BY JOE REID |

This Weekend's Indies: Almodóvar, Statham, 'Byzantium,' and More

This week's indie offerings include quite a few LGBT-friendly films - just in time for NYC Pride Weekend and the end of DOMA.

This Weekend's Indies: Almodóvar, Statham, 'Byzantium,' and More

I'm So Excited
The latest film from Pedro Almodovar is always cause for a celebration, no matter what weekend it is, but this film expecially seems like a trip back home for the celebrated queer auteur, including re-teamings with his two biggest crossover stars, Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, as well as frequent collaborators Lola Dueñas, Javier Cámara, and Cecilia Roth. All together in a comedic farce taking place on what appears to be the world's gayest airline add up to the promise of a heck of a good time.

Byzantium
Neil Jordan's 2013 Tribeca Film Festival entry is a moody and compelling vampire tale that is equally (if not more) compelling as a mother-daughter drama between Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan. Though don't discount the supporting cast, including Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class), Sam Riley (On the Road), Thure Lindhardt (Keep the Lights On), Tom Hollander (Hanna), and Jonny Lee Miller (TV's Elementary).

Laurence Anyways
Acclaimed and emergent queer director Xavier Dolan is back with his third feature film, after I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats, this one possibly his most acclaimed. Laurence, a story of a male-to-female transgender in a film that spans a decade, took the Queer Palm award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, along with Best Actress in the Un Certain Regard competition for Suzanne Clement.

Redemption
There may not be any overt queer content in Redemption but for a certain demographic in the LGBT community, Jason Statham's mere presence is good enough reason to buy a ticket. This film has Statham being more introspective than he normally is, which means that he probably takes a good 15 minutes to think about his life before he goes right back to murdering bad guys with his hands.

Some Girl(s)
Adam Brody plays a prospective groom going on a tour of his past girlfriends before he ties the knot. Take away the wedding and it's the middle portion of High Fidelity, but in the hands of director Daisy von Scherler Mayer (Party Girl), we're intrigued. Particularly since Brody's exes are played by Kristen Bell, Zoe Kazan, Jennifer Morrison, Mia Maestro, and Emily Watson.

Previously: Looking Back: (Other) Movies in Theaters When "Independence Day" Premiered

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