Lets take a look at a few indie films that we’ve spotlighted in the past.

Family Obligations
In the Garage Productions
Drama

“The film tells the story of an isolated person who is finally drawn out of himself and into meaningful relationships for the first time in his life. It’s about the power and the pitfalls of involving yourself in other people’s lives. The main character Peter Steele, played by Chris Mollica, returns home to settle affairs after his father’s sudden death.”
• Watch on Tubi TV | Learn more about Family Obligations

Northwood Pie
Indie Rights Movies
Comedy

“Community college burn out in the making, Crispin, lands his first job at the local, rundown Northwood Pizza. And through his experiences with friends, coworkers, and a kindling relationship, Crispin learns to embrace his higher ambitions.”
• Watch on Tubi TV | Learn more about Northwood Pie

End Trip
Premiere Digital Services
Thriller

“On a calm night in an average city a hardworking URYDE driver, Brandon, picks up just another fare, Judd. Using interactions that blur the lines between the technological world and the physical one, Judd explains a messy breakup. Brandon offers an empathetic ear and a sympathetic heart to his new friend to help him pick up the pieces. Aggregated profiles, algorithms, links, likes and comments bring people closer. But how close is too close?”
• Watch on YouTube | Learn more about End Trip

What have you been watching online? What is your favorite way to watch indie films?

What is Secrets Of The Volkovs about?
Secrets Of The Volkovs is an action-packed thriller that follows Antonin, a police officer who’s been given a nearly impossible assignment. Antonin leaves his fiancé Nikolina and travels to a town far away from his own in an undercover capacity. He is tasked with infiltrating a crime family who the local police know are involved in some serious criminal activity. There’s only one problem; no one in town is willing to provide any information or come forward after being victimized because they are too scared. He must work with the family to discover their dark secrets. This dramatic plot is packed with twists and turns, and coupled with slightly sarcastic narration to keep the reader entertained the whole way through.

What inspired this story?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and in 2019 I was writing sarcastically narrated fan fiction. I got quite a lot of reviews, so I tried my hand at original fiction. Secrets Of The Volkovs is the prequel to my first original story, Family Secrets. It explores the origins of the tension in the second book. The plots for both stories developed more as I was writing. I always start with a loose idea and sort of ‘inspire myself’ as I go forward.

Tell us a little about you, who is Ellie Jay?
Ellie Jay is the pen name of a 20-odd British woman with a long standing love of reading, writing, and anything related to stories. As well as loving fiction, I have a penchant for sarcasm, absurdity and humour. When I’m not writing, I’m either teaching, playing Minecraft, or messing around on the internet, as one does.

How can we read Secrets Of The Volkovs?
Amazon is the easiest place to check this book out. It is available as a paperback, hardback, ebook, or audiobook, and can be bought with the rest of the series, or as a standalone adventure. You can also read my other content or connect with me by checking out my links.

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Cold Feet is a horror comedy from directors Brad Ellis and Allen C. Gardner. In the indie flick, friends go to a rented house for Eddie’s bachelor party, “the next day… a fight for sanity and survival begins when they discover there are snipers outside the house and a ghost inside, none of whom want the guys to leave.” The Hangover meets The Grudge. The movie stars Gardner along with Adam Burns, Matthew Gilliam, Matt Mercer, Nathan Ross Murphy, Najarra Townsend, and Hayden Blane.

You can watch Cold Feet for free on Amazon Prime with a membership.

We spotlight a lot of authors and indie books, so it is important sometimes to slow down and take a second look at some of the books we have been talking about. You can check out our last Indie Author roundup here.

