New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

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

The Battery

Zombies and baseball – what’s more American than that? The Battery is ostensibly a zombie movie, but it tends to focus more on the parts of life that most zombie movies don’t show. Yes, there are zombies to contend with, but the film is more interested in portraying how its two main characters deal with the day to day tedium of life in this new world order.

Two minor league baseball players have survived some sort of zombie apocalypse as they wander across New England, staying on the move and scavenging for supplies. Ben, a catcher, almost seems to relish this life stripped down to the bare essentials of survival. He has taken on the role of protector and zombie killer. Mickey, a pitcher, is more sullen. He misses the simple comforts of sleeping in a bed in a house and retreats into listening to music on his headphones.

The zombies are the traditional slow-moving, mindless variety, and thus are not much of a threat one on one. A normal walking pace is enough to keep away from them, and they are also weak so they can easily be physically manhandled. It’s only when surrounded by a large group or caught completely by surprise that the zombies pose any real danger.

The pair’s dynamic changes when they hear other voices for the first time in months over the walkie talkie. They overhear a conversation between Frank and Annie, who apparently seem to be part of some sort of community of survivors who reside somewhere they call The Orchard. Ben and Mickey’s excitement is quickly dashed as the voices are bluntly unwelcoming, stating that there are no vacancies and they best just be on their way. Ben is unfazed, willing to heed the warning, but the more romantic Mickey becomes obsessed with Annie and the possibility of the existence of some idyllic community despite Annie’s warnings that The Orchard isn’t what he thinks it is.

The Battery has been described as a “zombie movie for people who don’t like zombie movies,” and while its unique take means that may be true, zombie movie fans should also appreciate a different take on the genre. The film itself pokes fun at its eschewing of the genre conventions as in one scene the characters vehemently refuse to use the “z word.” The film was made on an extremely low budget (the film’s website puts it at $6,000), and while the monetary restrictions can be felt to a point, they also seem to have forced the filmmakers into some creative solutions that really help the film and give it a distinct point of view.

Available at Amazon
Available at iTunes
Available at Vudu

New releases for June 7th

Dirty Wars: There have been many good documentaries made about the “official” wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but in Dirty Wars, director Richard Rowley and investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill look to shed some light on the covert war. The film focuses on the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), empowered directly by the president. Celebrated for the killing of Osama bin Laden, they are also perhaps responsible for hundreds or even thousands of suspected terrorists around the world as well as collateral victims. While the United States’ use of drone attacks has come under question recently, Dirty Wars digs even deeper into the lengths and depths the United States will go in its continuing war on terror.

Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie: Directors Daniel A. Miller and Jeremy Newberger chronicle the rapid rise and fall of confrontational talk show host Morton Downey Jr., who came to fame in the 1980s. Downey was dubbed the “Father of Trash Television” as an in-your-face conservative voice and paved the way for reality TV on one hand and the Glenn Becks and Bill O’Reillys of the world on the other.

Much Ado About Nothing: When you direct a movie that grosses over a billion dollars worldwide, you have a lot of freedom to do what you want for your next movie. Apparently what Joss Whedon wanted to do was Shakespeare. Using the original text and many Whedonverse regulars, the romantic comedy, which chronicles two pairs of lovers, is updated to a modern setting. The main couple, Benedick and Beatrice, are adversaries to start, but it turns out that their mutual disdain is actually just masking their true love for each other – so you can go ahead and blame Shakespeare for a million bad romantic comedies that followed for that one.

Wish You Were Here: Four friends – Dave, his pregnant wife, her younger sister, and her new boyfriend – take a trip to Cambodia together where after a night of partying, the boyfriend disappears without a trace. The three remaining return to their lives, each with different and varying knowledge of what happened that night. As secrets begin to emerge they begin to become paranoid and suspicious of each other, which places a strain on their relationships. The thriller builds to a climax as it becomes clear that someone knows more about the events of that night than they are letting on.