Great independent movies anyone will love

SALT LAKE CITY — I was chatting with Celeste Rosenlof a few weeks ago when she asked if I’d ever considered writing articles about great independent movies.

In truth, I had. And in fact, a few times I’d even sat down to draft such an article, but as soon as I’d start tapitty tapping at the keyboard, one nagging doubt always got the best of me — “No one will read an article about indie films.”

For writers, obviously audience numbers equal revenue, so said nagging doubt was sort of a checkmate for me until Rosenlof offered up a suggestion. While I don’t remember the exact phrase, in a nutshell she said something to the effect of, “Well, write it anyway.”

Pretty genius, yes?

So here we are, hopefully staring at the first of many articles concerning smaller, beautiful films that deserve more attention than they’re currently awarded. And as our first look, let’s cast a wider net than just what’s in theaters now and include renting and streaming options you may have missed in the past.

And also, before we get started, let me throw out two quick disclaimers:

1 — The content for these selections are all over the place, so while I’ll try to give the best warnings I can, know that many of these films would easily earn an R rating.

2 — When I say movies anyone will love, I don’t mean each movie on the list will be universally appreciated. Instead, I mean, collectively the movies offer a wide enough selection to have something for everyone.

"An Honest Liar" ================This is the movie responsible for the article. Rosenlof recommended this movie to me in our previously mentioned conversation, and while I won’t be seeing it until this weekend, the trailers for “An Honest Liar” look incredible. That said, if you go see it and hate it, address all hate mail care of Celeste Rosenlof. (Editor's note: Really though, this film will made me smile ear-to-ear right before I got angry, confused and left with a sense of how complicated life really is.)

“An Honest Liar” is a documentary made by a local filmmaker spotlighting the wildly interesting James Randi, a man responsible for debunking some of the world’s most famous psychics and faith healers. Roping in opinions from other renowned skeptics like Penn Jillette and Adam Savage, the doc promises a few tricks of its own, which audiences and critics alike have raved about.

"Ida" =====

“Ida” received a lot of attention recently when it took home the 2015 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

As a big fan of movies like Audrey Hepburn’s “The Nun’s Story” and the Coens' “A Serious Man,” “Ida” really resonated with me, but I do feel I should offer this warning. You know in movies and even occasionally in cartoons where someone’s watching a French movie and that French movie is black and white, no camera movement, and it’s almost completely silent before an actor says something like, “ben oui.” This is absolutely that movie, even though it’s actually Polish and not French.

But let’s be honest, everyone needs to watch at least one of those movies in their lifetime, and “Ida” is so simple, so beautiful, and leaves you with so much to think about after the closing credits, I don’t hesitate in telling you this is the one you should check out. Also, it’s streaming on both Netflix and Amazon right now, so if you’re a subscriber there’s no need to risk the cost of a rental fee.

While “Ida” is PG-13, it easily could’ve received an R rating. There’s drugs and alcohol, nudity, sexual situations and probably a few other things I’m not remembering.

"Ernest and Celestine" ======================One of the original “Sundance Kids” submissions, “Ernest and Celestine” is a great little reminder that not all independent movies are bizarre, intellectual dramas aimed at adults.

The film brought home an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and has received major accolades from critics and fans alike. Following the Gabrielle Vincent books with the same name, the movie follows the unlikely friendship of a bear named Earnest and the young mouse Celestine.

The film is rated PG and is currently streaming on both Netflix and Amazon Prime.

"Bernie" ========

Movie critic and fellow Flix Junky John Clyde loves talking about “Bernie,” and who can blame him?

Following the true, and somewhat bizarre story of a murdering mortician and the town that loved him, “Bernie” is a great little performance piece that showcases the talents of Jack Black, Mathew McConaughey and Shirley McClaine.

As far as content goes, “Bernie” is rated PG-13, for some language and violence. “Bernie” is available currently streaming on NetFlix.

"Boyhood" =========One of my personal favorites of 2014, “Boyhood” followed the same actors from 2002 to 2013, occasionally shooting moments important to the protagonist’s childhood.

This movie is engaging on so many levels, but is most often referred to because of its real-time approach to filmmaking. There is one scene towards the end where Ethan Hawk and Patricia Arquette’s characters discuss how quickly Ellar Coltrane had gone from being a little boy to high school graduate, forcing a surreal experience on audience members who consider no acting was required in that exchange.

“Boyhood” is rated R and would require either a RedBox rental or a digital download from places like iTunes or VUDU.

Travis Poppleton has been covering movie news, film reviews and live events for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010 and co-hosts the FlixJunkies podcast. You can contact him at tspoppleton@gmail.com.

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