Out this month are two films whose characters suddenly find themselves in circumstances that change their worlds, prompting them to form otherwise-unlikely bonds with each other:

First we have The King of New Orleans, Brian R. Friedman's independent film that follows New Orleans cabbie Larry Shirt (David Jensen, Ocean's Eleven, The Mist, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) as he drives everyone from across the social spectrum around the Big Easy.  One of his fares is possibly-expelled Harvard student Bobby Cohn (Richard Brien, Nashville), and the two form a friendship later tested by the epic challenges of Hurricane Katrina.  The film won multiple awards at the Napa Valley Film Festival, the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, and the New Orleans Film Festival, and it is the feature-length debut of Allen Frederic (Lee Daniels' The Butler, People), who co-directed the film with creative team Coodie & Chike (Benji, Good Morning).  The King of New Orleans will be out on digital platforms (including Amazon and iTunes) on February 21st (timed to tie in with Mardis Gras on the 28th) but is already available on DVD on Amazon for $14.99.   No special features on this one, which is sad because it seems like such a heart-centered project for the creators (and I'm sure they have some crazy behind-the-scenes stories they could tell since it was filmed on location in New Orleans).  If you simply love independent film and/or New Orleans, though, this may be worth checking out.

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