A quick glance at DVD Journal's handy "Release Calendar" and it's easy to see that David Lynch's Inland Empire is the indie pick of the week. Cinematical will have more on the film later today, but let me draw your attention to other worthy titles. Your Life in 65 begins on a lazy Sunday. A young man named Dani (Javier Pereira) and his friends meet in a park and while away the time until a newspaper obituary catches Dani's eye. Someone with the same name as an old schoolmate has passed away, prompting speculation that begins with bemusement and turns more serious when the gang decides to stop by the memorial service. Albert Espinosa's script, based on his own play, is exceptionally well-written, and director Maria Ripoll is smart enough to allow breathing space for words and actions. Look for the DVD from Strand Releasing.

Another Spanish-language film based on a play, The Method might remind you of David Mamet, circa House of Cards, in the intricacy and speed of its silver-tongued characters and the gamesmanship on display in the twisting plot. A small group of job applicants gathers in a conference room. They are the finalists in the cutthroat competition for an executive position, but will they do anything to get the job? Highly entertaining with a distinctly amoral perspective, The Method features an excellent cast, with the great Eduardo Noriega headlining; Marcelo Piñeyro directed. Palm Pictures is the distributor. Cinematical's Matt Bradshaw wrote about the trailer in May and included it in his post.

Doc fans have a well-recommended trio of new releases to consider. When Jette Kernion saw Doug Block's 51 Birch Street at South by Southwest in 2006, she noted that "the film had an emotional effect on many audience members." God Grew Tired of Us won the Grand Jury Documentary Prize at Sundance in 2006, while Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars focuses on musicians in a refugee camp who play music while awaiting possible repatriation to their native land. I saw it at AFI Fest in 2005; it's a fine, inspiring showcase for the infectious rhythms of the group's music.

It's always good news to see independent films gain distribution deals for theatrical or DVD release that will give them a wider audience than the film-festival circuit. Here are a couple of the latest distribution deals negotiated for smaller indie films:

• I saw the documentary 51 Birch Street at SXSW in 2006 and enjoyed it very much; it's a fascinating look at the way families do (or do not) communicate and the secrets that might be harbored. Last fall, the documentary toured theaters as part of Landmark's Truly Indie distribution program. Now director Doug Block has announced that Image Entertainment will be releasing the movie on DVD, with a tentative release date of August 14. I'm pleased that I now can recommend the film to all of you and you'll have a chance to see it in the next few months.
• IFC and Red Envelope (the theatrical distribution arm of Netflix) have bought North American distribution rights to the drama This is England (pictured above), which Martha Fischer reviewed during its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival last year and called "impressively accomplished." It's written and directed by Shane Meadows and is based on his childhood experiences. The film will be screening soon at the Tribeca Film Festival, then will be released in July as part of IFC's day-and-date program, First Take.

Living in Austin makes it challenging to create a year-end Top Ten list. I feel like I ought to have until February to finalize the list, because a lot of acclaimed movies from 2006 won't be released in this town until early next year. Plus, I am still catching up on movies that did get an Austin release before the end of the year -- for example, I didn't get to see The Queen until Wednesday night. I know I've missed some very good movies that might show up on a later list (I am dying to see Sleeping Dogs Lie, for example). And on the flip side, I've seen some excellent movies this year that were technically released in 2005, like The Squid and the Whale, but didn't arrive in Austin until 2006. Throwing film festivals into the mix means that I've seen some wonderful films that won't be released until 2007, or that have no distributor yet and may not see theatrical release at all. It's strange how "2006" can seem like such a fluid term when you're a film critic who lives outside of New York/Los Angeles.

So this Top Ten list is charmingly inconsistent as to release dates. Let's not worry about that. The list is in alphabetical order, although I will mention which movie was my particular favorite ...

Indie filmmakers have been trying all kinds of ways to show their films when they're unable to find a good distribution deal. Sometimes their methods seem as creative as the filmmaking. Two of the films I saw at SXSW this year have selected some innovative methods of distribution:

• 51 Birch Street, the personal documentary directed by Doug Block, will be distributed via Landmark's new Truly Indie program. Filmmaker/blogger A.J. Schnack points out that this is great news for filmmakers, because Block is a prolific longtime blogger and will hopefully share the pros and cons of his experience with Truly Indie.

• Jumping off Bridges, the narrative feature directed by Kat Candler, is being self-distributed. Storie Productions will tour the Austin-shot feature around the country in the next few months. What's different for this film is that many of the screenings are co-sponsored by local suicide prevention groups and counseling centers. The drama's storyline centers around teen and adult characters who have to deal with a suicide.
  

If you're interested in this sort of thing, IFC has also posted some recent news about indie films trying various self-distribution strategies. [via CinemaTech]

When the end credits rolled for 51 Birch Street and I saw a thank-you to documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee, I thought, "Aha! I was right!" It is one thing to guess about potential influences while watching a film, but much more gratifying to receive concrete proof validating your suspicions. Doug Block's latest film is more of a personal journey than a traditional documentary, and his debt to McElwee is evident.

51 Birch Street is about Block's own family, and is narrated by Block. The film opens with footage of his parents that he shot shortly before his mother died, in which his mother talks about her life and her marriage quite contentedly. Block shot this footage for his personal use, with no idea of how he might use it later.

Three months after Block's mother died, his father travelled to Florida to see Kitty, who had been his secretary decades earlier. They fell in love and were married not long afterwards. Block's father then decided to sell the family home (the 51 Birch Street of the title) and move to Florida.

• Bryan Poyser, producer and co-writer of The Cassidy Kids, shares the six most important things he learned from SXSW this year, as a filmmaker and an attendee. I would have thought he'd already know that "dark elves can't be trusted," but then he does live in Austin.

• Doug Block, who directed 51 Birch Street, writes about the SXSW audience reaction to the documentary about his family. Block's father and stepmother were present at the Austin screenings and his dad fielded a number of questions with good humor.
• Micah posted in the comments of last week's Film Blog Group Hug about his Austin-based film blog, Dumb Distraction. He managed to see 21 movies in four days at SXSW this year. I'm in awe. Next year I want to follow him around for a day to see if I can keep up.
• Martin of the new blog Blank Screen wrote a detailed review of East of Havana, the Charlize Theron-produced documentary about Cuban rap music. The entry includes some photos of Theron from the Q&A after the film's SXSW screening.
• Nothing to do with SXSW: Ed Symkus recounts a sweet little tale about chocolate-chip pancakes, True Grit, and the sad effects of bending to parental pressure. Obviously someone needs to open a diner that caters to film geeks ... maybe a chain, with outlets in Boston and Austin.