Quántóu Rising
by J. Moody

“Quántóu Rising is the sequel in my dystopian trilogy. The SEPA Project follows five characters from different walks of life as they try to unravel the secrets of their utopian society. New technology allows for those in power to steal memories, so it becomes a race to remember the truth. The novel looks at xenophobia, freewill, family bonds, and greed.” -J. Moody
• Purchase on Amazon | Learn more about Quántóu Rising

Munchkin Tales
by Denny Griffith

“Munchkin Tales, Book 1: Our lost Heritage is about three Munchkin cousins who want to leave Oz and have their own adventure. The first problem is no one is allowed to go out the back gates of the Emerald City which is the only way out. And no one knows why no one knows they can’t leave. They do find a way out, but only after some serious attempts to end them before they ever go. They can’t understand why it should be such an issue, but with the help of the Wizard, they soon at least get an inkling of who is behind them not wanting to leave.” -Denny Griffith
• Purchase on Amazon | Learn more about Munchkin Tales

Ariya Kai
by F.Z. Zach

“The story, or idea, had been floating around in my head for a while and it was time to put it to paper. I wanted to create an action packed sci-fi story with themes that I thought were interesting to explore. And having worked on other creative people’s projects for a long time, it was time to work on my own.” -F.Z. Zach
• Purchase on Amazon | Learn more about Ariya Kai The Secret of Colony L.I.F.E.

And don’t forget, you can follow all of our Indie Book Spotlights here!

UFO Club was written and directed by Steven Tsapelas and stars Spencer Gonzalez, Eloise Gordon, Paolo Kossi, Josiah Schneider, Jerry Colpitts, and Frank Failla. The movie is a rom-com set in the 90s that follows a “nerd who becomes friends with the most intimidating girl in school because he believes she has a video that could prove the existence of aliens.” You can watch for free on Tubi TV and you can learn more about the movie from our interview with the director.

What is The Raven Moonstone about?
The Raven Moonstone is a rural fantasy adventure of accidental magic. During Noah’s senior year of high school, he becomes an orphan when he loses his parents in a freak accident. Post graduation, he’s reeling from his loss and struggling to control his emotions. When a librarian hands him an ancient text, he stumbles into the realm of magic. And that’s when Noah learns he must find the raven moonstone to save the town from an evil witch. He’s in over his head in more ways than one. Did I mention the goats and spiders? Spills & thrills & unlikely heroes – cringe and smile in equal measure. Ultimately, it’s about the undeniable power of forgiveness.

What inspired this story?
After I retired, my husband and I traveled for seven months in a Ford Transit Van. We had stopped for the night in a free campsite for boondockers. It was there that I met a young man named Noah, who was traveling cross country with a goat who rode in the back of his SUV. It was the sights and people I met and the solitude of the desert that inspired me to use my imagination and create.

Tell us a little about you, who is VJ Garske?
I’ve always been a reader, and I love books. In fact, giving up my library was the hardest thing I did when we sold our home and decided to become nomads. I travel across the backroads of America, and I write. In the winter months, I stay-cation in Arizona. I wrote my first book for my grandson, I wanted to impart words of wisdom in a fantastical story that would be encouraging, humorous, and exciting. Reading should be fun.

How can we read The Raven Moonstone?
My book is available exclusively on Amazon, both ebook and paperback and free with Kindle Unlimited.

On Thursday Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer made a shocking announcement confirming rumors that the company will be making four exclusive games available for Playstation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Surprisingly he never said which games they will be. A report by The Verge claims the games will be music themed action game Hi-Fi Rush, adventure game Pentiment, pirate themed action game Sea Of Thieves and survival game Grounded. 

Well there you go, I think it’s a massive shift in priority for Xbox. They needed to try something as they have really been lagging behind Sony in terms of sales and quality of exclusive games. The four games that will be trialed as part of this new deal are interesting choices. I think there will be more to come for sure. The rumors leading up this was that Starfield and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would be part of it but they haven’t been confirmed yet. Personally I think they will be, I think Indiana Jones would certainly be a massive opportunity for Xbox. The potential of adding the game to Playstation 5 would make a ton of sense just from the financial aspect alone. When you get down to it, I think that’s the main reason for Xbox to do this whole deal.

The big question is whether this will represent a huge shift in gaming of non exclusivity for consoles. Will Playstation make games like Spider-Man, The Last Of Us, and God Of War available to other consoles? Will we be able to play Pokemon and Mario on Xbox or Playstation? Personally, I don’t think so. I would absolutely love for it to happen as I’m a fan of everybody being able to enjoy the best games regardless of the console. But I think Xbox is just trying something different after a report back in December claimed the Playstation 5 outsold the Xbox Series X and S by three to one. They are still far behind in sales terms. It will certainly be a move that will be watched very closely in the industry and time will tell if it will be the right one.