Limited Release: Foxy Releases
November 14, 2014
It's a long list this week, but you could eliminate nearly all of the films and concentrate on just Foxcatcher and Rosewater. These two films are earning the vast majority of the buzz. They are not the only films worth seeing, Red Army looks particularly good, but I worry no other film will thrive.
Always Woodstock - Reviews
Bad Turn Worse - Reviews
Beside Still Waters - Reviews
Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Reviews
Drug Lord: The Legend of Shorty - Reviews
Edsa Woolworth - No Reviews
Foxcatcher - Reviews
The Homesman - Reviews
InRealLife - Reviews
Le Jour se Leve - Reviews
Kill Dil - No Reviews
Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas - Reviews
Matthew 18 - No Reviews
Miss Meadows - Reviews
Occupy the Farm - Reviews
Red Army - Buy from Amazon: Reviews
Rosewater - Reviews
Starry Eyes - Reviews
Wolves - Reviews
A movie about a woman who is fired the same day she learns her fiancée is cheating on her. She using this to motivate her to do what she's always wanted to do, write music. This is not a unique premise and the reviews are really bad. Always Woodstock opens tonight in select theaters, as well as on Video on Demand.
A young man steals from his boss to throw a major party for his friends, who are about to leave for college. However, the repercussions of this are worse than he imagined. The film's reviews are good, but there are several films on this week's list with better reviews and louder buzz, so I think it won't thrive in limited release. Hopefully it will perform better on Video on Demand.
Daniel is shaken by the death of his parents and tries to get over it by inviting his friends over to relive the good old days. However, the reality doesn't live up to nostalgia. The reviews are good, but not great. Beside Still Waters opens tonight in select theaters and expands to Video on Demand on Tuesday.
The latest film from Johnnie To, who has made some great movies. This isn't one of them. There are also very few reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which suggests a lack of buzz. There's also no official site for its release here, which further reduces its chances.
A documentary about Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, who was one of the world's most dangerous criminals. The reviews are mixed and the competition is high, so this one might slip between the cracks. Drug Lord: The Legend of Shorty opens tonight in theaters and it is playing on Video on Demand.
One of a few films on this week's list with no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. When that happens, I often wonder if the film is actually coming out. Fortunately the official site has all of the details.
One of the best-reviewed new releases of the week and one that is earning some Oscar-buzz. It is based on the true-life story of John Eleuthère du Pont, played here by Steve Carell. Foxcatcher opens tonight in six theaters in New York City and the Los Angeles area and should come in first place on the per theater chart.
Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones star as two people trying to help three women affected by Prairie Fever. They have to transport them from the frontier back to civilization. The reviews are good, possibly good enough to thrive in limited release. The Homesman opens tonight in New York City and Los Angeles.
A documentary about the dangers of online life on children. The reviews are mixed with too many critics complaining that the movie is alarmist. InRealLife opened on Tuesday and is playing on Video on Demand.
A French classic being re-released on its 75th Anniversary. For a while, it was thought to be a lost film, but fortunately that is not the case. Fans of classic cinema should check it out. Le Jour se Leve opens tonight in three theaters and hopefully a Blu-ray release is not far behind.
A Bollywood opening with no reviews. This makes it really hard to tell how well it will do at the box office. Kill Dil opens tonight in select theaters. Check out this site for more details.
On the one hand, Kirk Cameron has drawing power among Churchgoers. On the other hand, this looks really, really bad. There are only four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes so far, but they are all negative. Some of them are aggressively negative. Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas opens tonight in 400 theaters. Check out the official site for more details.
Jennifer Jayleen Martinez plays Michelle, a young woman and an atheist who using college as a way to escape her religiously devote family. However, while away, she encounters the supernatural. Of course she does. You can't have an atheist as the lead character unless they come face-to-face with the supernatural. There are no reviews and the official site says coming soon.
Katie Holmes stars as the titular Miss Meadows, who is a kind elementary school teacher by day and a violent vigilante by night. That's an strange enough setup that it piqued my interested. Unfortunately, the reviews made me lose interest again. Miss Meadows opens tonight in theaters and on Video on Demand. It will clearly do better in the latter than the former.
A documentary about a movement to prevent farmland previously used for research to be turned into a shopping mall. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and the two there are mixed. The official site says the movie opened in Berkley last week, but that was special screenings, I think, while it opens tonight in 20 cities.
A documentary about the Red Army hockey team and how it dominated the competition. It also was a proxy battle in the Cold War pitting the Russians against the Canadians, because let's face it, the United States couldn't win that war. The film's Tomatometer Score is 100% positive at the moment and the film could pick of an Oscar nomination for Best Feature-Length Documentary. Red Army opens tonight for an Oscar-qualifying run before its theatrical debut in January.
Gael Carcia Bernal stars as Maziar Bahari, a reporter. In real life, Maziar Bahari went on the Daily Show and joked that he was traveling to Iran to spy on them. He actually went there to report on the elections. He was critical of the outcome and the regime used his appearance the Daily Show as an excuse to arrest him. It is a fascinating story and the film adaptation is the directorial debut for Jon Stewart, which should help the buzz. Additionally, the reviews are strong enough that it could find an audience in theaters. On the downside, Rosewater is opening tonight in 371 theaters, which will likely prove to be too many. Check out the official site for more details.
An aspiring actress learns there's a high price to fame. The film's reviews started out really well, but they have since slipped enough that they are no longer overwhelmingly positive. The movie is also the wrong genre for limited release and it is playing on Video on Demand. It was also partially funded through Kickstarter, so it won't need as much to break even. Starry Eyes opens tonight in Los Angeles. Check out the official site for more details.
A popular high school student becomes a werewolf and has to battle a great evil to save the woman he loves. This is the wrong genre for limited release and the reviews are weak. Furthermore, it is playing on Video on Demand, so its box office numbers will be immaterial.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Foxcatcher, Rosewater, The Homesman, Miss Meadows, Saving Christmas, Matthew 18, Wolves, Always Woodstock, Starry Eyes, Bad Turn Worse, Beside Still Waters, Occupy the Farm, Kill Dil, Edsa Woolworth, Daan gyun naam Yu 2, Drug Lord: The Legend of Shorty, Le jour se leve, InRealLife, Gael Garcia Bernal, Kirk Cameron, Steve Carell, Katie Holmes, Tommy Lee Jones, Jon Stewart, Hilary Swank, Johnnie To, Ryan Eggold, Jennifer Jayleen Martinez