Indie on DVDHard to believe this is our first-ever, in-depth focus on Independent Film… but we figured these underdogs deserve their time to shine too! Here’s a look at all the independent movie releases we’ve received in the past 30 days (excluding documentaries — you’ll find those in our Documentary Roundup at the end of the month):

Goodbye Solo (2008) - A Senegalese cab driver and a tough Southern boy forge an improbable friendship that will change both of their lives forever. From director Ramin Bahrani. – [imdb] – click here to read our review!

The Informers (2009) – The Informers follows the hollow, toxic lives of the privileged and the deprived in 1980s Los Angeles. – [imdb]

Life Is Hot In Cracktown (2009) – Various stories of how crack cocaine has infiltrated the inner-city streets., based on the 1993 best-selling novel by Buddy Giovinazzo. – [imdb]

Local Color (2006) – A successful artist looks back with loving memories on the summer of his defining year, 1974. – [imdb]

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2008) - A recent college graduate spends his final summer with a girl and her adventurous boyfriend before heading into a job his father wants him to take. – [imdb] – click here to read our review!

Nights and Weekends (2008) - As two long-distance lovers struggle with the toll taken by living too many miles apart, their visits become reminders of the difficulties, not the pleasures, of their relationship. – [imdb]

Something is Killing Tate (2008) - After a man survives his recent suicide attempt, the story behind his downward spiral is revealed as family members and friends show up, one by one, at his apartment’s front door. – [imdb]

Sugar (2008) - The inspirational story of a gifted pitcher struggling to make it to the big leagues of American baseball. – [imdb] – click here to read our review!

Sunshine Cleaning (2008) - A single mother and her sister go into the crime scene clean-up business to make some quick cash, and find a true respect for one another along the way.- [ imdb] – click here to read our review!

Take Out (2004) - A day-in-the-life of Ming Ding, an illegal Chinese immigrant working as a deliveryman for a Chinese take-out shop in New York City, who find he needs to make a large sum of money quickly to pay off the smugglers who brought him to the US. - [imdb]

The Toe Tactic (2008) - A light-hearted and perceptive exploration of memory, regret and the nature of reality itself, that imaginatively fuses live action and animation.  – [imdb]

(Thanks to IMDB, RottenTomatoes, and Metacritic for help with parts of these synopses)