Must-See Indie Films To Watch This Weekend

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving and those of you not in the U.S. have adequately enjoyed your winter/fall weather... or spring/summer temperatures, depending on where you are. Any who, it's Friday, most of us are stuffed to the brim, it's officially Christmas recognition time, and Christmas shopping is in full swing. Like I said on Wednesday, I'm planning to use the break as a time of rest and relaxation and finally make use of my Amazon Prime On Demand movie and TV perks. For those of you going out to shop later today (or just getting back, if you're the early bird Black Friday type) or all day tomorrow for Small Business Saturday, once you've scored all the best deals sit back and spend some time in front of your computer/TV/movie theatre screen watching these five must-see indie films.

Moonrise Kingdom:

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore -- and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. (RottenTomatoes.com)

Dear White People:

1. A campus culture war between blacks and whites at a predominantly white school comes to a head when the staff of a humor magazine stages an offensive Halloween party. (Google.com)

Palo Alto:

Shy, sensitive April is the class virgin, torn between an illicit flirtation with her soccer coach Mr. B and an unrequited crush on sweet stoner Teddy. Emily, meanwhile, offers sexual favors to every boy to cross her path - including both Teddy and his best friend Fred, a live wire without filters or boundaries. As one high school party bleeds into the next - and April and Teddy struggle to admit their mutual affection - Fred's escalating recklessness starts to spiral into chaos. (imbd.com)

The Grand Budapest Hotel:

In the 1930s, the Grand Budapest Hotel is a popular European ski resort, presided over by concierge Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes). Zero, a junior lobby boy, becomes Gustave's friend and protege. Gustave prides himself on providing first-class service to the hotel's guests, including satisfying the sexual needs of the many elderly women who stay there. When one of Gustave's lovers dies mysteriously, Gustave finds himself the recipient of a priceless painting and the chief suspect in her murder. (Google.com)

Men, Women, and Children:

Like many Americans, average suburbanite Don Truby (Adam Sandler) and his 15-year-old son use the Internet for information, communication and viewing pornography. Don's son Chris also maintains sexually explicit conversations with classmate Hannah, an aspiring actress whose mother (Judy Greer) posts pictures of her daughter on a modeling Web site. In sharp contrast, overprotective mom Patricia Beltmeyer (Jennifer Garner) does everything in her power to protect her daughter from the digital age. (Google.com)