SoCal new movies, July 31-Aug. 7: ‘The Instigators,’ ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon,’ ‘Trap,’ ‘Free LSD’ and more
Major new releases, indie flicks, foreign films and art-house fare
Welcome to the latest edition of TV or Not TV’s curated guide to new and current releases screening in LA and OC this week. I’m Matt Cooper, former listings coordinator for arts & entertainment at the Los Angeles Times.
New this week
• Starts Wednesday, July 31
‘Born Pink’ The four members of the chart-topping K-pop girl group Blackpink take it to the stage in this 2024 concert doc. 93 mins. Not Rated. bornpinkincinemas.com
‘The Duel’ A young man demands old-school satisfaction after discovering that his best friend has been hooking up with his girlfriend in this 2023 comedy. Justin Matthews directs and Luke Spencer Roberts, Dylan Sprouse and Patrick Warburton co-star. 95 mins. Rated R. lionsgate.com
‘Join or Die’ Social scientist Robert Putnam posits that a loss of community connections is the cause of America’s deepening political divide in Pete Davis and Rebecca Davis’ 2023 documentary; includes commentary from Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, et al. 99 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘A Little Family Drama’ Members of a fractious Mexican American family must pull together to save their restaurant in this 2023 comedy. Nadia Zoe directs and Marissa Reyes and Alma Martinez co-star. 87 mins. PG-13. laemmle.com
• Starts Friday, Aug. 2
‘Coup!’ A con man (Peter Sarsgaard) poses as a wealthy family’s new live-in chef then leads the rest of the staff in a rebellion against their employers in this 2023 comedy directed by Joseph Schuman and Austin Stark. 98 mins. Not Rated. amctheatres.com, laemmle.com
‘Dark Feathers: Dance of the Geisha’ A ballroom dancer in San Francisco becomes the prime suspect when several of her former dance partners turn up dead in this 2024 thriller. With Crystal J. Huang, Gilles Marini and “DWTS’s” Karina Smirnoff. Directed by Huang and Nicholas Ryan. 93 mins. Rated PG-13. darkfeathers.com
‘Detained’ A woman wakes up in interrogation room in a police station where nothing is quite as it seems in this 2024 psychological thriller. Felipe Mucci directs and Abbie Cornish, Laz Alonso, Moon Bloodgood and Silas Weir Mitchell costar. 97 mins. Not Rated. lumierecinemala.com
‘Doctor Jekyll’ British actor-comic Eddie Izzard plays the titular physician and her deranged alter-ego in this gender-bent update of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic horror tale. Joe Stephenson directs. 89 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘The Firing Squad’ Three men facing execution in an Indonesian prison embrace Christianity and encourage others to do the same in this fact-based 2024 drama. Timothy A. Chey directs and Kevin Sorbo and Cuba Gooding Jr. 93 mins. Rated PG-13. firingsquadfilm.com
‘The Forgotten Battle’ A German soldier, a British pilot and a Dutch resistance fighter cross paths in the closing days of WWII in 2020 drama directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. In Dutch, German and English with English subtitles. 124 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com
‘Free LSD’ An elderly man seeking help for his erectile dysfunction tries an experimental medication and then finds himself on a psychotropic hayride in writer-director Dimitri Coats’ fantastical 2023 comedy. Keith Morris and Jack Black star. 97 mins. Not Rated. freelsdmovie.com
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