Limited Releases Just Pretending
March 23, 2007
Of the several films opening this weekend, there is the most unlikeliest pair of documentaries: One is on the War on Terror and the other is on Air Guitar.
While these two films seem to have nothing in common, they are both earning 100% positive scores on Rotten Tomatoes and are worth checking out this weekend.
Air Guitar Nation - Reviews
Colour Me Kubrick: A True...ish Story - Reviews
First Snow - Reviews
Journey from the Fall - Reviews
Memory - Reviews
Offsides - Reviews
The Page Turner - Reviews
The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair - Reviews
... I'm a still not 100% convinced this is legitimate.
It's a documentary about the World Air Guitar Championship, which is such a strange idea that I expected to see Christopher Guest in the credits somewhere.
On the other hand, it is hard to argue with the critics, as its reviews are perfect so far.
Air Guitar Nation opens tonight at the Angelika Film Center in New York City and while it is not the most important documentary opening this weekend, it is the most fun.
Opening in 19 theaters tonight, as well as PPV, before coming out on DVD on Tuesday.
Has this release strategy ever worked?
I think its constant failure is proof that people mostly prefer to see movies in the comfort of their own home.
Perhaps certain action films are better suited for the big screen, but for the most part people go to theaters because they want to see the movie now and not three months from now.
The shorter the gap between theatrical release and the home market, the more people are willing to wait.
Traveling salesman Jimmy Sparks gets his fortune read by a mystic and learns his upcoming deal will be a success, but he also says there's some bad news on the horizon.
When he is proven right about the first prediction, Sparks' paranoia starts to get the best of him.
An amazing performance from Guy Pearce may or may not be enough to make this character study compelling for everyone and even critics are evenly split on the matter.
Because of this, it could struggle to expand significantly beyond its initial theater count, but it should find an audience on the home market at the very least.
First Snow opens tonight in three theaters in New York City and the Los Angeles area.
The story of a family separated after the Vietnam War when the father is captured by communists and send to a re-education facility while his family tries to escape to America.
Writer / director Ham Tran's sophomore effort, the film is uneven at times but should still please regulars of the art house circuit.
Journey from the Fall opens tonight at the ImageAsian in New York City and three theaters in the Los Angeles area.
A serial killer movie with so many twists and turns that one stops caring long before the climax.
Even the hook fails to capture moviegoers' imagination.
Memory opens tonight in New York City and the Los Angeles area.
A group of women try to get into a stadium to watch a soccer game.
There's nothing unusual about that, except they are in Iran and women aren't allowed to watch soccer in stadiums with the men.
So naturally the women dress-up as men and try and sneak in.
This film has had a huge run on the festival circuit and should perform well theatrically, even with the lack of popularity here for soccer and the foreign language aspect.
Offsides opens tonight in five theaters in New York City and the Los Angeles area.
This taut drama about revenge is being called the best film yet from writer / director Denis Dercourt.
It features Déborah François as a gifted pianist who fails an entrance exam into a prestigious conservatory because of the rudeness of one of the judges, only to find herself invited into that woman's home 10 years later.
The Page Turner opens tonight in two theaters in New York City before expanding to Los Angeles next weekend.
Have you ever argued with someone about the treatment of prisoners in the War on Terror and the other person says, "They are ruthless men who want to kill you and your family."?
If so, then this is the film to take them to, as it shows that not every person arrested is guilty of anything more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Arguably the most important film coming out this week, or this month, and also one of the best.
The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair opens tonight in New York City and Washington, D.C. before expanding over the coming weeks.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Journey from the Fall, First Snow, Offside, Colour Me Kubrick: A True...ish Story, The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair, Mem-o-re, Air Guitar Nation