Awards Season: Silver Linings for Limited Releases

November 28th, 2012

The Independent Spirit Awards has a special place in the Awards Season. The nominations are the unoffficial start of Awards Season, but the actual awards aren't given out until Oscar weekend, so they are the beginning at the end of Awards Season. They also help out a lot of limited releases that would otherwise not get enough buzz, although they are not so good at predicting Oscar wins. This year, two films tied for most nominations, Moonrise Kingdom and The Silver Linings Playbook, both of which earned five nominations. They weren't the only films to earn multiple nominations though. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for October 2nd, 2012

October 2nd, 2012

It's the first week of the month and there is a wide variety of releases worth checking out, but not exactly a strong selection of best sellers. The biggest first-run release is Dark Shadows and while I'm looking forward to possibly reviewing the Blu-ray Combo Pack, I don't think it will be a huge hit. New Girl: Season One and The Princess Bride: 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray look great, but I'm waiting for the screeners to make final decisions. I won't get a chance to review Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection, but it is a contender for Pick of the Week. The winner of that honor is Cinderella Blu-ray, which is a classic, even if it is a little old-fashioned. More...

Bernie Buried the Competition on the Per Theater Chart

May 2nd, 2012

Bernie got off to an unexpectedly strong start with an average of $28,602 in three theaters. With 82% positive reviews, it should have strong enough word-of-mouth to expand significantly. Headhunters was the only other film in the $10,000 club earning an average of $10,753 in four theaters. As a foreign language film, it will have more trouble expanding. More...

Limited Releases: Hunting for the Best

April 27th, 2012

It's a very busy week for limited releases with a dozen films on this week's list. This includes a number of films earning overwhelmingly positive reviews or earning some pre-release buzz. Jesus Henry Christ, Headhunters, Booker's Place, and Sound of My Voice all have a shot at earning some measure of mainstream success. I doubt all four will, because there's just too much competition for limited dollars, but hopefully at least a couple will do so. More...