Sometimes a good movie is hard to find. This is the first in a weekly feature here at VIMOOZ covering the most notable releases of non-mainstream films. Though some of these films are in such limited release they might not be playing in your area, it’s a good idea to write down any titles that interest you that you might be able to catch later on VOD or other streaming services.

LOVELACE

LOVELACE
Directors: Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, Juno Temple, Adrian Brody
Though it’s impossible to verify the figures, there’s little doubt the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat is one of the most profitable — not to mention influential — films of all time. Its star, Linda Lovelace, became a pornographic icon. Lovelace tells the story of the titular star (portrayed by Amanda Seyfried)and her troubled life behind the scenes, particularly her relationships with her abusive husband (Peter Sarsgaard). It premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to mixed reviews

JUG FACE

JUG FACE
Director: Chad Crawford Kinkle
Starring: Lauren Ashley Carter, Sean Bridgers, Kaitlin Cullum
Though it’s already available on VOD, this horror movie out of the Slamdance Film Festival will get a limited release beginning this weekend. Though because of the scares, you might want to watch it in the privacy of your old home. Ada (Lauren Ashley Carter) is a pregnant girl who lives in a backwoods cult community who discovers she might be the next one sacrificed in a bizarre community ritual.

I GIVE IT A YEAR

I Give It A Year

Director: Dan Mazer
Starring: Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Faris and Simon Baker
Already a hit across the pond, I Give It a Year is a British comedy about an eccentric newlywed couple who everyone thinks won’t last. Being that I’ve known a few couples who fall into that category I imagine that this can only get messy.

PRINCE AVALANCHE

PRINCE AVALANCHE

Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch
Though David Gordon Green’s most recent directing credits include The Sitter, Your Highness, and Pineapple Express, don’t forget that he began his career directing indie dramas like George Washington and All the Real Girls. Despite Paul Rudd starring in this it falls in the latter category. Rudd and Emile Hirsch star as polar opposites who are working together to work on a highway after a wildfire. I saw it at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and enjoyed it for its contemplative nature.

BLOOD

Blood
Director: Nick Murphy
Starring: Paul Bettany, Stephen Graham, Mark Strong, Brian Cox
Another British film finally getting its U.S. release, Blood is a thriller about two brothers (Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham) who are corrupt policemen assigned to investigate a crime that they themselves committed.

IN A WORLD…

IN A WORLD…
Director: Lake Bell
Starring: Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, Nick Offerman
Ever notice how you hardly ever hear a female voice narrating movie trailers? I mean, most of us are aware that there are only a handful of people who do those voiceovers, but none of them are female. Carol (Lake Bell) is a vocal coach who decides that she will go where no female voice has gone before. In a World… has since received positive reviews and received a screenwriting award at the Sundance Film Festival for Lake Bell, who I guess wasn’t satisfied with just acting, producing and directing.

OFF LABEL (Documentary)

Off Label
Directors: Donal Mosher & Michael Palmieri
I think it’s obvious that Americans are whole are over-medicated. Off Label delves into the lives of eight Americans whose lives are basically defined by the pills they take daily as it explores the tightening hold pharmaceutical companies hold on the United States.

ZIPPER: CONEY ISLAND’S LAST WILD RIDE (Documentary)

ZIPPER

Director: Amy Nicholson
When exactly does “city improvement” cross the line to “culture destruction?” ZIPPER takes a look at New York City’s push to “revitalize” the Coney Island amusement area by pushing out independently owned carnival games and restaurants in favor of chain restaurants and entertainment complexes. This documentary focuses on the fate of a popular carnival ride and how it’s fate parallels the fate of Coney Island as a whole. ZIPPER runs at New York’s IFC Center through August 13.

OTHER NOTABLE WEEKEND INDIE, FOREIGN & DOCUMENTARY RELEASES:
Ashley
Whensday
Long Shot: The Kevin Laue Story
Chennai Express