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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.

New releases for April 19th

Filly Brown: The struggling hip-hop artist movie has basically been exclusively the terrain of male artists – including Hustle & Flow and 8 Mile. Filly Brown presents a distaff take on the genre. Gina Rodriguez plays Majo Tonorio, aka, Filly Brown, a young hip-hop artist with an incarcerated mother and a father who is trying to provide for his family. When a record producer offers her a shot at stardom, she realizes that this could be her family’s ticket out, but she is also faced with losing who she is as an artist as well as her friends who helped her along the way.

Home Run: With Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous, Provident Films has shown that even though you might not get the splashy media coverage, you can still make solid box office returns with films promoting Christian values. When baseball all-star Cory Brand’s partying lifestyle catches up with him with a DUI arrest and baseball suspension, his agent sends him back to the small town where he grew up. Forced to coach the Little League team and participate in the town’s only recovery program, Cory cannot wait to return to his old life, but as his young players help him experience the joy of the game, Cory is lead on a journey of transformation and redemption.

In the House: Francois Ozon may be one of the most underrated directors working today. He made a bit of a splash in the United States with Under the Sand, 8 Women, and then peaking with Swimming Pool, and while his profile in the U.S. has not matched that peak he has continued with a steady output of films that have played internationally. His latest, In the House, features a writing teacher who takes a promising pupil under his wing. This gifted student insinuates himself into the household of a classmate and bases his essays on their family life. The teacher finds himself reinvigorated in his work, but as his star student gets more involved, things become more sinister in this Hitchcockian comedy/thriller.

The Lords of Salem: After taking on the Halloween remake and its sequel, Rob Zombie returns with a new original horror film. Sheri Moon Zombie plays Heidi, a radio DJ living in Salem, Massachusetts, who receives a strange wooden box containing a vinyl record, a “gift from the Lords.” As in any horror movie, opening a box is never a good idea, and the record triggers flashbacks to the town’s violent past. Is Heidi hallucinating or are the Lords of Salem back to seek their revenge?

VOD Pick of the Week

What Richard Did

Richard Karlsen would be described as an All-American boy if it wasn’t for the fact that he is Irish. I guess that makes him an All-Irish lad. He is a leader on his rugby team, privileged, popular, blessed with boy-band good looks, and he is preparing to head off to university. He also seems like a generally good kid who looks out for his mates and takes the younger kids under his wing. Everything seems to be going great except that Lara, the girl he likes, is dating his rugby teammate Conor. That soon changes as being the golden-boy that he is, Richard is able to woo Lara away. Richard’s jealousy begins to rise as Lara remains friends with her ex, and when Conor shows up at a party, things come to a head with tragic results.

Lenny Abrahamson’s film takes a laid back, naturalistic approach to this morality tale. From the opening scenes of that lazy summer between high school and college to the tragic aftermath of a fateful night, the film remains low key and improvisational in tone. The approach presents the film as a series of moments, which gives it the feeling of a recollection as we tend to remember things as moments and not so much as a linear narrative.

The film is anchored by a charismatic performance by Jack Reynor, who makes Richard a well-rounded and appealing character throughout even as cracks begin to appear when Richard takes to self preservation at the cost of doing the right thing. Reynor’s performance has attracted the attention of Hollywood as he has been cast as one of the lead actors in the upcoming Transformers 4. What Richard Did will be playing at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, but you can watch it at home now.

Available at Amazon

Available at iTunes

Available at Vudu