{"id":29996,"date":"2019-01-02T02:01:47","date_gmt":"2019-01-02T07:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=29996"},"modified":"2019-01-02T01:47:25","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T06:47:25","slug":"the-five-choice-indies-of-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/02\/the-five-choice-indies-of-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"The Five Choice Indies of 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/handfulofdust-gw.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29997\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/handfulofdust-gw.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/handfulofdust-gw.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/handfulofdust-gw-300x126.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/handfulofdust-gw-2x1.jpg 2w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>As with every single year, we try to cover as much indies as possible, but we just never have the time to see them all, sadly. As with previous years, this top five comprises five of the best indies I saw all year. It\u2019s not to say the films that didn\u2019t make the list are terrible films, <strong><em>or<\/em><\/strong> that the films the other writers on Cinema Crazed enjoyed aren\u2019t good, either. This is merely a subjective list of five independent films we highly recommend to you that we saw this year.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s good to remember this is opinion, and not gospel.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to see what films the Cinema Crazed collective consider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/category\/movie-reviews\/a-indie\/\"><strong>A+ Indies<\/strong><\/a>, visit the link included!<\/p>\n<p>Also, be sure to let us know some of the best indie films you saw all year!<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/292226411\" width=\"640\" height=\"267\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>5. <\/strong><strong>A Handful of Dust<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>Directed, Written by Grayson Whitehurst<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/24\/shorts-round-up-of-the-week-halloween-horror-month-edition\/\">Original Review<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Screening in Various Festivals)<br \/>\n<\/strong>Grayson Whitehurst\u2019s short horror drama has a lot of feature film potential, but on its own it\u2019s a stark and creepy representation of how evil can manipulate us when we least expect it. Whitehurst\u2019s direction paired with the gritty black and white photography make \u201cA Handful of Dust\u201d morbidly beautiful as well as brilliantly acted. Top it all off with a surprise ending that will haunt you for days, and it\u2019s a gem that ensures I\u2019ll be anxiously awaiting Grayson Whitehurst\u2019s new film.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Gqd_VYI_LB8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Hunt for the Skinwalker<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>Directed by Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/04\/hunt-for-the-skinwalker-2018\/\">Original Review<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07H5T3Y7Z\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B07H5T3Y7Z&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebalconymov-20&amp;linkId=a093ec93d37dfd3e6bdab2da57c665f9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Streaming on Amazon Prime<\/a>)<br \/>\n<\/strong>What the hell is going on at the Skinwalker ranch? Is it one of the most elaborate hoaxes of all time? Or is it the epicenter for some of the most baffling paranormal activity ever recorded? Why are there no concrete pictures? What happened to the previous owners of the ranch? Are aliens simply playing tricks on people that buy the farm? In either case, no matter what conclusion you come to, you might walk away a believer and will definitely want to know more about the Skinwalker ranch. This spooky documentary kept me pondering its mysteries for days.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wBK1zH6XvRc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Butterfly Kisses<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>Directed, Written by Erik Kristopher Myers<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/29\/butterfly-kisses-2018\/\">Original Review<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07JVHMDDB\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B07JVHMDDB&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebalconymov-20&amp;linkId=9e07c20e1c62b3ec4a9d00accaf08b17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Streaming Everywhere<\/a>)<br \/>\n<\/strong>2018 promised to give us a Slender man movie and we ended up with nothing. Erik Kristopher Myers\u2019 \u201cButterfly Kisses\u201d (courtesy of Gravitas Ventures) was like the delicious meal replacement that filled that appetite I wanted. \u201cButterfly Kisses\u201d is a haunting, morbid, creepy, and very creative found footage movie about a spooky legend called the Peeping Tom. What makes \u201cButterfly Kisses\u201d so damn creepy and haunting is not so much that Peeping Tom is a horrifying boogeyman, but that the movie itself is about obsession, and how legends can take on a life of their own when we give them enough validation to gain a pulse. That, in and of itself, is scarier than most horror movies on the market.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pouwH2zbkMc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Wolfman\u2019s Got Nards \u2013 A Documentary<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>Directed by Andre Gower<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>Written by <\/strong><strong>Andre Gower, Henry Darrow McComas<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/24\/wolfmans-got-nards-a-documentary-2018-cinepocalypse-2018\/\">Original Review<\/a> |\u00a0 Currently Touring; Home Entertainment Release Pending)<br \/>\n<\/strong>It was a thrill to see one of my all time favorite horror comedies and cherished childhood favorites get the loving documentary that it deserved. Behind the cult gem is a story filled with sadness, hardships, loss, and a classic tale of fans coming together to bring new life in to what was once considered an absolute flop. \u201cWolfman\u2019s Got Nards\u201d is a fantastic tribute to the large rabid fandom of \u201cMonster Squad\u201d and original star Andre Gower goes deep to explore how far the love goes, all the while discussing tough issues, like how taxing the botched release of the film was on Fred Dekker, the effect the film had on the casts careers, as well as the unfortunate loss of a cast member at too young an age. \u201cWolfman\u2019s Got Nards\u201d is a must watch that I had a blast with from beginning to end.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/240738722\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Monsoon<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>Directed, Written by Miguel Duran<br \/>\nStarring: Austin Lyon, Katherine Hughes, Yvette Monreal, with Eve Plumb and Scott Lowell.<br \/>\nDirector of Photography: Alex Simon<br \/>\nProduced by: Atit Shah<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/21\/monsoon-2018\/\">Original Review<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07FZ9YYTH\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B07FZ9YYTH&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebalconymov-20&amp;linkId=ee1525c51a15bd80321033be25aae609\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Now Streaming on VOD<\/a>)<br \/>\n<\/strong>Miguel Duran\u2019s drama crept up on me by surprise, it\u2019s a remarkable, and beautiful film about letting go, learning to move on, and dealing with grief that\u2019s incomprehensible. Duran comprises a very heartfelt story that admittedly tore my heart out from beginning to end, relying on the idea of young love, and how easily life can take those that we love away from us. Life can be so abrupt and fragile, and \u201cMonsoon\u201d stacks up against classic dramas like \u201cOrdinary People\u201d and \u201cMoonlight Mile\u201d dissecting the pain of loss, and how some of us deal with it, for better and for worse. Directing a wonderful cast of folks like Austin Lyons, Katherine Hughes, and Yvette Monreal, Miguel Duran promises to be a strong voice in indie film, and I can\u2019t wait to see what he has in store for us next. &#8220;Monsoon&#8221; is a gut wrenching film that just tore me to shreds, but it also left me hopeful that when life shatters us, we can put ourselves back together again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As with every single year, we try to cover as much indies as possible, but we just never have the time to see them all, sadly. As with previous years, this top five comprises five of the best indies I saw all year. It\u2019s not to say the films that didn\u2019t make the list are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[64,225,292,302,477,501,938,1033],"class_list":["post-29996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-year-enders","tag-adaptation","tag-coming-of-age","tag-documentary","tag-drama","tag-horror","tag-indie-film","tag-short-film","tag-teen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29996"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30000,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29996\/revisions\/30000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}