While many moviegoers are anticipating the upcoming summer blockbuster season, there are quite a few upcoming indie films worth checking out. Audiences that need a break from computer-generated imagery and 3-D experiences can hit the smaller theaters for lesser-known (yet equally-compelling) films. As we’ve learned from their blockbuster cousins, it’s the little guy who usually prevails. Let’s take a look at some of them.
June audiences will be treated with a gore-fest of horror in George Romero’s sixth installment of his “Dead” series, Survival of the Dead. The on-screen display of human struggle in a zombie-destructed world is a seemingly refreshing way to kick off the summer months.
If a shotgun shell tearing through undead flesh is not your inclination, then Love Ranch might work a little more in your favor. The film is based on the real-life story of a married couple named Joe and Sally Conforte who together opened the first legal brothel in the United States. These unique entrepreneurs are played by Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren.
When July comes rolling in, I Love You Phillip Morris will be hitting select screens across the country. This highly anticipated film, starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, focuses on the real-life story of Steven Jay Russell, a convicted conman who falls in love with his cellmate Phillip Morris.
Employing a different comedic approach, Winnebago Man will also be premiering in July. The documentary explores the infamous “Winnebago Man” YouTube clip and shows how being an Internet phenomenon can affect an individual’s life. Both comedies are anticipated to be giant successes in smaller cinemas.
The independents will finish off the summer months with some intriguing crime dramas. Premiering in August is Takers, a bank heist movie that has Matt Dillon and Hayden Christensen at the helm.
Finally, just in time for fall, George Clooney will be gracing the screen in The American. This drama finds Clooney playing an assassin who needs to go into hiding to escape assassination.
The usual ambiance of summer films rests in their nonchalant tendencies. Whether or not these films contain that aesthetic, they are sure to please audiences around the nation. So give the little guy a chance this season – you won’t regret it.