For Your Consideration - 'I Like-Like You, Man' Edition

For Your Consideration is a weekly round-up of upcoming indie limited releases. The idea is to either expose you to or remind you of films that can't afford to plaster their posters on the sides of buildings or accompany your Happy Meal in toy form.

Unsurprisingly, this week marks another light batch of independent openings as we slog through the heart of blockbuster season, but quality, not quantity, no? A mumblecore bromance and concert documentary cobbled together from unused b-roll headline this week, and although they definitely don't seem thrilling on paper, with numerous audience awards under their collective festival belts, they both deserve some consideration for your box-office attention this weekend.

HUMPDAY

What: The fourth feature from 2009 "Someone to Watch" Spirit Award winner Lynn Shelton (My Effortless Brilliance), Humpday is the tale of two recently reunited friends that quickly fall back into their old habits of stubborn one-upmanship. One night after a drunken dare to enter an amatuer porn contest, the two straight men reluctantly decide the best way to win is to stage a porn using the only resources they have - each other.

Where: NY - Angelika Film Center, LA - Opens next week.

Why: A heartfelt, but still fun, counterpoint to the big, blunt, homophobic baiting of Brüno. Humpday looks to bring the yucks while trying to offer an examination on bromances and the nuanced aspects of self and relationships as opposed to the simplistic LOOK! PEOPLE ARE HOMOPHOBIC WHEN ATTACKED BY GAY STEREOTYPES formula of Sacha Baron Cohen's latest endeavor.

SOUL POWER

What: The first feature directed by veteran independent producer Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Soul Power is a verite documentary/concert film that chronicles the famous three day music festival that was staged in conjuction with the epic 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Held in Kinshasa, Zaire, the concert represented the first time that many of the world's most iconic African-American musicians were able to perform in the land of their forefathers.

Where: NY - Landmark Sunshine Cinema, Lincoln Plaza Cinema; LA - Playhouse 7, Monica 4-Plex, Sunset 5

Why: Compiled from hours of unused b-roll collected from When We Were Kings, Soul Power is a compelling example of the power of editing with documentary material and, all pretense aside, is simply just an excellent concert film that showcases many performers at the height of their careers giving their all for an audience that looked to them as symbols of hope.

Everything Else

WEATHER GIRL


YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG