“Drop”
Directed by horror filmmaker Christopher Landon (“Freaky,” “Happy Death Day”), his latest sounds like a dating and technology thriller where in a a widowed mother, goes on her first date in years.. But the chemistry she finds with a handsome man begins to curdle as she becomes irritated and then terrorized by a series of anonymous drops to her phone. Another Blumhouse production, the film stars breakout TV stars Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”), Brandon Sklenar (“1923”), plus Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, and Ed Weeks.
“The Baltimorons”
Writer, director, and actor Jay Duplass directed five films with his brother Mark before they hit it relatively big, and acting opportunities took them in different directions after their 2016 series, “Togetherness,” was canceled. Duplass hasn’t directed a feature since. But he returns at SXSW (which helped launch the Duplass brothers in the first place, with a comedy that follows a man in Baltimore who needs emergency dental surgery on Christmas Eve. The film stars Michael Strassner, Liz Larson, and Olivia Luccardi, and just for everyone who is keeping score, Jay’s next film, “See You When I See You,” is in the can and could conceivably hit later in 2025 if that’s the aim.
“The Dutchman”
Directed by Andre Gaines, this thriller is based on the 1964 play by Amiri Baraka and stars André Holland (“Moonlight”) as a successful businessman who becomes entangled in a dangerous game with a mysterious woman on a subway, played by Kate Mara (“House Of Cards”). The two leads are supported by an excellent cast that includes Zazie Beetz, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Aldis Hodge, and Lauren E. Banks.
“O’Dessa”
A post-apocalyptic musical drama, the film, directed by Geremy Jasper (“Patti Cake$”), is set in the future and follows a farm girl on a journey to retrieve a family heirloom and rescue her true love. Sadie Sink (“Stranger Things”) and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“Waves”) star, and the supporting cast includes Murray Bartlett, Regina Hall, and Pokey LaFarge.
“Magic Hour”
The latest directorial effort from actor/filmmaker Katie Aselton (“Black Rock”), this drama centers on a couple who escape to the desert to navigate an unexpected and challenging new phase of their relationship. Daveed Diggs and Aselton star, along with Brad Garrett and Susan Sullivan.
