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The landscape for independent films has changed rapidly. On one hand, the opportunity to build a theatrical release has become increasingly difficult, but on the other hand, digital release has given indies a chance to play to a broad national audience at once. Each week, new indie releases will be profiled and because they might not be playing at a theater near you, one highly recommended film available now a click or two away via VOD (whether a new or not quite new release) will be presented for viewing without leaving your computer.

VOD Pick of the Week

10 Years

2012 was the year of Channing Tatum with the triple threat of releases: The Vow, Magic Mike, and 21 Jump Street, not to mention being named the Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine. Overlooked was the independent ensemble dramedy that he headlined and produced, 10 Years. The film follows a group of friends and acquaintances at their 10-year high school reunion.

Tatum plays Jake, who is bringing his long term girlfriend Jess (played by Jenna Dewan-Tatum) to the reunion. He has already bought an engagement ring, but something is holding him back from popping the question. That may be unfinished business with his high school sweetheart Mary (Rosario Dawson), who shows up at the reunion with her husband. While that may feel like the central story because Tatum is the biggest star in the film, it is a true ensemble movie.

Chris Pratt plays Cully, a guy who although married with children, still has not grown up and becomes extra obnoxious when drunk , turning his long suffering wife into his babysitter left to clean up his mess. Justin Long and Max Minghella play best friends who seem to be jealous of each other’s lives even as their lives might not be exactly as they portray them to be. They both set their sights on party girl Anna (Lynn Collins).

The standout story turns out to be the one between Reeves (Oscar Isaac, who will next be seen starring in the Coen brothers upcoming Inside Llewyn Davis), who has become a famous musician, and Elise (Kate Mara), who was practically invisible in high school. It’s made obvious from the start that he has held on to the high school crush he had on her, but she remains completely oblivious.

10 Years works best because all of the stories remain compelling enough to keep you invested so it’s never a situation where you’re just waiting to move onto another character. Also, you are likely to personally identify with several of the characters and situations as 10 Years strikes the perfect notes that will make you nostalgic for your own high school days.

Available at Amazon
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New releases for June 14th

20 Feet from Stardom: Documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville takes a look at the life of the unheralded backup singer. You have definitely heard their voices as they have sung with some of the greatest musical legends of the 21st century, but you likely do not know their names. Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Judith Hill, Claudia Lennear, Lisa Fischer, and Tata Vega are profiled. Superstarsincluding Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, and Stevie Wonder are interviewed, but in this film the backup singers take center stage.

Berberian Sound Studio: Toby Jones plays Gilderoy, a mild-mannered sound designer who is hired to work on an Italian exploitation horror film in 1976. The film within a film is never seen, only heard as Gilderoy provides the sounds of carnage and mayhem taking place on screen. As he gets deeper into the film, the lines between cinema and reality begin to blur and Gilderoy begins a descent into madness in this psychological thriller from director Peter Strickland.

The Bling Ring: Sofia Coppola’s fifth feature is inspired by the true story of a group of Los Angeles teens who broke into the houses of celebrities like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan and stole high-end items like watches, dresses, and handbags. The film continues Coppola’s trend of dealing with the price of fame as Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, Somewhere also touched on the topic. Emma Watson stars in this examination of today’s celebrity obsessed culture.

Vehicle 19: Hoping to capitalize on the formula of Paul Walker plus fast cars, this indie release appears to be one long car chase from the trailer. Walker stars as a recently paroled man who travels to Johannesburg and is given the wrong car by the rental agency. When he discovers a tied-up woman in the trunk, he learns that she is set to testify against a powerful police chief at his corruption trial. That puts him in the sights of the entire police force as they chase him through an unfamiliar city.

Available at Amazon
Available at iTunes
Available at Vudu