end up getting a significant theatrical release. It sounds like another action-thriller in the vein of Drive, so unless it ends up being a poor film I’d expect to see this pop up at your local theater — until then, however, it deserves a mention in VOD Overdose, right?
SnagFilms has seemed to grab up the last of the Sundance Film Festival leftovers, which will premiere over its various platforms. For a full list, check out the Variety report here.
I’ve been waiting for Piranha 3DD to come out for months. While there still isn’t a release date, it’s been reported that when it finally does it will go day-and-date with a VOD and theatrical release. I guess if you’re a little embarrassed about going to a public theater to see a movie with “DD” in the title, the couch might be a better option. Check out the trailer here!
VOD company GoDigital has been ramping up on the acquisitions and has a brand new website to boot after purchasing VOD company Might Entertainment in January. The company has picked up You, Me & The Circus, a musical romance directed by Ty Hodges (Miles From Home) for a summer VOD release as well as The Power of Two, a documentary about the astounding story of twins with cystic fibrosis who both survive double lung transplants.
In another “VOD first, theaters second” release, Hick — an adaptation of Andrea Portes’ novel a Nebraskan girl teen who runs away from her film and starring Blake Lively and Chloe Moretz — will get a VOD release on May 8 before popping up in theaters on May 11. That’s not much of an advance window (many other films that have followed this release model have premiered on VOD 2-4 weeks before the theatrical opening), so it will be curious to see how it performs on both fronts.
In even more cool news for NetFlix subscribers, the streaming service will be releasing more Sundance films. Earlier in 2011 Sundance struck a deal with the streaming service to allow Sundance filmmakers to self-distribute their films via NetFlix along with other VOD platforms. The arrangement, called the Artists Service Initiative, must be going well since Sundance is releasing ten more films on NetFlix, including popular Lord Byron. Check out a full list here!
Now on VOD… And We Reviewed It!
Here’s a sampling of recent VOD movies that Movie Buzzers has viewed and reviewed:
Conception (Review: 8/10), available on iTunes, Amazon, and Vudu. Check out my interview with writer/director Josh Stolberg here!
Detachment (Review: 8/10), available on iTunes and 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.
March 16:
Last Days Here
I’m a huge heavy metal fan and it’s been fantastic to see recent metal documentaries like Lemmy (who is awesome) and Anvil! The Story of Anvil (who are not awesome, but a great movie). This movie focuses on Bobby Liebling, the lead singer of Pentagram, a proto-doom metal band that has been around in various iterations since the early 1970s. Liebling biggest issue now is either the fact that uses or too many drugs or that he still lives in his parents’ basement. It’s currently playing at the IFC Center here in New York, but you can see it on VOD after it pops up at the SXSW Festival on the 14th.
March 20:
The Moth Diaries
Another horror entry from IFC Midnight, The Moth Diaries features an eerie “new girl at school” storyline based on the novel by Rachel Kline. It will be in theaters on April 20, but of course you can catch it on VOD early.
March 23:
4:44 Last Days on Earth
Now many people seem convinced the world will end at some point in 2012, but what if we were all completely sure of it? That’s the premise behind 4:44 Last Days on Earth, which stars William Dafore and Paz de la Huerta and is directed by Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant). The movie has a small theatrical release the same day.
March 30:
The Corridor
IFC has really been cornering the market on VOD horror films. This movie — which is about the horrors of getting older combined with the horrors of, well, getting stabbed in the woods — has been all over the festival circuit and been getting positive buzz. The trailer definitely has a Stephen King vibe, which is good enough for me! It gets a small theatrical release the same day, too.
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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