Indie Film Release Guide: August 15th [An ONTD Original]

The biggest box office premieres of the summer are behind us, but studios big and small still have plenty of releases left for the next few weeks. The biggest name release of the weekend comes from Spike Lee, as he and Denzel Washington collaborate on their fifth film together, Highest 2 Lowest. This is a new take on the same source material that Akira Kurosawa used for High and Low. Bob Odenkirk is also having a weekend, as the sequel to 2021’s Nobody is making its debut.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Five” – Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Columbia Pictures. Note that some of the movies listed are in their first week or two of limited release in the USA, so it may take them a few more weeks (or months) to show up in your local arthouse theater or on VOD. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have just opened near you: August 8th, August 1st, and July 25th.

Highest 2 Lowest

Stars: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky
Writer: Alan Fox, Evan Hunter, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni
Director: Spike Lee
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Plot: When a titan music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
What you should know: This is a retelling of the 1959 novel King’s Ransom: An 87th Precinct Mystery, previously adapted by Akira Kurosawa as High and Low (1963).
Where to watch: In theaters; streaming on Apple TV+ September 5th

Jimmy and Stiggs

Stars: Joe Begos, Matt Mercer, Riley Dandy, Josh Ethier
Writer/Director: Joe Begos
Genre: Horror
Plot: A perfect storm of lousy news sees out-of-work filmmaker Jimmy Lang spiral into a bender, during which he claims to have been abducted by aliens, and fearing their return, he contacts his old friend Stiggs to help him gear up for war.
What you should know: Shot in writer/director Joe Begos’ home over the course of four years, beginning as a grassroots project during the pandemic.
Where to watch: In theaters

Fixed

Stars: Bobby Moynihan, Beck Bennett, River Gallo, Scott Weil
Writer: Genndy Tartakovsky, Jon Vitti, Steve Greenberg
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Genre: Animation, Comedy
Plot: Bull, an average, all-around good dog, discovers he’s going to be neutered in the morning. He realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of buddies, as these are the last 24 hours with his balls. What could go wrong?
What you should know: Co-writer and director Genndy Tartakovsky previously created Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack.
Where to watch: Netflix

Witchboard

Stars: Madison Iseman, Aaron Dominguez, Mel Jarnson, Charlie Tahan
Writer: Greg McKay, Chuck Russell, Kevin Tenney
Director: Chuck Russell
Genre: Horror
Plot: A cursed Witchboard awakens dark forces, dragging a young couple into a deadly game of possession and deception
What you should know: Remake of Witchboard (1986).
Where to watch: In theaters

Went Up the Hill

Stars: Dacre Montgomery, Vicky Krieps, Joel Tobeck, Arlo Green
Writer: Jory Anast, Samuel Van Grinsven
Director: Samuel Van Grinsven
Genre: Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Romance, Thriller
Plot: Jack ventures to remote New Zealand for the funeral of his estranged mother and meets her widow Jill. But his mother’s spirit returns to inhabit each of their bodies, instigating a life-threatening three-way nocturnal dance.
What you should know: Filmed in Australia and New Zealand
Where to watch: In theaters

Checkpoint Zoo

Writer: Daniel Lonsbury, Joshua Zeman
Director: Joshua Zeman
Genre: Documentary
Plot: Documents a daring rescue led by a heroic team of zookeepers and volunteers, who risked their lives to save thousands of animals trapped in a zoo behind enemy lines in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.
What you should know: Premiered at 2024 Tribeca Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters

Night Always Comes

Stars: Vanessa Kirby, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen, Stephan James
Writer: Willy Vlautin, Sarah Conradt
Director: Benjamin Caron
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Plot: Risking everything to secure a future for herself and her brother, Lynette sets out on a dangerous odyssey, confronting her own dark past over the course of one propulsive night.
What you should know: Won the ReFrame Stamp Award at the 2025 ReFrame Film Festival.
Where to watch: Netflix

The Knife

Stars: Nnamdi Asomugha, Melissa Leo, Aja Naomi King, Manny Jacinto
Writer: Mark Duplass, Nnamdi Asomugha
Director: Nnamdi Asomugha
Genre: Drama
Plot: After the mysterious appearance of a stranger in their home, a young Black family must deal with the fallout of their choices, big and small, as a steadfast detective tries to crack the case over the course of one fateful night.
What you should know: Director, writer, and actor Nnamdi Asomugha is a former All-Pro NFL defensive back from Los Angeles, California.
Where to watch: In theaters

Suspended Time

Stars: Vincent Macaigne, Micha Lescot, Nine d’Urso, Nora Hamzawi
Writer/Director: Olivier Assayas
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: During COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, two married couples quarantine together in a country house, leading to rising tensions and revelations about their relationships.
What you should know: It’s in French.
Where to watch: In theaters

Americana

Stars: Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, Halsey, Eric Dane
Writer/Director: Tony Tost
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Plot: The lives of local outsiders and outcasts violently intertwine when a rare Lakota Ghost shirt falls onto the black market in a small South Dakota town.
What you should know: The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 17, 2023.
Where to watch: In theaters

More New Releases

Nobody 2 (Trailer) from Universal
Under Fire (Trailer)
East of Wall (Trailer)
Shin Godzilla 4K (Trailer) 4K Re-release
A Spartan Dream (Trailer)